I've followed Kevin Hart on Twitter for some time now. He works for WVU University Relations, which is where I just recently started. But in addition to that, he has started this BBQ food stand and catering business that I had been dying to try.

Hart has been selling pulled pork sandwiches on select Saturdays at a tend in CSC Home & Hardware's parking lot in Sabraton. It's not every Saturday, and it's usually only from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. or until it's sold out. Check out his notes on Facebook for the up-to-date schedule.

The upcoming dates right now are:
Saturday, November 2
Saturday, November 16


Pulled Pork Sandwich = $5.00
Pulled Pork Combo (Sandwich, Chips & Drink) = $6.50
Pulled Pork by the Pound* = $11.00
Lays Potato Chips = $1.00
Coke, Diet Coke or Water = $1.00 
* One Pound feeds approximately 3-4 adults. If you've got ravenous teens or hungry fellas you might want to get extra.

One of the first weekends I was back in town, I was determined to get one of those sandwiches. I just so happened to pick a lucky Saturday and made sure I was out and about early enough to swing by in case he sold out early.

I officially met Kevin in person for the first time as he handed me a piled-high pork sandwich. He was selling slaw for an additional charge, so I opted for that, plus a side of chips and a water.

It all comes in a nice little styrofoam container so you can take it where you please. And two types of sauces are available - East Carolina Vinegar and Kansas City Traditional Sauce. There are small cups with lids so you can get as much or as little as you want to take with you. I got a little of both and set off for the rail trail to sit at one of the tables.

This is the best pulled pork sandwich I think I've ever had in town. And I'm not saying that because we are distant co-workers. I've only met him once. I'm saying that because I want you to go try it and compare.

I don't know if it's because he has more time to put tender love and care into each sandwich, but it is great. It is piled super high with tender pulled pork - smokey, flavorful. You can add whichever sauce you choose - I liked the thicker, sweet traditional sauce, but the vinegar is good too.

I dipped large pieces of the sandwich in the sauces to get the tang and sweet, which was beautiful with the smokey flavor. Just divine.

The slaw could have used some more something. It needs to be a bit creamier, less piecey. Chopped finer. But even then, it doesn't take away from the stellar sandwich.

Grade: A

Chestnut Street in downtown Morgantown has been booming in the past year or so. The first domino down was that Dragonfly closed. Then it was a chain reaction with Rocktop opening on the roof of that building, a hotel was erected next door, and Big Whiskey opened up in the former Dragonfly location. The latter three are all under the same ownership. So they have three businesses right on the same block.

It reminds me of the trifecta of businesses in Bent Willy's, Vintage Room and Red Zone just the next  building up.

This company clearly has some money. I saw releases going out from a PR firm about the openings of the restaurant and hotel, so it doesn't give me that warm, local feeling. More like that of larger corporate types taking over a block downtown, shelling out some dough for a nice-looking place and attracting a certain type of clientele - kind of the opposite of the local, hip, chill vibe I go for.


Regardless, my friend Heather and I wanted to check out this new country bar and BBQ place called Big Whiskey. We tried opening the doors in front of the street. Stood there awkwardly for about five minutes. Nothing was happening. So I called the phone number listed, and it rang up to Rocktop. I told the woman I was trying to get to Big Whiskey, and she told me to go to the door around the corner. So I walked around to the right and saw a broken down-looking door with a bucket and broom in front of it, then I kept walking and saw another door. We went inside.

Ooof.

Okay, so once we got inside, there was literally no one there except for a guy working on the sound. We awkwardly walked inside - it was kind of dark - but they said they were open. We meandered over to a table and sat, wondering what we were doing there. The guy who was supposed to be there came not too longer after, then a few more people trickled in. He came over and apologized because they were having a meeting. Okay, great, I don't really care. At this point, I was annoying at the maze I had to get through to get in and then there was nobody there. Whatever. Just feed me at this point.

He brought us menus, and in the meantime, the man who was working on the sound warned us it would get really loud for a few minutes. It got really loud for a few minutes - so loud I couldn't hear Heather across the table from me. He was testing the bass and whatnot. Clearly they were more concerned with the ridiculous country dance party they were going to be having that night than the two customers trying to have dinner in the restaurant portion. First sign this place is a bar masquerading as a restaurant. And not a very good one at that.

Prices are a bit steep, but the brisket platter was $14, so I ordered that. It came with a side, and I got slaw. As we were waiting, we were looking around. It really does have nice finishes - it's trying to be an upscale country place. Dragonfly was gorgeous inside, so it's a shame that a restaurant with a similar theme couldn't come in. But the interior is nice, but the focus is on the dance floor and bar.

When our food came out, I was kind of surprised to see zero sauce with the brisket. Nada. You gotta be pretty confident in your smoking abilities to not need any garnish. Rare in West Virginia. They shouldn't be so confident.

It was a pile of meat that had a hint of smokey flavor, but not enough to garner no additional sauce. Some pieces were really fatty, too. Others were fine, but just kind of bland. It was kind of greasy in a way, and for the price, bleh. The slaw was surprisingly much better with pickles and a more oil base than mayo. For $15, I felt very unfulfilled. Very mediocre. And considering the subpar service, I wasn't happy.

It doesn't help that just a week later, I was walking past this business around 7 p.m. and the bouncers - presumably for Rocktop - catcalled my friend and I. Bouncers, really? When I voiced my displeasure via Twitter, Rocktop responded that the parking lot was just for Rocktop and Big Whiskey patrons after hours. Uh, what? You're condoning their behavior if you think I parked in that lot? A - I did not park there. B - What in the actual hell? I sent a few more tweets, and apparently I'm still not over the whole experience because I'm voicing it here. Hate everything about this place. Food is mediocre, at best. Service is atrocious. And apparently they don't care.

Grade: D

I've been eagerly awaiting the opening of Woodburn Shanks when someone told me about their kickstarter. Derrick Shanks and Alex Schoetz began the venture, but Schoetz left at some point. Shanks continued working, and I sent him an email asking when it might be finished back in January.

He told me: "I still need to get approved by the local health dept, which is going to require some elbow grease between now and then. I am starting on such a tiny budget, so I am literally doing everything myself, from fabricating the smokers, the logo and graphic design, and the restoration of the 33 year old truck (at this point it's just me, Alex has left the venture). If I had to estimate, I think I will be open in 6-7 weeks."

Fast-forward a few months later - after I moved across the state and back again - he posted on my Facebook to check out their location, which has switched from foodtruck to actual shop in the old Morgantown Mall. They have their truck and smoker in the back parking lot, but you can walk up to the actual storefront in the mall to get a bite to eat.

They're only open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., so it's not bad for me considering I work close to the old mall. I imagine the folks who work at the mall and around there frequent it, but beyond Woodburn Shanks, there's not much in that old mall anymore.

Shanks was born and raised in Wichita, Kansas. So, they specialize in Kansas City Style BBQ. From their page:

"He learned from an early age BBQ was his favorite food. So he built a smoker and forged his technique.  It’s a slow and long process to make excellent BBQ and Derrick is truly a master."

"Derrick Shanks, a Kansas City Style pit-master will provide meats rubbed with a Kansas City style rub and smoked to perfection. In our world that means the just the right amount of meat falling off the bone, the smoked flavor isn't hidden by sauce, but you can add sauce as you like. The mild sauce we provide has been named twice by the American Royal, the 'Best Sauce on the Planet.' We also have a hot version, and a Western Carolina sauce for those that don't dig sweets."

You order at the counter - and they take cards - and the woman prepares the food right there for you. It's basically already made and they just assemble it for you. I ordered a pulled pork sandwich and for the two sides: cheesey corn and slaw. I grabbed one of each kind of sauce - a mild and a hot version - before taking a seat at a table in front.

Kansas City Style has lots of savory spices, sweet rubs and sauces that are then smoked in a pit for hours. Woodburn Shanks falls in that category. The pulled pork was smokey and tender and lovely. I like that some pieces were darker and had more texture. I like having the sauce on the side so I can add to it as I choose. While both of the sauces were good - I liked the more sweet mild sauce. It's a solid sandwich. One of the best I've found in  town. 

Unfortunately, neither of the two sides did it for me. The slaw was slathered in mayo and had no real flavor - just sog. And the cheesy corn, while it sounds great by description, it did nothing for me. I couldn't tell it was cheesy - it just tasted kind of greasy. High hopes for sides to complement the great sandwich, but fell flat.

Try the pulled pork sandwich, but maybe opt for the baked beans next time.

Grade: B

As Morgantown quickly ventures toward being the BBQ capital of West Virginia - somehow - I think it's interesting to note the various kinds of BBQ. I do not have much experience in these areas, but I do know people who are loyal Texas BBQ lovers and go only for brisket, while others who are Carolina faithful and choose pork every time.

BBQ Smokehouse Catering has a pretty quick and simple page for guidelines on the different types:

Texas Style: The State where beef is king and brisket is the crown prince. Beef ribs aren’t bad either. Texans like their barbecue “naked”, or with side sauces that tend to be a blend of tomato thinned with vinegar and Worcestershire. They are the least sweet of the tomato based sauces.

Memphis Style: Memphis style barbecue is known for wet marinated pork ribs that are also basted while smoking. Another style of ribs is to apply dry rub during or right after they’ve been cooked. Pork shoulders, and butts are done the same way. Mild, sweet and spicy rubs, as well as mopping sauces, are basted on periodically during cooking. Want more about Memphis style barbecue? Check out Memphis: The Great BBQ Debate.

Kansas City Style: This is where southern barbecue influences are artfully combined with Western Beef and Pork. The meat is liberally seasoned with savory spices, sweet rubs and sauces then smoked in a hickory-stoked pit for hours.
Thick and sticky sweet sauces are slathered onto pork ribs and tangy briskets. You can learn more about Kansas City barbecue at www.experiencekc.com

Carolina Style: The State that’s gone whole hog over barbecue. More signs with dancing pink pigs are found here than anywhere else! Pig pickin’s and pulled pork are mixed with thin vinegar based sauces to make an incredibly flavorful and juicy barbecue! (You can tell its one of my favorites.)

Sauce variations are heavily laced with secret spice blends of salt, pepper, red pepper, cayenne pepper, onion powder, garlic, nutmeg, molasses, whiskey, and brown sugar.

We favor the Eastern variety of North Carolina sauce. The Western North Carolina sauce has a wee little bit of tomato in it, and for me, its not as distinctive as Eastern. You can learn about North Carolina barbecue at www.nctravel.com.

South Carolina style barbecue sauce contains mustard, which was first added by the large contingent of Germans colonists that were among the first Europeans to settle there.

Clutch Wings burst onto the Morgantown restaurant scene not too long ago. They have a sister store in Tailpipes, which has been well-known for its awesome social media and online presence. Clutch Wings followed suit by tweeting specials, contests and free food. Who doesn't love free food?

Clutch Wing Shop boasts itself as the only place in town that focuses solely on wings and wing delivery. And like Tailpipes, they have created some interesting combinations that piqued my interest. They have tater tots. You can get them with ketchup. Or with Cheez Wiz. Or with Cheez Wiz and candied bacon. Or, you can get them with mac and cheese, Cheez Wiz and Sriracha ketcup.


They also have sandwiches or "melts," which have some sort of cold cut with a cheese, some veggies and something like pistachio pesto mayo, jamaican mayo, balsamic, aioli, or some other type of dressing.

But the wings are their specialty - boneless, traditional or tofu.They have five main categories: Buffalo style, BBQ, Far East Flavors, Dry Rubs and Best of the Best. Buffalo Style has traditional, old bay, hot, honey jalapeno, hot garlic and stupid. BBQ has sweet honey, hot, Cajun, Asian BBQ and sweet peach. Far East Flavors has teriyaki, Korean, sweet chili, orange ginger and kung pao. Dry Rubs include ranch, old bay, lemon pepper, taco and red hot. Best of the best includes Tailpipes fry sauce, garlic butter, Pb and j, and curry.


I ordered six boneless Asian BBQ and six Sweet Chili. I know those are like two similar ones, but I wanted one from BBQ and one from Far East, and those were the ones I wanted!  You can get them with ranch, bleu cheese, avocado ranch, spicy ranch or Clutch sauce. I didn't see the Clutch sauce or I would've ordered that. Instead, I got the bleu cheese and avocado ranch. With a drink, my total came to $15.30. Pricey for 12 wings and a drink.

Six wings are $6.29. 12 wings are $12.49. 18 wings are $17.99. 24 wings are $23.99. 50 wings are $48.29.

Let's backtrack for a second. The outside is barely recognizable as a restaurant. Luckily I knew their logo, so I found it. There is some parking in front, which is a plus. Inside, it's bare. It doesn't have a theme like Tailpipes does. And, there's just one table. So if you're trying to eat in, look elsewhere. They focus primarily on delivery. So, if you're getting delivery, it's also going to add a couple extra bucks to your total. The price is getting fairly steep here.

But are they good? Yeah, they weren't bad. I really liked the Sweet Chili ones a lot better than the Asian BBQ ones. They had the spice I was looking for, and the BBQ ones seemed to fall flat in comparison. Both sauces were tasty and the avocado ranch was unique - a little bit of fresh flavor to the ranch.

The BBQ ones also seemed to be a bit more dry, but they probably just cooked a tad too long. I kind of have a hard time paying this much for chopped up chicken fingers with sauce because I know other places sell them for so much cheaper. But if you're looking for something different with unique sauces - check them out. And I'm sure kinks - such as inconsistencies in cooking - will be worked out as they find their groove. That would be worth the price.

Grade: B