The Morgantown Farmers Market is the best thing that happens at 8 a.m. on a Saturday. If you're lucky enough to be awake this early, get the to the Marketplace Pavilion on Spruce Street to enjoy some of the best food Morgantown has to offer.From fresh veggies and meats to bread and jellies, this place should be an addition to everyone's grocery shopping. It runs from 8:30 a.m. to noon on the corner of Spruce and Fayette streets.
On this particular trip, I stocked up on some kale, tomatoes, hot pepper jelly (a coworker at the Charleston Daily Mail made this, and I couldn't pass it up), stuffed ciabatta bread and banana bread.
Awesome. And I went back the following week. And I'll be back this week. Super pumped for strawberries.They're going to be doing culinary demonstrations - so that's cool. More info on that here.
Pizza Al's may have finally broken the terrible track record of restaurants in this location. The corner of University Avenue and Campus Drive has had a run of various restaurants: Shiftace, Night Owls, Kenyan Cafe, etc. And to be honest, I don't understand why this small corner never does well.Pizza Al's has, hopefully, changed that. One of the town's most beloved pizza joints has taken up shop on University Avenue - just closer to the Downtown Campus this time. There's a short-term parking lot next to the building, but I'm guessing they're going to be getting a lot more foot traffic anyway.
Pizza Al's IV (the other on University, another in Sabraton, and one in PA) has the same menu: pizza, calzones, sandwiches and salads.
We ordered a large pizza - half pepperoni, half cheese. For the four of us, with drinks, I think it came out to about $5 each.
Same excellent quality. Thin pizza with a layer of melted cheese. Delicious - not too greasy - and piping hot. Definitely the best recipe in town.It's nice the Downtown Campus has another lunch option - and especially a lunch option that consists of the best pizza in town. It definitely does look a bit more shabby than the other University location with some worn interior and painting - but I don't think the crowd they're catering to minds.
Grade: A
Atomic Grill is a badass - complete with punk-rock attitude, tatted servers and local food. After a few visits, I can confidently call them on of my favorite restaurants in town. And their response to a misogynistic online review has captured my heart.
When someone commented on Urbanspoon that the waitresses should "show some more skin," the owner had a creative response by developing an event showing skin - potato skins, that is - and donating 100 percent of the proceeds to the West Virginia Foundation for Rape Information Services.
This story went viral - AP, People Magazine, ABC, WDTV, WV Public Broadcasting, WBOY, Slate Magazine, NY Daily News
It's a scary thing that women are constantly seen as objects. Women can't do their jobs without being looked at as a sexual conquest. Or walk down the street. Or go to the store. Or go to a bar. These waitresses are not there for you to ogle. They're doing their jobs. And the scariest part is that people will say "oh, that's not so bad" or "why are you making a big deal" or "at least it's a compliment." That's what is wrong with our culture. That women are taught we need to protect ourselves, when, in reality, men should be taught to not harm. If you haven't had a chance to check out #YesAllWomen in response to the rampage in California on Twitter, please do so. All women have to be careful, at all times. And while, no, not all men harm - how can you know who will and who won't? And this has become OK in our cultural. I hope this is the catalyst for change. I could go on about this for days, but many others have said it way better than I ever could.
Just know this - my girlfriends know what it's like to have to carry your car keys in your hands at night to use as protection. They know not to go anywhere at night alone. They know to steer clear of stairwells in parking garages. We know. The men in my life don't have to deal with this kind of fear, and they may not get it. But I hope they begin to understand - even if only a little - that they're needed to combat this. The men have to be on board to stop this accepting culture.Kudos to Daniel McCawley for taking a stand.
And thank you for serving the best potato skins I've ever had.
I visited Kassar Food and Gifts a while ago but never had a chance to eat there. Vicki and I returned recently to try their take on Middle Eastern food and for girl talk, of course.I mentioned previously about how Kassar's is a shop with produce, trinkets and more - but it also has a small restaurant.
I ordered the lamb kabob, which comes with two sides - I went for the hummus and stuffed grape leaves. You order at the cash register and proceed to the right and back, where there is The Shai House - a place to eat your meal. We headed back that way while we waited for our food to arrive.The interior was cool - a little shabby, but comforting at the same time. Linens draped the ceiling, and lots of gold and red hues decorated the room. A few tables were floor-level, and along the right wall is a long bench with tables.
At the tables are some spices and condiments. It took a little bit for our food to arrive. Vicki ordered a gyro and a salad plate, which she liked, but it wasn't her favorite.
My kabob was OK. A little chewy - but decent flavoring. The rice was a little on the cooler side, and the grape leaves were solid. The hummus, though, was really quite good. Great flavor and spice - not bland, like many I try. It was tasty.If I want Middle Eastern food, I'll probably stick to Ali Baba's, but this was a nice change of pace.
Grade: B
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