I didn't know about ramps, really, until I moved to Charleston. There, I learned their appeal to natives and even had my first ramp.

Morgantown is so lucky to have a number of farmers markets from which to choose.

Monday - Cheat Lake Farmers Market
Tuesday - Westover Farmers Market
Wednesday - Health Sciences Center Farmers Market
Thursday - South Morgantown Community Farmers Market (1966 Grafton Rd.)
Friday - XXXXXXXXX
Saturday - Morgantown Farmers Market

[And I think there's a Morgantown Country Farmers Consignment Market, but I'm not sure how that one works]


Cheat Lake is from 4-7 p.m. in the parking lot of the Chestnut Ridge Church, across from Ruby & Ketchy's Restaurant.

Cheat Lake's market is pretty small, with just six vendors total: The Bakery, Brian's Hydroponic tomatoes, Sines Farm, Busy Beavers Farm and Greenhouse, Clear View Farm and Chipps Farm. I bought from half of them!


Here's what they had:

The Bakery: Pepperoni rolls Jalapeño/cheddar bread, cinnamon raisin bread, donuts
Brian’s Hydroponic Tomatoes: Tomatoes
Sines Farm: Squash Maple syrup, green onions, dried hot peppers, basil, swiss chard, lettuce, spinach
Busy Beavers Farm and Greenhouse: Onions, tomato plants, flowers, oatmeal cake, banana bread, peanut butter fudge, apple dumplings
Clear View Farm: Eggs, herb breads, sourdough bread, cinnamon bread, pepperoni bread, treats
Chipps Farm: Lettuce, strawberries, eggs, onions

I got a pepperoni roll from Clear View Farms, some peanut butter fudge from Busy Beavers Farm and Greenhouse, and cookies from The Bakery.

The pepperoni roll was GREAT. And these folks don't go to the regular Morgantown market. Just my first bite -- and it was already filled with pepperoni and cheese. The whole thing was brimming with deliciousness and it was just $3. I think I'll have to be back to get one. One of the best I've had in town, I think.

Peanut butter fudge is always good - but it's especially tasty when it's not the hard, break chunks off and nearly lose a tooth kind. It was soft. Great.

And the cookies - also good! I'm a huge fan of anywhere that lets me opt for something that isn't a chocolate chip cookie. So, the inverse? Awesome.

I still have a few more markets to try: the one at Health Sciences, the "South Morgantown" one and potentially this consignment one. Anyone been? Thoughts?

A new Chinese restaurant has replaced what was Ray's Pastries.

China King, which is a Chinese and Thai take-out restaurant, is open seven days a week: Monday-Thursday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.; and Sunday from noon to 10 p.m.

While it is primarily a take-out restaurant, there are a half-dozen or so tables along the right side of their hallway.


China King features typical American-Chinese fare: chow mein, lo mein, sweet and sour, egg foo young, moo shu, chop suey, pork, chicken, beef seafood, chef's specialties -- but also Thai cuisine, like pad thai, panang-style curry, thai basil beef, and mango shrimp.

I was there for lunch (Mon-Sat. 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.) and ordered General Tso's for a benchmark. If you can't make the most-ordered, generic dish, how will the other stuff be? It came with pork fried rice, a can of soda and soup. Or you can substitute the soup for an eggroll, which I did. I also got an order of the crab cheese wontons. Because of course. Total was about $12

Ordering was super quick, and after maybe 10 minutes, I picked up my bag and headed home.

So, it's average. It's your general, stringy General Tso's. Not bad, not great. Just there.

Same thing goes for the wontons. Not super creamy. Clumps of cheese in a fried dough. Average.

And the eggroll - maybe even a little under average. Pretty small. Fine.

There are better options for Chinese take-out. Like maybe Lavender Cafe. Or Chinese food in town that you could get to go - like Asian Bistro or WV Panda.

But if you're on that side of town, I can see the appeal of a to-go place.

Grade: C

The West Virginia Botanic Garden has been off my radar until recently. Maybe that's part of the draw to me now - that it's this serene, almost secret hideaway. Its 82 acres of beautifully landscaped gardens, a pond and trails through meadows and woodlands. It's located on Tyrone Road, so it's been a little out of my way. But thanks to the Ben, BBQ and Bluegrass fundraiser, I had an excuse to make the trip.


Here's the deal: $35 for dinner from Martin's Bar-B-Que, dessert from Tutto Gelato, bluegrass music and a first-hand look at the unveiling of Ben Gazsi's latest sculpture (plus drinks and raffles for an extra charge).

Gazsi is known for his sculptures at Coopers Rock - the Sleeping Giant, the bear and the tortoise. This was his first eco-sculpture for the garden: A red-tailed hawk.






 

Photo by Sher Yip

This year's Taste of Morgantown rocked my world. It looked like a huge turnout, and area restaurants brought their A game. I managed to sample a little of everything and left fat, happy and sassy. Which is good, though, because proceeds go to charity. Starting on the back right corner of the Erickson Alumni Center room, Mary Kay and I ate our way through the offerings.

Atomic Grill: Heirloom Tomato, Pea Shoots, Walnut Goat Cheese, Vinaigrette; Poached Rainbow Trout Papiettes, Chard and Turnip Greens, Grilled Ratatouille, Smoked Tomato; Blackberry Wine Stewed Cherries, Handmade Puff Pastry, Lavender Cream, Mint.

Photo by Sher Yip

Terra Cafe: Thai Basil, Blackberry & Ginger Cocktail (Bloomery Plantation Distillery’s Sweet Shine with fresh-squeezed lemonade, blueberries and Thai basil from Chef Lauren’s garden); Coconut Lemongrass Beef Croquette (Possum Tail Farms Heritage Beef infused with ginger, lemongrass and topped with Round Right Farms sweet spring greens. Served over fresh-baked pita); Goat Cheese & Lemon Panna Cotta (Firefly Farms Allegheny Chèvre with Maple Valley Honey. Local Lavender and Bloomery Plantation Distillery’s Sweet Shine).

Photo by Sher Yip

Photo by Sher Yip

Erickson Alumni Center: Korean Beef Brisket with Asian Vegetable Slaw, Carolina-Style Pulled Pork with Appalachian Hobo Beans and Louisiana Bacon Wrapped Shrimp with Cheddar Moonshine Blue Corn Grits