Diehl's is a place that I've heard about for a long time. It's had a secure place on my "to try" list for - I think - before I even moved to Charleston. It fell to the wayside after I moved back to Morgantown, but recently my editor at the magazine I freelance for asked me if I had heard of it. Of course, I responded. He then asked me to do a story on it. Perfect.


Diehl's embodies everything Nitro. It has photos and memorabilia from local heroes and athletes hung on the walls. Cap guns, pieces of history and others decorate each wall here. It feels like home. But I'll save that for my article.

I ordered the roast beef and gravy. It came with two sides - I went with mashed potatoes and sage dressing. Plus rolls. Keith Diehl, and his son Aaron, brought us out some cole slaw and green beans, too. Nice fellows.

This isn't my typical dish, but when in Rome. The roast beef was killer. Super tender and moist and flavorful with the gravy. The sage - IS FRIED STUFFING. I MEAN. C'MON. So tasty. And mashed potatoes - homemade and thick and creamy.

If you want to get a good feel for this area in terms of the culture and history, while also getting a full belly of homecooked food, look no further.


Oh god. And graham cracker pie. It was like this pudding, with graham cracker, whipped cream. So good. I can't wait to try go again.


Grade: A

A growler is a jug that allows folks to transport beer from a brewery to home. Yes, you can buy cans of whatever domestic beer you want in a store, but what about that awesome craft beer that isn't bottled? A growler allows you to take home a half-gallon of beer.

They're filled straight from the tap, sealed with a cap, and the ones in Morgantown cost around $15-$20. That includes buying the actual container, and when you bring it back to get it refilled - depending on the type of beer you want - it's generally cheaper. They'll keep in the fridge for about 7-10 days or 2-3 once opened.

Right now, in Morgantown, there are four* places to purchase growlers:


Morgantown Brewing Company is the only brewpub in town right now that actually brews their beer here, so it's perfect for a growler. My favorite is their Kettle Bottom Brown.


Mountain State Brewing Company is the other brewpub in Morgantown - though they don't actually brew in town. They brew at their Thomas, W.Va., location. Still great brewpub with my fav. there - the Almost Heaven Amber Ale.



The third place that sells growlers is Black Bear. They don't brew their own beer, but they have a lot of local beers on tap, so it's a pretty cool option if you want, say, Chestnut Brew Works. Hopefully that's actually not the case for much longer, as Chestnut will be opening a taproom in South Park soon.

**Since this post, Chestnut Brew Works has opened their taproom, and they DO offer growlers. You know I got one.

Any others in town?

Morgantown is fortunate to have a handful of farmers markets spread throughout the area from which to choose. There's no place better to get the freshest, highest quality produce - or baked goods, candies and more - than straight from the folks producing it.

Monday - Cheat Lake Farmers Market

Tuesday - Westover Farmers Market
               - WVU Medicine University Town Centre Farmers Market

Wednesday - Health Sciences Center Farmers Market

Thursday - South Morgantown Community Farmers Market (1966 Grafton Rd.)
                 - WVU Farmers Market

Friday - XXXXXXXXX

Saturday - Morgantown Farmers Market

Sunday - Bridgeport Farmers Market

Online - Mountaineer Country Farmers Consignment Market

Do you know of any others? Let me know so I can add them!

I visited the Greenbrier on the Fourth of July to see Maroon 5 play. It was a crazy busy day, but my friends and I wanted to make the best of it. The concert series is part of the Greenbrier Classic, and it's held at the Fairgrounds - so not right at the hotel. We took a shuttle to the golf course area and walked up to the hotel for some grub.

Draper's at the Greenbrier is one of the few places in the hotel that has a more casual dress code, so we figured this would be our best bet.

The only problem was that there was an hour and fifteen minute wait. We couldn't do that, so we opted for the ice cream bar only area.


We walked in and took a seat at the bar. The interior of this place is awesome. It's bright and colorful and has floral patterns on everything. They are open 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. for breakfast, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. for lunch and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. for dinner daily.

I ordered a caramel sundae with butter pecan ice cream. Good lord. Super rich, but also super great.

It gets a little hectic here, so if you really wanna check it out (and I would love to try the fried green tomato sandwich), definitely get here early. Especially if there's a large event going on. But definitely worth it to check out. Pretty tasty.

Grade: A

A quick weekday getaway to Pittsburgh landed Afton and I at Osaka, a sushi and Chinese restaurant located on Greentree Road. From the outside, I wasn't quite sure what to expect, with it being in a plaza with giant lettering that reads "Chinese Restaurant." Hmph.

On the sushi side, I wanted to go with their namesake - the Osaka Roll. It is a tempura roll with crab and spicy tuna. I was thinking for some reason it would be crab tempura, as opposed to the whole thing being fried. And that's my fault. But it was still good.

Fish was good, flavor was good - a little heavy on soy - but overall pretty tasty. I'd go back again and try some other dishes.

Grade: B