The United Way hosted Morgantown's first macaroni and cheese cook-off. I was honored to be one of the judges, along with Del. Amanda Pasdon. The event had an incredible turnout with more than 350 people attending and eight incredible restaurants competing: Atomic Grill, Iron Horse Tavern, Hash Browns & New Grounds, Oliverio's Ristorante, Morgantown Brewing Company, Table 9, Terra Cafe and Tailpipes. For whatever reason, Stefano's didn't show up. No home cooks entered the competition, but I think that's something that might take off next year.

Iron Horse Tavern - tater tot wafer with black truffle sour cream topped with four cheese macon mac - smoked gouda, pecorino romano, white cheddar and gruyere - smoked paprika, garlic panko crust and chives.

Tailpipes - "Maki Roni & Cheese" - Irish cheddar, goat cheese, candied bacon, parmesan, spicy mayo and Japanese panko.




Terra Cafe - "Blue 'BLT' Mac N' Cheese" - homemade orecchiette in a tomato and blue cheese sauce. Served in a fresh-baked bread bowl and garnished with candied bacon and kale chips. Kale and onions from Round Right Farm. Allegheny Chevre and Black & Blue from Firefly Farms. Eggs from Possum Tail Farm.

Morgantown Brewing Comapny - "Beer & Bacon Cheesy Mac with '80 Shillings Scotch Ale" - asiago, sharp white cheddar, mozzarella, smoked provolone and smoked gouda cheeses with whole wheat macaroni and semolina cavatappi pasta with grilled leeks, black beans and roasted red peppers topped with crispy house-cured pork jowl bacon crumbles.

Oliverio's Ristorante - "Lobster Mac and Cheese" - homemade lobster stock, lobster base, butter, heavy cream, scallions and garlic with cheddar, parmesan and smoked gouda cheeses tossed with cavatappi pasta, langostino and lobster tail meal.

Atomic Grill - "Atom-Mac" - cavatappi egg pasta, a proprietary blend of six cheeses, serrano peppers, cayenne sauce, scallions and white pepper.

Table 9 - orzo, pork belly and smoked gouda.



Hash Browns & New Grounds - jalapeno gnocchi macaroni and cheese with toasted peppercorns, panko and red chili sauce.

Overall thoughts: I really liked Tailpipes' creativity. Super cool theme, and the crust on the outside was slightly sweet. Loved that. Terra Cafe was also tasty with homemade pasta, creamy cheese with a tang and nice texture with crispy kale. Plus local ingredients. Oliverio's rounded out my top three with their lobster pasta - it's a staple on their menu, and it's just so rich and delicious.

Iron Horse had a solid more traditional mac and cheese, but well executed. Morgantown Brewing Company was similar to Iron Horse, but I love that they included their own beer. Atomic Grill had a super thick and slightly spicy mac and cheese. I was bummed they only had two servings, and it was just almost too thick to be able to eat too much. Table 9 got points for creativity with the orzo, but it almost seemed like a casserole to me - minus the chicken and broccoli. And Hash Browns and New Grounds didn't save any tastings for the judges, so we didn't even get to try it.

Morgantown is venturing into new territory - food trucks! Well, kinda. There was some hubbub over food trucks on High Street - the taco truck and hotdog vendors have had some trouble with that.

And then we have Hash Browns & New Grounds, who currently mostly sticks to the college housing complex on Van Voorhis and the Bridgeport Farmers Market.

And now there's Street Meatz. Located - fairly stationary - in the parking lot of Ace Hardware on Maple Drive. Near Mon General. The name is a bit off-putting, but their shtick is featuring local meat and locally sourced produce. Can't really go wrong with that.

Their burgers and hot dogs are their main features, and each day, they have a different theme. Wednesdays seem to be "Wild West" with elk or antelope, and Fridays are "Fiesta Friday." In the middle, they sprinkle an Italian day or maybe a veggie day or something different.

The day I went, they had a steak salad as their special. I opted for the burger, and you can get what kind of cheese you'd like. Blue cheese for me. And a side of jambalaya - because how often do you see that? Apparently it is the owner's own recipe.

They were fairly busy, and as I was waiting, the woman working noticed who I was from my name & my comment on their page earlier that day. She came and talked to me about how this is the owner's creative endeavor, and they've been seeing a good bit of business. She said they hoped to have phone orders to call in ahead of time soon - looks like that's active now at 304-777-7456.

Super friendly people and really excited about this new endeavor.

When I got my bag of goodies, I took it straight to my car to get some quick photos before having to drive back to work before I could eat.

Okay, first I tried the jambalaya - while it had great flavor and large chunks of sausage and peppers, it became a little soggy by the time I was back. That could be my fault because it was so hot and trapped in that container, and it could've been steamed. Or it could've been a little soggy from cooking all day. Not sure, but that's a minor complaint. The flavor was spot on.

The burger: They expertly craft this as two halves so you can assemble it right before you eat it. Genius. These little boxes keep everything in tact so not all the sauces are mixing and your tomato is getting soggy, etc. Really nice.


I wish they ask how you'd like it prepared, because it was just a tad overdone for me. I assume most people probably (incorrectly) like their burgers well-done, but knowing where their product comes from - I could've gone more medium/medium-well. It definitely has that kind of char outer taste. But good, flavorful meat, fresh ingredients. And a bigger bun will help hold up all that goodness.

Overall, though, pretty solid. After a few kinks, I think they will be running smoothly.

Grade: B

Have you seen that small blue shack on University Avenue in Star City? You know - the one that looks like it seats maybe three people, has a sign that says "hotdogs," and you're not sure if it's even a real restaurant anymore?

It is.

It's called Star City Hotdogs, as evident by the makeshift sign plastered in front of what used to be a Hometown Hotdogs sign. Apparently they split ways at some point, and this was an easy solution.

This is one restaurant that I've known about for - years - now but most of my close friends scoffed at the idea of coming here. My friend Heaven is a risk-taker. I dig that.

We waked inside to one woman slinging dogs, while hungry onlookers awaited their meal. Meanwhile, orders were being called in. This place was kinda busy.


With only a handful of stools in front, it gets tight in here real fast. Off to the left, there is this strange blue concrete dungeon that has a few mismatched tables and booths.

I ordered a hot dog and a Frito pie. I only had this one other time - at the other hot dog joint across town - and loved it. I was quickly informed there was no sour cream. Meh. Oh well, tried it anyway.

My hotdog - with mustard, slaw, sauce and onions - was OK. Too much slaw kind of overpowered anything, really, and the onions were lost underneath the slaw - so those just blended in. The sauce wasn't bad. I got medium, and it had a big of a bite to it. But beyond an overwhelming cold, chunky texture - not a ton of flavor.

Frito pie suffered from the same lack of flavor - but I did dig the cheese. Cheese can make most things better. Sour cream can make all things better.

So, overall the food is nothing to write home about, and the actual building itself is... well, kind of scary. If you're really interested, I would suggest to-go.

Grade: C

Kayla took me to Choo Choo's back before I started blogging. It's one of a handful of local restaurants in Wetzel County, and I've been wanting to go back ever since so I could have some more Wetzel County places represented in my blog. 

After our trip to the Rogers Flea Market, Kayla's family insisted we go to Mary's Pizza. Apparently this place is so popular it has hourslong wait times. Her parents called in the order before we even left the flea market.

The shop opened in 1961 with fresh tomatoes, homemade thick crust, original sauce that has kept it as one of the most popular restaurants in the area. It was originally ran out of a home, and is still owned and run by the same family. It is located at 301 North Beaver Street (330-424-3559).

The storefront is somewhat hidden, and only a half dozen or so parking spots are out front. But once you see that giant pizza pie stained glass, you know you're in the right place.

Inside, there are a handful of tables, but most of their business is take-out. The phone is constantly ringing off the hook, and workers are slinging finished pizzas into a rack. Despite calling a good bit in advance, we still waited a bit for our pies.

Once they came out, it was so, so worth it.

They're not large diameter-wise, but as far as thickness goes - they're huge. It was reminiscent of Chicago deep-dish pizza with tons of layers of ingredients piled high with a thick, stringy layer of cheese on top.

We had ours decked out with everything. Huge chunks of peppers, sausage, onions and more melding with a slightly sweet sauce tons of cheese - all sitting atop a combination of a fluffy crust with a crisp bottom. It was pretty great.

Don't expect a thin slice here, but what you receive may even be better. Depending on your preference. I know this: I liked this. A lot. It will definitely be on my list to try when I head back to the area.

Grade: A