Tin 202

Lion Tamer - barrel-aged gin, small-batch tonic, rhubarb bitters, soda, lemon oil

Trout Two Ways - cucumber, corn, herbs, rye crumble

Rhubarb Fool - rhubarb, sweet lemon creme, chocolate mint

While I didn't get to try their drink, I actually really liked the other two: the trout and the rbubarb. The trout had a crazy cool presentation with some very smart flavors. The rhubarb bite was so very different from what I was expecting (I also didn't realize it was rhubarb). It was very tart but refreshing.

Photo by Sher Yip

Terra Cafe - "Crudo & Futo: Italian/Japanese Fusion"

Terrine of Local Bounty - seven spice beef, fresh mozzarella, swiss chard, heirloom tomatoes, ginger and sesame topped with crudo and wasabi candy garnish.

Tiramisushi - espresso and sugar sticky rice, fresh raspberries, lady finger and chocolate with mascarpone sauce and sake-chocolate truffles. Locally sourced ingredients from Possum Tail Farm, High Country Creamery and Round Right Farm

This was by far the most creative dish of the night. It was a fusion of two cuisines, with interesting forms. The terrine was delicious with fresh layers. The sushi was moderately sweet with a unique flavor. This was amazing in presentation and creative with flavors. Huge fan.

Photo by Sher Yip

Lakeview Golf Resort & Spa

Preston County buckwheat pancakes, topped with apple braised pork, finished with an apple butter barbecue sauce.

Props to Lakeview for having super tender pork - though the buckwheat cake and sauce didn't leave me fully satisfied. Maybe one more component could have set this dish off.

Photo by Sher Yip

Atomic Grill
Smoked pulled pork, cilantro grits, chimichurri slaw, charred green tomato and goat cheese

The slaw packs some heat! I also liked the cilantro grits - good texture, good flavor. The pork could've had some more of the signature flavor I have come to expect from Atomic. Good flavors overall. 

Photo by Sher Yip

Morgantown Brewing Company
Appalachian Surf N' Turf Bruschetta - mesquite smoked brown trout, salt n' pepper cured pork jowl, rhubarb, green garlic, and kale chow-chow, with strawberry horseradish cocktail sauce, on a house-baked pretzel roll
Pepperoni Roll Bites - beer soft pretzel dough stuffed with pepperoni, capicola, and salami, served with a house-made queso blanco

Kudos to Brew Pub for consistently thinking outside of the box and delivering food you don't expect. The Appalachia bruschetta was good, but it ate a bit on the sour side. Not a bad combo with the sweeter strawberry horseradish cocktail sauce though. The pepperoni roll was tasty.



Tutto Gelato Cafe
Gelato - caramel popcorn, white chocolate caramel pretzel or caramel apple

Favorite dessert of the night. One of the best gelato flavors I've had from Tutto. I love the garnish, as well as the bits of caramel popcorn throughout. So delicious.







Erickson Alumni Center
Cheddar jalapeno pork sliders with Carolina slaw
Rum glazed barbecue shrimp with roasted corn risotto
Boneless short ribs with loaded mashed potatoes

The alumni center always put on a crazy awesome presentation - probably because they're housed right at the event center. This one was toward the end, and I was filling up pretty quickly. I was a fan of the sweet corn risotto and the shrimp, though!

Photo by Sher Yip

The Wine Bar at Vintner Valley
Crab stuffed mushroom
Prosciutto caramel brownie
Classico bruschetta
Sangria or caramel alcoholic beverage

The Wine Bar was, I think, my overall favorite. From the tasty first bite of classic bruschetta to an overflowing mushroom cap full of crab (one of my favorite combos ever), finished off with the most delicious salty brownie and a side of the most delicious combination of a drink -- Whatever Shane put into this concoction was incredible. I know I'm not doing it justice - I don't remember half of what was in it - just know I want it again and again.

Photo by Sher Yip

Photo by Sher Yip

Iron Horse Tavern
Chicken and Waffles - buckwheat pizzelle cone (from Lazy J's Farm in Buckhannon, WV), Mountain State Brewing Company stout brine chicken breast (hormone-free with Mountain State Brewing Company Miner's Daughter), mulberry maple syrup (locally picked mulberries and pure maple syrup), smoke peanut butter mousse and toasted pretzel crumble
Cotton Candy Creme Brulee - farm fresh local eggs (from Fairmont, WV)

So, Iron Horse has a clever idea here, but the execution didn't quite do it for me. The cone was not strong enough and the chicken was just OK. I liked that there was a sort of syrup and mousse underneath, but it would've been nice between the waffle and chicken. The creme brulee was good - not much of a caramelized crust. But I do like the cotton candy touch to coincide with the carnival theme.

Photo by Sher Yip

Photo by Sher Yip

Coach's Crab Shack
Lobster meatball, crabby jambalaya & Bloody Mary

Very, very good. I loved the jambalaya packed with andouille sausage and shrimp, plus a delicious, flavorful lobster meatball on top. The Bloody Mary was rimmed with old bay and garnished with an olive and shrimp. So good. It definitely packs some heat, but the flavors were on point.

Photo by Sher Yip

Morgan's High St. Diner
Chili with cheese
Pepperoni roll

I've had some good meals from Morgan's High St. Diner, so I was a bit disappointed with a little thing of mediocre chili and a piece of a pepperoni roll. I did like the pepperoni roll, though, as it was nice and warm and had some tasty filling. But overall - fairly average.

Photo by Sher Yip

Cupcakes - fluffer nutter, red carpet red velvet, p'nutty for chocolate, caramel apple, or banana split

The Cupcakerie has a handful of cupcakes that I tend to see at these events. Most have been made with some kind of liquor. I went for the caramel apple one - not sure if I've had it before. And it was pretty good. A nice little bite.

Photo by Sher Yip

Preston County Inn
Pulled Pork Sandwich - pork (raised in Preston County and processed at Preston High School in Kingwood), pretzel roll (wheat was grown and milled in Terra Alta and baked in house), ramp slaw (homemade with Kingwood ramps), BBQ sauce (homemade and won Best of Show at the 2013 Buckwheat Festival)
BBQ chips - potatoes (Kennebecks and were grown in Aurora by David Martin), spice rub (homemade)
Cinnamon-Maple Bread Pudding - (recipe courtesy of Sandra Marrara of Kingwood), homemade Alpine Wheat bread (from Terra Alta wheat), eggs (from Stemple Farms of Terra Alta), maple syrup (produced by Forman Farms of Aurora).

The Preston County Inn routinely takes home the prize for being most devoted to local ingredients. And they didn't disappoint this year. They showcased a number of locally grown or produced products in their meal. As far as flavor, though, it wasn't quite there for me.

Photo by Sher Yip

Table 9
Korean BBQ pork bell with cilantro, leeks, thai basil and cucumber
Blueberry lavender cobbler cocktail with sherry, pinot noir, blueberry lavender simple syrup, orange, lemon and plum bitters

Table 9 is always so creative with their dishes. A very tasty little bite - if maybe a little rubbery. But good flavors and variety of textures.

Photo by Sher Yip

Bartini
Beignet with m&ms

This was probably my least favorite of the night. A well-done beignet is one story, but turning it into a drunk college kid snack with m&ms inside just ruins any integrity of this dish. Meh.

Jo's Globe & Blue Ridge Beverage were also in attendance, but I didn't really get the chance to get many drinks since so many of the restaurants had drinks along with their meals!