My new favorite thing to do in any city is to find their public market. Don't get me wrong, I love Morgantown's farmers market, but there's something really cool about a ton of small businesses churning out their products in a bustling city center. I could see myself just perched up in Milwaukee's Public Market working away at one of the tables.



There are a ton of vendors here - everything from cheese and fish to prepared side items like twice-baked potatoes and fine chocolates.


We, of course, had just finished eating somewhere so I didn't have a full-on lunch here. But, I did get some chocolates. I got a peanut butter cup and a caramel bar from Kehr's Candies. So good.

After dinner, Tony and I decided we needed some drinks. Water Street Brewery was along the way. Perfect.



We each ordered a flight of their signature beers. We also got a basket of brewery chips, but I totally forgot to snag a photo. They weren't bad: potato, sweet potato and beet with ranch.

The beer was quite good for the most part. I loved the honey lager light, which was easy and crisp. The Raspberry Weiss was delicious and fruity. The amber, which I usually love, wasn't my favorite. It was maybe too hoppy? I'm not sure. Octoberfest was decent, too.



It was pretty empty inside, so it was a pretty chill environment. But I had a lot of fun here. Good place to people watch and have some good convo.

Grade: B

AJ Bombers is known for having one of the best burgers in Milwaukee. Specifically, their "Milwaukee Burger" was declared the Winner of Travel Channel's Food Wars. That alone was reason enough for me to want to check it out.

We were seated quickly at the restaurant and handed plastic menus with a marker to check off our selections. This is a nice way to eliminate any confusion. I dig it.

We were also handed a bowl of peanuts. And, apparently, people just throw the peanut shells all over the place when they're done. Wouldn't it be easier to have another bowl to throw the shells in? It's also cool that the peanuts will travel to booths via this overhead contraption, but the table we were at was not equipped.



I ordered the Milwaukee Burger, which is a quarter-pound burger with Wisconsin colby cheese, Nueske's bacon, and Schlitz onions. I also ordered a side of tater tots.



This burger was made up, individually, of decent components. But altogether, I thought it lacked something. Maybe a sauce? I ended up using, gasp, ketchup. I liked the burger, liked the onions, like the bacon. Just a little bit of something-something would've put it over the top for me. And the tots? Can't really go wrong.

After we finished, I *happened* to glance over to see a caramel cookie frozen custard special on the chalkboard ... Yep, pretty damn good.

Grade: B

The Morgantown Eats Culinary Crawl will kick off the town's first-ever restaurant week. The culinary crawl, organized by a class in WVU's Reed College of Media, will feature samples from downtown Morgantown restaurants on Saturday, Dec. 5. The following restaurant week will feature specials, discounts and other featured items each day at select restaurants.

Geah Pressgrove's class first hosted the culinary crawl last year, which was a ton of fun and raised around $10,000 for the Monongalia Arts Center. The class teamed up with the Greater Morgantown CVB, Main Street Morgantown and the Monongalia Arts Center to bring young professionals downtown to showcase local offerings, while also making note of available parking.

This year's format has changed a bit; there are two separate tracks from which to choose. The early tour check-in starts at 2-2:30 p.m., and the late tour check-in starts at 4-4:30 p.m. Tickets for each tour are $35, and are likely to sell out. Both tours will feature samples at the MAC during check-in, which include J.W. Thirsty's, Morgantown Brewing Company, Sargasso and Table 9. Then, each tour has different restaurants.

Early tour:

• Apothecary Ale House & Cafe – Sip various samples of Winter Seasonals from the U.S. and Belgium. Apothecary will also provide participants with multiple examples of what winter tastes like for different breweries
• Chico’s Fat – Warm up with a spicy chicken enchilada tasting, paired with queso and chips.
• Garcia’s Latin Market – Sample Puerto Rican coffee with a warm churro.
• High St. Pasta – Enjoy a meatball with sauce and warm garlic bread with alfredo.
• T.K’s Juice – Try something new with bubble tea, and savor green and black tea.
• Tin 202 – Savor almogrote with farmhouse cheese made from scratch, accompanied with a baguette. A specialty cocktail sample will also be available for those guests over 21.

Late tour:

• Black Bear Burritos – A pollo pibil cup and refried garbanzo beans: House fried tortilla cup filled with a Yucatán shredded achiote chicken garnished with pickled onion and served with a side of refried garbanzo beans. Chestnut Brew Works will also provide a craft beer tasting that pairs with dish.
• The Cupcakerie – Select a seasonal flavored mouthwatering mini cupcake.
• Iron Horse Tavern – Sip on any two West Virginia craft beers on tap
• Vintage Room – Chef Thomas will be presenting a variety of wood-fired pizzas and featuring a sample of coconut shrimp. Exclusive wine tasting will also be available for guests over 21.
• Sugar Bears Wall St. Grill – Sample small bites of diner favorites, comfort food and a homemade brownie.
• Zaytun – Nosh on a variety of pizza, gyros, pasta and rice dish samples.

Each tour will have approximately six groups with no more than 25 participants per group. Guided tours will leave from the MAC and progress through each of the six restaurants on the tour. Tours are expected to last approximately three hours. Tours end at Arts Mon, located at 201 High Street.

• Black Bear Burritos – Burritos and Brews: Any house specialty and two pints of WV Craft Beer for $15
• Cafe Bacchus – Celebrate the Many Varieties of Winter Squash. Enjoy a delicious three-course dinner for only $25 (does not include tax or tip). *Reservations : (304) 296-9234 
• First course: Guest’s choice of either a soup (butternut squash) or salad
• Entree: Pork dish complimented with a winter squash OR Ravioli stuffed with winter squash topped with a hazelnut cream sauce
• Dessert: Pumpkin Bread Pudding OR guests can substitute dessert for a featured specialty cocktail such as the Pumpkin Pie Saketini
• Chico’s Fat – TBA
• The Cupcakerie – $25 for a dozen regular size cupcakes, a savings of $4; or $12.50 for a dozen mini-size cupcakes, a savings of $3.50
• Garcia’s Latin Market – Buy 2 delicious tacos and get fresh-made chips and salsa for free.
• High St. Pasta Co. – TBA
• Iron Horse Tavern – Iron Horse will be doing a West Virginia Craft Beer Takeover. A brewer will be on hand to meet and greet with guests and also to answer questions. 
• Morgantown Brewing Co. – TBA
• The Montmartre – Enjoy a three-course meal for a discounted price. *Reservations : (304) 291-4222
• Appetizer : choice of bruchetta or cup of soup 
• Main Entree : Chicken Francaise, Shrimp Montmarte or Steak Diane. 
• Dessert : Choice of our homemade cakes/pies.
• Mountain State Brewing Co. – 20% off entire menu, excluding alcohol. 
• Sargasso – 20% discount off full menu. *Reservations : (304) 554-0100
• Soul Brothers – Free deep fried strawberry shortcake with any full price dinner meal
• Table 9 – A tasting menu with an optional wine pairing. *Reservations : (304) 554-2050
• T.K.’s Fruit, Produce & Bubble Tea – Buy any bubble tea at a 30% discounted price
• Tin 202 – A 3-course dining experience for 2 for $50.00 per couple. *Reservations : (304) 212-5863. There will be a wine tasting with each course. Gratuity not included.
• First course: Cold beet soup, corn and crab chowder or side salad.
• Second course: (Each guest chooses two small plates ) Stuffed and toasted brie, chicken confit, pork belly, and petite dessert.
• Third course: Seasonal dessert
• The Vintage Room – Chef Thomas is preparing a special 3-course dining experience:
• First Course: Arugula & Spinach Salad or Vintage Bleu Cheese Bacon Wedge.
• Second Course: 6oz Stockyard Sirloin with Cognac crème, Apple Cider Glazed Salmon or Chicken Saltimbocca
• Third Course: Three layer Chocolate Mousse Cake, Bananas Foster or Oliver Oil Torte.
• Sugar Bear’s Wall St. Grill – 20% off entire menu, $0.50 brownies and cookies. 
• Zaytun – Gyro Special: $8 for two people AND/OR Family Size Pizza any topping for $10. *Reservation : (304) 292-5550
• Yama – Buy one regular Teriyaki Chicken Bowl, get one regular Yama Tuna Bowl free, eat-in only

*Reservations required at some establishments.
*Participants must mention Restaurant Week to secure the special discount

It was like we couldn't have dinner without getting frozen custard afterward. We didn't KNOW we needed frozen custard after dinner until ... well, it was after dinner, and we were craving something sweet.



A quick google search pulled up Purple Door Ice Cream, which wasn't too far away. With flavors like "balsamic strawberry" and "chocolate whiskey," it sounded too fun to pass up. I ordered a cone with two scoops - maple nut and a caramel. These were both amazing - but holy cow, overwhelming. I got a cup where I could topple the cone upside down and use a spoon. You definitely get your money's worth here.

These flavors are really fun - and well-executed, at that. Try something weird here and enjoy every second of it.

Grade: A