So, I made a trip to southern West Virginia recently for some freelance work (woo, check this out), and it was a good excuse for me to finally visit Dobra Zupas. This Beckley restaurant has been churning out incredible food - and beer - for more than a year now, so it was due time to visit.

Dobra Zupas, which means "good soup" in Slovene - paying homage to the restaurant owner's heritage, changes out their menu seasonally, but they have some incredible staples, like the Black and Bleu Fillet and the Crab Risotto. It really is an eclectic, charming spot.

Well, I spent the day with the owner Rebecca Zupanick, and Head Chef Jon Lester, who gave me a sneak peek at lots of amazing dishes they will be churning out now that the air is getting a bit cooler, a bit crisper.

Both of these people are absolutely incredible and allowed me to hang around the kitchen getting up close and personal with these tasty dishes - and being in a chef's kitchen is an honor, truly. I learned that the chef really lets the seasons dictate the dishes. They want the flavors to shine through and are flexible with what's available at the local markets to do so.



This fall, a roasted root vegetable pasta with rutabaga, cauliflower, squash and Anaheim pepper in a cream sauce will be featured as one of the weekly pasta specials. And WOW. This was something Jon just kind of threw together - which is an even bigger testament to his flair for flavors. Those roasted vegetables in this perfectly creamy sauce with just a touch of heat was beyond.

Another special will be a brown butter, pan-seared, bone-in pork chop over creamy cheddar polenta topped with Cognac-glazed apples. I'm not sure there's a better combo than pork and apple, and Jon kills it with this dish. Just absolutely kills it. That cheesy polenta just takes it up another notch.

And a curried carrot bisque is something he has been serving for some time now, and it's no surprise it sells so well. Perfectly flavored with some sweet, some salty, some depth and just a smooth, thick texture that just sings fall. Perfection.

And, last, but certainly not least, I got to try this apple pie shot. It's a poached Fiji Apple Pie Shot with brown sugar, apple cider, rum, amaretto, ginger, whipped cream and crumbled pie pieces that you eat as you drink it. I mean, now he's just showing off. Incredible.

And, of course, I couldn't leave without trying some of the beer. I got a growler of the ginger beer to go ... and I had a ways to get home (another stop along the way, too), and these incredible people assembled this sort of cooler so that I can take it home. I mean, I can't even with this. They packed it tight and full of ice, by the time I made it back to Morgantown hours later, it was still ice cold.

And, it was also delicious!

It's one thing to have absolutely incredible food (which they no doubt do), it's another thing to have absolutely kind, incredible people who will go above and beyond to make people happy. These are the kinds of people you want feeding you. These are the people you want to support. These are the people who are pioneering the incredible food scene in West Virginia and showing that we, too, do food well here. Damn well.

It's a sort of family moment when, after I had a chance to take all my photos, the front of house staff and back of house all gathered and we dug into these plates to try everything. Everyone truly loves the owner, and it's clear they love what they do. Everybody compliments the chef on yet another job well done. It's a special moment that, as a writer, I've experienced a few times. Being one of the staff is a compliment.

I've been to a lot of restaurants, you guys. A LOT. But, this one is special. The food is amazing, the people are incredible, and I'm so proud of how they're contributing to the West Virginia food scene. I can't see what else they do.

Grade: A

Parkersburg has a ton of great restaurants that I've only begun exploring recently. A friend suggested Der Dog Haus out of sentimental memory, so RL and I stopped by one night to check it out.

Der Dog Haus has a pretty simple menu with hot dogs, sandwiches, salads and daily specials, like spaghetti, cream chicken, and tacos. It's standard, basic American fare - but it's clear this is a common dinner spot for locals.

The building has a bunch of different smaller dining spaces with sports memorabilia and other odds and ends that make up the decorations. Our waitress, a young girl, quickly took our orders, and, before I knew it, the food was at our table.

I ordered a hot dog with sauce, slaw, mustard and onions with a side of the broccoli slaw. RL got a club sandwich. RL said his food was good, and my hot dog was pretty tasty, as well. The English bun always scores extra points in my book, and the slaw was fresh, which was nice. And the broccoli slaw on the side was tasty. I haven't had it with walnuts before, so that was new.

Overall, there's nothing especially unique about this restaurant, but it is simple with good food. I wish I had saved room for dessert. That will have to wait for next time.

Grade: B

Well, we have talked before about all the new restaurants at Evansdale Crossing. And, new this year, are two more new restaurants: Two Birds Chicken and Panini Pete's.

Two Birds Chicken

Two Birds Chicken replaced Collo Rosso. It features - you guessed it - chicken. Chicken fingers, chicken sandwiches, fried or roasted chicken plates, chicken salads and chicken-topped mac & cheese or jo jo potatoes.

I wanted to try something simple, so I went with the chicken tenders and a side of macaroni & cheese. I also asked to try each of the sauces: Two Birds BBQ, White Sauce, Herb Vinaigrette, Ranch and Honey Mustard. The chicken fingers were pretty small, but I think I got an extra one? Not bad. My favorite sauce was the honey mustard. The mac & cheese was the best part - so, so cheesy.

Panini Pete's

Panini Pete's is located at the top of Evansdale Crossing within the Octane space. Don't worry, there are signs to help you figure out where to go.

The menu spans burgers, paninis, beignets (?), and salads.

So, I ordered the "House-roasted medium rare roast beef panini," which was sliced thin with homemade gorgonzola spread, onion confit, tomato, baby greens and dijon on focaccia bread.  This was very tasty. Tony had to wait quite a while for his sandwich, but we headed outside to eat on the rooftop, which was cool. My sandwich was very tasty, fresh and perfectly grilled, too. The housemade chips on the side were a good addition.

Saffron, previously located on the Mileground, has moved to 268 High Street in the former Buffalo Wild Wings location.

The puts Saffron, Mother India and Bombay Grill - all three Indian restaurants in town - just minutes from one another. And, while they each serve Indian food, that's a pretty big umbrella. Mother India is more north India, Saffron is more south, and Bombay is more west Indian cuisine. Of course, as much as we'd like to pretend there are lines drawn to separate each cuisine, they draw influence from lots of other places - family history, neighboring cuisine, etc. - so there's no clean cut differentiation.

Saffron is often the crowd favorite, and a more central location seems to be well-received. First off, the new space is lovely. Bright colors, lovely photos by the Sher Yip and a good bit more seating than their previous location.

Tony, Dave and I went for their opening lunch buffet. It had: onion pakora, channa masala, mutter paneer, ginger spinach, rice, chicken tikka masala, goat curry, tandoori chicken, naan, cumin rice, kheer and a cold salad bar.

Well, I tried the onion pakora (yum!), the mutter paneer (not bad, but had no idea that paneer is like a fried cottage cheese*), and the chicken tikka masala (good, though I might like Mother India's iteration better). There are really only a handful of options, but they're tasty. Oh, and kheer for dessert, as always.

Same great food from Saffron, new and spacious new place. Have you been yet? What do you think?

Grade: A
 

The building has some cool history:

The inn, then called Stockton's Inn, opened in 1839. Col. Aaron Stockton built the original red brick structure with imposing white pillars and double porches as a private residence in 1816 or 1819. The actual date is unknown because the original documents were burned in a fire and both dates are listed in subsequent accounts of the house.The building later served as an inn along a stagecoach route and a Civil War hospital before it was purchased by a nearby aluminum plant that added a wing to accommodate the increasing number of guests who visited the facility. The inn's occupancy is not quite as high as it was in the days when the aluminum plant generated a steady stream of guests, but the owners still update the rooms, two or three each year. In the past several years, Hill has overseen improvements including the removal of carpet and installation of hardwood floors and carpet, new wallpaper and paint in the common areas and the installation of WiFi throughout most of the inn.

The restaurant, done up in mint green and pink, serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, with traditional country fare dominating the options: filet mignon, pork chops, grilled lemon pepper tilapia, crab cakes, pasta and prime rib.

First, I was served one of the restaurant's famous made-from-scratch yeast rolls. Slathered with a dab of butter, these rolls are melt-in-your-mouth good. They're made daily by a household recipe that I would love to have.

For me entree, I went with the crab cakes. The housemade, lightly seasoned and deep fried cakes were tasty. I do know they were homemade, though, because my teeth came crunching down on a hard piece of shell. Ouch.

While these were good, I've had better. A little bit more moist, a bit more seasoning, and a bit larger portions would kick this up a notch for me.

The scalloped potatoes on the side were decent, if not a tad bland, and the veggies were beautiful and added a lovely color and crunch to the dish.

I was also given the option of a tartar, cocktail sauce and dill sauce. I opted for all three. The dill sauce was pretty good, though I wish there was a remoulade of sorts.

Overall, it's really a lovely place with some pretty good food. And, you can't beat the view. A good time.



Grade: B