Every good college town is going to have at least one good pizza place. In Athens, Avalanche Pizza was recommended to me. They serve up standard pies, but also some specialty ones that may even require a dictionary. Take a look at some of these unique pies:
The Wheels on Fire: Our fabulous hand-tossed crust, with savory Gorgonzola cream sauce, bake with fresh-sliced Red Onion and King Family Farms Chicken that is gently coated with our spicy Ninja Sauce. After the oven we apply spokes of Creamy Ranch Dressing and shaved Celery with a garnish of Roasted Red Pepper in the middle.
Hot Tuna: Tuna, artichoke hearts, fresh mushrooms, tomatoes, asiago, and spicy ninja sauce using our aged mozzarella and provolone blend on our creamy béchamel sauce and crispy thin crust.
Loaded Baked Potato: Potatoes, crispy bacon, broccoli and cheddar using our aged mozzarella and provolone blend on our creamy béchamel sauce and signature hand-tossed dough.
Crouching Kimchi, Hidden Chicken: Teriyaki-tossed roasted chicken, crunchy cashews, mandarin oranges and Korean kimchi using our aged mozzarella and provolone blend on our house marinara sauce and signature hand-tossed dough.
But The Godzilla has won the "Best Pizza in the U.S.A." - Velvety Blanched Spinach atop our Delicious Marinara Blend with Melting Feta Cheese, Fresh Golden Roasted Chicken and finished with Sweet Sun-dried Tomatoes, Mozzarella and Provolone. And it won Best Pizza in the U.S.A. at the World Pizza Championship in Salsomaggiore, Italy!
This was a really tasty pizza. The flavor combinations are not all that crazy - sundried tomatoes, spinach, feta - those are great together. And covered in mozzarella and provolone brings it all together. A pretty good pizza, all in all.
Grade: A
Little Fish Brewing is "locally sourced, meticulously crafted, with love" in Athens, Ohio.
"We brew with a farmhouse mentality, deriving inspiration from locally sourced ingredients. While saisons and barrel aged sours are close to our hearts, we also love to brew and drink a hop-forward pale ale or a subtly crafted lager. Nothing is off the table, as long as it pairs well with friends and family!
We strive to make our brewery a reflection of our beliefs. We source the majority of our grain and a portion of our hops in-state. Our electricity is generated by our solar panels and wind power credits. We are 100% independently owned. Every little bit helps."
They're a really cool little brewery with a nice outdoor space. I started with their "Honey Bruin," which is a sour brown ale was aged 22 months in used French oak wine barrels & neutral American oak bourbon barrels, and refermented on raw buckwheat honey, which adds an earthy, caramelly flavor and mouthfeel. It was refreshing, light and super drinkable. Just a really nice enjoyable beer.
I also ordered this beautiful plate of homemade linguine pasta with a beautiful flower garnish. It had a umami base with some parmesan and a kick from chili peppers. I love, love the chewiness of homemade noodles. So yummy.
Grade: A
This rainy day has me reminiscing about a comforting meal I had recently in Huntington at the Gumbo Stop Cafe.
The cajun and creole restaurant is located at Heritage Station and helps fill a gap in our culinary scene, which I really appreciate. Serving po'boys, jambalaya, etouffee and more, the restaurant has so many tempting offerings that it's tough to choose just one.
It's a really small space, but bright with color and smiling faces. There are only a handful of tables in here, so takeout is a safe bet. I went with the muffuletta sandwich, which has layers of pistachio-mortadella, spicy capicola, genoa salami, mozzarella, provolone, house olive salad, on sesame seed Gambino's Italian bread.
When I had the original sandwich in New Orleans, I fell in love. So I was excited to get a version locally. And, I think it holds up pretty well! The original version was almost like compressed - there's no empty space in that sandwich. Every bit is smashed down and full of flavor. This sandwich was a touch fluffier, which makes it a bit more difficult to get a bite of all the flavors at once. BUT, that's an easily solved problem: unhinge your jaw. Quality meats, ample olive salad and a good bread make this sandwich sing. I was happy.
I also ordered some jambalaya. The top was much soupier than I expected, but once I dug my spoon down below the surface to get some of the rice and andouille sausage, mmm-mmm was it flavorful. I mixed it all up so all those juices helped moisten the rice. Scallions make everything better.
They even have delicious desserts. No banana pudding on this day - but an incredible (pineapple?) cake with strawberries and whipped cream was juuuust delish.
Go, and go now.
Grade: A
Based in Vienna, West Virginia, this Napoli's is one of the last locations in the area that hadn't I visited.
The menu features pizza, burgers, pasta, and more.
I put in an order in advance, but it was not ready when I arrived, unfortunately. So I ended up waiting for quite a while before my meal was finished.
I went with a simple spaghetti - not usually my go-to, but sometimes a super simple meal is what hits the spot.
It also came with breadsticks. Overall, this was an average meal. The service was below average; the spaghetti was a lackluster pile of noodles and mildly flavorful tomato sauce. Not bad, but not notable. Average all in all.
Grade: C
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