I forgot I had this little fast food place in my back pocket. A little while ago, I visited my ... first... A&W. These aren't super common in West Virginia - we have three in the entire state: Clarksburg, Pleasant Valley and Charles Town.



They're also  usually partnered with Long John Silvers locations. A&W provides the burgers, fries, and floats to Long John Silvers' fish offerings. 



All I got on this visit was a strawberry shake - but I enjoyed it. I don't know that I've ever had a strawberry shake that I haven't enjoyed. But, what's the best thing to get on the food side of the menu?

Spaghetti. It's in the name of Gino's Spaghetti & Pizza House, but it's not one that I typically order. In fact, spaghetti is probably my least favorite pasta because I like more pasta to sauce ratio. BUT, sometimes it hits the spot.



When at the Logan Gino's location, I went for spaghetti with meat sauce. I was happy to see mushrooms, but was surprised to see ... meatballs cut in half as the "meat" sauce. I ended up moving those to the side, and the marinara was decent on its own. 



Very decent meal that was tasty, if not a bit odd.

Grade: C

A week or so ago, the Capitol Market hosted its Bring Home the Bacon event that celebrated the perfect summer sandwich: the BLT. 



The event featured a signature BLT made with all local Capitol Market ingredients, including Kristi Ann Bakery’s bread from The Purple Onion, green tomatoes from Tug Fork Farms, bacon from Johnnie’s Fresh Meat Market, lettuce from Gritt’s Midway Greenhouse and bacon jam and pesto from The Purple Onion. 



Executive Director Evan Osborn was cooking up the BLTs to order, and attendees could purchase one, along with a drink and koozie for $20. 

The Capitol Market BLT was seriously so good. The fried green tomato added some extra crunch, the bacon jam added some sweetness, and everything was so fresh, it really took things up a notch. 



Cathy Nutter also brought some homemade pimento cheese that could be added by request. Yum! 



But that was just one part of the event.

The other half was six area cooks creating their own spins on BLTs for a panel of celebrity judges in an effort to win the coveted Golden Swine of Capitol Market award, as well as free bacon for one year from Johnnie's Fresh Meat Market.



The cooks were able to buy fresh produce from the market, and they were also able to bring any extra goods from home. 

I was really lucky to be able to be a judge - and taste all of these incredible BLTs. 

Hernshaw Farms - "We combined Hernshaw Farms Dried Lion's Mane Focaccia baked in Villa DiTrapano olive oil, General Steak & Seafood Bacon topped with J.Q. Dickinson Salt-Works Mushroom and Herb Salt and glazed with Hill n’ Hollow Maple Syrup, with a Gritt's Farm Mater, The Wine Shop at Capitol Market mozzarella, Ohmygreens (one of our fierce BLT competitors) Cantaloupe greens, my wife's Basil (plant originally from Bostic Greenhouses) and balsamic glaze making for a banging BLTM!!" 



I stole the description from their Facebook page, because as you can see, there are lots of local ingredients! Aside from this sandwich being absolutely massive, I was obsessed with the bread. They were up early making it; it was fresh and absolutely delicious. I kept stealing bits of it from my sandwich throughout the rest of the competition. They took home the win for using most local ingredients. 



Dakota Farmer - "BLT Tramezzino - Grilled Charleston Bread Blue Monday, Homemade Pesto Aioli, Heirloom Tomato from John Crihfield Farms & Greenhouses, Homemade Calabrian Chili Tomato Jam, J.Q. Dickinson Salt-Works Smoked Salt and Pepper, Balsamic & Pepper Glazed Thick-Cut Bacon, Fontina, Baby Gem Lettuce, Dressed Arugula, Antipasto Skewer, Fueled by: Stone Brewing Hazy IPA from The Wine Shop at Capitol Market"



I stole this description from Facebook, too, and, man, do I wish he had a restaurant, because I would order this BLT again. And ALL of my fellow judges agreed - we gave him the top overall honor, so he took home the golden swine and the year of bacon. It had the perfect mix of textures and salty and sweet and refreshing. The little skewer was like a palate cleanser, and then the sandwich just absolutely blew us away. Even the dressed greens on the side helped give balance to everything. 



Kayla Young | Eggs Will Roll - The queen of egg rolls came out of retirement to make a BLT eggroll with an aioli AND a spring roll with another sweet, peanut dipping sauce. I know Kayla got her bacon from Johnnie's and the lettuce and tomatoes from Gritt's. 



This one was so creative - and we got two different versions! PLUS homemade sauces. They were each creative in their own ways, but this one definitely was! 





Amanda Leigh Ivy - "Croissant bread, Pickled Fried Green Tomatoes, House Bacon, Home Grown Frisee, Dukes, and a Crabby Patty" - stolen from Facebook



Talk about another creative BLT! I've never seen bread in this croissant fashion before, and I definitely wasn't expecting a crab cake - but they make everything better. 



Mike & Lincoln Scarberry - This duo made a classic BLT with a special sauce and slice of avocado. 



If there was a category for best classic, this would be it. It nailed all the essentials with a bit of creative twist. This one was juicy and messy - in the best way. 



Ohmygreens - "Ohmygreens brought home the win for Most Creative at the Capitol Market ”Bring Home The Bacon” challenge. Our BLT was Charleston Bread, Gritt's Tomato & Lettuce, The Butcher Shop Bacon with a fresh Mango Chili Glaze, Micro Cilantro & Avocado Aioli. Paired with a crostini topped with grilled brie from The Wine Shop, Bourbon Glazed Peach & Micro Cantaloupe."



Stole the description again here from Facebook, but the last certainly wasn't the least here. This one really packed in the flavor all in one sandwich - between the glazes, the layers of flavors with the greens and the side that included a grilled peach was almost like dessert! 



If you didn't get a chance to check it out this year, be sure to mark your calendar for next year. And if you need even more of a reason, check out these mouthwatering photos from Rafael Barker. 

My latest column for the Charleston Gazette-Mail has been published!

Nothing says southern summer like a big, red, juicy tomato sliced, salted generously, and stacked between two slices of bread slathered with mayo.

The accouterments may vary: Duke’s Mayo or Miracle Whip. White, squidgy bread or toasted sourdough. Bacon or lettuce if you want to wade into BLT territory. The tomato itself, though, must be an heirloom.

Heirloom means the seeds have been passed down from season to season - many through generations. Farmers save the seeds from the best plants, which allows them to select for favorable traits like flavor.

Grocery store tomatoes have been grown to look pretty, transport well and have a long shelf life. And that means that characteristics like flavor are an afterthought, and we’re left with mealy, mushy, bland tomatoes that bear no resemblance to a homegrown one.

Heirloom tomatoes, on the other hand, may be large and lopsided, misshapen and discolored. But the flavor is unmatched.

If you’ve never visited a local farmers market and enjoyed the imperfect perfection of a Purple Cherokee, Mr. Stripey, Yellow Beefsteak or Pink Brandywine, stop what you’re doing right now, go straight to the market, do not pass go, do not collect $200.

West Virginia is home to a few of its own varieties, including the West Virginia 63 Centennial Tomato, Mountaineer Pride Tomato, Mountaineer Delight Tomato, Mason Marvel Ph.D Tomato and Mortgage Lifter Tomato.

West Virginia ‘63 Tomato

West Virginia University Professor of Plant Pathology Mannon Gallegly created the West Virginia 63 tomato, which was one of the first tomatoes bred for late blight resistance, after 13 years of research. It was released for the state’s 100th birthday in 1963.

The mildly sweet, bright red tomato was used 50 years later in two new varieties in honor of the WVU Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design’s 150th birthday. Gallegly and Mahfuz Rahman, an assistant professor and WVU Extension specialist in plant pathology, developed the West Virginia '17A (Mountaineer Pride) and West Virginia '17B (Mountaineer Delight).

The Pride is a firm tomato that is well suited for shipping. The Delight is sweeter than both the Pride and original ‘63 tomato and is similar to a beefsteak tomato.

A fourth tomato, the Mason Marvel Ph.D Tomato, also came out of the ‘63 Tomato breeding project. This tomato was created from crossing heirlooms but was too large and tender for what researchers had in mind. So, Dr. Mason Marvel, who was working on the project, selected it on his own and bred the large, pink beefsteak to perfection.

Mortgage Lifter

There are two “Mortgage Lifter” tomatoes that trace their roots back to West Virginia.

“Radiator Charlie” mortgage lifter tomatoes were created by M.C. Byles in Logan in the 1930s and can be found in many seed catalogs. Byles earned the “Radiator Charlie” nickname from his radiator-repair business, and he cross-bred four large tomatoes to develop his variety: German Johnson, Beefsteak, an Italian variety, and an English variety, according to Southern Exposure Seed Exchange.

“After Charlie developed and named this large tasty tomato he sold plants for $1 each (in the 1940s) and paid off the $6000 mortgage on his house in 6 years … These large, slightly flattened, pink-red tomatoes are meaty and flavorful with few seeds,” the website reads.

“Estler Mortgage Lifters” were developed in the 1920s in Barboursville and are far less common in catalogs. These were created by William Estler and developed nearly a decade earlier.

The name, the family contends, comes from an off-hand remark from an employee. Estler liked it so much, though, he had it copyrighted in 1932.

They are two are different plants, bred from different parent tomatoes, and the name became popular for a number of Depression-era cultivars in the mid-Atlantic.

No matter which heirloom tomato variety you choose, it is sure to help make the best sandwich of the summer.

Multifest brought about a whole bunch of new food vendors on the boulevard that I hadn't tried.



Luckily, I was able to check three off my list while the festival was going on a few weeks ago.



A Family Affair

A Family Affair was clad in green tenting and was offering fish dinners, wings and fries. I went with a fried fish sandwich with mac & cheese. I like my fish to be thick and battered and deep-fried, and this is more of a cornmeal crusted. The mac & cheese, though, was bomb. It was just a touch sweet, which is my weakness.



Tae's Place

Tae's Place was doing lamb chops and nachos. I went with some brisket nachos, which had these long strips of brisket. A little tough to eat, but tons of toppings! 







Jenni Pink Sweet Treats  

Jenni Pink Sweet Treats had popcorn, brownies, and all sorts of sweet treats. I went with a turtle brownie, which was a delicious, deep little brownie with caramel on top. Delish.