Ripley is home to a new steakhouse: Roadhouse 2081.



"It all began in 1990 as a family-owned and operated Ponderosa Steakhouse here in Ripley, WV. After the expiration of our contract with Ponderosa in 2020, we decided to update and remodel our building into a new casual family steakhouse named Roadhouse 2081, with the emphasis on "Food, Spirits, and Friends." We have and will always be totally committed to great quality food, impeccable service in a very clean atmosphere! That has been our family way for 31 years and going forward the Roadhouse 2081 way!"



The building is really lovely; dark wood; rustic but clean and not cluttered. Service was quick, and the colors were reminiscent of fire. 



The menu features many steakhouse staples like potato skins, prime rib, sirloin and shrimp. For my money, though, I went with the sirloin with sides of veggies and mac & cheese. I liked the extra spices on the sirloin, and the flavor was tasty, but a little overdone for my liking. Just a touch. The mac & cheese and veggies were OK - they could've benefited from some of the seasoning on the steak! 

Grade: B

The Tap is part of a revitalization of the main street area in St. Albans, in. my opinion.



There's coffee, ice cream and now, a tap house. "We are a local tap house in St. Albans, WV. We have a specialty food menu along with some of the finest craft beer, wine, ciders & seltzers from the state of West Virginia and the surrounding areas."



The space is lovely, but not too big. It's been packed each time I've gone. Because of that, I think, service has been hit or miss. 



Drinks have been decent - I had a house sangria, but I appreciate the variety they bring in from places like The Peddler and Weathered Ground.



When I've gone for brunch, I tried the chicken and waffles; the chicken cut itself could have been a better quality, but I did enjoy the waffle with the local syrup. 



Avocado toast (with goat cheese!) was pretty tasty and stacked with toppings, and the breakfast pizza was the winner of the group. 



It had that ooey, gooey cheese and comforting flavors that hit the spot on a Sunday.



Grade: B

Two of the area's favorite restaurants have come together in Rising Creek 2 Tutto Gelato.



"We are very excited to announce the partnership of Rising Creek Bakery & Tutto Gelato Cafe. Bringing you a fusion of our menus in a new space located at Colonial Park in Suncrest. Offering homemade baked goods, salt rising bread, panini, soup, gelato, full espresso bar and more. Our partnership is focused around friends, family, community and quality products rooted in our familial backgrounds."



This was really an exciting find for me when I stumbled upon it some time ago now. These are two great restaurants - one that has been located over the state border and another that has been a pillar in the Morgantown community for years. 



Gelato? Sandwiches? Appalachian bread? This new spot has it all and more.



Located in Star City in a small plaza that I haven't seen a restaurant in before, Rising Creek 2 Gelato offers breakfast options like smoked salmon on salt rising bread, lunch options like the "Florentine," which has grilled chicken, provolone, fontina, tomato, spinach, sun-dried tomato pesto and garlic mayo; and gelato and espresso.



I ultimately went with the "SMOKED SALMON ON SALT RISING" - Smoked salmon, house made cream cheese caper spread, pickled red onions and fresh greens served with a side of fruit. It's like an Appalachian version of bagel & lox. It's that same tasty flavor profile all piled on salt rising bread. 



And that salt rising bread adds a deliciously buttery flavor. And something as simple as a green salad and fresh fruit adds some lightness, freshness and acidity. Very tasty.



To top it all off, I tried a macaron! You can't find them everywhere in town, so it's a bit of a treat. And, it was tasty, too. Overall, a lovely brunch that I wouldn't hesitate to enjoy again.

Grade: A

The Junior League of Charleston, WV, will be partnering with Chef Paul Smith at 1010 Bridge Restaurant to host “Modern Mountain Measures,” which will be a prix fixe community dinner based on the classic recipes from our two cookbooks: Mountain Measures and Mountain Measures, A Second Serving.

The dinner will be held on Sunday, Nov. 13 at 5 p.m. The meal is $100, including gratuity before Oct. 1.
Additional drinks and copies of the cookbooks will be available to purchase at the restaurant.



At the dinner, we will be taking supply donations of baby onesies, animal pacifiers, rattles, and baby books for the children at the CAMC Women's and Children NICU. Please be sure to purchase your tickets before they increase to $115 on Oct.1.

Refunds will only be issued in the event of cancellation. All attendees are required to abide by federal, state and local COVID-19 guidelines and no guests showing symptoms for COVID-19 are permitted to attend.

It's not every day that you're in Minnesota while the state fair is going on.



In fact, for me, it was my first time in Minnesota, period. And, I was mostly just passing through, stopping to see some art, and hitting up the Mall of America.



But the fair, I learned, is one of the biggest state fair in the United States by average daily attendance and the second-largest state fair in the United States by total attendance (according to Wikipedia). 



So, I figured it was a sign that I needed to make it happen.



I only know a little bit about fairs. I've been to West Virginia's, and there's fair food, rides, agriculture exhibits and shows. 



In Minnesota, it's pretty similar, but on 10x the scale. It's the biggest fair I've ever been to; there were just swarms of people all throughout the fairgrounds riding rides, checking out seed art, and a new one to me: butter sculptures. 



They were pretty amazing, to be honest. It makes me want to buy a giant block of butter and try it myself. 



The other thing that fairs in the midwest are known for are fried foods on sticks. 



Some offerings were pretty standard, and lots of folks get excited about a bucket of cookies. But the most exciting option for me was cream cheese-stuffed green olives deep-fried on a stick and served with ranch. 



These were really tasty. All the briny goodness of olives, but with an added texture of crunchiness.