Brittany Furbee is a local chef who has made a name for herself in the competitive food world.
"I leapt into the national food scene in 2017, when I was selected to compete on the Food Network show Cooks vs. Cons. Despite having no professional experience, I beat two experienced chefs to win the show and a $10,000 grand prize. The experience set into motion a very exciting year for me that included winning a national recipe contest and competing in the world’s largest food sport event, the World Food Championships," she writes on her website.
But because Brittany is not at a restaurant or other place where we can all try this award-winning food, she put together a prix fixe tasting menu that featured some of these greatest hits!
I was excited to meet up with friends Katie and Todd to enjoy all of these delicious dishes.
And, honestly, everything was so good. But perhaps some of my favorites were the catfish - because I've never been a fan of catfish. The soup blew me away with flavor; I didn't know chicken soup could taste like this. And the steam bun and rangoon are things that I would routinely order from any restaurant if they were available. So, if you can catch one of her future dinners, do not miss out.
Catfish Crostini
Tempura fried catfish bites dipped in a sweet and salty fish sauce glaze and served on a toasted crostini with spicy gochujang mayo and cilantro lime micro-greens.
Orange Ginger Chicken Soup
Black rice noodles served with orange ginger chicken broth and tender chicken pieces topped with carrot ginger sauce and crispy onions.
Asian Seafood Corn Dog Bites
Crispy cornmeal batter filled with prawn pieces wrapped in a blended shrimp and scallop mixture and topped with spicy Chinese mustard and cherry soy sauce. The dish is garnished with bonito flakes, green onions, and sesame seeds and served with crispy prawn heads.
Fried Green Tomato Steam Bun & Hibiscus Cheese Rangoon
Crispy fried green tomatoes served on a fluffy steamed bun with cherry jam, spicy yuzu mayo, hibiscus pickled onions, micro-greens, and vegan caviar. The steamed buns are paired with a crispy fried wonton Rangoon filled with a goat and cream cheese stuffed hibiscus flower and a sweet and sour hibiscus sauce.
Orange Polenta Cake
Orange and almond polenta cake with orange honey syrup and fresh salted honey whipped cream.
Do you know what sometimes just hits the spot? A big ol' plate of spaghetti.
To be honest, spaghetti is probably my least favorite pasta shape. But, the Gino's locations don't have a ton of variety when it comes to pasta, and the spaghetti at the Craigsville location caught my eye.
It comes with meat sauce, which was well-seasoned. The spaghetti could've been far less well done. But, it filled my tummy with nostalgia.
Grade: B
Over the weekend, I went to the WV Chocolate Wine & Shine Festival.
It was held in Morgantown at Mylan Park in a huge space that had tons of vendors.
MJCJ Farms - these folks had flavored pork rinds, and I tried the sour cream & onion flavor. It was tasty.
Sonny's Peppers - Award winning Sonny's Peppers began in 2015 and we sell hand packed with love specialty hot peppers. Whenever there's a mild version, I need these!
Whiskey June Bakery - Cookies, Cakes, oh my! This bakery has the cutest instagram, so I was super pumped to get a little to-go box full of rice krispies, chocolate-covered oreos and chocolate-covered pretzels.
Holly Lane Chocolate - Did you know there's a chocolate maker in Morgantown? I had no idea. Just chocolate and sugar. "Artisanal dark chocolate made from imported single origin cocoa beans, handcrafted in West Virginia."
So cool! Definitely on the dark side, but not too bitter.
Finally, Good Time Mixes is an interesting business - with everything from dip mixes to drink mixes and more.
They even have a line of coffees - and because I try to keep a running list of all the coffee roasters in WV - that might be a whole separate post.
Frios Gourmet Pops is a popsicle chain sprinkled through the south, with a few spots also in Arizona, Texas, Detroit and Wisconsin.
West Virginia's singular location is in Barboursville.
There are a number of fruity flavors, like pink lemonade, blueberry cheesecake, pineapple mango, and more. Plus there are seasonal flavors like candy bar, chocolate-dipped cold brew and even pickle. Some are creamy, while others are more icy.
Once you choose your base flavor, you can upgrade it in a few different ways - you can dip it, drizzle it or dust it. Maybe keep that in mind when you choose your base - whether you wanna go chocolate-y or fruity.
For me, I went for a fruit punch. I really like fruit punch in general. Like, I'll pick fruit punch over a soda any day. But I also thought this could be a good base if I waned to build on it.
And build on it, I did. I added some of those little dehydrated marshmallows from Lucky Charms. I love marshmallows, but I also liked the added crunchy texture here.
These are tasty and a good quality (not just all watery). It's a pretty simple, but kinda whimsical and I enjoy that. Something different, special and tasty for a summer treat.
Grade: A
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