The 3rd Annual Best Chef Cook Off brought out some of Morgantown's best local restaurants to compete head-to-head to be named Morgantown's "Best Chef" or having the "Best WV Homestyle Dish." The event, which proceeds benefit the Morgantown History Museum, was held Thursday, Aug. 6 at Lakeview Golf Resort and Spa.



This was actually my first time at this event (Sher had gone before and I used his photos), and I only found out about it a few days beforehand. I picked up my ticket ($25) at the museum and got to eatin'!



Tropics - Kalua pork island dumplings (with kung pao sauce, creamy horseradish BBQ, or sweet & spicy mango). Dutch Oven Blackberry Cobbler. Tropics featured the chef who won the previous two years, Jason Hammack. He was previous with The Lakehouse, but has switched jobs and is currently at a restaurant under the same owner of Tropics. The dumpling that I tried, with the kung pao sauce, was pretty tasty. The cobbler, though, was so good I ended up having seconds at the end of the night.



Preston County Inn - Creamed chicken over a biscuit. I think this was my favorite dish I've ever had from the Preston County Inn. I do love a creamed chicken, and this was executed perfectly.


Lakehouse - Spinalis ribeye stuffed with gorgonzola cheese, black pepper bacon, fresh baby spinach and arugula, accompanied with spicy blue cheese cream sauce and cajun shrimp. My cut was a bit chewy, but they certainly went all out with the accoutrements here. Lots of creamy, savory additions here - plus a little twist on a surf and turf.

Sabraton Station - French cut chicken wings (with mild, medium, hot, bbq, honey mustard, Corona, or thai sauce). This is a simple dish, but tasty! Just two chicken wings, served with a variety of sauces.

Coach's Crab Shack - Saffron rice with Caribbean shrimp and potatoes. Lobster and grits with collard greens and cajun gravy. One of my favorites of the night. I didn't quite get it at first - it's a little Middle East mixed with southern. But it still centered around seafood, and it was quite delicious.

Lakeview Golf Resort & Spa - Southern fried chicken biscuit with cajun remoulade. Sweet tea. OK this was my absolute favorite of the night. Lakeview, the home base team here, really brought it. I know it seems like just a basic chicken biscuit, but it was spicy - but not too spicy - with a real kick in the breading, and there was honey oozing from the bottom biscuit. So the sweet and spicy. Plus the sweet tea - which I typically don't even like - was amazing.

Table 9 - Fried chicken with thai peanut sauce, thai basil, cilantro and smoked peanuts. If there's one thing I can always count on, Table 9 will have the most beautifully plated dish. Think of it as a modern take on a thai fried chicken. Love these flavors.

Iron Horse Tavern - Pork belly pierogi with cherry tomatoes, balsamic and romano cheese. It seemed a few folks did the sort of dumpling/pierogi route. I loved that Iron Horse listed all the local farms they made this dish with, and everything was fresh.

Atomic Grill - Prime rib in a port wine reduction with figs and cherries, crawfish cake with lemon hazelnut, potato cheesecake and mint pea puree. I think Atomic wins for most creative. They took some chances. This cut was mostly fat, but the flavors were still on point.


The Dancing Fig - Scandinavian pupusa with braised pork butt, fresh mozzarella and fresh herbs topped with pickled cabbage and sauces. Smoked fish dip with local green tomatoes and fresh dill on focaccia crisp. Last but not least! I like how they showed two different bites here. And I don't think I've ever had a pupusa. Some good flavors and cool textures.

WINNERS:

Best WV Homestyle Dish: Preston County Inn (Jean-Manuel Guillot)
Best Chef Runner-Up: Coach's Crab Shack (Erikka Hooper)
Best Chef: The Lakehouse (Shane Valentine)

Parkersburg's North End Tavern and Brewery is the oldest brewery in West Virginia, according to Thrillist. Beer from the North End Tavern is commonly found in Morgantown - usually abbreviated to N.E.T., so they've been on my radar for some time. 

While we had just eaten dinner, I wanted to at least get a sampler of beer. However, I hear they do have a mean burger.

They have an impressive lineup of craft brews: Roedy's Red, Northern Light, WV Wheat, Dawk's Porter, 5-Way IPA, Blackberry Wheat and NET Root Beer.

Roedy's Red is their flagship beer. It's an amber ale with Cascade hops. It has a unique finish.

WV Wheat is a light wheat ale that has a light body. It is pretty refreshing, which makes it great for summer.

Dawk's Porter gets a good bit heavier, richer. It's full-bodied and a bit much for my palate.

The 5-Way IPA takes it up a notch and is, well, super hoppy.

The Northern Light is a much lighter goldenrod ale. Easy, smooth. Good.

The Blackberry Wheat is a lighter, fruity beer made with native blackberries. Not super fruity, but there's definitely a bit of a flavor there.

And the NET Root Beer - how cool is it that they have root beer? Definitely very good!



A very cool place in Parkersburg to hang out, have a beer and get a bite to eat. What's your favorite beer from NET?

I've heard for a long time that The Pizza Place in Parkersburg has the best pizza in the entire state - maybe anywhere. So, I was thrilled to finally get to Parkersburg and get a slice or two from The Pizza Place.

Everyday the Pizza Place brings you the best "New York Style" pizza, ever to hit the tri-state area. We use only the freshest ingredients including, perfectly blended sauces, freshly shredded 100% mozzarella cheese and 100% real pepperoni. "Our dough is made every night, so you can be sure that your pizza is made from the finest and freshest ingredients, right down to the dough itself," claims owners Frank Scotto Rinaldi, Guiseppe Scotto Rinaldi and Michele Scotto Diluzio. Check out the new menus; Dudley & Southside. Each store is slightly different. The menu items include: Sicilian and Neapolitan Pizzas, Calzones, Strombolies, Pepperoni Rolls, Garlic Breadsticks, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Mister Bee Chips, Garden Salad, and our famous subs which include Philly Steak & Cheese, Pesto Chicken, Hot Italian, Ham & Cheese, Veggie, Pizza sub, and more.

The Pizza Place has locations in both North and South Parkersburg. In North Parkersburg, the Pizza Place is located at 2208 Dudley Ave. directly across from PHS. The South Parkersburg location can be found at 1410 Blizzard Dr. directly across from PSHS.

First things first, there are two locations. I consulted with my friend Steven Allen Adams to figure out which was best for the full experience. He said while there's a sort-of fight over who is the original, the original Scotto-Diluzio family runs the Dudley Avenue location. Sold.

We navigated our way here, parked and walked inside. There is a very long counter with a menu. There are two types of pizzas: Sicilian and Neapolitan. The Sicilian was a thicker crust. The Neapolitan was the large, flat slices typical of New York-style pizza. I went with a Sicilian style, because I can't get that in Morgantown, really.

A thick slab of pizza coated in a stringy layer of mozzarella and some puckered up pepperonis was served on a paper plate. The pepperoni right in the middle was stuck together and stacked - I kid you not - at least 10 pieces thick. I kept pulling them apart.

But holy crap, this place is pretty good. I loved the thick crust - it was like buttery, rich but crunchy on the bottom, too. Sauce was perfect, and there was cheese for days. Just the way I like it. It almost makes me want to give up Neapolitan totally. Almost.

Grade: A

I know you're going to be disappointed, but this is actually the final DiCarlo's blog post. It's the last location to visit in West Virginia, but it's certainly not the least.

I've ran the gamut of DiCarlo's locations - from the very best to my least favorite to one I was so excited about that I forgot to get a photo to the legendary. And, I have to say, the Parkersburg's DiCarlo's ranks among the upper echelon of pizza places.

They all vary a bit - from offering just pizza, to offering a drive-thru, to offering items like sandwiches and wings. This one features a really nice interior dining space.

But what I'm after is pizza.

I ordered two cuts. The lady behind the counter asked if I wanted it DiCarlo's style. I stammered for a second. DiCarlo's style? Aren't we in DiCarlo's? She sets into a speech she's probably given 1,000 times talking about how DiCarlo's throws their cheese on after the piece has come out of the oven, so the cheese slowly melts over the piping hot tomato sauce and crusty piece of pizza.

I know what it means, of course. Of course I want it DiCarlo's style. How is that even an option to have your cheese melted IN THE OVEN, like a barbarian. DiCarlo's style, obvi. If you want regular boring pizza, go to literally any other pizza place. GIVE ME DICARLO'S STYLE.

Mmmmm yummmmm. The cheese mixture is perfect and finely shredded. The pizza is crisp. The pepperonis were paper thin. Every bite was full of just lightly melted mozzarella and provolone cheese, with a nice crunch to top it all off. So, so good.



Grade: A