I recently went to The Cast Iron Cook-Off in Charleston for the first time ever, which I'll be writing about more in-depth for Taste! WV Magazine.

The weekend event highlights how food is the centerpiece of traditions and how that rings true in Appalachia. The use of cast iron is significant because it's an authentic Appalachian method dating back to frontier days. The event is a a Collaborative for the 21st Century Appalachia initiative. C21C is a nonprofit organization in West Virginia that seeks to ensure the viability of small farms, rural communities and a traditional way of life.

The weekend event included a Junior Cast Iron Cook-Off (winner: Tug Valley High School). There was also the Tastes from the Mountains Dine Around (which was a ticketed buffet dinner). It included bbq chicken, fried trout, leg of lamb, brussel sprouts, root vegetables, mason jar salads, pork belly, short ribs, and desserts like strawberry and rhubarb shortcake shots, mini pecan pies and bread pudding.

And, then, on Saturday, there was the team culinary competitions, as well as the "Gourmet Small Plates," where you could try small plates from the restaurants competing. It was a big confusing for a first-timer, but it was lots of fun. I sampled a few plates (not enough!) and mingled with lots of folks in the foodie scene in West Virginia. All around, good times!

During my mini culinary tour of Charleston, I was craving something sweet after a meal. There were a few places left to try on the 101 Most Unique Places to Dine in WV list, so I decided to kill two birds with one stone - dessert AND a restaurant I've never been to before.

I headed to Shuckers for a quick dessert. Shuckers is a seafood restaurant with other typical American fare. But I called about dessert. After asking which desserts were made in-house, I decided upon the cannoli.

I went in to pick up my single cannoli that I had called in; they thought I was crazy. I waited a few minutes while they finished making it, paid for it, and I was on my way.

The cannoli is good. I prefer more plain ones without the chocolate syrup or powered sugar. This one also had a good amount of cinnamon. But, overall, not bad.

Grade: B

Chef Ohlinger, the authority on farm-to-table dining in West Virginia, has opened his newest restaurant: Hill & Hollow in the Seneca Center. The previous chef/owner of both Richwood Grill and Solera is continuing the farm-to-fork dining theme with a focus on global cuisine using local ingredients at the new restaurant.

Who knew so many Hurricane establishments would grace the 101 Most Unique Places to Dine in WV list? Color me surprised, too. But here we are in Hurricane to try FireSide Grille. The restaurant, which opened in 2011, features new and traditional American fare - burgers, salads, sandwiches, steaks and chicken.

I initially thought this place was a chain restaurant because a standalone building, with nice finishes and branding is not a super common occurrence. The interior has brick work, cool hanging lights and some exposed industrial work inside.

I ordered the "Mega Mini Sliders," which is three slides with cheese, lettuce, tomato and onion served on mini pretzel buns and mini dill pickles. I also got a side of their beer and cheese soup.

The sliders are kinda tough to eat because the meat is less of a patty and more of a ball that a tower of veggies has been built upon. Once I unhinged my jaw, these are decent. The pretzel bun was a bit tough, and the meat could have used a dash more seasoning. But, I'm nitpicking. They were good. And the soup was pretty good, too.

Grade: B

My neverending quest to try all the restaurants on the 101 Most Unique Places to Dine in WV list has taken me to Tunnelton. Despite the fact that Preston County borders Monongalia County, this restaurant was quite a bit more out of the way than I anticipated.

Company's Comin' is old-fashioned country food. They serve breakfast all day and buckwheat cakes yearround. They're open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday and closed Monday and Tuesday. Also, they are cash only.

After seeing the entire dining space taken up, we made our way to a long bar area and made ourselves comfortable. I wasn't totally sure if we were allowed to do that since no one acknowledged us for a bit, but finally, we were brought drinks. And a booth opened up so we slid on over there.


The menu is small. Breakfast has eggs, buckwheat cakes, bacon, sausage, etc. For lunch, a chicken sandwich, hotdog, wings are the main options. I went for a chicken sandwich with a side of onion rings. And you know what? It was actually really tasty. The chicken was really crisp, the bun was buttered and grilled, and the veggies were fresh.

Afterward, I ordered an apple dumpling. YUM. You wanna talk about comfort food - a hot from the oven apple dumpling topped with vanilla ice cream hits the spot.

There's nothing outstanding about this restaurant, but it's comfortable and familiar. If you're in the area, stop in.



Grade: B