I'm not sure where I first heard of Cherry's Cafe & Catering, but once it was on my radar, I was determined to check it out.
It's only open on weekdays during lunch, so my options for coming here were limited.
But I found day to head up to the West Virginia Regional Technology Park and parked.
The cafe has a few lunch options, and they have fresh pepperoni rolls.
So, of course that was my lunch.
Have you been?
Clara Belle's is an Elkins restaurant where you can find a bit of everything.
Truthfully, I was sucked in when I saw "ramp hot dogs" on the windows.
So I walked in and took a seat.
The interior is fun, with whimsical decorations all over.
Looking over the menu, I saw a few things that caught my eye.
For one, macaroni & cheese.
And, of course, the ramp hot dog - stuffed with ramps and topped with ramp chili.
Have you ever heard of such a thing?
And for dessert, I went with a scoop of ice cream.
Have you been here?
My latest column for the Charleston Gazette-Mail:
West Virginia often joins other states listed under headlines like, “The Most-Iconic Food in Every State,” “The 50 Foods Each State is Known For” and “The One Must-Eat Food in Every State.”
Each time I see one of these listicles, I quickly click through the website’s slideshow, passing by Georgia and Virginia, until about slide 48 to see what condiment, candy or Superbowl food West Virginia is most like.
(It’s Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing, Oreos and buffalo chicken dip, respectively.)
Discovering West Virginia’s representation via food is intriguing because, whether scientific or not, the results often speak to preferences of the general population. It’s always fascinating to see if the results align with my personal preferences. Mentally, I give a nod of approval or shake my head and think of a better option than the one the writer chose.
What do you think of these?
Favorite Fast-Food Burger: Five Guys’ Bacon Cheeseburger (Mental Floss). OK.
Most Popular Grocery Store: Kroger (MSN). Absolutely!
Most Popular Liquor: Jack Daniels (Business Insider). I can see that.
If Every State Had An Official Dessert: Shoofly Pie. Wait, what?
Slate published a piece titled “The United Sweets of America: If every state had an official dessert, what would it be?” years ago, and it continues to be recirculated and shared in various formats across the web.
And West Virginia was awarded shoofly pie. Here’s their explanation:
“Shoofly pie is a colorful name for molasses pie. It seems to have been invented, like so many other desserts, by the Pennsylvania Dutch, but molasses is a beloved ingredient throughout Appalachia, as evidenced by the West Virginia Molasses Festival, held annually in Arnoldsburg, West Virginia, since 1967.”
To me, that seems a better fitting for ... well ... Pennsylvania (they received “banana split,” by the way). I admit, determining West Virginia’s signature dessert is no easy task, as I’ve explored this topic before. But, nonetheless, this designation piqued my interest. I had never heard of shoofly pie, so I turned to Saveur for guidance:
“Shoofly pie — a molasses-filled, crumb-topped concoction from Pennsylvania Dutch country — was supposedly given its name because its shiny, sweet, and aromatic filling attracted flies that needed to be politely asked to leave. The pie, which is sprinkled with buttery crumbs that sink into the molasses and give it a cakelike consistency when baked, is classically served one of two ways: ‘wet bottom’ (cakelike up top and still fudgy below) or ‘dry bottom’ (cakelike throughout).”
I made a mental note to pick one up if I ever saw one for sale. And, that resolution recently came to fruition.
A few weeks ago, I placed an online order with the Turnrow Appalachian Farm Collective, an online farmers market that features locally grown food from producers across Southern West Virginia. Among the offerings was shoofly pie from Ronceverte-based Walnut Hollow Farm. I quickly added one pie to my cart, checked out, and picked up my purchase at Capitol Market — one of the delivery spots — a few days later.
So, I discovered I like Shoofly pie.
It’s tasty. This one had a delightfully fudgy bottom, with a light, airy filling. The slightly salty crust provided an excellent contrast. It was perfect with a glass of milk.
Does it embody West Virginia? I can see an argument based on one that incorporates sorghum molasses. But, otherwise, not so much.
Each time I see one of these listicles, I quickly click through the website’s slideshow, passing by Georgia and Virginia, until about slide 48 to see what condiment, candy or Superbowl food West Virginia is most like.
(It’s Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing, Oreos and buffalo chicken dip, respectively.)
Discovering West Virginia’s representation via food is intriguing because, whether scientific or not, the results often speak to preferences of the general population. It’s always fascinating to see if the results align with my personal preferences. Mentally, I give a nod of approval or shake my head and think of a better option than the one the writer chose.
What do you think of these?
Favorite Fast-Food Burger: Five Guys’ Bacon Cheeseburger (Mental Floss). OK.
Most Popular Grocery Store: Kroger (MSN). Absolutely!
Most Popular Liquor: Jack Daniels (Business Insider). I can see that.
If Every State Had An Official Dessert: Shoofly Pie. Wait, what?
Slate published a piece titled “The United Sweets of America: If every state had an official dessert, what would it be?” years ago, and it continues to be recirculated and shared in various formats across the web.
And West Virginia was awarded shoofly pie. Here’s their explanation:
“Shoofly pie is a colorful name for molasses pie. It seems to have been invented, like so many other desserts, by the Pennsylvania Dutch, but molasses is a beloved ingredient throughout Appalachia, as evidenced by the West Virginia Molasses Festival, held annually in Arnoldsburg, West Virginia, since 1967.”
To me, that seems a better fitting for ... well ... Pennsylvania (they received “banana split,” by the way). I admit, determining West Virginia’s signature dessert is no easy task, as I’ve explored this topic before. But, nonetheless, this designation piqued my interest. I had never heard of shoofly pie, so I turned to Saveur for guidance:
“Shoofly pie — a molasses-filled, crumb-topped concoction from Pennsylvania Dutch country — was supposedly given its name because its shiny, sweet, and aromatic filling attracted flies that needed to be politely asked to leave. The pie, which is sprinkled with buttery crumbs that sink into the molasses and give it a cakelike consistency when baked, is classically served one of two ways: ‘wet bottom’ (cakelike up top and still fudgy below) or ‘dry bottom’ (cakelike throughout).”
I made a mental note to pick one up if I ever saw one for sale. And, that resolution recently came to fruition.
A few weeks ago, I placed an online order with the Turnrow Appalachian Farm Collective, an online farmers market that features locally grown food from producers across Southern West Virginia. Among the offerings was shoofly pie from Ronceverte-based Walnut Hollow Farm. I quickly added one pie to my cart, checked out, and picked up my purchase at Capitol Market — one of the delivery spots — a few days later.
So, I discovered I like Shoofly pie.
It’s tasty. This one had a delightfully fudgy bottom, with a light, airy filling. The slightly salty crust provided an excellent contrast. It was perfect with a glass of milk.
Does it embody West Virginia? I can see an argument based on one that incorporates sorghum molasses. But, otherwise, not so much.
White Grass is a cross-country skiing area, which is also known for its homestyle cafe.
I made the trip here recently not to ski - but to get a tasty lunch.
Cross-country skiing and snowshoeing are fun, healthy, and inexpensive ways to spend your free time during the winter months. Since ’79, we have taken pride in our wholesome natural foods cafe, unique and laid-back atmosphere, curvy exciting trails, and backcountry ski specialty shop. Our day lodge provides backdoor access to some of West Virginia’s most treasured high country.
Whenever strong northwesterly winds dip down from Canada and cross the Great Lakes, we whiten up with 160 annual inches of powdery fluff. Originally built as the Weiss Knob Ski Area in 1959, White Grass now boasts over 60 km of maintained trails ranging from 3,220 below the lodge to 4,463 feet at Tucker County’s high point atop Weiss Knob. That’s over 1,200 vertical feet to cross country up and over!
So I ordered a grilled cheese, their house-made chili and a chocolate milk.
I don't think there's a more comforting dish on a cold day.
Have you been?
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