I love a good pairing. It's fun to think through flavors and see how they mix with others. In Morgantown, The Cupcakerie hosts a cupcake and craft beer festival - and this year was the fourth annual celebration. Because of COVID-19, it was held in a different way: drive-through.



We were guided through an area in the Wharf District where we drove right up and received our order - whether it was a 6-pack or 12-pack. Go big or go home, right?



The cupcakes included: red velvet, very vanilla, peanut butter chocolate, lemon shandy, blackberry beer, chocolate coffee beer, lemon filled, apple butter, triple chocolate, sweet & salty Irish red, orange wheat beer and strawberry ale. 



I was really hoping to get some Morgantown Brewing Company beers, but the selection was lovely: Parkersburg Brewing Company, Screech Owl Brewing, Big Timber Brewing Company, and Berkeley Springs Brewing Company. 



It was a fun little treat that I actually enjoyed with my parents. Did you try it out this year?

The latest delivery of my J.Q. Dickinson Appalachian Mercantile box arrived today! It contains six Appalachian goodies - from food and knick knacks to baking mixes and salt from J.Q. Dickinson themselves. 



In this goodie box, I received these:

WILDFLOWER HONEY ALMOND CARAMELS
Gearhart's Chocolate These soft handmade caramels from Charlottesville, VA are produced with fresh cream, butter, toasted Marcona almonds and local Virginia wildflower honey. Around 8 individually wrapped pieces in a 3.25 oz resealable bag.

RED RASPBERRY JAM
Simple Products
Simple Products Pear Butter is a delicious compliment to any breakfast. Made from organically grown Ohio pears, organic natural evaporated cane sugar, orange juice, ground cinnamon, and ground clove. Simply perfect. Red Raspberry Jam pure, fresh and organic Red raspberries, natural evaporated cane sugar and fruit pectin. With crushed red peppers this is a treat for all.

WHOLE WHEAT BEER BREAD BAKING MIX
Copper Pot & Wooden Spoon
From Waynesville, NC this is a crumbly, malty quick bread with a crunchy, buttery crust. This Beer Bread Mix made with Carolina Ground Organic Flour creates delicious, fast and delicious bread to serve with any meal. Simply add your favorite 12 oz brew, pour a stick of melted butter over the top and bake for 30 minutes!

1 OZ JAR OF SALT
J.Q. Dickinson Salt-Works
J.Q. Dickinson Salt-Works evaporates their salt from a trapped ancient sea in Malden, WV. These finishing salts will enhance any food you prepare. Sprinkle them on just before you eat to get a pop of flavor and the unique texture. Applewood Smoked to add a touch of smokiness to roasted meats and vegetables.

YORK IMPERIAL APPLE VINEGAR
Keep Well
York Imperial is consistently one of the best selling apples in the USA for cider, apple sauce, and preserves for its full flavor and enduring sweetness (it’s much less famous as a raw fruit because of its wonky lopsided shape). York Imperial Vinegar for one year in oak barrels, but it takes on the character of a much older juice very quickly-sweet and with a mildly honeyed aroma. Produced in York, Pennsylvania.

FERN TEA TOWEL
J.Q. Dickinson Appalachian Mercantile
These botanical tea towels add that perfect soft touch to your kitchen, while still working hard! The perfect size to fold and display in a table setting or hanging over your oven. They are medium weight and lint-free so it works as a delicate napkin or as an absorbent clean-up cloth. We design our own art and have these printed with a soft, watercolor ink at our small local screen printer in Leoma, Tennessee. Cloth measures 18 inches long and 22 inches wide, with slight variations in size

Marilyn's of Morgantown is a new restaurant in Morgantown - but it's not a new restaurant concept completely. 



"Marilyn’s of Morgantown is the second location for John, Jim, & Allen. The space has been completely redesigned with a warm inviting décor, an expanded larger kitchen with fresh pasta stations, beautiful new event space, & a new patio with a built-in fire pit off of the original glass room. The Morgantown location boasts a gorgeous stone & granite bar. The warm cherry wood of the back bar perfectly accentuates the many top shelf libations that sit upon it. The bar is surrounded by high definition sound & 75” HDtvs from every seat making it the perfect location to catch the Mountaineers on game day. The Fireplace Room is cozy & inviting & always a little warmer in winter when the fire is burning. The Glass Room is a favorite for personal events or a quiet evening under the stars especially when the doors open to the new patio & the flames are lit in the stunning 10 foot fire feature. While the food at both locations is amazingly delicious the vibe at the second location was made just for Morgantown." SOURCE



Located in Northpointe Plaza, the restaurant decor seems upscale, but it still has a sports bar feel to it. There is a beautiful bar and outdoor dining, but there are also large TVs with whatever sporting event is on. 



The menu is creative, with options like buffalo chicken arancini, blackened shrimp burger, strawberry basil scallops, and more. I would love to have each and every one of those items, but I went with a delicious pasta dish:



Imported pici pasta from Florence, Italy, tossed in a rich D.O.P. dolce gorgonzola porcini mushroom cream with roasted cremini mushrooms. Topped with shaved Parmesan reggiano, cracked black pepper, black truffle oil drizzle, & then finished with fresh parsley. This was rich but tangy and so satisfying. It's one of those dishes that makes me think I could be a vegetarian, no problem. Because it's so flavorful. With a side of fresh garlic bread, the meal was complete.



Grade: A

So, here's something different: A restaurant focused on baked potatoes and the toppings that can go on them. But we're not just talking butter, chives and sour cream. We're talking macaroni & cheese, pizza toppings or even seafood.



Spudz Potatoes, located in downtown Huntington, offers about 20 different types of baked potatoes - from the standard to the extraordinary. There are a couple salads, a soup and a dip. But the main attraction is the baked potato.



I went for the Lil Lemont - which I learned is the owner's son's rap name - it comes with mac & cheese, extra cheddar, bacon and sour cream. Let's start with the good: The folks here are really kind, they're just getting started, and this is the biggest baked potato I've ever seen. It may be two together. And, I love the fun concept. 



Aside from the standard new-restaurant-opening-kinks, there is some room for improvement. My meal was cold.And to be honest, this isn't a total negative for me most of the time, but when it's macaroni and cheese, the texture affects the flavor and it just doesn't end well. The mac & cheese was also just kinda plopped on top, so it didn't really intermingle with the potato. It was of course made separately, but I was hoping that cheese would soak into the potato, creating a cheesy, buttery interior. Instead, it was actually kinda dry. I think with some tweaks, these two could sing in harmony as one cohesive dish. 

Grade: B

Sip Downtown Brasserie has existed in a few different incarnations, and the most recent location change I hope is the final version because this place has nailed it. 



The wine and whiskey bar has expanded from a small space to a large, gorgeous restaurant with an inventive menu and an impeccable whiskey and wine list. 



To start off my evening, I ordered a sweet white wine flight. 



The Sweet Tooth consists of Bornos - Frizzante Verdejo (Rueda, Spain), Fritz Zimmer - Riesling (Mosel, Germany), Vietti - Moscato D'Asti (Piedmont, Italy). 



They are light and sweet and floral and very fruity. If you want your wine to be nearly as sweet as your apple juice, this is the one for you. I like sweet, so this was perfect. But depending on my mood - and meal - I go for a more dry white or red. 



First up was a cheese board. Dawn and I both got one with all the different cheeses so we could try it all (or maybe because I really wanted to try it all and Dawn is a good sport). Along with a selection of crackers, nuts, cornichons, toast and dried fruit, we sampled these cheeses:



- Mahon Reserva (Spain) Firm & slightly sharp with a paprika and oil flavored rind, made from cow's milk
- Manchego (La Mancha, Spain) A popular Spanish cheese, made from sheep's milk with a firm texture
- Beemster Extra Aged Gouda (Northern Holland) Cow's milk cheese, aged 18 months
- Whiskey Cheddar (Ireland) Kerrygold aged cheddar with Irish whiskey, made from cow's milk
- Dorothea (Holland) A unique and creamy goat gouda with basil oil and potato skins Mountain
- Gorgonzola (Italy) Delightful cow's milk blue cheese with a gentle sharpness



I could seriously live on plates like this. If I stopped here, I would've been in heaven still. But, it did get better. I ordered the housemade crab cakes (two 4 oz) with blanched asparagus and creamy sriracha remoulade sauce. 



It's a smaller portion, but it's worth it to me. Better quality ingredients and higher-end dishes with attention to flavor and detail are far more attractive to me than a giant portion of something that's just OK. This was great.



And to finish off the meal, I ordered a caramel popcorn cotton candy. How often do you get to have cotton candy?! And at a restaurant? Never. What a lovely, novel treat. 

If you're looking for a good whiskey and wine list, an upscale environment and delish food, you've come to the right place.

Grade: A