I love West Virginians.
If you ever need help, all you have to do is ask. Mountaineers will respond en masse.
When I issued a plea to help track down an old A&W hot dog chili recipe for a reader, many of you quickly answered the call — sending in tips, names and recipes, all in an effort to assist.
You may remember from last week that Jeananne Leone of Dunbar has fond childhood memories of taking family outings to the A&W drive-in restaurant on the West Side, which she swears had the best hot dog chili around.
Although she loved drinking A&W root beer in little “baby mugs,” her favorite treat was a hot dog topped with chili — and nothing else.
“When the restaurant closed up shop, I was heart-broken,” she said. “It was like losing an old friend.”
Jeananne says she's searched years for that original A&W hot dog chili recipe, but hasn't been able to uncover the real deal yet.
I'm not sure we did either, Jeananne, but maybe these leads will help. Let me know if we've uncovered something close to what you're looking for!
One reader called in to say he's pretty sure the restaurant was owned by Charlie and Virginia Mandt, and that he thinks their son, Bobby, still lives in Dunbar. I couldn't track 'em down, though.
Another reader, Sherry Hill, posed the question to her West Side Facebook group and heard back from several people who recall that same tasty chili.
“It is very simple,” someone wrote. “I don't remember the full recipe, but it was only four ingredients: ketchup, brown sugar, chili powder and cayenne pepper. I use 2-3 cups of ketchup sweetened to taste with the brown sugar, usually starting with half a cup. Then a couple teaspoons of chili powder and cayenne pepper if you want it real hot. Simmer until hot and it will darken and thicken. I play around with it and make it sweeter or hotter depending on who is eating it.”
That sounds more like a barbecue sauce, though. Most other recipes submitted included meat.
“I haven't had an A&W chili dog in years,” wrote a contributor who shared today's “A&W Chili Dog Copycat” recipe from www.food.com. “But from what I can remember, this tastes just like it.”
Another reader shared an “A&W Chili Dog Sauce” recipe they say is “as close as I've ever found to the Original A&W Chili Dogs I enjoyed as a teenager. Scrumptious.”
Sherry hasn't tried the recipes she received, but said they look promising.
“A&W on the West Side of Charleston had the best hot dogs ever,” she agrees. “And root beer!”
Co-worker Tina Taylor also shared an interesting tidbit I didn't know.
“If my memory is correct, A&W was a part of the original Marriott chain. A&W stood for Alice & Williard Marriott,” she said. “I worked at the Charleston Marriott in the Human Resources department and our new employee orientation included a video about how the Marriott hotel chain began.”
Sure enough, I looked up old articles about this now-giant international corporation first opening small neighborhood root beer stands many decades ago. Who knew?
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I recently attended the West Virginia Hospitality & Travel Association's annual Legislative Reception at the Culture Center, an always-well-attended affair thanks to tasty nibbles provided by some of the state's nicest restaurants.
And food-wise, this year's event was another delicious success.
I sampled wonderful mushroom arancini from Paterno's here in Charleston, antipasti from Canaan Valley Resort, Asiago soufflé potatoes from Tamarack in Beckley, lobster mac 'n' cheese from Dem 2 Brothers in Charleston, a fresh salad and mini chicken croissants from Graceland Inn in Elkins and a West Virginia apple butter trifle from Charleston Town Center Marriott.
All were good, but the evening's best dish went to ... a hotel?
Yep. Our local Embassy Suites' pimento cheese spring rolls (ponder that for a moment, won't you?) were a thing of beauty. Creamy, cheesy, savory, salty, crunchy. I moaned after every bite and started telling everyone I ran into that they had to go try them.
My enthusiasm came back to haunt me, though. When I went back over to Embassy's table a bit later to snag a few more, those babies were long gone.
“Some guy's been going around telling everyone to try them,” they told me. “We ran out fast!”
Darn that guy.
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West Virginia's craft beer scene got another boost this week with the introduction of New Belgium brews in stores and restaurants across the state.
Based in Colorado, New Belgium is the country's fourth-largest craft brewery — and West Virginia is its 41st state for distribution. (So you may have enjoyed their Fat Tire, Ranger IPA, Slow Ride Session IPA and Citradelic varieties, among many others, elsewhere.)
The move into West Virginia was marked by a series of “Tap Takeovers,” — in Charleston, Morgantown and Ranson — including one at our own Pies & Pints Monday night.
“West Virginia's craft beer scene has been growing steadily over the last few years and we're excited to make it our 41st state of distribution,” New Belgium's Ryan Kurtz said in a press release. “We're gradually making our way to more places in the east and we look forward to toasting with new friends in West Virginia.”
Cheers to that!
To find New Belgium beers near you, you can visit the company's “Libation Locator” (love that!) at www.newbelgium.com or by downloading the New Belgium “Beer Mode” app.
Steven Keith writes a weekly food column for the Charleston Gazette-Mail and an occasional food blog at http://blogs.wvgazettemail.com/foodguy/. He can be reached at 304-380-6096 or by email at wvfoodguy@aol.com. You can also follow him on Facebook as “WV Food Guy” and on Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest as “WVFoodGuy.”
(aka Coney Island Sauce)
1 lb. ground chuck
6 oz. can tomato paste
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. yellow mustard
1 Tbsp. dried onion, minced
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. celery seed
½ tsp. ground cumin
¼ tsp. black pepper
1 cup water
Cook the ground chuck in a pan and break into small pieces. Season with salt and pepper.
Add all remaining ingredients and simmer about 30 minutes, until thickened.
1 lb. ground chuck
6 oz. can tomato paste
1 cup water
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. prepared yellow mustard
1 Tbsp. dried, minced onion
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. celery seed
¾ tsp. ground cumin
¼ tsp. black pepper
Cook the ground chuck in a pan and break into small pieces. Season with salt and pepper.
Add all remaining ingredients and simmer about 30 minutes, until thickened.
1 lb. ground beef 1 onion, chopped 15 ½ oz. can tomato sauce 2 Tbsp. chili powder ½ tsp. cumin 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce ¼ tsp. salt ¼ tsp. black pepper ½ cup water
In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté ground beef and onion 6-8 minutes or until beef is browned, stirring often.
Add remaining ingredients, stirring to combine. Bring mixture to a boil, lower heat and simmer 7-10 minutes, or until heated through and well combined, stirring occasionally.