Thanks to everyone who sent in messages of support, good-natured barbs and their own restaurant recommendations (wow!) to assist in my quest to find "West Virginia's Tastiest Town" over the next several weeks.
The search just kicked off three days ago, but folks already seem excited about our upcoming culinary travels. My favorite message so far:
"Steven, I've made a life-changing decision," wrote Randy Wallace, who lives near Lewisburg, one of the seven cities featured in our series.
"I will go on your next cities tour around West Virginia, you just let me know. Keep up the food fight, I love your work!"
The recap of my weekend dining around Charleston ran in this past Sunday's Gazette-Mail, which you can read here. You can also vote for your favorite Charleston restaurant there, and check out a video capturing the capital city's eclectic restaurant scene.
And be sure to check back each Sunday, when new cities will take over the page and restaurant poll: Shepherdstown (May 8), Lewisburg (May 15), Morgantown (May 22), Fayetteville (June 5), Huntington (June 12) and our ultimate winner (June 19).
Which city do you think will take it all?
nnn
I'm pretty stoked to have tickets to this Saturday's inaugural Foam at the Dome craft beer festival from 4 to 7 p.m. at Charleston's Laidley Field, with a special VIP area opening at 3 p.m.
Starting soon after the East End Yard Sale (the largest neighborhood sale east of the Mississippi, mind you) Foam at the Dome will feature more than 40 breweries, 150 different beers, 10 food vendors, 20 artisans and four live bands in a festive atmosphere inside the stadium.
On tap is a variety of frothy libations from West Virginia breweries in Charleston, Berkeley Springs, Elkins, Fayetteville, Greenbrier Valley, Morgantown, Thomas and elsewhere, along with regional and national powerhouses like Breckenridge, Country Boy, Flying Dog, Green Flash, Lagunitas, Leinenkugel, Magic Hat, New Belgium, Ommegang, Oskar Blues, Rogue, Saranac, Sierra Nevada, Southern Tier and more.
Wow, what a lineup!
And since you'll work up an appetite sampling all of those brews, restaurants like B&D Gastropub, Black Sheep Burritos, Bricks & Barrels, Bridge Road Bistro, Dem 2 Brothers, Mi Cocina de Amor, Paterno's and other caterers will serve up a host of good eats for purchase.
For a complete menu and more information, check out the event website at www.foamcwv.com.
nnn
If you work in the food industry - or are just interested in how restaurant menus are created - WVfarm2U.org and the New River Gorge Regional Development Authority are teaming up to offer a workshop that might be right up your alley.
"Putting Local on Your Menu: A Menu Writing and Social Media Branding Workshop" will take place from 9 a.m. to noon next Wednesday, May 11, at The Hive in Beckley. At the event, attendees will learn how restaurants can take advantage of today's farm-to-table movement by featuring more locally grown foods on their menus.
More specifically, you can learn how to write up menus to be both informative and enticing through more descriptive phrasing, and learn how to tap into the power of social media to engage and connect with potential customers.
For more information or to register, contact Joy Marr at 304-574-0394 or joymarr@vc2.org.
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 e-mail at wvfoodguy@aol.com. You can also follow him on Facebook as "WV Food Guy" and on Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest as "WVFoodGuy."