As I eat my way throughout the state in search of West Virginia’s Tastiest Town, I’m blown away by not only the quality of restaurants I’m discovering, but also the sheer quantity that exists.
When I first starting covering the state’s food scene some 20 years ago, there were really only a handful of top-notch dining spots I’d seek out when I traveled. One here, another a few hours away, a third tucked along a seldom-traveled backway.
The Mountain State had nice restaurants then, I always told people; you just had to be willing to put some serious miles on your car to enjoy a good meal.
Boy, has that all changed.
Instead of a go-to list of maybe 10 restaurants scattered throughout the state, I’m finding at least that many concentrated in almost every city I’m visiting. That’s making it impossible to visit them all, and I haven’t left a city yet where I’m not wishing I had just one more day, maybe two, to squeeze in a few more.
But what a great problem to have.
My next installment in the “Tastiest Town” series takes me to Lewisburg, so be sure to follow me in social (media) circles and check out next Sunday’s paper for a roundup of my adventures in Greenbrier County.
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In other local restaurant news, Creperi Café next to Marshalls, out at The Shoppes at Trace Fork at Southridge, has recently added a few new menu items I’m excited about. In addition to an already solid lineup of sweet and savory crepes, plus soups and salads, you can now enjoy a tasty Philly Cheese Steak Crepe, a Southwest Sausage and Egg Crepe, and a Hawaiian Crepe with ham, pineapple, walnuts and smoked Gouda.
Or even Crepes Suzette.
For the uninitiated, Crepes Suzette is a classic French dessert (often enjoyed as breakfast) consisting of a light and fluffy crepe filled and glazed with a sauce of caramelized sugar and butter, tangerine or orange juice and zest, and often either Grand Marnier or another orange liqueur on top.
Oh yeah, and it’s usually served flambéd!
Although Creperi Café’s version comes sans fire, it’s still delicious — just like everything else I’ve ever had there. It’s one of those places where every time I go, I kick myself for not visiting more often.
Meanwhile, down in Kanawha City next door to the location where Creperi Café got its start, the still-popular Fusion Teriyaki Grille just marked its one-year anniversary in business by adding a few new menu items, including bubble tea and gluten-free entrees. This is another place I should put in heavier rotation; I walk away happy every time I stop by.
And you know how you can score a free birthday dinner at Tidewater Grill on your special day?
Well, The Block down on the corner of Capitol and Quarrier streets is now getting in on the act by offering a complementary bottle of Prosecco, plus the dessert of your choice, if you celebrate your birthday there.
In both cases, proper ID verifying your birthday must be shown, so don’t forget your license when you go.
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And in sad chain restaurant news, Little Caesars recently announced their newest offering to squeals of delight from consumers, but shrieks of terror from nutritionists.
The new Detroit-style “Stuffed Crust Deep! Deep! Dish Pizza” is loaded with 75 percent more cheese than a regular pizza and features only corner pieces, giving each slice two sides of stuffed crust. Each pizza, and I’m not kidding here, is stuffed with 3.5 feet of cheese just in its crust.
I weep for America’s arteries.
Meanwhile, the folks at Kentucky Fried Chicken announced last week that Mother’s Day is officially the national chain’s highest sales day of the year, with approximately 370,000 families downing 6.5 million pieces of chicken, 815,000 servings of mashed potatoes with gravy, and 470,000 servings of coleslaw this past Sunday alone.
I weep for America’s mothers.
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”.