Like just about everything else in the scenic mountain home of the state's beloved Mountaineers, the food scene in Morgantown is exploding.
As more students, buildings, businesses and, yes, traffic have popped up, so have a growing number of excellent dining choices. And not just the low-budget burger joints, pizza places and Chinese takeout college students crave, but a host of more exotic, fine dining options as well.
Having not spent much time in Morgantown recently, I was taken aback by the choices now available.
An urban gastropub along the waterfront. Four-star restaurants scattered here and there. Traditional Italian ristorantes and pizzerias. An elegant tavern and ultra-fancy cocktail lounge — both on bar-heavy High Street?
Yep, this is Morgantown. Just like the roaring crowds who cheer on the Mountaineers, the city's blossoming food scene is buzzing with excitement.
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I was starving when I rolled into town, so I went straight to popular High Street and quickly slipped inside Morgan's High Street Diner to get breakfast — and my bearings.
CHRISTIAN TYLER RANDOLPH|Gazette-Mail A view from above Morgantown.
Not your typical bright “Alice”-style diner, Morgan's features a cozy black, white and red motif that blends classic style with a contemporary feel. There's no rush to herd folks in and out, so you may feel like sitting a spell.
I did just that, while sipping a decent cup of coffee and quizzing my waitress for recommendations.
The Motown Irish Benedict with corned beef hash sounded intriguing, but I took the Walk of Shame (interesting name, given the town's party reputation) and dug into Texas toast topped with a mess of home fries, scrambled eggs, succulent chipotle-glazed pulled pork and melted cheese.
I could've passed on the cheese grits I ordered on the side — I've had far better — but the sausage gravy (yep, got both) was interesting. Its thinner-than-usual texture and subtle smoky notes threw me at first, but next thing I knew there was an empty cup staring me in the face.
Afterward, I strolled up and down bustling High Street, where I may have made a few stops to sample a slice of pizza here, some loaded fries there. I'm not really saying.
But I will admit to following my googly eyes into The Cupcakerie on Willey Street, where glass pedestals full of artfully decorated cupcakes left me weak in the knees. I ordered six different flavors to go.
A selection of cupcakes from The Cupcakerie.
An hour later, with my next several meals finally mapped out, I was ready for a nice local microbrew to celebrate. Iron Horse Tavern has plenty of those, along with an impressive selection of elevated bar food. Really good elevated bar food.
We're talking charcuterie, drunken mussels, zucchini carpaccio, tuna tataki salad, wild mushroom ramp risotto, wasabi pea-encrusted salmon with orange-ginger glaze and more. The quality selections match the restaurant's décor, featuring black tables and chairs, dark wood and brick walls, silky drapes and a marble bar. It's a casual but classy place.
I sipped local Chestnut Brewing's outstanding Halleck Pale Ale and looked for a snack to get this party started. The sautéed Brussels sprouts with bacon, sweet onion, shaved Parmesan and fig-balsamic drizzle tempted me, but then I saw this: House-made tater tots with white truffle and bacon sour cream, smoked Gouda béchamel and fresh-cut chives.
Shut. Up!
They were crazy good (crispy on the outside, warm and soft inside), but I managed to eat only a few to leave room for, get a load of this, a deliciously different kimchee Reuben spiked with spicy Asian slaw. Paired with a Jesco's White IPA from Morgantown Brewing, it was an incredibly satisfying lunch.
After waddling back to my car, I drove to the new Courtyard Marriott at University Town Place, offering sweeping views of the city below and the new Black Bears baseball stadium next door. It was a great home base for the weekend, but I only rested a bit before heading back out.
After a casual breakfast and lunch, I was ready to raise the stakes that evening, so I started at swanky Tin 202 for creative, classy cocktails and tapas.
How creative and classy? You can sip on a Vioux Carré with rye, cognac, sweet vermouth, benedictine, bitters, lemon oil and black cherry, or savor (as I did) a refreshing Smoke on the Water with mescal, lillet rouge, grapefruit and sugar, followed by a hefty Lucien Gaudin made with gin, dry vermouth, cointreau, Campari and orange oil.
I then ordered plates of scallops and pork belly with fingerling potatoes, brown butter carrot puree and truffle aioli, plus a phenomenal bowl of fresh mussels with bacon, sun-dried tomatoes, ramp greens and basil. This was, hands down, the best dish I would have all weekend. It was killing me not to stay here for dinner, but another enticing spot awaited.
Along the waterfront, Table 9 also offers a nice selection of cocktails, tapas and entrées in a more simply styled (but no less appealing) environment. Although the restaurant's décor is understated, the exceptional food here screams of big, bold flavors.
I eased into the meal with a plate of melt-in-your-mouth maple-glazed pork belly (my second of the night) with apple kimchee and polenta, plus a plate of mushroom risotto with thyme, Parmesan and smoked portabella. Fantastic.
Then I sampled the succulent duck confit with bok choy, butternut squash and mustard seed, plus the “back by popular demand” grilled lamb chops with savory roasted cauliflower.
And dessert nearly topped them all. After hearing my waitress describe one of the evening's features as a “custard meets creme brulee meets cheesecake meets popcorn” situation, I had no idea what to expect. But I had to give it a try.
A small mason jar was filled with silky rich, buttery pot du creme with a slick of thick salted caramel syrup covering the top. The resulting taste was just like eating bite after bite of popcorn-flavored custard with a toffee finish. You know, in pudding form. From start to finish, Table 9 served up the best meal I've had in months, and capped off one of the best overall food days I've had in ages.
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The next morning, I started out at Terra Café for what I'd been told was a great breakfast spot. I was initially thrown by its location in a small industrial park, but that hesitation melted away when I stepped inside and saw people enjoying made-to-order meals and decadent-looking pastries in a neat coffee-house-meets-café setting.
A small menu of French toast bites, breakfast wrap, egg sandwich and a few other options complemented drool-worthy cases of picture-perfect baked goodies.
I had the Santa Fe Wrap with scrambled eggs, fresh tomato salsa, avocado and cheese with cilantro-lime creme. And grabbed a box (OK, three) of cupcakes, brownies, eclairs, cannoli and more to go. When I tore into that stash later that day (OK, minutes later in the car) I was blown away by the giant pistachio-crusted carrot cake wedges and moist-as-heck lemon bars.
Sufficiently fueled up, for now, I took a gorgeous drive to Cheat Lake for a little fishing. After finding a good spot, I popped the tab off a can of local Alpha Blond and enjoyed some relaxing time in the sun with not a care in the world.
Except, that is, where I'd end up for lunch. I had two places battling it out in my head and couldn't pick one over the other. So I went to both. Problem solved.
I drove back into town, stopping first at Volcano Japanese Restaurant for a little sushi. A perfect appetizer, I rationalized. For the second time that day, a restaurant's first impression almost kept me away — but don't let Volcano's location in a strip mall fool you. Inside, this place is a little slice of Japan serving up delicious and imaginative food.
I dug into the Sunset roll with spicy tuna, crab and rice wrapped around standing shrimp tempura and, of course, the Mountaineer roll of eel, shrimp and lobster salad with crab and green tabiko.
After sipping the last of my warm sake, I traveled across town to Atomic Grill for what would be my third unlikely discovery of the day. Expecting a barbecue joint-type place, I couldn't believe the restaurant looked more like a 50s-style burger joint from outside, complete with a retro logo on the building's corner.
It wasn't quite what I was expecting, but everyone who raved about this place's food was spot on.
I considered the Appalachian bruschetta (cornbread crostini with a variety of local toppings), but caved and ordered the Atomic Sampler so I could try a little of a lot: two ribs, two sliders, three fried green tomatoes and fries served with West Virginia barbecue, hot barbecue and chipotle mayo sauces. All were good, but the delicious ribs stood out.
Then I tried a brisket platter featuring thick slabs of fork-tender, flavor-packed beef served with Texas toast, fries, coleslaw and delightfully tart collard greens.
After letting a respectable amount of time pass (how long does one rest after two lunches?), I was ready for more.
I've had excellent meals at both Sargasso and Café Bacchus, so I was excited to check out one of Morgantown's newest and buzziest restaurants: Hill & Hollow, offering “Victuals & Libations” in the Seneca Center along the Monongahela River.
A new venture by chef Marion Ohlinger, formerly of Richwood Grill and a leader in statewide farm-to-table initiatives, Hill & Hollow blends traditional Appalachian dishes with global flavors. Think sweet carrot bisque with ginseng tempeh, grilled yam and apple cakes with lime molasses drizzle, rainbow trout with agave ginger glaze and grilled spring lamb chops with sorghum sake demi.
I couldn't pass up the wild game meatloaf's mix of wild boar, elk and venison (although it was a bit dry) and also tried the much-praised Prime Brazilian-cut loin steak with Yucatan spice rub and avocado butter (significantly better).
Overall, the place is good, though not yet great. The carrot bisque was thick as hummus, the frozen tiramisu I had for dessert was a little weird (just frozen cake) and most dishes were a tad underwhelming. But the concept is rock solid. With a little attention to raise those dishes from Appalachian classic to Appalachian elevated, this place will have folks lined up to get in.
After a good night's sleep, I decided to balance some of the previous days' higher-dollar eats with a more budget-friendly option befitting the college students I saw all over town. I pulled into Pizza Al's on University Avenue for what I was told was the city's best slice.
I ordered a pepperoni, mushroom and black olive pie, then watched the guys go to work behind the counter. About 10 minutes later, they slid the piping hot platter in front of me — and it was pretty tasty. I've been spoiled by the likes of Pies & Pints (which also has a place in Morgantown now) but as another diner told me, “sometimes it's just nice to have a plain pizza.”
Yes, it is.
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Although I'm a Marshall graduate, I married a proud Mountaineer in what we joke is a true mixed marriage. I look forward to seeing how my former hometown stacks up in a few weeks, but I'm not going to lie, I left Morgantown on a total food high.
From casual spots to splurge-worthy experiences, the food scene in Morgantown is kind of on fire.
IF YOU GO: For more information on Morgantown's restaurants, attractions and accommodations, contact the Greater Morgantown Convention & Visitors Bureau at 800-458-7373 or www.tourmorgantown.com.
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, wvfoodguy@aol.com or follow him on WV Food Guy on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.