Austin's Ice Cream: Ceredo, WV

Certainly not meaning to echo the sentiments of the abstinence-only crowd, but sometimes it really does make things better when you have to wait for them. Sure, there's all kinds of not-quite-ice-cream fast food joints in town that are open year round, but only one is worth waiting six month for, and that's Austin's.

Austin's Homemade Ice Cream is a little roadside stand tucked away in the corner of the interstate - drive fast and you'll totally miss it (and get pulled over, as the speed limit is 25). The first thing you'll probably notice is a line of cars crammed into spaces that almost look like a parking lot.

Austin's hand churns all of their flavors on site and features about 30 season-long with a few month-long seasonal flavors. They have your typical ice cream varieties - vanilla, strawberry, rocky road - but also get creative with flavors like grape pineapple, amaretto crunch, and bubblegum. They also sell hotdogs with some pretty awesome chili (though if you're going to West Virginia, it's called "hot dog sauce," not chili).

About the only drawback is that they're cash only. I know that's common in bigger cities' roadside stands, but it's kind of an anomaly here. Still, it's a very small inconvenience for some epic ice cream.

DiCarlo's Pizza: Wheeling, WV

After spending the evening surrounded by the smells of stadium food (and a pretty epic looking hot dog condiments bar) at the Wheeling Nailers game, the husband and I were pretty hungry. We decided to walk down the block to a pizza place called DiCarlo's.


The place was jammed packed before the game, so we figured it was pretty popular. I was a little confused as to why the tables had random sprinkles of cheese until I read the menu: Only DiCarlo's initially flash-bakes its crust and sauce in a special brick oven, and when the steaming crust emerges, it is adorned with cold creamy provolone cheese, making the taste indescribable!

Cold cheese? WTF? I was starting to get a little nervous.

All the nervousness flew out the window when we were actually handed our pizza. The cheese was melty without being greasy like most pizzas, and the crust was sweet and crunchy. I'm not sure exactly what constitutes "flash-baking," but it definitely made a difference.

I can't say it was the best pizza I've ever had - that honor goes to Villa Italia in the blink-and-you'll-miss-it town of Plattekill, NY. But it was good. Pretty damn good, in fact, and an interesting take on the standard pizza formula.

Huntington Prime in Huntington, WV

It's been a few weeks since we've had a restaurant review, so I though I'd fill the foodie gap. This month marked the 1-2 punch of Valentine's Day and my six month anniversary, so my husband took me out on a fancy date. A posh new restaurant Huntington Prime had opened up in Huntington, and this gave us the perfect opportunity to check it out.



The restaurant has a very hip New York vibe. and it's TINY. Not sure exactly how many people it seats, but my estimate would be around 30. [Note: official count says 50.] Needless to say it was pretty packed and gave the place an intimate, elite cool feeling.

In addition to being the rare fancy food haven in the area, it's also the first to really focus on locally-grown foods. The menu changes seasonally according to whatever foods are available from West Virginia farmers. It's got a definite comfort food bent but with some flare and experimentation, unlike other area steakhouses that shall remain nameless (though one immediately comes to mind that used to be a classy place with tiramisu and now feels like a redneck Applebee's)

So yeah, the food. We split an order of mini crab cakes and literally inhaled them... those were seriously one of the top five things I've eaten in my life. Super rich and delicious with homemade red pepper jelly dipping sauce. I had rainbow trout, which was pretty good, but what set the meal over the top were the veggies. The potatoes were boss and melted in your mouth with delicate buttery goodness, plus I got introduced to a new vegetable broccolini.


If you're in the area and have the cash to splurge, check it out. Expect a wait, but be wowed by the food. I'll be back in the spring because (1) they were out of lamb, which I was dying to check out and (2) rumor has it they have Bailey's Irish Cream cheesecake and Grand Marnier tarts. Oh, and be sure to check out the super rad sinks in the bathrooms.

When In Wheeling You Must Eat Here

When In Wheeling You Must Eat Here

Wheeling, WV, the home of an awesome casino, Oglebay Festival Of Lights and a really awesome shopping complex filled with everything you need to empty your wallet and a wonderful market district with yummy places to eat and buy tasty treats.

So with all of this going on, how can I tell you that there is only one place you need to stop to eat when you are in the city?

Its easy.

CREPES!

Yes, there is a creperie in Wheeling, and the crepes are some of the best I've ever tasted!

So head on over to Later (Allegator) @ The Market in Wheeling and try some savory crepes that are filled with all sorts of things like ham, chicken, roasted red peppers, cheese and spinach.



Then you'll want to have a sweet crepe as dessert. You'll really want to share these, unless you don't care about your waistline. These gorgeous treats are filled with stuff like creme cheese, nuetella, ricotta, fruits and topped with honey, chocolate (do I need to go on), and nuts.



This one is called Monkey Business and is full of bananas, cream cheese and topped with honey and sugared walnuts!

This is a must stop place on when you are in Wheeling. After all, how can you resist a place who's slogan is eat or we both starve, and the mascot is an alligator wearing converse!

Pies & Pints in Fayetteville, WV

Pies & Pints in Fayetteville, WV

Yesterday, my hubs and I made a daytrip to visit his family, and his mom took me on my first trip to Fayetteville WV. Budget Travel magazine named it “America's Coolest Small Town” in 2006, and it's easy to see why. The outdoor gear stores, art galleries, and nifty shops aren't found in your typical West Virginia small town (I grew up with a bowling alley, a Wendy's, and a Goodwill - and that's it). A lot of that buildup is due to the region's whitewater rafting tourism boom in the summer, but it's recently begun to sustain itself in the winter months as well.


For dinner we went to a rad pizzeria called Pies & Pints. Let's countdown some of the things that made it so rad:

1. The Pies. Ohhh nyom nyom nyom! I had a black-bean pizza with salsa, my mama-in-law had eggplant with white sauce, and David had a regular pepperoni...with grapes! So good. Up until this point, the best pizza I'd ever had was in Platteskill, NY, but I'm pretty sure now that it's tied at the top.
2. The Pints. Although I didn't indulge that night, I was in beer snob heaven. All my favorite brews and a good amount that I hadn't tried before. They also have Saranac root beer on tap (something I wish I'd realized at the restaurant and not at home, d'oh.)
3. Good music. They played CCR and the Beatles the entire time.
4. Bike racks out back.
5. A family-style single-stall bathroom, which helps parents with kids (hence the name), people with disabilities that need assistance and are traveling with an opposite sex person, and trans people.

About a block away, there was also a newly opened ice cream and pie shop called Swirl, that also sold nifty little Archie McPhee type toys like rayguns and finger puppets. They even give you the option to top your ice cream with chocolate-covered Pop Rocks!

Other nearby attractions are the New River Gorge, Hawks Nest State Park, and my favorite kitsch wonderland The Mystery Hole. If you're ever near the area, check out Fayetteville for a nifty day trip, a fun distraction, and especially a decent pizza.