The Greenbrier Grille and Lodge in Marlinton is a family-friendly restaurant that offers three meals a day overlooking the Greenbrier River.
The piece de resistance of this restaurant is the large wooden deck that includes a duck feeding area, which is where I went to dine and duck watch.
On this particular day, they were offering a limited menu because of the high volume of guests.
there were some breakfast options, some lunch options, but I just wanted a quick snack. So, I ordered the stuffed cheese breadsticks. these aren't fried mozzarella sticks; they are wider breadsticks that have tons of gooey cheese inside.
I thought these were pretty tasty. It's hard to beat bread, cheese and sauce. I wouldn't hate some butter on top to help adhere that sprinkling of Parmesan.
Have you been?
Grade: B
"Y’allternative cuisine. Like momaw made it, but she has tattoos and drinks her whiskey straight," reads Black Circle Bistro's bio on Facebook. Honestly, that is enough to make me a fan of this Beckley restaurant.
But, I should also try the food. So while in the area, I placed a to go order and picked up a few items off the menu. A few notes: They don't do ice. They don't do lemon. Their specialty is burgers, but they also have other sandwiches, salads and sides.
I went with the Granny, which has cheddar cheese, pimento cheese, bacon and pepper jelly. I picked this one primarily because I love cheese and that salty sweet combo. But every burger was tempting – from adding fried bologna to blue cheese pimento to dippy eggs. I didn't do this burger justice because I didn't get a chance to eat it immediately. I had it later on that evening, and while it was good, I know it would be better hot and fresh.
What I did get to enjoy immediately was the deviled egg potato salad, which is perfect Appalachian twist on potato salad. A little kick, which I love. I also tried the pickled eggs, which I know can be divisive, but I love that zippy tang.
Finally, I need to give a shoutout to their sauces. I didn't even have fries, but I needed to try the Appalachian Goddess, Jana's Garlic & Onion, Pimento and Hillbilly Holy Trinity. Yes, yes and more yes.
Grade: A
Rayetta's Lunch Box is a small Marlinton restaurant that is soon closing its doors. I was fortunate to visit this spot on my last visit to the area.
They are typically only open during the weekdays for lunch, so it was nearly impossible for me to make it here. But once I did, I immediately looked to see what sweets were available. It was the pumpkin roll that jumped out to me. Fresh, homemade and full of autumn spice.
Grade: A
Sitar of India hosts a Diwali celebration each year.
Diwali is a Hindu festival of lights, held in the period October to November. It is particularly associated with Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity, and marks the beginning of the fiscal year in India.
Sitar celebrates with their biggest Indian buffet of the year. It included special sweets, a super buffet with over 60 items, and other special offerings.
There were many items that were familiar to me, but then there were many that were new to me.
I, of course, had to get my standard chicken tikka masala. And I tried for the first time aloo bhaji, which is a potato dish with curry, turmeric and chili. So tasty.
For dessert, I enjoyed some kheer and gulab jamun - both fab.
There was also a sweet carrot fudge-like that I got seconds of.
Mint sauce and onion chutney - perfect on everything.
The Laurance Jones, III Childhood Language Center Mac 'n Cheese Cook-off is one of my favorite events of the whole year.
It's one of my favorite foods at one of my favorite places, all for a great cause!
1. WV Coal Festival Queens - Made with nutmeg, dried mustard, and had edible glitter to represent coal and chipotle crema on top
3. Alisa Bailey - Traditional with some add-ins
4. Sternwheel Regatta - Southwest mac & cheese
5. Bogey's at Capitol Market - Super creamy mac & cheese that you can get every day at the restaurant
6. Tondrea Davis-Powell - Creamy mac alfredo
7. The Pitch - Braised short rib mac & cheese with Pitch dusted panko
8. Charleston Dirty Birds - Classic mac with a touch of sweetness
9. Sierra Workman - Made with little ditalini
10. Nellita's Cocina - Bacon & jalapeno mac & cheese
11. Regatta Pro Wrestling - White and cheesy
12. Patriot Guardens - Bacon bliss mac & cheese with edible flower
13. Hope for All/New Horizons Church - Classic mac & cheese
14. Short Story Brewing - Beer cheese mac & cheese made with Short Story’s Oktoberfest, Turn and Fall
15. Stephen Fernandez - Street corn mac & cheese
16. Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Central - Nikki McClanahan - Classic mac & cheese
17. Rainbow Pride of WV - Multicolord mac & cheese
18. Cafe Appalachia - Cornbread mac & cheese
19. The Spry Guys - Classic mac & cheese with crunchy breadcrumbs
20.Hope and Carl Crowder Auction - Classic mac with a touch of sweetness
21. Chick-Fil-A Town Center - Regular mac & cheese with addition of bacon
22. Gettin' Piggy With It 304 - Super smoky mac & cheese with pulled pork or cajun smoked chicken
23. Sergio's - Bruschetta mac & cheese Cavatappi Pasta tossed with a vibrant blend of fresh garlic, aromatic oregano, basil, rosemary, and thyme, plus red pepper flakes, Federalist Chardonnay, extra virgin olive oil, and balsamic glaze
24. Sam's Uptown Cafe - Classic mac & cheese
26. Devis Sellears - Classic mac with breadcrumbs
JUDGE'S CHOICE
1st - Stephen Fernandez
2nd - Tondrea Davis-Powell
3rd - Sergio’s
PEOPLE’S CHOICE
1st - Stephen Fernandez
2nd - Tondrea Davis-Powell
3rd - Sergio’s
KIDS
1st - Bogey’s
2nd - Hope and Carl Crowder Auction
3rd - Sergio’s
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