7th Annual Taste of Morgantown

Last Wednesday, Mina and I attended the 7th Annual Taste of Morgantown event at Erickson Alumni Center, our first ever trip to this Morgantown tradition. From tiramisu "sushi" to Buckwheat Pancakes to Earl Gray with Gin and more pulled pork than you could shake a stick at,  Morgantown's finest restaurants really brought their A-game, plating inventive dishes for a great cause. And while Mina and I were proud to do our part to support the American Red Cross, we were also eager to scope out the food spread and possibly steal a few new ideas for the upcoming tailgate season.

Of course, awards were given out, and some very deserving winners were crowned, but in the aftermath, Mina and I are going to hand out a few accolades of our own . . . .

Our Favorites . . . 

Most Creative: Terra Cafe's "Terrine of Local Bounty" and "Tiramisushi"
 
The terrine of spiced beef, fresh local vegetables, and crunchy wasabi candy was art on a plate. Truly beautiful. And its unique combination of Asian flavors and interesting textures made for an interesting start to the night. We followed it with the "tiramisushi"--a ladyfinger rolled in espresso-rice and seaweed that looked better than it tasted. (It was remarkably dry for a tiramisu.) All in all, we wanted to like Terra's dishes better than we did, but they were a bit overcomplicated and ultimately looked better than they tasted. Still, that's what this event is really about--putting out a plate that no one has ever seen before, and in that regard, Terra was very successful.
 
 
 
Prettiest Dish: Terra Cafe's "Terrine of Local Bounty" and "Tiramisushi"
 
The pictures speak for themselves!
 
 
 
Best Service: Morgantown Brewing Company, Tin 202, The Tea Shoppe, Terra Cafe, Coach's Crab Shack
 
Maybe it's just that they were most of the vendor's handing out the alcohol, but the level of friendliness and generosity exhibited by these vendors was truly outstanding. You could tell that they were proud of their food and eager for us to try it. While the dishes were the highlight of the night, the vendor's were the stars behind it all, ensuring that we had a great experience.
 
 
 
Happiest Surprise: Coach's Crab Shack's "Lobster Meatballs" (Kap)
 
While Mina found these meatballs to be a bit excessive ("it's a waste of lobster if you're going to cover it with sauce; why not crab?"), I was impressed with the flavor. I'm not always a lobster fan, and so that may also have played a role in my choice. If you can make me go gaga about ground lobster, then you've done something special. (P.S. Their Crab Jambalaya and Old Bay Bloody Mary's were pretty darn good, too!)
 
 
Happiest Surprise: The Tea Shoppe's "Earl Gray Mar-Tea-Ni" (Mina)
 
Who would have thought that tea and Gin would go so well together? This iced beverage was Mina's best friend all night, and she basically drank her weight in it. It's an inventive and delicious combination that has us rethinking our beverage options this fall.
 
 
 
Best Tasting Drink: The Tea Shoppe's "Earl Gray Mar-Tea-Ni" (Mina)
 
I can't emphasize enough how much Mina loved this drink!
 
 
Best Tasting Drink: Tin 202's "Lion Tamer" (Kap)
 
I had never tasted barrel-aged gin before, and it blew my mind. Smooth and juniper-y like gin, but with the amber color and oaky, sweet flavor of bourbon, this versatile spirit was truly unique and more than just a novelty. I could see drinking this at corner table during happy hour or on the deck any summer evening.
 
 
 
Best Tasting Dessert: Tutto Gelato's "Caramel Popcorn Gelato" and "Caramel Apple" Gelato
 
While there were a few other interesting desserts available, none compared to the simple-yet-inventive sweetness of Tutto Gelato's circus flavors. These frozen treats tasted exactly like the dishes they were mimicking, only without the artificial flavor or the unnatural the science-lab quality of, say, Jelly Belly Jelly Beans. Never one to disappoint, Tutto's gelato was fresh and flavorful, and it kept us wanting more.
 
 
 
Best Tasting Meal or Morsel: Erickson Alumni Center's "Cheddar Jalapeno Pork Sliders with Carolina Slaw" and "Rum-Glazed BBQ Shrimp with Roasted Corn Risotto" (Kap)
 
I really didn't expect the best meal of the night to come from the Alumni Center chefs, but that was my mistake. food was tremendous, and though I enjoyed almost everything I ate over the course of the evening (and I ate the food from all 22 vendors), nothing really came close to the alumni center's offering. It was simple but inventive, balanced, and executed perfectly. Those folks can seriously cook!
 
 
Best Tasting Meal or Morsel: The Wine Bar at Vintner Valley's "Classic Bruschetta," and "Crab-Stuffed Mushroom" (Mina)
 
This is another example of how quality execution and a simple, straightforward focus on flavor and quality can trump rampant inventiveness. The Wine Bar's dishes were not shocking by any stretch of the imagination (we've all had bruschetta or crab-stuffed mushrooms), but it didn't matter because they tasted delicious! In fact, their more inventive dishes (a proscuitto brownie and a caramel apple cocktail) were less impressive than their (comparatively) "plain-jane" counterparts. (The proscuitto flavor got lost in the chocolatiness of the brownie and the apple drink was unbelievably sugary.) Still, it didn't matter because nothing was going to beat those fresh tomatoes and lump crab meat.
 
 
 
Biggest Suggestion for 2016: "Have fun, but if you care about winning, practice restraint" (Kap)
 
As I said, this event is a time to try out your craziest recipes--the things you might not otherwise get a chance to make. I'm all for that. But there were a few dishes that were over-complicated, "busy." And, in a few cases, less would have been more in foregrounding high-quality ingredients that occasionally got lost under mountains of creative garnish.
 
 
Biggest Suggestion for 2016: "Lay off the pulled pork" (Mina)
 
I know everybody loves pulled pork, but after the fourth or fifth pulled pork sandwich, things started to get a little repetitive. Almost no one used chicken at the event, which is a shame because (while it is the common staple protein) there's a lot you can do with the original white meat.

TERRA CAFE: Terrine of Local Bounty (seven spice beef, mozzarella, swiss chard, heirloom tomatoes, ginger and sesame with wasabi candy crunch) asnd Tiramisushi (espresso rice, raspberries, and lady fingers with mascarpone sauce and truffle garnish)

MORGANTOWN BREWING COMPANY: Appalachian Surf N' Turf (smoked trout, pork jowl, green garlic, and pickled vegetables, with horseradish cocktail sauce, on homemade pretzel bread)

COACH'S CRAB SHACK: Lobster Meatballs

COACH'S CRAB SHACK: Crab Jambalaya

COACH'S CRAB SHACK: Old Bay Bloody Mary

ERICKSON ALUMNI CENTER: Boneless Short Rib and Cheddar-Chive Mashed Potatoes

ERICKSON ALUMNI CENTER: Cheddar-Jalapeno Pork Sliders; BBQ shrimp; Roasted Corn Risotto

THE WINE BAR AT VINTNER VALLEY: Crab-Stuffed Mushroom

THE WINE BAR AT VINTNER VALLEY: Prosciutto Brownie with Caramel

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Agree with our picks? Disagree? If you were at Taste of Morgantown 2015, we'd love to hear what you thought.
 
Looking for more photos and reviews? Check out Candace Nelson's blog entry at Candace Lately, Morgantown's top food and dining blog.