A Preview of the Mountaineer Media Restaurant Review Blog

Capitol Street, Charleston West Virginia. Home to some unique state restaurants (via Tripadvisor)

I was first interested in writing about West Virginia’s restaurants for Mountaineer Media because of a long-time love of good food. I also love West Virginia. So, it was a good fit. For years now, I have been peripherally involved in the revitalization effort, but I found myself wanting to do more. This blog provides an outlet for me to combine two of my favorite things: good food and West Virginia. In return, I hope it provides you useful reviews and information, and a place to get your fix of mountain state pride. 

I have always enjoyed food not only for what it is, but also for what it can be. On the one hand, if you have to eat, which you do, it might as well be good. On the other hand, food is at the center of celebrations, cultures, and conversations. Good food is home-cooked meals and classic recipes that have been passed on through generations just as much as it is expensive restaurants and exotic ingredients that are hard to pronounce. 

I want this blog to be a place to showcase all of West Virginia’s best restaurants and food vendors across the wide range of what good food is. I hope to visit holes in the wall that I haven’t heard of yet. I hope to go to fine dining establishments where I take a deep breath before looking at the bill. I hope to also take recommendations from our readers on places everywhere in-between. Word of mouth is the best way to promote local businesses, and it works both ways. I will work to share with you my favorite places all over the state and explain what makes them so special or so reliably ordinary. If you come across somewhere you want to recommend, reach out and I will do my best to pay the spot a visit.

But let’s keep the recommendations local. While I will not subject you to one of my many rants targeted at chain restaurants (perhaps another time), this blog will focus first on promoting the great local restaurants this state has to offer. It’s much more interesting and exciting to eat at a place you can only get here in West Virginia, rather than someplace you can find almost anywhere. 

The first review will cover the West Virginia State Fair. I thought there is no better way to start this blog than giving a first-hand account of all the great food the fair has to offer. This year the fair is August 12th-21st. I will be going the first weekend, and I will get the review out quickly in case you need some extra motivation to stop by before it all wraps up. I will also be trying all the entries into the third annual new food contest, and I will be sure to share with you my thoughts on who should take home the win.

I look forward to getting this blog going, and I look forward to sharing my reviews with you.