West Virginia Travel Guide 2009 - (Page 29) wild & wonderful From top left to bottom right: The Purple Fiddle in Thomas , dinner at Stardust Café in Lewisburg , gourmet Italian at Café Cimino in Sutton , Jeff's Bread in Renick , Bridge Road Bistro . g h b a h From the farm, fresh to your table Don’t let searching for ambiance distract you from checking out what’s on the menu. For the best West Virginia cuisine, look for seasonal, local products including blueberries, shiitake mushrooms, goat cheese and rainbow trout. The “Farm 2 U” organization (www.wvfarm2u.org) and a collaboration among West Virginia chefs have spawned a movement encouraging cooperation between farmers and restaurants to increase the use of locallygrown products. There’s also a parallel regional effort to define a “New Appalachian” cuisine (www.newappalachia.com), summarized as “global cuisines infused with local ingredients embodying a regional interpretation.” Good choices for feasting on local fare include: Provence Market Café in Bridgeport serves traditional French fare such as snails, mussels and Croque Monsieur, a fancy name for a grilled ham and cheese sandwich. Here the local focus extends to serving the meal on West Virginia’s very own colorful Fiesta® ware, made in the Northern Panhandle town of Newell. » Provence Market Café, 304-848-0911, www.provencemarketcafe.com You can also sample them in fine local restaurants like Stardust Café and Julian’s. » Jeff’s Breads, 304-497-2768, www.jeffsbreads.com. Julian’s, 304-645-4145. Stardust Café, 304-647-3663, www.stardustcafewv.com Dale Hawkins, executive chef of Stillwaters at Stonewall Resort, lives his commitment to the “New Appalachian” cuisine effort by concocting dishes such as the “Appalachian Eggroll” made with pork barbeque, fennel and carrots. He’s a pioneer in the movement here and Stonewall’s mouthwatering menus certainly reflect that. » Stillwaters, 304-269-7400 or 888-278-8150, www.stonewallresort.com/dining/ stillwaters.asp Café Cimino, in the inn of the same name in Sutton, boasts an Italian-influenced menu that includes dishes made with ingredients from the owners’ kitchen garden and nearby farm. » Café Cimino, 304-765-2913 or 877-924-6466, www.cafeciminocountryinn.com/ cafecimino/index.html Jeff’s Breads in Renick is a bakery (not a restaurant) but you can still enjoy Jeff’s baked-daily artisan breads – including focaccia, whole-wheat raisin-pecan and many more – by picking them up for a picnic at the Saturday farmers’ market in Lewisburg. Stone Soup Bistro, housed in a historic building on Shepherdstown’s main street, boasts an impressive menu emphasizing organic products prepared in international styles ranging from Middle Eastern to Mexican. » Stone Soup Bistro, 304-876-8477, www.stonesoupbistro.com but a few dishes have West Virginia subtleties for good measure. A dozen other restaurants that have received Wine Spectator magazine’s highest award for fine food and wine offer delicious contemporary cuisine, making for a meal like no other. IF YOU GO: The Ember, 304-572-1111, www.dinesnowshoe.com/ember, Bridge Road Bistro, 304-720-3500, www.thebridgeroadbistro.com www.WVTOURISM.com 29 http://www.wvfarm2u.org http://www.newappalachia.com http://www.jeffsbreads.com http://www.stardustcafewv.com http://www.provencemarketcafe.com http://www.stonewallresort.com/dining/stillwaters.asp http://www.cafeciminocountryinn.com/cafecimino/index.html http://www.stonewallresort.com/dining/stillwaters.asp http://www.cafeciminocountryinn.com/cafecimino/index.html http://www.stonesoupbistro.com http://www.dinesnowshoe.com/ember http://www.thebridgeroadbistro.com http://www.WVTOURISM.com
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