Appalachian Appetite: Episode 1
Welcome to Appalachian Appetite, the podcast where we explore the stories, flavors, and hidden gems of Morgantown, West Virginia. I'm Georgia.
Speaker 2:And I'm Hunter. And I'm Caitlin. In each episode, we're tasting our way through local favorites and sharing the stories behind the meals.
Speaker 1:Today, we're kicking things off with what we're calling the Morgantown melting pot. Each of us went out to a different spot in town that captures the blend of Appalachian roots and cultural influence Morgantown is known for.
Speaker 3:Me, I checked out Dirty Bird.
Speaker 2:I've been told it was
Speaker 3:a local favorite, and they did not disappoint.
Speaker 2:I voyaged Grandma's Country Kitchen, a Kibbe spot that feels like a slice of home and serves up comfort food Appalachian style.
Speaker 1:And I went to Yama, where Japanese inspired dishes meet local ingredients. Well, I'll be sharing our thoughts on food quality, atmosphere, and price to see how these places stack up.
Speaker 2:So sit back, get comfy, and join us as we dive into Morgantown's food scene.
Speaker 1:Before we dig into the food, let's take a moment to talk about what makes West Virginia and Appalachia a true melting pot. This region is known for its rugged landscapes and close knit communities, but it's also home to an incredibly diverse mix of cultures.
Speaker 3:So the cool thing about the Appalachian food tradition in Morgantown is that we are all about resourcefulness and connections with the land.
Speaker 2:So while game like rabbit has been a staple for generations here And going off that, foraging is huge too. Things like ramps and pawpaws are classic ingredients with ramps being especially celebrated in dishes and festivals.
Speaker 1:And there's canning, which was all about surviving harsh winters. Pickled beans, apple butter, and chow chow are still pantry staples today. I remember in the winter, I would always look forward to my grandma's canned jalapenos on top of our pinto beans. It was amazing.
Speaker 3:What's even cool about Morgantown's food scene is that it never stops evolving. Because we are a college town and we get so many students from all kinds of places and visitors from all over, local restaurants are constantly picking up new influences, putting together different backgrounds with a traditional Appalachian harp. So when we say Morgantown is a melting pot,
Speaker 2:it's more about than just the food. It's about generations of history, migration, and creativity coming together on the plate and today we're tasting a few local spots that really capture that blend.
Speaker 1:Kicking off this segment of Appalachian Appetite, we had Caitlin check out a local breakfast spot.
Speaker 3:So, Caitlin, what did you think? Tell us the tea.
Speaker 2:So for breakfast this morning, I went to grandma's country kitchen and yes, I do mean this morning and the day we did the podcast. But, you know, I just wanted to have the taste fresh on my taste buds before I came in and did a review. So grandma's country kitchen, it's mainly known for breakfast, but they also have daily specials for like lunch and dinner. But me bringing a big brunch and breakfast early, I chose to do breakfast. So starting off with price, I'll give it a 10 out of 10 because it was really, really, really, really cheap.
Speaker 2:My orange juice and my entree were basically the same price which I thought was kind of weird. I was like I got an orange juice and I was like 2.90 and my entree of biscuits and gravy was $3. Yeah. So they have like I said a lot of breakfast foods you got omelettes, eggs, pancakes, French toast. I chose the biscuits and gravy because I'm a sucker for those, which is weird because I realized after talking to some of my friends, people don't eat that in other like states and stuff.
Speaker 2:It's a big southern thing. I also love some French fries. I was able to get those at 8 AM this morning, which was a bonus. So all that together was about $10. Quality of the biscuit was good.
Speaker 2:It was nice and fluffy. It wasn't too big, like heavy or filling because I know like Tudors is like
Speaker 1:Those are some giant biscuits at Tudors.
Speaker 3:I can never finish a Tudors biscuit. Me neither.
Speaker 2:Like, sometimes I feel like you eat at Tudors and it's just, like, heavy and you're just, like, oh. Yeah. Yeah. So that was good. I also like that you can order anything on the menu anytime of the day.
Speaker 2:Like, if I wanted to go there and get a burger, they would let me do that. And then lastly, I walked in there and I quite literally felt like I was at my grandma's house. I was also the youngest person in there. So for atmosphere, I'll rate a 9 out of 10. It was very nice.
Speaker 2:They had some music playing. A lot of old people there chatting over coffee. It's a bit away from campus. It's over in Westover, had to cross 3 train tracks to get there, so you definitely need a car. But, yeah, I would recommend it if you ever want some home cooked food.
Speaker 3:If you're looking for something walking distance closer to campus, I really recommend dirty bird. It is on high street. It's in the heart of downtown. They're especially known for their creative take on the comfort food. Their menu features everything from juicy fried chicken sandwiches to hearty sides like mac and cheese, green beans, and I got the plain Jane sandwich.
Speaker 3:It was satisfying but simple. Just a fried chicken sandwich with your pickles, mayo, toppings served on, you know, a toasted bun. So I would say for the atmosphere, I definitely give it a 7 out of 10 because it felt very welcoming and family oriented. The only complaint I have is just it felt really crowded. It's so small in there.
Speaker 3:If somebody's already at a table when you go sit beside them, you're probably gonna bump chairs with them just to try to get comfortable.
Speaker 2:I feel like that's the one thing a lot of stuff on high street. It's like they're all in a building right beside each other and they're all just like narrow.
Speaker 3:The food quality, I would say 10 out of 10. They cook everything to order, so it's completely fresh. The toppings, you can tell that lettuce, tomatoes, all of that, everything was just so fresh. So I do give that a 9 out of 10. And then to just kinda end it off with the price, the price was very decent.
Speaker 3:For the amount of chicken that they put on one sandwich, it's literally almost 2 chicken breasts. Now if you had a drink and a side, which I did, I got a Sprite and a side of fries, it came out to about $14.
Speaker 1:You go to McDonald's nowadays and a large Big Mac, large Coke, and large fry. That's like 11.50. That's crazy. So a dirty bird being much fresher than McDonald's, like, $3 difference, that's a snack.
Speaker 2:Yeah. And I'd rather pay that and, like, go somewhere and sit down and have, like, a waiter come and have an experience versus, like,
Speaker 1:going through a drive through. Yeah. Totally. Alright. Well, it sounds like you guys had great experiences at your restaurants.
Speaker 1:I also had an amazing experience at YAMA, which is the restaurant that I chose for our dinner location. Now it's a tiny hole in the wall place off Half High Street. Have you guys heard of Half High Street?
Speaker 3:I have never heard of
Speaker 1:Half High Street. Maybe their kazayama is the only thing that exists on that road, I swear. And it's probably like a 20 by 20 room, and that's it. You order at the counter. You see a really small menu up on the wall, so they don't have too many options, but literally everything they make is so good.
Speaker 1:And I know because I went with 4 of my friends and we all were, like, we are feasting. So we got an order of sushi. We had California rolls. We got 2 different types of ramen, the miso ramen, and then I had the shoyu ramen, and it was amazing. It comes out steaming hot.
Speaker 1:You feel like you're getting a steam bath when they bring you your big bowl of ramen, and the bowls aren't shallow. They give you, like, a heaping portion of soul warming ramen. It's delicious. But we were all, like, dipping our spoons in everyone's bowls, like, trying the different broth. We couldn't decide which one we liked best.
Speaker 1:But overall, totally 10 out of 10 for the food. It's something that I look forward to whenever anybody's like, I've never been to Yama.
Speaker 3:I'm like, come on.
Speaker 1:You're coming with me. Any excuse I can get
Speaker 3:to walk back in
Speaker 1:there is great. The atmosphere is a little bit funny though. You walk in and it's all like these plastic folding tables and chairs. They don't have any, like, heavy duty furniture in there. When we walked in, it was my group of, you know, 4 college seniors who are kind of loud and excited to be eating here, but everybody else, there were 3 other people, they were all sitting at their own individual tables, like, head deep into their bowls of ramen.
Speaker 1:So you don't go there to mess around. You go there to, like, chow down.
Speaker 2:Yeah. You go in there. You focus. You lock in on that ramen.
Speaker 1:Yep. There's no distraction other than the food. There's not even music playing. My one friend, Alexander, was like, man, they they need some tunes. I can hear myself smacking.
Speaker 1:And I was like, it's part of it. It's just part of the experience. So atmosphere, I would say probably a 6 out of 10. I think that an understated restaurant typically is a good sign because it just means that the focus is on the food, which Yama definitely very much is focused on the food. And then when it comes to the price, I got a can of Pepsi and a big, big bowl of shoyu ramen, and my total price was 12.50.
Speaker 1:I had leftovers too, so I get this big bowl of ramen for about a dollar more than a Big Mac as we mentioned earlier, and I still had some to take home. So not only did I get dinner, I kind of got dinner and like half of a lunch from this meal for 12.50 Oh. And a drink. I think that's amazing. I don't have a lot of money as a college student.
Speaker 1:I don't know about you guys.
Speaker 2:Amen. Literally. I like the girl math of having the you're paying for 2 meals like the next day.
Speaker 3:Well, as y'all can tell, Morgantown has a cool mix of traditional and modern flavors. The city really brings together diverse culinary influences. So whether you're craving something spicy at Yamas or looking to try something new and innovating, there's always a spot that can satisfy satisfy your taste buds here
Speaker 2:in Morgantown. And we've loved getting the opportunity to share these local spots with you guys, our listeners.
Speaker 1:Each one is telling a story of Appalachia's melting pot. We hope you're inspired to get out and try them or maybe discover a hidden gem of your own. And don't forget, we wanna hear from you. If you've
Speaker 2:got a favorite local dish, restaurant, or a food story that deserves to be shared, hit us up. This podcast is all about celebrating the community and the flavors we love. Next time, we're diving into some local favorites, so stay tuned and bring the appetite. Until then, keep exploring, keep tasting, and keep supporting your local food scene. Bye.
