The Mountain State Forest Festival in Elkins is just three weeks away – time to make your plans!
Here’s a review of last year’s festival eats from Elkinite.com:
Waiting in line for an American classic done right.
What more could you ever want?
Richardson’s French Fries – Behind Lynn’s
They’ve been in the business for around 60 years and it shows. With fresh-cut fries and homemade corn dogs, Richardson’s is definitely worth a visit for some excellent food that has stood the test of time. (They also do corndogs, which folks told us were also very good.)
Photographer’s note: I think these are best fries.
The lady holding these corndogs said she always orders their corndogs.
Ms. K’s Fresh Cut Fries – Carnival
Holy fries.
Be aware that a large fry is truly a large fry. Photo by Grayson Blythe.
Another long-time favorite, Ms. K’s fries had a nice crunch and amazing flavor. While they were unsalted, salt was readily available if wanted; however, they were great without it and, in my opinion, didn’t even need any. A nice crispy fry right in the middle of the carnival.
Now Our Top Five Festival Favorites:
5. Fresh Hot Pizza’s: Funnel Cakes – 3rd Street
They added leave sprinkles for an extra festive touch.
It was a lot of funnel cake to handle.
Made fresh and smothered in powdered sugar, (really awesome) leaf shaped sprinkles, optional cinnamon, and drizzled in chocolate; these funnel cakes are simply awesome. With incredibly friendly staff and a piping hot desert, they really take the cake!
4. Kiwanis: Corndog – 3rd Street
Perhaps the most elegant food of the festival.
Emily digging into her first Kiwanis corndog.
A Forest Festival staple, the Kiwanis corndog definitely did not disappoint. The batter was sweet and complemented the hot dog well. To make the tasty treat even better, the proceeds from each purchase are used to support children! A worthy corndog and cause.
3. Weenie Wagon: Corndog – 3rd Street
Freshly battered and deep fried. The Weenie Wagon’s hotdogs are never frozen and are fried using a batter unlike any other corndog available at the festival.
Golden brown goodness.
Beating the Kiwanis corndog by a slim margin is the Weenie Wagon’s crunchy corndog. Made with cornbread batter that is mixed with carbonated water, skewered on a quite impressive stick, and made right in front of you. This corndog is definitely worth checking out.
2. Back Porch BBQ: Reuben Sandwich – Beside Lynn’s
This ruben was almost king of the festival foods.
They also have BBQ Nachos. Who would have imagined that.
Swaying from the usual Festival food fair, amazing is the only word I can use to describe this one. Hands down the best Reuben I’ve ever had. You can smell the food before you even see it, and it smells just as good as it looks. Along with the Reuben, their pork barbecue and cheesesteak sandwiches that are just as incredible, with the pork barbecue featuring a smokey, not-too-sweet and not-too-spicy barbecue sauce that is just perfect.
1. Shirley’s Steak and Sausage: Shirley Burger – Behind Lynn’s
Italian sausage, done right.
This was admittedly an overwhelming experience.
That’s right, folks. The Shirley burger takes the number one spot and boy does it deserve it. Technically, a cheese steak it’s much more than that. All it takes is one bite to win you over into layers of flavors brought on by perfectly cooked beef smothered in cheese, fresh vegetables, and a great sauce. You’ll never look at a burger or cheese steak the same again.
The Shirley Burger is something to be proud of.
There you have it, the top five foods of the Festival. They’re only here once a year so get it before it’s gone. However, if you miss anything they’ll always be back next year and hopefully for years to come. If you’re truly brave enough, try the best of all eight!
(Photos by Andrew Carroll)