Ray's Pastries

I'm not a donut aficionado. I'm way more chocolate than pastry. More caramel than filo. More mousse than sprinkles. However, there is something special, I think, about a warm donut fresh out of the oven once in blue moon.

That brings me to Ray's Pastries. Apparently this gem has been around since 1966 baking up donuts, cookies, cakes, pies, pepperoni rolls and bread. But I didn't know about it until fairly recently. That could be because it's hidden in a small plaza just behind Long John Silver's in Sabraton. That's 1383 Earl Core Road for those of you keeping track (304-296-5105).

When I walked in, all I could see is one long counter encasing pastries of all sorts. My friend Tony and I quickly decided that we basically need one of everything. Maple-glaze cake donuts, chocolate twist donuts, coconut coated, lemon-filled, powdered, blueberry, glazed, Bavarian-cream donuts! We got a dozen. As well as a bag of pepperoni rolls. And a large provolone cheese pepperoni roll. And a large hot pepper cheese pepperoni roll.

But the woman behind the counter was so sweet and helpful, it was difficult not to. I also probably shouldn't have admitted it was our first time, because then she wanted us to try a little of everything. So we did.

They don't take credit cards here, so make sure you have cash or checks on you. I think altogether, we spent about $22 on this carb-coma-induced lunch. We started splitting donuts so we could taste a little bit of most of them. The pepperoni rolls weren't bad. I had a few bites where it was totally dough, and I like my pepperoni/cheese combo to be split up a little bit more evenly. I enjoyed the hot pepper cheese ones slightly more, as they had a little bit more of a kick. The bag of pepperoni rolls didn't include cheese, actually, but my coworkers seemed to like them.

While the donuts weren't warm by the time we got back to the office (or I'm not sure if they were under the case, either), they were still pretty tasty. A simple glazed donut had a bit of a crisp to the outside with a soft, pillowy inside. Quite tasty. Some of my other favorites include the maple cake donut, too, as a cake donut is just good. Crumbly, thick, filling with a nice maple frosting on top. And, of course, any filled donut is a friend of mine. We don't have a ton of places in town offering pastries, so this place is filling a nice little niche. And not doing a bad job of it.

Grade: B

Mt. Morris, PA Edition: Rising Creek Bakery

Mt. Morris is right across the state line into Pennsylvania and is home to Rising Creek Bakery, a sweet, hidden treasure in the town. Known for their salt-rising bread, the bakery ships it all over the United States. You can even get a shirt or bumper sticker proclaiming your love for the bread. They have other kinds, baked on different days, as well as a breakfast menu, lunch menu, and pastries on pastries on pastries...

The shop is a little off the main route and overlooks a creek, so I suggest you Google it to get the specific location because I kept that photo on my phone, and it got me right there. We walked in and fell instantly in love with the traditional charm and modern flare. Along the wall was a long bench with pillows and chairs on the opposite side. Cases were full of pies, pastries and desserts. A chalkboard menu hung above the counter, and I took a few minutes to digest the options.

Mostly, it looked as though they had some typical sandwiches: turkey, BLT, grilled cheese. But I saw they had quiche, so that was something different - turkey and caramelized onion. I also got a side salad with their balsamic vinaigrette, as well as a coke.

The quiche was pretty tasty; I would've liked an even bigger piece, but it was great. It definitely had more of an egg-y taste than ones I've had in the past. It was a great flavor combo - like breakfast flavors. Even more cheese would've made it over the top.

The house salad was surprisingly stacked with tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, peppers - much more than your typical house salad. The balsamic was tasty, too. While eating, I was trying to figure out how much more I was going to spend here - I definitely needed a loaf of the salt-rising bread. But before I could say much more, the sweet woman working the counter asked if it was our first time visiting, which it was, and she asked if we knew about salt-rising bread. She came over to our table to try to explain that "old folks" know about the tradition. She brought us over some slices of toast so we could try it. Quite tasty!! I think it was around $8.50 for the quiche and salad, so not a ton of food, and I was still a little hungry.

I browsed the case to select some goodies - banana bread with walnuts and a brownie were headed home with me. The banana bread was phenomenal - I think they added some coconut, but it wasn't a prominent flavor. I'm not huge on coconut, but I was huge on this bread. The brownie, though huge and looking milk-chocolatey, was more bittersweet. So much so that I didn't finish it. I like my sweets sweet.

Overall, it's a really nice little place, just outside of town, with some delicious fresh food. Check out their Facebook. The bakery is open Tuesday through Saturday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Grade: B

Wild Mountain Bakery

At the Health Sciences Farmers’ Market, the line for the “bread lady” was always, at least, 10 people deep. That bread lady, Karen Guse, makes some of the best pepperoni rolls around. Her various breads, which were produced in her basement, have now found a home at the former Tutto Gelato stand on High Street. My five years here have seen the unique gelato standing tall on High Street, but after stopping at the now-Wild Mountain Bakery shop, I was welcoming them with open arms.

The shop features artisan bread, muffins, coffee, scones, cookies and pepperoni rolls, which come in regular or jalapeno. What makes these pepperoni rolls lovely, though, is that there are tiny chunks of pepperoni throughout a delicately, soft baked bread. It’s not a chunk stuck to one end. The slightly smoked taste is spread throughout the entire bun, giving you a nice mixture of bread and spice in each bite.

They are open Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. For the inner carbaholic in all of us, this soft, light, airy bread with some warm butter is enough to keep me happy. On this particular day, I also opted for their two muffins: blueberry and orange-mango. Heavenly.

I first tried the orange-mango,  and I was skeptical. I was concerned it would be slightly bitter. But a large muffin, contained in a maroon paper, was handed to me. Topped with crystalized sugar, it looked gorgeous. And it tasted even better. This light, fruity muffin had chunks of real oranges and mangoes, surrounded by fluffy cake. I finished the muffin, feeling refreshed and my palate cleansed. Which is sort of the opposite of the blueberry. While still great, the blueberry is a heavier muffin, more of what I’m used to, but still with small bits of blueberry and a tasty, sweet, muffin. For around $10, I got two delicious muffins and a pepperoni roll that’s out of this world.

Try it; I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Grade: A

New Day Bakery

On a rainy day, what's better than a gourmet pizza? I've been wanting to try New Day for quite some time. I hear their scones and breads are fantastic. But I was after their pizzas, which they only make after 4 p.m. on Tuesday through Saturday

Located right on the other side of the bridge on Kingwood Street, this bakery is in a beautiful purple and orange house. We parked in a spot and walked inside. To my surprise, it's quite small. When you walk in the door, there's a small counter to the right and some shelves that house bread. And toward the back is the large oven where they do all the baking. There's no dining-in area, and one bench for those who are waiting.

We grabbed some yellow menus and perused our options. We asked the man at the counter which is ordered most often, but he simply said they're all good. That didn't narrow down my options much. I had such a hard time deciding which of their specialty pizzas to order, but I finally decided on the "eggplant taverna," which was a white sauce, with roasted eggplant, roasted red pepper, feta, basil and mozzarella. You can choose between white crust or WV wheat crust in a small or large. I got white and a small for $15.

You also have the option of making your own pizza, with three sauces to choose from: red, white and green. And you can choose your toppings:

Basic Toppings:  $1.40/$1.75 Black Olives Green Olives Green Peppers Spinach Onions Spicy Italian Sausage Pineapple Pepperoni Fresh Mushrooms Chopped Bacon Fresh Garlic Extra Cheese Jalapeno Peppers Ham Banana Peppers Cheddar Cheese

Deluxe Toppings:  $1.80/$2.15 Artichoke Hearts Fresh Tomatoes Sun Dried Tomatoes Fresh  Mozzarella Roasted Red Peppers Kalamata Olives Feta Cheese Bleu Cheese Chipotle Peppers Fresh Goat Cheese Fresh Basil Grilled Chicken Caramelized Onions Roasted Eggplant Ricotta Smoked Gouda

We sat on the small bench for a few minutes, watching the cooks in the room across from us prepare the pizzas and feed them to the large brick oven. Ben had ordered the Diabolo: red sauce with spicy Italian sausage, jalapenos, chipotles and mozzarella. Finally, the boxes were propped up on the ledge containing our pies, and we were on our way.

Eggplant Tavera

My pizza was tasty - I loved the melted ricotta and sweet eggplant. I do wish the eggplant was larger slices so I could get more of a bite with them. It was definitely on the saltier side, so those eggplant chunks added some sweetness. But the crust was perfect, and the toppings were fresh. Add a cold, sweet pop on the side, and it's a great pie.

Diabolo

The Diabolo was actually also very tasty. It was quite spicy, but it was a delicious, savory spicy. I love the love that's put into these pizzas. You can tell some thought went into them. I can't wait to try another; they all look fabulous.

Grade: A

The Cupcakerie

America developed an obsession with cupcakes in the past couple of years. Small cupcake-only shops sprung up all over the country. I visited my first, Georgetown Cupcake, two years ago. That was before that shop had a television show. Cupcakes became the cute, trendy thing. They propelled into popularity because of their excellent portion controlled size. Even Morgantown has its own cupcake shop, The Cupcakerie.

Located right on Willey Street, this small shop is prime location for foot traffic. A shop dedicated to only cupcakes. It's a cute idea, and I love that it's something different. Yes, it might be trendy, and yes, it might be this whimsical kind of notion, but it's a nice addition to Morgantown because it's not the same burger joint or bar-trying-to-be-a-restaurant. I stopped in the other day to try it out. I had been awaiting its opening forever. I kept calling, and the opening date kept getting pushed back. But finally, it opened.

I walked in, and the shop is a long, somewhat narrow space. It is whimsical, with pink stripes everywhere and crystals and a chandelier. There's a small countertop with maybe a half-dozen varieties of cupcakes with small signs in front that name the flavor. A couple tables are inside to sit and enjoy your sweet treats.

I walked up to the counter and got entirely too exited. I had to think about this rationally. A regular cupcake was $2.50. But, the mini ones were $7 for 6. That didn't sound bad - all I needed was to taste each one. So I got one of nearly every one they had that day. I was really happy with the concept of these minis. I could get a bunch of different flavors, just a bite of each. I didn't need a whole cupcake. I just wanted to try a little of each. So this was perfect. I ended up getting 6 minis and one full-sized because they didn't have any of that flavor in a mini. My total came to $10. On a side note, they mix the minis and the regular size cupcakes on each of the cake stands, so it's really pretty and sweet.

I left with two small plastic containers, one with one full-sized cupcake and another with six mini ones. I took out the large, Rocky Road cupcake first. This chocolate cupcake was rich, smooth and definitely, decadently chocolately. It was topped with a creamy chocolate butter cream, sprinkled with mini chocolate chips, some mini marshmallows and some chopped nuts - pecans and walnuts. If you like chocolate, this is for you. Very rich.

Next, I tapped into my minis container. The first one I plucked was the Red Velvet. I don't know if I've ever had red velvet, but my goodness. It was so moist and delicious. The buttermilk and cocoa blended together seamlessly to create this delicious chocolate-vanilla blend. The cream cheese frosting made for a perfect combination, and the dark chocolate shavings added a new layer of flavor.

The pumpkin pie mini was next. You can imagine what it tasted like - a slice of fluffy pumpkin pie. Light nutmeg, spiced pumpkin pie cake, all topped with a fluffy whipped cinnamon brown sugar butter cream. Also sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. This is a slice of Thanksgiving in bite-sized form.

The chocolate mini was the same rich chocolate cake with a sweet vanilla icing with a few chocolate chips on top. Similar to rocky road - just with less components.

I chose the peanut butter cupcake next. It was a chocolate cake, with a hidden surprise! A small peanut butter cup was hidden inside. The frosting was a creamy peanut butter, and it was topped with some orange sprinkles. Yum.

Next was another peanut butter cupcake - I think the cookie monster. It was a vanilla cake - almost lemony - with some peanut butter chips inside. It was topped with a creamy vanilla butter cream and a few peanut butter chips. Right now, I felt like I was eating a jar of peanut butter. But in a good way. The flavors were vibrant.

Finally was a raspberry kissed cocoa mini. It was the chocolate cake, with raspberry butter cream icing and sprinkled with pink pearls. I wasn't sure if I could eat those, but I did. Just sugar. Not too bad either.

I really like the idea of this place. It's fun. It's different, and they make a damn good cupcake. I'm not sure how often I'll be in the market for just cupcakes? But maybe enough people around town will be to keep this place afloat. It's always good to have new places that add a new flair. Try it out sometime. They have so many different flavors, it's difficult to not find something to like.


Grade: A