On the Road: West Virginia's Favorite Handheld Snacks
Pepperoni rolls, West Virginia-style hot dogs, and a trip to Tudor's Biscuit World await on a scenic drive through the Mountain State.
Welcome to the weekend! Here’s what we have cooking for today’s newsletter:
On the Road: West Virginia’s roadways offer plenty of great eats that speak to the state’s culture.
The Order: When in Milwaukee, seek out this pâté and pickle plate.
Weekend Reading List: Toasted oat cocktails, a road trip along the Mississippi Riverbanks of western Illinois, and an Arkansas sake producer featured in
Featured Destination: Read about a must-try pistachio cream ale, then download our Field Guide to Minneapolis, a 22-page dining guide featuring all our restaurant and bar recommendations.
Almost Heavenly Roadside Snacks
WEST VIRGINIA – I’ve spent many hours driving West Virginia’s winding, mountainous roads. This beautiful state, tucked entirely within the Appalachians, forms a bridge on drives from the South to the North, Midwest to the East, and back again. It's not just its vistas that encourage lingering — it's also the food. There are pepperoni rolls, pocket-size snacks that miners toted down into the mines for lunch, available singly or by the dozen at gas stations and convenience stores. There are West Virginia-style hot dogs, loaded with chili sauce and slaw and nestled into soft buns. And there is Tudor's Biscuit World, where tender biscuits come filled with everything from country ham to bologna. You can try each of these classic foods all over the state, so it’s easy to have them all in a single day.
Start with the pepperoni roll. I knew about pepperoni rolls before I knew about any of the state’s other delicacies. A student of regional foods, I had heard about these beloved yeast rolls, which come filled with layers of thinly sliced pepperoni or, on occasion, pepperoni sticks. They thrive in the northern part of the state, which is home to a large population of Italian immigrants. Credit for selling them commercially goes to Giuseppe "Joseph" Argiro, an Italian immigrant who began offering them at Fairmont’s Country Club Bakery in 1927. The affordable and hearty rolls don’t require refrigeration, which made them an ideal lunch for miners. The same things that made pepperoni rolls a good choice for miners also make them a snack suited to road-trips — you can eat them one-handed while driving and they’re so neat you don’t even need a napkin.
You can pick up the rolls at bakeries like Country Club, where one is $2 and a dozen will set you back $19.90 (if a trip to West Virginia is truly not in the cards, Country Club will ship them to you by the dozen). You can also find bags of them at gas stations like Sheetz. There are a few different packaged versions, like Pepoli’s and Julia’s Original, but Home Industry has been the most ubiquitous on my travels (and is also my favorite). They make a classic pepperoni and also versions with cheese and hot cheese. In general, I’m in the “cheese is better” camp, but when it comes to pepperoni rolls, I prefer them without: The oils from the meat seep into the bread and biting through a stack of pepperoni slices is somehow both low-brow and luxurious. It is enough on its own. You can also find upscale versions at pizza places like Graziano’s Pizza in Charleston, West Virginia. Here, they resemble calzones and are served with a cup of marinara dipping sauce on the side.
Pepperoni rolls are primarily found in West Virginia, though you sometimes see them elsewhere across the region, into parts of Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Maryland. On a recent visit to Pittsburgh, I stopped in at Driftwood Oven, the city’s wonderful sourdough bakery and pizza spot, since I heard they had pepperoni rolls. They did indeed — I got one stuffed with pepperoni and cheese and served with marinara sauce as well as its vegetarian counterpart, a rapini roll with garlic, provolone, pecorino, and white wine cream sauce, served with an arugula pesto dipping sauce. Though these fancy versions were delicious, they’d never fit in your pocket, and work best eaten on a plate.
Another quick, hearty, and cheap meal for miners and other West Virginia workers is the hot dog. Former West Virginia state folklorist Emily Hilliard theorizes that their arrival in the state is the result of Greek immigrants (who are credited with introducing Coneys to Detroit) and notes that the slaw dog, which is popular throughout the South, originated in the Mountain State. A true West Virginia hot dog is topped with more than just coleslaw — it comes on a steamed bun with hot meaty chili sauce, cabbage slaw, yellow mustard, and chopped white onions. These dogs have a great balance of textures, hot and cold temperatures, and spicy-tangy flavors.
To try one, head to Lewisburg for Jim’s Drive In, which Jim Dunbar opened in 1951 and is now run by the Massie family. This is my preferred spot, where carhops come to your window to take your order, and the dogs — paired with a must-order blackberry milkshake — are excellent. If Lewisburg is not on your route, you can find the dogs all over the state (The West Virginia Hot Dog Blog is an invaluable resource). At Jim’s, “English-style” hot dogs (that means they’re presented on New England split-top hot dog buns) are just $2 a pop, so order two — though loaded with toppings, these dogs are on the smaller side. Jim’s menu also includes other food items that speak to Appalachian ingredients and flavors, like fried green tomato sandwiches, warm blackberry cobbler, and potato soup.
The final stop is Tudor's Biscuit World, the first location of which opened in Charleston, West Virginia in 1980. But why seek out a biscuit chain to get a taste of West Virginia? Unlike pepperoni rolls or slaw dogs, biscuits were not invented in West Virginia, but Tudor’s has thrived here. There are 75 locations, with the vast majority located in West Virginia (there are a few in Ohio and Kentucky, and one far flung outpost in Panama City, Florida). In the book, 100 Things to Do in West Virginia Before You Die, the #1 suggested activity is to eat at Tudor’s. When the book came out, multiple Tudor’s locations hosted book signing events.
Tudor’s serves breakfast platters, meatloaf dinners, and barbecue sandwiches, but the biscuits are the hero. Some, like the Mountaineer, are named after West Virginia college sports teams, others after Tudor’s regulars. I’ve eaten the Dottie (egg, hashbrown, and cheese) for breakfast, the Tootie (country ham, egg, and cheese) for an afternoon snack, and the Politician (bologna, egg, and cheese) for dinner.
But I’ve somehow never eaten the Peppi (pepperoni and melted cheese), which melds a Tudor’s biscuit with a pepperoni roll. Maybe that’s an oversight, or maybe it’s just me living my travel philosophy: I always like to have a reason to return and know I’ll be back on the road in West Virginia before too long.
A Milwaukee Meat Plate
MILWAUKEE, WIS. — It was a busy Friday when we popped into Bavette La Boucherie, Karen Bell’s Milwaukee restaurant and butcher shop, for lunch. The bright, airy space, a new location for the almost decade-old spot, was packed with daytime diners ordering smoked trout deviled eggs, bowls of beef chili, and sweet and spicy fried chicken sandwiches. But there was one dish in particular that called to me — the pâté grand-mère. The plate came with two thick slabs of rich porky pâté, toasted rye triangles, and grainy mustard, along with six types of colorful pickles. From green beans to onions, a hard-boiled egg to snap peas, these housemade pickles weren’t just a way to cut through the pâté — they were bright and snappy, and the surprise stars of the plate.
217 N Broadway, Milwaukee, WI 53202
Stay Toasty: On our last visit to Nashville, we stopped in at The Fox Bar & Cocktail Club for a couple of drinks with Eric Jeffus, Bar Director for Sean Brock’s Audrey and June. The Fox Bar is a cozy little cocktail bar that could easily be at home in a larger city. For Punch, Amy wrote about how toasted oats are making their way onto winter cocktail menus such as at The Fox Bar. There, toasted oats are incorporated into an Espresso Martini, but that’s just the start. (Grand Army’s Kalteen Bar sounds like a drink that is up my alley.)
River Run: The Mississippi River drifts along the western border of Illinois for 580 miles. But while that’s longer than the river flows past any other state, you probably don’t often think of Illinois when considering the Mighty Mississippi’s place in the American story. Writer Edward McClelland and photographer David Kasnic decided to explore this under-appreciated part of Illinois for Chicago magazine. Along the way they find cheap beers at Shorty’s Saloon, a soda fountain serving Green River floats, and a spot on the Tri-County Catfish Trail.
Gotta Get Down: Writing for her Substack newsletter,
, Hanna Raskin heads to Hot Springs, Arkansas to interview Ben Bell, vice president of Origami Sake Company. The Southern state produces billions of pounds of rice each year, making sake a natural product to be distilled in The Natural State. Origami hopes to show folks that sake “isn’t just a sushi bar affectation.” As Raskin writes, it’s a compelling expression of a major Southern crop.— Compiled by Kenney Marlatt
Let’s Get Nuts
MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. — While Minneapolis has some good cocktails, it’s decidedly more of a beer town. I’m a fan of the low-key vibes and pistachio cream ale at Indeed Brewing Company, where you can post up for an afternoon. The beer is lightly nutty with a pleasant sweetness, and it’s well-balanced and refreshing. The ale comes in at 5.5% ABV (which is about as high as I go these days) though the 8% Mexican honey imperial lager is great, too, if you want to go a bit higher. If Milwaukee is closer to you — good news: Indeed recently added a Walker's Point taproom.
711 NE 15th Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55413
You can find all of our picks for the city in our Field Guide to Minneapolis, a 22-page digital dining guide, formatted for your phone. During the month of November, paid subscribers can snag a complimentary download on our website — just use the code JUICYLUCY at checkout.
We’ll be back next week. Want more? Follow us on Instagram @americanweekender.
