A local haunt: The Blennerhassett Hotel

 The gorgeous Blennerhassett Hotel.
All photos by: Melissa Arditti

Next on the agenda was a trip to Parkersburg, West Virginia. With a small population of over 30,000, you would have never expected this magnificent building with a small canopy in front with blooming flowers and benches to sit on.

The Blennerhassett is an exquisite hotel that was built in 1889 by William Chancellor. It has a lengthy historical background, and what you will find is a newly European-style décor fit for a King or a Queen, mixed with modern-day amenities. Greeted with a smile while entering or leaving hotel, the staff are wonderful and always eager to please.

A few added bonuses. Guests can enjoy a little trip to the Blennerhassett’s Culinary School and enjoy courses from homemade pasta-making to Wine 101. The best part, all ages and skill levels are welcome. Also, don’t fret, your pet even has a place to stay! Pamper your fur-pet with a “Woof” welcome kit. Keep in mind that canine etiquette is outlined on their website, for the comfort of other guests.

The rooms are absolutely gorgeous, from the tapestry to the antique furniture, granite washrooms and glass showers. Each room has its own personal style, so no room is the same. There are many suites to choose from, so we really lucked out on these beauties below. You can book a room here: www.theblennerhassett.com

You can also enjoy some quiet time in library, reading, relaxing with a Starbucks beverage (right around the corner from the room) or just engage in a game of chess:

It has been rumoured that a number of spirits haunt this building. William Chancellor himself has been reported to still roam the halls in a grey suit and others have claimed to hear children’s giggling voices as they play in the halls. There are many logical explanations for these sightings, but as a believer in the paranormal, I felt some unusual presences during my stay that fit with the description that I read about afterwards. Thankfully, the ghosts of Blennerhassett are friendly and do not wish to cause harm. If there was a home that I would want to live in as a spirit, I can’t blame them for taking up residence here.

After a day of sight-seeing, many people along the way had mentioned to try the Spats Restaurant inside the Blennerhassett and so we decided to take a leisurely dinner in.

As an appetizer, I had a shrimp cocktail. It was perfect. I couldn’t have asked for a better one

Entrees:

I decided to try something different and went for the Gluten Free Tomato Basil with marinara sauce on the side. I enjoyed the pasta, but the sauce was a little on the salty side.

My dad had delicious beef and vegetables. Thick, juicy, and oh so tender. Can you get any better than that?

My mom had swordfish with cilantro rice and fruit salsa. She loved everything, the fish was cooked well and the fruit salsa had a pleasant sweet and tangy flavour.

For dessert, we had a chocolate chip cheesecake. Honestly, a bite of it felt like a sugar coma. Too rich and dense, but again, we split it in three.

Overall, the service was great and the restaurant had a very casual feel to it, but with subtle elegance.

After waking up the next morning and a 4 hour drive ahead of us, we decided to go back for breakfast.

I’m so glad that we stopped in because we met a bubbly free-spirit named Marissa, who served us. She was a doll, really, a total sweetheart. For 8 am in the morning, her happiness was contagious. When asked why she was so lively this early in the morning, she stated “i’m having cheesy grits soon!” in an adorable West Virginian accent. Not really understanding fully why she was so delighted, she explained more and I realized it’s her comfort food. Everyone has their go-to dish that brings them to a place of bliss. I never realized how serious people take grits though. I remember having them briefly once or twice, but I didn’t think much of it. However, according to Marissa, there is a “War of the Grits” still happening to this day. East of the Mississippi, folks go for maple syrup on their grits only. In the South, it’s all about cheesy grits. Ask for the reverse in either place and you’re condemned! It’s a very serious matter and you can google more about this food fight, if you wish to.

Next up, you’ll read about my ‘cabin in the woods’ adventure in Mount Airy, North Carolina.

A Taste Of Italy In Akron

Vaccaro's Trattoria
 All photos by: Melissa Arditti

Anyone up for some Italian food? It was a Saturday evening when we returned back from all the fun activities of the day and let me tell you, I was starving! So we looked at the plethora of restaurants that the hotel provided. They had everything from casual family dining to more upscale fine dining. We decided to browse through the listing that had moderate prices, after all, this was only our first stop on a week’s worth of touring the United States, and a majority of the time, we’re a bit of a frugal bunch.

I didn’t realize how busy restaurants are in Akron! The parking lot of Vaccaro’s Trattoria was packed. My dad dropped me off at the door to see if I could get us a table or not. A bit frazzled by the influx of people, the hostess told me it would be a few minutes, but she’ll see if something was available. We didn’t make a reservation in advance, so it was the luck of the draw at this point. After a bit of waiting and being bounced around to one area of the dining room and then to another, we were finally seated.

Service was decent. We were told the special features, which seemed as long as the actual menu. It may not seem like a big deal, but from past experiences going out to eat, it bothers me to no end when I overhear another table being told of the specials and myself and whomever I am with get overlooked. So this small gesture made me happy.

Our waiter was very well-mannered and explained menu items that honestly we had never heard of before. It was interesting to see the chefs come out from time to time and chat with other patrons. Obviously, there is a clear indication on who are regulars at this restaurant when they know you by name.

Although I will say that if you are searching for a quick dining experience, this is not the place to go to. We were getting a bit antsy after time was ticking away, but the quality of our meals ended up being worth the wait.

Here is my dad’s “Italian Wedding” soup. I’ve had this kind of soup many times before, but tasting a few spoonfuls, I cannot say that anything even compares. It had so much flavour and was very light. A perfect appetizer.

His meal was veal parmigiana, which had breaded veal scaloppini, egg angel hair pasta, aglio e olio mozzarella di bufala. (translated to: spaghetti with oil and garlic, and mozzarella made from the milk of domestic water buffalo). A dense carb-filled meal, but the veal was cooked well and he really enjoyed every bite.

My mom had her first taste of “Free-range airline chicken.” What is airline chicken? Well, it’s actually quite simple; a boneless chicken breast with the drumette part attached. It was served with corn bread, guanciale (an Italian cured meat), blistered grapes, mushroom ragout and swiss chard. The presentation was beautiful and the chicken was delicious.

I had a craving for seafood and so immediately I knew what I was getting; Jumbo Scampi and Agnolotti Pasta. It consisted of jumbo scampi, and I do mean jumbo, lobster agnolotti, chardonnay garlic butter, and julienne summer vegetables. If there is a dish that I would recommend here, this is the one. If you’re a seafood lover, once you bite into the pasta filled lobster, you’ll be hooked. I am actually getting hungry just thinking about it.

Finally, dessert. I cannot go into an Italian restaurant and not have tiramisu. Anything else makes no emotional sense to me, as this is my all-time favourite sweet. I’ve had tons of tiramisu over the years. Some have been orgasmic and others have disappointed. This particular tiramisu was quite tasty but the amount of mascarpone was a bit on the heavy side. However, the presentation was quite lovely to look at. We split this in three.

To finish off our meal, we ordered tea. I loved the gorgeous tea boxes that were presented in wooden cigar boxes. They had a variety of flavours, both organic and non-organic. This was a nice elegant touch.

Interestingly, there are also a few spots outside the restaurant that you can dine at. Definitely more intimate. I caught a little romantic evening taking place on our way out, as you’ll see in the first photo of the review.

Day one of our trip was certainly memorable and we commented that if food is this good in Akron, what is in store for us when we check out some other restaurants across the United States? Well, you’ll have to continue checking out Windsor Square, as I share more food reviews.

Award-winning and with 60 years of culinary history in Akron, Vaccaro’s is a perfect stop for your next classic Italian meal: www.vactrat.com