Old circa-1923 high school transformed into a hotel and restaurant in Fayetteville
Plus, I have the winners from Saturday's Capital Cocktail Classic
This month’s Mountain State tour of new culinary hidden gems takes a detour south to share an exciting new dining option in Fayetteville.
Interestingly enough, it’s tucked inside the town’s old circa-1923 middle school and high school, now transformed into a 40-room boutique hotel near New River Gorge National Park.
Opening just last month, the new Hill Hall Hotel at 135 High St. preserves, restores and reimagines much of the school’s campus and architecture with residential-style amenities and thoughtful touches throughout. Fayetteville-based Mountain Shore Properties owns the property as part of Marriott Bonvoy’s “Design Hotels” portfolio.
Tucked inside this cool new spot (in what used to be the school’s chemistry lab, no less) is Patsy’s, an Appalachian farm-to-table restaurant inspired by family-style meals the owner’s grandmother used to make, now brought to life by Executive Chef Jeffrey Toth, the original founder of local favorite Wood Iron Eatery.
And you don’t have to be a hotel guest to enjoy a meal at Patsy’s, which is also open to the public. Inside, locals and travelers alike will find an array of down-home comfort food and upscale cocktails served in warm classic-meets-contemporary surroundings.
Opening menu highlights are Patsy’s Chex Mix; apple molasses-glazed meatloaf with silky potatoes, green beans and bacon; clear-water trout with mustard greens, jalapeño cheddar hush puppies and lemon beurre blanc; plus desserts like warm cinnamon apple and toasted almond cobbler or chocolate custard with a shortbread cookie.
Brunch favorites range from hearty cinnamon rolls, thick-cut French toast topped with fresh fruit, and sourdough avocado toast with pickled onion, goat cheese and Aleppo pepper, to a loaded brunch burger or Shakshuka baked eggs in savory tomato sauce.
Libations include Old School Ale, an English-style pale ale brewed for the hotel and restaurant by Fayetteville-based Bridge Brew Works, alongside cocktails like the gin-based Mae-tini; The Dogwood with tequila, hibiscus, grapefruit, ginger and lime; and a bourbon-forward The Peeved Bee with Amaro Nonino, honey and lemon.
The restaurant is named after developer Stephen Wendell’s grandmother, Pat “Patsy” Phillips Wendell, whose recipes, hospitality and family traditions informed the restaurant from the beginning.
“Fayetteville has always been more than a gateway to the gorge, and I hope Hill Hall gives visitors another reason to spend time in town,” Wendell said when announcing the hotel and restaurant’s opening.
“If someone comes here for the gorge and ends up staying an extra night, having dinner in town, meeting people who live here or finding a local business they want to come back to, that’s a great outcome for us. We want Hill Hall to give people more time to get to know Fayetteville and everything happening here.”
IF YOU GO: Patsy’s in the lobby of Hill Hall Hotel at 135 High St. in Fayetteville is open for dinner from 4 to 9 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday and for brunch from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. Reservations are not required, but groups of six or more are encouraged to call ahead. For more information, call 304-900-5039, visit www.HillHallHotel.com/Eat-Drink-Patsys or check out “Patsy’s at Hill Hall” on Facebook.
Capitol Cocktail Classic winners
The Capital Cocktail Classic presented by WV Fund for the Arts returned to Charleston for its seventh year this past Saturday, with guests sampling tapas and food pairings at four downtown bars as part of a fundraiser benefiting 12 local arts organizations.
Along the way, attendees also got to vote on which place served the Best Cocktail, Best Tapas and Best Pairing of the night. And the winners are …
First-time participant Ursus Brew Works at 207 Hale St. won Best Tapas for its stuffed poblano pepper topped with cream cheese, brisket, bacon, aged cheddar, pico de gallo, garlic butter and homemade blackberry BBQ sauce with buttermilk crema.
Fife Street Brewing at 180 Summers St. claimed both Best Cocktail and Best Pairing honors for its Pomegranate Whiskey Maple Smash (Maker's Mark bourbon, pomegranate, orange and lemon juices with an orange slice and mint garnish) paired with half a bacon, bleu cheese and apple butter grilled cheese.
Those winners aligned closely with my picks during pre-event tastings earlier this month, with Ursus and Fife serving my favorite cocktails and Fife presenting my top pairing.
But my overall top-tasting dish during those sampling sessions was a delicious crock of potato-encrusted cod covered in chive, leek and lemongrass cream, then topped with breadcrumbs, Gouda, Parmesan, Gruyère and sage butter with a balsamic glaze from Sam’s Uptown Café at 28 Capitol St.
It sounded like there might be too much going on in that dish, but the delicate dance of flavors and textures was truly addictive.
Would love to see that creation make an encore appearance as a dinner or brunch special in the future.
Hint, hint!
Steven Keith is a food writer and restaurant critic known as “The Food Guy” who writes a weekly column for the Charleston Gazette-Mail and has appeared in several state, regional and national publications. Follow him online at www.wvfoodguy.com or on Facebook, X, Instagram and Pinterest as “WV Food Guy.” He can be reached at wvfoodguy@aol.com.
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