In the Mountains: The Billy

47 at 8am, clouding up after a sunny start. We may have a few showers, but for us it will be a mostly outside day. 30 more bags of mulch in the truck!

We had a little weekend getaway, much needed and much fun. Our goals were several: see a show by The Suitcase Junket at The Purple Fiddle in the small but cool town of Thomas, WV eat at The Billy Motel see our oldest son and my sister; explore a bit; and do some picking for our booths. A lot to crowd into 2 days, but we managed it all.

I'll start with The Billy, as it is known locally. 

It is a small, 10- room 50's era motel with a bar and restaurant. Doesn't sound all that appealing, right? But I had read some great things about the restaurant, and knew the place had been remodeled while keeping that 50s vibe, so I was really curious to check it out.

You actually check in at the bar. 

Macrame light shade, retro fireplace, cool chairs...for resellers like us it was perfect.

And the booths! There were only 2 I think; this is a small restaurant and it was packed for dinner. 

Guests get a token for a free drink when they check in. The rooms are adequate, a little pricey at $135 a night for what they are but this is a tourist area. They too had nice midcentury touches.

There is no cable TV but streaming is possible if you really want to sit in your room, but why do that when the lounge is such a cool place? We hung out there while waiting for our son, enjoying the 60s fireplace, a friendly dog, and conversation with the owner's daughter.

Dinner did not disappoint. I read a review on the Charleston Daily Mail about the unusual global menu a few years ago, and was intrigued that such unique food would be offered in tiny, tiny Davis, WV. It took a while to choose what to have from a menu that ranged from South America to Indonesia,  but we finally chose 4 dishes to share.

Larry chose the cheese tray, a fairly safe and routine selection, right?

But it included a marvelous goat cheese, homemade crispy crackers, ginger biscuits, pickled dates as well as an array of dried fruits and nuts, other cheeses and fresh fruit. 

I ordered what I think were Indian spicy cheese puffs, which I didn't care for but the guys enjoyed, and Vietnamese grape leaf-and-lime-wrapped beef.  Delicious. 

George selected Brazilian chicken which came with a lovely sauce, black beans and rice. Not the best picture of that dish-- it is in the back to the right. That's my green tea in the foreground.

And for dessert,  Creme Brule', which had a nice hint of orange.

Here is a link the menu, so you can see the variety of dishes  offered.

The Billy doesn't do breakfast, but has fresh coffee and tea ready in the lounge in the morning. We had a nice chat with the owner before we left. Would we go back? You bet!

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