Charleston Restaurant Week returns, Rollin’ Smoke BBQ reopens, Mountain Pie closes and a new Chick-fil-A is coming. It’s a big week in local food news, so let’s dig in!
RESTAURANT WEEK RETURNS
Charleston Restaurant Week is coming back, baby!
Event organizer Buzz Food Service has announced that the 10th anniversary of this weeklong culinary event celebrating local restaurants will return from Jan. 30 through Feb. 4 this year.
For those who are unfamiliar, participating restaurants during that time will each offer special three-course menus at a set price – usually featuring multiple options for each course – to give guests a chance to try different foods or restaurants they may not experience otherwise.
It’s always a wildly popular event, with restaurants filling up quickly and, in some cases, booking up once menus are announced before the week even gets started.
Although a full lineup of participating restaurants isn’t officially out yet, Bridge Road Bistro in South Hills has already released its menu, which includes all three courses for $45.
Diners there can start with either the roasted red pepper bisque or a beet salad featuring spring mix, candied walnuts and goat cheese with balsamic vinaigrette.
A choice of four entrees includes smoked airline chicken with whipped potatoes, garlic green beans and bacon-mushroom cream sauce; honey garlic-baked salmon with long-grain wild rice and fried Brussels sprout leaves; beef tenderloin medallions with potatoes and sauteed asparagus; or a vegan spinach, basil pesto and quinoa bowl with asparagus, roasted red peppers, cherry tomatoes, toasted almonds and tahini.
And the Bistro will wrap up your Restaurant Week meal with a slice of blueberry cobbler, white chocolate cheesecake or flourless chocolate torte with espresso whipped cream.
Be sure to follow The Food Guy in the coming weeks as I continue to share new restaurants and dishes that will be featured this year. In the meantime, you can also look for updates on the Charleston Restaurant Week Facebook page.
ROLLIN’ SMOKE BBQ REOPENS
Good news for local barbecue fans!
Not only has Rollin’ Smoke BBQ re-opened in Big Chimney, but the business is also now under new ownership that should help shore up and expand its operations.
Those owners are Matt and Nikki Holbert, the couple who also owns local restaurants Bricks & Barrels, Axes & Ales and The Lucky Dill, along with the recently opened Clendenin Brewing Co. up the river.
While Rollin’ Smoke starts to welcome back customers at its home location, its mouthwatering selection of smoked meats is also now occasionally available at some of the Holbert’s other establishments.
The Lucky Dill deli inside Axes & Ales on Capitol Street, for example, featured Rollin’s pork BBQ sandwiches as a recent special, while Clendenin Brewing has served some of their signature brisket at its taproom in Clendenin.
Although operations at Rollin’ Smoke are still being tweaked as the place gets, well, rolling again, a newly released menu currently features goodies like nachos, sandwiches, salads, platters and mac-and-cheese bowls either stuffed or topped with pulled pork, chicken, smoked brisket, ribs or sausage.
There’s also buffalo chicken dip to nosh on, along with sides like smoked barbecue baked beans, red skin potato salad, Southern coleslaw, smoked collard greens, potato wedges, cornbread and more.
Got a sweet tooth? You can slay it here with seasonal cobbler with ice cream or peanut butter banana cheesecake. (Yes, please!)
IF YOU GO: Rollin’ Smoke BBQ at 4008 Pennsylvania Ave. in Big Chimney is currently open under temporary hours. For more information, call 304-965-0808 or visit the restaurant’s Facebook page.
CRUMBL COOKIES COMING TO SOUTHRIDGE
Remember that Crumbl Cookies scoop I teased just two weeks ago? Well, it’s no longer just speculation. Construction is underway on the new Charleston location, which will be located next to the Aldi supermarket (between Great Clips and Petland, to be exact) out at Southridge Center.
There’s still no word on a possible timeline for opening, but I promise to keep you updated.
NEW CHIC-FIL-A OPENING IN EARLY 2023
Construction also is progressing rapidly on another Chic-fil-A restaurant, which will be located at the new Park Place shopping development being built on MacCorkle Avenue across from Riverwalk Plaza in South Charleston.
Although an official opening date hasn’t been announced, the restaurant says it hopes to be up and running within the next few months.
MOUNTAIN PIE ON THE RIVER CLOSES
Well, rumors that surfaced last month about the demise of Mountain Pie Company on the River became a reality when the riverfront restaurant along MacCorkle Avenue between South Charleston and St. Albans suddenly closed its doors at the end of December.
The restaurant’s original location in Hurricane had permanently closed back in late August of last year.
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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 culinary publications. Follow him online at www.wvfoodguy.com or on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. He can be reached at 304-380-6096 or at wvfoodguy@aol.com.