Readers share wild and wonderful restaurant recommendations
Mim's Kitchen in Marlinton, Ample Pizza in Hico now on my hit list
Shocking as it may seem since I get paid to eat and travel for a living, but I can’t come anywhere close to visiting all of the great restaurants, bakeries, bars and other culinary hidden gems on an ever-growing “must go” list that gets longer by the day.
That’s where you come in!
Fall is a beautiful time to hit the road, so as you’re out exploring “Almost Heaven” this season – or anytime throughout the year – I’d love to know all about your dining discoveries so I can then share them with the masses. So by all means, please keep those delicious restaurant tips and reviews coming.
Here are a few recent recommendations I’ve received that I hope to check out soon.
Hearty home cookin’ at Mim’s Kitchen in Marlinton
Hearty home cookin’ tucked in the mountains of West Virginia? Sounds good to me!
“Please, please give the completely unique and hidden gem Mim’s Kitchen a try in Marlinton,” reader Mark Ferrell implored. “In a barn converted by hand by Mim’s husband that could be considered folk art, Mim’s serves Appalachian staples at an extraordinary level. And you’ve never had better or more varied adaptations of cheesecake (made with eggs from her own chickens) in your life. Promise.”
Ferrell said the restaurant’s hours of operation are limited and their location a bit obscure, “but for those adventurous enough (or just serendipitously lucky enough) to find them out in the woods, it’s a wonderful experience,” he added.
“Mim’s Kitchen is the (bleep)!”
I did some digging and learned that Mim’s prides itself on providing good food made fresh daily in a clean atmosphere. “We serve it up cafeteria style,” the restaurant says, “so you can get exactly what you want. We cook with quality ingredients, but we keep it simple, just like home.”
Meatloaf is pretty much always on the ever-changing menu, which includes rotating hot entrees like roast beef, chicken and dumplings, baked steak, Salisbury steak, honey pork, pork chops, stuffed peppers, French onion chicken and the intriguing “winey” chicken.
All entrees come with a fresh salad, warm homemade roll and two sides, plus you can end the meal with a slice or two (hey, no judging here) of housemade cheesecake, pie or cake.
Online reviews of Mim’s Kitchen are stellar and photos of the place look like they’ve jumped right off the pages of Southern Living. The whole vibe seems incredibly warm and homey – a place where neighbors meet, strangers become friends and everyone walks away with memories they’ll savor.
Have any of you been? Please tell me more!
IF YOU GO: Mim’s Kitchen at 3756 Jerico Rd. in Marlinton is open from 4-7 p.m. Friday-Sunday and from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday. (The restaurant is closed Monday-Thursday.) For more information, call 304-799-2240 or visit the restaurant’s Facebook page.
Fresh, rustic pies from Ample Pizza in Hico
There are few foods as universally loved as pizza, so it’s no surprise many readers are in search of the perfect pie. Could we have another contender in the New River Gorge area?
“Have you been to Ample Pizza in Hico?” reader Joe Pounds recently asked, going on to share that the female-owned restaurant uses a host of locally sourced produce, regional grains and organic ingredients in creatively inspired combinations.
“It’s in an impossible location (in the unheated and non-air-conditioned cinderblock garage of a former Harley-Davidson dealer) but the pizza is what gets me,” he said.
“It has reshaped my notion of what pizza even is. But it’s a seasonal place, so it’s best to get there sooner rather than later, as the clock is without mercy.”
A little research found Ample Pizza tucked in Freefolk Brew House in Hico specializes in wood-fired sourdough pizzas, salads and sweets handmade by artisan bakers.
Its menu includes unusual pizzas like the Roasted Eggplant Shakshuka topped with spicy harissa, smoked mozzarella, red sauce and garlic finished with fresh parsley and marigold petals; or the Peaches & Corn with house white sauce, Virginia peaches, roasted Ohio sweet corn, red onion, fresh basil and thyme, black pepper, Pecorino Romano and aged miso.
There’s also one topped with braised wood-fired chuck roast, house-pickled jalapeños and onions, house-cultured lime crema, fresh cilantro, red sauce, minced garlic and fresh mozzarella; another with house arugula pesto, fresh mozzarella, local squash and zucchini ribbons, herbed ricotta and balsamic reduction; and one featuring wild chanterelles with fresh goat cheese, red onion and a blend of garden thyme, rosemary and sage.
What I love most about the photos and reviews I’ve seen so far is how fresh, local and authentically “rustic” these gorgeous pizzas look. Ample, indeed.
IF YOU GO: Ample Pizza at 25385 Midland Trail in Hico is open seasonally from 5-9 p.m. Thursday-Friday, 2-9 p.m. Saturday and 2-8 p.m. Sunday. (The restaurant is closed Monday-Wednesday.) For more information, call 304-860-8431 or visit the restaurant’s Facebook page.
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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