Skip the spaghetti, but don’t miss the moussaka at Milano’s Italian Restaurant
- Steven Keith
- 9 hours ago
- 4 min read
Plus, a popcorn shop and Larobi's Pizza opening on West Side
For me, that recognizable warm and cozy atmosphere a traditional Italian restaurant offers is a big part of its appeal. A dimly lit dining room, candles flickering on the table, red wine poured from a “basket,” the whole nine.
Heck, I’m not even opposed to bunches of fake plastic grapes adorning the walls.
So while the food I’ve tried at Milano’s Italian Restaurant at 207 W. Washington St. has ranged anywhere from average to pretty good (and servers have been very friendly) it’s the ambiance that’s a disconnect for me.
Located in the former Chris’ Hot Dogs space that has seen a revolving door of restaurants through the years – Gonzoburger, Elk City Bistro, Albuquerque Southwest Bar & Grill, Guadalajara Modern Mexican – the space feels similarly disjointed. Despite some much-needed décor and infrastructure updates, it now lacks an identity.
The striking early-1900s handmade marble-and-wood bar remains, but is now largely a storage area for napkins and take-out containers. (Owned by a Muslim family, Milano’s doesn’t serve any alcohol due to religious beliefs.) The tables, lighting, art and rockin’ pop music playing in the background are all fine, but none of it feels very “Italian.”
An extremely lengthy and ambitious menu includes a large variety of traditional Italian favorites like pastas, calzones, strombolis and pizzas, which have been particularly popular, plus burgers, subs, seafood, wings, salads and copious fried apps.
But I was most intrigued by a few “Taste of the World” offerings like a Cairo-style fava bean dish with olive oil, peppers, onions and spices. While looking over those options, the Egyptian moussaka immediately caught my eye.
Unlike a heavier Middle Eastern or Greek lasagna-style moussaka, this dish featured eggplant topped with peppers sautéed in olive oil and layered with a deeply flavored marinara-based meat sauce.
It was served with a plate of warm “puffed” Egyptian bread, which you break off and dip into the eggplant to enjoy. And it was pretty darn tasty. Not as good as a similar stellar dish served at Bellissimo in Belle, mind you, but solid nonetheless.
In the days that followed, I went back to try more iconic Italian fare (when in Rome, they say) to see how Milano’s Italian Restaurant stacked up serving what their name proclaims. Even though it featured items that aren’t really associated with Milan, I tried the Tour of Milan so I could sample several different pastas at once.
While the spaghetti was bland and gummy, the lasagna was passable and we agreed the cheese manicotti was the best of the bunch. (I added meatballs on the side, but they were dry, grainy and unremarkable.) I very much enjoyed the giant Milano’s Calzone stuffed with pepperoni, sausage, beef, ham, mushrooms, onions, green peppers, banana peppers and loads of cheese. The chicken alfredo tasted fine, but the sauce’s consistency (usually thick, rich and unctuous) was soupier than it should have been.
The salads I tried on each visit were definitely fresh and their homemade dressing stood out. I decided to pass on dessert, but a fairly long list of sweets included pretty much everything except tiramisu. There is chocolate chip cannoli, lemon-berry mascarpone and lemon Italian cream cake, plus a handful of other cakes.
Despite my hesitation, I hope others will give this new restaurant a shot to see if it can make a go of it. There are a lot of exciting things happening in Elk City (more on that below!) and successful restaurants are a key ingredient for sustained growth there.
IF YOU GO: Milano’s Italian Restaurant at 207 West Washington St. is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week. For more information, call 304-768-7653 or check out the restaurant’s Facebook page.
Popcorn shop coming to Elk City
There’s a lot popping on Charleston’s West Side these days, including some actual “popping” in the near future.
In a Facebook post last Friday, owners Tracy and Dan Todd announced that Elk City Popcorn Company will set up shop at 609 Tennessee Ave. next door to the newly opened Goldenrod Kitchen, which just happens to be owned by the couple’s youngest daughter, Nola Todd.
In a video shared on Sunday, Tracy said her husband recently left his corporate job to learn how to make popcorn commercially after training with a “professional popcorn consultant” in Texas.
Now that he’s learned the tricks of the trade, he’s back to start dreaming up the dozens of sweet, salty and savory gourmet flavors they’ll offer.
“We really wanted to add to Charleston’s growing list of fun things to do,” Tracy said.
An opening date has not yet been announced.
Larobi’s Pizza opening on West Side
The Larobi’s Pizza location I told you was coming to the West Side finally opened its doors this Tuesday inside the former location of The Grill at 112 W. Washington Street.
Owner Marc George said the restaurant offered takeout only that day, but would be posting regular operating hours soon.
For more information, call 304-347-8697.
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.