The Bucket opening a second location, taking over The Lookout at Eagle View
- Steven Keith
- 8 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Kel’s Tavern opens on West Side, Sweet Charity brings the treats
Fans of what many call the Kanawha Valley’s best pepperoni rolls will soon be able to enjoy them while soaking up some of the city’s best views.
If you follow The Food Guy on social media, you already know that I broke the news last Friday that The Bucket at 4030 W. Washington St. in Dunbar will soon open a second restaurant.
The Bucket at Eagle View will take over the prime space that housed recently-closed The Lookout at 530 Silver Maple Ridge, perched atop the luxury apartment and townhouse complex overlooking a large swath of the Kanawha River through Charleston.
Known for a variety of bar-and-grill specialties – including their award-winning chicken wings and luxuriously gooey deep-fried pepperoni rolls – The Bucket is a locally-owned restaurant that opened back in October 2017.
The new location promises the same casual fare and family vibe that have made the original location such a hit, while also introducing a few new offerings.
“We’ve always said The Bucket is more than just a place to eat,” owners Chris and Jane Adkins said in a press release they sent announcing the news.
“It’s a place where neighbors can gather, share a laugh and feel at home. Opening a second location allows us to welcome not only our community here in West Virginia, but also new friends, travelers and passersby from elsewhere to come enjoy our Mountaineer hospitality.”
Eagle View’s owners are thrilled about the addition as well.
“We couldn’t be more excited to have The Bucket join the Eagle View community,” said Nathan Lutz, Executive Vice President of Mountain Creek Properties.
“Their reputation for great food and genuine hospitality makes them the perfect addition.”
Those who haven’t been to The Bucket can look forward to a selection of traditional appetizers like nachos, tater tots, cheese sticks and “Burning Couch Bites” (bacon-wrapped jalapenos), along with a variety solid salads, sandwiches, burgers, wraps and quesadillas.
And those deep-fried pepperoni rolls I mentioned? They’ve taken top prize at many a pepperoni roll contest around the region.
Building renovations are in progress at Eagle View and the Adkins’ told me they hope to announce an opening date soon.
“It really is a beautiful spot and we are feeling blessed to have this opportunity,” they said.
If you want to get a taste of what’s in store in the meantime, the original location in Dunbar is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. The bar remains open until 11 p.m. on Friday-Saturday.
Kel’s Tavern opens on West Side
After a few-week period to renovate the old Sergio’s Italian restaurant previously located there, Kel’s Tavern opened this week at 222 W. Washington St. on Charleston’s West Side.
Although the new owners were kind enough to invite me to attend a soft opening last Tuesday, I always give restaurants a few weeks to work out the kinks before I pop in for a formal and objective review. I’ll sneak in to do just that over the coming weeks, then let you know what I think!
The restaurant’s current posted hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday-Saturday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.
Taste of Appalachia Thursday night
I hope to see many of you at this Thursday’s Taste of Appalachia Food Showcase at J.Q. Dickinson Salt-Works in Malden.
The event will showcase Advantage Valley’s new Taste of Appalachia initiative, which is designed to support the growth and market expansion of local food producers. They’re doing so by promoting and selling eight specially curated gift sets featuring West Virginia-grown products from Boone, Cabell, Clay, Jackson, Kanawha, Lincoln, Mason, Putnam and Wayne counties.
In addition to encouraging the public to buy these sets as holiday gifts for friends and family, organizers also hope businesses, employers and other professional service organizations will consider purchasing them for more meaningful corporate gift-giving.
Gift sets range in price from $30-55 and can be purchased online at www.tasteofappalachia.com through Oct. 17.
The free event at J.Q. from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday offers attendees the opportunity to sample products included in the sets and directly connect with the makers behind them.
A paid cocktail reception will follow from 4 to 7 p.m. Tickets, which include two drink tickets and heavy hors d’oeuvres, are $35 and may be purchased at www.tasteofappalachia.eventbrite.com.
Chef Ke takes the cake at Sweet Charity
After a four-year absence, Sweet Charity made a triumphant return to Capitol Market last Tuesday night, with some 200 guests sampling desserts from nine different makers and bakers in the market’s outdoor pavilion.
The weather, music, treats and sips were all wonderful, but I definitely want to give a special shout-out to the evening’s big winners.
Newcomer Rainy Day Bakes from Red House won “Best Presentation” with a stunningly gorgeous vanilla honey caked layered with blackberry jam and topped with buttermilk frosting and fruit, with colorful flowers made from icing and edible dust.
Edgewood Country Club won “Most Creative” for a gorgeous citrus cake dusted with crumbled honeycomb candy and served alongside a peach and pineapple compote.
And finally, Chef Ke from Miss Ruby’s Corner Market won “Best Taste” for a simple sticky toffee bread pudding with fruit compote that drew the exact same response from all three judges the moment we took our first bite: “Wow!”
The event raised more than $21,000 for Faith in Action of the Kanawha Valley, which provides transportation and support for the area’s elderly population.
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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 wvfoodguy@aol.com.