The Elk River Inn and Restaurant is a large cedar building containing five guest rooms and a restaurant complete with bar. The restaurant, which has found its place on the 101 Most Unique Places to Dine in WV list, is not open nightly for dinner in the summer and fall. Instead, they have special dinners monthly. I was fortunate to be in the area on a day when they were hosting their "Apple Harvest Dinner."
We arrived earlier than our dinner reservation, so we sat at the bar with a glass of wine. As we were finishing up, it was perfect time to be seated.
The dining area featured fresh flowers at each table, and dried flowers were hanging overhead. Napkins were perfectly folded, and light wooden floors and beams flooded the area.
We began with a basket of warm bread and butter before moving onto an appetizer.
I opted for the housemade sausage and artisan cheese plate with crisp sliced apples and toasted walnuts; the slow roasted herb encrusted pork loin with caramelized apples and red onions, butternut squash risotto and wilted greens; and the dessert of apple pie served with salted caramel walnut vanilla ice cream.
The appetizer was quite good with some spicy house sausage, walnuts, sharp hard cheeses and some soft creamy cheeses. There was a nice jam and some toasted crostini and apples that hit on all different tastes and textures. It was well-rounded.
My entree was lovely, too. The pork was good, save for a few fatty bits. The risotto was very good, and I loved the hint of sweetness with the onions and apples.
Dessert was less of a pie and more of a crumble - but delicious nonetheless. A caramelized shard of sugar stuck in the top amidst brown sugar crumbles and a quickly melting scoop of ice cream. Very nice finish.
This was a great dinner - and at a very reasonable price for three courses. If you want to check them out, just be sure to check their calendar to find when they're hosting dinners if its in their off-season!
Grade: A
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