"We took what many saw as a dilapidated community eyesore, scrubbed away the 2016 flood mud, and turned it into a place that feels like home. We rose like a swine wallowing in the mud on a hot summer’s day to create an authentic BBQ place on the River. The Swine Barrel is your one stop shop to get delicious food and your share of friendly conversation and a few tall tales while you wait," reads the website.
Located in Elkview, this tiny BBQ shop has a really cute interior with bright pops of color, textures and industrial touches.
Seating is pretty minimal, especially if you have a large party. I put in a to-go order and snagged one of those high-top chairs while waiting for my meal.
I ordered a bunch of different things to try out at home, which included the brisket. It was smoky, a bit fattier than I would prefer, but had the appropriate accoutrements with it: pickled onion, pickles, and a barbecue sauce with lots of pepper. All the sides were good, though I think they have the potential to be great.
Mac & Cheese - Velvety and rich macaroni and cheese with a crisp panko topping and the perfect kiss of smoke flavor.
Deviled Eggs - 1/2 dozen of original deviled eggs with a hint of smoke and topped with pulled pork and pickled onions.
Sausage Balls - Homemade cheddar sausage balls served with sweet and sassy raspberry dipping sauce.
Caprese Salad - A generous serving of fresh mozzarella, stuffed in a ripe red tomato. a handful of basil leaves and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
Grade: B
Hens & Heifers in Elkview has had mixed reviews since its opening, so my friend Beth and I were eager to check it out for ourselves.
From the outside, the restaurant looks new and clean and like a good amount of work has been done on it to bring it up-to-date. And, there are some risqué nods to "hard up hens."
The restaurant features, chicken tenders, and wings, as well as burgers, pasta, fish, and steak. The "hard up hens" refers to chicken tenders, which come with a variety of different sauces - like ranch, barbecue, Jamaican jerk, and mango habanero.
I wanted to try the chicken tenders, since it is their signature, but I opted to have them atop white cheddar macaroni and cheese. I got this with a "Hen" sauce, which they bill as tangy and creamy. This dish would've benefited from a lot more of it. The mac & cheese was thick and dense and the chicken was a bit dry. So, that tangy dressing could've added a much needed dimension. As it was, it was just a bit stodgy.
But, I also tried their smashed potatoes. The description says that it starts out as a baked potato that is squashed flat and smash cut on the flat top griddle. I thought that meant a larger surface area would lend itself to crispier bits. But, it was really just a baked potato in a cup with toppings on it. Having melted butter and cheese would have kicked this up a notch. I do like this concept; I think the execution could get better.
Finally, we tried dessert. The slice of Keylime pie was a bit small on the plate, but tasted fine. It was just a bit puny.
The cocktail list looked expensive, and I would definitely check that out next time. Overall, though, not bad, but certainly room for improvement. I do appreciate a good concept and some creative effort.
Grade: B
I am casually on a journey to try all of the Sam's Hot Dogs locations in West Virginia. I am not as determined as my Tudor's and Gino's adventures, but as I see them, I'm trying to check them off. So I went to the Elkview gas station, which had a Sam's hotdog location inside and wanted to check it out. However, I've had a lot of Sam's Hot Dogs at this point, and I saw that this location had some other items - like the spicy chicken sandwich - I got this with mayo. Now, this is a gas station, so there isn't much to be said for the ambience, seating or service, but I was pleasantly surprised with the sandwich. It's totally simple, but it was pretty good. The bread was grilled. The chicken was crispy and moist, and the mayo was standard, but gave it that creamy element and, I think, above all else, it was better than I had expected. It was better than I could make it home. And I wouldn't hesitate to order it again.
Grade: B
A roving coffee truck is making its way through the Kanawha Valley.
Bee Box Coffee sets up in Scott Depot and Elkview currently, and I was able to catch them at the latter location.
The little trailer is cute with its honeybee theme. They were out on a supply run when I arrived, but I stuck around because I already was struggling to find time to visit them. They were out of a few things, but in general they have lattes, cappuccinos, mochas, loose leaf teas and frappes.
I ordered a caramel frappe - not realizing it would be totally cream-based and no coffee - but it was still very tasty, just without the zip. Sweet, thick and super creamy.
Grade: B
There are very few Gino's locations in the state that do not have a pick-up window. But, it never fails that when I do stumble upon one, I am ill-prepared and wearing something not appropriate for public (e.g. pajamas).
Such is the case with the location in Elkview. I placed my order online, and I had to go inside to pick it up. Fortunately, it was ready to go and I spent minimal time in my pjs in public.
One item that I haven't tried much is their "Pubwich," which uses their pizza dough folded over as sandwich bread stuffed with ham, lettuce, tomato, cheese, mayo and sweet onion. It's cut into sections, which makes it easier to eat. When it's done right, this sandwich has a great blend of ingredients that have the perfect proportions. Not done right, it's sloppy, has too much watery lettuce and the bread is dried out. This version was somewhere in the middle - not the best rendition, but not the worst.
The bread was a bit too dry for me, but the proportion of ingredients was good. I also had a bite of my friend's Italian sub - she thought it was OK - the bread was too crunchy and fell apart for my taste.
Grade: B
Chinese food has been relatively hard to come by during the quarantine (why do I feel like I'm writing in a diary). But, Elkview Chinese Restaurant reopened recently, and it was swarmed with locals who needed their fix.
I called in an order and was told it would be about 15 minutes. So I waited for a bit and got there at about 30 minutes after the time it should've been ready (I just had a feeling it would take longer). And still had to wait another 20 or so minutes inside (this part was less fun - not a lot of social distancing or masks). The inside had a handful of tables and chairs, so I gather most of their business is takeout, anyway.
BUT, soon enough, I was home, digging in. The crab cheese rangoons have an interesting texture inside - almost like crumbly. It was sweeter. Not bad. The steamed dumplings were tasty, but needed to be a bit warmer. The honey chicken was good (not on their menu, but it is on a sign in the lobby). It doesn't have the top tier white meat chicken breast, but it was close. And the regular eggroll was decent. Overall, not bad.
Grade: B
Next on my Tudor's Biscuit World list: Elkview. Even though this location is pretty close to me in Charleston, it's not one I have found myself visiting. Until now.
I'm writing this at the end of March, and I think it will publish around the end of April. I hope we're not under quarantine at that point, but at the time of this writing, we are, due to covid-19. So, drive-thru is one of the few ways to support local businesses - that and takeout and delivery. I made my way to Elkview and looked at the remaining kinds of biscuits on my list. There are a LOT of them.
Today, though, it was the Shaved Ham Melt. This brings the classic combination of ham and cheese with a delicious homemade biscuit. This is now one of my favorites - up there with the Politician. It had the perfect proportions of cheese and ham and biscuit to make it taste just like a ham & cheese melt - but better. Because it's on a buttery biscuit. V good.
Grade: A
After a long day of travel, I found myself in Elkview starving. I had heard of Roni's Pizza Bar in the area, so I put a call in for a takeout order.
They have a namesake roll - Roni Roll - which has your choice of 3 pizza toppings and cheese rolled up and baked in a homemade dough and served with marinara.
I went for a spinach, mushroom and black olive roll. Have you been?
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