Pizza is comfort food. So when things are crazy or scary, you know pizza is always there for you. And, every time I've driven through Elkins, I pass Darren's Pizza Shack and have always been curious.



It's an average sized space with a long counter separating the pizza ovens and the customer area. I kept it simple with a cheese pizza, add mushrooms. And, man, it was tasty. The crust was fresh and a little fluffy - not crisp. But it was flavorful and sauce, cheese and mushrooms created a beautiful symphony of flavors. *Chef's Kiss*



Grade: A

Henry G's Cafe is a cute cafe in downtown Elkins that offers breakfast and lunch.

While in Elkins, I wanted to get a bite to eat so I put in a takeout order at Henry G's. After looking over a menu online, I called to put in an order. The woman on the phone said 15 minutes, which was perfect because that's about how far from town I was.

Once I arrived, I was informed that it had NOT been 15 minutes yet, so my food was not ready. It had been 13 minutes....

So, I waited for about another 6 or 7 minutes and looked around the place. It's cute - I could definitely see having a latter in the window here and watching the people out and about downtown. It's cozy and they have a good variety of different options.

Quiche, a side of fruit and a pepperoni roll were my choices. The quiche didn't have a crust, which surprised me. It tasted mostly of egg (of course), but I wouldn't have hated some more salt and cheese. The pepperoni roll was large, though. A little dry - some cheese would've helped that! Apparently I just wanted cheese on everything. The best parts of my fruit salad were the little clementines and pineapple. Overall, not bad.

Grade: C

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

Ripley is next on my Tudor's tour around West Virginia. At the time of this writing, I have 35 more locations to visit. And, while at each of these, I'm making my way through all the different biscuits.



Up next? It's the Thundering Heard. It's a sausage, egg, cheese and POTATO biscuit. So, think a "Ron," then add a hash brown right inside. This sandwich is large and in charge. It's a whole meal in one sandwich. In that sense, it's almost like a pepperoni roll - all rolled up into a single thing.



I do enjoy these flavors all together. It would depend on how hungry I am, but I don't mind having tater rounds on the side, instead of on my sandwich, because they can crisp up better. And ketchup. Still, I enjoy it.

Grade: A

Sokolata is a fairly new restaurant in the Charleston food scene and it's known for its amazing Greek desserts.



And recently, it made a move to the building across the way and expanded into entrees, like pasta, pizza, calzones and sandwiches.



Right when it opened, I went to check it out with my friend Meghan. It's clear they were experiencing some opening week kinks, but nothing too extreme.



It was a former fast food restaurant - Shlotzskys - and there are giant exterior windows, which brings in some nice light.



It feels more fast-casual concept. We were able to sit wherever we wanted, and after a while, we had a waitress serve us.



The menu has items like hummus, gyro, philly cheesesteaks, lasagna and salads.



We started with some gouda macaroni & cheese bites. These were a bit elevated from the tip fried app you'd expect. I could taste the smoky gouda.



Meghan went with a calzone, which she seemed to enjoy.



I started off with a Greek salad, which had a generous helping of fresh veggies and feta.



The Mykonos Spaghetti popped out to me - sauteed shrimp, onion, mushroom, mozzarella and marinara. Spaghetti isn't usually my go-to pasta (I prefer more pasta to sauce ratio), but I did appreciate the mushrooms and shrimp in here. A nice little twist on what I'm used to.



For dessert, I took home a piece of mille-feuille, which was divine.



Light, crispy layers with mousse and fresh fruit. It was really, really good.
 


Overall, I'd love to see how they move forward and add more dishes.

Grade: B