In a continuing string of recent restaurant closings, the West Side’s Elk City Bistro suddenly shut its doors after brunch service this past Sunday.
While I hate to hear this news, I am not surprised.
Known for slightly elevated home-cooked meals served in the same retro storefront that once housed Chris’ Hot Dogs and, more recently, Gonzoburger, Elk City Bistro held somewhat of a soft opening this time last year, just offering pop-up meals now and then.
The problem is they couldn’t seem to shake that “soft opening” scenario moving forward.
Operating hours were inconsistent, advertised menu items were often not available, and service was spotty and very slow at times. It’s difficult to nurture a loyal following under those conditions.
I did have a really good soup and sandwich there once, but subsequent visits for brunch and lunch were lacking. And when I was told the restaurant didn’t serve coffee with brunch, I just couldn’t bring myself to go back.
There were some talented and hard-working folks there, though, so I sure hope they land on their feet somewhere soon.
Crumbl Cookies: I just don’t get it
After reading several national articles talking about how Crumbl Cookies has quickly gone from the fastest-growing dessert chain in the country to one that is now facing closures and layoffs, I finally paid a visit to the local Crumbl store that opened at 2824 Mountaineer Blvd. in Southridge back in April of 2023.
It was only the second Crumbl location in West Virginia at the time, but is now one of six, joining others in Beckley, Bridgeport, Morgantown, Wheeling and Martinsburg.
My verdict? I just don’t get it.
The in-store purchasing concept is novel. The bakery offers a small rotating selection of cookies and desserts each week from its more than 200-item full menu, and you don’t know what those will be until the flavors drop each week.
Then you simply pop into the store to pick the ones you want on digital pads or place your order through their app.
The cookies are large and good looking, too, making you want to break into their signature pink box right away to dig in.
But once you do, they taste overly sweet, very processed, mostly underbaked and are super expensive. A dozen cookies will set you back $42.99 plus tax, with individual cookies running $4.49.
I tried a box myself with mixed results.
The best of the bunch was a frosted lemonade cookie, which was nicely tart and less sickly sweet. The banana bread cookie was more like a mini cake and tasted a bit raw and doughy. A salted caramel-drizzled cookie had an off-putting aftertaste, as did the chain’s classic chocolate chip, which you can get every week.
I know many national franchises are locally owned, including this one, so I don’t want to beat up on our Crumbl too much. But if you want good cookies and baked goods around town, there are definitely better places to find them in my opinion.
Try Sarah’s Bakery in South Hills (the top-rated local bakery on Yelp!) or Rock City Cake Company and Cherie’s Sugar Shack downtown. The new Batter & Bliss near the foot of Campbell’s Creek has been scoring rave reviews from readers as well.
There’s also Sugar Pie Bakery at Southride, Spring Hill Bakery in South Charleston, and Montanaro Cakery and Lil’ Bit o’ Heaven Cupcakes, both in St. Albans.
IF YOU GO: Crumbl Cookies at 2824 Mountaineer Blvd. is open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 8 a.m. to midnight Friday-Saturday. For more information, call 304-306-2252 or visit www.crumblcookies.com/wvcharleston.
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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 304-380-6096 or at wvfoodguy@aol.com.