Huntington debuts Restaurant Week, Final Friday Art Crawl

“It really gives an opportunity to showcase the vitality of our downtown, the heart of our community.” -KEVIN CRAIG

The inaugural Restaurant Week begins Friday, and nine restaurants in Huntington are working with the Huntington Regional Chamber of Commerce to showcase the city’s finest meals.

Customers are invited to partake in three-course lunches for $10 with Jim’s Steak & Spaghetti House, the Marshall Hall of Fame Café, River and Rail Bakery and UNO Chicago Grill.

Three-course dinner options for the week include 21 at the Frederick, Black Sheep Burrito & Brews, Le Bistro, Prime on 4th, Savannah’s Restaurant and UNO Chicago Grill for a fixed rate of $35.

Huntington Mayor Steve Williams said Restaurant Week will set Huntington apart and has contributed to giving the city the most innovative downtown for at least 100 miles.

“Each of [the events] are new to the area and certainly help us make sure that we’re promoting downtown in a way that we haven’t been able to do before,” Williams said. “The opportunity for Restaurant Week is pretty special in Huntington.”

Williams also announced the debut of the Final Friday Art Crawl, a second event series that will blend both local artists and businesses into monthly experiences.

The series begins 4:30-7:30 p.m. Friday and will occur on the last Friday of every month until October.

Participating businesses for the inaugural Art Crawl include Empire Books, Holiday Inn & Suites, Huntington’s Kitchen, Mug & Pia, Prime on 4th, Pullman Plaza Hotel and Uniquely Huntington.

Each business will host local visual or performing artists, making each encounter unique.

Kevin Craig, chair of the HRCC board of directors, said both Restaurant Week and the Art Crawl series made Huntington a destination for new and veteran customers.

“These two events are perfect for the Chamber to promote because they showcase our great Chamber retail businesses, our local artists, the excellent food in Huntington,” Craig said. “It really gives an opportunity to showcase the vitality of our downtown, the heart of our community.”

According to Craig, the Chamber serves 500 businesses throughout the tri-state region, and in 2014, the organization made an effort to add more programming for small businesses.

Craig said helping small businesses succeed and grow was the primary goal of the HRCC.

“Statistics tell us that small businesses are responsible for a majority of the private workforce jobs and provide the charm and the uniqueness to our community,” Craig said. “By partnering with the city of Huntington, the Cabell County Commission and other small business services, our goal is being achieved.”

Xavier Staggs and Eric Fizer of Prime on 4th both said they agreed the Restaurant Week will evoke a progressive environment in Huntington.

“We’re super excited about Restaurant Week,” Staggs said. “Our team consists of people who have moved back to Huntington from cities such as New York, L.A., Providence, St. Augustine and Columbus. We’ve all participated in Restaurant Weeks in all these cities, and we’re just super excited to be a part of Restaurant Week in our hometown of Huntington.”

Fizer said Restaurant Week had inspired a few menu changes.

“We’re going to take some of our stars and kind of put a twist on them,” Fizer said. “Something that might be pushing the edge for your typical diner, but nothing too far out of the box that’s gonna be off-putting. We’re trying to get people to be a little more adventurous.”

Lexi Browning can be contacted at [email protected].