Following the Christmas season last year, the 1863 Grill in Elkins, WV closed its doors for a period of 6 months to complete a complete remodel and redesign of the interior. That remodel is nearing completion and the restaurant is reopening to the public on June 4, 2014.
The 1863 Grill has been bringing Elkins top-quality taste for over 50 years, and when reopening, their flavor will have a new feel thanks to a completely remodeled dining room. The restaurant has been in operation in Elkins since 1950 under various owners, and its newest and current owners have had this remodel planned since they completed the purchase of both the hotel and restaurant in May 2013. They have been working with George Conte Design Consultants Incorporated out of Ligonier, Pennsylvania on the interior design.
“It has been great to be a part of breathing some new life into this Elkins landmark,” said Meggan Sexton, marketing manager for the restaurant. “We are really excited about the changes and we hope everyone will come and see what we have been up to for the last six months.”
In addition to a redesign of the interior, the restaurant has added a new chef to the team. Executive Chef Jason Fleck is joining Joe Kelly’s more than 40 years experience cooking for the 1863 Grill. Fleck is a California native with over 20 years of experience who recently relocated to Elkins to be nearer to his wife’s family. Chef Fleck will be bringing some delicious new items to the menu, in addition to the favorites that Chef Kelly has been cooking up for years, including the famous melt-in-your-mouth cinnamon rolls.
“I am extremely excited to be a part of the ‘ Next Chapter'” of the 1863 Grill. This restaurant has a lot of history and it feels good to be a part of it. I can’t wait to bring some of my California flavors to Elkins,” said Chef Fleck.
One of the most notable new items is the addition of Kansas City-style barbecue. Owner, Kenny Sexton wanted to see this style of barbecue added to the offerings of the 1863 Grill, and Chef Fleck was all for it. A 12-foot long smoker that can cook up to 1000 pounds of meat at a time, was ordered and added to the kitchen equipment to bring classic BBQ flavor to the Mountain State by cooking the meats low and slow. In Kansas City-style BBQ, meats are seasoned with a special-blend dry rub seasoning and smoked for up to 16 hours using local hickory wood. This process infuses the meats with incredible flavor that is entirely unique to the area. All of the 1863 Grill’s barbecue will be served with a side of original recipe BBQ sauces, made from scratch in-house by Chef Jason Fleck.
The restaurant will now be open for lunch and dinner, and will soon feature online ordering for carry out orders. Hours will be Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m to 10 p.m. Private parties, banquets, and catering will also be available.
Once the first floor restaurant reopens, work will continue on the second floor of the building to transform it from 11 motel rooms into a beautiful banquet and conference space. This space will be able to seat up to 275 people around standard banquet tables and up to 365 people in a “theater style” set up.
The 1863 Grill is part of the Isaac Jackson Hotel, Inc. The Isaac Jackson Hotel opened 23 completely remodeled rooms in September 2013, and is continuing construction of a new building with an additional 38 rooms and modern hotel lobby slated to open in Fall 2014.
