For this week’s edition of the Hungry Appalachian, we visit a Jewel City staple, Jim’s Steak and Spaghetti House. To be more precise though, there were two visits, as I felt there was more to the mystique of Jim’s than just spaghetti or pie.
The first visit, I ate a large plate of spaghetti, meat sauce, coleslaw, and a slice of peach pie. Nothing too out of the ordinary, just a typical spaghetti dinner with a slice of fruit pie; satisfying, classic and hard to mess up.
I do have to say, Jim’s coleslaw could be considered a dessert; it is quite sweet, with a tinge of sour. Too much of it would have made my tongue raw, but it wasn’t unappetizing. Something about the sweetness worked really well for me. You’ll just have to taste for yourselves.
Strangely enough, the star of our show isn’t steak or spaghetti; the second meal I had at Jim’s was the fried Haddock dinner, in my opinion, the best entree served at Jim’s.
I’ve been told previously that buttered potatoes go best with this seafood dish, so sure enough they ended up in my to go bag.
Again, I had a side of coleslaw before anything else (the hype behind the slaw is real in my opinion). After all, slaw with fish and potatoes makes sense to me, like peanut butter and jelly.
The potatoes were a perfect recommendation; as soon as I popped the first bite the butter and starch all just melted together, almost to a mashed consistency. I did use a pinch of salt to enhance the flavor slightly, overall though, I am now somebody who will recommend Jim’s potatoes.
Now for the fish; I’d like to start with my only criticism. The fish itself is a little dry, and kind of hard to chew. However, add some of Jim’s tartar sauce to liven up the texture, combined with the crispy breading, and it’s a solid fish dinner. The tang of the sauce, the aroma of seafood, and the crunch following each forkful made for a reward well worth the risk of stepping outside my comfort zone.
For a more safe and reliable experience, order the spaghetti.
For a more unique and flavorful experience, order the haddock.
Oh, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the slice of lemon cake taken home with the haddock. There are some foods I allow to take me on a journey; we are allowed such little time on this planet to actually enjoy it, so sometimes I’ll just take a bite, close my eyes, and let the food “speak to me”, tell me its story. Jim’s lemon cake spoke to me. It was soft and rich; the scent of fresh lemon gently packed my sinuses, almost inhabiting me.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a sucker for lemon cake. Something about this specific lemon cake at the time I was eating it though, hit the spot differently than other lemon cakes I’ve had.
Overall, I’d recommend paying Jim’s a visit. If not for the food, for the atmosphere and culture behind the landmark. There are very few places in the world you can sit where a President once sat, let alone President John F Kennedy, who visited Jim’s while campaigning in West Virginia. The booth in which he sat is at the exact same spot in the restaurant, open to be used by the public for dining.
My advice to those considering a meal at Jim’s? Order yourself a haddock dinner, request the Kennedy booth, and ask any of the staff about Jims’ historical significance. It’s like having a nice, quiet dinner at the museum.
Jim’s is located at 920 Fifth Avenue, Huntington, WV 25701
Open from 11am-8:30pm Tuesday through Saturday
