Check out this fantastic article on the always-delicious Monroe's Deli in Kingwood, WV...
if you haven't been before, it's a MUST!
Story by Stacy Moniot
KINGWOOD -- Monroe's Deli-Style Eatery made the state's 101 Most Unique Places to Dine list and it's easy to see why once you step inside.
The restaurant's eclectic style and menu are only part of the reason Monroe's stands out.
Jim Maier opened Monroe's in 1998. Back then it was a co-op space with several shops in the space his restaurant now occupies.
"I started a restaurant that now seats 150 people on $6,000," Maier said, "and every pot, plate, pan, stove... anything that people were willing to let me borrow or buy."
Some elements of those days remain, in the artworks and other items for sale along the walls. The Laurel Mountain Book Shop is also in the back of the building, selling books on the history of West Virginia.
Maier said that he let customers dictate what stayed on the menu and just about everything else about Monroe's.
"It kind of evolved on its own," Maier said.
Monroe's started with just a counter Maier and a few friends decided they could make one Labor Day weekend but as businesses went out of the co-op space Maier took up the space with tables. He bought the new tables one at a time, while still on a tight budget.
"A lot of the tables came from estate sales in this town," he said. "So therefore, the people, maybe their parents owned the table and chairs and you'll see those same people sitting at maybe their mother's table and chairs."
Maier said he wasn't a big fan of the eclectic look that started to evolve in Monroe's, but his customers loved it. So, the mismatched tables stayed.
It's a family business. Jim's wife and daughter help out, and the restaurant is named after Jim's father, Monroe Maier.
The specials at Monroe's change daily, and the best dishes are chosen based on a democratic process.
"We choose the best from all of our cooks to see what we're going to put on the menu," Maier said.
And it's an extensive menu. It features french bread pizzas, sandwiches, subs, and specialty pasta dinners, like their pasta primavera. It features an in-house recipe for the butter sauce that gives the vegetables, shrimp, chicken, and pasta their flavor.
Customers don't necessarily need to go by the menu, though.
"I'm having a special that's not even on the menu, but they used to serve it," customer Nancy Elkins said. "It's provolone and tomato."
Just like the food, Maier has let the community use Monroe's however they need it, and it's become home to many clubs, causes, and events.
"We like the food. And they give us this nice place to play bridge," Hope Burnside said. "It's very hard to find a place to play bridge. And we don't want to have it at home anymore."
The local Rotary chapter also has its regular meetings at Monroe's.
"We like to support Jim because each year he provides dinner for cancer survivors here in Preston County through the Relay for Life," Elkins said.
Jim's father passed away from cancer, so he said it's a cause near to his heart.
It's a big heart. Maier and Monroe's will also have more than 200 people in for a free Christmas dinner this year. That's become another annual tradition.
"We try to go above and beyond anything that's necessary," Maier said.
Monroe's Deli-Style Eatery is located at 101 E. Main St. in Kingwood.
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