Print |
E-mail to a friend
ENTERTAINMENT
GOOD EATS: Raw Times becomes Sunny's Bistro
HUNTINGTON -- Christina and Brad Roush first opened Raw Times Health Bar about a year and a half ago to introduce real fruit smoothies and California-style vegetarian fair to Huntington.
The quality food started to find a following, but there was a problem -- the 417 12th St. location was just too small. The kitchen was 300-square feet. The dining area could only hold about half a dozen people. Opportunity knocked this summer when the two restaurateurs were given an opportunity to move their restaurant to the former home of House of David in The Upperclassmen.
Newly renamed "Sunny's Bistro" after the owners' daughter, the cafe features a newly-expanded menu, a 3,000-square-foot kitchen and enough room to seat 50 people.
"We used to have people lined up out the door, in the drive-thru and on the phone at the same time," Christina Roush said. "We had to expand. We were contacted by the management here in June. There was a lot of work we had to do, and we weren't able to open until August. There was a lot of clean up. We had to paint, fix equipment and create a new menu. We brought back a lot of the favorite items from Raw Times and added some more traditional fare."
While the focus remains on fresh ingredients and healthy foods, there are now a few new options for meat eaters including a variety of tuna, chicken and turkey wraps in a homemade whole wheat tortilla shell.
Customers looking for a quick bite can also order cheeseburgers, a BLT and hot dogs. The franks are topped with a unique chili sauce. It's a family recipe which was once used by Christina Roush's grandmother at Shepard's Drive-in Mingo County for 30 years.
Other menu items include gourmet flatbread pizza served by the slice in varieties like the margherita-style topped with ingredients like olive oil, fresh basil Roma tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella. There are also multigrain bagel sandwiches such as the "tropical delight" topped with pineapple, mango, bananas, coconut, cream cheese and honey.
Remaining from Raw Times is a wide selection of gourmet salads served on a mix of fresh greens (no iceberg lettuce) as well as a wide assortment of smoothies such as the stress buster (pineapple, strawberries, banana and coconut milk.) Customers can even create their own custom-made salad from dozens of ingredients ranging from broccoli and red onions to blue corn strips and edamame.
"Nothing we use is precut and prepackaged," Roush said. "We shop for our own ingredients. We freeze our own fruit. We use organic items when we can. We are planning to add a breakfast and dinner menu eventually. We're a mom and pop place. We don't do advertising, just word of mouth. We are planning a grand opening party, complete with live music in coming weeks as soon as we get a full staff."
Sunny's Bistro is located at 1415 4th Ave. at The Upperclassman (soon to be renamed Flats on the 4th). It is currently open from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. There is a different sandwich special available each day. Cash, check and all major credit cards are accepted.
Sunny's Bistro
WHERE: 1415 4th Ave. at The Upperclassman
OPEN: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday
FOOD SERVED: A variety of salads, wraps, sandwiches, pizzas, etc.
PAYMENT ACCEPTED: Cash, check and credit cards
1940s Radio Hour
J. Chris Newberg
First Friday and Second Look Saturday
Lions Arts and Crafts Show
"The Nutcracker"
Christmas Tour of Homes
2nd annual Holiday Candlelight Tour
Marshall Artists Series: "Wizard of Oz"
16th annual Joy to the World Holiday Concert
"Cowboy" Bill Martin