Vagabond Kitchen — Restaurant in Wheeling

Low rating mostly due to service, not food. Food is probably 3-4 stars. It was a busy night, but there were a couple small empty tables , so they weren’t overflowing. That being said, Bear with me for the long list of service issues. I met girls from work, I think we had party of 9. We had a reservation, and were seated relatively quickly, however, we were given a limited menu due to our party size. Most of the main entrées were on the menu, but we were not allowed to order any burgers, which is what a few of us had planned on since they are featured front and center on the website with like 8 different kinds. They also had a poor wine selection, not even a basic kind like Riesling, which is what I tend to order. The waitress was clearly stressed and took a very long time after getting our drinks to return to ask what we wanted to order, like half an hour before she came back. Any questions that we asked about menu items, we’re clearly an irritation to her. After another hour went by, we still had not received any of the appetizers let alone anything else. At no point did the waitress apologize or give us an update for the amount of time it was taking. Finally one of my friends asked about the appetizer, and she said the chef is working really hard, sorry we are behind. We were nice and did not complain. Shortly after that, the owner/chef came out to apologize and thank us for coming in. One of my friends semi-joked that we could get a free round, to which he nervously laughed off, although I’m convinced now that we should’ve gotten at least that. The food finally started coming out almost 2 hrs after we arrived. No one got to eat together as the plates were trickling out about 10 mins apart. I ordered chili and salad. The chili came long before the salad. Two of my friends ordered fried green beans, they were good, but only one came with the dipping sauce, we told her to ask for it but she was just ready to leave at that point. Finally, one of the most annoying things of all happened, we got one large check. We told the waitress that we were paying separately, she informed us that unless it was cash, it all has to be on one credit card. Maybe it’s me, but this is something I had never encountered, I mean, many people tend to pay with cards. So half of our party had to walk across the street to the closest ATM, I told them I wouldn’t judge if they just didn’t return. We all decided we won’t be back. They are a newer establishment, maybe they will be able to work...

It hurts me to do this review. I have respected the mission of the chef. His serving up Appalachian dishes with an upscale flair is genius. Him using locally sourced ingredients even more genius. I have been wanting to dine here since I moved to the area and last weekend finally got to. Sadly, it will be the last time.

The place looked like what I expected, industrial, dim, and with comfy booths. Nothing intimidating. It was dead for a weekend night and maybe that should have been my first clue. Our server was extremely nice and attentive. She recommended adding warm pita to our spinach dip appetizer and told us the spaghetti was a great meal to share. We followed her advice.

The dip was delicious. Creamy, flavorful. I could have eaten two orders! Best in town for sure next to Cheddars at the Highlands. However, the spaghetti was a completely different story. I am Italian, maybe I am partially to a great bowl of pasta. Let's just say Prego beat this dish in regard to flavor. I have never had any meatball that lacked this much flavor in all my years. The pasta was not cooked appropriately, it was way too hard. They do not make enough parmesan cheese in the world to be able to cover the flavorless bowl put in front of me.

I kindly asked for a box and the check. The check showed that we were charged 6 extra dollars for pita bread and an additional charge to share the horrible spaghetti that we did not eat. We were also charged for meatballs which I ignored because its common. I could not ignore the other two and simply because the server never informed us of the upcharges. I could have ordered a whole other meal and maybe it would have been better!

I have waited on table for over 12 years. It should be common knowledge and serving 101 to never assume the customer can afford countless upcharges. You are to inform them of the amount. I mean even Mcdonalds tells you they are charging you for an extra dipping sauce.

Vagabond, you disappointed me greatly. I believed your motto to be humble and for the locals, yet you price gouge them. Much like your spaghetti and meatballs, it's just not right.

I left disappointed and still hungry. I cannot return because a dip and a soft chair just isn't enough to fulfill my needs. I am sure they have some pretty tasty other items to serve up. Just make you don't ask for an...

I met the owner, Matt (Vagabond) Welsch during a culinary competition. He was one of the judges. He had a rough but constructive and helpful critique of my dish. So today I decided to come up to his restaurant and try it out. I came up around 4:30 with a friend and we were seated promptly and immediately given menus.

Our waitress, (I unfortunately did not catch her name, I wasn't paying attention) brought us a glass of water with ice and asked if we would like anything else to drink. I'd like to thank her specifically for providing water immediately, it transforms the restaurant experience.

I ordered a plate of stuffed jalapeños, the salmon dish, and one of their desserts. My friend ordered one of their BBQ burgers and strawberry corncake.

The stuffed jalapeños were phenomenal. They had a delicately flavored filling and were wrapped with perfectly cooked smoky bacon. The side of ranch tasted very fresh and had a nice, zesty tang.

The salmon came with a side of corn and a potato salad. Personally, the salmon was overcooked, but I understand many prefer it well done, especially in the Appalachian region. However, the seasoning on top was delicious, with fresh herbs and a thin orange ribbon. The skin was perfectly crisp and had a beautiful golden brown shine. The corn wasn't anything special, it tasted similar to school lunch corn, but that's a special flavor to some, it just wasn't my thing. The potato salad had a very clean potato flavor and the celery brought in a contrast of flavor that really sated my palate.

The cookie sandwich I got for dessert was much larger than expected and was well worth the money. I asked for whipped cream instead of ice cream (the meal before was hefty) and could only eat half of it. The cookie itself had a nice salty background and delicate chocolate drizzle for added flavor. The whipped cream had a gentle vanilla flavor and was whipped very well.

Overall I had a pleasant experience and enjoyed the food. The service was fantastic and my water glass was kept full at all times. I would return more often if it wasn't out of the way (I live over an hour away). The atmosphere was pleasant, but some things felt out of place like a sign with Japanese lettering for example, but perhaps I just didn't understand it's representation.

I do recommend this place, it was...