Maybe wings at the Bridge Tavern and a taco or two at Taqueria 304 before heading south for the homemade meatballs at Elle & Jack’s and duck fat dinner fries at the Vagabond Kitchen.
There’s also those legendary DiCarlo’s squares, the wood-fired pies on the waterfront, chicken quesadillas at River City, and even more goodies down along Centre Market.
Wheeling Chef Rocco Basil often refers to any menu’s appetizers as “Scooby Snacks,” and the culinary master envisions a place-to-place practice in the Friendly City’s downtown being popular in the soon-to-arrive post-orange barrel era.
“I’m glad to see the streetscape is coming closer to completion because it’s going to make it easier to have a good time in the downtown. I can foresee in the future groups of folks spending an evening jumping from place to place because the restaurants are pretty close together,” Basil said. “You have a ‘Scooby Snack’ here and another there and do it with a group of people who want to eat apps all night while having a few drinks.
“You and your friends can start wherever you want and go wherever you want. There’s a lot of possible combinations. Downtown Wheeling will become a fun place with a solid food scene that’ll probably grow even more.”
There’s still about a year remaining for the $32 million streetscape in downtown Wheeling, a project long overdue that includes beautification and infrastructure additions. The new Market Street parking garage is very close to completion, Williams Lea Tag just finished extensive renovations inside the Stone Center, and the Newbridge Center officially opened a couple of weeks ago.
“I believe the new visitors center is going to be a really cool place once it’s completed, and it’s really going to turn that corner into something special with the new childcare, the Bridge Tavern, and the Capitol Theatre all right there. That’s really something,” Basil insisted. “The Suspension Bridge has never looked better, we have the DiCarlo building going up for new downtown residents, and there will be retail spaces on the bottom floor. There’s a lot of growth taking place.
“I truly believe we are on the precipice of this downtown really coming into itself. It’s a true renaissance that’s taking place, if I may say so. It’s pretty exciting.”
Eat. Drink. Move.
RUH ROH!!
Chef Rocco insists there are three rules to these “Scooby Snack” tours.
ONE: No entrees. Too filling.
TWO: Mix up the apps – wings, dips, lamb chops, charcuterie … whatever might please the palate.
AND THREE: Keep the party going by moving from place to place.
“We’ve picked different parts of Pittsburgh and just made the round while eating an appetizer or two in every place. The Strip; downtown; the South Side,” Basil mapped out. “And there’s no need to order any of the entrees when you’re eating all day long. If you eat a big meal at a nice restaurant, man, then all you want to do is go home and stretch out on the couch for a bit.
“If you and your friends have a little here and a little there, you don’t fill up because you keep moving along.”
But in Wheeling? Compared to “Scooby Snacks” in Pittsburgh?
“Listen, we have some great places serving some great food because they’re doing it right, so I know we’ll be walking from place, and maybe it includes a few spots at Centre Market, too. If you have to drive, that’s OK because there’s a lot more parking available in downtown Wheeling than there is anywhere in Pittsburgh, so that’s something to remember.
“As far as food is concerned, there some good things happening around here these days,” Basil observed. “We even have a Ramen place (Wheeling Noods) now, and that’s a big step in the right direction.”
Meat and potatoes. Meal after meal, and Basil knows the collective palette in the Upper Ohio Valley better than most since he owns and operates one of the region’s most popular catering companies. And yeah, it’s meat and potatoes.
But wait! … There’s more! … Finally! … Like ramen bowls and birria queso tacos and fried risotto balls and duck wings and – of course – fries and gravy, and even more.
Finally.
“I think we’ve become more open to new foods because we really enjoy all of the cooking shows on TV these days, and there are a lot more travel shows, too, and those introduce people to new foods, too,” Basil explained. “Plus, we’ve been able to go to Pittsburgh where’s there’s a very diverse and terrific variety there, but now people are more willing to try the new things right here.
“I’m not sure what took so long for people to open the new places, but I do know this area has never had a shortage of entrepreneurial spirit,” he said. “But I think Wheeling is ready to not have to travel to Columbus or Pittsburgh to enjoy interesting foods because we’ve got some folks who are really pouring their heart and soul into their creations.
“If you do it right, man, it’s a really cool way to make a living.”
