They wanted something different.
Like many residents of the Upper Ohio Valley, the Nolte family has taken advantage of Wheeling’s proximity to Pittsburgh, Columbus, Cincinnati, and Cleveland for the occasional long weekend. Dining out is, of course, part of the process.
That’s when Jim Nolte and his son, Braxton, started discussing a crazy idea. “We just started talking about it,” Braxton Nolte admitted. “Ya know, opening a restaurant some day even though we had a no experience in the business. We just figured we knew what we liked.”
The food part was easy. Just consider the menu at the Char House on the Boulevard as something of an all-star team of tasty. There are the bourbon glazed belly sliders, the crab cakes, and the lemon butter garlic scallops on the starters menu, and the Cowboy Steak, the Ahi Tuna, the char-smoked Herbed chicken, and the char-smoked ribs are available each evening. The wood-fired pizza? Open to close.
But the interior of the structure that once housed the legendary Ernie’s Esquire presented a most complicated puzzle.
“We probably had the bar placed in about 50 different places, but when we decided on the location, we started building it, and it really came together,” Nolte recalled. “We just wanted Wheeling to have another nice restaurant that allowed people to feel like they were in a big city, and we have heard from a lot of our customers about some of their memories here when the Esquire was still open. People have told us they got engaged here, or this is where their wedding reception was, so that’s has been a lot of fun.
“But when we first walked in, there were just carpet and white walls, so we knew we would have to create something,” he said. “We knew we wanted the rustic appeal, the high-end bourbon, several craft beers, and great food, and we feel that’s what we offer now. We were both here every single day for 10-12 hours per day, and so far people seem to be very impressed with what we’ve accomplished.”
Keep It Local
Ernie’s Esquire was one of those places where special occasions took place. There were the ETC in downtown Wheeling, the Anchor Room in Beech Bottom, and Ernie’s, and that’s where the majority of the Bar Mitzvahs and baby showers as well as anniversaries, birthdays, and private dinners took place between 1975-1990.
The Esquire was classy, and most Saturday evenings owner Ernie Pandelos hired live entertainment that fit the décor. That’s why business owners, coal barons, and mob bosses frequented the supper club. It was a place to be seen, and the food was on a different level from an Elby’s night out, but today the majority of the property has been transformed into the Woodview Apartments.
“When we started building this place, we heard from a lot of people that they usually went to Pittsburgh for their special dinners,” Braxton said. “And we did the same thing because there are some really great places there. But now a lot of those people tell us they will come here and not worry about the hour-long drive to Pittsburgh and the other hour coming home.
“Part of the reason we opened the Char House was improve the city of Wheeling, and we’re working on a few other projects with the same thing in mind,” he explained. “We wanted to have something that was different from anything else we have in this area because it adds another option. We have some of the same menu items that other places have, too, but we offer a lot of other items that only we have.”
Pandemic Pains
“We started on this place long before anyone knew what Covid-19 was,” Nolte said. “The wheels were in motion, and we’ve done everything we have been told to do in order to keep people safe. It does make us think about what’s possible in the future.”
The Char House opened in June, a few months after the coronavirus was a worldwide reality and state governments began issuing restrictions concerning gatherings, live entertainment, and face coverings. In West Virginia, most restaurants remain under a 50 percent capacity rule, and live music has been banned.
“We usually have to take reservations for Thursdays through Saturday, and because of the social distancing, we have had to limit the amount of people we can allow to come in,” Nolte said. “Our patio helped a lot during the warmer months, but outside seating hasn’t been possible since the beginning of November.
“Our prices are competitive for the area, too, and some of the items we have on a menu are a little more because of what the dish is,” he added. “We are using the same products those restaurants in Pittsburgh use, but at the same time we know we can’t charge what those places charge. It has to make sense to the customers, so we do our best to accomplish that. That’s why we believe we already have a lot of loyal customers that keep coming back.”
