A few years ago, I had the privilege of joining my family a week before Christmastime, and long before COVID, for a family meal at Vagabond Kitchen.
Located at 1201 Market St. in Wheeling, the Vagabond Kitchen and chef Matt Welsch are renowned for quality and innovative dishes. Despite living in Wheeling at the time, this was my first trip to Vagabond.
It did not disappoint.
It’s fancy, without being fancy. Classy, without being insanely overpriced. So, with date night approaching earlier this week, we opted for a return trip to the heart of downtown Wheeling.
My previous trip I thoroughly enjoyed the catfish. It was excellent to put it plainly.
I wanted to try something different this time, but my date and I did decide to share a basket of the garlic truffle fries—a holdover from my previous trip.
The menu at Vagabond has your usual assortment of tasty appetizers to start you off, along with entrees (plates), burgers and such, along with an assortment of interesting pairings with mac n cheese, along with dessert.
For those with a targeted eating plan, icons designate dishes that are vegetarian, keto friendly, spicy, and even house favorites.
I wasn’t sure what I wanted to get, but I weighed my options between a few items.
The Southern Fried Chicken Supper tempted me; I will admit. I love fried chicken, but it wasn’t quite what I was in the mood for. I narrowed my choices down to a pair of burgers; either the Mitchell’s Melt or the Surfin’ Cow.
I opted for the cow. It’s a “Szechuan-glazed burger topped with grilled pineapple chutney and cheddar cheese.” Full disclosure: I’m a decent cook, better at baking, but never have I ever prepared chutney. In total full disclosure, I barely know what it is. But I knew this burger flavor would mix a little heat with a little sweet, so that was my selection.
My date chose the spinach and artichoke dip along with the garlic truffle and blue cheese fry basket. That was ours to share, but I left it to her.
My lone complaint, and this is more at supply shortages than at Vagabond, was that my first choice for beer, Estrella, was out of stock. This is, I believe, the fourth time at four different restaurants, that Estrella wasn’t available. So, I settled for Old Leghumper, a robust and tasty porter.
Garlic Truffle Fries 
Spinach and artichoke dip
The Food
The spinach and artichoke dip was not a hit, but not because of its quality. She’s NOT a fan of peppers and forgot that it included pepper in the mixture. I’m not a veggie fan in the slightest, but I took a couple pita chips and dipped it in for “trying it” sake. The taste wasn’t bad, even for my taste buds that are extra sensitive to bitter.
The garlic truffle fries were a huge hit, however, and she struggled to get through the ample amount provided in the basket. The rest came home in a to-go box and were still tasty the next day.
My burger? Delicious. Simply delicious.
There was the perfect blend of heat and sweetness from the chutney, but it was not overpowering and paired nicely with the cheese. A good burger doesn’t need additional seasoning, and with this flavor profile, there was no way I was putting ketchup anywhere near my burger.
It was perfect on its own. The fries were tasty, and I actually enjoyed using the sauce from the truffle fries to dip them in as opposed to the ketchup. Not sure what it was, but it had just the right amount of kick.
The price was a little more than I was used to paying, but I knew that coming in and was totally okay with it. The food was tasty, and our server was friendly and attentive.
For those of you with larger expendable incomes, I could see making Vagabond a weekly stop. It’s that good. I, however, am not one of those people. So, it will continue to be a special occasion luxury that I look forward to.
For more information, check out the Vagabond Kitchen on Facebook or online.
