Wine dinner at the Wooden Nickel

A few weeks ago, we were invited by Chef Joe to the Wooden Nickel Restaurant & Lounge in Monroeville.

The Wooden Nickel has been around since the 1940s and Chef Joe was celebrating his first anniversary of ownership with a special dinner and wine pairing. During this special dinner, Chef Joe allowed members of his kitchen team to create a signature dish as part of the five-course pairing.

The chefs even signed each menu next to their name. (So cute!)

The courses consisted of:

1. Citrus poached lobster, radicchio, seaweed salad, and herb oil (prepared by Mike Adams & Austin Dorn)

2. Pistachio crusted black bass, harvard beets, lychee beurre blanc (prepared by Executive Chef Joe Bello and Bobby Mahan)

3. Spiced quail, chanterelle mushroom stuffing, roasted tomato coulis (prepared by Banquet Chef Justin Johnson)

4. Pan seared venison, wild mushroom ragout, horseradish whipped potatoes, mushroom essence (prepared by Sous Chef Brandon Gerthoffer- who was ill the day of the dinner. We hope he’s better!)

5. Lady fingers, pan seared foie gras, foie gras whipped cream, berry compote (prepared by Radomir Klipa and Anthony A. Jones).

Chef Joe encourages and mentors the young chefs in his kitchen and his influence definitely shows not only in the dishes, but in the chefs faces. Each chef came out from behind the kitchen doors and told us about their dishes, with huge smiles on their faces.

We really didn’t know the menu or what we were getting into when Chef Joe invited us, but what we did get were plates full of creativity, love, and passion for cooking.