Louise B.
Yelp
Whiskey apparently is a 2nd first language of native Pennsylvanians reading the history of Monongahela Rye on the walls within. Whiskeys long associated with the south actually is rooted in Western PA, good use of the abundance of grain! Incredible to see that the language survived and thanks to Wigle (PA-ers say 'wiggle' but in German tongue its 'vigle' with a hard "i" ...and Overholt the distiller Americanized his German last name, Overholtzer so there.
Yeah but what about the Whiskey? It's delicious and with so many varieties plus liqueurs, spritits including Absinthe, Rum, Gin, bitters, and brandy Wigle has your whole bar program covered, plus James Beard Award finalist accolades, twice in the ABV division! Quite amazing since our first visit 2011 when it was just a sparse warehouse doing their grain thang.
The food is equally A+ imaginative use of local ingredients to elevate the normal ho-hums of pub dining, with just enough options to help you sip longer and please a variety of table mates from pub grubbers--though at a gastropub level, to your refined bunch with inventive salads and seafood offerings. Found the dressings and pickles very assertive on the acid so I would definitely ask for both of those on the side next time.
$14 Broccoli Panzanella Salad apple, roasted mushroom, caputo brothers ricotta salata, fennel, pickled banana pepper, ginger-oregano vinaigrette, grilled Mediterra focaccia - stopped by on a quick lunch run and this was a bit too tart from both the pickle of the banana peppers, tart apple like a granny, and dressing that drowned out the roasted earthiness of the mushrooms. Had me puckering from beginning to end, so dressing to side would be advised. Broccoli was a bit too raw and would prefer just a tad bit cooked, and a lot of bread but kinda expected being a panzanella.
2nd visit for dinner
$13 Pierogi potato + cheddar pierogi, kielbasa, barrel-cured sauerkraut, chives, sour cream. This is the winner right here, very moreish and filling for a small plate/dinner though we shared as an appy. Pierogi are deep fried crisp outside, hot and cheesy insides. Kielbasa not overly spiced fills this plate out. I would order it to share every time!
$18 Blackened Salmon Sandwich caesar dressing, kale, pickled shallot, pecorino. Ordered rare and it was in the center, large hunk, and nice black seasoning and char between toasted potato bread. Fries are thin, crisp, frozen kind, aok. Hubby was super satisfied.
$15 Lonzetta Sandwich toasted baguette, Boursin, Parma salami rustico, dressed arugula, pickled banana peppers. Crusty warm bread with cold cuts and opted for a side salad vs chips/fries but again got hit with high tang of dressed arugula, salad vinaigrette+pickled banana peppers, I took a break from eating after a few bites & brought half home
$12 Espresso Martini--ordered off menu. Bartender used house cinnamon whiskey & coffee liqueur, espresso, & cream topped with some beans, delish but could of been twice as big haha!
Dinner Service well what could of been amazing, just saying this because this put a wee damper on the experience, but everything else was amazing, atmosphere, decor, food, and the alcohol of course, and oddly every one 'Except our server' was pleasant. Logan (dark haired, shorter) was on the ticket but unsure if this was the super nice manager we assume (lighter fair hair) that ended up checking us out.
So our waiter just stood there staring at us blankly saying he didn't know when asked which selected Happy Hr appetizers were $2 off...No offer to find out what they were, nor did he seem to care that he did not know; it was just so odd and off-putting. Once I downloaded the menus online, as we had asked for paper ones initially, I could easily see the 3 appys--hush puppies, pierogies & white bean dip that were discounted..so he could of just as easily done it too or just asked staff?! This wasn't the only uncomfortable interaction, it continued throughout service. Tracked him down to request another round of drinks, he just paused,looked our way and walked off without saying anything, but the order came through?! Will say he was more helpful when I requested an espresso martini which was not on the menu. He mentioned there used to be one so he would asked the bartender, so there's that, and I did get a new concoction from the bar which was great. When we asked for coffee and waited 15 mins, still no coffee, he was standing at the bar, looked over at us, then turned and kept going on with his conversation. We never saw him again; spent $200, no thanking us or saying goodbyes as we left. Had to ask another waiter for coffee again but was barely warm when it arrived. The manager took it off the tab and we did get more hot coffee but unless we knew better, this coulda left an unpleasant taste for our guests' first Wigle experience. Overall not an engaged waiter, stoic, no acknowledgements on orders, like a non-emotive robot taking an order.