Daily Athenaeum
11 July 2007
By Shelly Bryant, Staff Writer
Media Credit: KENDAL MONTGOMERY/THE DAILY ATHENAEUM
The Boathouse Bistro, in the Wharf District (a district with no actual wharf), lives up to its name. On the water, the Boathouse is a boathouse for the crew team and private boaters, on the top the Bistro is Morgantown's newest restaurant and wine bar.
The Bistro, which opened last week, is the brain-child of West Virginia chef, Robert Wong and his business partners.
Wong currently owns the Bridge Road Bistro in Charleston and is a managing partner of the Rimfire Grille in Beckley. However, the Boathouse Bistro is his first business in the northern part of the state.
"I'm really excited about the opening, but this is the easy part," said Wong, "We've just got to work out the opening kinks."
The menu is "regional cuisine with a global influence" with dishes ranging from Thai chicken lettuce wraps to veal and glazed duck breast.
Yellowfin tuna in a wasabi glaze sauce is featured with seaweed salad as an appetizer. Chicken alfredo tossed with portabella mushrooms, black olives and vegetables is available on both the lunch and dinner menus.
A wide variety of seafood, pasta, steaks and sandwiches is available all day. The dessert menu features traditional creme brule, tossed coconut pound cake and old-fashioned bread pudding in a Jack Daniels sauce, among others.
Diethorn said the menu will be rotated frequently in order to "introduce new things and open the palette."
The Bistro does not currently have a master chef, but features two local sous chefs, Misti Roval and B.J. Kinsley. The bar also features about 17 wines by the glass from countries all over the world, such as Spain, South Africa and Germany.
Assistant Manager Logan Smith said that construction began about a year ago. The two-level boathouse was built from the ground up by March-Westin Co. Paradigm Architects designed the building with a modern feel while keeping state history in mind.
The lighting fixtures made from hand-blown glass, hang from high ceilings. The table tops are a concrete composite by Beta Kreet, a local West Virginia concrete company, featuring pieces of Blenko glass throughout the designs.
Michael Diethorn, manager of the Bistro, has worked with Robert Wong for six years.
Diethorn said that this is the fifth business the two have opened in the past five years, but he was more confident with this restaurant than any other he's been a part of.
"It's a great place to entertain," said Diethorn. "I think this will be a hot spot in Morgantown."
The restaurant can seat 125 inside, 30 at the bar area and 60 people on the outside patio, which features a view of the Monongahela River.
The front and side walls of the restaurant are entirely glass paneled with a large glass tower extending upward, allowing an all-around view of the river. There is also a private conference room which can seat 14 and is complete with audio-visual equipment and a 50-inch plasma screen TV.
Diethorn said that the West Virginia University women's rowing team will be using the bottom level of the building. Public and private boat docks line the edge of the river, below the patio.
Diethorn said that the restaurant will hopefully increase recreational use of the river, as people can dock right outside the building and visit the restaurant.
The Boathouse Bistro is located at 40 Donley St. in the Wharf District, near the Waterfront Hotel.
The restaurant's hours are Sunday through Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. with the bar/lounge area staying open until 11 p.m., and Thursday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. with the bar/lounge area open until midnight. The entire restaurant is smoke free.