From our BEST new restaurants of the decade feature:
The WheelHouse in St. Joseph opened up in 2017. There just aren’t a ton of restaurants like this in St. Joe — which could mean one of two things: 1) it will never work!, or 2) it will work because this is a place that is lacking in this department.
Thankfully, it appears as though the latter is the situation at the WheelHouse. The restaurant is owned and operated by former Alinea employee Ryan Rogier and his partner Abbie Layden-Rogier. Having only met them a couple of times, there’s just a part of me that believes their narrative as business owners has been driven by the fact they’re doing what they love. As a person that lives in Champaign, I am grateful that this is 20 minutes away from where I live.
The restaurant is extraordinarily unpretentious in the best way. Their menu continues to be clever and creative within the structure of being approachable and recognizable to someone that honestly loves American food. Here’s to hoping they hold strong to what it means to live and eat here in the prairie. (Patrick Singer)
Photo by Jillian Zwilling