As it appeared in The Times Leader
Mike McGinley
Around Town
Doesn’t everyone love to try new places?
Well, last week I was at a familiar location, but it was totally new and transformed.
Let me explain.
You’ve probably been to or at least heard of Le Manhattan Bistro in Downtown Wilkes-Barre. It’s now called Bank+Vine after going through a post-quarantine conversion into a farm-to-table restaurant with a whole new look and menu.
The offerings are absolutely outstanding, and I can’t encourage you enough to make a reservation and give it a try.
Here’s the deal: There’s a palate-pleasing menu consisting of small plates like burgundy snails with house potato gnocchi and hazelnuts (which I devoured) and fennel confit, as well as larger plates like a king salmon, charcoal grilled chicken, N.Y. strip steak and duck confit.
You can also order interesting side dishes or plates prepared for the entire table.
There’s especially a focus on fresh food from local farmers, something you notice as you peruse the digital menu designed in light of COVID-19 safety protocols.
While the new look and food are inviting, so too are the cocktails. Specialty ones such as Bonnie + Clyde, Butch Cassidy and Baby Faced Nelson-named concoctions can be found under the beverage list, in addition to wines and beer.
If you’re looking for somewhere new and relaxing to try for a night out, try Bank+Vine Tuesdays through Sundays for dinner.
The dinner was a fabulous outing for last week, and this week I’m gearing up for the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce’s EPIC Awards.
EPIC is an acronym for Extraordinary People Inspiring Community, and there are some phenomenal people being honored, including Ruth Corcoran, Lissa Bryan-Smith and Mary Kolessar.
Since it can’t be a big event this year thanks to COVID, it will be live streamed on Facebook and YouTube beginning at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.
I’m so glad that the event can still happen.
In years past, I remember hundreds watching at Wyoming Seminary’s Kirby Center for Creative Arts.
There, award recipients and guests mingled before watching the program. Thanks to the hard work of the Chamber staff and Coal Creative, though, all of the speeches and testimonials have been filmed in advance and will be played on Tuesday.
I don’t know about you, but I get all sorts of excited when events like this happen, because they encourage and inspire the creativity and brilliance our area needs.
We’ve got a lot of good people doing exceptional work – let’s honor them.
I know I’ll be watching on Tuesday.
If you’d like to watch live, you can visit the Chamber’s Facebook page the night of the program or pre-register on the Chamber website (www.wilkes-barre.org) to receive a YouTube link.
WBRE-TV will also air the program on Sunday, Aug. 16, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
There are many ways to watch; I hope you’ll pick one.
Mike McGinley is the Times Leader Media Group’s major accounts executive. Reach him at mmcginley@timesleader.com or 570-704-3945.
