The Winchester—a new steak, seafood, and bourbon restaurant—opened its doors in Morgantown this week.
Good news for Morgantown foodies: The Winchester became a new restaurant option this week, officially opening for dinner Tuesday night. Here’s the scoop:
Q: Tell us about the place.
Jason Camp (The Winchester co-owner, along with partners John Vorndran and Jimmy Blanke): This is the second location of The Winchester, with the flagship restaurant located about 3 hours south in Ashland, Kentucky. You’ll find hand-cut steaks, fresh seafood flown in weekly, and more than 100 bourbons on the menu as part of a full bar. The new eatery is located where Atria’s previously operated in the Holiday Inn on Pineview Drive.
Q: Isn’t this a really hard time to open a new restaurant, you know, with COVID-19 and all?
JC: Obviously it’s a crazy time to do this, but it’s also an opportunity for businesses that are well-positioned for growth. We’re in a good position. We’ve developed curbside and to-go models that are working really well in our other location that we’ll emulate here in Morgantown. We’ll also be adding delivery. No matter what, people need to eat. We’re taking all safety precautions so we can feed them.
Q: What makes you different than the other steak places in town?
JC: We’re not a chain. We are directly involved in the operation. In fact, myself and my partners were in the restaurant opening night greeting guests. We take a lot of pride in what we serve. We hand cut all of our steaks in-house. We source fresh seafood from the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. The experience is entirely different than a visit to steakhouse chains.
Q: Help us pick. What should we eat first?
JC: Definitely the surf and turf, because you’ll get a really nice filet mignon paired with your choice of lobster tail, shrimp, or our handmade crab cakes. And you won’t even need a knife to cut your steak, because it’s cooked sous vide before a quick sear on the grill.
Q: And what should we drink?
JC: Our liquor license is delayed a bit because of COVID-19, but once we’re ready to roll, try The Judge—our signature bourbon slushie—or The Judge and Jury—our bourbon slushie with a floater. Or try The Judge Jury and Executioner, our bourbon slushie with two floaters. Even people who don’t love bourbon love this drink.
posted on July 23, 2020
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