The Wishing Well

When you think of a wishing well, you unfortunately think of the Terence Trent D'Arby song, or flinging a penny into a fountain, or wish me love a wishing well...ARRGGHHH!! Blessedly making you think of booze and food, The Wishing Well.

Founded by a 14-year vet chef, TWW's a public house/bistro with rustic-hued walls surrounding a bar plus a row of high/lowtop 4-seaters and a banquette in warm wooden tones offering "really good food"...whew! The menu's constantly in flux, but small plate-type stuff will at some point include a smoked mackerel chowder w/ ham crisps & pickled greens, salt cod cakes w/ red pepper romesco, griddled wild mushrooms w/ soft mascarpone polenta, and tuna cubes prepared w/ garlic aioli, cornflakes, and a sesame shoyu dressing (no word yet on the far more popular shoyu un-dressing). Bigger fare: a pulled pork/pulled chicken/fried fish taco platter; shellfish linguine with shrimp, mussels, clams, octopus, and spiced parsley bread crumbs; crispy salmon w/ potatoes, brussels sprouts, peas, and extra virgin olive oil; and the deliciously devastating Shame Burger, with a beef patty, house-made scrapple, fried egg, and American -- eat two double-stacked versions in a sitting to complete the "Shame Challenge", which gets your name on TWW's next donation to a local charity, and hopefully a headstone that reads "He Knew 'Can't Touch This' Would Be Big The Moment He Heard It".

The seriously stocked bar offers local craft brews, specialty cocktails like a Lemongrass Gin Fizz made with locally-distilled Bluecoat Gin and a house-made lemongrass syrup. Some desserts also carry a boozy touch (a boilermaker float w/ Baileys gelato and Jameson-infused whipped cream) along with stuff like carrot cake & apple fritters and a bread pudding, but sadly, you're on your own for the butterfly tears and crocodile cheers...ARRGGHH, TERENCE TRENT!!!