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The West
Wind was founded in 1981, and quickly became a favored dining and
meeting place by folks from western Wisconsin, as well as from the
Twin Cities metropolitan area. Founders Clair, Kevin,
and Craig Pechacek loved the St. Croix Valley and the people who
lived there, and it showed in the great service the West Wind was
noted for. Today the West Wind is solely owned by Kevin Pechacek, who has brought
the restaurant to another level of dining. By employing
talented Executive Chefs, the West Wind is
now noted for continually changing fresh new menu choices, daily
specials, a great wine selection, and improved dining atmosphere - while
still honoring
the long-standing West Wind traditions of friendliness, community
commitment, and good value.
In 2003, a total remodeling of the West Wind was
completed in the prairie/mission style featuring architecture and
decor inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright. As a result, the smoke-free
restaurant offers an amazingly intimate and warm, yet still open environment.
Take a look at the photos on our web site, or better yet come visit
us in person to see for yourself. The West Wind restaurant and lounge is attractive, comfortable, and inviting; our passion is providing extraordinary service
and excellent food, at a great value to our customers.
Meet Our Staff
The West Wind knows how important great service is to the
dining experience; they pride themselves in providing
prompt and friendly service. Their dedicated and professional
staff is one of the many reasons the West Wind has been so
successful for over 26 years. The dedication and commitment to
customer service starts with the owner, Kevin Pechacek. Kevin
is on the premises each and every day, paying attention to all the
details, knowing that what happens behind the scenes is integral to
a positive customer experience
Meet
the Executive Chef
The West Wind is proud
to introduce its new executive chef, Anthony Leone. Tony comes
to us from the popular San Pedro Cafe in Hudson, where he
sharpened his skills in its kitchen. He began his cooking
career making pizzas at San Pedro while he was still at Hudson
High. He graduated to saute cook, completed the Culinary Arts
course at St. Paul College, then was promoted to sous chef, then
executive chef and general manager at San Pedro.
Tony plans no
drastic changes to The West Wind's popular menu. "I don't want
to fix something that's not broken, but we'll slant it a bit
toward south of the border, while still keeping the popular
comfort food items on the buffet and steaks and seafood for
which this restaurant is famous." One new item, a Tony
Original, is the Margarita Shrimp Cocktail, in which jumbo
shrimp are cooked in butter and lime juice. They're
draped--still warm--over the edge of a huge cocktail glass
containing cool guacamole, dilled sour cream, diced cucumber,
pico de gallo and the broth in which the shrimp was cooked, all
surrounded by a heap of colorful tortilla chips. M-m-m-m!.
Tony's
cooking philosophy is straightforward. "Keep it simple, a
dish you feel comfortable preparing, then concentrate on
presentation. If the food looks good, that's half the battle."
Told that the Shrimp Margarita was hardly simple. "It's
simple for me," replied Tony, because I created it." The
young chef took up his profession because he loves the hustle
and bustle of a restaurant kitchen. "There's something new
every day. The West Wind is a bit less hectic than San
Pedro, more laid back, but here we turn out a lot more food.
Thank goodness I've got an able staff-Ben, Adam, Jerome and
Andrew-to back me up."
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King
Crab Legs |
Vegetable
Pasta Medley |
Chicken
Alfredo |
Prawns
& Pasta |
Meet
the Day Chef
Consistent excellence in food and service is a key ingredient
to a restaurant's long-term success. Day Chef, Scott Pechacek,
has been serving up generous portions of that excellence at
the West Wind for more than 21 years! Prior to joining the West Wind,
Scott cooked for the US Navy for four years where he gained
a great appreciation for customer satisfaction (and the repercussions
when sailors are not kept happy food-wise!). Scott discovered
that he loves being a chef. “It’s never boring
and that’s what I like!” he says. He loves the
variety, the culinary challenges and, most of all, the customers
who return time and again, year after year, to enjoy his food.
In
addition to being the West Wind’s daytime chef, Scott prepares
the highly acclaimed lunch buffet as well as creating custom
catering menus. When he’s not in the West Wind kitchen,
Scott enjoys bow hunting, fishing, sports, and spending time
in the great outdoors.
“Our
daytime team works hard to please every customer”, Scott
says. “And when customers come back again and again,
that’s how we know we’re doing it right.” |
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Our Community
Our River Falls roots are deep and strong. Over the years we are
proud to have been a part of the community and people's lives.
Throughout our restaurant and lounge you’ll see some works
by great area artists. Our commitment to freshness and
community means we buy produce from our local growers whenever
possible. We are a regular destination for civic groups, teams,
co-workers, families, and friends. We are involved in many community events, sponsor an annual charity golf tournament, and
are host to a popular annual classic
car show. We strive to be a good corporate citizen because we live
here, too.
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