By Amy Arnett
In 1976, the former Jefferson Security Bank in Shepherdstown, WV was purchased for space as a restaurant. The new owner named it the Yellow Brick Bank and opened for business before discovering that the bricks resisted paints and glazes, yellow or otherwise. The name has remained, however, and today, the Yellow Brick Bank (YBB) is an Eastern Panhandle institution that has served a notable list of guests that includes First Lady Nancy Reagan.
Executive Chef Jeff McGee heads up the kitchen staff at YBB, where the menu is a combination of dishes that have been mainstays at the restaurant since the beginning and fresh takes on American cuisine, inspired by McGee’s experience in the culinary world that began more than 30 years ago.
Originally from Romney, WV, McGee joined YBB four years ago. In 2006, Ken Lowe, Jr. purchased the restaurant, which is now owned and operated by Lowe and his wife, Mary, who have a vision of keeping the classic atmosphere and evolving menu that has defined YBB. “I have known Mr. and Mrs. Lowe since I was a teenager,” says McGee. “When the opportunity to work at the Yellow Brick Bank presented itself, I was thrilled to join the staff.”
McGee brings with him experience that began during his college years; he has worked at Piccadilly’s Brew Pub and Restaurant in Washington, D.C. and the Bavarian Inn in Shepherdstown, where he won the AAA Four Diamond Award multiple times. At YBB, he puts his experience to work, creating a menu that includes lunch, dinner and dessert options that focus on fresh ingredients elevated by cooking techniques and complementary sauces, all paired with a large wine selection from the original bank vault, repurposed as the YBB’s wine cellar.
The dinner menu has a list of delicious appetizers that includes shrimp and cannellini beans, mussels and the pizzette, a thin-crust pizza cooked in the YBB’s wood-fired oven and topped with cheeses, herbs and olive oil. Following up an appetizer, the entrées feature salads, salmon, shrimp with a rose cream sauce and grilled hanger steak with a sesame-orange marinade, among others. Finishing desserts range from a classic brownie with ice cream to pumpkin bread pudding with a ginger crème anglaise for the more adventurous.
The atmosphere of YBB is one of notoriety, with outstanding service provided by the wait staff and Mary Lowe herself, who is often seen in the dining room chatting and seeing to the needs of diners. The dining room and kitchen work together to efficiently prepare and deliver dishes, making for a loyal list of returning clientele and a reputation in the area as a must for hungry visitors to Shepherdstown.
“It encompasses a family atmosphere,” says McGee. “When you work the hours that a chef works, it is nice to feel as though you are working with family, and it enables us to develop relationships with one another and with our guests.”
The Yellow Brick Bank is located on East German Street in Shepherdstown and is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and closed on Sundays and Mondays. Reservations can be made by calling (304) 876-2208.
