Village Martini and Wine Bar

I had kind of a crappy birthday this year. It was just days after the 1-year anniversary of my dad passing, I was in NYC for a work conference and had to travel back very late at night on the actual day of my birthday, I had caught a terrible upper respiratory infection during the trip and was still feverish, and then I was still very under the weather once we got to the weekend celebrations planned with my friends. *cue the tiny violin*

Even Mr. H must have been feeling badly for how my birthday went down (because I'm also a BIG birthday celebration person for myself and anyone I love), because he decided to plan a surprise "birthday do-over" this past weekend.

All I knew was that I needed to be ready at 6PM. An Uber came to whisk us away, and the driver immediately said, "You're headed to Chagrin Falls?" and my mind started spinning with restaurants we hadn't dined at yet in one of my favorite quaint, east-side towns.

What Mr. H had up his sleeve was a pre-dinner drinks spot, the Village Martini and Wine Bar.

Had never heard of it!

Located outside of the center of town, this cozy restaurant and bar was tucked away in a small business complex. We settled in at the bar, and immediately I saw several delicious-sounding cocktails on their list.

Turns out, they do a lot of their own infusions (as you can see behind the bar) and the cocktail menu was really interesting. The name and ingredients of my first drink escapes me (having too much fun with my hubby!), but I think it was something like The Bohemian (??) and it had blackberry(??)-infused gin and some tropical juices.

Mr. H declared this Manhattan with Peanut and Chocolate Chip-infused Bourbon as one of the best drinks he's had in a while.

Which says a lot, because we were just in NYC at some great cocktail bars, Mr. H makes some dreamy ones at home, and we have several favorite cocktail bars around Northeast Ohio.

I enjoyed both of my cocktails from the Seasonal Cocktails section. The Winter Paloma was just as good.

We didn't try any of the food because Mr. H had a dinner stop scheduled too (more on that in the next blog post), but it looked really decent coming out of the kitchen. Charcuterie and cheese board, stuffed mushrooms, ahi tuna, pasta, big salads...it all looked above what you'd find at an average wine bar.

I'd like to go back in the warmer weather to try the food and enjoy some more cocktails (I'm sure the wine list is good too and they had a few craft beers on tap), because there was a patio out front of the restaurant.

It was twinkling in the fresh snow.

I love finding gems like this spot! You could tell that they have a lot of regulars based on how people were interacting with the bartender and servers. Plenty of free parking in the lot too.

Village Martini and Wine Bar
516 E Washington Street
Chagrin Falls, OH 44022
(440) 893-9463

Cowboy Food and Drink Turns 15 and Gives Back

Cowboy Food and Drink in Chagrin Falls is celebrating their 15th anniversary, and in a big way. Each Sunday in September, they partnered with a local charity and a portion of all sales that day is being donated to the cause. This Sunday is the last one, and your meal can support United Way.

Now I had never heard of Cowboy Food and Drink before they contacted me to help promote the charity partnership, but Mr. H had! They've changed over the years and are no longer a honky-tonk bar with a mechanical bull. But the BBQ is still banging and Chef Stephen is putting out some pretty darn good Tex-Mex and American food from their kitchen and 500-pound Southern Pride Smoker.

Lucky for us, summer weather is still hanging on in Cleveland, so we settled in on the outdoor patio.

First to come out was a half-portion of the Potato Skins ($8) with jack, cheddar, bacon, scallions, and sour cream, but you can add BBQ pulled pork for $4. I haven't had skins with BBQ sauce or pulled pork before, but it totally worked.

Next up was an order of their Smokehouse Wings with Spicy Garlic sauce (17 types available). Served with their housemade Ranch, these wing were a real standout of the meal and Mr. H deemed them worth the drive alone.

The Chopped Cobb ($12) with smoked chicken, avocado, egg, tomatoes,  bleu cheese, and bacon didn't have very much lettuce and was forgettable.

But I wasn't there for a salad, I wanted BBQ! Next up was the BBQ Trio ($26) with brisket, smoked turkey, and pulled pork. The brisket immediately fell into our top three items of the meal, but that housemade sweet BBQ sauce was so good that I would have eaten any meat with it on it.

All good BBQ has to offer the classic sides, and this spot is no different. Leave the coleslaw behind, but the Mac + Cheese was everything you want this side to be and the BBQ Beans with brisket were also good.

Not pictured were the final meats, a House Recipe Smoked Sausage (two thumbs up), Smoked Half Chicken, and Baby Back Ribs. The ribs rocketed to my top dish of the evening, with incredible bark and the meat cooked just right. Chef Stephen even let us in on a few trade secrets. Honestly, our conversations with him were some of the best parts of the experience.

I love people with such a passion for their craft, and food always reflects that love and passion. This was really good BBQ, in my opinion. Plus, they have such a charitable environment at the restaurant that gives back year-round. But get in there this last Sunday to make the biggest impact.

Cowboy Food and Drink

8586 E Washington Street
Chagrin Falls, OH 44023
(440) 708-1011

Disclosure: All food was provided complimentary for me and a guest in exchange for help promoting their anniversary charity partnership. All opinions stated are 100% my own.

Umami Asian Kitchen

So, I haven't written about Umami Asian Kitchen since our first visit in 2011. And then we only went once after that. I did mention that we just don't find ourselves in Chagrin Falls very often. But, there have been chef changes over the years, and Chef Corey Kosel has been at the helm of the kitchen for a few years now. I knew him from his days as Chef de Cuisine at Market Garden Brewery, and he's been a loyal participant in the culinary fundraiser that I plan each year. So, it was time to get our butts out there again, and I'm so glad that we did.

We curled up in one of the two window nooks at the front of the restaurant, which provided great views and people watching as we dined. Wine kicked off the meal, of course.

We ordered a special of the day, Pork and Garlic Scape Wontons.

Chef Corey sent us out some of the restaurant's famous Goat Cheese Dumplings with Mackenzie Creamery goat cheese, medjool dates, romanesco cauliflower, and sprouts.

Mr. H ordered the Faroe Island Salmon with crispy sushi rice, braised wild mushrooms, kale, and sweet tamari. The crispy rice cake is something that we'll be trying to replicate at home, as the texture really added something great to the dish. The fish was cooked perfectly, but the real star of this dish was the mushrooms! I snagged two.

I ordered another special of the day, Red Snapper over a pork belly fried rice.

The food was all excellent, and it left me wanting to make sure it wasn't another 5+ years before we come back!

As if we weren't full enough, every visit to Chagrin Falls means a stroll over to Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream shop.

Even though it had been raining off and on all day, it ended up being a nice evening and we really enjoyed ourselves. Do yourself a favor, and don't let Umami fall off your radar like we did.

Umami Asian Kitchen
42 N Main Street
Chagrin Falls, OH 44022

Grove Hill

For my birthday, I wanted to try a new-to-me restaurant. I always look forward to those experiences, and lucky for me...one of the restaurants on my 2015 To Dine challenge fit what we were looking for. On a snowy night, Mr. H and I headed to Chagrin Falls to check out Chef Tim Bando's (formally of Deagan's) Grove Hill in the old Raintree location.

Immediately, I liked the atmosphere. It was more casual than I had thought it would be, based on the menu items and price point, but we were immediately comfortable at a table in the bar area with cushy red leather chairs and a great view for people-watching.

It was a splurge night, so we were instantly drawn to The Grove Hill Platter ($75) with oysters, prawns, clams, chef's crudo, and King crab legs. They had just run out  of crab legs, so we received lump crab instead.

The giant tower of raw seafood was eye-catching, and a couple of other diners actually stopped by our table to admire it.

We feasted on a pepper-crusted tuna (tasty, but it didn't need the relish on top of it), salmon tartare (very mild fish with a great lemon-dill sauce), and lump crab (bland and disappointing, but hopefully you'd get the King crab legs that are intended for this dish).

The bottom half included two types of oysters, raw clams (a first for me!), and some average cold cooked shrimp.

There were some real highlights here, and we were off to a good start.

We were still a little hungry, so we decided to share two small plates. We ordered the Lamb Meatballs ($12) with cucumber salad, tzatziki and mint.

The meatballs were cooked well, but for us, they were over-spiced. The strong flavor overpowered the creamy and cool tzatziki sauce.

We also shared the Duck Confit Paprikash ($14) with spaetzel and parsley.

This dish was (only) okay for me, but Mr. H really didn't care for it. There was something about the flavor of the sauce that we both weren't in love with. The duck meat was also dry, which seemed odd for dark meat.

The rest of the meal left me wishing that we had just stopped at the seafood platter. It was fun to check out a new place, and the drinks and service were both fantastic during our meal. However, I'm not sure that I'd drive to Chagrin Falls again from the west side for Grove Hill.

Have you been? What was your experience like?

Grove Hill
35 Pleasant Drive
Chagrin Falls, OH 44022
440-247-4800

Washington Street Diner

Two weekends ago, "R" and I had some errands to run on the east side. So, we decided to try and find a breakfast spot close to where we needed to be. With some help from Urbanspoon, we stumbled upon the Washington Street Diner in Chagrin Falls.

It was your typical greasy diner, located in a small strip of businesses, with a shabby interior and the delicious smells of breakfast. Unless we're dining at a fancier brunch restaurant, I'm so boring and just order the same thing at every diner. Two eggs, over-medium, with wheat toast and bacon. Sometimes I'll splurge on hash browns or homefries. My meal was perfectly acceptable, and I really liked their multi-grain toast.

"R" had a harder time choosing, and several of the more interesting breakfast creations sounded good. He finally decided on the Breakfast Enchilada.

It was only okay. It was missing the sour cream that the menu listed as one of the ingredients, and the chorizo was sliced into large pieces from a cased sausage. I think "R" was a little disappointed, and from the looks of it--- I didn't even bother with a bite.

I love a good, greasy, dive diner...but this one just isn't worth returning to for us.

Washington Street Diner
8233 Washington St
Chagrin Falls, OH 44023

Celebrating the Holidays at Burntwood Tavern

"R" and I celebrated the holidays with his family at Burntwood Tavern before we headed off to NY. It was my first time dining at any of their locations, and it left me wanting more.

We met at the Rocky River location for dinner on a busy Friday night. We had a 7:00 reservation, and the table was ready for us shortly after our 6:30PM arrival. We intended to just grab a drink at the bar before the rest of the family arrived, which we did. But I did appreciate that they hurried to get our table ready for us. The bar was very cool, with a copper bar top, interesting light fixtures, and plenty of beverage options.

It's quite long, so we had no problem grabbing a seat and enjoying a glass of wine while we waited.

Our party of six was seated in the side room that appears to be part of their outdoor patio in the warmer months. There was a great fireplace burning, and I loved the refurbished look of the tables. However, there was a live band playing in the main bar area, and even with a temporary wall and the doors shut-- it was incredibly loud and tainted our holiday celebration.

However, the food more than made up for it.

Per many people's recommendations, "R" and I shared an order of the Tuna Nachos with sashimi tuna, crispy wontons, avocado salsa, scallions, and cilantro cream drizzle ($10). Loved the flavors and texture of this dish, but I wish that the tuna was thinly sliced into larger pieces rather than the diced tuna that was served. Some wonton chips didn't have any tuna on them, and the small pieces often struggled to stay on the chip.

For my entree, I ordered the Filet with an 8 oz. center-cut filet mignon with blistered asparagus and potatoes Quinlan ($26). Now, I had a couple of glasses at wine at this point-- but I swear that it was one of the best steaks that I've had in a while. Seasoned perfectly, and cooked to medium-rare as requested. The sides were enjoyable as well, and I'd have a hard time not ordering this again. "R" went with the Cedar Planked Salmon ($19), and liked it a lot too. I tasted it and, for once, it wasn't too fishy tasting for me. Salmon just doesn't do it for me.

Since then, we've been back for drinks with friends. The atmosphere is comfortable and inviting, yet hip. I'm already anticipating another return for dinner. Have you been?

Burntwood Tavern
Four Locations- Rocky River, Solon, Chagrin Falls (original), and Brecksville

Umami Asian Kitchen Review

This post has been a long-time coming, for several reasons. I've known Chef Matthew Anderson for about three years now, and I liked him right away once I saw that he is so warm, enthusiastic, and passionate about what he does. When he moved to take over the kitchen at Umami in Chagrin Falls, I was thrilled for him and wanted to get out there and try it for myself. But time slips by, and unfortunately Chagrin Falls is not always on our dining radar.

So my first trip to Umami Asian Kitchen didn't come until recently, when the Jeni's Ice Cream shop opened up and eager Clevelanders descended upon Main Street. When we walked into the restaurant,"R" and I were surprised to find only a handful of tables, and the chef happily creating in the open, tight kitchen space in the back. There was no wait, and we started to peruse the brief menu. I personally felt that there were enough options for the average diner to be able to find something appealing, and I always appreciate a brief menu selection if you just focus on quality and nailing every dish. I won't say that Chef Matt is quite nailing it yet, but he's coming pretty darn close based on our first experience there.

Thankfully, some tweeps had recommended the Udon Noodles and any fish special. This helped steer our decisions. We started with some Goat Cheese Dumplings with seared greens and a soy ginger butter ($8.50).The goat cheese flavor was a little lost, and perhaps would have stood out if the dumplings were larger. I combined a couple in a few bites and the result was a tad better. But overall, we enjoyed the Asian-inspired flavors and we weren't off to a bad start.

Then, a surprise greeted us at the table. Chef Matthew had graciously sent out a complimentary appetizer for us to try. This time, it was a pork belly dish that is similar to the Crispy Pork Belly on the regular menu but this version had been served the night before at one of their special wine dinners. At first I was hesitant, because I have an issue with fatty meat and pork belly has never been a favorite of mine. Anderson changed my mind. Um, wow! "R" and I were both fighting over the last few bites, and it left me believing that I could like pork belly after all.Next up were our entrees. I had gone with the Udon Noodles with spicy beef, shiitakes, bok choy, basil, ginger, Parmesan, and dashi ($17). The thick noodles absorbed the traditional Asian flavors well, and with just a subtle bit of heat to the dish- it was very enjoyable. Although, the dish did not reheat well the next day. Several of the regular main dishes had peaked "R's" interest, but he went with the fish special. The grouper was fresh and prepared well, with the chef's simplistict approach shining through.

We were both happy with our meal, but the real highlight was the pork belly dish. It pushed our experience to another level, and the chef's lighthearted pleasure in doing what he does best helped keep it there. Even in the hustle and bustle of his tiny kitchen, he took a few moments to talk to us after the meal. I signed up for their email list to be notified of upcoming wine dinners and other special events, and I encourage you to do so as well.

A big thank you to Chef Anderson for a nice evening out trying some quality Asian cuisine that we don't often get in our neck of the woods, and for reminding me that Chagrin Falls is a great little pocket of restaurants and shops and we need to get over there more often! A nice stroll by the falls topped off the night.

Umami Asian Kitchen
42 Main Street
Chagrin Falls, OH 44022
(440)247-8600

Hyde Park Group Launches New Concept

Ever since they closed the Blake's Seafood Restaurant location in Chagrin Falls in 2008, I have been awaiting the opening of their new concept. Well it's here!

Write-up courtesy of Joe Crea from The Plain Dealer:
But the Falls' splashiest (and most anticipated) newcomer debuts Thursday. Hyde Park Restaurant's latest concept, Jekyll's Kitchen, opens its doors at 4:30 p.m. Hard to imagine a more beautiful setting. Housed in the former Blake's Seafood Grill, Jekyll's is poised above the Chagrin River with a four-star view of the falls. With a window wall that provides a view like that, the operators might have settled for a quick scrub-and-polish. Instead, co-owners Joe Saccone and Rick Hauck opted for a complete redo of the restaurant's two levels. "It was time for an entirely different concept and a new look to go along with it," says Saccone. Intense black, bronze and red tones set the motif. Dramatic contemporary lighting and well-burnished original floors lend drama to the space. In addition to an open exhibition-style kitchen, a sleek new raised bar affords guests a clearer view of the spectacle below. Booths and low, bar-side chairs provide comfortable seating for those who don't do bar stools. (Daily happy hours, 4:30 to 6 p.m., will include a full cocktail menu priced at $5. Cocktails are normally $8.75, including the signature Jekyll, a black martini topped with strawberry foam, and a hauntingly fragrant Elderflower Pear Martini made with St. Germain cordial.) The food's not bad either. During a session to acquaint the restaurant's staff with the menu, I had the opportunity to sample a few dishes. Cardboard calamari has become all too common, but here the rings and tentacles are first marinated in a combination of fish sauce and spices, then coated and deep-fried to yield a lively depth of flavor ($9.50). Saccone installed a wood-fire oven that burns a mix of local hardwoods, and its advantages show with the menu's pizzas. If you're in for a lusty indulgence, go for the combo of lobster meat, lobster sauce, mozzarella and parmesan ($16.50). Executive chef Kevin Foley builds a cream reduction and lobster butter into a lush base that leaves most Alfredo sauces begging, then tops the pie with nuggets of tender shellfish baked to a turn. Safe-bet steaks and seafood populate the docket of main dishes, and the standard bases are covered. A couple of pastas and rotating daily features round out the entrees. A brined then beautifully crusted 16-ounce double-cut pork chop ($18.90) was one highlight. Surprisingly, even more delicious was a perfectly roasted marinated half-chicken ($15.90). Juicy within, crispy on the outside, it's served with tender green beans and a big mound of mashed Klondike potatoes, a cross between redskins and Yukon golds that neatly marries each variety's best qualities. There's more in progress at the restaurant. Three private dining rooms and a covered deck are being completed on the lower level and a pair of patios are being installed. One offers street-side dining and a cabana bar, the other a smaller, lower-level patio closer to the falls. New public-access steps enable visitors to have a closer look at them. As if this picturesque town and its cascading waters aren't enough of a draw, these new destinations might be enough to make you rethink your dining plans.

This is one foodie who will be checking this new hot spot out very soon...