Gamekeepers Tavern - Chagrin Falls Mainstay

Some family were in town for a Bar Mitvah and so we decided to go out to Gamekeepers in Chagrin Falls for lunch. Gamekeepers is located near the falls at 97 West Street, Chagrin Falls, Ohio (map is here). Gamekeepers has been around for quite a while and seems to have hit on a winning formula. The restaurant is made up of a number of rooms all decorated in classic American outdoors; lots of fishing and hunting decor, the feeling is casual, but in an old fashion way. The menu at lunch runs from $10 to $15 and is made up of classic American fare (a PDF of the menu is here). I had the Grouper sandwich and it was very nice. Two fillets of the fish were battered and perfectly deep fried. Served on a bun with lettuce tomato and a good tarter sauce it perfectly hit the spot. The chips that accompanied the sandwich were a little disappointing in that they seemed to have come out of a bag and not even one of the upscale kettle chips at that. Everyone else enjoyed their meals as well. I did want to mention that it was a real pleasure to have a waiter who actually seemed to know the menu and was able to answer questions and make suggestions. In addition, when he was not sure of an answer he went back and checked (bacon in the chowder and the answer was yes). Gamekeepers offers well prepared American fare in a nice setting without a lot of fuss or muss; it serves up quality food in nice portions. If you are looking for cutting edge or fancy presentations, this is not the place; however if you are looking for a place to deliver a good meal in a comfortable atmosphere, put Gamekeepers on your list.

Nauti Mermaid - Warehouse District Dive

I've been meaning to check out the Nauti Mermaid in the Warehouse District for a while and luckily I was downtown on Thursday so I figured I would see what is up. Well I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. Usually I get an idea of the place from what I hear and the website, somehow I got the idea that the Mermaid was a nice little fish place, fortunately I was wrong. Located at 1378 W. 6th Street, Cleveland, Ohio (see map here), the Mermaid is a great little dive bar that serves up some good affordable seafood. Only one storefront wide the Mermaid has a shotgun feel with a bar on one side and a row of booths on the other. A couple more table sit in front of the small kitchen. The whole place is decorated in authentic sea stuff, with lobster traps, life preservers and even a pretty good sized boat over the bar. A bit dark and old, it feels like one of those authentic seafood shacks you only hope to find. Much more of a bar that serves food than anything else. I really like the feel and decor, but of course you mileage may vary. Since it was Thursday I was lucky enough to get the $1.50 fish taco special; you have to order a minimum of 3, but at that price you cannot beat them in this area. Also it being happy hour, I had them add a crab cake for $1. The fish tacos were excellent with fresh fried corn tortillas filled with grilled Mahi Mahi, with some tomatoes and a little lettuce and then topped with a wonderful chipolte sour cream. The fish was well cooked and flavorful enough to hold up to the toppings, with the sauce being especially good, just the right amount of heat to balance everything. While a bit messy, that is what you expect from fish tacos. The crab cake was nice and thick with good flavor and balance, if a little light in crab, but for the price one of the better ones I have had recently in this area. I should note that the remoulade sauce that came with it was really very good and complimented the crab cake nicely. Not necessarily an item that I would order off the menu, but certainly worth getting during happy hour. Service was very good by the bartender. Food came out within a reasonable time, although the Mermaid was pretty quiet, so during busy times it could take a bit longer. I was able to watch the food being prepared and it was nice to see things like the tortillas being fried fresh to order. The menu is pretty extensive, although I was told that they are changing it soon; you can check it out here on their website. I would strongly recommend the Nauti Mermaid if you are looking for a place to grab some good seafood at an affordable price or if you are looking for a place to grab some cheap drinks downtown. You should check out the daily specials and happy hour specials as they are great deals. I especially want to compliment the Mermaid on feeling authentic as a dive, they aren't looking to go upscale, they have found their niche and are fitting in it quite nicely.

Georgios - Cheap Pizza

I wanted to mention Georgios, a local pizza chain that has a deal going on pizzas. Currently you can get a Large Cheese Pizza for $4, a Large Pepperoni for $5 and a Large Sausage and Pepperoni for $6. The pizzas are what they call their Fresh and Ready, which means they have them precooked and ready to go in a hot box. I actually have been picking pizzas up from the Georgios at the Richmond Heights location which is in the little strip mall on Highland Road near the intersection with Richmond Road, since they have been offering the Cheese or Pepperoni pizza for $4 for a while. I find these pizzas to be pretty good, the crust is medium thin, OK without anything really distinctive. The cheese is good, with a nice texture and mild flavor. The best part of the pizza is the sauce with a nice slightly sweet tomato sauce that gives the pizza a nice zing. Also I have to give them credit, the pizzas have been nicely cooked, just at the stage where all of the elements cook together to make something more than the seperate parts. In addition, I have gotten both pizzas right out of the oven and those that have been in the hotbox, and the pizzas are remarkably consistent. They seem to have figured out a method to hold the pizzas for a period that keeps them hot without overcooking them. For $4 you get a 14" pizza with 10 good sized slices. While this is not the best pizza in town, it certainly is a great way to fill the pizza urge when you are on a tight budget. Certainly a good value.

Patterson Fruit Farm - Applepalloza

Sorry things have been a bit quiet on the blog, been fighting the flu and combined with hitting some old favorites just not that much too post. although it is a little late in the season, I did want to mention Patterson Fruit Farms. Located at 11414 Caves Road, Chesterland, Ohio (see map here), this is one of the fun local places to stop and check out. Patterson is primarily an apple farm and they have quite a variety of apples available. Even better they have cut samples out so you can figure out what suits your taste. Of course there is cider and very good cider at that available. During the fall, they have all sorts of other things going on as well, with kettle corn being made, pumpkins being sold and plenty of stuff to keep the kids busy. Patterson also has a very good bakery with fresh fruit pies, donuts, apple dumplings and apple fritters. The fritters are amazing, about the size of a small moon, with big pieces of apple scattered throughout the fried dough all of which covered with a sweet glaze. For just under $2 this could be a meal onto itself. I did want to mention that the golf course behind Patterson has been converted into a public park as part of the Geauga Park system (link to the park site is here) which provides a very nice place to take in some rolling hills. If you are looking for something to do on a beautiful Fall day, consider heading over to Patterson Fruit Farms and checking it out.