El Rio Grande–Mayfield Mexican Cantina

You may have noticed that the large restaurant behind Golden Gat

e Plaza has undergone another transformation, becoming a Mexican restaurant (ironically enough the building originally housed a Mexican restaurant).  I notices a $5 off coupon in Scene magazine, so I figured I would give it a try.  I arrived early on a Friday evening and the place was nearly empty, but had a very festive décor with bright primary colors, hand carved chairs and tables.  With enough people to fill up the large space this could be a fun and happening place.  The décor and menu are similar to that at the local El Rodeo chain, but there is a El Rodeo about 1 mile down Mayfield. 
As usual out came the chips and salsa, the chips were ok, the salsa bright, but a bit too mild.  Easily fixed with some hot sauce, but noting special.
The menu is generally what you would expect from a Mexican restaurant, plenty of choices, but a lot of the same ingredients.  The Seafood section is a bit better then some other places.  I had the Chili Rellenos dinner, which was two cheese stuffed peppers fried and topped with sauce.  The peppers were ok, although the cheese seemed a bit underwhelming, the dish could have used more sauce, but the sour crème drizzle was a nice touch.  The rice and beans that came with were ok, but once again nothing special.  Overall the food was decent, but not anything that I am going to hurry back for, especially if I have to pay full price.
I think El Rio Grande has a chance since the décor is good and the service was fine, but the food is just OK.  There are plenty of other places to go for Mexican food and if you are going to open a new place, especially one this large you need to make sure that the food really is something special. 
Give it a try if you grab one of the coupons, otherwise there is much better ways to spend you dinner dollars.

Otani Japanese Restaurant–Just OK

I took my buddy Danny out for a holiday lunch and he wanted to go for Hibachi, so I figured we would check out Otani in Mayfield.  Otani has been in the back of the Golden Gate Plaza (1625 Golden Gate Plaza, Mayfield Heights, OH 44124

) seemingly forever, and unfortunately that is my impression after our visit.  The exterior is nicely decorated to look suitably Japanese, once inside we were quickly greeted and seated at the hibachi table (I know that this style of cooking is actually called tepanyaki, but in keeping with the old style, Otani refers to this as Hibachi).  I have to say that the décor feels really dated and dark.  The basic setup at Otani is fine, but it feels like nothing has changed since the restaurant opened in the 1970s. 
After a quick perusal of the menu (which you can see here), we quickly decided on our meals and ordered, Danny was having the Steak and Chicken lunch, I choose the Shrimp.  We started with the mushroom soup, which was a light broth with some slices of mushroom, nice, but a bit safe, it could have used a bit more complex flavoring.  That was a good indication of what was to follow.
Our chef soon arrived and after a quick flame of the grill for effect settled in to cook our meal.  The performance was a bit understated, with our chef seemingly getting there on the performance side, but not nearly as good or as entertaining as the chef at a nearby table.   The lunch consisted of a large portion of fried rice, sautéed mushrooms and our respective main courses.  The food was nicely cooked, but underseasoned, even the two dipping sauces didn’t add much flavor or zing to the meal.  The portion on the Steak and Chicken lunch was ok for the $10.50 price, but I thought the shrimp portion was a little small for $9.00.  
I have to say that I found Otani to be about what I thought, a restaurant that is firmly rooted in its tradition, unfortunately since the 1970s our tastes and sophistication levels have changed, especially as it relates to Japanese food.  I think Otani needs to update its décor and bring more punch to its food.  As always your mileage may vary.