Kirtland’s Olde Towne–More then meets the eye

After a brisk day of cross-country skiing at Chapin Forest in Kirtland we decided to give the Olde Towne a try since it was the closest place and the people at the ski

center said it was good.   Located at 7592 Euclid Chardon Road, kirtland, OH, about 1 mile West of the intersection of Routes 306 and 6, Olde Towne looks like an old time roadhouse, a bit rundown and dreary.  However once you walk in you get a completely different impression.  The interior is done up in Western Mountain Chic, with large field stones, lots of wood, some antler chandeliers and a roaring fire place.  Its upscale rustic, but comfortable; it just doesn’t quite connect with the outside or the name..
Seated comfortably by the fire with the TV over the mantel tuned to football, we settled in to peruse the menu (which you can see here) which has a nice selection of American classics.  I settled on the fried fish with a side of the jalpeno mac and cheese.  Others at the table, had sandwiches or entrees from various parts of the menu.
The food took a while, even though the place was pretty quiet, but when it came out the food was nicely prepared and well presented, but the flavors were nice without being exceptional.  My fish was nicely prepared and a decent size, but nothing that will stick with me.  The jalapeno mac and cheese had a little bit of a bite, but not enough to really excite me.  I think what was lacking was a certain depth or variety to the flavor profiles; part of this is the menu description which seem to over promise and food that doesn’t quite match the anticipation that is raised.
I have no big quibbles with Olde Towne, but I think it needs to work on finding its niche.  To me the food was ok, but not anything I have a need to come back for.  The value isn’t there as the prices aren’t bad, but there are plenty of places around that I can find much bigger portions for a similar price.   There seems to be a disconnect between different parts of the restaurant, the décor, menu and presentation feel as if they are going for upscale, yet the location, the volleyball courts and the overall food doesn’t quite make it to that level. 
Olde Towne ends up being a thumbs in the middle for me, neither good enough to give a high recommendation, nor bad enough to advise you to avoid.   Of course your experience may differ.

China Buffet - Tasty Chinese in Mentor on the Lake

It seems like the strip malls on Andrews Road in Mentor on the Lake are the place to be for good food at rock bottom prices; I recently reviewed El Patron (link is here), there is a Little Caesar's offering large pizzas with one topping for under $4 and then there is China Buffet.  Despite about the most generic name possible, I came away with a very good experience.

I noticed China Buffet since they were advertising $4.49 lunch and when I mentioned it to my friend Mindy who lives out that way she actually recommended China Buffet as a place she likes.  Located at 5985 Andrews
Road (map is here), behind a Wendy's, the exterior is nothing special and seems a bit run down; however this is quickly dispelled once you are inside.  Decorated in Chinese Buffet style, with a large mural of waterfalls on one walls and dividers topped with wood scrollwork and painted glass, the room feels brand new and spotlessly clean.  A look at the buffet is even more encouraging, with all items well stocked and looking fresh and well prepared.



After being seated I headed over and was pleasantly surprised to see a nice variety of what looks to be well prepared sushi; including items with roe, seaweed salad and a futomaki with raw fish.  Certainly not what you get at a Sushi restaurant, but better then most Chinese Buffets.  Sampling the items I found them to be flavorful and well prepared, with crisp flavors and a nice hand in seasoning.  About the only complaint I had was that the raw fish was a bit stronger then I would have preferred.


I move on to the hot buffet and am even more impressed, the items I tried were well prepared and for the most part were more flavorful then I have become accustomed at Chinese Buffets.  A couple of spicy items I tried had a nice heat to them, which is unusual at buffets.  Even better was the Seafood Combination, which had shrimp, bay scallops, crab sticks and squid in a creamy white sauce.  The seafood was nicely cooked, with the squid and scallops tender, a very unusual occurrence in my experience with buffets.  The white sauce actually had a pleasant mild soy flavor to go with silk texture and added to the dish.  The items I tried, generally tasted good to very good, with flavor profiles I would expect if I ordered them off of a menu rather then getting them at a buffet.  The vegetable fried rice and the lo mien were OK, but noting special. The buffet offered a nice variety, although not as big as some I have seen. 


Even the deserts I tried were flavorful and seemed to be a better grade then I have become used to at Chinese buffets.  


Despite having a generic name, this China Buffet offers very good food in a clean setting at a very good price; I wish more buffets were like this, offering food with flavor and keeping it fresh as possible.  While not offering anything unique, I prefer having everything well prepared and would recommend you give China Buffet a try if you are nearby.

El Patron - Mentor On The Lake Mexican

As I was cruising around on the motorcycle, following the Lake Erie shore East, I noticed a Mexican restaurant I hadn't seen before. Located at 5945 Andrews Rd, Mentor On The Lake (map is here) in a strip mall set back from the street was El Patron.  They seemed to have done what they could with the front, especially considering the location and the banner with $3.49 Lunch Specials certainly caught my eye, so I figured I would give it a try.   Once inside I was surprised to find that El Patron was nicely laid out with warm browns and tans, with real stone used to create the diving wall and some nice Mexican touches and less beer paraphernalia then most Mexican Restaurants.  The overall decor is relaxing with a nice touch of class.

Once seated I was quickly greeted by my server and got the expected chips and salsa.   The chips were nice, the salsa was good although a bit mild, with the occasional pepper or onion chunks to make things a bit more interesting.  A little of the green hot sauce zipped up the salsa to my liking.

Reviewing over the menu I was impressed with the variety (you can view the menu at the Chardon El Patron website here); I was especially happy to see that the $3.49 specials included a choice of Chili Relleno or Fish Tacos.  I picked the Chili Relleno with the rice and was rewarded with a nice sized plate with one good sized chili and a nice portion of rice.  The Chili was well prepared, the batter was good, the cheese melted without becoming a lava flow and the pepper flavorful, although once again a bit mild to my taste.  With Poblano Peppers it is always hard to guess how hot they will be, so I would not hold that against El Patron.  The sauce topping the Chili was very nice slightly sweet with a smokey, almost hickory flavor, reminiscent of a good BBQ sauce.   The rice was mild, but had a very nice taste and good texture without being overly dry. 

Service was good with water refilled, food came out promptly while still feeling prepared to order.  For $3.50 this was one of the better Mexican lunches I have had in a while.  I will definitely head back to El Patron, at least to try the fish tacos lunch.

El Patron also has locations in Chardon and Middlefield, so I will keep an eye out and possibly give them a try.

Debonne Winery - Lake County Getaway

Sunday a group of us from Mosaic (the Jewish Outdoor Club website is here) headed out to Lake County for a nice hike at Hogback Ridge Park and then headed to the nearby Debonné Vineyards for a light meal afterwards. Mosaic is a group of Jewish adults who enjoy the outdoors and we have events regularly, check it out. Hogback Ridge is one of the hidden gems of the Lake Metroparks, with a nice boardwalk through the woods and a long flight of stairs down to a very nice hike along Mill Creek which is very picturesque. After the hike we headed to Debonne, which is located at 7743 Doty Road, Madison, OH 44057 (map here). Set in the middle of its vineyards, the winery is set on a small rise, giving nice views and allowing a welcome breeze across the patio and lawn. The building has a rustic alpine feel and the inside of the bar area has the patina of age and care that comes over time. We sat outside and enjoyed food from the grill that is run during the summer. Food is simple, affordable, but well prepared and designed to compliment the wines. I had a nice pasta salad served in a bread bowl; the salad itself was nice with a slightly sweet, brightly flavored dressing and complimented by vegetables, including baby corn. While the salad was a bit overdressed, the bread bowl was excellent, having been warmed in a hot oven and for $5 it made a nice light lunch. The menu includes items off the grill, cheese items, including a very nice looking fondue and appetizers. You will not find complex layered flavors here, instead they seem to take the approach of using quality ingredients and preparing them well and selling them at prices that you can afford. Unfortunately, I was on my motorcycle, so I did not try the wines, although Mindy did like their Riesling. Wine is available by the glass, bottle or by the flights and it seemed like a lot of people were enjoying the wine. To provide a nice compliment to the setting, there was a trio playing jazzy rock music. In addition, I watched a biplane take off from Debonne's airstrip, another nice treat. Overall, this was an enjoyable and relaxing way to spend a summer afternoon.