Is there such a thing as an independent restaurant desert? Mentor might be such a place, crammed as it is around Great Lakes Mall with just about every popular franchise. There are exceptions, but too few in comparison.
So when shops such as Red, Wine & Brew pop up, just south of U.S. 20 on Old Johnnycake Ridge Road, there’s an expectation of more oxygenated air, the idea that some freshness and originality has arrived. While we would have liked to see more of that here, we found enough in the rambling stucco-and-stone building to build a loyal clientele. Some things will bring us right back.
This two-year-old spot is the second retail store but the first restaurant from owners of the original Red, Wine & Brew in Chesterland – and it is also well-stocked with bottles. Claims of 2,500 beer brands and 9,000 wine labels don’t seem outlandish as you cruise the coolers or wander the walls of wine. The drinks-first attitude continues on the menu in the Wine Down Lounge and a four-season patio with fireplace and sliding exterior doors.
Another patio is reserved for smoking, with part of RWB’s inventory dedicated to cigars and cigarettes. When the door was held open too long, an occasional scent of cigar wafted into the dining patio.
But back to the drinks. The menu offers 3-ounce and 6-ounce pours as well as full bottles at state minimums, according to management, with a $3 corkage fee. Patrons can also go into the store area to purchase any bottle, bring it to their table and pay the corkage fee. The extensive, searchable inventory for beer and wine is available online.
Oh, yes, food! It’s a tidy menu, with not an excessive number of choices, and we tried at least one or two items from each of seven categories. We’ll cut to the chase for the best of them, since we’ve taken up so much space on libations.
Order the flatbread. A finely crisped crust with tender, moist exterior was so texturally perfect, we wished we were peering over the shoulder of the kitchen baker. Toppings are fresh and fairly inventive, although we really wanted more seasoning in the eggplant breading on the Parmigiana version. Without it, the plush veggie just moved to the background of a neat Italian stacking of raw and cooked tomatoes, cheese and pesto. We had expectations that the smoked salmon flatbread would have the cured version, but the cooked was still pleasantly mingled with roasted tomatoes, chevre and provolone. Cleaved into eight pieces, they are a nice buy for the price, suitable for noshing and sharing.
Get the Caprese Salad. The menu said it came on skewers, but it didn’t. We didn’t care, since the sliced parade was bountiful, and the squirts of brightly flavored pesto and balsamic vinegar made even winter tomatoes sing.
Fill up on appetizers. It’s a bigger, more varied menu than the entrees. While competent wings and charcuterie board held few surprises, a trio of juicy Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps made a memorable light supper. All the balanced flavors and Asian culinary sparks made this one a treat for $10. Extra leaves would have made it easier to eat.
Entrees could be superfluous. There is so much else to eat. And we had quibbles about the presentation: Flood of sauce over the crab-stuffed trout; mountain of chunky slaw burying the short ribs, scant Bulliett Bourbon glaze on the salmon, which arrived with a bland wild rice cake. Proteins were all respectfully cooked. The sides and seasonings sometimes got in the way.
Grab a burger. A turkey burger, in fact. The house makes a nice one, juicy and perked up gently with chipotle pepper seasoning. Would have loved fries on the side instead of chips. The regular burger was generous and moist enough, but under-seasoned. And they forgot the caramelized onions on my turkey and Brie sandwich, which was pretty much the reason I ordered it. (And took it to go, discovering the loss at home.)
I wouldn’t be so hard on the menu if it wasn’t presented as “upscale” dining. The food here is as fresh and satisfying as many of the best brewpubs and wineries in the area, but the lack of some details sets it back from its own definition.
RWB is a popular place. Prepare for a moderately strong amount of room noise. (And some rhapsodic pop songs from Alexis Antes Feb. 24 and March 17.)
While servers show up at the right times, the madly scurrying staff gave us the sense that they would lose a family heirloom if they spent just a bit more time than necessary with us. Go with good friends so you won’t feel rejected. It’s a party kind of place – with its own identity and energy.
TASTE BITES Red, Wine & Brew
Where: 9620 Old Johnnycake Ridge Road, Mentor, 44060
Contact: http://www.redwineandbrew.us, Facebook, 440-210-0024
Hours: 3-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 11 a.m.-midnight Friday and Saturday; 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday.
Prices: Starters, $4-$16; salads, $6-$12; flatbreads, $8-$13; entrees, $14-$20; burgers and sandwiches, $9-$12.
Reservations: Taken by phone or online.
Credit cards: Most major cards accepted.
Cuisine: American.
Kid-friendliness: No kids’ menu but high chairs available.
Bar service: Full, including 2,500 beers in stock, and larger number of wines sold to go or at the table for a $3 corkage fee. Also, 3- and 6-ounce wine pours.
Accessibility: Yes, although parking can be tight, with spaces reserved for retail store, and rear entrance being made more noticeable.
Grade: * *
Ratings: One star means fair; 2 stars, good; 3 stars, very good; 4 stars, exceptional. Zero stars: not recommended.) Plain Dealer reviewers make at least two anonymous visits to each restaurant and do not accept complimentary meals. Read past reviews at www.cleveland.com/dining.
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