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| - The Grovewood Tavern in Cleveland's Collinwood neighborhood is, as many before me have already said, a bit of an anomaly. It's out of the way, tucked into the enclave of a post-war boomerville in one of Cleveland's older sections and it's a bit of a mystery to outsiders. I won't bore you with my attempts at pigeon-holing this local favorite. It's an eatery that defies categorization. Leave it at that.
It's hard to tell much of anything about the Grovewood from the outside. I don't know what the space was before they took over, probably another vacant blight on the city, but once you walk in you're transported to a cozy, kitschy, realm that at once a VFW lodge and a dressed down fine dining establishment. I don't know how else to describe it. Local art on the walls, a jukebox that plays everything, and I mean everything, from classic rock to Bat mitzvah classics. It's dark, there are string lights dangling and Tiffany-esque lights overhead and white tablecloths, just so you know they're not messing around. Bar up front dining area to the right.
Speaking of beer, while GT markets themselves as a wine bar that doesn't mean they've given their beer selection short shrift. They don't have a massive selection but what they do have is carefully curated and regularly rotated. On the eve of our visit they were serving several great draught beers including Jackie O's (Athens, OH) java the Stout and their bottle selection has some wonderful surprises, both domestic and imported, like Schweinsbräu Dunkel and Schlenkerla Märzen Rauchbier alongside Bell's Oberon and Heavy Seas Loose Cannon.
We selected a table in the bar area. Seemed like it felt right to be a part of the goings on up front. The kitchen's right out front so you can watch them busily creating your meal. Good entertainment. Our service was excellent. Waters were brought immediately and constantly refilled, and our server was never too far away just in case. Attentive but not overbearing.
It was the tail-end of happy hour when we arrived so we took advantage of a couple of the specials on the HH menu:
Housemade Bread: Herbed crust, chewy innards and crispy outside with roasted garlic and balsamic dipping oil. The bread was fresh, warm and delicious. The dipping oil was a bit of a letdown. It separated making it difficult for really get any of the balsamic on the bread when you dipped.
Mushroom Flatbread: The crust on this delicious morsel was both chewy and crispy, as it should be, and the earthy sautéed mushrooms and shaved parmesan loved the swim in the fried egg's yolk and porcini oil.
Empanada of the Day: Today's selection, duck confit served with a side of cheery aioli. The pair of fried dough pockets was cooked a perfect crispy golden brown, not oily, and the duck paired wonderfully with the sweetness of the cherries in the fatty aioli.
For our dinner, we decided to go rich and hearty. After all, it was barely 10F outside so it just seemed fitting.
Grovewood Tavern Salad: We both opted for this classic. The mixed greens were fresh and the candied walnuts and Gorgonzola cheese are always a welcome match. Dressed in just the right amount of white balsamic vinaigrette, it made a nice palate cleanser and entre into the mains.
Bison Pot Roast: As soon as I saw this I knew I had to have it. The lean bison was juicy, slightly gamey (in a good way)and so tender it started to fall apart as soon as it saw the fork. Delicious and filling. The gnocchi were soft and pillowy potato goodness while the root veg accompanying the dish was the lone disappointment. I expect vegetables served with pot roast to be fork tender, almost soft, these, a combination of carrots and parsnips, were still crunchy.
Zinfandel Short Ribs: You can never go wrong with short ribs braised forever in wine. This dish was near perfection. The boneless, Angus beef short ribs were melt-in-your-mouth tender and slightly sweet from the cranberries used in the cooking process. The whipped potatoes were velvety smooth and perfectly seasoned as were the accompanying sliced carrots and haricot vert.
Caramel Pecan Cake: Moist and warm pecan cake topped with chopped pecans, a scoop of vanilla ice cream and drizzled with sea salt caramel sauce. The cake was wonderfully light and not overly sweet and the more the ice cream melted into it the better it got. I could have eaten a tub of the caramel sauce.
We knew as soon as we left the beer dinner that marked our first visit to Grovewood Tavern that we'd be back. Their menu is full of dishes that not only look good on paper, but translate well into the real thing. Their food is well prepared and delicious, the service is excellent and the atmosphere a mix of corner bar and urban bistro. As others have mentioned, it is expensive. But expensive compared to what? Applebee's? Our meal, without tip and discount from our coupon, was nearly $100. We were happy to pay it and will be back to do it all again.
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