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| - Capsule: Great Lakes Brewing Company offers a fine assortment of craft beers in a warm, inviting atmosphere, but some food offerings are a touch too conventional. Full review below.
As an old Clevelander, I''m delighted by the revitalization of Downtown, and particularly the commercial renaissance of Ohio City. I was a kid in the OC 25 years ago, and prior to the quaint brewpubs across from the West Side Market, people visited the area for the adult bookstores and peep shows just down the street at Clark Avenue. It wasn't pretty.
Great Lakes Brewing rightfully claims to be the flagship of this urban renewal, buying a 19th-c. brick building at Market and 26th in 1988 to found Ohio's first craft brewery. They've since expanded the brewpub into several adjacent historic spaces and the brewery into the building across the street (the free tour of which is cool and serves as a nice prologue to dinner--and lets you skip the wait list at this very popular place).
The huge GLBC space is divided into multiple dining and bar areas, including a beer garden, rathskeller, and (literally) tons of the building's original wood manifested in the original mahogany bar. It is a beautiful space to grab a pint or three and dinner. The brewery doesn't overextend itself, featuring only about six year-round styles (including the famed Edmund Fitzgerald Porter), but the seasonals and experimental brews are piped in here directly from across the street (through a beer pipeline--how cool is that?).
Sadly, though, GLBC's menu is good but not great. The local and sustainable emphasis (much produce from the giant urban Ohio City Farm with whom they partner) is admirable, but several menu items lack imagination. Among recent orders, the white bean veggie burger was deliciously unusual and the pretzel-encrusted chicken fine in principle, but the meat was a touch dry for the latter and the smashed potatoes that accompanied the meal were rather dull. Cést la vie.
So I'm withholding a star from this super cool place because I know that there's a better meal in there. But I'll surely be back to find out.
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