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| - Stampers is a bit of an anomaly. If I had to describe it in under 20 words I'd say Stampers is the soul of a gastropub stuffed into the meat suit of a neighborhood sports bar. The building that houses Fairview Park's Stampers has the look and feel of an old VFW post. There's a patio outside, booths and high-tops inside and the requisite long bar along the back wall. Among the other notables on the inside are several very large HDTVs (apparently for the sports crowd as all of them were tuned to the same football game during our visit), a stage for live music and a large projection screen - movie nights? Overall, the décor was comfortable in a strip mall eatery kinda way. But I didn't head to Stampers to gawk at the furnishings.
Stampers has one of the best beer lists on the far west side of Cleveland. They've got an intelligently constructed menu of 24 constantly rotating taps that'll have even the most nerdy beer nerd quivering with anticipation. According to their website the list is updated three times a week. Other Yelpers have mentioned that they felt they had a more Belgian slant to their beer selection. While there were several Belgians on the list, I didn't get that. I thought the beers were a cosmopolitan mix of foreign and domestic craft brews.
The beer highlight from our visit was the Sierra Nevada Best of Beer Camp 2012 brews they had on tap. Every year Sierra Nevada releases a mixed boxed set of brews from its beer camps (Google it) and Stampers got their hands on four of this year's winners:
Imperial Pilsener (Beer Camp #43, Sticke Pilsener) - A doubly hoppy version of your standard straw yellow Czech-style beer
Imperial Red (Beer Camp #65, Redoric) - I'd call this one an IPA with an extra dose of malty goodness. Perfectly balanced.
Floral IPA (Beer Camp #53, Long Stem IPA) - Whose idea was it to use rose petals and rose hips in an IPA?! Breathe deeply and savor this one.
Oatmeal Stout (Beer Camp #45, Snowed In Stout) - A nice oily, chocolaty, heavily roasted thick mouthfeel brew. This one would be great in front of a roaring fire. When you want more than a Guinness.
Now for the food. Stampers menu is a great example of what happens when you have a chef that actually thinks about the food. It's concise, easy to follow and full of great American comfort foods. Here's the rundown of our experience:
Soft pretzels - I don't need to tell you what makes a good soft pretzel. When you have one like this you'll just know what I mean. Three soft doughy sticks sided with Dijon mustard and some of the best cheese sauce I've ever had - creamy, tangy, smoky, it had it all.
Goat Cheese Salad - This salad is nothing new to the scene but it's still one of my favorites. Mixed greens, goat cheese, candied walnuts, dried cranberries, and balsamic vinaigrette. The half-size was the perfect portion for one.
Southern Style Pork Tacos - A trio of pulled pork goodness. Flour tortillas filled with ample scoops of honey BBQ pig topped with spicy slaw, smoked cheddar, and fresh pico de gallo. The pork was tender and juicy and the spice level perfect.
Chicken Paprikash - I love me some Hungarian home cookin' and chicken paprikash is tops on my list. Stampers has managed to make one of the best versions of this historic comfort food I've ever tasted - sorry mom. The spaetzle were cooked perfectly, soft eggy dough that held on to the creamy sour cream paprika sauce for dear life. The chicken was cooked perfectly and the mixture of both thigh and breast meat was a nice touch. I can see myself coming back just for this dish. True food porn.
Stampers Bar was a pleasant surprise. If you can find it in yourself to not judge this book by its cover you'll be rewarded handsomely. This place has a fantastic beer list that easily holds its own against heavy hitters like Tremont's Tap House and Strongsville's Brew Kettle and some of the best pub food I've had since moving back home three months ago. You'll get friendly service, belly-filling grub and an itch to come back before you've even walked out the doors.
P.S.
Stampers is bike-friendly (any two-wheeled variety will do) and they've got a killer iron bike rack outside to prove it. You also get 10% off when you ride in.
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