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 Sawyer House Executive Chef Jaret Havanchak presents his beef tartare appetizer. The restaurant's summer menu is peppered with lighter, cooler fare and many seafood selections.
Photo by Laura Freeman
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The beautiful stone building that is home to Sawyer House Restaurant & Taverne is somehow not lost between a large modern medical center and a strip center on Mentor Avenue. In fact, as one of just three stone structures left in Lake County, the building actually stands out among the larger, newer and shinier buildings surrounding it.
Inside, what gets lost in the serene atmosphere is the busy city of Mentor. The dense carpeting, thick stone walls, plank ceiling and barn-sided wainscoting act as insulation from virtually all outdoor noise. Short walls, frosted glass, wine barrels and wine racks divide the room, giving the place a feeling of intimacy.
Pulley-operated ceiling fans are the only real evidence of the building’s roots. Wayside Gardens, a large mail-order nursery, had its headquarters there before moving to South Carolina about two decades ago as Mentor grew. Other incarnations include an office building and Grinders, a sandwich shop. No one could remember the name of another restaurant housed there.
Changed seasonally, the lunch menu for the summer is not likely to be so easily forgotten. Fruit salsas, lime marinated meats and fish, vanilla bean and butter sauces are the signatures of this menu. It includes lighter fare and many seafood selections.
Appetizers such as a refreshing rock shrimp ceviche marinated in lime juice with mango, cucumbers, tomatoes and onions and a grilled shrimp wrap with lettuce, tomato, avocado and mozzarella cheese are two light examples.
Sandwiches, including a Kobe beef burger and a chicken salad croissant, come with a choice of fresh fruit or red skin potato salad.
Seafood comes grilled, seared, poached and blackened for $12 to $17. Most are served with those skinny green beans no one but the French can pronounce correctly and deep-fried basmati rice croquettes that I thought were pretty nondescript and mostly tasteless.
My companion’s seared tuna entrée was fork-tender and spiced with a blackened crust. My grilled black grouper was tender and moist, the tropical fruit salsa and coconut cream a mouthwatering topper.
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The frozen milk chocolate praline mousse and warm strawberry banana ragout were almost too pretty to eat.
Photo by Laura Freeman |
Even the potatoes served with some entrées are light. Boniato potatoes are simply white sweet potatoes. They are not as sweet, and have a mild, delicate flavor and a fluffy texture.
My dining partner and I agreed the lobster bisque was a little too salty and buttery. I was excited to hear our server Roxanne announce the soup of the day, vichyssoise, something I’ve always wanted to try. The cold leek and potato soup was tasty, though I still don’t understand why it is served cold. Although not light (it’s made with heavy cream), it is a perfect soup for a hot summer day.
The light theme ends with lunch. Rack of lamb, coffee-dusted bison, Kobe beef strip steak, grilled pork chops and veal steaks, an airline breast of pheasant, and lobster fettuccini round out the dinner menu. Not much light there.
Diners can choose to eat lunch or dinner in the attached courtyard. The Vintner’s Cottage is the site of wine tastings and a retail wine store with a selection of more than 12,000 bottles. On Tuesdays patrons can choose a bottle from the cottage to accompany dinner with no corking fee.
Desserts are artfully prepared, with presentation being key. Frozen milk chocolate praline mousse, dark chocolate cherry flourless torte and chocolate soufflé should be enough to keep the chocoholics happy. Others include fruit with ice wine sauce, a daily cheesecake, crème brûlée sampler and house churned sorbets and ice creams.
Proprietor Mark Fuerst also is owner of the Inn at Fowler’s Mill and the Brown Barn Party Center in Geauga County. Sawyer House Cafe at Lake Metroparks Farmpark in Kirtland is his latest addition. The cafe at Farmpark is open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, Sunday 11 a.m.-5 p.m. It is not necessary to pay park admission to eat at the cafe.
John Venen, Lake Metroparks marketing manager, often eats lunch there. He said the cafe is a welcome addition to Farmpark.
“Since opening in late January, the food and service have been very well received by visitors and staff alike,” Venen said. “The quality and variety of foods for all ages is complemented by the exceptional value received in the quantity of food.”
Same goes for the Mentor location where lunch is served from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Dinner is served from 5-10 p.m. Monday through Thursday; Fridays and Saturdays till 11 p.m.
For reservations or information on catering, call 440-358-0100.
Laura Freeman writes regularly about restaurants for the Lake County Business Journal. Lfreeman@lakebusinessjournal.com.
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