Bar Symon

Bar Symon

32858 Walker Road

Avon Lake, Ohio

440-933-5652

http://www.barsymon.com/


I finally made it to one of Michael Symon’s Restaurants. Who is Michael Symon, you might ask? If you watch the Food Network or are familiar with the local Cleveland food circuit, then you probably know. If not, let me tell you a little bit about him. Michael Symon was born and raised on the west side of Cleveland. He owns 5 restaurants, four of which are in Cleveland. They are Lola Bistro (Downtown), Lolita (Tremont), Bar Symon (Avon Lake) and B Spot Burgers (Woodmere). Lola and Lolita are more upscale and Bar Symon and B Spot have a more laid back atmosphere. The fifth restaurant is in Detroit called Roast.

Michael made a name for himself on the Food Network in 2007 when he won the first ever ‘Next Iron Chef’ competition. He now competes regularly on the Iron Chef. He also starred in the fifth season of ‘Dinner Impossible’ where he met various food challenges across the country for different events. The menu chosen had to be prepared in a certain amount of time. He was named the ‘Best Chef in the Great Lakes Region’ for 2009. You can also catch him at the Cleveland Fabulous Food Show at the I-X Center each November giving food demonstrations.

Now that you know a little bit about Michael Symon, let’s get on to my experience at Bar Symon. This is one of his newer establishments. Even though I’ve never been to any of his other restaurants, I do know that this one encompasses a more casual dining experience than Lola or Lolita. You can feel free to dine in jeans if you like and it is family friendly. There were a number of families with children. You will also enjoy rock n’ roll music piping from the speakers. I heard AC/DC and Led Zeppelin, to name a few.

The restaurant is located at the end of a plaza, which is great for the patio you will be able to enjoy when the weather gets nice. The inside is one big room with a bar to your right and the dining area in front of you. There will also be a private dining room available for parties of 30-150. The bar includes an eclectic selection of beer from all over the world and 38 of them are on tap! Most of them I’ve never heard of, but they did have my friend Guiness, which was fine with me.

The décor was a combination of hand-carved woodwork, pigs, butcher’s diagrams on mirrors, metal ceiling tiles, Ruffoni (hammered copper) Italian cookware and more. The wait staff was very friendly and service was great! There were 7 people in my party and one of the girls wasn’t crazy about her steak so they took it off her bill stating ‘we aren’t going to make you pay for something you didn’t like’. Everyone else enjoyed their meals immensely.

The food menu is like no other you’ve ever seen! There’s a ‘Sausage Board’ that includes a selection of kielbasa, veal bratwurst, spicy lamb, pork & fennel and morcilla (Spanish blood sausage). There’s a variety of ‘Symwiches’ including a BBBLT with fresh bacon, smoked bacon and bacon mayo; Beef Tongue (don’t know if I’ll ever be adventurous enough to want to try that!), The Quack (duck confit) and the Zorba, which is his version of a gyro with lamb sausage.

The entrees include twists on old favorites like Duck Paprikash and Mac & Cheese with rigatoni, chicken and goat cheese. The burger menu has three unforgettable burgers: the ‘Lola’ with a fried egg on top, the ‘Shroomage’ with portabello and blue cheese and the ‘Fat Doug’ with pastrami, coleslaw, mustard and swiss. I got the Lola and it was delicious. It was served with rosemary french fries and their housemade ketchup.

You will also want to check out their ‘Happy Hour’ and Sunday Brunch. Happy Hour is M-F from 5-6:30 and Sunday from 2-4. You’ll enjoy happy hour prices as well as a special ‘Happy Snacks’ menu. Sunday Brunch is from 10-2 and has an entirely different menu including a Pork Pastrami Hash, Brunch Burrito with scrambled eggs, duck confit and jack cheese, Stuffed French Toast with mascarpone cheese, almonds and strawberries and Chicken and Waffles. I definitely want to go back for the brunch!

If you’ve tried Bar Symon or any of his other restaurants, please share your experience with me.