Now is the perfect time to take a trek to the west side of town to visit Great Lakes Brewing Company. Oktoberfest is in season.

I tried this beer for the first time a couple of weeks ago and was hooked. It's fine in the bottle, but straight from the tap at Great Lakes Brewing Company, it is divine. If Oktoberfest isn't your thing, several other beers are on tap. And it's not just the beer that's good at Great Lakes. The menu has a plethora of delicious-sounding options, making it a tough decision (and ensuring that I will be back again soon).

During my most recent trip, my boyfriend and I split the 3 Onion Bruschetta (Shallot, chive, Videlia onion, mozzarella cheese, brewer's barley bread crostini) as an appetizer. The bruschetta is slightly sweet, cheesy, and very tasty. For the main course, I ordered the Old World Burger (Smoked cheddar, bacon, fried onion straws, housemade Edmund Fitzgerald Porter barbecue sauce, pretzel roll) and he the Pretzel Chicken (Gerber's chicken encrusted with pretzel, mashed potatoes, seasonal vegetables, Burning River Pale Ale mustard sauce). My dish came with thinly cut fries; I was expecting thicker fries but still enjoyed them, but my boyfriend wasn't a big fan of the skinny option. The mashed potatoes that accompanied his chicken were good and flavorful.

The worst part about our dishes was that I liked them so much, I might have trouble ordering something different the next time I go. But I have my eye on:

• Grilled Chicken Sandwich (Grilled Gerber's chicken breast marinated in Dortmunder Gold Lager, bacon, lettuce, herb mayonnaise, pretzel bun)
• Pulled Pork Sandwich (Dee Jay's pulled pork, housemade Edmund Fitzgerald Porter barbecue sauce, cole slaw)
• Caprese Sandwich (Tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil on a ciabatta roll with balsamic drizzle)
• Bratwurst & Pierogi (Dortmunder Gold Lager bratwurst, potato and cheese pierogi, braised red cabbage, sour cream, Dijon mustard)
• Fresh Garden Pasta (Fresh pasta with garden vegetables, garlic and olive oil sauce)
• Veggie Tacos (Two veggie tacos with squash, zucchini, carrots, black bean puree, pico de gallo, mozzarella cheese)

I'm going to need to plan another trip to the west side soon ...

Great Lakes Brewing Company
2516 Market Ave., Cleveland
216-771-4404
glbcinfo@greatlakesbrewing.com
www.greatlakesbrewing.com
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-- Cheryl Sadler | CSadler@News-Herald.com | @nhcheryl