It has since become a fixture in Lake County’s dining and entertainment scene, but there was a time when Redhawk Grille was a fledgling business.

It was about 20 years ago, when it first opened, that I first ate there. My in-laws lived (and still do) nearby, and we gave it a try. Since then, we’ve been back dozens of times — but only during the summer to eat out on the fantastic patio.

So until a couple weeks ago, it had been nearly two decades since I had eaten a meal inside Redhawk’s actual walls. I figured that a re-opening after a fire closed the place for four months was as good a time as any. Redhawk opened again in December after sustaining mostly cosmetic damage in the August blaze.

The most obvious changes made post-fire are on Redhawk’s bar side. It’s definitely more modern, with a new bar, stone surfaces and updated fixtures, and it features more seating than in the past. It’s got more of an upscale, lively feel to it.

Read more in Mark Koestner's review: Dining Out: Concord Township’s Redhawk Grille soars since reopening following 2012 fire.