The Cabin has been a fixture on Lake Shore Boulevard in Willowick for a long, long time.
And I hadn’t been to the restaurant in a long time, not since my father would take us there for the occasional family dinner when I was a kid.

That was well before the place burned down in the early 1990s and was rebuilt to look very much how it did before, according to the history on its website.

Between the fact that I had never tried the place as an adult and that it has been under new management since June, I was eager to check it out.

Read more at Entertainment Editor Mark Meszoros' review: Dining Out: Wonderful meal at The Cabin has but one drawback.

When one of our friends suggested we make a visit to Kickstart Grille at Coach's Tavern in Willowick, it didn't take a lot of convincing for me to go. A new place with fresh bar food in a casual environment? I'm in.

So my wife and I and another couple visited on a recent Saturday, and it wasn't until we pulled into the parking lot that we realized Coach's Tavern is the former site of Buffalo Wild Wings. That, of course, is long gone, but none of us had been there since it left.

Actually, it didn't completely leave. The layout of the place is similar, with the kitchen distinctly separated from the bar, the way all BW3s seem to be set up. If you forced me to wager, I'd say that the formica-topped high tables and stools that populate the dining room are also holdovers.

Coach's is in a lot of ways the prototypical neighborhood bar – on the dim side, not too big, quite a few flat-screen TVs. But not-so-typical is the food part of the equation. Kickstart Grille arrived in January, and is not fully integrated – at least not yet – into the whole place. For example, we ordered and paid separately for food and drinks.

Lake County native Dennis Blakeslee is the one who has brought Kickstart into Coach's, which was without a kitchen for some time and is now open for lunch. He takes pride in using only fresh ingredients throughout the menu, which is dotted with the description “disgustingly delicious.” And a fair amount of bacon.

Read more at Correspondent Mark Koestner's review: Dining Out: Kickstart Grill at Coach's Tavern in Willowick is a kick.

You might remember it from its long-ago turn as a Ground Round, a family-type restaurant with reliable sandwiches, salads and steaks on the menu.

In the days since its 2005 closure, the building on the east end of Shoregate Shopping Center in Willowick has housed several eateries, often with very similar menus.

But, a few months ago, the space re-opened as The Garage Grill & Bar, and I’m here to tell you that someone has gotten it right.

The building was gutted and recreated as a single-room space, with a huge bar in the center and plenty of reminders of the restaurant’s name, with corrugated metal on the walls and a shiny cement floor that, with a little bit of daydreaming, could easily bring to mind visions of the greasy rags and rolling tool cases that you’d see in repair shops nearby.

But there’s no confusing your whereabouts once you crack open the menu and find some creative choices.

Read more in Laura Kessel's review: Dining Out: The Garage Grill & Bar at well-known Willowick spot gets it right.

A few months ago, a smoker suddenly appeared in front of the building that has housed many a coffee shop and restaurant over the past few years.

I figured it was a summer thing, until a coworker arrived with a menu for Bear Creek Barbeque Grill on Vine Street in Willowick and told me it was a must-visit for someone like me, who proclaims herself a fan of that genre of food.

He kept after me for a few weeks until my husband and I and couple of friends ventured out on a rainy Saturday night for dinner.

When we got inside, I mentioned my friend had been after me to try it out, and that he’d told me that the owner had given him a tour of the place and showed off the fact that everything is homemade on site.

Read more from Managing Editor Laura Kessel's review Dining Out: Bear Creek in Willowick adds tasty barbecue to its offerings.

Without much to choose from in the kitchen, my boyfriend and I decided to pick something up for lunch Saturday afternoon. We turned to the "Our Town And All-Around Dining Directory," which has become our guide and determinant for where to dine recently. The coupon for free cheesy bread with an extra large pizza led us to order from Marco's Pizza.

Neither of us had ever had Marco's before, and we were both pretty happy with our choice. For $13, we had more than enough food for the both of us. The pepperoni pizza we ordered was tasty, and I particularly liked the cheesy bread and the marinara sauce for dipping. I also was a big fan of the cold leftovers. The cheesy bread box proclaimed that Marco's tastes great cold, and it really does.

Marco's Pizza
Locations in Chardon, Euclid, Mentor-on-the-Lake, South Euclid, Willoughby and Willowick
Visit Marco's Pizza Store Locations to find the restaurant closest to you

If you're interested in your own "Our Town and All-Around Dining Directory" coupon book, you can get one when your News-Herald subscription is set up for EZ Pay, which is the automatic deduction from your credit card every month. You can also order one online at www.ourtownandallaround.com.

-- Cheryl Sadler