It’s on the National Register of Historic Places, but the Sawyer Home in Mentor has a recent history of housing eateries with, well, short histories. In the last 15 or so years, it’s been home to at least four different restaurants.

Its latest occupant, Local Tavern, has a shot at making history. That’s to say it’s not hard to envision it sticking around for a while.

Locally owned by the same group that operates the flagship in Willoughby Hills, the Mentor location opened in June. Unlike its predecessor in the 170-year-old Sawyer home, the out-of-retirement version of Frank and Pauly’s that lasted only a year there, Local Tavern has figured out how to fit its style to the space. Four separate bars, an entertainment stage in the main room and strategically placed TVs work with the building’s cut-up layout better. The lively music and rock-themed décor make the whole place inviting and fun. You can watch sports there, but it’s not a sports bar.

Calling it a “tavern” is fitting. It’s more bar than restaurant, but Local Tavern is also a bar that foodies can get into. With a focus on fresh local ingredients, a tight menu and 30-some beers on tap — including a fair selection of micro-brews — it has a little bit of a higher-end feel to it, but without hitting your wallet on the high end.

Read more on Correspondent Mark Koestner's review: Dining Out: Mentor's Local Tavern does interesting bar food at historic spot.

The new crepes restaurant in Downtown Willoughby is pretty amazing.

I had lunch at Crepes in the City the other day with Managing Editor Laura Kessel, who reviewed it this week (Dining Out: Willoughby's new Crepes in the City does just fine with the savory, astounds with the sweet). I agree with everything she said about the eatery, and I'm looking forward to going back. I mean, the Strawtella crepe has got to be in the top 5 desserts I've ever had, and I'm guessing the other sweet offerings would be strong contenders for that list as well.

Some more pictures from Crepes in the City:

Breakfast menu

Main menu

Customized art

Hawaiian crepe (with roasted pineapple sauce on top)

Strawtella — stuffed with strawberries and Nutella

-- Cheryl Sadler | CSadler@News-Herald.com | @nhcheryl

The Good Living in Mentor section that appears in Thursday's News-Herald (Sept. 20) offers plenty of information about new restaurants opening in Mentor. Check out all the stories by Jean Bonchak and Betsy Scott below:

• Influx of restaurants ramping up
• Caribbean fare served up in Mentor's Maracas
• Zoup!'s on in Points East Plaza
• Tony Sacco's set to change look, tastes of Great Lakes Mall
• Five Guys fans soon to find locale in city
• Looking forward to Scrambler Marie's
• Mmmm ... It's Melt in Mentor
• Jimmy's Backyard BBQ serves up barbecue at its best
• Frank & Pauly's eatery fills historic home
• Familiar Brown Derby back in town
• Red, Wine & Brew expands to city

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
Facebook page
Great Lakes Brewing Co. on Twitter


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-- Cheryl Sadler | CSadler@News-Herald.com | @nhcheryl