Before there was Johnny Manziel, there was Bernie Kosar.

Despite some recent troubles — pleading no contest to reckless driving charges after charges of OVI and speeding were dismissed and being dropped by the Cleveland Browns and WKYC-TV 3 as the color analyst for the broadcast of the team’s preseason games — Kosar remains a beloved figure in Northeast Ohio.

The Boardman native maneuvered his way to becoming the Browns quarterback after his time at the University of Miami, and he led the Browns during some very fun seasons in the late 1980s.

We love Kosar here, and we don’t care who knows it.

The osso bucco at Kosar's Wood-Fired Grill

So when Kosar’s Wood-Fired Grill opened in December at the new Hard Rock Rocksino at Northfield Park, it became more noteworthy than any new steakhouse, if only because of its name. The restaurant is owned by Northfield Park Associates and Hard Rock International. According to a spokeswoman for the Rocksino, there is an agreement with Kosar, but she declined to provide specifics.

Read more of Entertainment Editor Mark Meszoros' review: Dining Out: Kosar's Wood-Fired Grill a fine dining option at Hard Rock Rocksino Northfield Park.

Plenty of times this past spring and summer, I played golf at Madison Country Club and looked with curiosity on the clubhouse. I’d heard rumors about restaurateur Nicholas Kustala, owner of the Vault Steakhouse, also in Madison, being involved in a new restaurant there.

As it turns out, the property was purchased out of receivership in August, and Kustala’s group is no longer involved in the eatery there, which used to be called Allure. Now it’s just Madison Country Club, and I finally scratched the itch of my curiosity on a recent Saturday evening.

Walking through the lobby to the restaurant, you’re reminded right away that the building used to be a true country club, though now both the course and restaurant are now open to the public. The entrance way can be described as grand, and the restaurant itself — while updated with a more contemporary vibe — still has the dark hardwood, white tablecloths and ornate chandeliers you might expect in such a space.

The menu, however, isn’t exactly what you might expect.

Read more of Correspondent Mark Koestner's review "Dining Out: Madison Country Club adds surprisingly modern flair to food."

The Cleveland-area restaurant scene has no shortage of quality steak houses. For those of us in Lake County, however, the true steak house experience has meant driving west.

But Cuyahoga County no longer holds exclusivity on at least one part of the top steak house formula. Vault Steak House and Wine Room, on the square in Madison, has brought high-end steaks to Lake County.

Read more in correspondent Mark Koestner's review Dining Out: Madison's Vault Steak House dry-ages, cooks steaks to perfection.