It’s practically inevitable: Every now and then, there comes a day when you just need a good burger. And with the renowned chefs and higher-end restaurants offering their takes on them these days, dedicated foodies have found new ways to enjoy the American favorite.

From The Twisted Paddy Facebook page

That’s definitely the case with The Twisted Paddy in Mentor, which opened in March. Owned by the same local group that operates Croagh Patrick’s Pub and The Wild Goose in Willoughby, it’s a burger place that goes well beyond your average burger.

Every wonder what peanut butter on a burger would be like? Want to try goat cheese guacamole? The build-your-own burger option gives you 50-some options to choose from, including your choice of bun, patty and even the seasoning rub. If you’re one of those people who stumbles indecisively when asked what kind of cheese you want on your burger, you might have trouble here – there are 10 to choose from.

Read all of Correspondent Mark Koestner's review: Dining Out: Twisted Paddy, a build-your-own-burger restaurant in Mentor, worth a visit.

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.

A couple of weeks ago, as I was thinking about being out of town for Cinco de Mayo, it struck me that I hadn’t been to a Mexican restaurant IN TOWN in quite some time. I decided it was time to change that, and started looking for a new one to experience.

 That’s a task in and of itself because I feel like I’ve been to them all. Yet I stumbled upon a place that opened nearly four years ago, yet was one I’d never heard of. I noticed it only because of a mention on social media.

The place is Jalisco in Eastlake, housed in the building that, last I remembered, was the Chagrin Tavern on Lake Shore Boulevard. I still feel like I found it by accident, but let’s just say I’m glad I did.

Read more of Correspondent Mark Koestner's review: Dining Out: Eastlake's Jalisco makes an impression among Mexican restaurants.

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.

I remember seeing Sterle’s Country House in Cleveland on an episode of Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” a few years ago and, recalling the place from my childhood, thinking that it was none of those.

It’s not, but it’s not exactly the place from my childhood, either.

Frank Sterle opened what used to be known as Frank Sterle’s Slovenian Country House on East 55 Street in 1954. If you have Slovenian roots and have lived in Cleveland at any time since then, you’ve probably been to the place. Sterle died in 1986, and the restaurant was operated by new partners from then until 2012, when Rick Semersky bought it.

It’s still going to be known simply as “Sterle’s” (ster-LEES) by most of its longstanding clientele, so the tweak to the name isn’t a big deal. A bigger deal is that there’s now an outdoor bier garden, waitresses in black T-shirts instead of the traditional dirndl, and some items on the menu that Frank Sterle didn’t serve.

We went on a recent Saturday, doing Sterle’s the way it is best experienced: in a large group and when there’s live polka music. This is what hasn’t changed from the years gone by – families dance while accordions loudly pump out songs that everybody present has heard a thousand times. The band the night of our visit started at 6, and by 7 the large dining hall inside the Alpine ski-lodge-styled old building was nearly full.

Read more from Correspondent Mark Koestner at Dining Out: Cleveland Slovenian fixture boasts uneven food but a fun time for families, polka fans.

In December, on a day taken off for Christmas shopping, I popped into the new Granite City Food and Brewery at Legacy Village in Lyndhurst. 

Opened in November in the space formerly inhabited by Joseph-Beth Booksellers, the restaurant is part of a 30-location chain that started in St. Cloud, Minn., and now has a presence in 13 states. 

It was mid-afternoon, and I had eaten lunch not that long before, so I just bellied up to the appealing bar to try one of their beers, settling on the Broad Axe Stout. Described as having notes of chocolate and coffee, the oatmeal stout sounded great on the blustery day. I enjoyed the mellow atmosphere in the big, open place and did peek at the menu, so I was interested in coming back for a meal.

That opportunity presented itself on the first real day of the NCAA men’s college basketball tournament, aka March Madness. A buddy and I took a break from binge watching to fill up on food and, of course, a little beer.

Read more in Entertainment Editor Mark Meszoros' review Dining Out: Granite City Food & Brewery at Legacy Village pairs good beer, food for fine time.

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.