During the last Cleveland Independents' gift certificate sale, "R" bought one for Don's Lighthouse. We are both seafood lovers, and we've heard good things about the food at both Don locations (other being Don's Pomeroy House).Now I can't write about the atmosphere or decor because my boyfriend is a huge fan of sitting at the bar, and I happen to give in on this night. Is it just me, or do any other short girls out there have trouble sitting at the bar for a long time with your feet just dangling?! What does a girl have to do to get a supportive foot rest at a reasonable height for a shortie like me? We didn't even get a glance in the dining room.
So on to the food....We started with the Don’s Sampler- mozzarella & tomato napoleon, two jumbo shrimp cocktail, crab cake ($12.50). The napoleon included fresh mozzarella, olive oil, crostini, vine ripe tomato, basil, and a balsamic reduction. The tomato was sweet even though the season was certainly over, and the balsamic reduction added just a little "zing" to the dish. My only complaint was that the crostini was a little over-toasted. The shrimp cocktail was pretty standard, but good. Both of the Don's locations are famous for their crabcakes- each prepared slightly different. It had a nice fresh crab flavor, and the pieces were quite large. The sauce was tasty but not overpowering, and the corn added a hint of sweetness to it.
I ordered the George’s Bank Sea Scallops- cast iron seared, asiago pine nut risotto, swiss chard, lemon beurre blanc ($27) off of the Dinner Menu. Don's Lighthouse offers a Dinner and Lounge Menu, and both are available in the lounge which is nice. The scallops were cooked to perfection, and the lemon beurre blanc sauce was heavenly. The light sauce complimented the risotto and swiss chard as well, so I made sure to get a little bit in every bite. The risotto was very nice, and "R" stole several bites off my plate. He ordered the King Crab Mac N Cheese- penne pasta, king crab, grilled shrimp, manchego & asiago cream, English peas, lemon chive crust ($13). The dish was very rich, but very good if you are prepared for it. It was a beautiful balance of chunks of seafood, pasta, flavorful cheeses, and a little crunch when you mixed the crust in.
While it didn't become one of our top restaurants in Cleveland to frequent, I think we'll be back. Overall the food was impressive (besides the terrible dessert that isn't even worth mentioning), and we are always up for a good crabcake!
Don's Lighthouse
8905 Lake Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44102
(216) 961-6700
1 comments:
We'd received a $100 dollar gift certificate for Don's Lighthouse and struggled to spend it all. I would say their biggest positive is decent food with incredible value. Would I go there with my own money? No, but it's a great place to take people, like my dad, who like a lot of food for less money.
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