Notch Ya Typical Nachos

Last month, I attended a preview tasting of Reddstone's summer menu. It was my first time there, and I enjoyed almost all of the five dishes served and subsequently fell in love with their patio. I knew that a return visit was in my future, and soon.

Just before our recent vacation (it was wonderful by the way, but it's good to be back), I convinced "R" to head over there after work one night. It was a perfect patio night, we had a $25 gift certificate, and I was curious to order from their regular menu. I had caught a glimpse of a few items that sounded excellent when we were there the first time. One of them being the Macho Nachos ($8)- house baked tortillas, grilled chicken, pickled radish, jalapeno, scallion, cheddar jack cheese, house made salsa, and spicy sour cream. It was Allison that first pointed them out at our blogger tasting, and I couldn't wait to try them. Which is strange, because I am not usually a "nacho girl". But the combination of their ingredients, with a few key components made in-house, sounded too tempting to resist. Luckily, "R" is a "nacho guy" so I knew that I would have no complaints from him if I wanted to order them. The tower of nachos arrived, and I was glad that we had decided to hold off on ordering any additional food because it was huge! I did bypass the chicken (who hates chicken? Just me, I know.), but the rest of the toppings were fresh and created a wonderful blend of texture and flavor. I guess you could say that this appetizer turned us into a "nacho couple" for once.

We then decided to split the Black & Blue Burger ($9)- grilled sirloin, pancetta, balsamic mushroom, gorgonzola, and swiss. We also opted to add a fried egg for an additional $2. Slap an egg on any burger and I'm one happy girl. We attempted to order the sweet potato fries as our side dish, but they were out for the evening. From the previous visit, I knew that I didn't like their homemade seasoned fries. They are seasoned with rosemary, and if you have been following this blog for a while then you know that I now hate rosemary with a passion thanks to Porter's. Sorry, brother! I made mention of this preference to our server, and she quickly offered to ask the kitchen to hold the rosemary. I was surprised by the willingness to adjust the fries for us, and we happily accepted. To be fair, I still didn't love the fries. Without the seasoning, they were very dry and bland. Also, I am just not a shoestring french fry fan as much as I try to like them. Give me steak fries any day! The burger however...was a great burger. Cooked a little more than we traditionally prefer (ordered medium and it came out medium well)- it was still juicy and well-seasoned. They probably snuck some rosemary in there undetected. The real highlight of the burger were the balsamic mushrooms. Balsamic vinegar can easily be overpowering in any dish, but the addition of this component was thoughtfully subtle and complimented the rest of the flavors. We were really happy with our selection, and I would gladly order another burger at Reddstone.

It was a perfect sunny evening spent on their fantastic patio. I still have yet to see the inside of the bar, but I am certain that there will be many more visits spent on their patio this summer! What a great find in the Detroit Shoreway/Battery Park area...

Reddstone
1261 West 76th Street
Cleveland, OH 44107
(216) 651-6969