Fairview Tavern

I'm slowly making my way down the 2012 "To Dine" list that I set back in January. Some friends, both old and new, helped me knock another one off of the list-- Fairview Tavern. Located on Lorain Road in Fairview Park, it was not only a new restaurant that I was visiting, but a new area that I was exploring too. I can't say that I've really spent any time around there. The restaurant was a little hard to find. It's tucked away in a strip of businesses, and the neon sign just states "Tavern".

We had a party of five, and the place was already pretty busy by the time we arrived at 6:30PM, so we were seated on the slightly elevated stage in the back. It felt a little weird sitting down, with all lights (and eyes?) on us, but once we started chatting-- then I forgot where we were.

The menu offered a little bit of everything-- an assortment of appetizers, soups, salads, entrees, sandwiches, and pizza. The Fairview Tavern offers a ton of different specials throughout the week, and Monday night happened to be Pizza Night. $5 personal cheese pizza with 50 cent toppings, 40 cent wings, and $2 brat sandwich.

It was suggested that we get an order of the Black-n-Bleu Chips ($7) for the table, with freshly fried tavern chips topped with chunky bleu cheese and baked until hot and bubbly, finished with a balsamic reduction. A little something different that you don't see every day on a bar menu. We happily munched away.

I wanted to try their pizza, but instead of doing the build-your-own special of the night, I went with one of their specialty pizzas-- Prosciutto and Goat Cheese with garlic butter, red onions, kalamata olives, and thin slices of prosciutto sprinkled with mozzarella, provolone, and goat cheese ($11).

For a personal pizza, it was huge. I had a ton left over to take home with me, which "R" didn't mind. Overall, it was a really good pizza. Very doughy, great balance of flavors with the creamy goat cheese, salty and crispy prosciutto, and I loved the addition of the olives. Worth driving over to Fairview Park for from where I live? Probably not.

But it was a great hole-in-the-wall bar, and their menu is well beyond your standard pub fare. One of my friends ordered the Meatballs, and they were seriously the biggest balls that I've ever seen. Yes, we had fun joking about balls all night. You can tell that a lot of their food is made in-house, or locally. They also offer several different specials throughout the week.

I had never heard of the Fairview Tavern before it was suggested for my "To Dine" list, it brought me to a new neighborhood, and I enjoyed a good meal...exactly what I was looking for. Thank you!

Help me select the 2013 "To Dine" restaurants by leaving a comment on this blog post: http://www.bitebuff.com/2012/12/time-to-pick-2013-to-dine.html

I'll pick 10 restaurants from the comments, and announce the list on the first of the year.

Fairview Tavern
21867 Lorain Road
Fairview Park, OH