Orchard House Restaurant

If you live in Cleveland and you're not taking advantage of the weather this week, then you're crazy. Go find a patio, get some yard work done, take a walk...it's gorgeous! "R" and I had an errand to run last night (in preparation for my Kentucky Derby trip this weekend- yay!), so we found ourselves near Southpark Mall at dinnertime. We decided to drive down Pearl Road for a bit to see if we could find something, patio preferred. Suddenly, "R" thought of Mapleside Farms.

The Orchard House Restaurant is a member of the Driftwood Group (Hodge's, Washington Place Bistro, The Welshfield Inn, etc.) since January of this year.

The view alone was worth the stop.

We were the only ones sitting on the outdoor deck upstairs! What are you people doing trapped inside of a dining room on a day like this? Crazy.

The menu was not extensive, but it has a nice variety of appetizers, soups, salads, sandwiches, and "farm fresh fare" to choose from. We were in the mood to share a few small plates, so we decided to split the Mackenzie Salad with a blush dressing, mixed greens, Mackenzie Creamery goat cheese, red onion, fresh berries, and candied walnuts ($6.99- half portion pictured).

It was light, fresh, and we both loved the dressing.

We are shared an order of the Vegetable Bruschetta with tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, fresh basil, minced garlic, Romano cheese, basil vinaigrette, toasted baguette, and balsamic syrup drizzle ($8.49).

A little more balsamic would have gone a long way on this dish. It was light, and felt like summer was just around the corner as we were eating it, but overall it was a tad bland in flavor.

Last up was a plate of the Pulled Pork Nachos, served with fresh corn tortilla chips piled high with a three cheese sauce, smokehouse barbecued pulled pork, shredded cheddar, diced tomatoes, sour cream, and scallions ($10.99).

The sweet barbecue sauce on the pork was very flavorful, and it was clearly a quality pork product used. I also really appreciated that the creamy three cheese sauce was used as a base, so you weren't left with a bunch of dry tortilla chips once the layer of toppings was gone. You don't often see this with nachos.

Overall, we were pleasantly surprised by the food, and the view was spectacular last night of the orchard. For a casual bite with a unique view, go check out Orchard House Restaurant in Brunswick. Our server was also outstanding, and he told us that they plan to host free live music on the grassy hill in front of the restaurant this summer.

This was a great find last night, and it certainly made our night to be sitting outside munching on some good food. While it may not be in the caliber of Hodge's or Washington Place, you can see the Driftwood touch here. We'll be back.

Orchard House Restaurant
294 Pearl Road
Brunswick, OH 44212
330-225-5576