The new trys were fried Brussels sprouts, risotto balls, and a chicken parm sandwich. The rice nuggets looked more like big marshmallows than balls but were huge. Crispy brown panko exterior, tender starchy rice inside, bright red pepper coulis beneath, and a few fronds of sweet/sour dill on top. Miles better than the crab cake we slogged through the first visit. The sprouts were even better. Fried, yup with just brown edges, then tossed with walnuts, capers, pancetta, and parmesan cheese in a red wine vinaigrette. Crispy salty porkiness, salty nutty cheese, salty lemony capers, wally(?) nuts and really sharp dressing. Very tasty.
 

Wasn't Sure At First...
 

...But Sprouts Loaded With Interesting Flavors
 

Arancini Look Like Big Brown Marshmallows
 

And Are Better Than Some
 

Summer Salad Is Still Fresh & Tasty
 

Ciao.
 

Surprisingly Good
 

With Desirable Fries
 

The Wolf Creek Tavern
 Copley, Ohio        Date of Visit  08/22/14          http://www.wolfcreektavern.com

Let’s be honest. This place has the scent of curse surrounding the building. There have been more restaurants in this location since I moved to the area than I can begin to remember (I do remember the travesty called Amatos). The latest nameplate affixed to the front seems to be embracing the history of the joint. They may be the most recent tenants but feature the 1840 date of inauguration.
 

The Building Is Historically Gorgeous
 

The place is just gorgeous if you like the uneven floors and weathered woodwork a couple of hundred years brings to a building. I love it.

Our server was somewhere in the realm of functional, he seemed a little out of place, sort of like the Irish music in a place with nary a corned beef and cabbage option on the menu. We saw the owner talking to another table and the music made a little more sense in a New American joint.

We ordered a couple of small salads, the crab cake and two sandwiches and were surprised by much of it. The disappointment was the crab cake. Imagine that, an uninspired crab cake in Norton Ohio. This thing was wet, sloppy and lacking in the crab department. Why restaurants worlds away from the water and deals on succulent lumps of ocean bugs try crab cakes is anyone’s guess.
 

The salads were another matter all together. We ordered the halves and they were enormous. The beet salad with baby kale, goat cheese, pine nuts, red onion, fennel and a honey Dijon dressing is really well done. Even Steph (not a beet/onion/fennel fan) enjoyed the bright and earthy mix. It was delicious. We had heard about someone wanting to lick the plate after finishing the mixed berry salad, I would have done it. Mixed greens are topped with bleu cheese, dried cranberries, loads of berries all at their peak (except for the strawberries), candied pecans and topped with a maple balsamic dressing. The candied pecans included a dusting of something akin to cinnamon sugar being sprinkled on the top of the salad like fairy dust. I should have hated it but the sweet crunch ended up being delicious. Score two hits for the salads.
 

Both Of The Salads Were...
 

Steph orderd the BBQ roasted pork sandwich with cheddar and house made slaw. The pork was tender and juicy, the sauce was a little on the sweet side for me, but the oddly pinkly pickled slaw sliced through the sugar almost enough. Not a bad sandwich. I ordered the blue moon burger with grilled portabello mushroom, peppered bacon, bleu cheese and rootbeer braised onions. This thing had only one shortcoming, the patty needed something called seasoning. Fortunately, the toppings made up for the miss. Lots of spicy bacon, earthy mushrooms, sweet onions holding onto just a bit of their original acidic bite, and tangy cheese. A well done burger.
 

We added a peach cobbler at the end, which took us back towards the crab cake. The fruit wasn’t bad, but the ramekin had been pulled from the oven too soon and the lattice pie dough on top was rawly doughy and unpleasant. The new iteration in the historical building in Norton did some things exceptionally well, and some need improvement. Still the best I’ve had from the string of occupants so far.