The Burntwood Tavern
 Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio        Date of Visit  01/09/14    http://www.burntwoodtavern.com/cuyahoga-falls  

This mod I have marathon Thursdays with classes and since there is time for a small break after the first we will probably be trying some Falls lunch spots in the next few weeks. The first is the fifth outpost of a still relatively local joint which has opened down by the riverfront. Our lunch turned out to be a mixed bag but there is just something about the place that has us both interested in another visit, we will see. Part of our interest is the place itself.
 

Not only does it have a nice view of the river (the first time I’ve seen it since the dams were removed and it seems to still be running fairly strong), but the interior is also very nicely put together with exposed brick and structural steel, weathered barn wood and custom glass. Pretty darn snazzy for the Falls.

Service was another story. Our server seemed like a nice guy but he most closely resembled Beaky Buzzard who was bringing home a baby bumble bee in the cartoon but with all of the hustle and jazz of Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh. He was disappointing, what was irritating were the two managers who spent all but five minutes of our stay getting massaged by two beverage reps and never once looking around the tables to see if anyone might have used a hand. I hope the only people who stroke their egos aren’t sales pros…that would be infinitely sad…but they sure were enjoying the attention. No wonder Beaky/Eeyore seemed so aggravated (mildly) at times.
 

We ordered tuna nachos, smoke pork wings, a sandwich and streak & tots. The nachos started with a good idea… sashimi tuna, crisp wontons, avocado salsa, scallions & cilantro cream drizzle lined up on a long rectangle. There were quite a few of them, they just didn’t work well. The wontons were nice, the tuna was fresh but cut into cubes, which tumbled from their crunchy conveyances like fishy Yatzee, the avocado crushed any possible tuna flavor and the cream did nothing. This whole thing was shrieking for acid and any other flavor a redesign might provide.

The pork wings were better. They were definitely smoked, not in subtle fashion, which tasted pretty good but I paid for them throughout the last seven hours of class. Rib tips with a little bone still protruding, they were tasty and they arrived with three cups for dipping. The first was a peppered parmesan akin to ranch, ehhh. The last two delivered an unapologetic warm spice which worked well with the pork. The chipotle bbq was tangy with vinegar, a little sweet and finished with a mid range kick of chile. The srirach aioli did the same minus the tang and with some added richness. Mixed they worked really well.
 

Steph ordered the tavern flat-iron steak and tots. We considered the tots for an app but the steak came with and allowed us to try different apps. The steak was done well but like most cuts of beef more suited to a section of roast than a grill was more tough to chew and lacked the flavor that intramuscular fat and lack of use bring to more traditional cuts.  The tots were more like potato-based drop fry bread than the tater gems from the bag. Dense, heavy, cheesy, lumps. They tasted pretty good but you would have to struggle to get many of them down. The steak also came with blistered young asparagus, which were nicely prepared. All in all the steak plate could have been better.
 

My sandwich just was (better that is). Titled the “Munch” it consists of a thick stack of tender pot roast, topped with smoked gouda, cole slaw, tobacco onions & chipotle BBQ sauce all stuffed between two slices of black pepper bread. This thing just works in mysterious ways. Meaty, smokey, spicy, tangy…take a good Thai dish and put it between two slices of bread, all taste buds have a job to do simultaneously. I have a feeling we will be back to Burntwood, we will try some different things and hope for better service.