A Guide to Fine
Dining Eating in Ashland
By
John Moser
Believe it or not, there
are some decent places to eat in Ashland. My wife and I have lived here for three years
now, and we LOVE to eat out. As you can
imagine, there aren’t a whole lot of restaurants around, but we’ve pretty much
tried them all. As a public service to
our friends from out of town, here are my recommendations. Note that I won’t waste your time talking
about major chains like Applebee’s, Pizza Hut, or Bob Evans—they’re pretty much
the same wherever you go.
(Convocation
Center)—This place is
right on campus, but you don’t often hear a lot about it. They’re open weekdays for lunch, and during
the academic year they feature a series of theme dinners (“A Taste of Rumania,”
“Norwegian Lutefisk Fest” [I’m kidding—they’re actually quite good]). The food is reliably tasty, if a bit
overpriced. Since Ashland is a dry
campus, the place can’t serve wine (or any adult beverage), and you’re not even
allowed to bring your own. This is too
bad, because the theme dinners are good enough and interesting enough that they
should involve hours of lingering at table over a fine wine. Instead we find ourselves stuffing ourselves
and leaving in an hour; there’s nothing civilized about that. What I do recommend highly is their Sunday
brunch, which runs from 10:30 to 2:00.
It’s ridiculously cheap—just a bit over ten bucks—and there’s an incredible
selection, with an omelet bar, a carving station, and everything else you’d
expect at a fancy brunch. Make sure to
save some room for dessert. Trust me—if
at all possible you need to do this before you leave Ashland.
The Cabin
(2106 State Route 603)—If you don’t mind a bit of
driving, the Cabin is well worth checking out.
It’s probably the best restaurant in this area, with an interesting menu
prepared by chef Tim Hull. Steak and seafood tend to be the specialties,
and they boast a fine selection of moderately-priced wines. True, a dinner at the Cabin will set you back
more than one at, say, Jake’s, but the difference is well worth it. You’ll certainly pay less than you would for
a comparable meal somewhere in Columbus or Cleveland. For a special treat, try one of their beer or
wine dinners, which they do several times per year. You won’t be disappointed.
Casa Fiesta
(1202 E. Main)—In a town where “ethnic” means Italian, Casa Fiesta is
probably the most exotic place around.
It’s fairly authentic Mexican food (compared to Taco Bell, I suppose),
prepared and served by people who may be authentic Mexicans (I’m not sure about
that, though—they could come from elsewhere in Latin
America). I must say, though, that I don’t always trust
the food; it tastes okay, but sometimes seems to contain ingredients that are
mysteriously non-Mexican. For example,
once I discovered pieces of what appeared to be zucchini in my enchilada. Prices are reasonable, and they make a killer
margarita—but be careful, they don’t have a liquor
license that allows them to serve alcohol on Sundays.
(1211 Orange)—It’s
the best pizza in town, period. Until
summer 2006 they were located in a tiny place on Claremont; however, they’ve since moved to a
place on the north side of town.
They may have given up a convenient location (to campus, anyway), but in
return they now have a decent-sized restaurant.
East of Chicago
Pizza
(614 Claremont)—There’s
nothing particularly bad about it, as long as the use of the term “Chicago”
doesn’t throw you. Actually, it’s not at
all like Chicago-style pizza.
Frankly, it tastes a lot like Pizza Hut to me.
Great Dragon
(1983 S. Baney)—It’s next door to the
Wal-Mart, which says something right there.
Yet as cheap take-out Chinese places go, this isn’t bad. The food is greasy, but reasonably
priced. On the whole it is not as good
as Main Moon, and clearly superior to Ocean Buffet.
Jake’s
(Sugarbush, across from Buehler’s)—It’s
a steakhouse and, by local standards at least, it’s fine. Prices are reasonable—slightly less expensive
than Outback/Longhorn/Logan’s/etc. The
food is okay, and they seem to know how to cook a steak to order. The big problem is with the design of the
place—much of the restaurant is one big room, so it tends to get loud. My recommendation is to eat at the bar; it’s
quieter there.
Linder’s Sports Bar & Grill
(66 W. South)—Sure, it’s a bit of a
dump, but don’t let that fool you. This
is probably our favorite overall restaurant in town. My wife likes the burgers, but the wings are
what keep me coming back. Get the spicy
Italian wings—they’re the best.
Wednesday night is wing night, and they’re something like 25-30 cents
each. Coors Light pounders are, I
believe, $1.75 that night, so you can eat and drink to your heart’s content for
very little money. If you want to spend
a bit more for a really fine meal, come on Fridays, when the owner fires up the
outdoor grill and makes ribs. They’re
wonderful—arguably the best meal available in the city of Ashland. A tip, though—if you go on
Fridays show up early. By 7:30 it
starts getting difficult to find a table, and since the place is chronically
understaffed service gets slow.
Lyn-Way Restaurant
(1320 Cleveland)—If you like honest-to-goodness, old-fashioned diner food,
you won’t do better than this place. The
place is a genuine Ashland
institution, having been in business for over fifty years. The breakfasts are phenomenal,
and very inexpensive (but, alas, it’s not open Sunday mornings). Lunches and dinners are almost as good, and
also cheap. But do not leave without
trying the pie; they have a huge selection every day. During the summer, when strawberries are in
season, get a slice of strawberry pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and
you’ll be a happy person. Trust me.
The Mill
(1055 Sugarbush—it’s attached to
Buehler’s)—In many ways the Lyn-Way is better, but The Mill is still a good bet
if you’re looking for a solid, inexpensive meal. Breakfasts are delicious (try the stuffed
French toast), with hearty portions.
Moreover, unlike the Lyn-Way, it’s open Sunday
mornings—but I’d advise getting there before 10:00, when the church crowd
starts getting there. For lunch or
dinner, their salad bar is probably the biggest and best in town. The gourmet-style burgers are also worth
trying, particularly with the Buehler’s potatoes as a side dish. For dessert, the pies are good, although not
quite up to Lyn-Way standards. The
exception is the tollhouse cookie pie.
Lyn-Way has nothing like it. And
it’s heavenly.
O’Bryan’s Pub
(1065 Claremont)—Just
a short walk from campus, about a block up Claremont, O’Bryan’s sits on the ground floor
of the building that houses the Surrey Inn.
It’s the closest that Ashland has to an Irish pub, although
purists will be quick to take issue with that claim, especially since the only
“Irish” beer they have on tap is Killian’s Red, which of course is brewed in Colorado. But it’s a nice place to enjoy an adult
beverage, and the sandwiches are tasty (the wings are inferior to Linders’, however).
The best thing on the menu is the filet mignon, available in three or
four different sizes, and at reasonable prices.
Peking Restaurant
(129 W. Main)—This place is right downtown, and it looks as though it’s
been there forever (just check out the art deco neon sign out front). Now that the Hunan Garden
is gone it’s probably the best Chinese food in town, and it is the only one
that has a liquor license. Hence the Tsingtao that I
find necessary for a civilized Chinese meal is available. The food is adequate, and it isn’t
expensive. And honestly, what more can
you ask for around here?
Sorella’s
(1505 Claremont)—I
went to this place soon after it opened, and gave it a bad review on this
page. However, I’m glad I gave it a
second chance, for I now consider it to be, along with Jake’s, one of the best
all-around restaurants in Ashland. Note that I do say “in Ashland,” because it isn’t spectacular. The service is sometimes unpredictable, and
I’ve had almost as many disappointing meals there as I’ve had good ones. The atmosphere is welcoming and relaxing,
particularly in the little bar hidden in the back on the left-hand side. It’s amazing that the owners were able to
create a space so comfortable in what was once a Long John Silver’s. Food-wise, if you go, my advice is to stick
with the homemade pastas, or the lasagna.
I’ve had bad experiences with the veal.
They have a strong appetizer menu, and a surprisingly solid wine list
(one wonders where they keep all that wine, in fact)—my favorite is the DaVinci Chianti.
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