And every time, he'd tell me we really should have a meal here, to which I'd heartily agree. But every time, we'd just had lunch or dinner somewhere else, so a stop just wasn't prudent at that juncture.
Finally, we made it -- and I'm happy to say we've been back several times and have put this place on our list of favorite restaurants. Most recently, we stopped after a fall photography outing to Mosquito Lake, which is just around the corner.
The food here is great -- but more on that in a bit. The first thing I noticed is the old wood building and the interior, which reminds me of a rustic home i
n the woods. Turns out there's a good reason for that: It was built in 1837 as a home by David and Polly Lake (surprise -- the Tavern is named for a family, not because of its proximity to Mosquito Lake, which wasn't even there when the house was built). Many of the home's original features have been incorporated in the decor; the bar top, for instance, is chestnut and was cut from one of the home's basement beams, and upright posts are from the original building.The dining area, which includes the bar, has a number of tables and chairs, and walls are decorated with nostalgic signs, neon lights and even a jukebox. It's comforta
ble, not fancy, and clearly popular with the fo
lks who live nearby. An outdoor deck offers a wonderful alternative in good weather, and it's closed-in and accessible only through the restaurant since alcohol isn't allowed outside the premises. Sports and other special events are common here as well; the tavern has both indoor pool and dart leagues a well as two horseshoe pits and corn hole boards outdoors.Speaking of alcohol, I'll mention that the goodly number of wines and beers here are quite re
asonably priced; Jacobs Creek Chardonnay, for instance, is just $3 a glass. On-tap beers go for $1.25 for a 12-ounce glass, and $2 will get you 23 ounces (our usual choice).As for the food, be sure to check out the daily specials first. On one recent Thursday afternoon visit, I noticed a dozen wings for $4.95 and decided to give them a try. There are about two dozen sauce choices including at least three that are somehow connected with garlic -- a "must-have" on my wings. The one that sounded best was garlic pepper, but I checked with our server first to make sure it's a butter-based sauce and not the dry kind I've had -- and been quite disappointed with -- elsewhere.
Assured that indeed, there was butter, I made my choice, adding to that an order of the macaroni and cheese bites appetizer ($3.95). These are, for the
record, the best I've had anywhere; the breading isn't too heavy, and the flat triangle shapes are filled with ooey-gooey and delicious melted cheese. No dipping sauce is needed -- nor does any come with them -- but we both found that the buttery garlic pepper wing sauce makes a tasty dip if that's your style.Meanwhile, Jack ordered The Lake Tavern Reuben ($5.95), with corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and Thousand Island dressing on rye toast. Don't like all the extras? Try the plain extra-lean corned beef sandwich, also $5.95.
The wings are quite large as wings go these days, and the sauce is reminiscent of the buttery parmesan pepper wings at Quaker Steak & Lube before somebody got the bright idea to change it to a thick goop that to me is awful. These wings are back to swimming in butter, parmesan and black pepper, and after the first bite, my craving for more kicked in.
I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that the seafood entrees here are great, too. I've tried the broiled white fish (two pieces seasoned with lemon pepper, Cajun or plain for $9.95) and the grilled Norwegian Atlantic salmon filet, served either plain, with teriyaki or Caribbean seasonings for $12.95. Also on the menu are a couple of seafood pastas, ribs and steak, so there's plenty left for us to try later.
Sandwiches, though, seem to be the most plentiful option, ranging from egg, tuna and chicken salad to a hot sausage hoagie to a variety of wraps. On our most recent visit, Jack tried the Buffalo shrimp wrap, stuffed with spicy fried shrimp, lettuce, tomato and onion with a choice of cheese and dressing (he picked provolone and bleu cheese, for the record). Priced at $6.95, he deemed it the best wrap sandwich he's ever had. Half of it came back home with us, and he repeated that best-ever opinion as he polished it off.
The appetizer list is quite impressive as well, with at least two dozen from which to choose (giving us lots of possibilities to try on future visits). In addition to those mac-and-cheese bites, the onion rings are quite good, and we just found a new gem: Pepperoni pizza balls served with marinara sauce. For $4.95 you get about a dozen with a diameter about the size of a 50-cent piece, and they're wonderful. Somewhat crispy on the outside, they're filled with melted mozzarella and pepperoni bits. The marinara sauce is delicious too, although the pizza balls are good enough to stand on their own.
It is perhaps the burgers, though, that really shine here. The variety seems almost endless, and in addition to dozens of flavor and add-on varieties (like sour cream and onion, horseradish, salsa, grilled onion and brown sugar), diners can choose chicken or bison for a buck more. Never having tasted bison before, I decided to give it a try at our most recent visit, picking the one with Cajun spices, pepper Jack cheese and sliced jalapenos ($5.25 for beef, $6.25 for the bison). Since they're cooked to order, I asked for medium well just in case -- I love my steaks just shy of still mooing, but ground meat is another story altogether.
All the sandwiches here come with chips, but you can switch to fries for $1 more and add mushrooms or bacon for another buck. Since we'd just polished off most of two appetizers, we stuck with the chips. For the record, they were very fresh, as was the crispy dill pickle spear.
As for the bison, it was delicious -- and nearly indistinguishable from beef except it was noticeably leaner (guess I'd liken it to eating upscale cow). After polishing off the whole thing, though, I felt both self-righteous and sad. The self-righteous part no doubt stemmed from knowing that bison meat is an excellent choice in terms of health benefits -- reportedly it's lower in calories than grilled chicken breast and very low in saturated fat.
The gloomy feeling I'm sure was an offshoot of my sudden flashback to the times we've stopped at that bison ranch north of Salem to see if the giants are out so we can snap a few photos. Good grief, I reasoned, it's possible I just ate one of the guys who posed for me!
If you go:
THE LAKE TAVERN
6071 State Route 46 NE
Mecca, Ohio 44410
(330) 637-1971
www.laketavern.net
The kitchen is open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Saturday 11 am. to 1 a.m.; Sunday noon to 9 p.m.
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