Sarah and I bid on a “kid’s movie night / parent’s night out” for our church auction and, as the hosts lived in Twinsburg, we decided to visit Blue Canyon.
The restaurant is really cool looking, even on a rainy day (which it was). The raised barn ceilings add an open feel, and there’s a beautiful view of grassy hills and sky outside the restaurant’s huge windows. A visit during warmer weather when the patio’s open would have been even better.
For our starter we ordered the cast iron cheese bake ($9) with king crab added ($4).
This was more than enough for five people, let alone two. The mix of cheeses excellent–gooey, garlicky and salty–and the portion of crab was very generous. We took about 2/3 of this home with us and happily polished off (almost) a few days later.
Sarah ordered the Mediterranean Brick Oven Chicken Salad with Israeli Couscous ($15):
The chicken was perfectly seared and tender, and the Mediterranean flavors–olives, feta and herbs–went very well with both the chicken and Israeli couscous.
I had the Ginger Snap Tilapia ($22(?)), which was a special the day we visited:
The fish was coated in ginger snap crumbs and served with butternut squash ravioli, green beans, and apple jus and topped with a pan-fried ginger snap cookie. The level of sweetness was a bit unusual, but the ginger and cinnamon worked very well with the fish (although a bit of heat / pepper would have made it even better). The ravioli were tasty and almost pumpkin pie flavored, and the green beans were good but a tad more cooked than I would have liked. The sharp and sweet apple reduction went very well with everything on the plate.
We enjoyed our visit, but Blue Canyon might be better for a family affair (there were plenty of kids) than a date night. The flavors tend to be bright and palate-friendly without being especially sophisticated, and anyone of any age would enjoy the views. We also wished the service was a bit more attentive. Then again, there seemed to be a lot of prom kids there that night, so it was pretty busy.
I am totally stuffed from being at a tasting event tonight, but your post still managed to make me drool! We keep meaning to get out there, but it is kind of a trek. Maybe our trip will be sooner rather than later…
This is a great place to go if you need to bring what I call a “Large Portion Eater” ie throwback diners like my father and brothers-in-law. I actually prefer the patio because you can nibble on a number of different things and not end up waddling out of the restaurant.
That Mediterranean Brick Oven Chicken Salad has my name all over it. I’ve always heard great things about Blue Canyon, but Twinsburg is a bit of a hike for me. I’m going to have to make the journey some time soon after this post. Thanks for sharing!