S and I went to Raintree Restaurant in Chagrin Falls for our anniversary dinner last weekend. What, you were thinking the subs with her dad was our anniversary dinner? Anyways, we thought we could catch some dinner and check out the Blossom Time Balloon Festival that evening. Turns out, the balloons didn’t launch (due to wind, I think) but we did have a nice dinner and got to observe the behavior that’s typical of adolescents at a festival.
The restaurant is set in the middle of town, close to the falls. The atmosphere was nice: quiet, relaxing, maybe a little dark for me, but it also could have been because my eyes are still not used to the sun after so many months of gloominess. We got there a little after five, and didn’t have to wait, perhaps because most of the locals were filling up on fried dough and lemonade. Service was prompt, and we got our bread and water right away. Dinner also came out quickly, so no need for too much idle chit-chat 🙂
I ordered one of the nightly specials, a Scrod Spinachi (pictured below – I did the best I could in the low light). This consisted of filet of young cod topped with sautéed mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes, with a side of steamed spinach and smashed potatoes, all in a lobster butter sauce. Good combination of flavors and textures – the fish was perfectly moist and flaky, and I enjoyed the slight chewiness of the tomatoes. The sauce was mild, with just enough lobster to complement the rest of the dish.
S had one of the house specials, the Dublin Lawyer, which was composed of lobster meat sautéed with scallions, mushrooms, Irish whiskey, and cream, all over a rice pilaf. Think lobster stew. Lots of big lobster chunks, and the sauce had a hint of sweetness to it, along with a depth provided by the whiskey. Definitely a good reason that it’s one of the classics.
All in all, it was an enjoyable experience – food was very good, service was good, and prices were reasonable (total cost was around $50 for the two of us, including tip). I’ll give it three out of four stars on my newly created star rankings, with four being the most upscale you can get, and one being Denny’s.
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