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 Above: Rider's Inn is decked out for the holidays with holly and mistletoe as well as lots of trees for the Morley Library Christmas Tree Silent Auction. Server Susan Clarke stands by the fireplace in the pub area. Is it an accident her name is so similar to that of the Inn's famous ghost? Photo by Laura Freeman. |
PAINESVILLE--Like me, you’ve probably driven by Rider’s Inn at 792 Mentor Ave. in Painesville a thousand times thinking, “I should eat there someday.”
As we strolled through the inn, we stared at the many antiques, shuffled over threadbare rugs Joseph Rider himself may have walked on, and noted the design and cleanliness of the almost 200-year-old inn.
The hostess seated us in the warm and cozy dining room where sun was shining through the many windows.
Joseph Rider opened the inn in 1812. It was a popular stop for those traveling the stagecoach route between Buffalo and Cleveland.
Suzanne Rider, Joseph Rider’s third wife, is the Inn’s resident ghost. She is reputed to still roam the hallways, lighting candles and opening locked doors. Since Rider’s time, a speakeasy and dining room were added and the north wing enlarged.
Eating out as often as I do, I was excited to see different selections in the appetizer section instead of the usual wings, potato skins and nachos. We tried the Joseph dumplings ($5), broccoli poppers ($5) and spinach cheese squares.
The dumplings, stuffed with Chinese vegetables and served with a sweet and sour sauce, were vaguely Asian. The deep-fried broccoli poppers, though frozen, were quite tasty, with bits of broccoli and melted cheese inside. The homemade spinach squares were delicious, baked with three cheeses and served with a Dijon sauce.
Our server, who has worked at the inn for 10 years, warned us the spinach squares take a little while to make. The overall pace was a bit leisurely, so make sure you have more than the allotted hour for lunch.
One of the inn’s specialties is potato-leek soup (cup $2; bowl $3). I’d go back just for more of it. Thick and creamy, hearty and filling, the broth and even the potatoes were infused with the flavor of sweet onions.
After all that, one of my companions (my mother) and I decided we’d better split the pecan-crusted chicken salad ($9). Some of the most tender chicken breast I’ve ever eaten was encased in a flavorful, crispy coating, the pecan taste easy to distinguish. Mandarin oranges, dried cranberries, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions and cheddar cheese all sat atop a huge bed of fresh greens. It was more than the two of us could eat.
My other dining companion, my dad, had to be dissuaded from ordering his usual, a burger. Before he ordered, I urged him to try something different, so he settled on the Rider Club sandwich ($7). Deadpan, he asked how I knew he was thinking burger.
Finally, he pronounced the chicken breast topped with cheddar cheese and bacon and served with fries delicious, saying he’d like to come back for dinner sometime. I think he just wants to get a burger, of which there are two choices – a garden veggie ($7) and a stagecoach ($8). The latter is a half-pound of Angus beef with a choice of three items: four types of cheese, bacon, grilled onions or mushrooms.
Other sandwiches include a Reuben, a Philly steak, an Italian melt and a French dip. An open-faced prime rib sandwich is slow-roasted and grilled, served on toasted rye with au jus ($11).
A roasted eggplant sandwich, the house specialty, is marinated eggplant, roasted red peppers and onions served on French bread with a basil-pesto sauce.
We were pleasantly surprised to receive a plate of homemade cookies, compliments of the chef.
Two kinds of oatmeal cookies, each shaped like a scoop of ice cream, had flavors of cinnamon or white chocolate and walnuts. They were so good, I wanted to ask for more, but didn’t dare. Not many things can move me to gluttony like cookies can.
The only other dessert I’d ever eaten at Rider’s was white chocolate bread pudding. It is, to use my mother-in-law’s favorite expression when describing desserts, better than sex.
Rider’s talented chef, Corrine Myer, has worked at Rider’s Inn for six years. She had worked at Chagrin Valley Country Club. She is French pastry-trained and a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. She is assisted by Kaiya Warren, Ken Dowd and Ray Reese.
Owner Elaine Crane bought Rider’s in 1988 with her mother Elizabeth Roemisch. She has instituted many traditions since then, including the annual Parade of the Turkey at Thanksgiving, candlelight Christmas Eve dinners and traditional New Year’s Day “lucky” dinners complete with pork and sauerkraut. Sunday brunch is served from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The inn offers many amenities, not least of which are cooking to order for different dietary needs, and cleaning and serving a visiting fisherman’s fresh catch.
The Inn has plenty of space for almost any special event. Three private dining rooms for parties from four to 40 are available.
If you’re looking for an overnight stay, the inn has 10 rooms, including a bridal suite.
“You can give your overnight business people a unique experience,” Crane said. “Staying here is more like staying in a private home than a sterile motel. If travelers miss their pets, we have a working cat named Samantha who will purr and rub against you.”
For dinner or room reservations, call (440) 354-8200.
Laura Freeman reviews restaurants regularly for the Lake County Business Journal. |
