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 Ernie Gallo, general manager and part owner of Chester’s Legacy Tavern in Painesville, and Janice Lamarco, bartender and hostess, display Chester's Legacy Salad, one of many on the restaurant’s menu.
Photo by Tom Mitchell
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Not long ago, Chester’s Legacy Tavern in Painesville was a boarded-up, rundown eyesore. Located at 11 Chester St. on the corner of Richmond St. just south of Ohio 2, the restaurant with its freshly sided exterior and new red awnings is now a nice addition to the community, and a nice place for a meal.
Owners Mark Lewis, Jim Hounshell and Ernie Gallo took their time turning the ramshackle Prohibition-era building into a casual restaurant/bar, opening last November. The men completely gutted the building, finding during demolition World War II posters (think Loose Lips Sink Ships) lodged between the walls and booths that must have fallen there almost 60 years ago.
The restaurant is a study of contrasts. Light wood floors, dark wood tables. Square eating area, long thin bar area. Brightly lit dining room, subtly lit bar. Black and white prints of the Rat Pack, Marlon Brando in “The Godfather” and one of a Bond movie I couldn’t place adorn the walls in the bar, altogether a nice effect.
When considering a review of the new Painesville eatery, someone described the cuisine to me as “gourmet bar food.” That’s not quite how I’d describe it, but Gallo, who once owned the Max Doogan’s restaurants, knows his way around food, whether gourmet, bar or a combination thereof.
The menu begins with a selection of appetizers that run the gamut from ordinary to extraordinary ($5-$8). Potato skins, deep-fried mozzarella, chicken fingers and artichoke dip gave way to two shrimp selections, homemade crab cakes and mussels.
When you go, be sure to order the Shrimp Chester. Even if you don’t, lie to me later and tell me you did. It was perfect, crispy shrimp, velvety sauce, sprinkled with asiago cheese.
Don’t let your server take away the plate until you’ve used the accompanying garlic bread to sop up every drop of the delicious garlic tarragon sauce. The crab cakes were great too, beautifully browned and topped with a spicy mustard sauce.
We had to try the interesting-sounding chicken and cauliflower soup. It was a disappointment when the hot, thick and flavorful soup gave no indication of its main ingredient: cauliflower. The flavor of sweet red peppers completely overpowered it.
We didn’t try a salad ($3-$8), but a few interesting choices caught my eye. The scallop BLT salad has seared sea scallops and bacon over Romaine lettuce with a brown sugar balsamic vinaigrette. Bugsy’s Greek salad is a classic combo of tomatoes, cucumbers and red onion with feta cheese and olives, also served over Romaine with a Greek dressing.
Our server forgot to mention that the entrees are not available until after 4 p.m. so we had to go through the decision-making process twice. The new menu, the one that came out the day after our visit, clearly states that fact.
One of my guests had the Club. The Jolly Green Giant couldn’t have wrapped his lips around that sandwich. It was easily 5 inches tall. She first tried nibbling around the edges at the innards, but gave up and split the sandwich in half, horizontally, not vertically. She took home two-thirds of it.
“It was delicious, but I wouldn’t order that sandwich again unless I had three people to share it with,” she said.
Another guest had the cheeseburger, which she said was done to perfection. I was the only one not completely happy with my selection, I think I had my heart set on my first selection from the list of entrees, the Cajun beef tips.
I chose the chicken wrap instead, which sounded really good with grilled chicken, lettuce, tomato, guacamole and Caesar dressing. The chicken was tender, but the guacamole was runny and I like mine thick and chunky. Maybe it was because it mixed with the dressing.
My youngest dining adventure companion so far, 5-year-old David, was happy to share his opinion on the kids’ menu. He said the few bites of chicken fingers and fries he ate were “good.”
David must have been saving room for dessert because when the apple pie a la mode arrived his appetite mysteriously grew. He said it wasn’t quite as good as grandma’s because it was apple and not chocolate pie. He somehow managed to gobble down his share, not even leaving a trace of the crust behind. All Chester’s desserts come from the Cheesecake Factory.
Other selections include several different chicken sandwiches ($5-$6) and wraps ($6) as well as burgers in 1/3- and 1/2-pound sizes ($4 & $5) with just about any topping you can think of, even peanut butter and coleslaw. Everything comes a la carte, hence a list of side dishes fries, onion rings, smashed potatoes, redskin potatoes, white rice and vegetable of the day.
Entrees, served only after 4 p.m., include lots of things I wanted to try, such as steaks ($19 & $22), baby-back ribs ($10), pork medallions ($12) and meatloaf ($9). A seafood pasta ($14), chicken or veal parmesan or marsala ($9-$14), chicken fajitas ($9), beef and noodles ($9) and mahi-mahi ($12) round out the dinner selections. Most entrees come with salad, vegetable du jour, and choice of potato.
So, whether you’re in the mood for a quick gourmet meal or just a quick bite with your beer, head for Chester’s. For reservations for large parties, call 440-354-5000.
Laura Freeman writes regularly about restaurants for the Lake County Business Journal. Lfreeman@lakebusinessjournal.com.
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