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 Owners Silvio Trifiletti and Albert Dilorio on Hellriegel's former stage surrounded by memorabilia from one of the former nightclub's favorite bands.
Photo by Laura Freeman
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If you are looking for somewhere to have a nice quiet lunch, then Hellriegel’s is the place. Other than the packed banquet room, and a couple of cronies at the bar, we had the entire dining room to ourselves for most of our meal. Proof of Hellriegel’s longevity is apparent in the mature trees and plants surrounding the building at 1840 Mentor Ave., not far west of the Lake County Fairgrounds. Subdued and quiet inside, the décor is reminiscent of a much earlier time.
The building and grounds did a brief stint as the Lake County Country Club, becoming Hellriegel’s restaurant in 1928 when it probably doubled as a speakeasy.
While it has changed hands a few times since then, Hellriegel’s hasn’t changed much since 1960 when JFK stopped there for a breakfast rally on the campaign trail.
Not much remains of the days of live music and dancing. The dance floor is now covered by tables and a Bose radio fills the air with background music. A shrine to one of the nightclub’s favorite bands occupies the former stage. Walls papered in sheet music provide a backdrop for Bob Dickey and the Dickey Birds’ vintage piano, guitar, button box, clarinet, mandolin and accordion. Owned by Silvio Trifiletti and Albert DiIorio (of Spats fame) since 1999, the partners have added new hardwood floors and carpeting as well as a patio with a large redwood bar and bocce ball courts. The established vegetation provides a sort of privacy barrier, effectively obscuring the patio from the busy street. I have to admit to letting on to my friend Al that I was coming for lunch. He probably didn’t do anything special to prepare for my arrival, but he did have the fried shrimp appetizer practically waiting at my table when I arrived. What a way to impress my dining companion!
Same animal
Al has been telling me that Hellriegel’s shrimp appetizer was at least as good as the one I went into raptures about in my Chester’s review a few months back. While they are two different animals altogether – well, same animal, different attire – Hellriegel’s version also was good with its crisp coating and equally crunchy and fresh-tasting jumbo shrimp (a dinner item for $9.50). Al and Silvio didn’t tinker much with the menu, adding selections rather than removing them. Hellriegel’s fans will still find the prime rib and freshly baked sticky buns for which the restaurant is known.
Also a Hellriegel’s tradition is its full-course meals including soup, relish dish, salad, rolls, onions or mushrooms, vegetable, choice of potato and dessert. Sunday dinners are ham steak or half-chicken dinners served with the same full-course selections.
During the short wait for our food, my companion regaled me with a story about his earliest memory of Hellriegel’s. He ate dinner there with his prom date when he was a senior at Shaw High School in Cleveland. He didn’t divulge the year and was happy to drop the subject when our soup arrived. We tried both soups of the day – corned beef and cabbage, and Italian chicken. Both were hearty with good-sized chunks of meat and vegetables. What with the sticky buns and other rolls, we could have made a meal out of the soup. We ordered a cup but it was as big as a bowl you get in many restaurants. Entrée selection wasn’t easy as the menu is quite extensive. Lunch plates with a choice of potato, veggie or salad and rolls range from $7.50 for chicken entrees to $12 for perch. Sandwiches, including a Rueben, grilled ham and cheese, an oyster club and even a sardine sandwich (couldn’t go there, despite Al’s recommendation), start at $4.25.
Liver like mom made
Other items you don’t often see on restaurant menus include traditional beef liver and onions ($7.75), billed as “Like Mom made,” as well as chicken livers. Among other not-so-common items on the dinner menu are a marinated herring appetizer and a frog leg dinner.
My partner chose salad for his side with Hellriegel’s house dressing, a combo I never would have thought of mixing. Red French dressing with crumbled bleu cheese combined for an effect both tart and creamy, an assault of flavors from opposite ends of the spectrum. Homemade croutons add the perfect touch. My lunch partner settled on the pork chop special. Smothered in a sauce of tomatoes, scallions, mushrooms and red, yellow and green peppers, the chop was tender and flavorful. Served with linguini with marinara sauce and a slice of garlic bread, my partner admitted his eyes were definitely bigger than his belly.
He said he would have trimmed the fat a little closer to the meat after cooking had he prepared it since the topping made it difficult to see where fat ended and meat began. He did say there wasn’t much fat though. Al was incredulous when he saw I’d ordered the chicken livers. They’re one of those things people either love or hate. All chicken livers are not created equal; a bad order from KFC curtailed my craving a few years ago. These were nothing like the KFC livers – tender and not too gamey, lightly breaded and sautéed in butter. I was pleasantly surprised by my side of zucchini tossed with tomatoes and onions and their fresh-from-the-garden appearance.
My dining partner couldn’t believe it when I asked our server what was on the dessert tray. I passed up the ice cream, sherbet and my favorite tiramisu for homemade banana cream pie topped with real whipped cream. Our server cut it in half so we could share. It was perfection.
Hellriegel’s serves lunch or dinner from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and Friday and Saturday until 10. The banquet room seats up to 200. For reservations, call 440-354-9530.
Laura Freeman writes regularly about restaurants for the Lake County Business Journal. Lfreeman@lakebusinessjournal.com. |
