The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Growing, chopping, cooking
Nick Kustala expands to his offerings in Austinburg with The Farmer The Butcher The Chef
Nick Kustala’s new The Farmer The Butcher The Chef restaurant is attracting longtime fans of his cooking to make the drive east to Austinburg Township to partake of the food from his latest venture.
The new casual restaurant, established in a former auction house building behind the 1840 Italianate mansion that serves as Kustala’s fine-dining venue The Estate on Coffee Creek, is framed around cut-to-order meats and reasonably priced specials.
Meat is purchased by the half-animal and cut to order for the customer.
“Instead of serving precut meat, we bought a temperatureand humidity-controlled butcher’s cooler and cut the meat ourselves,” Kustala said. “Once it’s chosen by the customer, steaks are cut, rubbed with black pepper and rosemary and put on our 1,200-degree char grill.”
Customers also can choose custom cut steaks and other meats to take home and cook themselves.
A veteran of the local hospitality scene, Kustala may best be remembered by locals as the founder of Lure Bistro in Willoughby, which he sold to Jaret Havanchak. In 2009, Kustala moved to the 1840 mansion in Austinburg, and developed it and the 20 acres surrounding it into a wedding venue.
“We’ve had 45 weddings here so far this year,” he said.
His fine-dining restaurant already has developed into a special-occasion destination restaurant, with reservations needed a week or more in advance.
Reservations also are welcome at The Farmer The Butcher The Chef, but are not usually necessary.
Food there often is served family-style, plated for a group on one long platter placed in the middle of the table for diners to help themselves. Couples can have a table to themselves.
Although popular with steak lovers, the menu goes well beyond steaks. His partner, Michelle Kucinich — the niece of politician Dennis Kucinich — uses a Kucinich family recipe for the special on Tuesdays, chicken paprikash.
Wednesday is Nashville Fried Chicken night, framed around chicken tenders marinated in buttermilk, hot sauce, pickle juice and duck egg, then dredged in flour and fried in a castiron skillet. It’s served with a Belgian waffle.
“Thursday is Meathead Night,” said Kustala, a devout carnivore who also plans Meathead T-shirts. “It’s our spin on a Brazilian grill, with sausage, pork, beef and chicken all cooked on giant swords. Each has its own seasoning profile and is served with beans, rice, warm potato salad and a salad of the week.”
That is served on an allyou-can-eat basis at $7.95 for kids, $14.95 for women and $19.95 for men.
“We figure men have bigger appetites than women and kids,” he said.
Saturday is Cowboy Night, with bone-in rib eye steak served at $1 per ounce and $10 for a six-pack of beer.
Sunday brunch is typically served family-style, starting with fresh fruit and Indian corn pudding, segueing into eggs Benedict then peanut butter and banana French toast. A gospel brunch will take place the first Sunday of each month with live gospel music.
Always a farm-to-table advocate, Kustala, along with Kucinich, this summer purchased an adjacent 45 acres to have it farmed according to the season and both restaurants’ needs.
“Rainbow Farms in Perry and Red Basket Farm in Kinsman already grow for us, and I am talking to them about operating our farm next year,” Kustala said. “They’re both run by hardworking couples like us.”
He’s recently met with architects to talk about realizing his dreams for the property.
“Next year we’ll be adding a patio to The Farmer The
Customers also can choose custom cut steaks and other meats to take home and cook themselves.
Butcher The Chef so diners will have a view of Coffee Creek. And we want to build a new rustic barn for weddings,” he said.
Also in the long-term plans are a handful of rental cabins and glamping. Glamping
is slang for “glamorous camping,” and Kustala would like to include meals for campers.
“Eventually,” he said, “I’d like to see this place as Coffee Creek Resort.”