The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
2nd and High a solid choice to fuel up on way to Q
Close by, tucked away, bar and grill offers many bar food choices for the non-meat eater
Honestly, I didn’t know there was an East Second Street in Cleveland.
That helps to explain how I’d not heard of 2nd and High Social House. Tucked away at the intersection of Second and the equally short High Avenue is this cocktail bar and restaurant.
I found it looking online for a what I hoped would be a low-key place to take my mother that also would be a short walk to Quicken Loans Arena before singer Andrea Bocelli’s concert there in early December. 2nd and High checked all those boxes and, while showing room for improvement in various areas, provided a relaxing spot for a decent meal for the two of us.
I arrived first early on this chilly Friday evening, realizing instantly I did not need the online reservation I’d made. Only one or two of the tables in this cozy-butnot-cramped spot were occupied, and a few folks were sitting at the bar.
Speaking of the bar, it’s made from scrapped copper, according to 2nd and High’s website, and is just one of the many components of the place owner Matt Wyrick made with recycled materials, a way the business advocates for sustainable practices. The atmosphere general falls somewhere in the wide gap between all-out hipster joint and total dive bar. It’s closer to the former than the latter, offering a clean and reasonably charming environment.
The space formerly was Wyrick’s 21 Lounge & Kitchen, which, the server told me, had more of a sports-bar vibe.
Before Mom arrived, I had time to chat up our very friendly server. I picked her brain about the place’s signature cocktails, all of which are $12. Ultimately, I passed up the Blackberry Spritzer, the Billionaire (bourbon, pomegranate brandy lemon and absinthe) and the Painkiller (two types of rum, coconut cream and pineapple and orange juices) for the safest bet for me, the 2nd & High Old Fashioned. (I also decided I would do my best to try the Butterscotch Bourbon Russian — almond-infused bourbon, Kahlua, butterscotch liqueur and half and half — but I didn’t want to start with that.)
After getting settled, Mom ordered a gin martini and was a bit happier with it than I with my old fashioned, which was a bit on the sweet side.
Initially, we grabbed a couple of appetizers from the Must Haves section of Second and High’s onepage menu: the 2High Fries ($7) and the Lobster Flautas ($12).
A restaurant’s fries can tell you a bit about the place, and theirs — covered with herbs and garlic and served with aioli and ketchup — quickly earned our approval. We picked at the generous plate throughout our time there, it was all but cleaned by the time we left.
Meanwhile, the flautas were, as the server had suggested, basically taquitos that, along with lobster meat, were packed with sweet onions, black beans, chili peppers, cilantro and salsa verde. They were tasty, and we made quick work of them, but I didn’t think their flavor added up to the promise of those ingredients. I love spicy food and really wished they had more of a kick.
Thus, I ordered a side of hot sauce with my entree, the Blackened Fish Tacos ($12), made with tilapia and one of several choices listed under Fatties. Getting the hot sauce was wise — the tacos, too, were a bit on the bland side for my liking. However, the hot sauce tasted like Frank’s RedHot, and something a bit more interesting really would have helped. Still, the three tacos were fresh-tasting and generally well-prepared.
Mom went with the Lobster Tacos ($14), and I wisely convinced her to do a onefor-one taco trade before she fell in love with them. We agreed the lobster variety was the tastier of the two, and for me it probably had as much to do with the lobster meat as it did with the chipotle sauce that does not come on the fish tacos.
If it’s not obvious by now, 2nd and High is a pretty pescatarian-friendly place, with other seafood choices including the Catfish Poboy and Shrimp Burrito. Vegetarians should have no trouble here, either, thanks to selections that include the Veggie Tacos ($10), Veggie Burrito ($12) and Black Bean Burger ($10). For the carnivore, there’s the Sherwin Williams ($14), a chicken breast sandwich, and the half-pound Jack Burger ($14).
The featured item on the menu is the $20 Lobster Roll, which boasts “succulent” lobster claw and tail meat with light dressing on a Hawaiian roll. I should have ordered it instead of the fish tacos — and likely would have had we not already committed to two other lobster items.
Optional sides, at $5 each, are chips and salsa, cucumber salads, garlic broccoli, and citrus rice.
I did enjoy a Butterscotch Bourbon Russian, by the way — also on the sweet side, but that’s appropriate for such a drink. 2nd and High also has a few beers on draft and more in bottles.
Lastly, they also offer snocones — with various flavor-and-liquor pairings. I was really curious, but not curious enough to try one on this frigid night. Sounds like a reason to come back in the summer.
Would I come back otherwise? Well, the food is good, but not spectacular. Same could be said for the cocktails, although, you know, I’d gladly do more research in that area. The service was generally strong, but we were left unattended for one lengthy stretch. And everything costs maybe a buck or two more than you’d like.
On the other hand, this is a downtown business, no doubt with steep rent. And if you want a low-key, offthe-beaten path at which to relax and fill up — especially if you want your bar food on the slightly-healthier side — it’s a fine choice.
Reviews are based on one anonymous visit to a restaurant.