The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Sample some really cool food at GOTL Brewing Comapny
Microbrewery is light on microbrews, but the view of the lake is spectacular
Technically, the last day of summer isn’t until Sept. 21. But with school already back in session, you’re probably either eager to get fall fully underway, or you’re desperately trying to cling to every hour of summer that may be left.
If you’re in the latter category and want to eke out at least one more summer sunset, you could do much worse than heading out to GOTL Brewing Company in Geneva-on-the-Lake for an evening.
Located nearer the eastern end of the Geneva-onthe-Lake strip in a building with an unassuming front, the brewery features an outdoor bar and patio area in back that offers great views of Lake Erie. The square, covered bar is huge. Newly constructed this summer are a couple of levels of tiered decking, which take you down the shoreside hill and even closer to the water.
GOTL is the project of local home brewer-turnedrestaurateur Tim Allen, and it’s been quite a project. He bought the old DiFabio’s restaurant building in 2015 — it was Lakefront Restaurant at the time — and completely renovated it. Inside can be described as perhaps “rustic chic,” with dark rough-hewn woods and a stone-front bar. There’s an indoor dining area past the bar area, which because of the large windows can be envisioned to have some pretty decent post-summer views, too.
As you might imagine, beer plays a large role at GOTL. There are 10 taps in the main bar and more than 30 bottled microbrews. Allen brews two or three of his own beers at a time, and on a recent Saturday, a New England lager and an American pale ale ($5.75 per pint, $7 for 24 ounces) were being poured. Both were solid, although the lager was a better lager than the pale ale was a pale ale.
We had a large party, and it was a busy time, so we had quite a wait to be seated. Of course, hanging out at a bar with live music and a view of the lake isn’t a horrible way to wait. It’s safe to describe the atmosphere and bar staff as “fun.”
The seasonal menu is tight, mostly sandwiches and appetizers with a few entrees. There is a sous vide strip steak that sounded interesting, and you can get a lake perch fish fry. GOTL uses locally sourced foods where possible.
Our group decided to order just a bunch of appetizers and share, which, in retrospect was a great decision. Nothing was disappointing, and some were outstanding.
From a sheer presentation side, the soft pretzel ($10) is impressive. Too big for any plate the place owns, one Bavarian-style handmade pretzel is served hanging from a hook on a stand. It comes with four sauces for dipping — ale cheese, a blue cheese beer sauce, cinnamon butter and brown mustard. I liked the beer blue cheese and mustard the best, and the pretzel itself was great as soft pretzels go.
The loaded fries ($9) were equally impressive size-wise, one plate easily serving four to six people. They’re beer-battered and topped with cheese, pulled pork and barbecue sauce with sour cream on the side. The fried mozzarella and pierogies with sautéed onions and sour cream (both $9) were also both solid but about what you’d expect, though plated nicely.
The stars of the evening, however, were sausage and seafood. (Not together — that would be weird.)
We tried the bratwurst sliders ($10). They’re brat patties from Cleveland’s renowned Holiday Sausage topped with kraut and beer cheese and served on a pretzel bun. A light summer dish? No, but they’re fabulous.
On the seafood side, the crab cakes ($11) were as good as any I’ve had. A caveat: I can go either way on crab cakes, so I’m certainly no authority, but the rest of our group really liked them, as well. These were flavorful, perfectly textured and topped with a lemon caper remoulade that really complemented the cakes perfectly. Actually, when they came out, my first reaction was “too much remoulade,” but not so. It was just right.
But the highlight of our appetizer smorgasbord was the lobster corn dogs. That might sound odd, but there are no actual hot dogs here. Instead, two 4-ounce lobster tails are split, coated in a corn batter, skewered with a stick and deep-fried. They’re served atop a smattering of a garlic herb aioli and are simply amazing. At $24, they are among the priciest dishes on the menu, and purists might argue that deep-frying lobster is sacrilege. Ignore that noise. This is lobster in its final form.
It was extremely busy while we were there, and there were a couple of frazzled folks on the staff amid the organized chaos, maybe because we were a large party. Once we were seated, our servers were friendly and attentive. Everyone was really hustling.
If there’s a complaint to be had, it’s about the tables. It seems there’s no great way to efficiently mix smaller and larger parties on the main deck area, and the bar area could use a couple of pub tables or drink rails — more places to put your drink on while waiting to be seated. With the views, people are going to want to linger.
Of course, any complaint is minor. It’s rare to find a brewery — even a small one — that delivers so much on the food end of the experience. Even though they do only two or three of their own craft beers at a time, the exceptional food and great lake views make GOTL Brewing Company a super destination for summer. Or what’s left of it. Reviews are based on one anonymous visit to the restaurant.