The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Comfort zone
Molinari’s in Mentor introduces new menu of simpler, but still chef-created dishes easy on wallets
When Molinari’s brought the first fine dining to this area 27 years ago, diners flocked to the space modestly placed in a strip shopping center off Mentor Avenue in Mentor. The Culinary Institute of Americantrained owner/chef Randal Johnson dazzled folks with freshly prepared and sourced dishes, artfully plated and dubbed by many as “gourmet.”
Ingredients such as Asiago cheese were seen by many for the first time.
“It cost twice as much as Romano, which everyone else used, but I thought its taste was worth the expense,” said Johnson.
Back then, reservations often were needed weeks in advance. People crossed their fingers they’d get in. Johnson hosted wine tastings and gave cooking classes.
Now, however, Johnson is taking a step back, lowering prices and adding comfort food to the mix.
When times were good, many people dined out a couple of nights a week, happy to be able to order a bottle of wine from Molinari’s wine shop and paying just a $5 corkage fee to enjoy it with dinner. Those prosperous years brought dozens of new restaurants to Mentor, which now has more than 100 places to eat. Neighboring communities of Willoughby and Concord Township also experienced a phenomenal growth in dining options when people spent freely.
When the Great Recession of the late 2000s hit, diners began to stay home and restaurants throughout the area closed or scaled back.
To lower prices, Johnson added a new brick pizza oven to the space near the bar so diners could eat well in the form of his artisan pizzas and still spend less. He established weeknight specials aimed at couples that provided two dinners and a bottle of wine for less than $50, and he closed for lunch.
About a decade later, with budgets pinched and food prices high, Johnson hopes his Comfort Kitchen concept will bring people back to dine at Molinari’s more than once a week. Now. in addition to some classic favorites, the menu boasts comfort foods such as chicken fried steak, stuffed cabbage and meatloaf. along with a dozen other dishes priced at $15 or less.
“People still can enjoy a nice bottle of wine with dinner and not break the bank,” he said.
But Molinari classics, such as Chicken Four Seasons and Pasta Putanesca will remain. Pizza will stay, and a trio of hamburgers, made from a Pat Friedastyle blend of short rib, brisket and chuck, are likely to gain a following.
Regular specials of steak and fresh fish will continue to challenge the kitchen’s creativity and diners’ palates.
A year ago, Johnson got married, and wife Leanna, a chef with Landerwood
Catering, is now Molinari’s chef de cuisine.
“Leanna and I have enjoyed cooking together for the last three-and-a-half years, and our dishes often gravitated toward comfort food,” he explained.
As the dishes were developed, they’ve appeared as specials on the menu
“The success of any dish depends on the quality of ingredients used and how formal techniques round out the dish,” Johnson said. “Things such as reducing wines and seasonings to layer flavors through multiple complementary ingredients define dishes.”
Just as he began using Asiago cheese before most people had heard of it, he continues to seek out new recipe components while keeping the commitment to quality technique and seasonal ingredients.
Leanna, who also earned her kitchen chops with stints with well-known chef Giada de Laurentiis, is the creator of several dishes, including the chicken and waffle lollipops on the appetizer list.