MOLINARI’S

Where: 8900 Mentor Ave., Mentor. Hours: 4:30 to 9:30 Tuesday through Saturday. Info: 440-974 2750; molinaris.com.

“They’re patterned after the chicken and waffle on a skewer I did at Landerhaven,” she said. “But the chicken chunks dried out. So I grind chicken into meatballs flavored with buttermilk, sage and poultry seasoning, dip them into waffle batter and flash-fry them. They’re served drizzled with maple syrup.”

The lollipops were a favorite among those invited to the Sept. 10 soft debut of the menu. They come three to a serving for $8 on the appetizer list — and are hearty enough to serve as dinner for light eaters.

“The lollipops have the Molinari’s touch,” said Jim Pugsley, a frequent longtime customer who attended the event with his wife, Linda.

‘I’m really anxious to taste the fried chicken,” said Rusty Phillips, a food colleague who owns The Pompadour, a restaurant in Fairport Harbor. “Randal plays flavors to the hilt, and it’s all good.”

The new comfort concept coincides with a virtual remake of Randal Johnson’s life. In addition to being a newlywed again, he twice become a grandfather — to a boy born in May to daughter Dana and a girl born two weeks ago to son Kyle, who works as a chef in Seattle.

And last month, he sold the Concord Township home where his children were raised and moved into a nearby condo with Leanna.

The same week, a longneeded knee-replacement knee surgery was performed. But he reinjured the knee, opening both the incision and the joint. That required three more surgeries to clean, repair and reseal the knee, followed by extensive antibiotics and an IV at home.

“I now wear a leg immobilizer and can’t bend my knee for four more weeks,” he said.

Hardly the best time for rolling out a new concept at his restaurant. Thus, a team led by Leanna, longtime restaurant manager/bartender Justin St. Julian and servers Mary Ann Chapin, Jamie Brundage and Anna Colizoli has been even more vital in recent weeks.

“They, our kitchen staff and Robbie Schikowski, our treasured dishwasher of 17 years, know what to do,’” he said.