The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Austin’s opens in Mentor — at last
After long delay, eatery serving customers at last
After an invite-only soft opening for the new steakhouse in Mentor, Austin’s Grill opened for dinner at 5 p.m. Feb. 26. A months’ long delay caused by complications in transferring the liquor license from Burger Fi to Austin’s finally has been resolved.
“I now have the liquor license in my hand,” said Austin’s Grill owner Dan Campbell. “I had to drive to Columbus to pick it up myself.” Once issues were resolved he didn’t want a further delay by trusting it to the U.S. mail.
The new Mentor restaurant is at 8748 Mentor Ave. at the corner of Little Mountain Road.
Austin’s, which also has restaurants in Mayfield Village and Brecksville, originally was targeted to open in Mentor just before Christmas.
“We’ve got our 25 employees trained and ready,” he said. The Austin’s in Mayfield Village and Brecksville and his landlord, Art Iacofano at World Wines & Liquor, all have been fielding inquiries about when the Mentor store would open he noted.
Campbell is expecting a crowd this week.
Employees hired have been working at Campbell’s other restaurants while awaiting that opening. Nancy DeTomaso, who once ran Corks Wine Bar in Willoughby, is general manager at Austin’s Grill in Mentor.
“We’ll only be open for dinner this first week,” Campbell said. “But we’ll begin lunch service next week.” (Week of March 2) Carryout service also will begin then.
The space now redecorated in a cozy style of industrial chic, seats about 110 in booths, high tops and at tables, all lit by hanging pendants. A bar spans the east side of the former burger restaurant, where patrons once stepped up to receive their orders. A patio across the north side of the building will offer Mentor Avenue views in summer.
A half-dozen booths down the center of the dining space are framed in varied woods with seats upholstered in wood colored fabrics. More booths are along the sides of the space. The menu is similar to those at the other Austin’s restaurants, but varies for the Mentor market.
Favorites are steaks ($22 to $35); favorites such as wood grilled salmon, barbecued brisket, pork chops, English fish and chips and hickory roasted chicken plus a trio of pastas that include lobster mac and cheese.
A dozen appetizers invite light eaters to make a meal from dishes such as a quesadilla, calamari rings, poke tuna tacos, crab stuffed mushrooms and French onion soup. Daily specials, which include smoked prime rib on Friday and Saturday, are sure to garner regular fans. They’re posted on a blackboard in the center of the dining room.
The space now redecorated in a cozy style of industrial chic, seats about 110 ...