the brew kettle

i stopped here with my family on our way through strongsville, because we had heard that the food was pretty good. the atmosphere is sports bar. it is not a big place, but was not busy so there were plenty of tables open. there were 3 adults and 1 toddler in my group. the waitress seemed to know the menu pretty well and recommended the cajun red bean humus and jalapeno cornbread. the humus was just okay, and a small portion, so if you have a large group it is not a great choice. the cornbread was delicious. it is sweet and had heat from the peppers. one person in our group ordered the grilled burrito. she felt that it needed some kind of sauce inside because, while it was loaded with meat, the meat was pretty dry. she ended up sending it back. another person had the triple pig sandwich. it was a large sandwich, and had plenty of meat, but my friend felt that it would definitely be better with cheese or something to give it a little moisture and enhance the overall flavor, but he was satisfied with it. he did not care for the vinegar based bbq sauce. i tried it and felt that it had a bit of a vinegar ketchup flavor, and did not care for it either. the toddler with us had the mini corn dogs and they were over cooked. i personally had the cajun chicken pasta. the flavor was good, and it was creamy enough, but lacked much chicken. it had a few diced tomatoes, which really enhanced the flavor, but it could have used a bit more. i also had the bread pudding for dessert, and that was delicious! the custard flavored sauce with cinnamon and maybe nutmeg flavors was so good. i really enjoyed it. the beer that we tried was a cherry tree cider and it was pretty good. i would gobackand give it another try, but i would ask more questions when ordering. the waitress did not comebackto refill drinks or bring us our check often enough or soon enough. in fact we ended up walking up to another employee and asking if we could get our check. the waitress seemed to stay in thebacka lot so there were few opportunities to ask her for our bill. she was very nice though.

best wings bar none. i have sung the praises of the brew kettle previously, but must add to that by mentioning the chicken wings. the evolution and progress of this snack in the american culinary consciousness is remarkable. relegated to the same ranking as the neckbone some decades ago, the recipe reputedly founded at the anchor bar in buffalo, new york has taken on such gargantuan proportions that it is almost inconceivable that poultry farmers aren't concocting a way to mutate the birds for more wings. hmmm... in any event, in my experience, the wings prepared at the kettle are exceptional. not deep fried in the traditional manner, it's the smoked taste and char grilling that set them apart. also appreciate that they are served as the full joint. the only drawbackis the lack of rub or sauce choices. only 3 are available. but the taste is so good that i would consume them au naturel. paired with the kettle's "big woody" crafted beer and i would pitch a tent there forever.


-----04 feb, 2014-----

bingo. experienced a great lunch on their burger special monday. this is a place that i am definitely wanting to try again for the beer and food. i can understand this place probably is hopping (no pun intended) in the evening and weekends. the site is large so service could be an issue. but when everything comes together, sometimes you have to wait for satisfaction. our server, becky, was knowledgeable and attentive. the only request we had was to change the bun on one of the burgers as it was too soggy. but that was likely caused by the juiciness of the burger. there is a delightful char to all the burgers and the slaw has a wonderful unique horseradish and dill bite to it. the beer selection is exceptional and there are a number of menu items i must try. the brew kettle passes my "i'll be back" test.
back twice since the original review. couple of notes. wings are fabulous if not a bit pricey. the tuesday special is $4.99 for approximately 5 full wings (not separated). had the chinese chili oil which is spicy without being torturous. the buffalo chicken wrap, however, was bland and dry, with a minimal dose of blue cheese dressing. wouldn't do it again. the grilled burrito with pulled pork was tremendous. had the jackhammer and grapefruit beer which can knock one for loop. still sold on this place for service and quality though i may be a bit more selective on the menu.

the ribs are awesome. the sides are delicious. you get a ton of food and at a reasonable price. i’d comebackoften if i could and sample some of everything. my favorite was the pulled pork. very well done!

bad customer service. we have frequented this establishment approximately once a month for the past 5 years. 2 of us went for lunch today and arrived at 1pm. the place was packed but there were 4 empty tables. we were told there was a 10 min wait. we asked why the wait when there were empty tables and we were told those tables were "in case parties of 6 arrived". no one else was waiting for a table, just us. some of the 6 top tables could have been broken down for a 4 top or 2 top. but the hostess insisted she would not seat us. we left, went elsewhere and ate. on our waybackfrom lunch we drove by the brew kettle about 45 mins later, the parking lot had about 5 cars in it so apparently they did not get "slammed" as they thought. we will not go back. they lost our business, "in case" they may get other business. poor management decision.

good food and micro-brews. great food, incredible selection of micro brews with a large number brewed right on the premises. food is usually great and the menu includes such oddities as barbecue spaghetti and pulled pork salad but i usually have the gumbo and andouille sausage with a lusciously dark porter or crimson red amber. great daily specials and killer wings. i have been going here for a couple of years and the place has really caught fire and sadly crowds are now the norm so you should anticipate a wait at times and regrettably they do not take reservations. it can get moderately loud sometimes but hey it's a micro brew pub so that should not be unexpected. price are very reasonable and the servings heaping and plentiful. unfortunately service has been slow and spotty at times especially when it's busy which can be annoying but it hasn't gotten bad enough to keep me from goingbackyet. in short - good brews and good eats at a reasonable price