Ironwood Café debuts its new summer menu
By Cynthia Schuster-Eakin
Insights
Published June 16, 2010

Summer has arrived, and the Ironwood Café, 688 Dover Center Road in Westlake, has updated its menu to suit the season.

On the appetizer side, “We brought back our stuffed peppers by popular demand and will be harvesting the peppers shortly from our onsite garden,” Chef Joe Dubbs said. “The peppers are stuffed with chorizo sausage and topped with Latin-style creamed corn and our charred tomato sauce.”

Dine at a table on the Ironwood’s patio and order one of the signature salads. The barbecue chopped salad is made with greens from the Ironwood garden, barbecued grilled chicken breast, fried onions, black bean and corn salsa, avocado, tomatoes and Cheddar Jack cheese, drizzled with chipotle vinaigrette ($11.50). The Italian Cobb salad is topped with pepperoni, salami, capicola, banana peppers, red onions, olives, provolone cheese and Parmesan peppercorn dressing.

The black bean burger, seared in a skillet with spices and topped with roasted peppers, avocado, Mahon cheese and chipotle sauce, is a pleasing vegetarian option. Thai chicken is tempura-battered, tossed in spicy peanut sauce and served on a Kaiser roll with Napa cabbage and cucumber slaw ($9). The turkey flatbread starts with Ghossain’s organic vegetable flatbread and smoked turkey, with Swiss cheese, greens and wholegrain honey mustard ($9).

Dubbs said all of the entrees on the menu have changed, with the exception of the grilled meatloaf over redskin mashed potatoes ($10.50), a customer favorite. The café has added pan-fried pretzel-crusted chicken ($12), grilled salmon pesto pasta ($15) and marinated hanger steak with fresh-cut fries and garlic aioli ($16). Spiced, pan-roasted Florida grouper over jasmine rice with pickled vegetable salad ($14.50) sells very well, according to Dubbs. The chef said his personal choice is Ghost chili and espresso-rubbed pork tenderloin, served over cilantro rice with black bean and corn salsa ($12).

The Ironwood Café is now featuring summer drinks, such as their signature Bloody Mary made with Three Olive’s vodka, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, A-1, Stadium mustard and Zing Zang Bloody Mary mix, topped with a splash of Guinness and served with bacon-wrapped bleu cheese-stuffed olives. Patrons can relax on the patio with a refreshing Fresca Fizz or a glass of Tropical Tea, both made with fruit-flavored vodkas.

You can sample Ironwood’s cuisine and enjoy a day in Cahoon Memorial Park at the Bay Village Country Festival Saturday. The Ironwood Café will be a featured food vendor near the gazebo, providing organic garden vegetable chips with homemade hummus, gyro sandwiches, mini hot dogs and slider burgers with pepper relish. The staff will be there to answer questions about the restaurant and help you sign up for the Crushers ticket giveaway. You can also purchase Ironwood Café apparel.

Dubbs said they are also sponsoring a booth at the Clague Park July 4 festival.

“There will be bands playing, and food will be available any time after 4 p.m. at the Clague Cabin area,” he noted.

Dubbs said he wants everyone to save the date for the Ironwood Café’s fourth annual golf outing and Browns opening Sunday on Sept. 12. The day will begin at 7:30 a.m. with a shotgun start at Springvale Gold Club in North Olmsted. Coffee and donuts and lunch at the turn will be provided. The winning team will get Miller Light golf bags and gift packs. There will be additional prizes and giveaways totaling more than $1,500, Dubbs said. Afterward, participants will gather at the Ironwood for tailgate fare, a rib-eye steak dinner and the awards ceremony at half time of the Browns/Tampa Bay Buccaneers game. Tickets are $80 per player, and space is limited to 25 teams. Separate tailgate and steak dinner tickets are $25 each. Call (440) 835-9900 for reservations.