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Plain Dealer Dining & Bars Home Page Critic's Review of 2182 Bistro and Wine Bar
2182 Bistro and Wine Bar , Brecksville, OH 44141 (Map)
Type of Establishment: French
Price Range: Moderate
Telephone: (440) 717-9463
Fax: (440) 717-4110
Hours: Monday 4pm-9:30pm; Tuesday-Thursday 4pm-10:30pm; Friday-Saturday 4pm-11:30pm, Closed Sundays
Payments Accepted: American Express,Discover,Master Card,Visa,Cash
Review(s): Warm welcome is the appetizer to good food and service at 2182 Bistro and Wine Bar
More Info: Plain Dealer Grade: *** Ratings are based on a scale of zero to four stars.
Warm welcome is the appetizer to good food and service at 2182 Friday, July 13, 2007 Joe Crea Food and Restaurants Editor
Occasionally a restaurant comes along where more than good food and an engaging environment are the enticements. Both are in evidence at 2182, but it's the spirit of the place that seals the deal. What impressed me right from the start was the warm sense of conviviality set by owner Brian Klopp. He's one of those rare front-of-the-house hosts who seems genuinely happy to be welcoming guests into his place. Easygoing and genial, he works the room with an enthusiastic earnestness, imbuing a friendly, casual tone -- the sort of place you want to go back to. For good measure, he fashioned a wine list based on state minimum retail prices plus a $10-per-bottle corkage fee -- a consumer-friendly policy that relaxes a diner's resistance to wine markups and often generates sales of second bottles. Then Klopp got extra points for a comment he made to a guest at my table on a first visit. "I've always wanted a kind of place where you can order as much or as little as you want to eat, without feeling pressured to buy more," he said. He and executive chef Rob Stauch (formerly of the late Grille Above the Valley in Garfield Heights) created a menu with that in mind. Though there are entrees aplenty, two-thirds of the offerings are either starters or small plates -- some of which aren't all that small. Seared duck breast ($12) pairs sweet, pink slices of meat with a glazed peach and a bright, fresh-tasting raspberry sauce. 2182's French onion soup ($6) is simply one of the best I've tasted, every spoonful brimming with thick, sweet slices of onion in a sweet, full-bodied broth that isn't all salt. Each bite of the jerk chicken spring rolls ($4), encased in a crisp, fresh skin, burst with fragrant spices hinting nutmeg and cinnamon, and enough fire to make you sit up and take notice. Salads here are worth the added cost, and at least one of them could be a meal itself: my favorite, the frisee ($7), by far the most intriguing one on the docket. Made with conventional curly endive, it's a vigorous and somewhat bitter chew rather than the delicate microwisps one thinks of these days when frisee is mentioned. This version is dressed with a mildly assertive chicken liver vinaigrette, then finished with a poached egg, chunks of smoky bacon and toasts spread with Maytag blue cheese on the side. It's a light, satisfying meal -- assuming you're not put off by the combination. Bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin ($20) was nothing shy of succulent, done to a rosy turn, resting in a subtly nutty roasted garlic jus. The accompanying potato croquette was perfectly crisp outside, enveloping rich potato pulp within. Brandy-flamed scampi and mussels ($21), generously portioned, were fragrantly finished with shallots, but the herb risotto on the night we visited was a fine, al dente companion, with an herbal aroma. If you're up for a splurge, the bone-in veal porterhouse chop ($30) was as good as it gets. Modest offerings are done equally well. Roasted half chicken ($21), deliciously moist, came with even more delicious mashed potatoes laced with extra-virgin olive oil. Tilapia rarely entices me, but 2182's sauteed version ($19) was handled adroitly, its splash of lemon butter and capers lending to the well-seasoned but otherwise bland fish. (If you're a lover of more robust species, one night's special of pan-roasted halibut in a cream sauce makes me want the dish again each time I think of it. It was priced at $26; market prices on the fish of the day are $18 to $26.) Even the $17 linguine, dressed simply with extra-virgin olive oil and goat cheese, tomatoes and mushrooms, was a satisfying meatless entree. Best among the desserts was a simple, buttery tarte tatin ($6) with firm, tart-sweet apples. If the house fruit sorbets are back on the menu, they're a fine finale. Even if I had eschewed sweets, I'd have left 2182 with a lingering sense of pleasure. The accommodating spirit, fairly moderate prices, quality of food, and service without fuss or pretense make it the kind of place I want to eat in, over and over.
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: 216-999-4401, jcrea@plaind.com