Dinner At Beau's Grille

Last December, I wrote about a lunchtime visit to Beau's Grille located in the Hilton Hotel Akron Fairlawn. I had made a mental note to myself while researching the menu online that dinner seemed a bit pricey and that lunch was much more reasonable. Having had a successful lunch visit, I decided that a return visit for dinner was in order. Clearly my mind must have been preoccupied with other distractions for the last eleven months because my follow-up visit didn't happen until just recently.

In fact, it was completely spur of the moment. On a Thursday night with literally nothing better to do, I pulled out of the parking lot at work and as I drove east on West Market Street, the Hilton's illumination gradually became visible through the falling rain. Taking just a moment to decide, I pulled off into the parking lot for the hotel, grabbed an umbrella and my camera bag, and walked towards the hotel's main entrance:


Once inside the main door, a door bearing Beau's name on it was on the left:


This was the exit from the bar area and not really the proper entrance to the restaurant. For that, I walked into the main lobby, made a left turn, and approached the hostess waiting just beyond the opened double doors. I was a little worried they might be too busy to accommodate a walk-in on a Thursday night, but as the restaurant was only about half full, she greeted me cheerfully and led me to a two top and left me with the menu to peruse:






While Chef Beau Schmidt may indeed rotate seasonal item on the daily specials menu, the printed menu looked eerily familiar to the one I had used during my last visit. If the menu items looked similar, then it didn't surprise me to see the same high prices for the food. I don't mind paying for value, but when appetizers start climbing past the $10 price point, I start to sit up and take notice.

In a rather unusual move, when my water came to the table to take my order, he didn't remove the napkin, silverware, glass, or side plate at the setting across from me, which is usually standard at most restaurants (it frees up the table from unnecessary clutter). Seeing as I needed the extra space to set up my camera in order to get the shots I would need for this review, I moved some of these items to the side of the table and actually stacked the other side plate on top of mine to make room. In an even more unusual move, when he saw that I had moved the other setting, he actually reset the opposite side of the table right in front of me. That was the first inkling I had that something odd was up with the service.

Regardless, after placing my order, my server returned with the Bread Service:


And accompanying the warmed rolls were cold pats of butter:


Generally speaking, I prefer butter being softened when it arrives at the table, even if the bread is warm or hot. While the rolls and butter were good in both flavor and texture, having to wait for the butter to melt on the bread was a minor inconvenience. Were this an establishment that was less expensive, I probably wouldn't have given it too much thought. At Beau's Grille, all of these little details should have already been anticipated.

For my appetizer, I decided to start with the Fried Green Tomato "BLT":


As the food runner approached my table with this nearly toppling tower of tomatoes, I thought to myself that this couldn't possibly be my appetizer as it was large enough for an entire meal. Sure enough, it was mine. In addition to the fresh red and yellow heirloom tomato slices, green tomatoes had been sliced, dredged, and fried to a golden brown. The entire stack had been skewered in order to provide stability and then placed on arugula. Two separate aiolis, basil and red pepper, dressed the salad and crispy pancetta was strewn throughout.

As I removed the skewer and allowed the contents to topple down onto the plate, I began to remember my previous experience during lunch. Yes, Beau's prices are high, but the portion sizes are ENORMOUS, each easily split between two or three diners. Like I mentioned earlier, had this been all I ordered, I probably wouldn't have needed anything else for dinner. Right away, I decided to only eat about one-third of the dish in order to save room for future courses.

As for the appetizer itself, it was quite tasty. The heirloom tomatoes had flavor and just a bit of sweetness to them and the fried green tomatoes were crispy on the outside -- having just a bit of snap on the inside with acidity that balanced out the other sweet flavors on the plate. The arugula added a pepperiness, the pancetta added both salty, chewy and savory elements, and the aiolis provided creaminess. Did it really need two aiolis to be a successful dish? No, not particularly, but other than not being able to separate the flavors in my mouth when eaten together, it didn't detract from the overall deliciousness of the dish.

Since I had ordered an entree, I had the option of either getting a free basic side salad or I could add a half-portion of one of the more "plated" salads from the menu for a small upcharge (I believe it was roughly $3). Since I had been eying one of those salads from the get-go, I decided to go ahead and add it to the line-up for tonight.

Here was the Baby Green, Sun-dried Tomato, Artichoke, Buffalo Mozzarella Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette:


First off, again with the portion size: this was a HALF portion of a salad. I suppose it could've been because I had already eaten so much of my appetizer, but I could've probably done better with half of this "half." I tasted each of the elements on the plate before combining them together into one unified bite. The sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes, and mozzarella were quite tasty (the softness of the cheese was especially gratifying). The baby greens were fresh-looking and crisp. The balsamic vinaigrette, however, really disappointed because it was incredibly sweet. I understand that balsamic vinegar has an inherent level of sweetness to it by nature, but this vinaigrette had been sweetened quite a ways past that. If you like sweet, gentle reader, you might like this. Personally, I found it unbalanced and unsuccessful for this very reason.

After eating about half of my salad, I pushed it away to wait for my final course. The standard table setting at Beau's Grille was two forks, one knife, and one spoon. I had used the first fork and my knife during the appetizer. When I got my salad, I used the second fork. By this point in the meal, I was only left with my spoon. No problem, I figured. When my server brings out the entree and sees I am missing silverware, he'll get me the appropriate pieces.

Sadly, what actually transpired after he brought me the Cavatappi with Grilled Chicken, Roasted and Fresh Tomatoes, Spinach, Garlic, Basil, Lemon and Olive Oil,


was that he simply dropped the plate off and immediately walked away from the table without checking to see if I needed anything else. Being the ever resourceful foodie that I am, I reached across the table and with firm resolve, broke up the silverware set at the spot opposite me at my table. Having retrieved a clean fork, I dug into this dish. Some of the pasta at the rim of the bowl was a bit tepid in temperature, but the food in the center was still nice and hot. That was the good news.

The bad news, gentle reader, was that the pasta was way overcooked, one step below mush. The pasta was also quite bland. This trend seemed pervasive throughout the dish, actually. I tasted component after component and each was either completely unseasoned or grossly underseasoned. While the server had dropped off grated Parmesan cheese for me to apply to my taste, I knew that even with a generous sprinkling of the salty fromage, it would really only season the top of the noodles. Probably the only really assertive flavor in the dish was the garlic, which I couldn't help but notice because of its slight crunch and incredibly pungent flavor -- and indication that it probably hadn't been sauteed enough before building the rest of the sauce.

I probably don't have to mention this as well by this point in the review, but the serving of pasta was enormous.

In the end, I had my server box up the remainder of my appetizer (at least half) and the remaining pasta (at least two-thirds) and asked for my check. As I suspected after doing some mental math, the check with tax and tip came to roughly $31-$32. I wasn't sure if I was going to eat the rest of the pasta for breakfast or lunch, but I figured for that much money, I'd at least give myself the option.

I'm torn on Beau's Grille. The food and service during my first visit was fairly good. In fact, good enough to spur me to return for a dinner service. While the Fried Green Tomato "BLT" was definitely worth ordering, the cloyingly sweet vinaigrette on my salad and my way overcooked and underseasoned cavatappi left me quite a bit unsatisfied. That the server came off as quite aloof and not particularly helpful, I am only left to conclude that if the restaurant is having a good night, you'll receive the same in kind. If not, well then, I hope you enjoy your pasta mushy and with very little flavor.

Opening Day At The Rail

I first heard that Mike Mariola, owner of two highly praised restaurants in Wooster, Ohio, was thinking of opening a burger bar in the Fairlawn area all the way back in August/September of last year when I had the opportunity to review his flagship restaurant, South Market Bistro. At the time, he had left the bistro in the more-or-less capable hands of Chef Eric running the back of the house with wife Liz ran the front while he proceeded to open up and run The City Square Steakhouse across the street.

Noting that Mr. Mariola was absent at South Market Bistro that evening, I figured he must have been working across the street at the sister restaurant. My server surmised that he was more than likely out on the prowl looking for real estate for his new burger joint to join the burgeoning gourmet burger scene that has taken hold of Americans over the last several years. Putting himself in direct competition with other similar restauranteurs such as Michael Symon with his B Spot franchises and Sean Monday with his Hudson Flip Side restaurant, this new venture was sure to draw comparisons to more established eateries.

I learned that The Rail was opening for lunch yesterday and decided to give them an inaugural visit to see how high the bar had been set. The Rail was located at Summit Mall, nestled in between First Watch and PF Chang's with an entrance facing outward into the parking lot. For those with GPS requirements, the actual address was 3265 West Market Street, Akron, OH 44333 and they can be reached at 330-864-7245. While Facebook and Twitter accounts are no doubt in the works, the only Internet presence they have at the moment is their website.

After parking my car in the vast mall parking lot, I approached the front of the restaurant:


While seating was available outside, not-so-oddly since it was a hot day, no one partook of it. Here was a closer shot of the outdoor sign:


Once inside, I was pleasantly surprised to see that while the place was fairly busy on opening day, it was by no means packed. Visual comparisons to Flip Side and B Spot began immediately and while the three restaurants were not exact analogues of one another, they were eerily similar with their concrete flooring, rather Spartan wooden tables, and interesting hanging light fixtures. The Rail differentiated itself by providing a long communal table, which while empty when I arrived, had a fair share of guests sitting at it when I got up to leave.

Hanging on a wall across from the communal table were two chalkboard signs:



As with other high-end burger joints, The Rail goes out of its way to make sure you understand that the beef is local and from Ohio. In fact, to reinforce the Ohio concept, one look at the menu was all that was required:



To be honest, I had thoroughly studied the menu online before ever setting foot inside the door and I pretty much knew what I was going to order. Sadly, when I looked at the "Floats" section on the physical menu, the Sam Smith's Oatmeal Stout Ice Cream Float had been replaced by a Guinness Ice Cream Float. However, as a lover of Guinness, I was willing to make the substitution. Unfortunately, I learned that the tap system was only partly in place and even more unfortunately, neither Guinness nor Sam Smith's Oatmeal Stout would be available. More than pumped that I could potentially get Sam Smith's Oatmeal Stout on draught sooner rather than later, I acquiesced and decided to wait until my next visit to procure this heavenly sounding concoction.

I went ahead and ordered my burger and side and within just a few short minutes, David Drumm, General Manager of The Rail hand delivered my lunch to the table:


This was the 7th Heaven burger and a side of their homemade onion rings. When David asked if I needed anything else, I asked for a steak knife so that I could cleanly bisect the burger. He looked at me with a stunned look and replied, "You know, you would think that running a steakhouse would have given us the forethought to purchase steak knives. I'm sorry, we don't have any." Not a deal breaker, mind you, and I certainly used my regular butter knife to satisfactory effect, but as you will see in a photograph or two, a steak knife would have been perfect.

First, let's talk about the 7th Heaven burger:


The well-seasoned burger patty had been joined by several strips of Nueske bacon, truffled butter, and red onion jam. The burger was perched upon a bun that had been nicely toasted and assembled with a cellophane tipped toothpick to hold it all together. After removing the toothpick, I cut the burger in half.

Here was a shot of my bisected burger, cooked to the perfect medium rare for which I asked:


The first thing I noticed when Mr. Drumm set the burger down in front of me was the heady aroma from the black truffle. The second thing I noticed was that there was a lot of black speckled butter in the paper-lined basket. It seemed that the truffle butter had more of less completely melted. I raised the first half to my mouth and took a bite. It was juicy, it was seasoned nicely, and the crisp, thicker cut bacon added some nice textural contrast to the softness of the bun and the meat. The red onion jam definitely added some sweetness, but what I really needed was a bit of acid. Between the truffle butter, the fattiness of the burger and the bacon, something pickled needed to be on that burger to help balance it out. Don't get me wrong, it was good. Some might have even thought it was great. But it wasn't magical.

My largest gripe with the burger, and it's a complaint that I've also levied against B Spot and Flip Side, was that the bottom part of the bun, the heel, was completely sogged out from all of the juice of both the meat and the truffle butter. This made the burger quite difficult to eat without essentially wearing the juice on my fingers, hands, and down my wrists. [Ed. note: To be fair to B Spot, they did fix this issue, which I wrote about in later reviews.]

I next turned my attention to the onion rings:


Before ordering these, I had asked my waitress what kind of fat was used in the deep fryer. After checking with the kitchen, she returned to inform me that the chef, Gary McNeely, had told her it was a non-hydrogenated vegetable oil. As she looked fairly green, I didn't want to push her into information overload, so I let it go at that. So, while it certainly wasn't vegetable shortening, it also wasn't something more luxurious, like duck fat or tallow either.

As I bit into my first onion ring (always unsauced for the first one or two), I was rewarded with an onion that was thick enough to have some texture, but not too thick that it was crunchy or had a raw taste. The coating on the outside of the ring was a combination of crispy at first and then just ever-so-slightly moist on the inside. The salt level was fairly good, but could've tolerated just a touch more. The problem with these rings was when I took a bite, the onion on the inside completely detached from the coating and pulled right out. As you can imagine, with rings this size, having a long, hot onion strand hanging out of your mouth was neither pleasant feeling nor pleasant looking.

About two-thirds of the way through my meal, David Drumm again stopped by my table, this time to garner feedback. I still had not identified who I was or why I was there, but David took my feedback with great professionalism and he honestly made me feel as if what I had to say counted. He admitted that he was an aficionado of onion rings, too, and he wasn't 100% happy with them either. As for the sogged out bun, he mentioned that they toast the buns and only put the burger onto the bun at the very last second before sending it out from the kitchen, but clearly some further tweaking will be required to address this issue.

With tip and tax, my lunch today came to around $20, but then again, I ordered the most expensive burger off of the menu at $11.75. Your basic burger starts at just over $5, so you could certainly get away with a check closer to $10 if you selected more inexpensive items off the menu. While The Rail's 7th Heaven burger didn't quite satisfy that carnivorous burger lust that a Red Hot from B Spot seems to do, I do think it was a tasty burger. With a few tweaks, I think they could potentially have a real winner. As for the onion rings, again, they are pretty darn close, but don't quite live up to the gloriousness of either B Spot or of all places, Twig's Diner in Barberton, Ohio.

All said and done, I do recommend that you check them out. Opening days can be a tricky affair for any restaurant and after a month of playing around with the menu to hone the concept, I feel they might just achieve the burger glory for which they are clearly striving. Since they are VERY close to where I currently work, you can expect a follow-up review in the following months to see if things have improved. I certainly hope they do.

Fairlawn Showcase Part II: Mustard Seed Market & Cafe

[Full disclosure: I worked an apprenticeship in the bakery department of Mustard Seed Market at the Solon location for two months back in November and December 2007. I don't know whether this was a factor or not in Mustard Seed deciding to participate in this particular series, but I thought I'd throw that out there just to make sure everything is on the up and up.]

Today's second post in the Fairlawn Showcase series may be a day late due to a technical snafu at Blogger, but it certainly won't be a dollar short. If you recall, in my last post, I had the privilege of taking a pre-opening tour of the new Earth Fare location in Fairlawn. After showing me the lay of the land, my tour guide, Kristi, gave me my very own $50 gift card to do with as I pleased. I decided that in order to get just one more reader in to try out the store, I would give mine away on that blog post in addition to the two others that Earth Fare had generously donated.

After receiving the initial inquiry from Earth Fare, I immediately thought what a splendid idea it would be if I could not only spotlight this national chain based out of Ashville, NC, but also bring a locally founded and operated company based right here in northeast Ohio into the mix as well, especially as their Montrose location just celebrated its formal re-opening one week ago today to celebrate their thirty year anniversary.

Founded in 1981 by Margaret and Phillip Nabors, the couple saw a serious need for a grocery store that could provide high quality natural and organic foods along with education and information on food issues and the environment. From the very beginning, Mustard Seed Market has been a local pioneer in the tradition of strict ingredient standards - no artificial colors, flavorings or harmful chemical preservatives, no saccharin or aspartame, no irradiated foods, meats raised without the use of growth hormones and never fed animal by-products.

Now with two store locations, Solon and Montrose, and a third on the way in the Highland Square area closer to downtown Akron, the entire Nabors family has been or is currently involved in making Mustard Seed Market the pre-eminent market for those concerned with putting high quality, nutrient-dense food onto the dinner table day after day. In fact, my involvement from initial meeting through the photo shoot and follow-up emails were made through Gabe Nabors, son of Margaret and Phillip, who is the Purchasing Manager and also in charge of their social media accounts (e.g., Facebook and Twitter).

The Montrose location of Mustard Seed Market and Cafe was located at 3885 West Market Street, Akron, OH 44333 and can be reached at either 330-666-7333 or toll-free at 888-476-2379. In addition to their corporate website, they also have Facebook and Twitter accounts which are updated quite often with reminders, specials, and the occasional informative tidbit. Parking was in the large lot in front of the entrance.

Speaking of storefronts, here was Mustard Seed Market's:


As I got close to the front door, I noticed the following sign hanging right above the entrance:


Always concerned with getting their products into as many hands (and mouths) as possible, the folks at Mustard Seed had listed seven different ways in which shoppers could save money while shopping. I'll leave the description of the right sign, "Free Water," for a bit later in the post. Once inside, I met up with Gabe and we began our walk around the store, virtually documenting our trip with photographs.

Here is where the prose in the form of paragraphs will end for now as we begin the trip (as well as the tense of my verbs).

The first area we come to after entering the sliding glass doors is the produce area. As you can see from the photo above, it is large, spacious and fully stocked. Mustard Seed has a commitment to not only organically produced fruits and vegetables, but also partners with local growers to get as much seasonal product as possible.

Just to the left of the produce section (and right inside the main door) are several large wooden crates of organic mangoes, Packham pears, and Fuji apples. This is one of the many "Seed$avings!" specials that rotate throughout the store on a regular basis.

Along with whole fruits and vegetables of every kind imaginable, the folks at Mustard Seed understand that shoppers lead very busy lives. Here are shelves of pre-cut and pre-mixed containers of organic fruit, ready to eat.

One of the main sources of pride at Mustard Seed Market is the newly expanded bulk foods section of the market at the rear of the produce area. On the right side of the aisle, you will find pre-packaged bulk foods in various sized containers ready for purchase and consumption.

The left-hand side of the aisle contains a very large selection of bulk foods, ranging from organic seeds, nuts (salted and unsalted), grains, legumes, flours, coffee, rice, and much, much more.

As you exit out of the rear of the bulk foods aisle, you will find yourself at the right rear of the store in the Market Kitchen. Here, workers prepare small batch quantities of prepared foods that completely fit in with the natural and organic philosophy of the store. Small batches made throughout the day ensure that the food stays fresher, tastier, and ultimately more healthy.

Here is a shot of some of the prepared foods inside the display cases.

In addition to the prepared foods in the cases, a sushi bar where fresh selections are made on a daily basis as well as a salad bar island directly in front of the Market Kitchen offers several dozen items from which you can build a healthy and tasty salad to meet your exact needs.

Just behind the salad bar is one of Mustard Seed Market's pride and joy, a reverse osmosis water dispenser. While the water is typically $0.25 per gallon at this dispensary (which in itself is a bargain), until May 22nd, if you spend just $5.00 at Mustard Seed, you can get 10 gallons of water FOR FREE! This popular service is one of the market's larger draws for regular shoppers.

In addition to the daily made bread in the baskets at the Market Kitchen area, additional baskets of bread are available next to the salad bar area. Having baked many a loaf of this bread in the kitchens of Mustard Seed in Solon, I can tell you that every single loaf is made daily and from scratch to ensure freshness, taste, and good nutrition.

Another of Mustard Seed Market's trademarks is their commitment to vitamins and supplements of all kinds. The photograph above is one of TWO complete aisles committed to making sure you, the shopper, have access to a myriad of choices. Lest you think you will be all alone to navigate this sea of products, the market has extremely knowledgeable staff willing to help out whenever you feel overwhelmed or are looking for something particular.

Towards the middle rear of the sales floor is the seafood and meat department. All of the ground meats (turkey, chicken, beef, and pork) are ground on-site several times a day. In addition to whole cuts of meat being available for sale, pre-marinated or fabricated (think chicken kabobs) items are also available to help the busy cook get dinner on the table faster.

This is a shot of one of the two cheese cases available at Mustard Seed. In addition, prepared cheese spreads are also available.

Behind the cheese case already pictured is the freezer case where the pre-packaged Gluten Free frozen food products live. Additionally, in the aisle across from the cheese case, the Gluten Free foods are congregated in a single area, each marked with a blue "Gluten Free" tag to aid those having to navigate the somewhat confusing world of gluten-free foods as easily as possible.

Across from the Gluten Free shelf-stable products is an entire assortment of chocolates, ranging from organic to conventional, from all parts of the world and containing different percentages of the cacao bean.

In the wine aisle, a vast selection of bottles of wine are sorted either by country of origin, kosher or organic.

Here is a shot of some of the organic wines available at Mustard Seed Market in Montrose.

Right around the corner from the wine section is the beer cooler displaying all manner of local and national brands of beer.

This painted wall mural behind the beer case emphasizes Mustard Seed Market's commitment to the philosophy of organic farming and the potential health benefits associated of food that has not been sprayed with any of the various -ides (i.e., pesticide, fungicide, herbicide, etc.).

While the dairy section contains a number of nationally available brands, local farms, such as Snowville Creamery and Hartzler Dairy, are also represented. Of course, alternatives to dairy, such as almond, rice, and soy milks are also available.

Just behind the dairy section and next to the cheese case is the entrance to the full-service cafe, located at the top of the stairs in the building's mezzanine. Here is a shot of the sales floor below, giving you a pretty good idea of the size and variety of the products under one roof.

At the top of the stairs is the entrance to the cafe. Open for lunch and dinner during the week and brunch on Sundays, the restaurant is full-service and caters to diners with dietary restrictions (vegetarian, vegan, macrobiotic, etc.) as well as those just looking for a tasty meal that adheres to the company's philosophy on food.

This is the counter area just inside the main entrance to the cafe. The doors in the back open up to banquet rooms where additional seating is available for catered events. Catering services are available for on and off-site events and for carry-out.

The final photo is the community calendar of events located at the very front of the store, right before you exit out into the parking lot. In addition to weekly specials (such as a Golden Buckeye Day discount for seniors), information about classes and community events are also listed.

The tour now complete, I realized I had spent nearly an hour walking around with Gabe snapping pictures and chatting with him. I thanked him for his time, gathered up all my gear and headed back out to my car knowing that I would have plenty of pictures and information to write about my tour of Mustard Seed Market and Cafe. I also made sure before I left the store to pick up the generously donated duo of $50 gift cards, good at either Mustard Seed Market location.

So now that you've walked the market with me, gentle reader, let me further entice you into trying them out for yourself. The contest for the Mustard Seed Market gift cards will work EXACTLY the same way as it did for the Earth Fare cards (well, hopefully without the snafu from Blogger causing comments to stop working). The contest begins on Saturday, May 14th at 6:00 AM and will continue until Monday morning at 5:59:59 AM. To enter for a chance to win one of the two cards, simply leave a comment on this blog post (NOT the Facebook fan page) stating that you'd like to win. If you'd like an additional chance at winning a card, share a link to this blog post on your Facebook, Twitter, blog or other social media outlet and paste that link into the comment you leave here. Regardless of how many sites you share the link on, it only counts as one extra chance.

IF YOU LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS IN YOUR COMMENT and Random.org happens to pick your post as the winner, I will contact you directly. If you paste in a shared link to your social media site in your comment and it is obvious how to get in touch with you, you do not have to leave an email address. If you choose not to leave an email address and it is not obvious how to contact you, it is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to check back on Monday morning to see if you've been selected as one of the winners. You'll have a week from the time I announce the winners to contact me to claim your prize. If not, I'll pick another winner.

Of course, regardless of whether you win one of the $50 gift cards to Mustard Seed Market and Cafe, it is clear that this local family-owned chain of stores is committed to providing you with the quality food, services, and education that can only improve the quality of your life. I recommend you visit them soon and see how they can help you make improvements to you and your family's well-being.

Fairlawn Showcase Part I: Earth Fare

I get email solicitations all of the time from people and companies wanting me to write about product 'X' or service 'Y'. In cases where I think that the product or service aligns itself well with the goals of this blog, I have agreed in the past to evaluate or promote it. One of those goals is to write about local chains or locally owned and operated independent restaurants because they are what making living in this part of Ohio so unique. In cases where I have agreed to write about a national chain (such as when I reviewed Bonefish Grill in Independence), I also made it a point to include a companion review on a similar independent restaurant, too (Restaurant Dante in Tremont).

Earth Fare is an eastern United States chain of stores based out of Asheville, NC that is operating in seven states, including their newest store in the Montrose/Fairlawn area which has its grand opening today. Corley May, Web Content Producer for Earth Fare, contacted me last Thursday wondering if I would be interested in touring the new store. When Corley sweetened the deal by throwing in not one, but TWO $50 gift cards to give away to my lucky readers, how could I say no?

After agreeing to the terms with Corley, I quickly realized that I could use the coverage of this national chain to help showcase a locally owned and operated chain of stores familiar to Cleveland and Akron residents alike, Mustard Seed Market. I contacted the folks at Mustard Seed Market, explained what had transpired, and asked if they'd be willing to balance out the Earth Fare review in a two-part write-up, the second installment of which will post this Friday. Not only did they agree, but they graciously also decided to donate two $50 gift cards, too! That's right, gentle reader, over the next couple of days, I'll be giving away $200 worth of gift cards!

But now to the main topic of today's post: Earth Fare. The new store is located at 3737 West Market Street, Fairlawn, OH 44333 and can be reached at 330-668-3500. The store is positioned in the same strip mall that houses Bruegger's, Pier One, and Hobby Lobby (CompUSA and Borders used to be in the same building). They have both a Facebook page as well as a Twitter account.

Here was a shot of the exterior of the new store:


Once inside the main door, I was greeted by store representative Kristi Kanzig, Assistant Director of Marketing, who graciously showed me around the new store pointing out some of the major points of interest. Since I wanted to give my readers out there a visual perspective of what they can expect, my descriptions will be fairly terse.

Community and store calendar located just inside the main door.

Earth Fare wants you to know its philosophy on food right from the get-go. This was just inside the main door in the produce area.

Produce area. Beige labels are conventionally grown produce, orange labels are organic, and green labels mean locally grown produce from within 100 miles of the Fairlawn store.

One of Earth Fare's commitments is to partner with smaller family farms (not necessarily within 100 miles or organic). This symbol indicates that the item was produced on such a farm.

This symbol on an item indicates that it was produced on a local farm from within 100 miles of the Fairlawn store (again, it doesn't necessarily mean it is organic or from a small family farm).

During the first twelve weeks that the store is open, various produce will rotate in and out of the "Thank You" specials.

Just beyond the produce section was the bulk foods area. Grains, flour, seeds, nuts, rice, candy, trail mixes, they've got quite the selection.

At the rear of the store behind the bulk foods was the seafood and butchery areas. All meats are labeled organic/non-organic, place of origin, grass-fed/conventional, and whether the fish was farm-raised or wild caught.

When I asked Kristi about those with special dietary needs, she helpfully pointed out this row, noting that items that are Gluten Free not only have signs indicating as such, but the front of these shelves had wooden surfaces instead of the brown metal on all of the others.

In the middle of the store was a wellness area containing a wide selection of vitamins, supplements, herbal remedies, teas and much more. This location will have someone on staff to assist customers in finding exactly what they need.

Also in the wellness area were the bulk herbs and spices. While you can buy a glass jar from Earth Fare, if you have your own, bring it and stop by the customer service area and they will note the weight of your bottle coming in, so you only pay for the difference when you leave.

At the opposite rear point in the store was the cheese section. This was one of two cases of artisan cheeses and there was a third case of more bulk-style cheese. Tasting is encouraged.

In front of the cheese area (moving closer to the front of the store) was the wine and beer area. Here was a selection of incredibly reasonably priced wines geared at organic/sulfite-free/locally made/conventional wine drinkers. Wines are helpfully labeled to help shoppers navigate.

The beer selection contained beer at many levels from Pabst Blue Ribbon (which Kristi pointed out) to many micro-brews and imports (I noticed Sam Smiths ... always a good choice).

Between the wine and beer "walls" was a section that contained special selections for the week that ran $15 or less. This will be a great way for Earth Fare to showcase specific wines to customers.

As we moved closer to the front of the store, we entered the hot and cold food service areas. One of the items that Kristi spent some time discussing was the weekly Thursday Family Dinner Night.

This was the pizza and sandwich prep area. Not only will pizzas be available for purchase and consumption at the store, but par-baked pizzas will also be available to take home and finish baking yourself.

The sandwich menu at the pizza and sandwich prep station.

Moving diagonally across the isle from the previous station we found the in-house bakery. Here was a shot of some of the freshly baked breads and pies made in preparation for today's store opening.

This was the pastry case filled to the brim with homemade treats ready for today's big event. Breads and pastries are all labeled so that you can find exactly the kind of treat that fits your eating requirements.

Directly next to the bakery (and nearly at the front of the store) was a coffee, tea, juice, and smoothie bar.

Sushi area where freshly made sushi is available in either white or brown rice every day.

Prepared foods just to the right of the sushi area and just in front of the cash registers.

Any of the foods purchased at Earth Fare can be eaten in this decently sized cafe area. While this obviously isn't a full-service restaurant, you can certainly assemble a meal from the various hot and cold food stations throughout the store and sit here to enjoy your meal.

Earth Fare has committed to showing local artists on the walls in their cafe. Here was a piece by Allison, an eighth grader from a local school.

Having spent nearly an hour with me, I thanked Kristi for her time and made my way back out into the warm, not-quite-sure-if-it-was-going-to-shower evening air. While Corley had originally agreed to give away two $50 gift cards to my awesome readers, I was surprised when Kristi handed me my very own $50 gift card. While I will certainly be returning to give Earth Fare a more thorough shakedown, as a reward for getting all the way to the bottom of a very long post, I am going to sweeten the deal and throw MY gift card into the mix as well. That means you, gentle reader, have a chance to win one of THREE $50 gift cards to Earth Fare.

So here is how the contest will work. Starting at 6:00 AM on Wednesday, May 11th and ending at 5:59:59 AM on Friday, May 13th, if you wish to throw your hat into the ring for one of these awesome gift cards, leave a comment on this blog post stating that you wish to win. If you wish to get in an extra chance at a card, share the link for this blog post on your Facebook, Twitter, blog, or other social media account (you can only earn one extra chance, regardless of how many sites you share the link on) and post that link right in your comment.

When 6:00 AM rolls around on Friday morning, I will make a list of all the names of the commenters as well as how many chances they have earned. Using Random.org, I will select three names from the list and contact those individuals to see if they are still interested in receiving a card. IF YOU LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS IN YOUR COMMENT, I will contact you directly. If you provided a link to your Facebook, Twitter, blog, etc. and it is easy and obvious to make contact with you, there is no need to leave an email address. If I select a contest winner with no email address or outside link listed, you will have to wait until Sunday morning at 6:00 AM when I will publish a list of all the winners. You will then have one week to contact me to claim your prize. If not, I will select another winner.

While it is always awesome when I am able to give away gift cards to encourage people to visit a new store, I do encourage you to check out Earth Fare for yourself, regardless if you win one or not. They have a hard and fast food philosophy by which they operate, have shown community involvement even before the store officially opened, and are in the business of helping to educate consumers on making smarter choices about what is going into their bodies.

Make sure to come back on Friday and read all about the second part of this Fairlawn Showcase ... and the opportunity to win more gift cards!