Restaurants

Notso Shabby

The world's most decadent fries come to Valley View.

By Elaine T. Cicora 

Closed since November, the former Park City Diner (8111 Rockside Road, Valley View) will reopen this spring as a Yours Truly restaurant. The property, adjacent to the Cuyahoga Valley National Park's popular Towpath Trail, will become the region's eighth YT location, joining spots in Chagrin Falls, Beachwood, Medina, Hudson, Shaker Square, Mentor, and Mayfield Village.

Founded by siblings Larry, Jeff, Art, and Darlene Shibley in 1981, YT's casual ambiance, moderate prices, and kid-friendly vibe seem likely to be good fits for its Thornburg Station location. The small complex, nestled between the Towpath and the Cuyahoga River, also includes California Salads, Carvel ice cream shop, and the upscale Lockkeepers, whose name and concept will change this fall under new chef-owner Dante Boccuzzi.

(Restaurateur and developer Frank Sinito originally launched Park City Diner in 2003 as a more casual alternative to his nearby Lockkeepers. He has since decided to get out of the grueling restaurant biz in order to spend more time with his family.)

While most YTs have adopted a turn-of-the-century decor featuring brass, leaded glass, and polished wood, Park City's striking Deco decor will remain mostly intact. Plans also call for adding plenty of outdoor seating on the patio overlooking the park. The menu, though, will be classic YT, featuring all-day breakfasts, signature omelets, half-pound sirloin burgers, and the infamous Notso Fries, those addictive little pileups of fried spuds, melted Swiss and American cheeses, bacon, and sour cream that have sunk many a Northeast Ohio diet.

The Valley View YT will serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily, along with a selection of beer and wine.

Lizard lips . . . A second highly successful Northeast Ohio restaurant group, Winking Lizard Taverns, is also expanding. According to owner and founder Jim Callam, spot number 13 should be open for business by March 21 in the former Mentor Cowboy Food & Drink location, at 9570 Mentor Avenue. Kitchen hours are 11 a.m. to midnight daily, with the bar remaining open until 1 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Best known for their wings, ribs, and annual World Tour of Beer, Lizards have been prowling the countryside since 1983, when Callam opened the original in Bedford Heights.