Courtesy the Sleepy Rooster
Following nine months of work, the majority of which was completed by family, Craig and Sarah Fitzgerald recently opened The Sleepy Rooster (5210 Chillicothe Rd., 440-557-5212) in Chagrin Falls. The attractive diner is open for breakfast and lunch Tuesday through Sunday.
After graduating from Le Cordon Bleu Institute of Culinary Arts in Pittsburgh, Craig worked in fine dining in Pittsburgh and Florida before returning to Northeast Ohio, where he worked with the Gamekeeper’s group. The Sleepy Rooster is the realization of a career-long dream to open a place of his own.
“We’re not reinventing the wheel,” says Fitzgerald. “It’s all food that people know. It’s very comforting food, but done with good ingredients and technique.”
Biscuit fans will appreciate the fresh-baked ones served here. They land in dishes like breakfast biscuits, biscuits and gravy, and eggs Benedict. The Sleepy Rooster is one of the only Northeast Ohio restaurants to make and serve goetta, the German breakfast meat made with pork, beef, steel-cut oats, onions and spices. “You just griddle it crisp and serve it with some eggs,” says the chef.
Some breakfast items, like a section of toasts topped with arrangements like avocado and sea salt, chorizo and goat cheese, and smoked salmon, dill cream cheese and onion, are available all day. The arrival of lunchtime ushers in sandwiches like a griddled PB&J, fried bologna and onion, and a BLT with pork belly.
For now, the diner seats about 45, half of its 90-seat capacity. While diminished, that dine-in service has been surprisingly robust, says Fitzgerald.
“Business is going well,” he reports. “Everyone from the community has been very supportive and its been amazing. It’s not the ideal situation, but people have been great.”
Courtesy the Sleepy Rooster
