North Olmsted will never be mistaken for the South Side neighborhood of Pittsburgh. The West Side bedroom community does not possess a world-class assemblage of offbeat shops, galleries and restaurants. And nowhere within its borders will one stumble into a boozy nightlife scene like that of Pittsburgh’s East Carson Street, a sobriety-crushing strip of bars, pubs, taverns and saloons.
But the two neighborhoods — separated by both distance and
sports-team allegiances — now share the common bond of great
beer.
For more than 15 years, Fat Head’s Saloon has been one of the South
Side’s most beloved watering holes. Adored for its matchless craft-beer
selection, belly-busting fare and comfortable digs, the local hotspot
is pretty much packed from open to close. So when local brewer Matt
Cole was looking for a concept around which to build his new brewpub,
he naturally gravitated to one of his favorite beer bars. Cole imported
the popular Fat Head’s brand, tacked on a bona fide brewery and set out
to duplicate the success of the South Side original. Judging by the
crowds that have descended upon the two-month-old eatery, it looks as
though the plan is working.
In addition to the brewhouse, which even the original lacks, the
Cleveland version boasts considerably more space. Cole and his partners
transformed the old Danny Boy Farm Market into a sprawling homage to
suds, grub and fun. The 13,000-square-foot restaurant sports a 35-seat
bar, 200-seat dining room, and roomy game area featuring a vintage
bowling machine, bristle dart boards and pool tables. A wrap-around
patio extends the pub’s capacity considerably on seasonable days and
nights.
Chef-partner Derek Wilson, formerly of Great Lakes Brewing, knew he
was duty-bound to serve the signature Headwiches, the four-fisted
sandwiches that helped make the brand famous. But he set his sights
well outside the inside of a bun. Wilson added a pizza oven and a real
pit smoker to his kitchen wish list, promising five-star pie and
genuine Southern barbecue.
Unfortunately, reality got in the way. The barbecue pit proved too
small to live up to Wilson’s lofty ambitions, and instead of a
tantalizing roster of finger-licking barbecue items, only wings and
pulled pork now see the inside of a smoker. Both of those items, by the
way, are great. Meaty chicken wings ($12.95/dozen) are dry-rubbed,
slow-smoked, char-grilled and finished with any number of sauces.
Better yet is the Beauty & the Beasty ($9.95), a spicy stack of
smoky pulled pork, creamy coleslaw, pickles and onions on a soft
bun.
While serviceable in a pinch, the pies served at Fat Head’s likely
will not earn raves from true pizza aficionados. We found the crust of
our buffalo chicken pizza ($12.95) to be dry and tough, and the cheese
and toppings oily.
But from what we observed, most diners are content to sidestep the
pizza in favor of one of the Headwiches. Built on large round buns
imported from a Pittsburgh bakery, these comically outsized sandwiches
arrive garnished with olive “eyes” and a steak-knife “nose.” The Full
Cleveland ($10.95) is an ungainly arrangement of kielbasa, bratwurst,
sauerkraut, cheese, 1,000 Island and Stadium Mustard. Similarly
endowed, the cheese steak ($9.95) features quality sliced beef, sweet
and hot peppers, cheese and mayo. All sandwiches come with the house’s
killer thick-cut potato chips. Put away a few of these sandwich
platters and you won’t just end up with a fat head, but also a fat
belly, ass and thighs.
In addition to nearly three-dozen sandwiches and burgers, the menu
sets aside room for a handful of salads and some bar munchies. Bypass
the bland and pasty fried pierogies ($7.95) in favor of the
surprisingly good spinach, artichoke and chicken dip ($9.95). Neither
runny nor greasy like most, the dense mixture is served with a basket
of deep-fried pita chips for scooping.
If relatively new arrivals like Melt, Tremont Tap House and Buckeye
Beer Engine confirm anything, it’s that our collective taste in beer
has vastly improved. Diners today are choosing restaurants as much for
their beer lists as they are the food. Fat Head’s, I’m glad to say, has
become another stop on the good-beer circuit.
“We’re trying to create the ultimate beer nirvana,” says brewer Matt
Cole. That means that in addition to a dozen stellar house beers, the
restaurant also stocks two dozen top-quality “guest” varieties. For
help attaining that “beer nirvana,” consider ordering the Fat Head’s
beer sampler ($10). Served in a clever wooden rack, the sampler offers
five-ounce pours of eight different brews. A numbering system makes
identification a snap, even after polishing off Cole’s potent Head
Hunter IPA.
This article appears in Jun 3-9, 2009.
We went about a week after they opened and I could not have been more disappointed. The service was beyond horrible, and the few was awful. The only thing I would even call a highlight was the beer. And even that was not great. I want to give the place a second chance, but it was so terrible the first time around, that I am not sure I can.
Sorry about the lack of proofreading…. I meant to say, “…the service was beyond horrible, and the FOOD was awful.”
Fathead’s is like any other joint you can sit yourself down at. The food is hardly perfect, but it is good more often than not. Does that mean that you’ll have amazing quality every single time? Hardly. But then again I can’t think of a single place that I’ve ever been to where everything on the menu was stellar and was so consistent that there was never an off day. People do make mistakes, we are only human.
When it comes to the beer though anyone who says, “Oh that wasn’t all that great,” or, “It was awful,” should probably just stick with drinking their Miller High-Life and not bother enjoying the bold flavors and smooth textures of real brew. Fathead’s will deliver you a beer that you enjoy and in spades. Whether it’s a smooth chocolate stout that is surprisingly not very heavy, or a wickedly hopped out IPA, or even a nice and crisp refreshing beer, Fathead’s will supply. The awards that are attached to their beers are not made up, and the only reasons I can consider for why people wouldn’t like what comes out of the tap are two. One, you don’t like beer, in which case… why are you at a brewery? Two, you like cheap beer the color of urine that tastes like sparkling water. If you fit in either of these two categories ..don’t go. Their beer will be too flavorful, too strong, and quite simply too awesome for you to enjoy. Now, if you like creative and well brewed beer, strong bar-food (because that is what this is, a large selection of bar-foods), and a decently enjoyable atmosphere this should be the place for you. I have been to this particular location about fifteen times now and I have never been disappointed and never walked away feeling the service or food was terrible. That said, mistakes do happen. We are human, and hey, guess what, so are the people working at Fatheads. Regardless, give it a try! Maybe you’ll like it, maybe you won’t, but don’t sit around going, “THIS PLACE SUCKS BECAUSE I’M NUMBAH ONE FOO.”