Bald Headed Bistro is serving up the tastes of spring, offering recipes with fresh produce and a patio open for diners to enjoy nice weather, music on Wednesday nights, happy hour specials and entrées only available at the bar.
"Chef's got stuff in his garden and I'm growing stuff in my garden for here and we are going to try to put an herb garden out in front of the restaurant," says Josh Weekley, general manager. "We usually hit the local farmers market and we use the local produce for our weekend specials, special recipes or the chef's appetizer and chef's side."
This spring, guests often decide to dine on Bald Headed Bistro's covered patio. There is a specialty menu just for those eating in the bar and patio areas who want bar-style dishes such as steak nachos or the rotisserie roasted beef Philly. Patio and bar guests can also order from the regular menu or the small plates menu that features half orders of the restaurant's favorites like cedar-planked salmon, gremolata- crusted Chilean sea bass and steak Oscar.
Every Wednesday on the restaurant's patio, Joe Joe Collins performs acoustic sets starting at 6 p.m. and ending at around 10 p.m. A small stage near the patio provides plenty of room for diners as well as performers.
"He's great and has a strong fan base," says Craig Duggard, assistant manager of catering and events. "He plays by himself with some country, older rock and a good variety of rock."
Another tasty reason to enjoy the bar and patio is Bald Headed Bistro's happy hour, which includes $2 martinis from 5-6 p.m. and two-for-one well drinks as well as several beer and wine specials. Signature drinks that aren't on the happy hour menu but that are classics include the Hendrick's cucumber gimlet prepared with Hendrick's small-batch gin, muddled cucumber, fresh lime juice and simple syrup. A simple but tasty drink for summer is the Ciroc white grape martini with premium Ciroc vodka shaken with Welch's white grape juice and served with a frozen grape. Bald Headed Bistro recently added a new skinny margarita made with Tres Agaves Reposado tequila and Tres Agaves organic margarita mix. The mix consists of organic lime juice, organic agave nectar and pure, filtered water. The margarita is only 60 calories and is the perfect complement to Bald Headed Bistro's new seafood trio, a light spring entrée for calorie-conscious diners.
The seafood trio is a serving of sea bass, scallops and shrimp prepared in olive oil with paprika, salt and pepper. The seafood is served on a bed of sautéed spinach with a side of citrus butter sauce.
"It is one of the healthiest dishes we have," says Duggard. "We also have a healthy cedar-plank salmon and we've had that on the menu at least a year."
For groups larger than four, Bald Headed Bistro suggests reservations; if a party of nine or more decides to dine at the restaurant reservations are necessary so wait staff can move tables in the main dining room to accommodate larger groups. Those who would like a more private setting for their gathering can reserve one of the restaurant's private dining rooms for anything from luncheons to rehearsal dinners.
"We've done a lot of wedding rehearsals, bridal lunches, receptions and everything pertaining to weddings," Duggard says. "We host a lot of business luncheons and pharmaceutical luncheons and have plasma screens you can hook computers to for presentations."
The restaurant, whether caring for one diner or 400, prides itself on service, with hosts and servers who make each dining experience delicious and worry free, says Duggard. The
restaurant has two servers, one who speaks Thai and the other German, who can help with planning for events with an international flare.
LOCATION: 201 Keith St., southwest Cleveland.
PHONE: 472-6000. For catering or special events, call 473-4323.
HOURS: Monday through Saturday the bar opens at 4:30 p.m. The dining room is open from 5-9 p.m. on Mondays and until 10 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.