Mixed Feelings...Some Good...Some Not so good
Written: Sep 24 '09
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Large floor area when including the large patio. 3 bars. Many attractive bartenders and servers
Cons: Disappointing overstuffed sandwiches. No special beer prices or Happy Hour prices worth noting.
The Bottom Line: Worth trying for yourself. Definitely a gathering 'water hole' for the surrounding suburbs. Great place to watch your favorite sports as well.
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| lovehifi's Full Review: Panini's Grill |
A Paninis recently opened in Westlake, Ohio, on Detroit Road.
My first visit to Paninis was disappointing. I am definitely not a fan of their so called 'overstuffed sandwiches'. Later visits were a little better.
The Paninis in Westlake, OH, is situated on a large lot. There is ample parking, even though it gets quite crowded. The outdoor patio is superb, I must say. Large, not crowded, with its own bar. Very nice. Excellent tile flooring. Plenty of room to drink, stroll, mingle and even smoke for those so inclined.
Two other bars are located inside. One room has a bar with many flat screened TVs placed end-to-end along the top of the bar. Another room has a bar and a half dozen or more TVs placed in strategic places, allowing viewing from almost any bar stool or table seat.
Bartenders are friendly, and all very attractive, as are the servers.
On weekends this place is hopping. People galore. Well dressed women and guys. Absolutely a hang-out for the single crowd.
About the food:
I am not a fan of their supposedly famous overstuffed sandwiches. I ordered a corned beef sandwich. Many local places have very good corned beef. Not so, in my opinion, at Paninis.
I asked the server to place the coleslaw and fries on the side, rather than on the sandwich itself. The resulting sandwich was very thin, with very little meat and a lot of bread.
The coleslaw sucked. It is dry and tasteless. I first thought it was just shredded lettuce, to be honest. The fries are fries. Average.
The above sandwich was around $8-9, so I was not impressed.
My better half had a pizza, which she enjoyed. She said she'd order it again. It is larger than a 'personal' pizza. It can feed two, depending on how hungry you both might be. I think the pizza was around $10-12.
On subsequent visits I faired better, however.
A patron of Paninis told me to order a build-a-burger, which I did. Very good. I ordered mine with a fried egg, mushroom and swiss cheese. Delicious! I'd have it again any time. I love burgers with a fried egg on top. Many restaurants do not offer this fair, sadly.
On a third visit I had chicken wings. The wings I ordered were the second from the top, the top being the 'hottest'. I was not impressed. The wings were very tasty, but not at all as 'hot' as I expected. Hot wings and beer. Now that's a combo I can enjoy. I've had much hotter wings elsewhere. I'm not referring to wings so hot as to be unedible either. Just wings with some real 'kick', to make me want to grab my beer.
Prices are about average for this area. I guess I'd compare the prices to that of TGIF or Applebys or Champps.
Plenty of room inside and out.
Quite a bit on the menu that I haven't yet ordered.
By the way, my better half ordered pizza again and it was quite good. I also had some. Very cheesy and done just right.
However, a couple who accompianied us also ordered a pizza and theirs was overdone and burnt. It did not look appetizing at all.
All in all, Paninis isn't bad. It has definite potential. Definitely a gathering place for both younger and middle aged singles, partiers and drinkers.
Overall, I like the place. We will see if it continues to do well. I've heard they may feature portable propane heaters to keep the outdoor patio open well into the fall. Lets hope so. That would be a great idea.
Improvements:
I'd like to see Paninis get rid of their current coleslaw in favor of a creamy base coleslaw.
Their overstuffed sandwiches are skimpy, compared to other restaurants in the area. I am referring to the amount of meat on the sandwich, not the size of the sandwich when it is filled with the coleslaw and fries.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
lovehifi
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Member: Stan
Location: USA
Reviews written: 159
Trusted by: 5 members
About Me:
I have always had a fascination in the field of audio.
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