I have mixed feelings about how to review Crosswinds. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone I know, but of was exactly what I was looking for after a long day outside in the heat. The atmosphere is somewhere between casual fam. restaurant and local sports bar. It is clean and comfortable, and just a tad noisy. The food was decent, if boring. The preparation was OK, it's just a little bland, and there is nary a vegetable to be found on the menu. Â The service, too, was unremarkable. Â
I'm never going to say, "I found this great place," but it may be just the place if you are hot and tired, and just want decent food in a comfortable place.
Like others have mentioned, Im not quite sure what people expect for dining options in Port Clinton. Â My mother and I ate at this resaurant last week and thoroughly enjoyed it! Â The menu has a nice variety of salads, chicken, sandwiches, Italian food, etc. Â My mom and I spit the Lake Erie perch platter, and I would say it was some of the best fish I had ever eaten!!! There was enough for the both of us, plus one piece that was leftover. Â We also split a bowl of the cauliflower/cheddar soup, which was pretty good.
It was a Friday evening and there was a wait unless we opted to eat at the bar, which we did. The bartender (I don't recall his name) was extremly nice and attentive. Â They have several TV's in the bar area, so if you are a sports fan, you are in luck!
If you stay at the Holiday Inn Express, they offer free delivery of their pizzas, subs, and appetizers. Â A gentleman that was sitting at the bar said the pizza was excellent (it looked really good).
The perch platter, a bowl of soup, and a bottle of house chardonnay was $41. Â Not bad for good food, in a nice environment with good service!!! Â I would be back!
From the look of the interior (and exterior for that matter), you can't get more Middle-American-suburbia. Â The vintage knickknacks on the wall was probably a novel idea back in the day, before T.G.I. Friday's (and it's Midwest niche counterpart Max & Erma's) made it ubiquitous. Â So Crosswinds crosses the winds that blow from family restaurant chains along with sports bars, but wouldn't you know, it feels so impeccably managed it seems like it would HAVE to be a roadside chain. Â But it ain't.
And, in fact, it offers freshly caught seafood from Lake Erie...darn good in fact. Â The signature perch salad is tasty and generally healthy (minus the batter on the perch, but at least it isn't health), with a house dressing that, to my surprise, is an unconventional vinaigrette. Â The shrimp skewers probably aren't local, but they're well seasoned and prepared. Â Service is attentive and professional, trained like they're following a national business model...but they probably aren't. Â Just polished.
If you ever make it to Port Clinton, I'd recommend driving through the downtown, gawking at the beautiful old homes that front the lake, then venture on over to nowheresville along the highway to grab a bite to eat. Â You could do much, much worse!
My husband and I ate here with our friends when we were visiting over Labor Day weekend and we were impressed! We were expecting your typical bar food, but the guys got surf and turf, I got a burger and our friends fiancee got some sort of baked pasta and everyone was happy. The restaurant is nice and very clean. The wait staff was personable and super friendly. If we lived in this town, we would definitely go back!
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