Local Flavor

Urban Farmer is a little like the Union Star, one of its signature cocktails. It's rustic and old-fashioned with a shimmery twist. While the rye drink is served with a swirl of edible gold dust, the restaurant channels both Ohio countryside and industrial chic through salvaged wood paneling, leather-bound bar menus and shelves of preserved vegetables that accent clean lines, open space, low lighting and modern finishes.

After the Portland, Oregon-based Urban Farmer settled at East Sixth Street and St. Clair Avenue for its second location, the restaurant's design firm Dash Design wanted to create a space for Clevelanders to come home to.

"It has to feel authentic to the region," says David Ashen, the firm's president. "It's being able to translate the DNA of the brand and pick up the energy of the city."

We walk you through the highlights.

1. BOTTLED UP
It's tucked away from the main dining room, but there's more seating within this open pantry. The jars are full of house-made pickles and preserves. And they're not just for show: The kitchen cooks with the vegetables on display. Try the charcuterie along with its accompanying pickled veggies such as cauliflower, onions, cucumbers and green beans.

2. POSTER CHILD
Melissa Wehrman, a graphic designer from Whitehouse, Ohio, gives a nod to the local farms and producers that fill your plate with poster-sized photographs and chalkboard prints listing suppliers over the open kitchen. Look for Mackenzie Creamery's smiling goats on the wall and its fresh chevre on the cheese board.

3. WOOD YOU PLEASE?
Ashen describes Urban Farmer as the product of a savvy city slicker and a salt-of-the-earth farmer. "They got together, and this was their restaurant ... a modern farm vernacular." The decor speaks to this in its marriage of reclaimed barn siding and riveted metal in the lounge, but local artist John Troxell formally appreciates Ohio with bold declarations of "Ohio Fresh," "UF <3 CLE" and "Nice to Meat You" in his paintings.

4. THE LOCAL RAG
Ashen used patterns borrowed from Ohio's history of quilting for its collaged materials. "We tried to make it unique in terms of pulling these patterns together that were inspired by local craft," he says. The booths are heavy on natural browns and plaids, while the seats in a secluded lounge area are upholstered in a cow print paying homage to Ohio's dairy farms.

IN THE CLE

Guests entering the restaurants are welcomed by four large TVs on the western wall opposite the kitchen. "We wanted to play up the seasonality of the restaurant, to tell a more local story," says David Ashen. "[Portland filmmaker] Matt McCormick came and filmed some of the lake during the spring, summer, winter and fall."