If we could make up a term for this trendy new westin hotelrestaurant's patchwork-and-reclaimed wood decor, we'd call it "calico cool." Like Annie Oakley meets Arhaus, rustic elements are punctuated with chic details: A cowhide-print lounge and bar gets a dash of restraint with a tufted leather Chesterfield sofa and a few midcentury modern armchairs. An auxiliary dining room with a dark, busy wallpaper feels playful with two ostrich-feather chandeliers overhead.
It adds up to a vibe that instantly puts you at ease, whether you're in jeans or a suit.
And in true Cleveland fashion, Urban Farmer's Midwest work ethic makes it more than just a pretty steakhouse. Nearly the entire basement of the restaurant has been dedicated to an in-house butcher shop, including dry-aging coolers and humidity-controlled curing closets for charcuterie. The daily steak specials rotate based on how many strips or rib-eyes the butcher could coax from the last side of Ohio beef. When they're out, they're out. The menu features more meaty offerings — it's a steakhouse, after all — and notations that include where and how the cattle was raised such as 24-ounce corn-fed porterhouse from Kansas ($58).
With hotel restaurant prices, dinner here is reserved for special occasions. But you'll find us returning often for the cocktails, which have the same creative touches as the decor.
Using produce from Green City Growers, cheese from Mackenzie Creamery and artwork from local designer Melissa Wehrman, the place feels rooted in Cleveland. So it's surprising to learn the restaurant is actually part of Denver-based Sage Restaurant Group and that there's another Urban Farmer in Portland, Oregon.
"Midwest sensibilities fit our brand," says Matt Christianson, director of culinary operations. "I think that it speaks to Cleveland." 1325 E. Sixth St., Cleveland, 216-771-7707, urbanfarmercleveland.com
Try This ‡¨The happy hour-only cornmeal-crusted shrimp ($8) with bacon, corn and green tomato jam is big enough to share and hits all the right notes — spicy, sweet, savory and sour — with a medley of textures.
