Best Restaurants 2011: Gastropubs

Tremont Tap House
|| the proven hit ||

The 48 beers on tap at the Tremont Tap House all share one commonality: They're uncommon. You'll be hard-pressed to find so much as a Guinness or even a Samuel Adams here. What will delight the beer connoisseur and regular old adventurous drinker alike is the sheer unpredictability of it all. The list, almost exclusively American craft beers on tap, changes weekly and by 50 to 75 percent each time.

"We tap it; we taste it; we print up the list with a description of the flavor profiles," explains Jason Workman co-owner of the city's first notable gastropub, which opened in 2007. He and fellow owner Chris Lieb's dedication to quality runs deep — they have the tap lines cleaned professionally every two weeks.

If it's foreign beers you want, you'll just have to dive into the Tap House's 100-bottle selection. If you get hungry, well, Workman sees that as the added bonus of running a place like his.

"When I think of gastropub, it's a casual pub where you go to see your friends, but you don't necessarily go there to eat food," he says. "But when you order, you're going to get somebody that's put a lot of time and effort into the quality of that dish." Chef James Locomber is a prestigious Johnson & Wales alum (13 of their grads are up for James Beard awards this year), so you'll find vegetables grown from their own garden and touches such as locally made chorizo in the tacos.

We're eating: Moule frites ($12) — PEI mussels and fries with blue cheese, bacon, shallots, garlic and a Belgian beer broth

We're drinking: Victory Prima Pilsner

On tap: 48 beers, approximately 12 set and 36 rotating
2572 Scranton Road, Cleveland, 216-298-4451, tremonttaphouse.com

The Pub Rocky River
|| a jolly old place ||

For a true gastropub experience, short of a pricey flight to the term's English roots, there's The Pub Rocky River. The wooden bar was shipped from England, bourbons and scotches hang upside down (a British technique that ensures a perfect pour every time), and if there's a soccer match on the telly, The Pub is open. Owner Nick Sanders' aim was to bring the corner pub feel he fell in love with overseas back to the states. The meandering rooms are a hit with large groups, who can grab a table, hang at the bar or flood onto the covered and heated patio. "The lounge is kind of a traditional British pub; it's great for soccer. It's almost like you're in your living room," says general manager Matt Suter. "Whether you dine here three or four times a week, you can get a different feel."