Revolver

Around this time last year, I heard of a restaurant in Findlay that had opened and was receiving terrific reviews - not just local praise mind you, but ringing endorsements from national publications such as Bon Appetit (or was it Food&Wine, I can't recall...) and The Wall Street Journal. Now, I don't pretend to be a restaurant critic, nor am I qualified to be one, but let's say my culinary experiences in Findlay over the years have been generally sub-par. Diamond River was a favorite for Beth and myself (before it closed and re-opened as one of the worst barbecue joints in the Northern Hemisphere), and I've had some nice meals at Japan West, but otherwise the food scene is rather spartan. As a matter of fact, a couple of my worst meals anywhere in the U.S. have been in Flag City, USA; a completely inedible pizza joint, the afore-mentioned barbecue from hell, and the single worst restaurant on earth (named after a Robert Redford train-wreck-of-a-film, and worthy of a whole different post someday).

Well, I'm happy to say after finally getting around to dining at Revolver that it is a rising tide I hope will lift all of the other boats (i.e. restaurants) in Findlay. As a matter of fact, it was one of the best all-around dining experiences I've encountered anywhere. The service was excellent, the food was terrific and creative (Beth and I both played it safe ordering salmon/wild rice with the S'mores dessert), and the wine list, while not necessarily expansive, was eclectic and impressive. We ordered a bottle of L'ecole #41 Semillon, a favorite value white wine for me (from Washington State) that paired up well with the salmon.

Chain restaurants seem to dominate the landscape in Northwest Ohio, so it's both rare and exciting to dine at a locally owned establishment that is populated with talent and creativity. For the last few years, that place, for me, had been Diva in Toledo - an absolutely wonderful eatery that was darn near perfect in my estimation. Sadly, they closed the doors for good last month, leading to a couple of weeks of what I would describe as "Black Swamp Depression". Revolver has now stepped in, and I can comfortably say it's the best restaurant in Northwest Ohio, and I'm already looking forward to my next visit.