North Coast Traveler: An Evening at the Orchard

If you have been following my blog and social media posts, you know I am a HUGE fan of The Orchard Bar and Table restaurant located on beautiful Catawba Island.

My husband and I first stumbled upon this restaurant when we celebrated our anniversary in Catawba six years ago.  I'll be honest, it was love at first bite.

Since that first dining experience, Brian and I have been back many times (in both the summer and winter) and this year, the Blumensaadt Family (the owners) invited us out as their guests.  We grabbed my sister and brother-in-law and headed up the Lake Erie coast a few weeks ago to experience dinner in the orchard...on the most perfect summer evening ever.

I will tell you, it is virtually impossible to give you the experience of their outdoor dining patio in an image or two (or even ten).  But if you want to get a better sense of this space, go to their Instagram account and at the top of their page, you will see a round button that says "The View."  Click on that and watch all the magic happen!  And be sure to give their account a follow while you're there.

For our dinner this evening, we were seated at a 4 person, wood farmhouse table tucked away in the orchard.  Blue skies above, an apple tree behind us, a wildflower garden next to us on the most perfect of summer nights.  It was so peaceful.

I typically always grab a glass of Sauvignon Blanc when I'm out to dinner, but I just love the Orchard's Cucumber and Cilantro Margarita.  It is so light and refreshing and l absolutely love the little surprises of cilantro when sipping.

Cucumber and Cilantro Margarita

Tequila, fresh cucumber & cilantro, agave nectar, fresh squeezed lime juice, chili powder rim

Other drinks of choice that night...

BRIAN 

Blackberry Ginger Margarita 

Tequila, agave nectar, fresh berries, fresh squeezed lime juice, ginger beer

CATHY  

Raspberry Jalapeno Margarita 

Tequila, agave nectar, fresh made raspberry puree, jalapeno, lime juice

JIM 

Dortmunder Gold 

Great Lakes | Cleveland, OH | ABV 5.8%

(then Jim switched to the Blackberry Ginger Margarita and loved it!)

We wanted to take our time and enjoy every moment at the Orchard so we started with several appetizers & salads.  Each one, DELICIOUS.  

Cheese and Charcuterie Board 

Imported gourmet meats & cheeses, Orchard Farm Stand jams, various accompaniments 

Coconut Shrimp 

Six coconut breaded shrimp, Farm Stand Hot Pepper Peach Jelly

Buratta Caprese

Mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, Orchard grown basil, balsamic reduction

The kitchen also sent out a plate of their specialty salad...

Grilled Peach Salad

Grilled local peaches, fresh basil, chili honey, sunflower seeds, prosciutto, feta

Everything was light, delicious and perfect for this charming evening outdoors.

For dinner...yes, believe it or not, we still had room for dinner!

We ordered...

ERIN (me)

Scallops

4 seared scallops, corn-bacon risotto, crispy brussels

I know.  I'm sorry.  I always order the same thing when I am here for dinner, but this dish is perfection!  I could eat it every single day.

BRIAN

Pork Chop

Brian ordered a pork chop off of their "Specials" menu that evening.

Weekend specials at the Orchard are seasonably inspired dishes that utilize ingredients from the chef's gardens and the Orchard Farm Stand.

CATHY

Halibut

8 oz. seared fillet, tri-color couscous, orange thyme reduction, zucchini

JIM

Filet Mignon

(4 or 8 oz) filet, wild mushroom risotto, green beans, rosemary demi sauce

After dinner we took a stroll through the orchard and made our way over to their brand new (opened this summer) Orchard Farm Stand! 

Jim made a quick stop at the bee hives along the way (he always loves a good photo op)

The Farm Stand is like a little farmhouse boutique.  Cozy, welcoming and full of lots of goodies!  Fresh produce, jams & jellies (my absolute favorite is the double raspberry jelly), meats and cheeses, licorice (Brian's favorite), soaps & scrubs, honey, home decor and more!  Be sure to follow them @orchardfarmstand

It was such a lovely and perfect night at Orchard Acres - my new term for them because they are growing and growing and have several new ideas on the list for the upcoming years!

We cannot thank the owners and staff enough for their welcoming and wonderful hospitality.  Summer dining, live music, gorgeous venue...it was a night to remember!

Before you go, I would LOVE to introduce you to the the Blumensaadt family, the passionate and creative team behind Orchard Bar and Table and Orchard Farm Stand...please take a look below...

MEET THE BLUMENSAADT FAMILY

owners of Orchard Bar and Table & Orchard Farm Stand

Pictured here are 3 generations of the Blumensaadt family. From the top left and going clockwise - Nikolai (Son, Head of Operations for both the restaurant and farm stand), Bill (Dad, Grandpa and Head of New Projects & Development), Henrik (Orchard cutie and namesake of "Henny B's Honey" at the Farm Stand) and Kenzie (wife of Nikolai and mother of the Orchard's next generation - Henrik and Annika)

Sweet Annika, and the Farm Stand are the newest additions to the family!

Meet Dana (Mom, Grandma and Manager of the Farm Stand)

Rounding out the Fab 4 is Mette.  (Daughter, Photographer, Marketing & Social Media)

Mette, owner of @b.kreativ was the photographer we used for our visit to the Orchard.  She was SO easy to work with and so laid back.  It was an absolute pleasure working with her.  She is brilliant at food photography and is the eye behind every photograph you see on the social media accounts of the restaurant and farm stand and also on some of your other favorite Cleveland restaurants.  Be sure to give her a follow! 

HER WEBSITE

Nikolai putting together his vision for a restaurant.

Henrik breaking ground on the new Farm Stand

The new vineyard that was just planted and named for Grandma Virginia who recently passed away.

There is nothing better to me than a family owned small business.  There is something so magical about it.  So grass roots.  So authentic.  Every piece tells a story.  Every hand in it together.  This is one of those stories. Please consider visiting the Blumensaadt's family owned, small business this year and tell them that Erin from Coastal Cleveland sent you.  I promise you won't be disappointed.