SYLVANIA – ‘Of course we would go on the busiest night since they opened.’ That was the first thought that jetted across my mind when my wife and I walked into Borderline Grill on a recent Saturday night.
It was approximately 7:20 p.m., and the restaurant was near standing-room only. Families out for the night; couples; four-tops; six-tops; all trying the new restaurant on the block.
Yes, it was busy, and there was a little wait for our order, but the food and drinks moved at a steady pace. Borderline has only been open since Jan. 17, and as a scar-tissued foot soldier of customer service, it wasn’t a stretch to say staff stayed busy between pick-ups. They were active during any downtime: clearing tables, wiping the windows, rolling silverware in fresh napkins.
“Tonight is the busiest night we’ve had,” said bar manager Chris Ryan as he handed over my Makers and ginger ale and a beautiful Prosecco for my wife, Victoria. “Service has been on-point. People are happy, and the food’s coming out fast. This is exactly what we’ve wanted.”
I could hear the bustle from the kitchen as the line tackled their orders. The sizzling oil, plates slapping the counters, the chatter down the line … it all funneled out organically every time someone walked through the double doors. There wasn’t the frantic shuffling, flare ups, confusion or spastic yelling that one might be used to from watching Hell’s Kitchen or The Bear.
On the contrary, under the direction of head chef Kris Parker, the kitchen line ran smoothly for an operation that is building its identity. I was lucky to have a couple minutes with him during service.
“I haven’t come up for air in the last four hours,” he said, exasperated but gleeful. “We actually ran out of our feature item, the Smash Burger, because we prepped for how the last two Saturdays went. But they just kept coming in tonight. It’s been a great surprise.”
This is great news for him, his wife and marketing manager Nikki Falk, who is also the co-owner/operator of the business. Having served their time at Carrabas, Applebees, Longhorn and Barr’s Public House in Maumee, this is their opportunity to shine, given the obstacles.
“We wanted to open last year,” said Falk, via email. “But we had hold-ups. The contractors for the fire suppression, for example; they never sent their plans over [to the Department of Inspection]. This was around Thanksgiving. After we waited long enough, it took an affirmative email and they got their butts into gear.”
That little wait for our order I mentioned in the beginning took 23 minutes between the appetizers arriving to us and digging into the entrees. To save you the ramblings of a pompous Michelin critic, I’ll try to keep it within reason.
The first appetizer was the fried burrata – a cool mozzarella ball underneath hot, fried and crispy breading sitting atop scratch-made vodka sauce and topped with shaved parmesan.
“Next time, I’m getting two,” I said aloud, and my wife responded by nodding because she had a mouthful of food.
The goat cheese dip followed – whipped goat cheese with cucumber and crostini slices. It was a hit; delicate and blended well, with just enough seasoning to bring it home.
“I wanna bathe in this,” said my wife. I concurred, and still do. It really is that good.
For the entrees, we ordered the Croque Monsieur (French ham and cheese sandwich) and ribeye sandwich. There wasn’t much conversation or note-taking during this part of dinner.
When the food does the talking and you shut up and listen … that’s how you know you came to the right place. Between the ham, be’chamel (French creamy white sauce) and gruyere (cheese), and my face full of prime ribeye, caramelized onions and provolone (both on toasted buns), all we could do was stare at each other and have that silent conversation of nodding in unison. I would recommend the grilled broccoli for choice of side.
After looking at the ceiling and rubbing our bellies, we decided on the molten lava cake for dessert. Out of necessity, of course.
Chocolate cake … melting ice cream … hot fudge dressing … I probably sound like Homer Simpson by now.
Borderline Grill is in a prime position, being a stone’s throw from Centennial Terrace. And if they’re packed in the dead of winter, then spring and summer will only deliver upwards return.
This is scratch cooking as good as you can get it. The question is if you want the job done or the job done right.
Borderline Grill $ is located at 5680 Mayberry Square E in Sylvania.
