Panini's Bar and Grill

Panini's Bar and Grill

23800 Detroit Road

Westlake, Ohio

440.250.5550

http://www.paninisgrill.com/

What I ate:

Triple Grilled Cheese; Melted American, provolone & mozzarella with tomato & Applewood bacon on grilled "Panini" bread, $4.99

What I drank:
Glass of their house Pinot Grigio, $5

Glass of their house Sauvignon Blanc, $5

...

A girlfriend and I decided to check out Panini's newest location, in Westlake, on the corner of Clague and Detroit Roads. Panini's has been a Cleveland standby since 1986, so most people are familiar with its beer, pizza, and famous "overstuffed sandwiches." I think this was the first time that I had gone there solely for the food. Each and every time in the past had been built around a night out or a Tribe game.

The Westlake location offers your typical bar atmosphere inside - nothing fancy, but a great place to grab dinner and few drinks while catching a sporting event on one of their many TVs. The patio, on the other hand, is enormous, spacious, and offers plenty of seating. I'll just feel bad when Cleveland winter arrives in October and shuts the place down. There's a big bar in the middle of the patio, and a variety of high-top and standard tables dotted throughout.

The food was classic bar and grill. I considered getting an overstuffed sandwich, but they always appear so daunting. And I wasn't really in the mood to a) stuff myself and b) make a huge mess while trying to eat it. Instead, I was drawn toward the Triple Grilled Cheese (sold by the applewood bacon and tomato) and mmm, mmm it was classic comfort. The bread was thick, perfectly toasty, and extra buttery. The three different cheeses worked well together, but it was definitely the bacon and tomato that made the sandwich for me.

The Little Lady's friend got the turkey melt, also jazzed up with some applewood bacon.

The service was what you'd expect at a bar and grill, but our server was attentive, patient when we took forever to even look at the menu, and friendly.

There are plenty of Panini's locations throughout Cleveland, and a few down in Columbus. I'd return to the Westlake location for another meal out on the patio, or during football season, heading inside as an alternative to BW3s.