I’ve never been to a restaurant so nice. I’ll be honest, I was a little scared. O yea, I’m still just looking at the website! I find the number listed on the website and call. The man on the other end of the phone call was very polite. I stated “I need to make a reservation for 8p.m.” He said “OK, your reservation has been set, is there anything special you or your guest would like to try? Any food allergies?” This caught me off guard as I’ve never had someone ask if there was anything special I would like to try. I replied “The guest I will be bringing is vegan.” That was no problem for him as he stated that the chef will cook something special for her.

I get off the phone and am still very pleased at the manner this man has greeted me. I go golfing, still thinking about the restaurant.  Done golfing, time to get ready. Shower, shave, put on dark pair of jeans, purple polo, flip flops. I didn’t mention prior but I was concerned about the dress code which was answered as casual. I informed Lorrin late, she wasn’t happy. She bought a dress for this occasion.

I pick Lorrin up and head down to Sandusky St. The first thing you notice when walking up to Revolver is the patio section they have. Its 1950’s art deco with pastel colors and hanging glass candle holders. The tables are stylish metal with a pair of matching chairs. The patio is lined with old brick. All the candle holders had lit candles inside. We walk inside. The standing area is small; a bookshelf with cookbooks, pictures and other trinkets is the first visible object. A waiter greets us and asks if we are the Foust party. “Yes we are.” We are seated in a small two person table which is cover with a white, crisp linen. Our waiter brings out two wine glasses and fills with water out of an artsy blue glass pitcher. The waiter brings out menus for both. Also, he accommodates those menus with a wine and beverage menu which he places on the edge of the table. At this time the waiter recognizes that one of us is a vegan. I think he was fairly confident that it wasn’t me and addressed Lorrin. He showed her the options on the menu that could be prepared vegan for her. Also, he stated that the chef would glad to prepare something special for the dinner portion for her if she chose. The first thing I noticed on the menu was at the top. It stated “Tonight on the Revolver: The Antlers.” I had heard of the indie group before and thought that was a nice touch. I assumed they played different music each night to go along with the theme of their menu.

I can’t stop spinning my head around gazing at the décor of the place. The walls were painted a light blue, black and white photographs were spread throughout the place. Every table was clean and spotless. The small space had a bar area with translucent chairs lining the counter. Just to the side of the bar was the open kitchen that I first noticed the homemade pasta hanging on wooden racks. From hours of watching the food network, I knew the quality of the restaurant was going to be top notch. Not many places have homemade pasta. There’s a lot of work that goes into making pasta. Hand intensive work. A group of 4 were sitting in the back corner. A metal sculpture of a bird hung on the wall just above them. Sitting just a table away was an older couple. I do believe the man thought I was staring a little too much as I kept eyeballing their food. We were sat at the front of the restaurant by the window. I’m not exactly sure what it was, but sitting there made me think I wasn’t in Findlay anymore. The old buildings, small shops, character of people walking past the window, I felt I was in a big city. I very much enjoyed that feeling. Lorrin and I gazed out the window and talked about how I needed to open a restaurant right across the street. I do believe the owners of revolver lived or worked upstairs of their restaurant, I figured I could do the same. Now looking back, I think would want to name it Revolver Too, just to keep the tradition of Findlay (just kidding).

The waiter asked what we would like. Lorrin and I ordered an appetizer each. Lorrin selected the grilled asparagus with balsamic vinaigrette, hold the fried egg on top. This was the only vegan dish on the appetizer menu. I was feeling adventurous and ordered the fried bone marrow, served in a beef broth, beef tips, mushrooms, and some white veggie thing. I wish I could remember exactly what it was but that’s close. For our main course, I ordered the homemade pasta cooked in a tomato sauce served with roasted tomatoes topped with Parmigiano-Reggiano. I’m a sucker for pasta dishes, especially when I see that it’s homemade. The waiter then asked if Lorrin had a preference of some dish for the night. Lorrin stated that she didn’t care; it was up to the chef.

A few minutes later an older lady, I’m assuming the chef’s wife, co-owner, brought Lorrin and I each a pre-appetizer. She sits down each in front and states “compliments of the chef.” I felt like a VIP at that point. My pre-app was in a small ceramic shot glass. The owner states “popcorn soup.” I am shocked as I have never even heard of such a dish before. She says Lorrins but I can’t remember what it was called. Sitting perched on a small ceramic spoon is a piece of pineapple topped with a dark sauce, leafy greens. Again, not sure exactly what It was. I ask the owner how I am suppose to take this dish. Do I shot it, sip it? She says to sip it first because of the temperature. I take a few sips and am blown away. The cream based soup tastes exactly like buttered popcorn. It really was amazing.

Next in line our waiter brought us each a piece of bread. Mine was a flour coated puff pastry with butter, salt, and pepper inside. Lorrin’s looked better than mine. She had a French baguette with some type of oil glazing it. I do believe it was cooked on the grill as well. We chewed on our bread and continued our conversation. Our appetizers have arrived. We both dig into our own meals. The bone marrow was good. It was deep fried and placed in the center of the dish. The exterior crunchy texture was soon overtaken by the silky, fatty, and creamy like texture of the actual marrow. It had a beef fat flavor that was much more pleasant than it sounds. The rest of the dish was just as good. The beef broth base, mushrooms, beef tips, all had great flavor. I look up now after I had inhaled my app. and see Lorrin still eating her. It looks good. Served in a clear glass bowl, you can see the char marks on the asparagus, sitting in the balsamic vinaigrette. Lorrin states that it is the best asparagus she has ever had. I would have chosen the fried egg on top, but that’s me loving anything fried.

Soon after, our main dishes have come. My pasta is staged in white bowl. It looks like a mound of Italian goodness. The top is covered just slightly with the Parmigiano-Reggiano. Lorrin’s dish looks better than mine. Sitting on a rectangle plate, Lorrin has the option of three different bowls. The first is steamed brussel sprouts topped with white truffle oil. The second dish is curried cauliflower and dried apricots. The final dish was a mushroom based dish of some type of mushroom cooked in balsamic vinaigrette and red peppers. I quickly finished my dish, which was served with the same baguette that Lorrin had during pre-app. It was amazing, you could taste the homemade noodles, the quality of the tomato sauce, and the roast tomatoes were wonderful. I couldn’t have asked for a better pasta dish. Lorrin was finishing up her own plate but was getting full fast. She offered each of the three entrees to me. I couldn’t pass up testing the vegan specialty. The white truffle oil brussel sprouts were awesome. Little cabbages with the deep flavored truffle oil were a great beginning. The second dish however was the best. The white, purple, and orange colored cauliflower with the curry spice and sweet combination of the dried apricots was nothing I have ever had before. I ended up finished the last few bites Lorrin had left. As I was not a big fan of mushrooms and wanted to save room for dessert, I held off on her final dish.

The timely waiter was back and asked if we would like to try one of their desserts. Once I heard mango crème brulee I was sold. Lorrin chose not to partake in dessert. Different then what I experience on our cruise, it was still wonderful. The crispy torched sugar top was amazing. The creamy center was just as good. Salty, sweet, savory; this dessert had it all.

The sun had now set, just starting to get dark out. Our bill came. Total of $55 for both of us. I thought that was very reasonable for what we ordered. I gave a $15 tip as I thought our waiter was outstanding to what I normally have at a restaurant.  Overall this was more than just dinner, it was an experience. From the atmosphere, to the service, to the quality of the food, I was shocked something so good was in Findlay, Ohio. As I can’t afford to go there often, I will definitely remember Revolver.

Best restaurant I have ever experienced.