Sara’s Place

Had another special night out at the Chagrin Valley's hidden gem Sara's Place.The dinning room is so quaint + beautiful-I thought that I was back home in New England.Not sure why but we had not one but two servers--Hannah + Marie-which made our experience twice as nice.I started off with the Tuscan white bean -ate every drop-phenomenal. My main course was my go to dish Eggplant Parmigiana-just amazing.Wife + friend had the Bone in Pork chop w/ homemade BBQ sauce-15 minutes after being served it looked like the Natural History museum-only bones! Dessert was the homemade brownie with vanilla ice cream-fantastic.We all talked about when we can come back!

We've been coming here forever! Sara's has always been a staple that has stood the test of time. Their mac n cheese is a must get. Almost everything is made in house. The quiet dining room downstairs is great for a date or you can sit upstairs at the bar where it's a little more lively. Either way, you can always count on the service and vibe to be as expected (which is fantastic). I always look forward to my next visit home for dinner here!

I don't understand the fascination with this place. I've been there about 4 times and found it to be just okay. The Food wasn't great. The service wasn't great. The atmosphere is not incredible I don't get it. I will always be open to giving it another chance though.

The atmosphere is very cute at this restaurant, its in an adorable location with beautiful white painted buildings and scenery. Inside there is beautiful stain glass depiction of the town. Sadly, the food was just mediocre at best with my watery chef special vodka sauce and the bread brought to the table was stale.

The ambiance was very cool but the service was meh. We had a party of 7. We waited for 15 min, so my boyfriend's dad ended up asking where was our server. That was when they came to us. It was horrible that we waited so long for someone to acknowledge us. We got a lot of items. Some of the items were very good such as the rack of lamb, and bean and greens. The meatball appetizer was good but not mind blowing. I also for beef barley soup which was so under salt. I had to add so much salt to make it more flavorful. Like I said before, the lamb was great. It was tender and juicy. I did not care much about the mint jelly. The mashed potato that went with it was meh. It was so dry. One of us got chicken piccata and that was too lemony for me. My boyfriend got the special short rib. It was very tender and too meaty to the point you got tired of eating it. They either need to add more seasoning to it or a little bit of fat to balance out the dish. The stuffed pepper's meats had a weird texture. It should be a bit more firm to hold well inside the pepper. Overall, it was a cute place but the foods were ok

Those of you that have been to downtown Gates Mills know what I'm talking about. Those of you that have not... do yourself a favor... Go.If you would like to step into a Norman Rockwell painting you should visit downtown Gates Mills on a sunny day and just take a casual stroll. It truly is the most pleasant, serene, rejuvenating place to be. And during this holiday season, even more so. The downtown corridor is beautifully lit and a true joy to behold.Right in the center of town is a wonderful restaurant owned and managed by Dave and Mary Gromelski (originally owners of Gavi's in downtown Willoughby) and named after their daughter Sara. They serve a very nice, not overly complicated, Italian/American cuisine with more than enough options for everyone to find something they like.We arrived last evening to this quaint little scene where a very efficient valet took care of our vehicle and directed us to the entrance. Upon entering you are faced with the option of going directly into the dining room or going upstairs to a very comfortable bar.As we entered the dining room a pleasant young lady greeted us, checked our reservation, and seated us immediately in a comfortable table in the front picture window looking out on the beautiful lights.We were quickly greeted by our server for the evening, Sheri. She welcomed us warmly and kindly proceeded to take our drink orders. The wine list was not extensive, but nicely put together. I enjoyed a very nice Montepulciano and my brother had an excellent Sauvignon Blanc (New Zealand). After a short while she returned with our drinks and explained the specials for the evening, asking if there were any questions. She then allowed us several minutes to get comfortable, peruse the menu and chat a bit. Upon returning, she answered a few questions and proceeded to take our order.As we sat and talked I immediately noticed the level of background noise was very pleasant. There was no incessant noisy music or loud party in the room. Just the rather pleasant hum of people enjoying the evening. The room is not too large and the atmosphere is quite cosey. There appeared to be plenty of well trained staff moving about taking good care of everyone.Dinner showed up in an appropriate length of time and the presentation was excellent. The sight and aroma was just what I was hoping for. I enjoyed a nicely prepared rack of lamp with mint jelly, mashed potatoes and green beans. I must make note here. The only way to eat lamb is with mint jelly and Sara's is the rare establishment that actually knows that... kudos! My wife had a very nice Sea Bass that she insisted was excellent. Our dinner partners duplicated our order and we all enjoyed. Sheri continued to appear at all the right times to make sure we were comfortable and the meal went off without a hitch.Afterwards we all enjoyed our coffee and my brother and I indulged ourselves with one marvelous Cannoli each. Again, I must make note. The shell of a properly prepared Cannoli should be very crisp and crack when you bite it. If it does not, that is the telltale sign they were prepared in advance and have just been sitting around... shame. These Cannoli were perfect... thank you.The entire evening was a very pleasant experience. We finished it off with a short stroll among the Christmas lights. For a little while, everything was right with the world.Go to Sara's... Enjoy yourself... Buon Natale!

Food: Ordered the white trout entree. Trout was prepared well. Mash potatoes were bland - no seasoning. Corn tasted like it was from frozen and was also very bland. In short, for the price paid, you would do well to entertain Mario Fazio's (incredible restaurant all-around) as an alternative.Service was average but our server was very kind and a pleasure to deal with.Ambiance was slightly above average being in a cute, (probably) century home with nice lighting, wood accents, and stained glass art.I must say that I agree with some other posts that it is nothing to write home about.Overall, I would have been more pleased with Cheesecake Factory or Mario Fazios in Willoughby Hills, Oh as mentioned.

Ambience is excellent. Quality of food is decent but not magnificent. Prices are very fair. Service is reasonable, but not excellent (had to ask for water to be refilled). Menu is varied and extremely friendly for those that may be gluten intolerant. Wine and customized cocktail menu was excellent. The single biggest challenge was booking -- cannot be done online or through Open Table. This created friction. Nobody answered when calling -- I had to leave a message. And then received a call back which I missed. Phone tag doesn't work for me.

Food is consistently above average and service is excellent. Dessert selection is great.

We had a wonderful neighborhood gathering at Sara's Place this past Friday evening. Al, our waiter took care of our large party of 15 in the private Mill Room and he did an excellent job. The food was wonderful, especially the chicken piccata and pasta bolognaise. Sara's Place is a little gem tucked in Hunting Valley/Gates Mills and was just the right spot on a cold winter night.