Restaurant Review: One Red Door in Hudson, Ohio

Recently I had the opportunity to eat at One Red Door in Hudson, Ohio.  This is a relatively new restaurant that took over the space where the ailing Vue Restaurant & Lounge once resided.  I had the misfortune of eating at Vue twice, both times for wine and appetizers.  The overpriced Vue wine list was relatively boring.  Ho hum.  In my opinion, appetizers are supposed to set the stage for the meal.  My memory of the apps at Vue were far from complementary.  When I heard that Shawn Monday had moved from Downtown 140 and opened a new shop in the old Vue location, it definitely peaked my interest.   I’ve always been a big fan of Downtown 140.

One Red Door is a really interesting place.  The best way the decor can be described is rustic industrial.  They have massive rough-hewn beams throughout the restaurant with complementing black metal brackets sporting over-sized bolts holding everything together.  The bar is contemporary with industrial style light bulbs and leather wrapped chairs.  One of the most impressive features is a massive wall covered with a meticulously arranged tapestry of stacked rough-hewn wood.  It adds depth and texture to the entire restaurant.  I found the place very inviting.

Our server, Chelsea, was definitely helpful and we could tell that she enjoyed working at One Red Door.  That’s a really important piece of the puzzle to ensure great service.  She was relatively knowledgeable about the menu and let us in on the secrets to which dishes are most popular.  She was quick with the drinks and very attentive throughout our two hour lunch.  She never rushed us; something that I appreciate in the turn-and-burn restaurant world we have become accustomed to.

The lunch menu has a rich depth but smacks just a little too closely of the Downtown 140 menu.  The second item on the menu are the bacon wrapped dates which were a favorite of mine at Downtown 140.  They are absolutely delicious, but I know that Chef Monday has a ton more to offer.  The confit of all natural chicken wings looked awesome, but not suitable for this particular lunch outing.  Instead, I opted for the warm Mediterranean olives with citrus, herbs and red wine.  They were incredible.

Citrus and herb scented warm olives. Really tasty. Photo by Scott Groth

My company at lunch chose two cheeses from the cheese board which came served with crispy baguette slices, a fresh fig, cashews and a blueberry mustardo.  I’m not sure that I have ever tasted anything like the blueberry mustardo, but it was just divine with the cheese.  The fruit from the blueberry hits the front palate, the cheese coats the mid-palate and the kick of the mustard hits you on the back of your palate.  It’s a really incredible condiment they have come up with.  When I return, that will be one dish that we order, most likely for after the meal with a good glass of red wine.

Figs, cashews and blueberry mustardo with the cheese. Incredible. Photo by Scott Groth

The rest of the menu looks excellent and I had planned on ordering the burger to give it a run against some of the other burger giants arriving in the greater Cleveland marketplace.  Most notably, I wanted to compare it against B-Spot to see if it would be better.  Unfortunately, we ran out of time and needed to order some items to go.  My second choice was the wild mushroom pizza with caramelized onions, gruyere and truffle oil.  Mmm… that sounds good… I’ll have that.  Bang.  It arrived in a to-go box and I could smell the aroma of the truffle oil escaping the confines and making my taste buds kick into overdrive with anticipation.

Mushrooms, caramelized onions, truffle oil and thin crust. Order this pizza. Photo by Scott Groth

I ate the pizza in the car on the way to my next meeting.  It was delicious.  Thin crust that tasted like it was cooked in a wood fired oven.  The mushrooms were perfectly prepared and the onions weren’t cloyingly sweet like they sometimes are on a pizza.  The truffle oil was just enough to let you know it was there but didn’t take over the entire pizza.  Definitely a skilled preparation.  Very enjoyable.

My only point of contention with One Red Door doesn’t actually hit the restaurant or food itself but the website.  I visited their site to see if I could pull a picture of the interior of the restaurant for this review and the speakers at my desk jumped alive, scaring the crap out of me. Maybe it is a pet peeve, but I think that it is obnoxious for websites to have looped elevator music playing.  I bet that they have never loaded this site on a smartphone either… the music plays immediately through your phone’s speaker. Also, because the site is setup in Flash, it’s really hard to navigate on a phone.  You won’t find any clear shots of the awesome interior of the restaurant anywhere on their site either.   No bio’s on the staff to boot.  Oh well, it’s a small point and something they will hopefully work on.

Overall, I give One Red Door an enthusiastic endorsement for their lunch menu.  Looking forward to returning for dinner.