Sausalito on Ninth has arrived at 1360 E. Ninth St., Suite 125, in the IMG Building downtown, serving locally sourced New American cuisine.
The restaurant's roots go back more than 30 years, starting off as Sweetwater's Cafe and later changing its name to Cafe Sausalito and moving to the Galleria at Erieview, per its website. The re-envisioned Sausalito has a contemporary vibe and is now under the leadership of Saravanan "Babu" Chandrababu.
Starters include fried goat cheese with a beet and arugula salad, Maryland crab cakes and seafood bisque soup. For dinner, try the double bone-in pork chop with pancetta and butternut squash hash, pan-seared walleye with lobster cashew gnocchi or the grilled portobello mushroom stuffed with chipotle-lime quinoa and fire-roasted vegetables. (Check out the full menu here.)
Sausalito's drink list includes a wide selection of wines, more than a dozen craft brews and signature cocktails like the Up Tempo (tequila, cucumber and lime), El Nino (cachaca, pineapple, ginger and bitters) and The Cleveland (CLE Whiskey, Amaro Lucano and bitters).
With a three-star rating out of three reviews on Yelp so far, the newcomer has gotten a mixed response from its clientele.
Rodney W., who was among the first Yelpers to review the new spot on April 6, said, "We made a reservation because we had 13 people in our group. The server was waiting for us when the host seated us. She took our drink orders and was prompt and courteous. My veggie sandwich was really tasty, especially the pretzel bun, which I could've eaten alone. Loved it! We'll be back."
And Imani M. said, "They have a lot of signature cocktails and I was tempted to try all of them. The food is great, I would've given 5 stars but for the price I think the portions could be bigger. The owner came down to the bar and asked the customers how we liked everything — you can tell he really takes pride in his business."
Swing on by to take a peek for yourself: Sausalito on Ninth is open from 11 a.m.–3 p.m. and 5 p.m.–9 p.m. on Monday-Thursday and 11 a.m.–3 p.m. and 5 p.m.–10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. (It's closed on Sunday.)
