First Glances: The Hermit Club Restaurant at Hofbrauhaus Cleveland

Playhouse Square's Hermit Club already had the intimate look and feel of some European Alpine lodge. Founded in 1904 near East Fourth Street, the club moved to Playhouse Square in the 1920s and was taken over by Hofbrauhaus in 2013 and kept open for the Hermit Club's members.

Now, a menu of upscale takes on the German favorites served out of Hofbrauhaus chef Oleg Makhayev's kitchen completes the Hermit Club's far away feel.

While all the beers on tap at Hofbrauhaus are available at the Hermit Club, the menu offerings — such as the shareable and perfectly cooked 14-ounce bone-in prime ribeye steak ($39.99) — or the juicy bone-in pork chop ($22.99) — are trimmed down to a manageable one page and only available in the Hermit Club.

 
The beef stroganoff served over spatzle ($18.99) was a savory highlight. The rich, tender pieces of meat got a blast of freshness from slices of green onion and a sour cream dollop, while the presentation and chewy spatzle took it well beyond mom's old egg noodle concoction.