The tiny resort town of Put In Bay on South Bass Island in Lake Erie is seemingly comprised entirely of bars and nightspots. Among them is Mr. Ed’s Bar & Grille, a two-location chain with a corresponding location at Port Clinton on the mainland. Mr. Ed’s is primarily a spot for music and night life; the tagline “Nobody’s Ugly after 2” is a reflection of the sort of unrepentant lightheartedness of a bar for people out for a wild weekend. Well, in all of this party sense, and the food is good, the overall experience is only average.
The burgers are the biggest item on the menu, with the favorite item being the “Bronco Burger,” an Angus half-pounder with bacon, cheese, onion rings, and barbecue sauce. The burger is cooked well, and the toppings are excellent, greasy and to the point. The burger is a little bland, though. It could use some more seasoning. Among the other items on the menu are chicken baskets, chicken sandwiches, and wings. Another strong item on the menu is the California Chicken Club. The chicken is cooked well and the wrap is all-around good. The side dishes are about average.
The sides are good, too. The potato salad is filling and very good, and seasoned perfectly. The cole slaw is great, though I am not sure it’s made in-house, it’s nonetheless good for bar food.
The atmosphere is good, with a stage for live music it’s a pleasant place to be and even later in the night, as the place gets a little more crowded, the bar is relatively clean and well-maintained. The unfortunate elephant in the room, for me, is the service. Simply put, it’s consistently slow. In three visits, only once did things come timely at all. The food took over half an hour. Trying to get a drink at the bar, even early in the night, is even harder.
I will say that once the food did come within 20 minutes. I would agree that, especially on a Friday night, it can be hard to get things going quickly, but Mr. Ed’s doesn’t always seem to be up to that task. In fact, it does not seem to get things through the kitchen, or the bar, quickly at all. It results in an incredibly distracting experience, everything takes too long, good as it may be. Some people are willing to wait for this amount of time if they like the food or the scene, but for the average vacation owner, it’s hard to justify service which ranges from slow to ridiculous.
As much as I did think the food was good, with a dozen other places within sight, I’m hard pressed to want to come back and wait.
Recommendations
- The burgers are good, but the chicken is better.
- Service can be slow, so if you’re here on vacation, I hope you’re not in a rush.
- There is plenty of outdoor seating here as well as live music, if the weather is good.
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