Dine in a Christmas wonderland at The Cabin in Aurora

Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year, but it presents some challenges.

Who is going to brave the ladder and deck the house with Christmas lights?

Will we be creating, addressing and mailing Christmas cards to everyone on earth this year?

Why the heck does my daughter want a Costco membership for Christmas?

Okay, maybe that last one was more personal, but you get the gist.

Something that I’ve always struggled to find is a restaurant with décor that matches the magic feeling the holidays create.

A reader opened my eyes to such a restaurant, which apparently has existed in Aurora for decades.

Noshin’ Around the Christmas Tree

In December, the rustic fine dining experience offered by The Cabin Restaurant at Mario's International Spa & Hotel happens among thousands of string lights, pine trees, snowflakes and other ornamentation.

Walking through the front door is like plunging into another world, eliciting emotions like Lucy moments after entering the wardrobe and finding Narnia.

There are various adjoining dining rooms that make up the restaurant, but its oldest section is the original log cabin, which was built in the mid-1800s. This area sports a stone fireplace and solid mahogany bar from that period.

Owner Joanne Liuzzo, 89, and her assistant spend five weeks each fall decking the halls of the restaurant and spa from floor to ceiling. Her helper must scale a 10-foot ladder to reach the cabin’s ceiling.

“It's a lot, but no matter where you go, it's Christmas,” said Liuzzo. “No matter which room you're in, you feel it.”

This is why I dined with my mom, who is the biggest Christmas fan I know. Growing up, our home was adorned with hundreds of Santas, and her collection continues to grow.

Each year, a life-size Santa rides as a passenger in her car (or on the Harley if weather permits) to wave at passersby. At home, Kris Kringles take up nearly every inch of space – one even hangs from the ceiling.

She was amazed by not only the cabin’s décor, but also its food.

All I Want for Christmas is Food

For an appetizer we chose crab cakes ($24), which came with two sautéed crab cakes, a small side salad and herb aioli. Like all crab cakes should be, they had a crab-forward flavor unobstructed by its binders and accentuated by the creamy aioli.

The Cabin serves house-made sautéed crab cakes with a flavorful herb aioli and small salad.

Mom’s chicken pasta ($27) was served in an ultra-creamy parmesan cream sauce with good portions of penne, chicken breast and mushrooms. She was pleased with the balance of the meal.

Ever the seafood lover, I ordered grilled salmon ($30) brushed in a lemon butter sauce with vegetables and mashed potatoes as sides. I couldn’t believe the wonderful char they were able to get on my salmon without overcooking it, and it certainly added a lot of flavor.

I’d describe my entrée as warm and comforting without being too heavy.

A popular entrée at The Cabin is grilled salmon, which is brushed with a lemon butter sauce and served alongside veggies and mushroom risotto (subbed with mashed potatoes as requested).

Then, of course, was dessert. We shared the chocolate angel (cake) ($18), a hunk of sautéed angel cake served with vanilla ice cream, strawberries and chocolate sauce.

My mom summed up our thoughts best, “Why would you eat angel food cake any other way?”

Santa Claus Is Coming to the Cabin

Liuzzo and her late husband, Mario, purchased the property in the late '70s and transformed it into the spa, hotel and restaurant it is today – holiday decorations and all.

“It’s a fun ride to take for the holidays,” said Liuzzo, who also decorates her own home similarly to the spa and restaurant. “It isn’t about money, it isn’t about food, it's life, that people are enjoying living. You feel Christmas and the happiness and the love.”

Some of the restaurant’s bestsellers are its short ribs (Liuzzo’s personal favorite), salmon and 6-ounce filet mignon. Nearly everything, from the dressings to the mashed potatoes, are made in house.

While the Santas and other Christmas-specific decorations will come down in the new year, the snow, snowflakes and other winter décor will remain until Valentine's Day.

If by some Christmas miracle you do visit before the Santas are gone, find the painting titled “A Christmas Parade” in the cabin, across from the bar, and let that joyous Santa know he was my mom’s favorite of them all.

A Carole Beans' favorite from The Cabin, a restaurant attached to Mario's International Spa & Hotel in Aurora.

Details

Place: The Cabin Restaurant at Mario's International Spa Hotel

Address: 35 East Garfield Road, Aurora

Phone: 330-562-9171

Holiday hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily

Got a restaurant recommendation? Contact Beacon Journal reporter Tawney Beans at [email protected] and on Instagram @TawneyBeans. And follow her adventures on TikTok @akronbeaconjournal.