Happy hour project: Blue Canyon offers lodge escape, surprising flavors in Twinsburg

The horse over the bar at Blue Canyon Kitchen and Tavern.

TWINSBURG, Ohio — If you’re looking for the feeling of a secluded getaway vacation without leaving Northeast Ohio for the evening, Blue Canyon Kitchen and Tavern feels like an easy escape.

Blue Canyon, 8960 Wilcox Drive, offers an immersive lodge experience while being right off the I-480 exit. The restaurant has been a fixture in town for more than two decades, and it offers a weeknight happy hour special worth seeking out.

The tavern side of the business truly channels an extravagant log cabin vibe with impressive views of rolling woods. Dramatic cathedral ceilings, warming fireplaces and floor-to-ceiling window walls are a fitting surrounding.

A horseshoe bar sets the stage for a massive art installation — a horse figure made of crystals — hangs over the center of the bar. For those who are interested, Blue Canyon boasts plenty of large TVs for game day viewing.

Blue Canyon’s happy hour runs from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, only in its tavern/bar space. In this case, happy hour does not mean limited specials.

The menu includes more than a dozen $10 martinis, cocktails and old fashioned riffs. Several pours of $8 wine by the glass, $4 bottled beer and $6 draft craft beers complete the lengthy drink specials.

Corn bread crab cakes from Blue Canyon Kitchen and Tavern.

Paris opted for a French Pear martini, typically a $14 cocktail, made with pear vodka, Cointreau, house-made pear syrup and white cranberry juice. The delicate martini shone thanks to the fresh pear syrup, giving another layer of flavor to the cocktail.

Alex tried the blood orange Aperol spritz, a citrusy riff on a classic refresher that made us long for summer. We also split a blackberry smash before leaving — made with Jefferson’s Bourbon, blackberry syrup, lime juice and Fever Tree ginger beer. It’s the bourbon-based version of a fruity Moscow Mule and was as delicious as it was beautiful, with its deep purple hue and fresh mint garnish.

The food menu at Blue Canyon’s happy hour lives up to its beverage counterpart. While happy hour kicks off at 4 p.m., the kitchen doesn’t open until 4:30 p.m., so plan accordingly. The menu offers a bit of everything — $15 pizzas, a $15 house burger and fries and a tavern snack, only available on Monday, that is a weekly rotating special from the kitchen.

Blackberry smash cocktail from Blue Canyon Kitchen and Tavern.

We chose the crispy shrimp with coconut curry cream ($13) and the corn bread crab cake ($15). Both exceeded expectations. The shrimp were perfectly crispy without being overly breaded and fried, and that coconut curry cream was just as dynamic, with a pickled vegetable slaw to keep everything fresh.

The corn bread crab cake is exactly what it sounds like — the melding of two classic dishes. Fresh corn, huge chunks of crab and Old Bay giardiniera make this a dish worth returning for. Plus, there’s plenty of lemon dill tartar sauce for even more flavor.

We also tried the hibachi steak tacos ($14), filled with basmati rice, carrot and daikon slaw, sweet Thai chili glaze and yum yum sauce. Each flour tortilla was loaded with plenty of steak and rice that exceeds a typical happy hour portion.

Blue Canyon Kitchen and Tavern off I-480 offers weeknight happy hour specials from 4 to 6 p.m. with discounted martinis, craft beers and sharable plates.

Although the happy hour menu offered plenty of food, each of us caved to our sweet tooth. If appetizers were this good, we had to make sure dessert met the same standards. It did.

We split the banana’s foster donut holes ($9). A dusting of cinnamon sugar, a drizzle of banana rum caramel and fresh bananas with whipped cream make this dish another delicious mashup of two beloved flavor profiles.

Blue Canyon is the kind of place you go for the atmosphere and views but leave wowed by the food. The kitchen clearly excels with melding familiar flavors into unexpected combinations, which make it a happy hour worth seeking out.

Blue Canyon Kitchen and Tavern, 8960 Wilcox Dr., Twinsburg

Happy Hour: 4 to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday; Kitchen opens at 4:30 p.m.

Vibe: Cozy, refined restaurant with an approachable bar

Food: Pizza, handhelds, sharables

Beverages: Cocktails, wine, beer

Budget: $30– $50

Dining out can challenge the budget. Still, most people – especially extroverts like reporters Paris Wolfe and Alex Darus — need to get out. To them that means supporting local restaurants to keep them in business. Sometimes that may be as simple as a Happy Hour dinner. Thus, “The Happy Hour Project.” Paris and Alex regularly visit independent restaurants in Northeast Ohio for happy hour and report back on the vibe, food and cocktails.

Post Related

Post Related