Country has officially come to Strongsville with live country music at Harvest Saloon
By Ken McEntee
Owning a bar and restaurant is more about making memories than serving food and drinks, insists Mike Keho, owner of the Harvest Saloon, in Strongsville.
“I’ve made a lot of good friends during the years I managed Cleats Bar & Grill in this location, and I’m looking forward to building more memories in my own place. I’ve seen kids beg their parents to come back here so they can play basketball and our other games. There’s one girl who I play air hockey with every time she comes in.”
Many of Mike’s Cleats friends continue to frequent the Harvest Saloon, but the renovation and conversion this year into Strongsville’s only country bar also has drawn a lot of new regulars who favor line dancing and honky tonk music.
“Country music has been my passion since I was a kid growing up in a Brunswick house surrounded by cornfields,” Mike explains. “I enjoy country concerts and listening to country on the way home from work. It’s relaxing to me.”
That’s why Friday nights at the Harvest Saloon feature live country, with notable acts like Medina’s Styles Haury and Wreck’n taking the stage. Styles, whose fall calendar includes gigs ranging from Savannah, GA to Verona, NY to Columbia, MO, will play the Harvest Saloon on Friday, October 12. On Friday, October 26, Cleveland country band Wreck’n will take the stage.
On the following night, Saturday, October 27, the Saloon will step its country flair up a notch with a mechanical bull. If you feel a little like Urban Cowboy Bud Davis, you may want to take a ride—it will be a part of the Harvest Saloon’s Halloween party.
“We’ll have a costume contest, a lot of drink specials and a cash giveaway,” Mike promises.
And, of course, there will be plenty of delicious grub, he says.
“Our food has been getting rave reviews,” Mike says. “We buy local as much as possible to keep everything fresh and delicious. And everything is prepared to order.”
On Mondays, the Saloon features its fresh 80/20 brisket blend burgers. Any burger on the menu, served with a beer and a side, is just $6.99 on Mondays.
The Harvest Saloon’s shish kabobs, Mike shares, are unlike any others. That goes as well for Mike’s unique apple fries.
“There is no place else to get them. We created them,” Mike says of the peeled sliced apples, deep fried in a sweet cream pancake batter and sprinkled with cinnamon, powdered sugar and caramel.
“People order them as a side, or have them for dessert with a scoop of ice cream,” Mike says.
When live music isn’t rocking the stage, the Harvest Saloon is an ideal place to view Tribe playoff games or the start of the Browns’ Baker Mayfield era on more than 20 large flat screens, Mike suggests.
“You can enjoy pitchers of Miller Lite for just $5 during the baseball playoffs,” he says.
The entertainment, flat screens and good, fresh food make the Harvest Saloon a prime venue for parties and fundraisers.
“We can host fundraisers for up to 300 people,” Mike says. “We can serve anything from hot dogs to filet mignon.”
The basic fundraising package, he says, includes a buffet of cheeseburger sliders, chicken fingers, kettle chips with bacon ranch, pasta and salad, starting at $12.50 per head for three hours.
Mike loves when his guests to come by to enjoy the county ambiance. But busy people on the go can visit HarvestSaloon.com to order anything on the menu for pickup. Y’all can find Harvest Saloon at 15147 Pearl Road, in Strongsville. For more information, call 440-238-9464.