6 minute read
Lake Town Turnaround
From upscale options to craft cocktails, the Buckeye Lake area is beginning to put itself on the culinary map
By Shelby Metzger / Photos by Jordy Middlebrooks
Story Design by Bryce Patterson
Buckeye Lake, a village located roughly 30 miles outside Columbus, Ohio, is revered as a coveted vacation destination known for its leisurely ambiance and water-side activities. Previously, the dining options mainly consisted of casual locations, toting bar food and live music. However, with the introduction of two new, upscale restaurants and bars – Blue Heron and Hereinafter Cocktail Tavern – the tides in this lake town are changing.
Blue Heron Kitchen & Pub
Blue Heron Kitchen & Pub, located on 10880 Mill Dam Rd., had its grand opening on Feb. 22 and is one of the area’s latest elevated dining locations. A nautical-inspired environment, Blue Heron boasts American dishes and water-themed entrees, all crafted using fresh produce and ingredients. According to managing partner Marnita Swickard, the restaurant seats 115 guests inside its water inspired dining room, and will seat approximately 40 more following the opening of their courtyard this spring. A patio area is also set to open later this year, offering the opportunity for outdoor games and socializing.
Thanks to the creation of Blue Heron, those in the area with dietary restrictions, or anyone craving a bite of anything that hasn’t been dropped in the fryer, now have options.
“Most of the food out here is bar food, a lot of fried food,” Swickard said. “And I…have always said it would just be nice if we had something a little closer that was healthier, and healthier options. We have gluten-free options, we have vegetarian options.”
To learn more about Blue Heron, visit theblueheronkp.com
Hereinafter
A short drive west along the north shore of Buckeye Lake will lead the culinarily-inclined to the recently-opened Hereinafter Cocktail Tavern. An upscale gastropub - the combination of a fine dinery and a bar - prides itself as yet another example of the Buckeye Lake area’s transforming culinary scene.
“The cocktail tavern, in my mind, is essentially a gastro pub with cocktails as the chief selling proposition,” Ben Long, owner of Hereinafter, said.
The tavern, hosting a sleek, modern interior, opened in December 2022. Located at 3430 N. Bank Rd., it seats approximately 90, with 14-16 patrons at the bar and the remainder at tables. The menu boasts Southern comfort food, specifically New Orleans-inspired food, including Cuban shrimp and grits, gumbo and jambalaya. The concept of a gastropub is a new addition to the area, and will offer residents and vacationers a modern, innovative location to enjoy fine dinery and refreshments.
“I worked for April Bloomfield, who ran kind of New York’s first titled gastropub, or at least modern era gastro pub, and that showed me that running a small plate gastropub as opposed to a restaurant gave her a lot longer hours, and she was able to stay open but never had reservations but had lines out the door past midnight,” Long said. “So, I wanted to bring that same sort of concept to Buckeye Lake and Ohio in general.”
Dedicated to creating the coldest, cleanest cocktails, Hereinafter utilizes ice cut from their own 200 pound blocks into cubes sized perfectly for your glass. The idea, according to Long, is simple.
“Get things measured accurately and get them really cold,” he said.
Craft cocktails aren’t yet a Buckeye Lake staple the way wings, pizza and beer have been for decades. Long aims to fill this niche, making perfectly-crafted cocktails available for everyone in the area in a similar way to how the lake’s popular yet casual restaurants and bars are already incorporated into the atmosphere.
“From my perspective, I wanted to take a cocktail and fit it into Buckeye Lake in that same manner. I call it democratizing cocktails,” he said. “It’s kind of making them part of the common theme again, and I think that’s what they were 100 years ago.”
Assisted by the opening of both Blue Heron and Hereinafter, Buckeye Lake has begun to transform into an up-and-coming culinary location. Both businesses are filling a void in the area, offering a fresh set of high-end eatery options and giving lakegoers choices beyond bar-style grub.
“It was a no-brainer for us to pick this type of concept,” Swickard said. "We knew the lake needed it.”
Long, who grew up vacationing at Buckeye Lake during the summer months as a child, has been witness to the changes in the area over the years.
“I wasn’t around, I was in New York and D.C. when the lake went through it’s down period when it got drained, and a lot of peoples’ property values went down. So, I never got that depressing side of things of the lake,” he said. “And when I moved back after the pandemic… Buckeye Lake seemed like a great place to do it and I just ignored the rest. I think it’s coming back hard, I think I may have lucked out a little bit.”
In a town that hasn’t seen a wide variation of eatery options in recent years, both locals and travelers alike have jumped at the chance to try the new conceptions. Blue Heron’s soft launch was well-received, according to Swickard, and Long described Hereinafter as a success, and a much-needed diversification. Both were anxious to offer the town a freshly-plated concept.
“I think it’s just offering something more,” Swickard said. “If we’re someone’s first stop for a great meal, and then they go to the bars to listen to live music, it’s a win-win for everybody.”
Long described similar results in response to the introduction of Hereinafter.
Buckeye Lake has seen its fair share of trials and tribulations, and was not immune to the hardships of the pandemic. But these contemporary developments to the bar and resturant scene may just be the spice this small town has needed.
“The overwhelming sentiment is, this is great for the lake, we’re super excited for you, and they’re happy to see a great cocktail place. They’re happy to see different things,” he said. “They’re loving the diversity, for sure, of restaurants coming into the area, its been overwhelmingly a positive response to the concept so far.”
“Buckeye Lake is definitely coming back and is a cool place to be again,” Long said. “Just like it was when I was a kid.”
To learn more about Hereinafter, visit hereinaftercocktailtavern.com
