Chef Matt Barnes Opens Gather Food + Drink in Rocky River

Matt Barnes has been building a following for his food for more than two decades. Some diners have been fans since the Saucy Bistro days, a restaurant that began in Rocky River before sliding over to Westlake. Others seek out his Manna food trucks, a stable of three rigs that roam the streets. Still others have been stopping into Gourmet Guy, a five-year-old fast-casual café space that doubles as the commissary for those trucks.

Gourmet Guy stopped taking orders this past winter, when Barnes and his wife Julie decided to return to the world of full-service dining.

“This past year, my wife and I said, you know what, let’s go back to being a small restaurant like we used to when we had Saucy Bistro,” Barnes explains.

Before Gourmet Guy took over, the slender space in Rocky River was home to City Girl Donuts and Grady’s Fine Wines. Following a top-to-bottom overhaul of the space, Gather Food and Drink (20253 Lake Rd., 440-799-4083) opened in April. The attractive bistro seats about 45 when you combine the bar and dining room. There is room for another 20 or so on the front patio.

After being in the space for five years, Barnes feels that he has a handle on what his clientele is looking for.

“Where we’re at in this small neighborhood, people love to bike or walk up, and they want to be able to just have a sandwich or they want that nicer menu item as well,” he says.

The chef describes the offerings as “a little eclectic, with a little bit of everything.”

There are starters, salads, sandwiches, and a handful of mains – plus seasonal specials. To start there are items like mussels, spanakopita, and sushi tots. There are bright, fresh and fruit-filled salads. In addition to a burger, veggie burger, and fish sandwich there are hearty entrees like pan-roasted cod with lobster cream sauce, chimichurri-marinated swordfish with potato pancake, beef short ribs with creamy polenta, and coriander-crusted salmon with braised red cabbage.

Gather has a full liquor license and offers beer, wine and cocktails.

For Barnes, the past few weeks have been a peasant surprise, with folks coming out of the woodwork to support him and his new endeavor.

“People who have followed me from the past, through the catering and food trucks – or even when this place was Gourmet Guy,” he says. “It’s been nice to see old clients.”

Gather is dinner-only.

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