A Super Supper at Sara's Place, Gates Mills, OH

I'm back in Ohio for the holidays, and for the past several years, we have taken the opportunity to have a nice family dinner at Sara's Place in Gates Mills - a cute spot in a quaint area.One of the many nice things about Sara's Place is that they offer a wide variety of gluten-free entrees.  My brother has Celiac's disease, and my uncle has a gluten intolerance, so Sara's Place offers more options than most restaurants do these days.  This year, we dined at Sara's Place the evening after Christmas. A lovely Friday night out.The atmosphere at Sara's Place is casual, yet elegant.One of the unique features I love is that the kitchen is separated from the restaurant by handmade stained glass windows which reflect the local area.On Friday evening, I was HUNGRY, as I had been running around all day, including playing school with my god-daughters! At one point, during the "school day", I was asked to do 30 full push-ups for phys ed class!  And, I did them - straight through - after a morning workout, no less!  I was working up an appetite.  :-) My Purium apple-berry shake was my only meal of the day at that point as well.So, when we got to Sara's Place, everything looked good to me!  The Ahi Tuna, the (healthy option) Stir Fry,  the homemade Chicken Pot Pie, the Pasta Bolognese, the Filet...Our server, Cindy, first took our drink orders (thank you, mom, for making that a comical series of events!), and then advised of us the evening's side dish options (mashed potatoes or brown rice, and broccolini).  When Cindy went to take our dinner orders, I advised her that I couldn't make up my mind.  I handed her my SOW card, and asked her to surprise me.  I also told her that all of the side dishes were fair game. Cindy was a good sport, asked a couple of questions , and then moved on to place our order. She had a big smile as she walked away from the table (a sure sign she knew what she wanted to serve me!)My dad, my uncle and I started with the Stuffed  Banana Peppers (stuffed with Italian Sausage, mozzarella and parmesan cheese and served in the homemade marinara sauce (the DELICIOUS house marinara sauce!)).  The appetizer is not overly spicy, but it does have great flavor! When Cindy brought the entrées out, she delivered me a perfectly cooked filet mignon over mashed potatoes and served with broccolini.  As I mentioned, the filet was expertly prepared, and the entrée was delicious!I'm not usually one to dive into dessert, and if I do,when I go to a Gavi's property, I generally will only order Tiramisu for dessert.  (It's a fantastic recipe!)  On Friday night, however, I was mesmerized by the lemon-raspberry mousse bomb.  It sounded so light and refreshing.  I tend to love citrus flavored desserts anyhow! While we were a bit surprised by the (raspberry-filled) cake inside the mousse bomb, I have to say that the dessert was wonderful!  Light and refreshing - just as I had suspected.My family enjoyed various desserts and coffee / after-dinner drinks.  It was a great dinner, from start to finish!Thank you to Cindy and the staff at Sara's Place for always treating our family to a lovely evening out and a delicious meal!If you're in the NE OH area, I suggest visiting Sara's Place for dinner sometime.  You may be inclined to see a show at the Gates Mills Community Players Theater across the street, or to shop at the boutique next door.  This little Gates Mills area is so quaint and cute that it's worth the visit!Cheers!Ker