C-Town Eats

Kiedrowski’s Bakery–Best in America?

2011-06-14T10:52:00.002-04:00

When I saw the news that a local bakery had been picked as the best in America I knew I had to check it out. So with

good weather I hopped on the motorcycle and headed to Amherst. Kiedrowski’s is located at 2267 Cooper Foster Park Rd. Amherst, OH 44001 just off of Route 2. A nice easy ride and a place you could stop if you are headed to Sandusky or the Erie Islands.

Kiedrowski’s is located in a small strip of stores and is a bit smaller then I thought it would be. Once inside I found a wonderful selection of pastries and cakes. I choose a donut, a cinnamon roll and a poppyseed danish.

The pastries were very good, with the poppyseed danish being the highpoint in that it was sweet without being overly sweet and somehow they made the poppyseeds smoother then I am used to. The donut and cinnamon roll were both good representations of their genres.
Kiedrowski’s also had a sample tray of their signature pastries, called a “Snoogle” which is a large cheese filled stick. The samples were very good, but this is where the sweetness level may have exceeded my taste buds; I think I might have maxed out if I had eaten a whole Snoogle. Kiedrowski’s does offer a variety of different flavors of Snoogles so it is certainly worth checking out.

While I found Kiedrowski’s a delightful little Eastern European bakery, I would not have said it was the best in the Cleveland area, but it is probably top 5 of those I have tried. It is hard when you get a label like “Best in America” since we all have our own tastes and preferences. Kiedrowski’s is certainly worth a visit if you are out Amherst way or headed further West.

Hiroshi's Pub on Facebook and Twitter

2011-05-18T14:54:00.000-04:00

A quick update - I am helping out at Hiroshi's Pub (website is of course here) which is a lot of fun and I am seeing a bunch of people who I haven't seen in a while. We have revised the menu slightly, mainly to make it easier to read and we have put more of the emphasis on smoked items coming out of the state of the art in house smoker, concentrated on pub fare and kept the sushi. We have added a kids menu with 5 meals for $5 each and have some great happy hour specials weekdays 3:00-7:00pm, including $7 Martinis and top shelf cocktails, $1 off all beers and some great food specials.

In addition we have revised the website and started the twitter feed back up at @HiroshisPub so check it out as its a great place to get specials and information about what is going on at the Pub.

We have also have started an official facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hiroshis-Pub/150028361733356 I wanted to ask all of my readers a favor and ask you to go to the facebook page and hit "Like"; we need to get to 25 people liking the page in order to get a shorter name, so if you appreciate this blog, I would be very grateful if you would help us out.

Finally, I would invite you all to stop in and check out the menu and the food, we are working hard to make Hiroshi's Pub a great place to come and get a great meal at a reasonable price. Here your chance to let me know if I have any actual restaurant cred, so give it a try and let me know what you think.

Franklin Square Deli–Kent Yummy Sandwiches

2011-05-18T10:50:00.003-04:00

So it was a beautiful day (something rare for us this year) and I felt like getting on the motorcycle and heading out for something to eat, so I looked through my pile of Groupons (http://www.groupon.com/r/uu778548) to see what I felt like that would be a nice ride; well Franklin Square Deli fit the bill perfectly so I cruised down to check out this sandwich place right in the middle of downtown Kent. Located at the corner of Water and Main Streets Franklin Square has a great location, close to most of the bars, near the waterfall and the riverside park and not a bad walk from campus. The corner location is easy to spot and once inside you find a friendly looking sandwich shop with black and white tiles and a lot of car racing pictures and art. The overall effect is a bit retro and different then I would have guessed for a college hang out, but they make it work.

The staff was friendly and attentive, with good service. Also in the short time I was there the friendly staff and owner when not waiting on customers was working hard to keep everything very clean and neat, so kudos for that.
Looking at the menu (which you can see here) quickly shows you that this is not really a deli, but actually a very good sandwich shop, with an emphasis on submarines, although they also have soups, bagels, pitas, salads and breakfast. With the Groupon I ordered a whole tuna sub, a bowl of the clam chowder and a side of potato salad. The food was prepared and presented to me in a reasonable time so I settled in to give things a try.
I started with the soup, which was preportioned and then heated up in the microwave. Surprisingly, I found this to be a very nice rendition of Clam Chowder, well stocked with clams, potatoes and vegies, the soup itself was just a hint thin, but had very good flavor and balance. By keeping it refrigerated and heating to order, they managed to avoid having the soup over reduce and thicken up.

Next up was half of the tuna sub (I had had them wrap the other half to take home for a later meal). The half sub was more then enough for a meal and was well stuffed with good quality tuna and fresh vegies, including some nice peppers to wake up the taste buds. The bread was good, but a little soft for my preference since I love a sub that has the really crusty bread with a soft interior. The seasoned oil and vinegar topping added just the right touch to make everything meld together in a harmonious melody of flavors. The side of potato salad was pretty much what you would imagine it to be, so neither a plus or a minus.

Overall I had a very pleasant lunch at Franklin Square Deli and I will hit it again when I am in the Kent area. This is good quality food, simply presented and a step above most of the chains sub shops. If you are in the Kent area and need a bite, check them out.

Fat Fish Blue–Downtown Hot Spot

2011-04-29T21:02:00.002-04:00

What happens when you take a former car repair facility in a parking garage near Public Square and turn it into a restaurant and bar featuring New Orleans flavors, party decor and add a

calendar of different music? Well in Cleveland’s case you get Fat Fish Blue which has been a mainstay of Downtown for a couple of decades. I know Fat Fish pretty well, when I worked downtown I parked in the garage above it and still use this garage when heading to Gateway events; I also used to come down on Wednesday nights when Fat Fish would feature Blues Legend Robert Lockwood and his band, so when Fat Fish came up on Groupon (the link is here)I was only to happy to check out how Fat Fish has held up over the years.

Located at 21 Prospect Avenue East (corner of Ontario), Cleveland, OH 44115, Fat Fish is close to Public Square, Tower City, E. 4th Street and Gateway. Presenting large glass windows and blue shades to the street, Fat Fish announces it presence and invites you in. Once inside you are presented with a crescent shaped room with a bar against the inside wall and a stage by the corner windows. The found space features very high ceilings, exposed ductwork, a nice assortment of plants, streamers and decorations. The overall effect is festive and busy, with the greenery and the large windows to the street soften the effect somewhat. On a Saturday afternoon I arrived and was quickly seated at a window table behind the stage. The tables are simply set, they still have the wrapped cutlery with a little toy surprise inside combined with the crayons and paper topping to the table you now this is a place that wants people to have fun.
The menu (which you can see here) describes the food as American Bisto Fare with a New Orleans Flair, which seems about right. I figured I would sample a couple of different things to get an overview so I ordered the Buffalo Tails, a Shrimp Po Boy and a side of the Mac & Cheese.

First out was the order of Buffalo Tails, crawfish deep fried, tossed with a “hot sauce from hell” and served up with a blue cheese dip. The portion size was ok, but the crawfish themselves were very small which when deep fried meant that they had almost no real taste of their own, the buffalo sauce was ok, but not nearly as hot as describe and the blue cheese dip was creamy and rich but lacking a bit of the blue cheese flavor you would hope for. What resulted was a dish that was just ok, but certainly not one that I would order again.

Up next was the Shrimp Po Boy with French fries and the side of Mac and Cheese. The Sandwich was pretty good with the best part being the large fried shrimp. Were the crawdads were a disappointment, the shrimp were succulent and tasty with a nice crunchy breading. The bread, lettuce and tomato were what you would expect, while the Cajun Mayo was a bit lacking both in amount and flavor; when I order a Po Boy I expect a real punch from the remoulade. The fries were nothing special, but were hot and crisp.

Probably the most satisfying thing I tried was the Mac & Cheese, which was rich and creamy with some bread crumbs for textural contrast. Instead of elbow macaroni Fat Fish uses a spiral pasta that really holds the rich mix of cheeses with a nice hint of smokiness.

I came away from Fat Fish very impressed with the décor, the atmosphere, service and the entertainment they offer; the food is a bit uneven, with some items a bit disappointing, others are good solid renditions. I had nothing that I would describe as a home run, but Fat Fish has developed a formula that works , if you check it out you may not get a gourmet experience, but you will probably have a really good time.

Hiroshi’s Pub–Sunday Brunch

2011-04-21T10:53:00.002-04:00

You should all know how much I love Hiroshi’s Pub, as it offers a unique blend of comfort food and sushi in what I consider one of the coolest places in town, well they have made some changes to keep things moving along. First they have simplified the menu, while it is still big, it is now readable; they have kept most of the favorites and it still covers a pretty wide swatch.
Second, Hiroshi’s is now open for Sunday Brunch from 11:00am to 4:00pm every Sunday. They have designed a really nice menu of hearty breakfast and lunch faves (go see the

whole menu here) that includes such delicious items as Apple Cinnamon French Toast, Lemon Blueberry Pancakes, Corned Beef Hatch made with their in-house smoked Corned Beef, big Omelets and a Lox and Bagel plate. What I like about the menu is that it falls in that nice middle, where you can have a leisurely brunch of food prepared to your order in a relaxed atmosphere without all of the aggravation of the diners and deli breakfasts or the high cost and mediocre food of the buffet brunches. Big portions of well prepared food with bold flavors always sound good to me.
Hiroshi’s Pub is located at 3355 Richmond Road, Beachwood, OH Building B, across the parking lot from Moxie.

Aladdin Baking–Great Pitas and More Update

2011-04-13T12:31:00.002-04:00

A couple of years ago I did a quick post on the Aladdin Bakery's store downtown (link if here) and I wanted to update it since they have done a major remodeling both inside and out. Aladdin Bakery is located at
1301 Carnegie Avenue, Cleveland Ohio just a block from both Progressive Field and the Wolstein Center. While I will stop at Aladdin when I am in the area to stock up on pitas (check out the day old rack by the center column for a bag of pitas for about 1/2 of a buck) , there is a lot more here then just that. There is a very nice menu of middle eastern foods at incredibly reasonable prices, with stuffed pies, such as spinach, cheese or meat; pita pizzas; stuffed sandwiches including a very good falafel, gyros and chicken shwarma; and salads such as humus and baba ganoush. Also there is a nice display case of middle-eastern deserts including a variety of baklava and cookies. With the new face on the building and the new front room, the atmosphere has gone from a bit grubby to clean, a bit more spacious and more organized. For a fast, tasty and affordable bite, especially if you are headed to an Indians game, check out Aladdin.

Zocalo–E.4th Street Yummy Mexican

2011-03-31T11:04:00.003-04:00

E.4th Street downtown has become a culinary destination with some of the best restaurants in Northeast Ohio and a diverse spectrum of culinary styles and cuisines. Zocalo holds down the Mexican cuisine aspect with well prepared and presented food, a classy décor and an unusual menu.

Located at 2071 E. 4th Street, Cleveland, Ohio you enter Zocalo through the side door off of a small alley. Once inside you find a very nicely decorated restaurant with a warm golden glow about it. The decor is relaxed, but classy with a feeling that someone spent a lot of time and attention to create a welcoming atmosphere. A circular staircase leads to the lower level, but we were seated in a nice table in the back corner. The one downside of our location was there were several bachelorette parties near us so the sound level was a bit louder then I would have expected, but it was clear that people were having a good time.

The menu for Zocalo (which you can see here) offers a diverse array of both the familiar Mexican faves as well some more diverse representations of Mexican cuisine that we don’t usually see around here. Noted Latin Chef Aaron Sanchez was brought in and his influence shows in the menu and how the food is prepared and presented.

We started with some adult beverages and the chips and salsa, which give a good indication of what is to come; the chips are fresh and hot and have a more tortilla like texture, the salsa is nicely balanced and has a bit of complexity with just enough heat to make it interesting.

I ordered the Shrimp Tacos, which came out beautifully plated on a triangular plate. Each of the 3 soft taco shells had a beautifully grilled shrimp skewers, sided by Tomatillio and mild Habenero sauces to perfectly compliment the succulent shrimp. This was one of the best shrimp tacos I have had and definitely the classiest version I have ever encountered. On the side were portions of a flavorful and moist Mexican rice and wonderful refried beans. The beans were a bit of a revelation, clearly freshly made and with a deep and almost smoky flavor that makes you realize how wonderful a simple dish can be.

My friend ordered the fish special which was perfectly prepared and beautifully presented on a black plate which made the bright vegetables pop. The fish was tender and flakey with subtle seasonings that complimented the mild fish. Accompanied by sautéed vegetables and a nice portion of rice, this was a very pretty and satisfying plate of food.

Service was friendly, knowledgeable and good with the food coming out in timely fashion, despite the restaurant being filled.

Although it may not get all of the critical raves of some of its 4th Street neighbors, Zocalo more then holds its own. The décor is a significant step above most Mexican Restaurants, the food is excellent and unusual and the service is good. Zocalo provides a very upscale experience at a reasonable price. My only reservation was the noise level and it is hard to fault a restaurant for drawing large crowds and people enjoying themselves. Definitely a place to check out if you have an urge to eat some South of the Border food, also it seems to be a great place for a celebration.

Cabanas–Just OK

2011-03-24T14:12:00.003-04:00

I have often written about how I prefer local restaurants over the chains, generally the food is better and the atmosphere has a more genuine feel; then I run across a place like Cabanas in Mentor, a locally owned place that has all of the problems I have with chains. Recently relocated to 9055 Mentor Ave., Mentor, OH 44060,

Cabanas has the potential to be so much more then it is a place with mediocre food and lots of generic Islands decorations.

Cabanas has recently moved from another location in Mentor, so the restaurant was recently remodeled and as you would expect it has an Islands theme, unfortunately it comes across as a bit cheap and tacky, but not in the good dive place kind of way. Rather it just feels like they went out and found the least expensive nautical and island decorations and used them.

The menu (which you can review here) is described as American and Island cuisine and while it is heavy on fish and seafood it seems to be missing any kind of genuine Islands influence, especially since while there is plenty of grouper, shrimp and other seafood on the menu, nothing is at all exotic or unusual. I would love to see some conch or some Island Chowder, but instead there are the usual Americanized versions of seafood.

We started with the Coconut Shrimp Appetizer and while the shrimp were plump and nicely deep fried they were a bit sweet, especially if dipped in the orange mango marmalade that accompanied the shrimp. The portion size was ok, but as I would notice throughout the meal the food was simply presented on the plate with no garnish.

For dinner I ordered the Fish Tacos, which were actually not Tacos at all; rather this was a flour tortilla wrapped around some grouper with a small serving of lettuce and some cheese then cut in half. The lack of presentation was really bad on this plate as it was just the two halves of the wrap on a plate with nothing else; it looked kind of lonely and sad, with noting to make the plate appealing to the eye. The fish was cooked alright, but there was nothing to indicate that it had the promised Caribbean spice and it certainly was as far from a fish taco as I have seen.

Service was ok, but nothing exceptional and our server seemed to be learning the menu as she was going along. The noise level was pretty high as the place was busy.

My overall impression of Cabanas was that they have what I call PAF – perfectly acceptable food, but I look for more then that in a place I want to frequent. There seems to be a lack of passion, like they are trying to create an atmosphere where as long as the food is OK, people will come for the excitement. A few tweaks here and there, especially in how the food is prepared and presented and they could present a much better experience then they currently do. Of course your mileage may vary.

Battiste & Dupree Cajun Grill – New Orleans Greatness in South Euclid

2011-03-08T11:08:00.003-05:00

B&D is a small place located in a small strip mall at 1992 Warrensville Center Road, South Euclid, OH 44121. It has been around a while now and while there are lots of raves about the food there are also a lot of comments about the pace of service. I headed over with a group of friends and had let them know that service would be “leisurely”, what we ended up with was a meal where the food was great, the service was a bit ragged, but always friendly and the pace was a bit too slow for most of my friends. While we were a party of 5 and arrived at about 7:00pm on a Saturday, we managed to snag a table in about 15 minutes.

My older brother lived for quite a while down in New Orleans and I was lucky enough to get down to visit him and experience the New Orleans style.   My trips included great food and drink, a welcoming party atmosphere and a slow pace that was great for a short while, but one that I couldn’t take for long periods of time. Battiste & Dupree Cajun Grill has managed to bring a small slice of genuine New Orleans to our neck of the woods, with all of the great food, great atmosphere and slow service that you might encounter down in the Big Easy itself.

The small dining room is up front by the windows and is decorated with posters, photos and other New Orleans decorations.   It has the feel of someone's collection jammed into a room just a little too small, the result if heartfelt and welcoming, but a little crowded.

We finally got menus, although we had to share, since our waitress said they only have 4 menus for the whole place. The menu is a nice mix of cajun and creole favorites, although as we went through we found out that B&D was out of a couple of items. This was explained to us as it was late on Saturday and they are closed on Sunday and Monday.   To me a place that occasionally runs out of an item means that they are using fresh food and I treat that as a good sign, but that’s me. Our waitress was a fill in who was just helping out, so some of the problems we encountered may have to do with her not being familiar with the job. We ended up ordering and then had to wait about 45 minutes for any of the food to come out.

First up was a salad, which unfortunately was the wrong salad; instead of getting the house salad that was ordered we got the Steve’s Chef Salad. Junior the owner explained that they were out of some of the ingredients for the house salad and took the salad off the bill, but left the salad for the table. The salad was a wonderful mix of field greens and fruit with a spicy dressing that really woke up my taste buds, in my opinion a great start, but it will not be to everyone’s taste.

After this food started coming out slowly and individually; at B&D each dish seems to be prepared sequentially rather then consecutively, which results in some great food, but a bit of a disjointed dining experience. My order of Crawfish Etouffee was wonderful, with a mess of the sweet crawfish tails swimming with some vegetables in a tomato sauce around a pile of jasmine rice. The presentation was much nicer then I expected, the portion size was good and the aroma was enticing. Upon digging in I found the dish to be perfectly seasoned, with a spicy heat that snuck up on me after the first few bites. The crawfish were tender and flavorful, with just the right contrasting texture from the vegetable bits.   With the tomatoes in the sauce, this was a bit of a different version of Etoufee then I am used to, but it felt right and genuine none the less.

We also had some of the sweet potato fries and they were hand cut, sweet and delicious. The couple of Shrimp Po Boys at the table were large and looked great, I will be heading back to B&D to give them a try. It did take quite a while for these to come out, but it looked like they were worth the wait.

After we had finished dinner and several of my friends had left because of the time crunch, Junior did bring over a massive slice of his German Chocolate Cake to make amends for the slow service. Not one of the deserts I associate with the Crescent City, this was the best version of a German Chocolate Cake I have ever had. The cake was moist with a thick topping of gooey frosting packed with coconut and wonderful pecans that danced across my tongue. It was sticky, sweet, crunchy and utterly delicious.

I have to mention the owner of B&D Junior who was an incredibly gracious host. He makes you feel welcome and as if you are his friend.   He handles each of the issues with class and understanding, obviously a man who loves his work. B&D is a clear reflection of him, the food is excellent with a huge amount of time and attention paid to getting thing right. The food is excellent, without the type of compromises you see most places when they do a “Cajun” dish in such a way that it is a pale reflection of the real thing.

I am willing to wait for food that is this good and is priced reasonably for what you get, you will have to make your own decision on whether it is worth it or not. My suggestion is to head over on a night when you are in no hurry and just want some really good food, however if you have no patience, can't handle bold flavors and spiciness this is probably not the place for you.   Within these parameters, this is a very high recommendation, give them a try.

Luxe–Gordon Square Bistro

2011-03-01T11:43:00.002-05:00

Gordon Square (the Detroit-Shoreway area) has become one of Cleveland’s most happening neighborhoods. Starting with Cleveland Public Theater the area has developed into an attractive neighborhood and is one of Cleveland’s biggest successes. One of the key steps in the development of this area was when Marlin

Kaplin, one of this area’s most respected restaurateurs decided to open Luxe in the heart of Gordon Square. Having a Groupon in hand (the link for Groupon is here), I was excited to check Luxe out to see if it lived up to the hype. Located at 6605 Detroit Avenue a block away from the Theater, Luxe offers a warm friendly face to the neighborhood. The front windows are decorated with culinary quotes, which gives a feel for the interesting combination of whimsy and style that Luxe presents.
The inside is striking, with a Art Deco bar, tin ceiling and well chosen pieces throughout. While pieces are eclectic, they are used with restraint, creating a pleasant slightly upscale feeling. You feel welcome, but you know that this isn’t a hash house.
Service is friendly and attentive with a young, but knowledgeable staff. Once settled out came a very nice artisanal bread bowl with some yummy pieces of crusty bread to start. The menu (which you can see at the website here) contains a nice mix of interesting items. I settled on the Calamari small plate and an order of the Lobster Risotto from the evening specials.

The Crispy Calamari was very well prepared with a light breading on the fresh squid and a quick fry, sided with some marinara and a lemon aioli. The dish was well prepared and the sauces provided just the right punch to compliment the slightly sweet and tender squid. When the plate was first put down I thought the portion was small, but part of that was being presented on a large plate; while certainly not huge, the calamari made a very nice appetizer.

Next up was the Lobster Risotto which was beautifully presented and had a wonderful aroma that made you want to just drink in the smell. Topped with two large perfectly prepared grilled shrimp, the risotto was studded with lobster, shallots and asparagus. The one quibble I had with the dish is that it wasn’t quite as creamy as I expect from a risotto. As has been discussed in a recent Top Chef episode, where Tre was sent home, the rice should be creamy while maintaining their individual grains, here they were a bit more toothsome and could be molded into a shape rather then spreading out on the plate. Even with that caveat, the dish was delicious.
Overall I found Luxe to be an excellent place to get some high quality food. The portions are not huge for the price, but premium ingredients are used and are generally very well prepared. Not the place to go if you are looking for a budget meal, but if you are headed to the Gordon Square it’s a great place to check out, with one of the nicer decors in Cleveland, great service, a relaxed atmosphere and some great bistro fare.

Chowder House Café–Cuyahoga Falls Eclectic Greatness

2011-02-16T11:23:00.002-05:00

I have to admit that I am a very happy guy, for a while it seemed like I was in a bit of a rut, hitting places that were ok, but nothing special, but I seemed to have found my mojo, and Chowder House Café was o

ne of the major reasons why I got my groove back. I have to give credit on this one to Groupon (the link is here), since I had not heard of CHC when it came up on the Akron/Canton Groupon listing; I liked the menu and figured that I would give it a try since during the summer I get up to Cuyahoga Falls for the Friday Concerts and the Gorge Park. I have to say that I found CHC to be exactly the kind of place I am looking for and exactly what this blog is all about.
Located at 2028 Chestnut Blvd., Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio 44223, just off of State Road (old Route 8), it is easy to miss CHC unless you are looking for it, since the building is not very visible from State Road. The outside starts to give a hint of the eclectic wonders that await inside. with some funky painting, little twinkle lights and a patio that must be a nice place to hang in the summer. Once inside you find a couple of small dining areas with the kitchen in the middle. The Chowder House name may invoke images of New England and you may expect lobster pots, nets and other nautical gear, but CHC has gone a completely different way. The décor is what I would describe as funky eclectic, with brightly colored and quite complicated murals on the walls, comfy tables and chairs and just a wonderful friendly atmosphere of organized chaos. To me the place feels like something you would find in New Orleans or the hip part of a big city, not in the middle of suburban sprawl across from a drugstore.
I was seated at a high table next to the window, which of course had a winter wonderland display; my server told me that the decorations change seasonally.   A quick perusal of the menu (which you can see at the CHC website here) reveals the eclectic extends to the food selection as well. There are influences from different cuisines such as New England (Clam Chowder, Lobster Rolls, etc.), New Orleans (Étouffée, Muffuletta), French (Cassoulet, French Onion Soup) mixed with Fish Tacos, Walleye, and just anything else that the chef finds interesting. Putting together a menu like this can be fun and exciting, but the test is whether the food actually delivers on the diverse range of flavors.
I made the tough choice and started with a the Lobster Bisque, deciding to save the namesake Chowder on another trip. I got a nice sized bowl of some of the best bisque I have ever had. The soup was creamy, without being thick, perfectly balanced with just a touch of sherry for acid and loaded with sweet and tender pieces of lobster. Sided with a thick slice of bread, that was a bit softer then I would have guessed, this was a perfect start to my meal.
Next up I had the walleye sandwich, with a nice fillet of baked walleye on a nice bun with a herbed mayo. I think this is the first time that I have had walleye that wasn’t fried. The fish was moist and expertly cooked, with most of it tasting wonderful. Unfortunately as I have found with walleye, there is part of the fillet that can be a bit more fishy, in this case it wasn’t bad, just a bit inconsistent. The portion is nice and with the big mound of chips and pretty filling meal.

Since I had $30 of Groupon to spend, I ordered a Lobster Roll to take home for the next day. A generous portion of lobster and shrimp is mixed with some quality mayo and served in the classic split top hot dog bun.   The salad was excellent, with just enough mayo to hold it together without overpowering the subtle flavors of the lobster. A great taste of New England at a reasonable price which was a perfect lunch the next day.
With a couple of bucks left on the Groupon, I decided to see what was in the desert case and was seduced into a slice of the chocolate cake. Layers of a moist cake alternated with rich frosting and then topped with delicious chocolate ganache resulted in a great end to one of the better meals I have had in a while.
My waitress was wonderful, knowledgeable and friendly, but not afraid to check on something when she wasn’t sure (I asked about meat in the Etouffee and sure enough, they do add sausage into their version). She seemed to be happy to be working at CHC and provided the right level of attention without being overbearing.
Chowder House Café is a real find, I cannot recommend it more highly. This is clearly a place where the chef has a vision of what he wants and has the skills to execute the food properly.   With a menu as diverse and eclectic as CHC has, it would be easy to have some major miscues, but I did not see any in my visit. The atmosphere is funky but has an energy and verve that I like, the food was excellent and very well priced for the quality and flavor that you get. If you are near Cuyahoga Falls or Akron, you should try CHC out, but I would go further and recommend that you consider making a trip to give CHC a try even if you are not nearby.

The Flat Iron Café–Heart of the Flats

2011-02-09T12:16:00.002-05:00

Over the years, Cleveland’s flats have gone through a lot of changes: t

he East Side is hot, then empty; the West Side gets the Powerhouse and Shooters; condos are built and filled; heck even the famous Cuyahoga River fire, but through it all the Flat Iron Café just keeps going, dishing out welcoming food and drink in a warm atmosphere. It had been a while since I had checked the Flat Iron out, so when a Groupon (Groupon Site is here) came up for it, I grabbed it and have been waiting to use it for a while.
The Flat Iron is located at 1114 Center Street, Cleveland, Ohio 44113 right across the street from the Center Street Bridge (the swing bridge) and underneath the Detroit Superior Bridge. The nicely kept triangle shaped brick building is a perfect reflection of the comfortable Irish tavern inside. Once inside you find a comfortable bar and restaurant with lots of dark wood, plenty of green highlights and just enough decoration to feel welcomed without being overwhelmed. As opposed to some of bars around town which feel a need to show how Irish they are, the Flat Iron is comfortable in its own skin. The bar along one wall provides a nice place to grab a beer and just relax. The two slightly raised dining areas along the windows are comfortable, with plain wooden chairs and tables.
Service is friendly and attentive, without being overly familiar. My waitress was helpful and seemed to know just the right level of attention to give her customers. The menu quickly arrived (you can see the menu here), and is filled with the items you expect at an Irish Pub, done very well. With $20 to spend on my Groupon, I figured on getting the Perch Sandwich (especially with my waitress recommending the Perch), a side of the Pierogies, and from the special board a cup of the Seafood Jambalaya.
If you have been reading C-Town Eats, you might have noticed that I like my soups, they are a chance for a place to really hit you with some nice flavors or a bit of a different twist. After checking that it didn’t contain any sausage or other meat, I was very happy to order the Seafood Jambalaya which was one of the highpoints of my meal at the Flat Iron. First I have to say that the portion size (I ordered a cup rather then a bowl) was extremely generous; with a nice sized crock stuffed full of a thick and spicy goodness. The Jambalaya had nice portions of fish and shrimp and an overabundance of bay scallops, all of which were tender and flavorful. With some nice bits of vegetables for contrast and the perfect level of spiciness, this was a great way to start my lunch.
Next up was the Fried Perch Sandwich, with a side of pasta salad. Once again the portion size is very generous, with 5-6 fillets of perch served up a couple of slices of rye bread and a large heaping of pasta salad. The perch were wonderful, with the mild white fish lightly breaded and perfectly fried, set off with a very nice tarter sauce and a squeeze of lemon, this is one of the better fish sandwiches in town. The pasta salad is surprisingly good, nothing unique, but the flavors are nicely balanced and there is enough acidity to add a bit of brightness.
Finally we come to the Pierogies, which the menu describes as the best in Cleveland according to AOL Guide in 2004 (which may say something about online guides as much as anything); while the Pierogies are good, they come nowhere near those at Babushka’s Kitchen (http://c-towneats.blogspot.com/2009/03/babushkas-kitchen-polish-powerhouse.html) or Sokolowski’s (http://c-towneats.blogspot.com/2008/10/sokolowskis-university-inn-cleveland.html). What I did get was four nice sized hand made pierogies topped with grilled onions and cheese with sour crème on the side. The dough for the pierogies, was good and tender with a nice potato and cheese filling that was a flavorful, but a bit dense. My personal preference would have been to leave the onions in longer strips rather then the fine chop that the Flat Iron used, as they tend to stay a bit moister and add a better texture to the dish. While I wouldn’t rate these Pierogies as tops in the city, they are certainly better then most and they will fill you up without a doubt.
I left the Flat Iron very satisfied and very well fed; this is a place that is doing standard food, but doing it with care and some obvious culinary skill. The portions are large and the flavors are bold and well balanced. The atmosphere is comfortable and friendly, there is not much more you can ask for. Billed as the oldest Irish Pub in the flats, the Flat Iron should continue to be a long running Cleveland success. Rather then trying to ride some trend or fad, the Flat Iron provides a perfect example of what an Irish Pub should be. This is an easy and strong recommendation to give the Flat Iron a try.

El Rio Grande–Mayfield Mexican Cantina

2011-01-28T10:49:00.002-05:00

You may have noticed that the large restaurant behind Golden Gat

e Plaza has undergone another transformation, becoming a Mexican restaurant (ironically enough the building originally housed a Mexican restaurant). I notices a $5 off coupon in Scene magazine, so I figured I would give it a try. I arrived early on a Friday evening and the place was nearly empty, but had a very festive décor with bright primary colors, hand carved chairs and tables. With enough people to fill up the large space this could be a fun and happening place. The décor and menu are similar to that at the local El Rodeo chain, but there is a El Rodeo about 1 mile down Mayfield.
As usual out came the chips and salsa, the chips were ok, the salsa bright, but a bit too mild. Easily fixed with some hot sauce, but noting special.
The menu is generally what you would expect from a Mexican restaurant, plenty of choices, but a lot of the same ingredients. The Seafood section is a bit better then some other places. I had the Chili Rellenos dinner, which was two cheese stuffed peppers fried and topped with sauce. The peppers were ok, although the cheese seemed a bit underwhelming, the dish could have used more sauce, but the sour crème drizzle was a nice touch. The rice and beans that came with were ok, but once again nothing special. Overall the food was decent, but not anything that I am going to hurry back for, especially if I have to pay full price.
I think El Rio Grande has a chance since the décor is good and the service was fine, but the food is just OK. There are plenty of other places to go for Mexican food and if you are going to open a new place, especially one this large you need to make sure that the food really is something special.
Give it a try if you grab one of the coupons, otherwise there is much better ways to spend you dinner dollars.

Kirtland’s Olde Towne–More then meets the eye

2011-01-19T15:37:00.002-05:00

After a brisk day of cross-country skiing at Chapin Forest in Kirtland we decided to give the Olde Towne a try since it was the closest place and the people at the ski

center said it was good.   Located at 7592 Euclid Chardon Road, kirtland, OH, about 1 mile West of the intersection of Routes 306 and 6, Olde Towne looks like an old time roadhouse, a bit rundown and dreary. However once you walk in you get a completely different impression. The interior is done up in Western Mountain Chic, with large field stones, lots of wood, some antler chandeliers and a roaring fire place. Its upscale rustic, but comfortable; it just doesn’t quite connect with the outside or the name..
Seated comfortably by the fire with the TV over the mantel tuned to football, we settled in to peruse the menu (which you can see here) which has a nice selection of American classics. I settled on the fried fish with a side of the jalpeno mac and cheese. Others at the table, had sandwiches or entrees from various parts of the menu.
The food took a while, even though the place was pretty quiet, but when it came out the food was nicely prepared and well presented, but the flavors were nice without being exceptional. My fish was nicely prepared and a decent size, but nothing that will stick with me. The jalapeno mac and cheese had a little bit of a bite, but not enough to really excite me. I think what was lacking was a certain depth or variety to the flavor profiles; part of this is the menu description which seem to over promise and food that doesn’t quite match the anticipation that is raised.
I have no big quibbles with Olde Towne, but I think it needs to work on finding its niche. To me the food was ok, but not anything I have a need to come back for. The value isn’t there as the prices aren’t bad, but there are plenty of places around that I can find much bigger portions for a similar price.   There seems to be a disconnect between different parts of the restaurant, the décor, menu and presentation feel as if they are going for upscale, yet the location, the volleyball courts and the overall food doesn’t quite make it to that level.
Olde Towne ends up being a thumbs in the middle for me, neither good enough to give a high recommendation, nor bad enough to advise you to avoid.   Of course your experience may differ.

Biagio’s Donuts–Eastlake Goodness

2011-01-11T14:32:00.003-05:00

So I was driving down Vine Street in Eastlake recently and I finally realized that Biagio’s Donuts hadn’t closed, they had just moved into a new building at the other end

of the block they were on. Located at 35523 Vine St., Eastlake, Ohio, Biagio’s has done the seemingly impossible, taking a new building and making it feel like it has been there for quite a while. You have to look closely to catch the new location, while the original had a front window and sign facing Vine Street, the new building faces sideways to the street and the smaller sign at street level is easy to miss. But you should try to find it as Biagio’s has some of the best donuts in the area.

The new store looks new on the outside, but once inside it looks like they just picked up the old shop and moved it over. You will be greeted by a huge assortment of donuts, with a large variety of crème donuts displayed both in the front case and it the larger wall unit. I highly recommend going for at least one crème, since they are light and fluffy, with a nice sweetness and good flavor. Among my favorites are the chocolate crème and the the banana crème. Cremes are available in several different forms, with round donuts, filled sticks and sandwich sticks.

The other donuts are good as well; with choices ranging from a variety of glazed, frosted and various flavored donuts. Of course there are cinnamon rolls and various other goodies. It is hard to go wrong here as these are pretty classic donuts and other sweets, but available in many varieties.

Biagio’s also does pizza, both in slices and fresh baked pies; its been a while since I had one, so I’ll skip any review here. They have also added some soft serve ice cream with the move to the new building.

If you need some sweets and are over in Lake County, give them a try.

Rav’s Creekside–Twinsburg Hangout

2011-01-10T15:14:00.002-05:00

Over the years, I have driven by Rav’s Creekside any number of times, and I always meant to stop and check it out. Well with a Groupon in hand, I finally managed to see what Rav’s is like and I was pleasantly pleased.

Located at 9224 Darrow Road, Twinsburg, Rav’s is at the North End of a strip of shops. The end location gives them the advantage of having a large deck on the side overlooking Tinkers Creek; I imagine this is a nice place to hang out during the summer.

Going in to Rav’s through the double doors you find a largish bar/restaurant without much to distinguish it from many similar locations, other then the large wall of windows leading to the deck. The décor is ok, but certainly not why people come here. There is a large elevated bar area, with a dining room area on one side and what looked to be a couple of pool tables on the other side. There are plenty of beer signs and a few flat screen TVs to round out the atmosphere.

The menu at Rav’s (which you can see here) is a mix of bar food mainstays with some small tweaks. What I did find was that the food was generally prepared with fresh ingredients and at least some care in the preparation. Not everything completely hit the mark, but I do appreciate that the attempt was made to elevate the food. With the Groupon to spend, I got a bowl of the Cream of Mushroom Soup, the Fish and Chips and an order of the Calamari.

The Mushroom Soup should probably have been described as a a Mushroom Bisque, since it had was a bit thinner then a cream soup and had some onions and celery along with a lot of mushrooms. With that said the soup was tasty and nicely seasoned. A good start to the meal.

Up next was the side salad that came with the dinner. A bit bigger then I expected, with nothing too radical, but there were two kinds of shredded cheese and the house dressing was mild, but flavorful. All of the ingredients were fresh and flavorful, a good way to get your meal started.

The fish and chips were a real surprise, with two huge fillets of tasty white fish breaded and then nicely fried over a large helping of fresh cut french fries served with a nice tarter sauce. The fish itself was excellent, tender and moist but fully cooked, the breading was ok, but seemed a bit grainy to me. The dinner was good and the portion size was very large. At this point I was ready to call an end to the meal, but the Calamari, which I had ordered as an appetizer then came out.

The calamari (most of which went home for a later meal) were an interesting dish. First the squid appeared to be fresh, but had been cut into bigger pieces then you usually see, which resulted in something closer to squid nuggets rather then the rings and tentacles most places have. The breading (which was different then that used on the fish) was good, if a little heavier then I prefer for Calamari. The dipping sauce was a different variation on a tarter sauce, with a bit more of an herb taste. The sprinkling of grated cheese was a nice thought, but got a bit overwhelmed by the larger squid pieces. I probably would pass on the Calamari at Rav’s next time, but that is more an issue of personal taste rather then an huge criticism of the dish, I just like my Calamari to be a bit lighter and more delicate, this was just a different approach.

Overall, I was impressed by the quality of the food, the large portions and the good service I got at Rav’s. Probably not one of the places you need to seek out, but if you are in the Twinsburg area and want to fill up on some good food, you might want to give them a try. Plus if it is summer time the creekside deck could be a cool place to enjoy.

Otani Japanese Restaurant–Just OK

2010-12-15T11:04:00.002-05:00

I took my buddy Danny out for a holiday lunch and he wanted to go for Hibachi, so I figured we would check out Otani in Mayfield. Otani has been in the back of the Golden Gate Plaza (1625 Golden Gate Plaza, Mayfield Heights, OH 44124

) seemingly forever, and unfortunately that is my impression after our visit. The exterior is nicely decorated to look suitably Japanese, once inside we were quickly greeted and seated at the hibachi table (I know that this style of cooking is actually called tepanyaki, but in keeping with the old style, Otani refers to this as Hibachi). I have to say that the décor feels really dated and dark. The basic setup at Otani is fine, but it feels like nothing has changed since the restaurant opened in the 1970s.
After a quick perusal of the menu (which you can see here), we quickly decided on our meals and ordered, Danny was having the Steak and Chicken lunch, I choose the Shrimp. We started with the mushroom soup, which was a light broth with some slices of mushroom, nice, but a bit safe, it could have used a bit more complex flavoring. That was a good indication of what was to follow.
Our chef soon arrived and after a quick flame of the grill for effect settled in to cook our meal. The performance was a bit understated, with our chef seemingly getting there on the performance side, but not nearly as good or as entertaining as the chef at a nearby table. The lunch consisted of a large portion of fried rice, sautéed mushrooms and our respective main courses. The food was nicely cooked, but underseasoned, even the two dipping sauces didn’t add much flavor or zing to the meal. The portion on the Steak and Chicken lunch was ok for the $10.50 price, but I thought the shrimp portion was a little small for $9.00.
I have to say that I found Otani to be about what I thought, a restaurant that is firmly rooted in its tradition, unfortunately since the 1970s our tastes and sophistication levels have changed, especially as it relates to Japanese food. I think Otani needs to update its décor and bring more punch to its food. As always your mileage may vary.

Flemings Steakhouse–East Side Class

2010-11-17T10:42:00.002-05:00

I have to say I was surprised to receive an offer of a $50 gift card from Flemings in the mail. I am always a little skeptical about these type of offers, but after a careful review this was on the up and up. It did require going to the Flemings website and registering, but other then making a reservation there were no other strings attached. Now a high end steakhouse is not my usual hangout, I prefer the more casual and affordable eateries, and since I haven’t eaten meat since 1978, steak is not high on the list; but this was free food and Flemings has plenty of fish and seafood on the menu.

Located at 28869 Chagrin Boulevard, Woodmere, OH 44122 in the Eaton Square shopping center, Flemings is easy to miss as its fairly nondescript building is next door to the flashier Bravo. Once inside you find a classic atmosphere, the dining room is a large high ceiling room with lots of wood, with most of the accents coming from high end wine bottles arranged around the room. The tables are set in a simple high end manner. The overall atmosphere is upscale and timeless. Pretty much what a high end steakhouse should be.

Service is also high end, with my server and the rest of the staff, being friendly and knowledgeable, yet extremely professional. This is what service should be and makes dinner at Flemings an truly enjoyable experience.

With $50 to play with and my own dietary restrictions, I decided to go with 3 appetizers and a side. You can see the menu (without prices) at Flemings Menu. Prices are not cheap, especially when you consider entrees come ala carte, but the food quality is top notch.

I started with the Sweet Chile Calamari ($11.50), which was a generous portion of nicely fried squid with a Asian flavored sweet chile sauce.   The squid was perfect with nice chewy pieces of the mild rings and tentacles having a nice tender chewiness and a mild flavor, the sauce was good, but I thought it lacked a bit of a punch, to my taste concentrating the flavor and adding a bit more heat would have taken this up to the level I would have expected from a upper tier restaurant.

Next up were my other two appetizers, the Lobster Tempura and BBQ Shrimp Appetizers. The Lobster Tempura ($18.95) was a nice portion, with 4 potions of half a lobster tail split out of the shell, but still attached lightly battered and fried along with a variety of tempura vegetables. While both the lobster and vegetables were very nice, unfortunately the nice thin batter came out overly greasy; I don’t know if the oil wasn’t hot enough of if the tempura wasn’t properly drained, but this was bit of a disappointment, especially after the nice fry job that had been done on the calamari.

The BBQ Shrimp ($12.95) appetizers was the biggest disappointment of the meal. Four medium large shrimp were baked in a casserole with a sauce that contained none of the spiciness, sweetness or smoke I would expect from BBQ sauce. I was a bit taken aback with the portion size, especially compared to the generous portions on the other items I got. The sauce and preparation did nothing to elevate the shrimp and may have even taken their quality down a little. This is not only an item I would not recommend, but unless Flemings makes some major changes, this shouldn’t be on their menu. I usually say your tastes may vary, but I have a hard time thinking anyone would enjoy this dish, especially at this price.

Finally I ordered the Chipotle Cheddar Macaroni and Cheese Side ($7.95) which was a more then generous bowl of beautifully flavored comfort food goodness. This was the clear highlight of the meal, and with most of this nestled in my refrigerator for another meal I look forward to eating it again. The perfectly cooked pasta was smothered with a rich cheddar cheese sauce with a subtle hint of chipotle heat to keep it interesting. I have a feeling this is more representative of most of the Flemings menu, classic American fare made with high quality ingredients and with a classic flavor profile.

Flemings impressed me with their ambiance, service and the Mac and Cheese, among the other food, the Calamari and Lobster Tempura were both good, but fell a little short of greatness. The BBQ Shrimp was a true disappointment. At the price points Flemings charges, this should not be happening. Of course, I am not the target audience that Flemings is going for, their overall reputation is that they have some of the better steaks available in the area, so your visit may be quite different.

Chester’s Legacy Tavern – Painesville Tavern

2010-10-19T13:04:00.001-04:00

Just like Hannibal from the A-Team, I love it when a plan comes together. I have been sitting on a Groupon (Groupon Site is here) for Chester’s and with fall having come it was Clambake time. So I was very pleased when on visiting Chester’s website I noticed that they were doing Clambakes on the weekends in October. Sounded like a good way to spend a Friday night, chowing down on some tasty bivalves.

Chester’s is easy enough to get to, located at 11 Chester Street, Painesville, Ohio 44077 just a stones throw from the Painesville exit of Route 2, the location is convenient, if nothing else. The outside is a fairly nondescript building, but there is a decent sized parking lot and a small patio on one side. Walking in I was quickly greeted and then seated at a high two top next to the windows and right at the transition between the bar area and the dining room. The decor is clean and comfortable, heavy on wood and earthtones, but looking very well kept and timeless. This is the kind of place you would think of as nice, but probably wouldn’t be able to remember anything specific. A long bar with a lowered ceiling presents a comfortable area to grab a drink and settle in.

Chester’s menu (go here to check it out) is a nice selection of American and Tavern classics, with an emphasis on fish and seafood, a good sign for me since that is my wheelhouse. Also included was the specials with several variations on the Clam Bake (Clams, Clams & Chicken & Clams & Steak). I settled on the Clams & Clams which included 2 dozen clams, chowder and sides. I also ordered the Shrimp Chester appetizer.

First up was a cup of the New England Clam Chowder. This was a very nice rendition of the classic recipe, thick, but not over loaded with cream, the mild soup was stocked with chunks of potatoes and plenty of tender fresh clams. Very satisfying and a good way to get my seafood taste buds going.

Next up was the Shrimp Chester ($10), good sized fresh shrimp smothered in a wonderful garlic sauce and cheese and baked to perfection. Sided with garlic bread, this was a cannot miss treat. Simply presented, the aroma got me as soon as this was set in front of me. The shrimp were perfectly cooked, tender and firm and wonderfully complimented by the garlicky cheesy goodness, that managed to get even better as it cooled and set up. With the bread there to soak up the extra sauce, this was a very well thought out and executed dish.

Next up was the main course and the reason I made the trip East. The two dozen clams came out in the classic fiber bowl with melted butter and extra clam broth for dipping. Sides were the ear of corn and I substituted sweet potato fries for the regular sweet potato. Portions were large, with the clams generally coming in about half dollar sized and steamed in their shells. The clams were mild and tender, each a mouthful of the goodness of the sea perfectly complimented by the drawn butter. Out of the 2 dozen clams, I had 3 that didn’t open (and you should always leave these be), but I had more then enough to satisfy my hunger. The corn was sweet and fresh and the sweet potato waffle fries were crispy on the outside and sweet and delicious on the inside. At $26 for the Clams and Clams bake, not cheap, but considering the amount of food and the quality, I think they give you what you expect.

Service was good and friendly, although there seemed to be a bit of a lag on the time for food to come out of the kitchen, it might be that I was there early and they hadn’t hit there groove yet, but I would hope they would be more on top of things when most of the tables were empty.

Chester’s is a place worth checking out, especially if you are in the area. The food is good, well prepared and presented nicely. There is not a lot of flourish or trendiness here, but that can be a very good thing. The biggest thing working against Chester’s is location, if they were located a couple miles North in Fairport Harbor or Grand River I think that they would be more well known, but as it is this a great place to get some good solid food. Chester’s is trying to push their presence with some of the Groupon and radio and TV station offers, so if you look around you might be able to get a deal. Check them out.

Umami – Chagrin Falls Asian Bistro

2010-09-29T16:41:00.001-04:00

I have been looking forward to trying Umami Asian Kitchen in Chagrin Falls for quite a while now; I picked up a Groupon (Groupon Site is here) in March and finally got to use it just before it expired. Located in a

prime location at 42 North Main Street in Chagrin Falls, Umami has earned a great reputation as a wonderful little Asian Bistro in an area know for its All American feel. With a small low key storefront, you walk in to find a wonderful little place set up in a narrow building with the kitchen in back and a small narrow dining room which feels both modern and Asian while still being restrained and elegant.

The menu, especially at lunch is rather limited, but the choices sound wonderful (you can see the menu here at Umami’s website). My friend and I started with soup, he had the Miso, I tried the Corn and Ginger Soup that was the special. Both came out in large square bowls, with a generous portion of soup. The Corn and Ginger was nice with subtle flavors, but I thought the corn kernels, while incredibly sweet, were just a touch undercooked.

Next up were the Spicy Tuna and California Rolls; the Tuna was very good, although not nearly spicy enough for my tastes, the California Roll was a bit overpowered by the real Crab which tended to mute the other flavors.

My friend had the Seared Salmon and I had the Sea Scallops. The two chunky Scallops were nicely cooked with a crisp sear and soft middles and served over a cucumber salad that nicely complimented them.

My overall impression of Umami is that I was a bit underwhelmed; the decor and the food presentation is lovely, the service was good and friendly, while the food was fresh and nicely prepared with high quality ingredients overall there was a lack of excitement or boldness. I have a lot of experience with Asian cuisine especially Japanese cuisine and I just found Umami’s food to be a bit flat in the flavor profiles. With a very limited menu and the prices for the amount of food I expected some fireworks, instead I got a nice, but not sensational lunch. As always, your experience can vary.

Bowl For Kids Sake – Please Donate

2010-09-23T17:46:00.001-04:00

Bowl For Kids Sake is a great event supporting a really great cause, Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters Association and the wonderful programs they provide. If you would like to support this one on one mentoring program that helps get kids on the right path and keep them there, please make a donation at this link Bowl for Kids Sake Donation

As a Big for over 10 years I can tell you that this program that I feel very strongly about. If you enjoy C-Town Eats, please consider making a donation. Any amount is welcome.

Thank you.

Steve

Daddona's - Big Italian in Westlake

2010-09-16T10:58:00.000-04:00

I have been to Daddona's in Solon a couple of times and remember finding it a nice Italian restaurant that served huge portions of good food, so when a Groupon (you of course can try Groupon here) came up for their Westlake location came up I decided to give it a try and am pleased to report that it was a good decision. The Westlake Daddona's is located in a relatively new strip mall at 29580 Center Ridge Rd Westlake, Oh 44115 (map here).

Once inside you find a very attractive L shaped dining room done in green and purple with natural wood accents and complimentary art. The feeling is very modern, but warm and welcoming with a nice upscale look without being formal, a real step up from what I remember of the Solon location. The tables are set nicely and many of the comfortable seats have a purple cover to compliment the decor.

I arrived towards the end of a weekday lunch and am quickly seated and review the nice sized menu (see it here). With $25 of Groupon to play with I ended up with a ton of food and took home a couple of extra meals. To start you get the basket of fresh baked garlic balls. Perfect in so many ways these small pieces of dough have a fragrant garlic smell and taste nicely complimented by some olive oil and cheese, I restrain myself from eating all of them as I know that there is still plenty of food coming.

Next up is an order of Calamari and the portion is huge and could be easily shared by a whole table of people. The squid is nicely fried in a light breading and sided with Marinara sauce. While a nice dish, I found the squid to be a little under seasoned, I could have really gone for a bit of herb in the breading to boost the flavor profile. The sauce was nice and mild with chunks of tomato, I thought at first that the flavor was a bit mild, but the flavors built the more of it I ate.

Next up was the side salad that came with the pasta I ordered, of course Daddona's has to make the salad about twice as big as usual and nicely presented the fresh greens with the house Italian. I took the whole salad home and enjoyed it, nicely balanced and once again the flavor of the dressing seemed to build the more I ate.

Out next was a small Siciliano Pizza topped with Eggplant. This was another highpoint, with a wonderful medium thick crust that was crisp on the outside and soft and flavorful inside. Topped with a zippy tomato sauce with the perfect level of spiciness to wake up my taste buds and complimented by the Romano Cheese, this was different than the common overly cheesy pizza we all enjoy. The eggplant cubes were perfect, with no bitterness, but just enough firmness and no breading. Most of the pizza went home with me and was almost as good the next day for lunch.

Finally we got to the main course, Linguine with Red Clam Sauce, which was a huge portion of al dente pasta topped with a silky tomato sauce loaded with tender clams. The dish was nice and tasty, although once again it seemed a bit mild at first but the flavor profile built as I ate more. The portion size was huge and despite my best effort I had a huge portion to take home for dinner the next day.

Daddona's serves oversized portions of good to excellent Italian food in a very attractive setting. It seemed to me that everyone left with with large portions for later. The sauces are varied, but even those that tend towards a less bold flavor profile have good flavors that reveal themselves gradually. You won't go wrong here, especially if you are hungry.

Quick Bites - Hiroshi's Pub, Koko Bakery, Nate's Deli, and more

2010-09-13T12:32:00.000-04:00

I know the reviews have spaced out a bit, sorry, but it's been hard with Labor Day (a great trip to by Mont-Tremblant, Quebec for the Mosaic Outdoor Clubs International Event), the Jewish Holidays and before that I was nursing a twisted ankle which kept me close to home. The good news is that I should be picking the pace back up; starting with a review of Daddona's in Westlake and then I have a couple of Groupons I have to get used soon, plus I am always on the lookout for new places to try. Remember suggestions are very welcome.

I did want to give a couple of quick updates on some previous places I have reviewed that I was back at recently.

Hiroshi's Pub (review here) continues to shine and seems to be establishing itself as a Beachwood favorite. On a recent visit I got to try a couple more items. The highlight was the Tuna Avocado bruschetta; a wonderfully balanced spicy tuna tartare topped crisp toast with fresh slices of avocado. Rich and fatty with a perfect level of heat and a nice texture contrast between the crisp toast, lush avocado and firm tuna made for a triumph that I may have to have on every visit. I had the Caesar Salad with the smoked Salmon, a very nice representation of this classic, good thick dressing and a generous portion of high quality Salmon; if I were going to nitpick, I would have preferred more smoke flavor in the fish, but that is a personal preference. We also had a Futomaki, which as you would expect was expertly prepared with fresh ingredients, what was surprising was the large portion. Another great visit and Hiroshi's has seemed to hit its groove very quickly, a high recommendation to give them a try and let me know what you think.

I have stopped by Nate's Deli (review here) a couple of times over the last few weeks and nothing has changed except the kitchen may have gotten even faster. The food is still great, classic representations of Greek and Deli classics, the prices are low and the portions are generous. What did strike me as funny was going through the West Side Market right after the Cleveland Man v. Food episode was shown and seeing waiting in line for the Gyro stand in the market for quite a while as the line was out the back door of the market; those same people could have gone a block down to Nate's, sat down and had a gyro and still have gotten back before they would have gotten through the line. Plus at Nate's you get the pickled radishes and pepperochinis. If you are in Ohio City pick up some very good food cheap at Nate's.

Finally I stopped by Koko Bakery (review here) on the way back from downtown for some treats. The place was jumping and the newest treat they are offering is homemade ice cream. Made in small batches of Taro Root, Red Bean Paste and Green Tea and costing only $2.50 for 2 scoops I couldn't resist. They are still working the kinks out, as the Red Bean came out with a consistency closer to marshmallow sauce and the Taro was very hard, but the flavors were right on. I will warn you that you need to be ready for a different texture experience, as the Red Bean had the genuine grainy bean texture and bean skins, while the Taro the starchy potato texture. I liked these two together quite a bit as the Red Bean was a bit sweeter and softer which gave a nice contrast to the more subdued Taro which was also much firmer. Your experience may differ, but if you want to try a much different ice cream in Cleveland I would strongly suggest getting to Koko and giving them a try. If not, still stop by and get some great baked goods, wonderful drinks or even a nice light meal.

Cibo - Chagrin Falls Pasta

2010-08-23T13:37:00.000-04:00

For the most part I have had a lot of success trying restaurants from Groupon (check Groupon out here), Cibo Homemade Pasta certainly ends up on the winner side of the list. Located at 8564 East Washington Street in Chagrin Falls (the space that used to house Fat Taco) (map is here), at the intersection of Route 306 and Washington Street, Cibo is a friendly little place to get some very good pasta at an affordable price. Tucked into a corner of the strip mall, it might be easy to miss Cibo, but it is worth finding. Outside is a couple of tables overlooking a little fountain. Inside you will find an attractive space that has a feeling of a little trattoria crossed with a fast food place.

Behind a long counter you will see the kitchen and the pasta machine pressing out fresh pasta. The menu is straight forward and easy to understand, you pick either Cavetelli or whole wheat Rotini and then add sauce and any toppings. There are also salads and a couple of sandwiches. When I was there Cibo also had Eggplant Parmigiana, Cheese Lasagne, and some pizza available. Everything looked very good, fresh made with high quality ingredients. Since I had a $10 Groupon, I got 2 orders of pasta, one to eat there the other for the next day.

I had the whole wheat rotini with the Alfredo sauce at Cibo. For $5 you get a very generous serving. The whole wheat pasta were nice with a little more bite and character then regular pasta. The Alfredo sauce was nicely balanced between the cheese and cream, with a subtle lighter flavor then many of the heavy Alfredo sauces you encounter; maybe a little bit on the subtle side, but good.

The serving of Cavatelli with the Arrabbita sauce and Romano cheese was one of the better plates of pasta I have had in a while. The Cavatelli was perfectly cooked, just enough firmness to compliment the sauce and give a nice chew. The sauce was excellent, with nice tomato flavor, with spicy heat that balanced well with the grated cheese. The portion was very good sized but I went through it quickly and would have kept going if there was more.

Cibo's is a wonderful find, a place that is producing excellent food at affordable prices. They are using high quality ingredients and obviously take pride in their products. With a limited menu and the selected specials, they can focus on making the food taste good. I recomend you head out East and give them a try.

Coleman Fish Market - Wheeling WV classic

2010-08-19T14:11:00.000-04:00

I have been keeping close to home since I twisted my ankle last week, but since it was feeling better and the weather was beautiful, I decided to take a ride down to Wheeling, WV and check out Coleman's Fish Market. I had heard about it from the Cleveland BMW Motorcycles Owners club and it sounded like a great ride and an interesting place to check out. To get there I cruised down past Canton and picked up Ohio Route 250 which proceeds to meander down to Wheeling; the road has some nice twists and turns, especially after you pass Cadiz. The ride was about 2 1/2 hours, and I located the Center Market without much trouble (map is here). The market is a couple of buildings with Coleman's in the middle, with some local artist exhibits at one end and a couple of food places, but overall nothing too big. The surrounding area seems to specialize in antiques.

Once you find Coleman's you see that it is an actual fish market along one side with fresh fish and seafood and then a counter at the end to order prepared food. You can see the menu at this link, although prices have gone up a bit, the menu is still simple and very affordable. One thing that was a bit hard to figure out was there were two different lines, going around to the right would allow you to order the regular items which come up quickly, on the left is the special items. I ended up ordering the Canadian white fish sandwich, the fried clams and onion rings. The portion sizes on each were extremely generous, especially considering the prices. The fish was 4 or 5 medium sized fillets served between two slices of white bread, the fish was nicely breaded and fried and very fresh, add the tarter sauce (which you have to order and pay for) and you have a very good classic fish sandwich. The clams were also nice and came with a mild cocktail sauce for dipping. The generous portion of onion rings had a classic batter and were tasty with a nice balance of sweet onion to batter. There are plenty of tables nearby to eat at.

Coleman's provides very fresh fish prepared in a classic American style with very little fuss and muss. You are not going to find anything radical or even terribly modern, but the value is outstanding and the food is fresh and tasty. If you are down near Wheeling WV it is definitely worth checking out for some good affordable grub.

Metro Burger - Akron Premium Burger Joint

2010-08-04T12:10:00.000-04:00

Metro Burger would not be one of my first choices for a meal, in fact just a couple of weeks ago I picked Zub's across the street (see review here), but when it came up on Groupon I checked out the website (located here) and they claimed to have award winning veggie burgers so I figured for half price it was worth a chance; and that is a great thing about Groupon, you get to take a chance without the full outlay of money (check Groupon out here). Located at 845 W Market St. Akron, OH 44303 in the Highland Square area of Akron (map is here) is an attractive modern premium hamburger joint.

The decor is modern funky with bright colors and steal tables and chairs. A long counter holds the menu sheet that you fill out and present to the cashier, a slightly different approach and it can be a bit daunting with all of the choices, but at least they are clearly presented.

While it may take a while to work through, the menu is fairly easy, you pick the kind of burger you want (beef, vegie, chicken or turkey), the size and whether you want a combo or not. Then you work through the toppings, sauce, cheese and how its presented. In my case I got a double veggie combo on a pretzel roll with smoked gouda, mushrooms, onion straws, red peppers and jalapenos. Add in sweet potato fries and a drink and the $10 was gone. I also ordered the BBQ sauce and Basil Pesto Mayo to top the burger with.

After a couple of minutes wait, my electronic buzzer went off and I picked up the order. I immediately noticed that they forgot the BBQ sauce, which they quickly remedied and later figured out they gave me the Horseradish Mayo, which actually worked out well for dipping the fries. But I would make sure that you get the right order, especially if they are busy. The 1/3 pound veggie burgers were huge and if I had to do it all over again I would order a single and get another side. The veggie burger was interesting with a beef like texture, if I had to guess I would venture that it was a combination of soybeans and some other bean. My personal preference would be for the patty to be a bit moister inside with a bit of a crust on the outside, but this was much better than most of the commercially available veggie burgers. Taste was mild, without a lot of distinct flavor notes, good to use to build a sandwich around, but not a burger that I would crave. The pretzel bun was nice, except it started to fall apart once the burger was fully dressed and sauced. The toppings were good with the roasted jalapenos being the standout player, spicy hot with plenty of flavor and punch. The gouda was lost between the two big patties. Topped with BBQ sauce and some hot sauce the burger overall was good, but it had more to do with all of the accouterments then the "meat" of the sandwich. The sweet potato fries were OK, nicely fried, but without much sweetness; luckily the horseradish mayo that I got by accident proved to be a great dip for the fries, with enough horseradish punch to set off the fries, but not enough to blow your nose off.

If I had it to do again, I would have probably gone with a single and gotten the onion rings or the fried pickles. Metro Burgers was good, its a bit pricey, but you get a lot for what you pay, especially when you consider the premium toppings and quality ingredients. The veggie burger is better then most, but lacks a bit in the crave-ability department. Using the Groupon I was very happy with my visit, but for me, Metro Burgers is not high on the list for a return visit any time soon, but the carnivores among us should enjoy it.

Hiroshi's Pub - the review

2010-07-29T13:48:00.000-04:00

One of the hard things about writing a blog like this is if you want to like new local places, especially if they are owned and run by friends, luckily Hiroshi's Pub more then lives up to the advance billing. I have given you a couple of previews of the Pub, but after attending the opening party and stopping by for dinner I can report that the food and service more then live up to expectations. Located at 3365 Richmond Road, Building B, Suite 130 (map is here) across the parking lot from Moxie and Red, Hiroshi's is the place to be.

As I have previously described, the decor is a mix of a modern upscale pub with some Asian touches, that all comes together in a great feeling, especially when filled up with people. The Pub seems to have already found a growing audience, as we stopped in at 6:30 on a Wednesday and it was almost full, by the time we left there was a full house. Despite this, sound levels were reasonable and service was good.

We started with a couple of draft beers, I tried the Goose Island Honker Ale, which was a well balanced full bodied ale; the taste was smooth and made a nice compliment to the food.

The menu at Hiroshi's is huge, with a long list of appetizers, salads, sandwiches, burgers, sushi, BBQ and entrees. The sushi bar turns out a list of tasty items ranging from the usual sushi to complex rolls, cervices and fusion futomakis. Some of the most impressive looking plates that went by were the sushi plates. The BBQ side produces ribs, briskets and other meats that come in a wide variety of forms. It may take you a while to get through the menu, but you should be able to find something for almost every taste.

I was pleased to hear that the soup of the day was a Tortilla Soup that could be either vegetarian or have chicken added; a very nice idea to allow vegies to have the option. Even better the large bowl of soup was very good, with a very a good mix of vegetables in a soup with a very nice level of spiciness. The tortillias had already merged into the soup by the time it got to me, but still added a nice crispness and a little sweetness. An excellent bowl of soup which is always a great way to start a meal (excuse the mess around the bowl, the waiter bobbled at the table and I didn't want to wait while he went back and got a new bowl).

For my main course I had the Calamari appetizer, which was one of the better versions I have had in Cleveland. Fresh squid is lightly floured and quickly fried and then served over a light garlic butter with homemade tarter sauce and marinara. The squid was tender with just a hint of chewiness, the garlic butter was a perfect compliment. With big flavors, both the tarter and marinara were a bit much for the delicate squid, but overall a very good dish.

My friend Dan had the Smoked Brisket dinner with baked beans and coleslaw. He thought the brisket was very good, tender with a slight smoke flavor. I tried a little of the BBQ sauce and it was very good with a nice balance of hickory and sweet, although I could of gone for a bit more hot spice. Dan also liked the sides and all of the food on the table quickly disappeared.

As you can see, food presentation is very well thought out and portions are good sized. Service was good and the staff seems to be coming together well. Despite having a full restaurant, food came out at a good pace, which is nice to see as often newer restaurants will have issues with getting food out, not so for the Pub.

Hiroshi's Pub is a great place to get some excellent and diverse food in a really nice environment. The food is presented in a very modern and upscale manner; flavors are big and bold, this is a place where taste counts. Service is good and the bar is already becoming a great place to hang out and relax.

Give Hirsoshi's Pub a try, and you will find that their motto of "Casual Dining with Seriously Good Food" is true. An easy place to give a high recommendation.

Cafe Tandoor - Nice Indian Food in Aurora

2010-07-27T12:55:00.002-04:00

Wanted to give a quick review of Cafe Tandoor in Aurora, where I had dinner on Saturday. Cafe Tandoor started on Taylor Road in Cleveland Heights and has been one of the better Indian restaurants for a while. With the opportunity to eat there using a Groupon (link for Groupon is here) it seemed like a good opportunity to check out how they are doing.

I choose the Aurora location because I was meeting a friend from Akron. Located at 96 Barrington Town Center, Aurora, OH 44202 (map is here) in the shopping center at the intersection of Routes 43, 82 and 306, this location of Cafe Tandoor has a nice if fairly unremarkable decor in its medium sized space. The service was very good and friendly.

The menu is the same at all three locations (you can see it here), with a nice variety of dishes. We ordered the Bombay Fish Curry and the Aloo Gobi along with sides of Saffron Pullao and Nan. The Bombay Fish Curry was nice, with a slightly sweet flavor, although the fish had a slight fishiness that is unusual for catfish. The Aloo Gobi which is Cauliflower and Potatoes in a nicely seasoned sauce, was expertly cooked and very flavorful. We had requested that these come out Medium spicy, unfortunately, we found them rather mild to our palates. The Saffron Pullao was nicely cooked basmati rice, but I had trouble detecting any of the promised saffron. The Nan was good, with a nice contrast between the crispy and chewy sections. Portions, especially on the main entrees were a bit small for the prices charged, especially since you have to pay extra to order the rice and bread on the side.

Based on what I had heard, I had high expectations for Cafe Tandoor, unfortunately Cafe Tandoor fell a little short. I had a nice meal with wonderful company. The flavors were good, but not outstanding or packing the impact I was hoping for. In my opinion, Cafe Tandoor, while good, is not quite worth the prices they are charging. Maybe it is the Aurora clientele, but they went very light on the hot spices and I expect Indian food to pack a punch. If you have an urge for Indian food and Cafe Tandoor is nearby, it is a decent choice, but given some of the other options around Cleveland, it would not be tops on my list.

Tucky's - Nice Place to get a bite

2010-07-22T11:02:00.000-04:00

I've stopped by the Mayfield Tucky's a couple of times in the past couple weeks and I was impressed. Tucky's is a local chain based around hot dogs, burgers and fries. They have locations downtown, Parma and at 6232 Mayfield Road, Mayfield (map is here) where they have taken over a small storefront that has gone through a couple of different restaurants in the past couple of years.

Going in, the counter and kitchen is on one side and the nice neat dining room is on the other. The appearance is modern and warm with browns and beiges set off with metal tables and chairs. The memorabilia and flat screen add a nice friendly touch.

The menu is straightforward and caters to the carnivore, although there are a couple of chicken dishes and a veggie burger. The first time I was there they had a fish sandwich as a special and the second time I had the Wednesday special of 2 fish tacos. Prices are not cheap, but Tucky's uses quality ingredients and prepares food to the order, so value is pretty good. In addition, they offer kids under 5 a free meal and kids between 5 to 12 eat for 1/2 price, so there is some added value there. One thing to note is that this is not fast food, since food is cooked to order, therefore you will wait about 5 minutes or so to get your food.

Both the fish sandwich and the fish tacos had the fish nicely fried with a crisp crust and firm fish in the middle. For $6 you get two small tacos (they cut the large fillet of fish in half) and a bag of black bean salsa chips. The tacos were good, as an American version of one of my favorites, although even cut in half the fish needed a bigger taco shell as it tended to push all the other ingredients out of the shell. The lettuce and cabbage was crisp and the salsa was bright, but very mild. The chips included were not bad, but I am not a big fan of flavored chips and would have preferred having a choice. The fish sandwich was also good and my buddy Danny liked his Cheeseburger.

One of the things I really like at Tucky's is the condiment bar which allows you to add the sauces or condiment that you want to your food. Some hot sauce, banana and jalapeno peppers spiced up the tacos and the tarter sauce made with the Chicago fluorescent green relish helped the fish sandwich. A good idea that I would like to see more places adopt.

Tucky's does a number of interesting variations on the hot dog, including what looks like a pretty good version of the Chicago Dog (poppyseed bun, sport peppers, fluorescent relish and celery salt are some of the items). I have asked my friend Mindy who is a Chicago native and hot dog expert to stop by Tucky's and render judgment on the Chicago dog, but that will have to be a an update to this post.

Tucky's is a nice local chain that serves quality food, keeps it restaurant clean and neat and the prices may be higher then fast food, but you get value for your money. Not a place that I will seek out, but certainly a better choice then the fast food places nearby, especially if you have kids with you. If you want a dog or some fries, give them a try.

Noisy Oyster - Great Akron Dive Bar

2010-07-12T11:00:00.000-04:00

Back when I started this blog a couple of years ago, one of the first places I reviewed was the Noisy Oyster (see original review here), I was just out hiking and saw a place that seemed interesting and so I gave it a try. This past Sunday, Mosaic (the Jewish Outdoor Club website here) was checking out the F.A. Seiberling Nature Realm, which is a really nice nature center and hiking trails, so I recommended that we give the Oyster a try for lunch. The Oyster is located at the end of a small strip of stores at 1375 N Portage Path,

Akron (map is here) which is where the Cuyahoga Valley ends in Akron.

I was happy to get back to check out the Oyster and see how it was doing. While the outside is nothing special, once inside you are greeted by a cozy bar with a vaulted ceiling and a small dining room with windows overlooking a small stream.
The decor is nothing special, it feels like a local dive bar, but one that has been kept up well and one that actually allows natural light and a feeling of nature in. The oyster is the kind of place you could settle in and relax for a while.

The menu is still an interesting mix of bar grub with more and better fish and seafood than you usually find (you can see the menu at the Oyster website here). We ended up ordering 3 Persian chicken salads, 1 shrimp salad and I had an order of steamed clams and an order of calamari. The salads were nice sized and had a nice mix of vegetables topped with Chicken or Peeled Shrimp with an interesting Persian dressing on the side. The dressing was a thick vinaigrette with a nice herb taste. The overall opinion was that the salads were good and a nice change.

The steamed clams were small, but flavorful, with the nice chewy texture and hint of the sea flavor you want. Sided with some melted butter and a lemon wedge a very nice treat.

The real surprise of the meal was the Calamari. When it came out, I was afraid that the pieces were too big and would be tough. Instead I found the squid to be wonderfully tender and perfectly cooked. It was clear that this was being prepared fresh and with a really nice touch. The sauce was a wonderful compromise between cocktail and marinara sauces, with a good tomato flavor but a nice bite to compliment the slightly sweet squid.

The Noisy Oyster is a great local bar, with an owner/chef who actually cares what comes out of the kitchen. The food is prepared fresh and with skill and care. A real surprise to find good and affordable fish and seafood at a little joint in the Cuyahoga Valley. If you are in the area and want a bite to eat or to just get a refreshing adult beverage and relax, check them out.

Hirioshi's Pub - Update & Photos

2010-07-12T10:20:00.000-04:00

Update 7/12/2010 - The Pub is open for business. The opening party was Saturday night and the place was jumping. A large crowd of friends and family showed up to check the place out and to enjoy some incredible food. The menu is huge, with appetizers, sandwiches, sushi, cerviches, salads and lots of BBQ. The sushi was great and everyone was raving about the BBQ. The bar was already hopping and I expect it to be one of the hot places to hang for quite a while.

Congratulations and the best of luck to Hiroshi, Sonya, Mike, Shuhei and all of the staff. Go and check them out.

------------------------------------------------
Last week I told you about Hiroshi's Pub (see previous post here), well I have news and pictures. Having seen the nearly completed restaurant, I can tell you that Hiroshi's looks awesome and that it will be opened to the public starting July 12, 2010. The tag line is Casual Atmosphere - Serious Food, and they seem well on the way. The menu is coming together and the staff is hired and being trained. So mark your calendars and plan on checking it out.

The sign to look for and the new patio that will be one of the best on the East Side.

The Patio will be a great place to enjoy the hotter weather and get some seriously good food.

Two traditional Foo Dogs guard the entrance and protect all patrons.

The main dining room and the kitchen line show the mix of influences.

The smoker will be turning out some serious BBQ with some Texas flavor

The Sushi Bar will feature non traditional and fusion items.

Each dining area has unique art and atmosphere

The back room with TVs and more cool art.

The lounge area with comfy couches and chairs. This will also be used as a stage for bands and other performers.

Cool are and a great bar will be a happening place and a center of activity.

Premium beers on tap and a great atmosphere in the bar area.

Cafe 56 - Holding Up Very Well

2010-07-09T15:15:00.000-04:00

I have a long history with Cafe 56; when I worked downtown it was one of my favorite lunch spots. C56 was located on the corner of E.4th and Euclid (long before E.4th became the hip place to eat and be seen). Originally the idea was to offer 56 different salads (that's were the 56 in the name came from) with large portions and quality ingredients. C56 has gone through expansion and contraction, but has managed to keep itself a good place to get quality food at an affordable price. Now located at 1433 Som Center Road in the Eastgate Shopping Center at the corner of SOM Center & Mayfield Roads (map is here), C56 is low key, but worth looking for.

Once inside I was very pleased to see that C56 had been recently redecorated and looked sleek and new. The decor is shades of gray with stainless steel accents, but the feel is softened by the free form art and tree branches on the wall. The overall feel is modern but welcoming.
I also noticed that they have come up with a new menu that is closer to their sibling restaurant 56W which I was very impressed by (the review for 56W is here). The menu features rice bowls, salads, sandwiches, soups and large plates where you get to pick your protein, sauce, salad and side for $10. Not quite as diverse or quirky as the menu at 56W, but still some solid choices available. Since I was using a Groupon (try it here), I had $15 to spend, which meant planning to take some home.

I picked the soup and salad combo for $7 and a Salmon sandwich for $8. Starting out with the Portobello Bisque which was excellent. A large bowl was filled with a rich and luxurious cream soup studded with firm mushroom pieces and accented by onioney chive pieces. The soup was just the right thickness and had a wonderful balanced flavor with just a hint of acidity to balance out the creaminess. Combined with woody mushroom flavor it was a great start to the meal.

I had the Salmon Club sandwich ($8) with avocado subbed for the bacon and it was very good. A large portion of salmon was grilled perfectly, then separated into smaller pieces instead of being a single fillet. The avocado, lettuce, tomato and aoili (think fancy mayonnaise) formed a welcome platform for the flavorful, but mild fish. The portion of fish was so large that I put some on the salad I had to take home. After having many poor versions of home made potato chips, C56 gets it right with crispy chips that were not overcooked.

The Caesar salad that came as part of the combo was smaller then the main menu salads, but still a large portion of crisp fresh romaine lettuce, crunchy croutons, shaves of Romano cheese and a wonderful thick version of Caesar dressing. Since there was so much food, this went home for lunch the next day and it was a great salad. All of the ingredients were fresh and flavorful, the dressing was nicely balanced and is one of the better interpretations of the Caesar flavors. Accompanied by the pretzel bagel and topped with some of the Salmon from the sandwich, it was a good light lunch.

C56 has managed to tweak its menu and decor over the years to keep up with changing tastes, the current Cafe is a great place to get high quality food at an affordable price. Flavors for the most part are simple and straightforward, but bold enough to work. A great place to get some good food.

Bruno Brothers - Geneva On The Lake Pizza

2010-07-08T12:53:00.000-04:00

If you are heading up to Geneva on the Lake there are a number of good to great food options; among them are at least 3 places on the strip where you can grab a slice of pizza. I have been intrigued by the Bruno Brothers trailer at 5560 Lake Road East (map is here) so I figured I would give them a try. This is just a small trailer with a pizza oven and a number of slices available in the glass counter. What I liked was that they seem to have more variety and more authentic pizza. I ended up getting a cheese slice and it was suburb. Many places claim they have New York style pizza, but it falls far short of what I expect, Bruno Brothers comes closer then anything else I have had around here.

To me New York style pizza is huge pizzas, with very thin crust cut into large slices and topped with tangy sauce and a nice uniform cheese layer. Bruno Brothers hits all the points, I would guess the pizza is 18" and the slice was overflowing the paper plate. The crust was very thin, but with just the right amount of crispness on the bottom. The sauce was a little lighter then I would prefer, but still gave good flavor and contrast. Nice tangy cheese covered the whole slice and was cooked to the point where everything merged into a oily cheesy whole.

If you are in Geneva on the Lake and feel like getting some Za, I would recommend heading to the middle of the strip (East of Madsen Donuts) and giving Bruno Brothers a try.

Mr. Zub's Deli - Akron Subs with Attitude

2010-07-05T13:27:00.000-04:00

So its a beautiful Friday and I have just finished a long hike in the Wetmore area of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and I am headed to Cuyahoga Falls for the Rocking on the River concert and I want to grab some food to take to the concert. I pointed the motorcycle towards Fairlawn, but noting hit my fancy, that is until I hit the Highland Square area on Market Street and I saw Mr. Zub's (map is here). From the outside it looks a bit scruffy, but the name intrigued me and I could go for a good homemade Zub, so I figured I would give them a try. Well it turned out to be a great decision. Mr. Zub's is a classic hole in the wall sandwich shop attached to the Matinee bar next door.

Walking in you quickly feel the attitude. The menu is unique and at times hard to navigate (you can see it on Zub's website here); but it has some real appeal, with sandwiches named after characters from movies with the movie and the year it came out helpfully identified for those of us with spotty memory. Prices generally range from a couple of bucks for a Thorton Melon (Back to School) pizza bagel to about $7 for a few high end sandwiches; there is $10 Aunt Marge giant corned beef and Swiss.

I ordered the Large Marge (Pee Wee's Big Adventure) Tuna Melt, subbing provolone for Swiss. What I got was a decent sized hogie roll stuffed with Tuna, some red onions and tomatoes with perfectly melted cheese. While not as impressively big as the chain subshops, this was very filling as there was a big portion of Tuna and all of the ingredients were high quality. In addition, instead of putting the sandwhich through a conveyor toaster, this was oven baked until melty good. What was unique is somehow they got the Tuna salad to taste more like a Tuna steak then the usual creamy mess you get at Jared's favorite place. Overall a very nice and fairly unique interpretation of a Tuna Melt.

When I am in the area and feel like a quick sandwich I will be stopping by Mr. Zub's again. If you are heading to Rocking on the River or Lock 3 its worth going out of your way and checking them out.

My piece in the Cleveland Jewish News - Blowing My Own Horn

2010-06-25T12:35:00.001-04:00

Just wanted to mention that the Cleveland Jewish News was good enough to publish my piece on being part of the Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters Association. Its a great organization and we are always looking for more Bigs to mentor kids who need a helping hand.

The article is at: http://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/articles/2010/06/25/news/local/doc4c2387ac592fb727317786.txt

For information, visit www.jbbbsa.org or contact Rachel Mandel Duber, 216-320-8310 or duberr@bellefairejcb.org.

Luchitas Xpress - University Circle Taqueria

2010-06-25T09:26:00.000-04:00

Luchitas has been one of Cleveland's best Mexican restaurant for almost 30 years and while the original on W. 117th Street always seemed better then the other locations, it has been interesting to watch Luchitas open more locations. With the economy the way it has been, inevitably Luchitas had to give up some of the those locations, so I was interested to hear that they had opened up a new Xpress location in University Circle. Located at 11311 Euclid Avenue (map is here) in a newly renovated storefront, the space is interesting, with a larger dining area at ground level with a smaller dining area and the counter and drinks on an upper level in the back. Decor is minimal, but decent; it feels like they are trying to make the space work, but there is little atmosphere.

If you have been to another Taqueria, the menu will look pretty familiar, although I will be heading back to try the wet burrito. Basically you decide on what you want: burrito, tacos or quesadilla, and then decide if you want chicken, steak, beef, pork or vegetarian. They then build the food in front of you and you get to choose what to add or subtract. Of note is that all meats and vegetables are Ohio grown.

I ordered a vegetarian burrito with the sauteed veggies, red rice and a mix of pinto and refried beans. While not having huge impact, the tastes were very good, with subtle traditional flavors. The rice was moist and flavorful, the beans nicely textured with deep earthy tones.

While a bit more expensive then some of its competition, $5.95 for the vegetarian burrito, Luchitas Xpress has tasty Mexican food made with quality ingredients. The atmosphere should come along as they get more experience in this format. The location is in the middle of Case Western Reserve and near University Hospitals and the Museums. The one downside is a lack of convenient parking. Here's hoping that the Xpress is a success and we see more locations open around town.

Glenwillow Grille - Just Good

2010-06-24T13:38:00.000-04:00

When I get a Groupon offer (check it out here), a number of things go into whether or not I buy it; how good is the deal, where the place is, what the menu is like, and just a general feeling. When Glenwillow Grille came up I was intrigued since I had passed it on Pettibone Road (29765 Pettibone Road
Glenwillow, map is here) a number of times and always thought that it look like it was worth checking out. Glenwillow is a cool little town just south of Solon, with a number of old small company town buildings, with the Grille being the highlight. Looking at the menu I saw some interesting items so I figured I would give it a chance.

From the outside, the Grille is neat and trim, with a small porch and a patio seating area out front. Once inside you see that there is a cozy dining room and a welcoming bar. Both have a nice mix of natural materials set up in a way that is warm, welcoming and just a bit clubby, but with an overall casual feel. I settled in at the bar and perused the menu (you can download it here). I had originally planned on getting the calamari and the Shrimp De Johng, but since they were out of squid, I switched my plans around.

First up was the Lobster Bisque, which was an additional $1.50 with the entree and it was well worth it. The bisque was thick and creamy without going too far with a nice portion of real lobster meat shredded in. The taste was wonderful with the sweet lobster balanced with the lightest touch of sherry. A wonderful start to the meal.

Next up was the Firecracker Shrimp, and while there were some nice things here I think this just was a conceptual failure. Six good sized shrimp were nicely deep fried, however they were drenched in creamy sauce that actually dulled the shrimps flavors. The greens were also overdressed in an indistinct dressing, with only the sirancha squiggles adding any real flavor.

The main course was the Eggplant Parmigiana, which ended up being a nice sized portion of pasta topped with three thick slices of fried eggplant with marinara and cheese. While not a bad rendition, nothing on this plate had any snap or distinctive flavor. What was needed was some garlic and herbs to really make this plate sing. Especially at a price of $15, I expect more.

Service was excellent and very friendly. As someone who has eaten at bars quite often, I did want to commend the Grille for having a smart and unique idea, a wooden board with feet designed to fit over the bar so that the food is closer to you and easier to eat. This is something that should be copied by more places.

My overall impression of Glenwillow Grille is that this is a nice upscale, but casual place. While the Lobster Bisque was superb, the rest of the food was just OK. They are clearly using good, quality ingredients and the presentations are nice, what is lacking is a real culinary viewpoint and a chef who brings some flavor fireworks. Prices are a bit higher then I prefer, but if the food delivered what the menu promises, it would be worth it. If you are looking for a nice place by Solon and aren't that worried about flavors, this might be for you.

Hiroshi's Pub - Coming Soon To Beachwood

2010-06-22T12:47:00.000-04:00

For those of us who used to hang around the Cedar Lee area in the late 80's and early 90's, Hiroshi's Pub was a favorite hangout with a comfortable atmosphere, good affordable food and some great people. Well its been quite a while, but a new version of Hiroshi's is coming to Beachwood in the next month or so. Located at 3365 Richmond Road, Building B, Suite 130 (map is here) across the parking lot from Moxie and Red, Hiroshi's has taken over a former Japanese restaurant and is in the process of converting it into what should be one of the areas most interesting spots.

As with the original spot the people in charge are the same, Hiroshi and Sonya from Shuhei are the owners and the vision behind everything and Mike will be running things day to day. They bring a wealth of experience and success in the Cleveland restaurant and bar scene.

I stopped by recently to see how things were coming along and the place is starting to really come together. They have kept quite a few Japanese elements from the previous place, but the overall feeling is going to be a lot different. To start, they are laying down a large patio out front that will provide some very nice outside dining, the patio was just being finished and the high quality outdoor furniture was being assembled.

Once through the double doors and the large Foo Dogs on either side, you will see a large bar to the left and the small sushi bar to the right. A number of smaller rooms will be set up, one with couches, another with traditional Japanese seating. They had a ways to go, but it looks like there will be flat screen TVs throughout. The overall look is warm browns and oranges, with high industrial ceilings. I get the feeling this is going to be a real eye catching place. When they get further along I will try to get you some photos.

The huge kitchen is in the middle, with the massive smoker and grill area facing the bar. The menu sounds like it is going to hit some of the current food trends. There will be the American classics, made with high quality ingredients, some serious long smoked BBQ, and an eclectic sushi bar with some cervices' flavors and even some meat based sushi. It looks like the menu will be large and diverse, which should be very interesting.

Hiroshi's will be hitting an area that Beachwood has been missing, a neighborhood tavern with good food and casual atmosphere. I will fill you in with more as the process moves along. If you are looking for work, Hiroshi's is hiring, you can get more information at hiroshispub.com.

Papa Santi's - Bringing Little Italy to the East Side

2010-06-14T09:57:00.000-04:00

Papa Santi's opened up a couple of month's ago in a small storefront on Chagrin Road across from Village Square (map is here). From what I hear and after getting a pizza, Papa Santi's is a direct relation to Mama Santa's the much beloved heart of Cleveland's Little Italy (my review is here). When I got a coupon for a medium pizza for $2 I had to check out Papa Santi's. The transaction was easy and the pizza was hot out of the oven in 20 minutes, just as I was told.

As soon as I got the pizza the Mama Santa's heritage was clear; Papa Santi's has a very similar look, with the pizza well cooked and the sauce, cheese and crust merging into a wonderful greasy gestalt. I can understand how some will decide this type of pizza is either overcooked or just too greasy, but to me it hits my palate just right. The medium is a good sized 13" size with cheese almost all the way to the edge. The major difference I observed with the Papa Santi's pizza is the crust is thinner and flatter then Mama Santa's; the result is a crisp crust with a bit less chewiness. Also while the sauces seem very close I would guess that Papa Santi's uses a bit less per pizza. Of course since hand tossed pizzas are individual creations, this could just be that the pizza I got was a bit thinner and less sauce, the next one could be right in the sweet spot.

Overall, Papa Santi's makes a very good pizza, and while not quite up to Mama Santa's standards, it is very close. The prices are a bit higher, but Papa Santi's offers convenience for those on the East Side of Cleveland who want a pizza that is not a clone of every other pizza around.

Lemongrass - Cleveland Heights Thai

2010-05-27T13:37:00.000-04:00

Lemongrass has been a fixture in the Cedar Lee area for quite a while now and it has been a pretty long time since I last checked in; but thanks to a Groupon deal (check out Groupon here) I had $20 to spend and I felt in the mood for some good Thai.

Located at 2179 Lee Road in Cleveland Heights (map is here), just a couple of doors down from the Cedar Lee Theater, Lemongrass is a handsome space. The small bar is in the middle as you enter, with a nice dining room on one side and a garden room that is a little more casual on the other. A small patio seating area is in back of the garden room. I was seated in the garden room and the decor was very nice, light and casual with enough Thai accents to make it feel exotic without being overpowering. I have to say that I was impressed with the way that they have kept the space up, it looks very clean and new, despite having been here for quite a while.

The menu (which can be seen at their website) has a nice variety, including some unusual items. $20 goes a decent way here, enough to get a top line entree and an appetizer.

I started with the vegetarian gyozas, which are described as containing peanuts, carrots, water chestnuts and melon. The order came out quickly with 6 crisp dumplings and a sweet dipping sauce. The good was the crisp gyoza skins, deep fried so that they were light and crunchy and the sweet dipping sauce which added a nice contrast to the dish. The filling was good, but the peanuts overpowered everything except a little of the carrots. While not bad, I was expecting more contrasts both from a flavor profile and the textures. Its not that these were bad, its just that especially after going through six of these, they were a bit boring.

For my main course, I took my waiters suggestion and got the Seafood Choo Chee. While a nice serving of Shrimp, Scallops, Squid and Vegetables in a curry sauce, I ended up a bit disappointed. First, while all of the seafood was cooked properly, none of it had much impact, especially disappointing for the nice sized scallops, my personal preference would have been to give them a bit of a char to get some nice texture and flavor. The sauce was nice, with the right balance of Thai basil and a hint of sourness you expect from Thai food and a little less heat then I would have preferred, but it could have used a bit more complexity in the flavors. In addition, it reminded me one of the things that I didn't prefer at Lemongrass over the years, the sauces tend towards being soups rather then sauces. In this case I ended up putting all of the rice into the dish and still just barely managed to soak it all up. I like a good soup, just not when I am expecting a regular entree. The vegetables in the dish added some flavor and texture, but not nearly what I was expecting. I will admit that some of this may be personal preference, the way Lemongrass prepares Thai food just doesn't scratch my itch, I prefer something a bit more rustic and home style, but that is me.

Service was good for the most part, although I could have used a refill on my water during the entree; this was especially bad as the restaurant was almost empty. I know it is a careful balance when things are quiet in a restaurant, you don't want to have your server hovering over your table, but servers need to remember to check in every so often, no matter how busy or slow things are. I will say that it looked like all of Cedar Lee was very quiet, it was early evening on a weekday with beautiful weather, plus I think a lot of people were checking out Melt.

So, Lemongrass has held up well over the years, with very nice decor, a great location and high quality food; unfortunately it just doesn't quite do it for me, the food is too refined for my preferences and can be soupy. Prices are decent, but portions may be a bit undersized for what is being charged. Give them a try if you are in the area and judge for yourself.

Melt Cleveland Heights - Greatness Comes East

2010-05-22T14:00:00.000-04:00

So I managed to wait one day before I headed out to check out the new Melt Bar and Grilled in Cleveland Heights. Located at the corner of Cedar and Taylor Roads (map is here), Melt has taken the amazingly successful formula from Lakewood and transplanted it to the East Side. Even though I arrived at just after 11:00am on Saturday, the dining room was already filled up with a line out the door. Luckily there was plenty of room at the huge bar and so I grabbed a stool and settled in.

Looking around you get something of the feel with the brick walls, the kitschy decor and the warm friendly feel. One half of Melt is a large open dining room with nice tables and chairs and the open kitchen. On this day the dining room is packed with families with lots of young kids. Of note is the wall with all of the old Dairy Queen items. The feel of the dining room is a bit more basic and open.

The other side of Melt is a large U shaped bar with another set of seating along the wall. This gives the bar almost as much seating as the original Melt has with all of its seating. Here the decor is more intense and diverse and mirrors that of the Lakewood location. Plastic Dracula, snowmen and jack-o-lanterns are strewn about and thin screen TVs above the bar have sports and cartoons showing. Little details are cool such as the old video game panels that line the top of the beer coolers. All in all a good transfer of much of the atmosphere of the original along with its own unique feel.

For those who know the location from when it was Peabody's or one of the other bars that were located there, they have filled in the floor and made everything into a single floor.

Melt has a huge selection of beers, both on tap and in bottles, I will have to work through these over time. It will be interesting to see how Melt ends up between bar and restaurant, the food is so good, but this will be a great place to just hang and drink.

So once I had finally taken it all in, I settled in and decided on my lunch. The menu (which you can see here) has come over with no changes, which is a great thing. The soup of the day is Dortmunder Mac and Cheese; after checking that it was vegetarian, I ordered a cup and was surprised to get a full mug of very thick, very good mac and cheese. I would not call this a soup, as it was easily as thick as most mac and cheese that you can get. The taste was wonderfully smooth, with some nice crispness from the scallions and the goldfish that came on the side. The flavor was a wonderful combination of cheese with a bit of smoke and a hint of heat. Over many visits to Melt, I have not been disappointed by the soups and chili.

My main choice was the Wake and Bacon with Avocado subbed in for the bacon. The sandwich came out perfectly cooked with a huge pile of french fries and a side of sweet slaw. The sandwich was a wonderful balance of fried egg, avocado and melted cheese between giant slices of bread. A little hot sauce added to give some heat and this is one of my favorite sandwiches. The fresh cut fries were nicely crisp and if anything better then what I get. The sweet slaw was nicely crisp and well balanced. A huge plate of excellent food at a reasonable price.

Despite the fact that this was only the second day of operation, and a more then full restaurant, the service was superb. Chris the bartender who served me was knowledgeable about the food and the bar, was friendly and in a great mood. Surprisingly, after getting used to having to wait for food at the Lakewood location, my food came out amazingly fast. I wouldn't count on this happening, but even if you have to wait the food is more than worth it.

My first review of Melt in Cleveland Heights is very favorable. They have managed to bring the fabulous food and excellent service, while retaining much of the fun atmosphere. Right now it feels a little more divided then the Lakewood location, with the dining room area being a bit more family friendly and the bar side being a bit hipper and rowdier. As long as they can manage the crowds and keep standards high, Melt East will be a huge success.

I would recommend that you go give them a try, except that Melt is already very busy and I want to be able to find parking and get seated when I get the urge, so instead think about driving over to Lakewood and leaving the Cleveland Heights location alone.

China Buffet - Tasty Chinese in Mentor on the Lake

2010-05-20T13:39:00.000-04:00

It seems like the strip malls on Andrews Road in Mentor on the Lake are the place to be for good food at rock bottom prices; I recently reviewed El Patron (link is here), there is a Little Caesar's offering large pizzas with one topping for under $4 and then there is China Buffet. Despite about the most generic name possible, I came away with a very good experience.

I noticed China Buffet since they were advertising $4.49 lunch and when I mentioned it to my friend Mindy who lives out that way she actually recommended China Buffet as a place she likes. Located at 5985 Andrews
Road (map is here), behind a Wendy's, the exterior is nothing special and seems a bit run down; however this is quickly dispelled once you are inside. Decorated in Chinese Buffet style, with a large mural of waterfalls on one walls and dividers topped with wood scrollwork and painted glass, the room feels brand new and spotlessly clean. A look at the buffet is even more encouraging, with all items well stocked and looking fresh and well prepared.

After being seated I headed over and was pleasantly surprised to see a nice variety of what looks to be well prepared sushi; including items with roe, seaweed salad and a futomaki with raw fish. Certainly not what you get at a Sushi restaurant, but better then most Chinese Buffets. Sampling the items I found them to be flavorful and well prepared, with crisp flavors and a nice hand in seasoning. About the only complaint I had was that the raw fish was a bit stronger then I would have preferred.

I move on to the hot buffet and am even more impressed, the items I tried were well prepared and for the most part were more flavorful then I have become accustomed at Chinese Buffets. A couple of spicy items I tried had a nice heat to them, which is unusual at buffets. Even better was the Seafood Combination, which had shrimp, bay scallops, crab sticks and squid in a creamy white sauce. The seafood was nicely cooked, with the squid and scallops tender, a very unusual occurrence in my experience with buffets. The white sauce actually had a pleasant mild soy flavor to go with silk texture and added to the dish. The items I tried, generally tasted good to very good, with flavor profiles I would expect if I ordered them off of a menu rather then getting them at a buffet. The vegetable fried rice and the lo mien were OK, but noting special. The buffet offered a nice variety, although not as big as some I have seen.

Even the deserts I tried were flavorful and seemed to be a better grade then I have become used to at Chinese buffets.

Despite having a generic name, this China Buffet offers very good food in a clean setting at a very good price; I wish more buffets were like this, offering food with flavor and keeping it fresh as possible. While not offering anything unique, I prefer having everything well prepared and would recommend you give China Buffet a try if you are nearby.

Wild Goat Cafe - Wholesome Food in Kent

2010-05-18T11:14:00.000-04:00

This blog has not had many nice things to say about national chain restaurants, but I will admit that they do build good buildings that offer fertile ground for local owners when the chain abandons them; one good example of what can happen is the Wild Goat Cafe in Kent. Located at 319 West Main Street in Kent (map is here) in what was once a Friendly's, the Wild Goat is doing things right. When I was an undergraduate at Kent many moons ago, I used to take Star, our fraternity dog, for walks along the Cuyahoga and then head over to Friendly's for some ice cream; I can say that while I miss Star, the Wild Goat beats Friendly's with ease.

I had heard that Wild Goat was a great place for breakfast and lunch and that it was trying to use locally sourced, wholesome foods, so combined with the name I was expecting a kind of wild and funky place; actually Wild Goat is pretty mellow and straightforward. The one big dining room is painted with several subdued colors, the tables and chairs are restaurant standard and there is a minimal amount of decoration. The effect is pretty much standard American family restaurant. When I got there it was early afternoon on a Sunday and they were full up, but there was room at the small counter up front. Service was fast and friendly, the kitchen was a bit slower, but the food was worth waiting for.

The menu begins to reveal a bit more about the Wild Goat (you can see it here) with a bit more flair and a number of items that mention quality items such as hydroponic bibb lettuce and Kobe beef for the hamburgers. But still sticking to a fairly straightforward selection of breakfast, sandwiches, salads and starters.

Since I was in a breakfast mood, I ordered the Pancakes and Eggs with a side of sweet potato fries. The pancakes were 3 medium sized cakes firm on the outside and just the right amount of sponginess on the inside to absorb the syrup with a good mild taste. The two eggs were perfectly cooked over medium and seemed to have more yolk then most eggs I have had, which is always a good thing.

The sweet potato fries were excellent, they came out piping hot and wonderfully crispy, with a bit less sweetness then most I have tried. Each fry was light in color, with a clear snap to the outside and the inside perfectly cooked. The flavor was less sweet then most, which worked wonderfully by playing more on the savory side of the palate.

Finally, although I was full, I could not resist taking home one of giant Cinnamon Rolls in the front case. For $3 this was the buy of the day, with a giant roll that filled the full sized to go container, topped with a more then generous amount of frosting. The fresh baked roll was very nice with a well balanced cinnamon layered between its swirls and the wonderful butter cream topping. What was unusual, especially for an item such as this was that the sweetness was well controlled, even with the icing so that while I am sure I had too many calories, it could have been a lot worse.

The Wild Goat does very good food made from quality ingredients at fair prices. Don't let the name fool you, this is straight ahead wholesome food prepared by people who care. It may not be the flashiest, but it is hard to go wrong.

Yours Truly Restaurant - Good Clean Food

2010-05-11T16:21:00.000-04:00

We were out for a weekday evening hike in North Chagrin Metropark and wanted to get something easy, so we headed over to the Yours Truly in Mayfield Village. For those few who haven't stopped at one of their locations around town, Yours Truly is good wholesome food at affordable prices and has been around for almost 30 years.

The Mayfield Village location is in the corner of the small shopping center at the corner of SOM Center Road and Wilson Mills (map is here). The brick building with several large windows makes for a good setting for Yours Truly. Once inside there is a short wait to be seated as they were full up, but things move quickly and we are soon seated in a comfortable booth. The decor is a bit old fashioned, but balanced nicely and with some restraint, resulting in a comfortable and friendly feel.

The menu is fairly extensive, but hews mainly to American classics (you can see the menu here). On Fridays, they have a very nice fish fry, but that wasn't available so I went with a scoop of the Tuna Salad on a garden salad. The salad was fresh greens with tomatoes, cukes and shredded Mozzarella, topped with a generous scoop of very good Tuna. At the table we also had the sweet potato fries, a chili dog and the choose two. The food was simply prepared with good quality ingredients. The flavors are simple and well presented in generous portions. About the only surprising item was the honey mustard sauce that came with the sweet potato fries, because this was not a combination I had seen before.

Mindy described Yours Truly as "Clean" and I think she hit it on the head, the decor and upkeep is very good, the food is simple and value sized portions. Eating at Yours Truly may not be the high point of your culinary experience, but you will come away satisfied and well fed and that is a good idea that has been going on for quite a while now. I am sure that Yours Truly will keep up the good work.

El Patron - Mentor On The Lake Mexican

2010-05-10T15:57:00.000-04:00

As I was cruising around on the motorcycle, following the Lake Erie shore East, I noticed a Mexican restaurant I hadn't seen before. Located at 5945 Andrews Rd, Mentor On The Lake (map is here) in a strip mall set back from the street was El Patron. They seemed to have done what they could with the front, especially considering the location and the banner with $3.49 Lunch Specials certainly caught my eye, so I figured I would give it a try. Once inside I was surprised to find that El Patron was nicely laid out with warm browns and tans, with real stone used to create the diving wall and some nice Mexican touches and less beer paraphernalia then most Mexican Restaurants. The overall decor is relaxing with a nice touch of class.

Once seated I was quickly greeted by my server and got the expected chips and salsa. The chips were nice, the salsa was good although a bit mild, with the occasional pepper or onion chunks to make things a bit more interesting. A little of the green hot sauce zipped up the salsa to my liking.

Reviewing over the menu I was impressed with the variety (you can view the menu at the Chardon El Patron website here); I was especially happy to see that the $3.49 specials included a choice of Chili Relleno or Fish Tacos. I picked the Chili Relleno with the rice and was rewarded with a nice sized plate with one good sized chili and a nice portion of rice. The Chili was well prepared, the batter was good, the cheese melted without becoming a lava flow and the pepper flavorful, although once again a bit mild to my taste. With Poblano Peppers it is always hard to guess how hot they will be, so I would not hold that against El Patron. The sauce topping the Chili was very nice slightly sweet with a smokey, almost hickory flavor, reminiscent of a good BBQ sauce. The rice was mild, but had a very nice taste and good texture without being overly dry.

Service was good with water refilled, food came out promptly while still feeling prepared to order. For $3.50 this was one of the better Mexican lunches I have had in a while. I will definitely head back to El Patron, at least to try the fish tacos lunch.

El Patron also has locations in Chardon and Middlefield, so I will keep an eye out and possibly give them a try.

Mike's Place - Kent Mainstay for Grub

2010-05-05T11:43:00.000-04:00

Over the weekend I took my young buddy Danny to Kent to show him around. Since I was a student there they have redone the Cuyahoga River which used to be dammed behind a waterfall. Now the river can run unimpeded but they have retained the old waterfall by using a pump to circulate water over it. There is a nice park along the river and we saw fish, a turtle and a blue heron.

When we started to get hungry I took Danny to Mike's Place, which has been around for quite a while now, yet I had never managed to eat there. Located at 1799 South Water Street, Kent, Ohio, which is the intersection of Ohio Routes 43 and 261 (map is here), Mike's is a place you almost have to see to believe. The building started life as a Dutch Pantry, for those who date back further than we might like; which has been converted, added to and just messed with in ways that are fantastic. To start with there is the full sized Star Wars Tie Fighter siting out front; where this came from I don't know, but it certainly looks good and draws attention. Then you might notice the Castle Turret and catapult that sits behind the main building. Finally you see the bright yellow and blue paint job and you are assured this isn't just some chain restaurant.

Inside is an amazing mix of memorabilia, antiques and just plain junk. The booth room where we were seated looked out at the back of the Tie Fighter. Looking the other way you have a booth with Elvis and R2D2 on top.

Even more amazing is that each room is different and each is the result of someone with their own wacky vision. In the back, inside the castle is the bar with a medieval theme. There is a Bus that has been added to the restaurant with tables inside. And everywhere pictures and license plates. Truly a unique and fun atmosphere.

Then you get to the menu (which can be downloaded here). At a hefty six pages of small type, this is one of the most text heavy menus you will find. It is also one of the most in your face, funny, insulting and generally interesting things you will find. From the 21 listed acceptable methods of payments, ranging from checks (sometimes) to droids and Excalibur to indentured servitude to the Rules (example: 10. Stop stealing our menus and we’ll stop keying your cars.) this is more than just a list of food, it is funny, it is insulting and it is extensive.

After much discussion and amusement we finally deciding on our lunches and gave our order to our friendly Serving Wench (I know I am violating Rule #2, but just as Mike's is his castle, this is my blog!!!). Service was friendly, knowledgeable and prompt, kudos to the staff and kitchen, especially as there was a Shaker Baseball team of 13year olds up for a tournament and yet everything was handled smoothly.

Danny had the kid's cheeseburger meal, which comes with fries and a drink for $4. As you can see they use a nice bun and give a large order of fries; what you don't see is that there are actually two patties on the bun. Danny said the burger was good and for $4 this is a great deal.

I ordered the Walleye dinner, which comes with two large fillets and two side dishes. I ordered the baja rice and fries, which ended up being overkill. The Walleye fillets were large and batter fried very nicely. The fish was mild and flaky, the crust was crunchy and tasty. Combined with homemade tarter sauce and the fresh lemon, better then I expected, and much bigger. Added to this was the huge portion of tasty rice, which was moist and flavorful, but about twice what I could eat, then you get a full basket of crisp fresh cut french fries and you start having way more food then you need or want. This was a lot of food for $9 and you even get a couple of rolls on the side.

Mike's Place is the kind of place that I really like, it has attitude, good food, huge portions and more than a bit of humor. The food is good straight forward cooking, well prepared; you are not going to get exotic food combinations or or subtle seasoning, but you will leave full and satisfied and probably more then a little entertained. Worth a trip, if only to get a picture of your Star Wars fan in front of the Tie Fighter. If you are up Kent way stop off and give them a try.

Fifty Six West - Lakewood Eclectic

2010-04-26T14:12:00.001-04:00

This is the first of my Groupon deals that I have used and I am glad I did. In this case, I got a $20 coupon for $9; using the coupon was easy, I gave it to my friendly server when I was seated and ended up not even seeing a check, all I had to do at the end was leave a tip. Nice, easy, a very good deal and about the only downside was I may have had too much food. You might want to give Groupon a try, they will email you a different deal each day, you just look until you find something interesting. If you want to try it the link is here.

56W is located in two small storefronts on the corner of Detroit and Westlake Avenue, with the address being 16300 Detroit Avenue (Map is here). The small brick building has a nice light blue awning over the door, with the 56W logo. Once inside you find two nice clean rooms, with the majority of the tables in the dining room on the left. The decor is modern and comfortable, the word that came to mind for me was tidy. Tables are clean with a limited number of condiments. Overall the feeling is relaxed and comfortable.

The menu is an interesting mix of items, with 5 basic proteins served up as salads, sandwiches and large plates. Add in some interesting appetizers and sides, plus some unusual sauces and you have an mix of the familiar and the exotic. I found the food to be very good quality and well prepared. Items are dominated by one or two major flavors, but those are usually interesting.

In this case I thought the food was very very good, especially for the price, but each item seemed like a small tweak here or there could have moved it up to excellent, this may just be my taste, but with a place this good you want to see them take the next step.

I started with a cup of the Veggie Chili which was one of the two soups available. For $3 the portion was nice, but could have used some crackers of some kind on the side. The Chili itself was more of a cross between a regular chili and a vegetable soup; a slightly thickened chili was loaded with vegetables and made a nice hearty start to the meal. As chilies go this had a nice flavor, although a bit one note and definitely milder then I prefer. A couple of shots of hot sauce woke it up, but I could have used some kind of meat substitute to make it feel like a real chili.

Next up was the fried pickles appetizer and this was the highlight of meal. I received a very nice portion of dill pickle wedges beer battered and served with a nice dipping sauce beautifully presented in a modern white bowl. I have been wanting to try fried pickles for a while now and if this is a what I can expect, I will have them more often. The slightly sweet beer batter were nicely fried and wonderfully set off the salty flavor of the pickles, added to that was the nice contrast between the texture of the batter and the cooked pickles. I might have cut the pickle slices a bit thicker so that there was a better balance with the batter. I did not detect the hot spice that the menu promised and found the red curry dipping sauce to be nice, but nothing special.

My main course was the Seared Tuna sandwich with a side of sweet potato fries. The tuna were two thin pieces of tuna, seared on the grill and stacked on top of each other with Asian Slaw and a Wasabi Mayo. The tuna was well cooked, and still moist which was impressive since it is easy to dry out on the grill. I think the sandwich would have been better with one thicker piece of tuna, which would allow for a sear while keeping the center rare. Also a marinate before cooking could have deepened the flavor of the fish. The Wasabi Mayo seemed to be concentrated in a small portion of the sandwich,with a couple of bites having a nose clearing blast and the rest having no Wasabi flavor; I would think making the mayo a bit milder and spreading it more evenly would solve this. The slaw was crisp and mild, but I didn't get any flavor profile that made it Asian. The side of sweet potato fries were excellent, with a nice sweetness and a very good and slightly spicy homemade ketchup. I did not detect the promised chili rub on the fries which would have been a nice contrast. For the most part the food presentation was nice and modern, but I had no idea why they stuck a big steak knife in the tuna sandwich; I could understand if I had gotten the steak or if the sandwich was so bit it needed to be cut to be eaten, but neither was the case here.

Service was friendly and attentive and it was clear that my waitress knew the menu well, which is always appreciated.

I would give 56W a strong recommendation, this is a place to get some flavorful high quality food at a reasonable price in a relaxed atmosphere. This is a place that highlights one or two unusual flavors for each item, while not always delivering the punch the menu promises, they still do better than most places in the area. I have been a bit more critical in this review, because I think 56W has such great potential and is so close. I look forward to getting back and trying more of the menu.

Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream - Columbus Delicacies

2010-04-12T14:30:00.002-04:00

So the weather was good on Saturday and I headed down to Columbus on the motorcycle to check out the motorcycle superstores and to try Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream. I saw Jeni's on Food Networks The Best Thing I Ever Ate and I have to say that it ranks right up there with some of the top ice creams I have had.

For those who don't know Jeni's, it is a local Columbus ice cream chain that has 5 locations and is making some excellent ice cream with quality ingredients in unusual flavors. I stopped at the Dublin, Ohio store which is located in a nice corner space in the heart of the historic downtown. The shop is clean and crisp, feeling like a modern dairy. The flavors are a bit more adult and sophisticated then most ice cream places, and if you go to the website here you can see the flavors available. The guy behind the counter was incredibly friendly and helpful and willing to guide me through the flavors and supply plenty of small tastes to help.

Overall, the Ice Creams I tried were excellent, they had a good texture and the flavors while fairly aggressive were well balanced with subtle characteristics and some clear thoughts of the aftertaste. I would almost compare the flavor compositions to that wines and the descriptions seem to have that feeling. To give Clevelanders a reference for comparison, comparing Jeni's to Mitchells Ice Creams, Jeni's is a bit more subtle and balanced, where Mitchells Ice Creams tend to be close to overload in sweetness and fat content, Jeni's manages to taste really good and have a wonderful texture without being excessive.

Now to the flavors, first the couple I tried but go for the full scoop: the Thai Chili packs a real spicy wallop that hits you right up front and lingers a bit, tasty but a bit intimidating and the Dark Chocolate which packs a rich smooth Chocolate flavor and dense consistency, but was a bit more one note then the other flavors. Now the three flavors I picked (pictured above): the Queen City Cayenne, a rich chocolate with a bit of spice then the heat builds on the aftertaste; this was a unique ice cream for me and the heat plays well with the chocolate, I finished this one first to allow the other mellower flavors to cool my palate. Savanna Buttermint with white chocolate pieces, the richness of the butter flavor works to temper the strong mint flavor which might otherwise be overwhelming, the white chocolate flakes add a lushness and extra punch to the flavor; this was a great counterbalance to the spiciness of the Queen City. Finally the Salty Caramel, which has a wonderfully mellow caramel that pops from the salt and then ends with a very mild burnt sugar aftertaste; this was probably the most surprising I tried since the actual flavor profile should be simple, yet they managed to make a complex and satisfying flavor profile.

Cones or dishes are $3.75 for 2 flavors, $4.25 for 3 flavors and $4.75 for 4 flavors. While the portions are not huge, given the high quality local ingredients and unique flavors, this is well worth the price.

I will visit Jeni's again when I am in the Columbus area, plus , Miles Market does carry Jeni's Ice Cream, unfortunately it is very expensive there. If you have the chance and are looking for something different and a bit more adult in your ice cream, I don't think you can go wrong with Jeni's.

Pizzazz On the Circle

2010-04-08T16:22:00.000-04:00

The end of Passover always means one thing, we can eat bread and pasta again after a week of avoiding them, so a group of us headed over to Pizzazz on the Circle to celebrate. Pizzazz has been around for quite a while, located in Shaker Heights, nestled into Fairmount Circle, right across from the entrance to john Carrol University, Pizzazz is a good solid Italian restaurant. (The location is mapped here).

The decor of the dining room is a nice simple combination of comfort and modern; simple wood is set off against warm colors with clean fixtures and modern art prints. Once seated, service is friendly and efficient even with a larger group.

The menu (which you can see here) is fairly standard modern Italian cooking, with an emphasis on Pizzas, Calzones, Pastas and other Italian favorites. I ended up ordering the Eggplant Parmigiana dinner, which is a nice portion of fried eggplant topped with some Marinara Sauce and melted cheese and sided with Penne Pasta in more of the same sauce. The dinner was good, but not great. The eggplant was sliced pretty thin, which meant that much of the meatiness was lost and the flavor was a bit subdued. The sauce and cheese were added at the end, so that while they contributed, this never came together into a harmonious whole that is usually better then the sum of its parts. The penne was fine, and the sauce was ok, a bit light on spices for my taste, but bright and slightly sweet.

The big seller at my table were the Calzones, which were well received and nicely sized, both the small sized. Probably a good idea to go for the pizza or calzones as they seem to the specialty at Pizzazz.

Overall, Pizzazz is a very nice Italian pizzeria, with pretty good food at decent prices, a very nice location and decor and good service. What I think it lacks is the actual pizzazz that its name implies, I don't think you will be blown away by Pizzazz, but you will get a nice meal.

Parkview Niteclub Sunday Brunch

2010-04-07T14:22:00.000-04:00

A couple of months back I told you how much I enjoyed the Parkview Niteclub (full review is here); I just wanted to post a short update since we stopped by recently for Sunday Brunch. On Sunday from 11:00am - 3:00pm, Parkview serves a limited Brunch Menu (you can see the menu here). I went for the Crab and Aspargus Scrambler, which was fresh Asparagus and imitation crab with eggs over english muffins with a Champagne Creme Sauce. The portion was nice and everything was well cooked, with the Sauce being especially bright and flavorful. The hashbrowns were nice sized cubes of potatoes which had a good crisp exterior and soft fluffy interior. My impression was that the food was very good and the portions were fine, with the items a bit overpriced, but made worthwhile due to the creativitiy of the chef on the sauce. Overall, not a bad place for Sunday Brunch, but probably not worth making any special efforts; I am much more likely to go back for the regular menu than the bruch.

Chinese Buffet Price Wars in Mentor, Ohio

2010-03-29T15:05:00.000-04:00

If you are out in Mentor near the intersection of Mentor Avenue and Heisley Road and need a lot of food at a cheap price you might want to take advantage of the prices being offered at two nearby Chinese Buffets that seem to be in a price war (map of the area is here). I have tried both and while neither is outstanding, they do offer pretty good food and right now the prices are low.

First up is Great Taste Buffet at 9440 Mentor Avenue, just East of the intersection. Great Taste is the larger buffet with more variety and a slighly nicer decor. Prices are currently $4.99 for Lunch and $7.99 for dinner. The front section of the restaurant has several buffet stations set up and the overall food quality is better than most of the Chinese buffets I have tried recently. Most of the food is well cooked and pretty well seasoned. The highlight for me was the homemade dessert custard pies. Decor is pretty standard for this type of place, a bit flashy and starting to get dated, but you don't come for the ambiance.

Phoenix Buffet is at 9354 Mentor Avenue just West of the intersection in a storefront set back from the street. Phoenix is much smaller and has less of a variety, but is offering the buffet for $3.99 Lunch and $4.99 Dinner. The buffet is a single long line in the middle of the space, but they manage to squeeze in a good variety of good food. The highlight here for me was the small fried shrimp with a spicy coating, nicely fried and with a nice zip they were a real treat. The food is actually pretty flavorful, it might be that having to produce a smaller variety of items allows them to do a better job. The decor here feels a bit old and very generic, but it is hard to beat the food you get at this price.

My recommendation would be in favor of Phoenix, but that is more for the price then anything else. The food quality is about the same, flavor slightly favors Phoenix, but variety and decor favor Great Taste. Either way this is a good way to fill up without spending much money.

The Lancer Steakhouse - Cleveland Institution Returns

2010-03-16T14:33:00.000-04:00

The Lancer Steakhouse has been through a lot, but continues to serve up good food at affordable prices.   For those unfamiliar with Lancer, it has been a Cleveland institution for over 50 years. Located on Carnegie between E.77th and E.78th it has been the center of one of the only real areas of activity between Downtown and the Cleveland Clinic for as long as I can remember. Lancer is one of the favorites of many of Cleveland's professional athletes and the African-American community. I have personal history with Lancer, as when I was a young kid, my father had his office in the small strip of shops across the street, so when I would come down to put together catalogs for him, Lancer's was there and already well established.

Recently Lancer's burned down and even worse, due to tight money, the owner had let the insurance lapse, so what came next was up in the air. I am happy to say that Lancer's has reopened across the street from its former location (the space that had Angie's Soul Cafe) and they have plans to rebuild on the original sight with a new and bigger restaurant.   So I figured I would check them out in their temporary quarters at 7804 Carnegie Ave.
(map is here).

The outside is nothing special, a plain brick building with some nice front windows, a small lot sits next to the entrance.   Once inside you see that the space is relatively small, but clean and neat with a slightly upscale feel from the red tableclothes covered with white. During the day, the windows let in lots of light, making the place feel inviting. While I was there the flat screen over the bar area was showing college basketball.

Lancer's menu (which can be seen here) is pretty straightforward with meat and seafood well represented. I choose to go with one of the $5 lunch specials, the perch sandwich; you can also get a burger, chicken or catfish sandwich for the same price.

As you can see, what I got was two very nice pieces of ocean perch, lightly floured and perfectly fried with coleslaw and french fries. While there was a single piece of wheat bread underneath, this is not so much a sandwich as it is a great lunch. The fish was excellent with some spiciness in the coating and then expertly cooked; it was tasty and really well prepared. The coleslaw and french fries were both good and everything came out fresh and flavorful.

Lancer's is a great place to get good wholesome food at reasonable prices. It will be interesting to see what will come next with the new building, keep an eye out and consider stopping by the next time you are passing by. Lancer's has a webpage at www.thelancersteakhouse.com and a facebook page at this link.

Update on Watami Buffet and Wendy Park

2010-03-08T11:21:00.003-05:00

Just wanted to drop in a quick update on Watami Buffet in Parma (the full review is here); I dropped by this Saturday lunch with my new little brother and have to say that I was impressed. I had liked Watami before, but I actually think that it has improved since then, which is especially impressive for a buffet.

The decor is still the same, nice and clean in the Japanese style, the upkeep of the place looks very good as the dining room and buffet areas are neat and clean with no signs of wear.

The buffet seems to have improved a little bit, with a bit more variety and an improvement in food quality, especially on the hot side. Part of this may have been being in when they were busy, but the hot food was well prepared and tasted very good. Even some items that I found lacking were much better, such as the tempura shrimp were far better. The sushi side was still pretty good, with the emphasis on combination maki rolls, but the fish seemed fresh and while still not real sushi bar quality, this is a good deal for the money.

I do have to mention that I was especially happy to see that they have added the small custard pies that I usually get at Dim Sum to the hot line as a desert item, so that was a nice suprise. Overall Watami has held up well and actually slightly improved its food quality; while still not at the level of a real Japanese Restaurant, it is one of the top buffets I have tried in the Cleveland area and certainly a good value if you are looking to fillup on Japanese food at a reasonable price.

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I wanted to also mention that I stopped by Wendy Park on Whiskey Island later in the day on Saturday. With the weather warming up, I managed to get the motorcycle out and headed downtown to check out this new park at the mouth of the Cuyahoga. For those unfamilar with this park it is a nice little potential jewel that came about mainly through citizen action and some generosity from Ed Hauser. You can get more information at the website here. The park is a work in progress right now, but it does have some spectacular views of the Cuyahoga, the old Coastguard Station and Downtown Cleveland. I have included a couple of pictures I took, but you can see more at this link.

Mandarain Seafood Buffet - OK Chinese in Twinsburg

2010-03-02T13:44:00.000-05:00

I have a confession to make, I have a weakness for Chinese Buffets; fortunately I have managed to mostly avoid them the last couple of years mainly due to the fact that they generally aren't that good and the price has been creeping up. I recently got a $2 off coupon for Mandrain Seafood Buffet in Twinsburg so I figured I would give it another try. Mandrain is located at 2695 Creekside Drive in Twinsburg, close to the 480 exit at Darrow Road (map is here) and right next to the Gander Mountain.

I have been to Mandrain quite a few times in the past and very little has changed, which is both good and bad. The decor is a modern look, but it isn't at all distinctive or original, its fine but certainly not something that is really noticeable. About the most interesting thing is that the buffet tables are in the middle of the space with seating areas on either side. The lunch buffet was $6.50 which I thought was acceptable because of the coupon.

Lets start off with the items that fall on the good side of things. They have a seafood soup which is usually very tasty, nicely complimented by the crisp and colorful shrimp chips. The shrip toast was flavorful and not overdone as it often has been in the past. The vegetables such as the peapods and green beans were nicely cooked and had good flavor. Although a close call, the sushi which is set up at the sushi bar at the back of the buffet is good by Chinese buffet standards; it has decent flavor and while not a great assortment there is enough variety to make a nice plate. I would like for more seasoning in the sushi rice to compliment the seafood, but overall pretty good with the best thing being the handrolled crab salad rolls.

The medicore is where most of the food I tried fell. Things such as the fried shrimp, the rice noodle dish, the crab salad, the fried rice and most of the other items were ok, although lacking much flavor. I enjoy Chinese and most other Asian foods because of the unique and different flavor profiles, unfortunately Mandrain and most other Chinese buffets I have tried in the area tend to make the food as bland as possible to appeal to a broad swath of the population; I understand this, I just don't have to like it. Desserts for the most part fall into this as well, with some flavor, but not enough to make it worth the calories.

Finally I have to mention the really bad, which were the shrimp in the Seafood Trio, they were very bad with no flavor and either a rubbery or mealy texture depending on the shrimp. I realize that having certain items on a buffet makes it hard to get the cooking exactly right, but I have had shrimp on enough buffets to know that it is possible to get them right and these were not anywhere near that. Especially disapointing when you consider this is suppose to be a seafood buffet and the only shrimp in the steam tables were these and some overly sweet batter fried shrimp.

Finally a word about service, while I don't expect a lot at a buffet, the waitress went by me for about 5 to 10 minutes before asking what I would like to drink and the only way I could get my check was by standing up and putting on my coat; not a good peformance at all.

The bottom line is that while there is a pretty good variety at Mandrain, most of the food has little flavor or distinctiveness. There is a sushi selection, but no make your own Mongolian grill like some buffets. I probably won't be back to Mandrain unless something major changes, but your mileage may vary.

Groupon and other Deals

2010-02-23T12:48:00.001-05:00

As you may have noticed, I am a big believer in some of the discount deals that you can find, especially with the economy the way it is. I have subscribed to the Cleveland feed for Groupon and have already made a couple of purchases, Luxe and Cafe Tandoor (which should have reviews once I get out to check them out) and the Cleveland Rock Gym. Groupon (link is here) is an interesting concept, they only have one offer each day and it is only available for that day. The offer is only good if a certain number of people buy it, but I haven't seen that being an issue. The offers are usually for more than 50% off of a service or gift certificate to a restaurant or store in the area. A couple of things I really like about it, once the deal goes through and they process your order, you just download the pdf file and then print it out, so no mailing, no waiting, other then they usually require you to wait at least 1 day to use the certificate. There are no additional or handling fees, the price listed is what you pay. They have featured a nice and interesting array of local businesses, no national chains so far. Once you sign up and give them an email, you will get daily emails in the morning so you can keep up with what is being offered that day. Definitely worth checking out at this link.

You might also want to check out the sale going on at the WNCX website, where they are offering a bunch of $50 certificates for $15. There are some additional fees and you have to read the terms of each offer carefully, but there are some good deals here and I have used this to get some really good food at a discount. The link for the sale is here.

Give these discounts a try and let me know what you think.

La Mexicana - Tremendous Tamales

2010-02-15T13:00:00.004-05:00

I was out East this weekend, so I figured I would check out this Mexican Grocery I had heard about in Painsville (credit to www.eatingcleveland.com). Located at 170 E. Washington Street, Painesville, Ohio (map is here), just a couple of blocks from the Painesville town square, this is an easy place to overlook, but worth finding. The store itself is cramped and well stocked with Mexican foods, so if you need some specialty items, this is a place to check out. Right near the door, are some large pots with lids, inside are tamales; you will have to ask what is in each pot since there are no signs. On the Sunday I was there they had Pork with Red Sauce, Pineapple, and Cheese and Green Sauce. I went for a couple of the cheese tamales and picked up a couple of baked goods in the nearby display case. The prices were excellent, with tamales at $1.50 each and the baked goods at $.60 each. If you are not familar with tamales, they are made of masa (corn flour) made into a batter and then filled with ingredients, rolled in a corn husk and then either steamed or boiled. The results can be spectacular and this was certainly the case with the tamales I tried here. Although at room temperature, the tamales were excellent, the masa dough perfectly cooked to have a soft texture and wonderfully subtle corn flavor with just a hint of natural sweetness. The cheese was good, but what made the tamales was the green sauce; it was hot and spicey, but still well balanced and flavorful. The sauce perfectly set off the milder flavors of the masa and cheese to make a lip smacking package of goodness. The baked goods were nice, although the portions were very large for the price; I had a soft bun topped with a cinnamon topping that reminded me of the Asian desert buns I have had. I also tried a nice white cake with a nice frosting. The baked goods were well balanced and a little less sweet then most of what we get around here which was a very nice change. In addition to the market there was a very small restaurant up front, which looked to be serving very authentic and cheap Mexican food. La Mexicana is well worth checking out, especially if you are in the Painsville area. If you have not tried tamales or are a real fan, then you should really check them out; although I think the tamales are only available on weekends. Yet another culinary adventure without going too far.

Notes - Triple D, Melt, Rachel's, Angie's and Lancer

2010-02-10T13:48:00.004-05:00

Just wanted to cover a number of different topics. Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives on the Food Network finally aired the piece on Melt; it was a very nice segment and the place came off great, although I think they could have shown more of the feel of the place. If you get a chance catch it. Also Melt is coming along with their Cleveland Heights location, so look for an opening in the next couple of months. My mouth is watering at the idea of them being just a couple of miles away; YEEHAW!! Unfortunately it looks like Rachel's Caribbean in South Euclid has closed, the sign is down and there is a small sign in the door for a new place that will be taking over the spot. Rachel's was a great place with excellent food and a nice friendly staff, it will be missed. Angie's Soul Cafe (see review here) has moved closer to downtown at 3894 Superior Avenue. Haven't been down to check out the new location but as long as the food is still the same it will be worth a trip no matter where it is located. Taking the spot that Angie's vacated at 7804 Carnegie Ave is the Lancer Steakhouse which got burned out of its original location across the street. Lancer's has been around seemingly forever, I remember that it was there when I was a kid and my father's material handling business was right across the street. Lancer's is a mainstay of the neighborhood and very popular with our professional athletes. You can get more information at their facebook page here. I will try to get down and give a full review.

Mario's Bar and Grill

2010-02-09T14:40:00.003-05:00

This is going to be a short review, but I had a gift certificate for Mario's (formerly Mario's Fish Bowl) at 3962 Mayfield Rd., Cleveland Hts, OH, 44121 (map is here) near the intersection with Warrensville Road and I finally stopped in. Mario's is a cheery neighborhood bar with a large bar with HiDef tvs on one side and a smaller room with a fireplace and some lounging space on the other. The menu is fairly basic, with some nods towards some interesting items. I was impressed with the Mussels, which was a large serving with a spicy broth with onions and jalapenos. The peppers had given up most of their spice to the broth which made for a nice contrast to the meaty mussels. I also tried the clams, which while small, were tender and just the right amount of salty goodness. The Friday soup was Manhatten Clam Chowder, which was good and loaded with clams and vegetables, however I was less then happy to find that it was also loaded with sausage. I understand the flavor advantage of pork products, but a heads up would be nice when ordering what I thought would be a seafood soup. I was less impressed with some of the other items such as the pizza, which was ok, but nothing special. Mario's is a nice place to stop in and get a drink and pick up some decent food; nothing worth a special trip, but certainly worth considering if in the area.

Ohio City Burrito - Funky Mexican

2010-02-01T14:55:00.007-05:00

Over the weekend I headed out to the IX Center to check out the Motorcycle Show, overall not bad, but was a bit disappointed that there was no BMW display. On the way home figured I would stop in Ohio City and check out the new Tanqueria. I have a soft spot for good cheap Mexican and ever since Que Tal folded, I have had to head out to Oberlin when I got the urge (see Agave Review here). Ohio City Burrito is located at 1844 W. 25th Street, Cleveland, Ohio 44113 (map is here). Just a small storefront with a small patio area out front, but the skeleton holding a burrito certainly seems promising in an offbeat manner. Inside is a narrow shop set up with tables up front, with the counter in the middle and a walled off prep kitchen in the back. The decor is funky Mexican with warm golden brown walls, a white tin pressed ceiling and just enough decor to make the place look inviting. The large front windows let in a lot of light and the promise continues. The menu is quite simple and straight forward, even for this type of place, a meat burrito, a veggie burrito, tacos, taco salad, nachos, chips and salsas. The meat items come with a choice of chicken, beef or pork, but I of course went for the veggie burrito. I ended up with a big burrito stuffed with both black and refried beans, rice, veggies, sour cream, guacamole, lettuce, cheese and salsas. A nice touch is that items such as the fajita veggies and the guacamole are included in the price, where some places charge extra. The burrito was very tasty and well balanced, although a bit milder then I would have expected based on the medium salsa, although I was of course able to spice it up with hot sauce. The guacamole was fresh and had the right mild taste and umami feel. The refried beans were especially good, with a warm earthy taste without being overpowering. The rice was moist and mild to allow a nice base to the burrito. About the only thing disappointing were the fajita vegetables, which were OK, but could have used some more carmelization and probably a bit more salt. What I ended up with was a very good meal at a reasonable price. While not quite as memorable as the burritos from Agave or Que Tal, OTC provides a very good product at a good price. This is a major upgrade over what you would get at Chipotle or any of the other Mexican Chains and hopefully OTC will do well.

La Strada - E.4th Bistro

2010-01-20T16:09:00.005-05:00

A while back I picked up some discount gift certificates from one of the local radio stations and the one for La Strada on E.4th Street in downtown Cleveland was going to expire at the end of the month so I headed down to check it out. La Strada is the sister restaurant to La Dolce Vita in Little Italy (see review here). Located about halfway down the very happening E.4th Street, the outside is relatively plain, although there is room for a nice patio in the summer. Once inside, which was too dark to get a good picture, I found a very elegant room with a balcony over the bar and the back half of the room. Decor is very nice and upscale without being too formal, a bit dark but a good feeling room with some very nice touches. I got there at the end of lunch, so the place was quiet, but I did get very good service at the bar and the food was exceptional. I ordered off the lunch menu (you can see the menus here). I ordered the Calamari Valencia and the Pesto Omar, unfortunately they have taken the risotto off of the lunch menu, because I was looking forward to trying it. The Calamari was excellent, a very nice portion of squid, lightly battered and then pan fried so that they were tender and flavorful; the tomato sauce with some sauteed squash that topped the dish had just a hint of heat to add to the flavor experience. I would rate this as one of the better calamaris in town. The Pesto Omar is described on the menu as an errorless dish and it was very close to meeting that high standard. The bowtie pasta were cooked al dente and then topped with a wonderful complex pesto sauce. The pesto was excellent, not oily and not coarse, which can be a problem with a pesto. This was earthy and rich tasting, the kind that you have to sop up the sauce at the end. The portion was large for a lunch serving, although probably right for the $12 price. Lunch came with a couple of slices of excellent crusty bread and butter, which is always welcome. The dinner menu is similar to the lunch with some items, such as pastas and entrees going up in price, while others such as the appetizers seem to stay the same. La Strada is a very good place to hit if you are downtown and looking for some excellent food presented in a happening atmosphere. This would be a great place for a romantic dinner and considering the portions and the quality of the food, the prices are not too bad. I may not hitting La Strada regularly, but it is a great place to keep in mind for the right dinner.

Parkview Niteclub - Fieri Find

2010-01-12T14:02:00.008-05:00

Part of what inspired me to start C-Town Eats was watching Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives on the Food Network; Guy Fieri finds restaurants around the country and spends some time in the kitchen and tasting the food. The places are usually a bit funky and the food is homemade and usually in big portions. Not too long ago Guy finally hit Cleveland and taped some segments at local places; Melt (see my review here), Geraci's (long time Eastside Italian), Lucky's Cafe in Tremont, Momoco in Ohio City, Frank Sterle's Slovenian Country House on E.55th and Parkview Niteclub. I had a passing familiarity with all of them except for Parkview so I took a look at their website (located here). I had not seen the episode, but saw online that Parkview smoked their own Salmon (video link is here) so I had to try it out. Looking for a place to have a casual dinner with a couple of friends on Saturday, this seemed like a great opportunity, so we headed west and had a great meal.

Parkview is located at 1261 W.58th Street in Cleveland, a couple of blocks North of Detroit Ave. and not far from the Gordon Square neighborhood. Parkview is on a corner where the neighborhood ends and has a view of the Lake and Downtown; the outside is a classic Cleveland neighborhood bar with a brick first floor and a wooden second story. A little alcove out front serves as a wind break for the couple of steps up to the front door.

Inside is even more of a classic Cleveland dive bar feel. A large wood bar covers one wall with a good sized dining room spread around a small dance floor. The decor is old school eclectic with enough stuff to keep you looking for quite a while. One interesting new touch is the electronic frame with pictures from Guy's visit on the middle of the bar. The overall feeling is casual and friendly.

After ordering a couple of draft beers (and Parkside has a nice selection of drafts) we took a look at the menu (see h ere) which has some great items and variations from the typical bar menu. We decided to start with the fried asparagus and they were sensational. As you can see from the picture they come arranged on the plate with the dipping sauce in the middle. The asparagus were wonderful with a very crisp but thin batter that acts as a perfect

isp but thin batter that complimented the fresh vegetable, then dipped into the chipotle ranch sauce they were a wonderful mouth sensation. The sauce had a wonderful hot and smoky taste that perfectly complimented the asparagus. About the only thing I could think to complain about is how quickly they disappeared off of the table.

Next up were the entrees, I had the Caesar Salad topped with the smoked salmon and it was excellent. The Caesar Salad was a very nice sized portion with a very good dressing; the real surprise was the Salmon. Hot smoked and served hot, the portion was quite large and very flavorful. Instead of the delicate flavor I am used to from Lox, this fish tasted more of cooked salmon, but the smoke flavor came through, especially as it cooled off. This was one of those exceptional meals that got better the more I ate of it. Dan went with the Smoked Salmon BLT which was a very large piece of the salmon served on a Ciabatta Roll with bacon. Dan said it was excellent and mentioned that the mayonnaise tasted especially good. Paul had the Walleye sandwich which was also very good. Prices were very reasonable and we had a great time. Parkview is a real find and worth the trip, this is a neighborhood bar that serves up exceptionally good food at bargain prices. Add in the funky atmosphere, some good bands on Wednesday and Saturday nights and I will be heading back to try more of the menu. Not only do I recomend it, but Guy Fieri does as well.

Mi Pueblo - Authentic Mexican

2010-01-11T14:35:00.006-05:00

A friend of mine was back in town visiting and we spent a couple of hours cross country skiing at Chapin Forest in Kirtland (website is here), which is the best place I have found locally with really nice groomed trails, affordable rentals and a great staff. After finishing we felt like Mexican for lunch and neither my friend or I had been to Mi Pueblo in quite a while, so we hopped on the highway and headed to University Circle. The restaurant at 11611 Euclid, Cleveland 44106 (see map h ere) is the second location of this very authentic Mexican restaurant which started on Lorain Avenue. The University Circle location is a nice converted steakhouse with a narrow bar upfront by the windows and two larger dining areas decorated in very nice Mexican style, resulting in a nice Catina feeling. Although a bit dark, the atmosphere is upbeat without being over the top. My friend mentioned that when he was single and lived in the area, Mi Pueblo was one of his regular date places and I can see where it would be a fun place to hangout and get to know somebody better or just have some big Margaritas. Once seated we were quickly served with chips and two salsas along with the carrots, onions and jalapenos. The green and red salsas were good and very flavorful and a little milder then I remembered, which is good because they used to be pretty hot. The vegetables are one of my favorites, with the carrots picking up enough heat from the jalapeno and getting a little bit of pickling result in a wonderful slightly sweet, a bit hot and crisp combination. Despite the heat, the carrots disappeared quickly leaving only a lethal looking jalapeno. As always, small free food is always appreciated, but it is even better when it tastes this good and it cleans off the taste buds so that everything tastes more vivid. Mi Pueblo is noted for having some of the most authentic Mexican food in this area. At lunch there is a separate menu with some very good deals. My friend had the Pollo en Mole Poblano, the chicken in mole sauce (I did like the suggestion to get pictures of the food, but I missed out since we were hungry) which he said was very good. I had the Shrimp Fajitas, which were good, but not great. I should have known better and gone with the Chile Rellenos, which have usually been among the best in town. While nice, in this case the Fajitas were pan sauteed and therefore missing the wonderful sear you get from the high heat pan. The shrimp were nice, although the bell peppers were cut a bit larger then anything else. As I said, not a bad dish, but not up to what I usually expect from Mi Pueblo. Although the dinner menu has gotten a bit expensive, the lunch menu has some very good buys, especially when you consider the high quality and wonderful tastes. While not everything is spicy, be careful, since when something is spicy it can be very hot. Mi Pueblo is one of the best Mexican Restaurants in Northeast Ohio and it is good to see that they are keeping things going. I will be heading down for lunch again soon. Give them a try.

La Pizzeria - Little Italy's Newest

2009-12-29T10:59:00.008-05:00

During this year's Feast of the Assumption in Little Italy, they were handing out coupons for La Pizzeria, which was suppose to be open by Fall 2009; well it has taken a bit longer then that, but it is finally open this week. Located at 2188 Murray Hill Road (the corner of Murray Hill and Cornell) (see map here) across from the Baricelli Inn, they have taken the corner space that used to be a gallery and transformed it into a nice little spot to pick up some reasonably priced good food. Walking inside you will find a nicely set up small space with four tables and a service counter. The old space nicely mixes the old such as the tin ceiling with modern fixtures and a green and red paint scheme to provide a warm inviting feel. The place is obviously set up for mainly takeout and delivery, but eating at the shop is just fine. The menu is based around pizzas, calzones, subs and gellato with some salads, wings and pastas thrown in. The prices are reasonable and while nothing seems terribly innovative or new, if done well this kind of food is very popular. I had a small mushroom pizza and was very pleased. Cut into 6 slices the pizza was excellent with a thin crust that was turned up at the edges to make it seem almost deep dish. The crust was probably the highlight of the pizza, with a good crisp to the bottom and a very pleasant flavor, no flavorless bread here. The sauce was a nicely balanced tomato sauce, with a fresh tomato flavor that complimented the pizza. The cheese mix covered the pizza nicely and had just the right cheesy bite from the provolone mixed with the mozzarella. The overall pizza worked well together, it was cooked just right with all of the elements coming together well. I probably should have waited on the first piece, since I had a bit of a cheese slide, but once everything had set the other pieces were no problem. There is a gellato case up front, but it will be a little while until they have any to serve. La Pizzeria is an interesting idea, but seems to duplicate a lot of what is available in the area; put this up in Beachwood, or Shaker instead of in Little Italy and it would be fairly unique. As it is, this seems well set up to appeal to the neighborhood and to the Case Western Reserve students, but has a lot of direct competition. They seem committed to high quality food at a reasonable price, here's hoping they succeed and thrive.

What About Bob's - Sub Shop Supreme

2009-12-03T10:22:00.005-05:00

Willoughby we have a real sub shop! What About Bob's may be the question, but the answer is that this is one of the best and most affordable sub shops in Northeast Ohio. Bob's is located at 38233 Glenn Avenue, Willoughby, Ohio (map is here), just off of Erie Street in downtown Willoughby. It is easy enough to miss, but you should make extra effort to find it. Located in a little storefront, you have a long counter with the menu above and a bunch of extras underneath. The dining area has a bunch of patio furniture and one flat screen TV on the wall; overall the look is clean and simple, but you come for the food, not the atmosphere. The menu (as you can see to the right) lists a nice variety of subs, wraps and a couple of salads. If you don't see what you want, ask; after I inquired they did have tuna subs available even though not on the menu. Pricing is easy and cheap, a small sub or wrap (12") is $3.99, a large sub or wrap (24") is $6.99 and salads are $1.99 and $3.99. You might want to check out the sides and accouterments, since I found them to be reasonably priced, something I usually cannot say for most takeout places. The sub I got was excellent, one of the best I have had and easily better then any of the chains that litter the landscape. The bread is great, a crispy loaf that is a little smaller then some places, but gives just the right texture and base for the sandwich. The tuna was good, light in the mayo with no unnecessary add ins. The cheese was a shredded provolone with a nice cheesy bite. Topped with lettuce, tomato, onions, some very nice hot pepper slices and a very good sweet dressing the whole was better then the sum of its parts. I will warn that the biggest problem was that the sub was overflowing, but that is what should happen with a sub. This was a just about perfect balance with the crusty bun setting off the crisp vegetables with the sweet dressing and bite of the cheese and peppers. Bob's delivers in a very big way; they have excellent food in big portions at cheap prices; add in that it is local and you couldn't ask for much more. The perfect cure for the chain sub shops, this much more a throw back to what sub shops used to be. I would very strongly recommend that you head out to Willoughby and try What About Bob's for yourself; I don't think you will be disappointed.

Gamekeepers Tavern - Chagrin Falls Mainstay

2009-11-24T13:45:00.003-05:00

Some family were in town for a Bar Mitvah and so we decided to go out to Gamekeepers in Chagrin Falls for lunch. Gamekeepers is located near the falls at 97 West Street, Chagrin Falls, Ohio (map is here). Gamekeepers has been around for quite a while and seems to have hit on a winning formula. The restaurant is made up of a number of rooms all decorated in classic American outdoors; lots of fishing and hunting decor, the feeling is casual, but in an old fashion way. The menu at lunch runs from $10 to $15 and is made up of classic American fare (a PDF of the menu is here). I had the Grouper sandwich and it was very nice. Two fillets of the fish were battered and perfectly deep fried. Served on a bun with lettuce tomato and a good tarter sauce it perfectly hit the spot. The chips that accompanied the sandwich were a little disappointing in that they seemed to have come out of a bag and not even one of the upscale kettle chips at that. Everyone else enjoyed their meals as well. I did want to mention that it was a real pleasure to have a waiter who actually seemed to know the menu and was able to answer questions and make suggestions. In addition, when he was not sure of an answer he went back and checked (bacon in the chowder and the answer was yes). Gamekeepers offers well prepared American fare in a nice setting without a lot of fuss or muss; it serves up quality food in nice portions. If you are looking for cutting edge or fancy presentations, this is not the place; however if you are looking for a place to deliver a good meal in a comfortable atmosphere, put Gamekeepers on your list.

Nauti Mermaid - Warehouse District Dive

2009-11-20T10:24:00.003-05:00

I've been meaning to check out the Nauti Mermaid in the Warehouse District for a while and luckily I was downtown on Thursday so I figured I would see what is up. Well I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. Usually I get an idea of the place from what I hear and the website, somehow I got the idea that the Mermaid was a nice little fish place, fortunately I was wrong. Located at 1378 W. 6th Street, Cleveland, Ohio (see map here), the Mermaid is a great little dive bar that serves up some good affordable seafood. Only one storefront wide the Mermaid has a shotgun feel with a bar on one side and a row of booths on the other. A couple more table sit in front of the small kitchen. The whole place is decorated in authentic sea stuff, with lobster traps, life preservers and even a pretty good sized boat over the bar. A bit dark and old, it feels like one of those authentic seafood shacks you only hope to find. Much more of a bar that serves food than anything else. I really like the feel and decor, but of course you mileage may vary. Since it was Thursday I was lucky enough to get the $1.50 fish taco special; you have to order a minimum of 3, but at that price you cannot beat them in this area. Also it being happy hour, I had them add a crab cake for $1. The fish tacos were excellent with fresh fried corn tortillas filled with grilled Mahi Mahi, with some tomatoes and a little lettuce and then topped with a wonderful chipolte sour cream. The fish was well cooked and flavorful enough to hold up to the toppings, with the sauce being especially good, just the right amount of heat to balance everything. While a bit messy, that is what you expect from fish tacos. The crab cake was nice and thick with good flavor and balance, if a little light in crab, but for the price one of the better ones I have had recently in this area. I should note that the remoulade sauce that came with it was really very good and complimented the crab cake nicely. Not necessarily an item that I would order off the menu, but certainly worth getting during happy hour. Service was very good by the bartender. Food came out within a reasonable time, although the Mermaid was pretty quiet, so during busy times it could take a bit longer. I was able to watch the food being prepared and it was nice to see things like the tortillas being fried fresh to order. The menu is pretty extensive, although I was told that they are changing it soon; you can check it out here on their website. I would strongly recommend the Nauti Mermaid if you are looking for a place to grab some good seafood at an affordable price or if you are looking for a place to grab some cheap drinks downtown. You should check out the daily specials and happy hour specials as they are great deals. I especially want to compliment the Mermaid on feeling authentic as a dive, they aren't looking to go upscale, they have found their niche and are fitting in it quite nicely.

Georgios - Cheap Pizza

2009-11-16T15:36:00.003-05:00

I wanted to mention Georgios, a local pizza chain that has a deal going on pizzas. Currently you can get a Large Cheese Pizza for $4, a Large Pepperoni for $5 and a Large Sausage and Pepperoni for $6. The pizzas are what they call their Fresh and Ready, which means they have them precooked and ready to go in a hot box. I actually have been picking pizzas up from the Georgios at the Richmond Heights location which is in the little strip mall on Highland Road near the intersection with Richmond Road, since they have been offering the Cheese or Pepperoni pizza for $4 for a while. I find these pizzas to be pretty good, the crust is medium thin, OK without anything really distinctive. The cheese is good, with a nice texture and mild flavor. The best part of the pizza is the sauce with a nice slightly sweet tomato sauce that gives the pizza a nice zing. Also I have to give them credit, the pizzas have been nicely cooked, just at the stage where all of the elements cook together to make something more than the seperate parts. In addition, I have gotten both pizzas right out of the oven and those that have been in the hotbox, and the pizzas are remarkably consistent. They seem to have figured out a method to hold the pizzas for a period that keeps them hot without overcooking them. For $4 you get a 14" pizza with 10 good sized slices. While this is not the best pizza in town, it certainly is a great way to fill the pizza urge when you are on a tight budget. Certainly a good value.

Patterson Fruit Farm - Applepalloza

2009-11-06T09:42:00.002-05:00

Sorry things have been a bit quiet on the blog, been fighting the flu and combined with hitting some old favorites just not that much too post. although it is a little late in the season, I did want to mention Patterson Fruit Farms. Located at 11414 Caves Road, Chesterland, Ohio (see map here), this is one of the fun local places to stop and check out. Patterson is primarily an apple farm and they have quite a variety of apples available. Even better they have cut samples out so you can figure out what suits your taste. Of course there is cider and very good cider at that available. During the fall, they have all sorts of other things going on as well, with kettle corn being made, pumpkins being sold and plenty of stuff to keep the kids busy. Patterson also has a very good bakery with fresh fruit pies, donuts, apple dumplings and apple fritters. The fritters are amazing, about the size of a small moon, with big pieces of apple scattered throughout the fried dough all of which covered with a sweet glaze. For just under $2 this could be a meal onto itself. I did want to mention that the golf course behind Patterson has been converted into a public park as part of the Geauga Park system (link to the park site is here) which provides a very nice place to take in some rolling hills. If you are looking for something to do on a beautiful Fall day, consider heading over to Patterson Fruit Farms and checking it out.

Eastside Farmers Market - Wicklife Source for Good Stuff

2009-10-20T10:04:00.003-04:00

After opening, closing and reopening, Eastside Farmers Market has seemed to find its groove as a good source for fresh produce, baked goods, meats and other foods. The location at 30022 Euclid Avenue, Wicklife, OH 44092, hosted an open air farmers market during the summer and finally they built a building. The current operation is nice and they seem to be trying hard. Although not a big store it is is clean and well stocked. The vegetable and fruit selection is good, probably a little smaller then you will find at some supermarkets, but they seem to concentrate on finding local produce where available and they try to keep the prices down where they can. I have gotten good produce from them and try to stop by when I am in the area. Quite a bit of the store is devoted to the fish, meat, prepared food and deli sections. The meats look good and they have a very nice selection. I have had some of the prepared food and they are pretty good and certainly reasonably priced. One real highlight is the bakery section in the back of the store. The baked goods I have had range from good to very good. I can recommend the pumpkin pie (currently $3) and the donuts. I have also picked up several different breads on special and they are a great value. Once again the prices in this department are quite good and I have gotten some real values here especially the sale items. There is a dairy section and some groceries as well. I will compliment the market on the fact that there are often samples out to try different offerings. The workers in the market are friendly and helpful and the overall feeling is bright. Eastside Farmers Market is not quite in the league of Miles Market (review is here), but they do provide a nice alternative to the supermarket for those who are in the area. Stop by and give them a try or just grab some samples.

Fathead Brewery - Westside Saloon

2009-10-12T10:53:00.003-04:00

I have been meaning to give Fathead Brewery a try for a little while, have heard good things about it; so I managed to get across town this weekend and see what is going on. Fathead is located 24581 Lorain Road, North Olmsted, Ohio (map is here) at the intersection with Columbia Road, not far from Great Northern. The space used to be a large farm market that has been made over into a spacious restaurant and brewery. The bar is in the front with a big dining room taking up the back room. The feeling is one of lots of space with the beamed ceiling and room between tables. Overall the look is nice and clean with a warm feeling. Of course there are TV's with sports playing, but less then at most bars around town. I sat at the bar, unfortunately since I was on the motorcycle I had to pass on having a beer; they offer a wide selection on tap, including both their own house brewed beers and other specialty beers. Instead I took a look at the menu of starters, pizza and sandwiches (go here to take a look). I settled on the Walleye sandwich; while there are some items, this menu caters to the carnivores. The walleye was an 9" sub bun with a couple of nice sized pieces of the fried fish lettuce and tomato served with a very good tarter sauce and a large helping of homemade potato chips. The fish was good, although some parts had a bit of a fishy taste which can happen with walleye. The overall portion was large and as I said the tarter sauce was one of the better ones I have tasted, with some nice bright flavor notes to compliment the fish. The chips were ok, unfortunately not that crisp despite being quite well cooked. For $9 a very big portion and quite filling and that seemed to be the norm here, watching other food come out Fathead seemed to tend towards the Flintstone's style portions of food, big and meaty. Overall a nice place, being a Pescatarian, I am probably not their key demographic. A good place to head if you want some quality beer and large portions of food at decent prices. Hopefully I will get back there and try some of the beers. Once again, I will remind you that if you like the blog, please consider making a donation to Bowl For Kids Sake for Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters; any amount would be welcome and more information is available at this post. Thank you.

La Dolce Vita - Little Italy Bistro

2009-10-08T17:45:00.004-04:00

I know that it has been a little while since my last post; been back to some favorites (Tom's for Dim Sum, Ritchie Chan's for Chinese) and been doing some cooking at home. But I was down at Case Law School, my Alma mater for a CLE and I figured I would use the gift certificate I had for La Dolce Vita in Little Italy. I was lucky enough to pick up some discounted gift certificates from one of the radio websites a little while back, so I had $25 to spend, which is a good thing, since LDV is very good but a bit expensive. Located at 12112 Mayfield at the intersection of Murray Hill Road, LDV has expanded over the years to occupy several connected storefronts. Walking in the corner store I was quickly greeted a seated, by my choice, at the bar. The decor is a an eclectic mix of Italian, Opera, a mask collection (which really agrees with me) that all comes together into an welcoming combination of relaxed and romantic. The atmosphere is unique and I liked it a lot. The bartender was friendly and helpful, knowledgeable about the menu and the specials. After looking through the menu and the specials (menu can be seen here), I decided on getting the Lentil Soup and the Clams Tarantino. The soup took a while to come out, but when it did it was a nice bowl of lentils, carrots, onions and cherry tomatoes in a nice vegetable broth; a bit underseasoned, but a nice light bowl of soup. The Clams Tarntino was even better; a large portion of fresh pasta was topped with baby clams, thin slices of zucchini and the cherry tomatoes. The pasta was excellent, the clams were beautiful little (about fingernail sized) that were tender and delicious with the zucchini and tomatoes offering a nice contrast; I might say that the dish was a bit underseasoned, but considering how delicate the clams were more seasoning could have overpowered them. Then interesting thing was that while often the first taste is the best, in this case the flavor seemed to build the more I ate, with the last forkful and the sop afterwards being even more satisfying then the start. Accompanying the meal were a couple of fresh baked rolls and butter. With the soup being $5 and the pasta $19, this is certainly not the cheapest place in town, especially considering that salads and other sides are Ala carte, but the food is very good and distinctive, not your everyday Italian, the atmosphere is very good, especially if you are looking for some romance. While I wouldn't be hitting La Dolce Vita on a regular basis, this is certainly a restaurant that I would recommend especially for the right ocassion or if you are in the mood for some very good Italian food and the cost is less important. Finally, I will remind you that if you like the blog, you consider making a donation to Bowl For Kids Sake for Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters; any amount would be welcome and more information is available at this post. Thank you.

Angie's Soul Cafe - Soul Food Nirvana

2009-09-18T12:01:00.003-04:00

So Thursday night proved that sometimes you can really turn it around when things start heading way downhill. I headed down to Case Western Reserve University for a lecture that I wanted to hear; unfortunately I looked at the wrong thing on my Calendar and got to CWRU just before 5:00 for a 6:30 lecture. My first thought was to head over to the Art Museum and check out the new building; I have been meaning to get there since they reopened and this seemed like a good time. Of course, my luck held true as the Museum closes at 5:00 on Thursdays. So its now on to the next plan, luckily I remember that I have a gift certificate for La Dolce Via in Little Italy. I manage to wend my way through rush hour traffic to Little Italy and find a spot not too far from the restaurant. Of course it can't be that easy, I get to the restaurant a little after 5:00 to find out that La Dolce Via doesn't open until 5:30. I just don't feel like waiting and don't want to rush through dinner to make the 6:30 lecture, so its time for a new plan yet again. Feeling foolish, frustrated and a bit tense I am almost ready to just head home and call it a day. I've manged to find two different parking spaces in University Circle and Little Italy, no easy task even with the motorcycle; at this point I want a sure thing, something easy, quick and good. Then I remember that I've been heard some very good things about Angie's Soul Cafe and I have been wanting to give it a try for a while. Despite rush hour traffic I manage to make it to 7804 Carnegie (map here) with no major problems and that is when everything started going really right. Angie's has been around for a while and received some very good reviews. Fairly recently they moved from on Cedar to a nice storefront on Carnegie near East 79th Street. For me this is almost like a homecoming as my Father used to have his office a couple of doors down this very block. Its probably been more then 40 years, but the block has not changed that much, the buildings are still the same and Lancer's is still right across the street. So its with a nice little feeling of nostalgia that I pull into the little lot next to Angie's. Angie's is a nice clean place with a couple of big windows looking out at street. There is a small steam table and counter where you order. The menu is straightforward and reasonable (go here to view it). Looking at the menu, I wish I was there on a Friday or Saturday for the Fish and Waffle special (and I will be heading back to try that), instead I decide on the Catfish Dinner which comes with 2 sides ($10.50). I choose mac and cheese and collard greens and settle into to my table for the short wait while they make my fish. What comes to my table is one of the best plates of food I have had in quite a while. The catfish is two large fillets, cornmeal breaded and perfectly fried. The fish is exceptionally good, with a nice crisp exterior that doesn't overpower the moist slightly sweet fish inside. I don't think that Catfish could be fried any better than this. I have been trying fish at a couple of the soul food places around town (The Seafood Place Plus and CJ's Carryout on Noble Road) and this is the kind of fish I have been dreaming of. The Mac and Cheese was just what I wanted a classic prepared in the traditional way. Tender elbow macaroni is blanketed in a nicely balanced cheese sauce and baked so that the middle is still soft while the outside is crispy. The cheese sauce was excellent, with a clear taste of natural cheese balanced to not be too heavy. I have never had Collard Greens before, luckily they were made without any meat in them (I checked) and were a great compliment to the other items on the plate. The greens were cooked low and slow, resulting in a deep mellow taste with just a hint of bitterness, yet still retaining much of their texture. A really nice contrast to the fish and the mac and cheese, I finished my nice sized portion of greens. Also on the plate were two very nice corn muffins. I passed on the desserts which are displayed by where you order, but they looked homemade and very good. Maybe next time. Service was friendly and efficient, the room is simple and clean, the food is outstanding. Not at all a fancy place, but they make you feel welcome. Angie's is not just a easy place to recommend, but exactly the kind of place that inspired this blog in the first place. I know a lot of people might have second thoughts about going to eat at 79th and Carnegie, but the neighborhood is not that bad and Angie's is well worth it. You really should consider giving Angie's a try. They also have a second location located in the Plaza at the intersection of Lee and Harvard Roads. Try something different and homey you will enjoy it.