Mama Santa's - Heart of Little Italy

Looking back over the past entries it is hard to believe that I haven't reviewed Mama Santa's, one of my late Dad's favorites. Located in the middle of Cleveland's Little Italy, at 12301 Mayfield Road, Mama Santa's has been dishing up very good Sicilian Italian food at incredibly reasonable prices for decades. As the rest of Little Italy has changed, with new restaurants, and even new digs for such old school places as Corbo's and Pristi's, Mama Santa's has remained the same, serving traditional food in a nice dimly lit restaurant. While the restaurant may not be a stunner, it has a certain old time charm. Instead of trying to get a retro feel, Mama Santa's has just kept the same decor through out its long tenure on the Cleveland scene, which is just the way it should be. Walking in today feels like it has since at least the 1970s when I was a kid, almost like going back to your parents house. The nice part about the decor is that it never was very trendy or hip to begin with, so that over time it has aged well. In addition to not changing the decor, the menu has pretty much remained the same for all those years as well. There have been some price increases, but even those have been few. Prices range mostly below $10 and the portions are good without being overly large. If you ask people in Cleveland about Mama Santa's there is almost always an argument about the pizza, some love it, others hate it. I fall on the love side, but understand the other side. The dough is thin, without being so thin that it cannot hold up the cheese, with a good crust around the outside. The sauce is obviously home made and has enough zip to keep things interesting, the cheese is a nice layer, and while it tends to end up a bit greasy, I personally like my pizza that way. Toppings are limited, to the classics: sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, onions, green peppers and anchovies. The one thing I will agree with most is that Mama Santa's does have a tendency to overook the pizza. Overall this is one of the most authentic and tasty pizzas you will find in the area. I especially like to pick one up if I am heading home from downtown at the right time. At $7.50 for a large it is a great deal and a welcome relief from bland middle of the road chain pizzas. The rest of the menu is fairly simple, with sandwiches, pastas (both regular and home made) and some veal and chicken entrees. My father loved the Veal Scallopini, nice sized pieces of Veal in a tomato sauce with onions and peppers. The pasta sauces are good traditional sauces, with real herbs and seasonings slow cooked into the kind of goodness that cannot be rushed. The food is served simply and tastes good, what more could you ask for. A couple of things to keep in mind; Mama Santa's is closed on Sundays and since they are at E.123rd and Mayfield, it is very difficult to find parking most nights. Despite that going there is a trip worth making, you will not find fancy decor or modern food trends, but you will get really good food, cooked well at very affordable prices. Mama Santa's is an especially good place to get a meal for East siders headed to or from Downtown.

Phnom Penh - Cambodian Treat

In looking back over my blog I cannot believe that I haven't done an entry on Phnom Penh. This is one of Cleveland's great gems, I wish I could call say that it is hidden, but considering it is consistently highly rated in the Zagat guide and has had any number of great reviews, all I can claim is that I was an early customer. I started going to PP in the early 90s when it was a really small place on Madison near W.117th Street. Back then, the whole restaurant was 3 tables around a home made counter that held the kitchen. The best part was walking in when they were cooking and the wave of smells and flavors would wash over you. Since that time, PP has moved to 13124 Lorain Ave Cleveland, Oh 44111 and fairly recently opened its new location at 1929 W25th Cleveland, Oh 44113 close to the West Side Market. Although the ownership has changed, the recipes and preparations continue to be very consistent and good. The two locations have different atmospheres; the Lorain Avenue location is a nice space with a friendly Asian feel to it, the W.25th street location is a little more atmospheric with high ceilings, mood lighting and wonderfully complex wooden carvings decorating the room. The menu is the same at both locations, so decide if you want friendly or romantic and proceed accordingly. The menu is a thing of wonder, with page after page of wonderful dishes. For those unfamiliar with Cambodian food it ranges from Vietnamese to Thai style dishes, not unexpected if you see that those are the two bordering countries. Most of the dishes are presented with a description of the basic dish and then the protein choices below. My all time favorite is the Shrimp Pad Thai made by PP. The bright red rice noodles are stir fried with bean sprouts, shrimp and picked cabbage and then topped with crushed peanuts. The flavors are vibrant and pungent, with plenty of heat (you can of course order your own level of spiciness). I love getting this dish hot and then adding some of the thick hoison sauce on the table to mellow it just slightly. At about $7.50 an order, this remains one of the best values in town. Among the other items I have enjoyed over the years is the Cambodian Shrimp Salad, a cold salad with chilled shrimp in a light sweet vinegar dressing. The fish cakes appetizer are small fairly dense cakes with an interesting flavor combination. The stirred roasted eggplant dish (ordered without the pork) is an interesting and tasty thick paste served over rice. There are any number of different noodle dishes, in addition to the Pad Thai. My second favorite would be the shrimp Loath Chha, short almost dumpling like noodles in a milder sauce are comforting and always good. Although there are a number of higher priced items on the menu, most of the menu is under $10. PP does not have a liquor license, but they do allow you to bring in your own beer or wine. In addition, they do not take checks or credit cards, so make sure you have enough cash. PP is one of my favorite restaurants; they have managed to keep the food tasting great while holding the line on prices. Service is usually good, although the few servers they have can get a bit behind when they are busy. If you are on the West Side or in Ohio City, you should consider giving them a try, you will find wonderful food at a good price.

Miles Market - Produce Treasure Trove

With the combination of the winter weather and the bad economy I admit that I am not getting out as much as I would like, and especially I am not getting to roam about and discover new places. So I thought I would do some blogs on some of my favorite places, especially places that you can get a good deal on the food. Cleveland is blessed with some very good markets; you have the West Side Market, during the summer you have the assorted farmers markets around town, but the place that I go to most consistently for my fruits and veggies is Miles Market. Located at 28569 Miles Road in Solon, the market has been expanded over the years, now it has produce, wine and beer, bakery, deli, meats, seafood, prepared food and just about anything else you could want to prepare a meal. Lets start with the main reason that I go to MM, the produce. MM is one of the major distributors of produce in the area, so that means that the fruits and vegetables that you get at MM is some of the best and freshest you will find. The selection is excellent, with a good variety and I like that most of the produce is not prepackaged, you get to pick what buy. Being a single guy, I will buy produce and use it over a week or two. One thing I have found is that the produce from MM seems to stay fresh longer then that purchased from other vendors. Generally the prices are good with the weekly specials being very good. In addition, you will often find unadvertised specials in the market. Going through the aisle of natures bounty, you should be inspired to create some wonderful dishes. The bakery at MM is very good, with wonderful baked goods and breads. The prices are not cheap, but you do get a quality product well prepared and nicely decorated. Generally MM will have a muffin, bread and pie special each week. The deli, butcher and fish sections are well stocked and offer fine selections of products. You may not get the cheapest products here, but you will get quality and freshness. The prepared foods section is also very good. MM offers both fully cooked foods, including the new seafood section of the olive bar and ready to cook selections. It is well worth considering picking up a dinner here to have a restaurant quality meal without paying all the extras such as tax and tip. I strongly recommend Miles Market, it offers a wide selection of very high quality foods at reasonable prices. This is a true example of the difference between value and cheap. You will find places that offer cheaper prices, but you probably won't get the same quality. True value is when you get good or great quality at a reasonable price.

Bo Loong - Asia town mainstay

Well it was time for a dim sum fix and since Tom's Seafood is no longer doing the $8 all you can eat Dim Sum, I figured that we would go back to Bo Loong and see what they are offering. Located at 3922 Saint Clair Ave NE Cleveland, OH 44114, Bo Loong has been a mainstay of Cleveland's China/Asiatown for quite a while. Located between a gas station and a warehouse just East of the train tracks bridge, the outside is a bit restrained and offers only limited parking which will usually be filled all too fast. Once inside Bo Loong has two large rooms with traditional Chinese decor; of note is the large wooden sculpture and the number of fish tanks, some of which contain decorative fish, others which offer seafood to order. This trip the decor seems to be showing its age with the room feeling a bit old and musty, but it is familar and the food is still excellent. Some will feel that Bo Loong looks a bit outdated, but it does offer plenty of seating and an atmospere that I enjoy. Once seated, on Saturday and Sunday lunch time you are presented with a number of carts containing dim sum, small orders of various meats, foul, seafood and vegetables wonderfully prepared and then either fried, baked or most often steamed. Each order is usually in the $2-3 range, so the best idea is to bring a group and share a lot of different items. It can be a bit of an adventure since you are not always sure what is in each item, but the women bringing around the carts will help guide you through the items. Among the highlights this trip were the har gua, which are simple shrimp dumplings in a steamed starch wrapper that were light, flavorful and just the right hint of sesame oil; the shrimp rolls which have shrimp wrapped in a wide starch noodle and then steamed; and a tofu wrapper around vegetables that packed just the right combination of flavor and texture. The table also really enjoyed the chicken shumei, the steamed meatballs, potstickers and the baked bbq pork buns. To finish the meal we went with the steamed custards, which are slightly sweet egg custards in a light flakey pie shell, delicious and the perfect end for the meal. All told the bill came to about $9 per person and we had a wonderful time. In addition Bo Loong also offers an extensive menu of well prepared Chinese foods. The menu is primarily Cantonese, so if you want hot and spicey you will have to add some of the hot chili oil, but they have been one of the best and most consistent Chinese restaurants in Cleveland for years. Among my favorites on the menu are the clams in black bean sauce and the Shrimp Pan Fried Noodles. Bo Loong is open late and is a great place to get a late night or holiday meal since it seems they are open every day of the year. With a large Asian clientel along with many Ocidentals, Bo Loong can be one of the busier restaurants in town. A unsual adventure is to head down late on the weekend when you will often find that Karoke is going on and the place is full. If you have been to Bo Loong before, it is still the same great Chinese Restaurant, if you haven't been, it is time to venture downtown and see what you have been missing.

Agaves - Northfield Center - Gone

First let me wish everyone a healthy and happy New Year. Just a quick update to say that I was in the Northfield Center area and drove by the center where Agaves is located and it looks like it is out of business. Kind of sad, but that is what happens.