Romeo's Pizza - Free Small Pizza

While watching the Cavs the other night I saw the Romeo's Pizza ad that said you can sign up for a free pizza, so I figured I would give it a try. On the Romeo's website http://www.romeospizza.com/ you will see a sign up on the upper right corner. Fill in the information and they send you an email with a coupon for a free small one item pizza. Romeo's is a smaller local chain and the closest store for me is in Twinsburg. I called in my order and the pizza was waiting for my pick up. The small is about 8" with 6 slices. Overall I would rate this as a pretty good pizza. The crust was medium thick, with a good texture and taste, a little bit dense, but better then most. The sauce was sweet with large chunks of tomato, I would have preferred a bit more spice, but that is me. The cheese was thick and pretty good, although a bit mild, I would have preferred more of a Provolone bite. I had my pizza topped with carmelized onions, which were good if a bit sloppy, also they added a bit more sweetness to an already sweet pizza. My overall impression was this was a good, if a bit sweet version of the pizza. The biggest downside was a lack of adhesion between the crust and cheese; this was definately a case where the cheese was headed off the slice. In the end a good pizza and to get it free is a great deal, if there is a Romeo's pizza by you I would take advantage of the deal.

El Charrito - Wickliffe Mexican

It is with some regret that I write this review of El Charrito Mexican Restaurant. El Charrito has been around for quite a long time and while never my favorite Mexican restaurant it has been a place I could count on to get good food when I was in the area. Now I am not so sure. Located in a small rather nondescript building at 30560 Euclid Avenue in Wickliffe, Ohio, El Charrito has a small parking lot infront that at times could offer a challenge to find a place to park. Once through the doors you find a small but friendly restaurant. A little bit dark, but in a comforting way, the dining room is clean and tight. The menu contains most of the usual items, but the chips and salsa give you a clue right from the start that things are a little different here. The chips are a white corn chip with a spice dusting, lighter and a bit more flavorful then the chips at most places. The salsa is a very mild red sauce with some flavor and crunch from the celery pieces in it. Although very mild, it is good if a little different then most Mexican Restaurants. El Charrito has updated its menu since the last time I was there and prices have gone up, still not too expensive, but more then I remember. There were also Leten seafood specials and here is where I made a real mistake. I was going to go with the fish tacos, until I found out that the fish was the same fried fish in the all you can eat fish fry; so I decided to go with the fish fry. They happily substitued rice and beans for the fries and coleslaw and I figured it was worth trying; I was wrong. The fish was a mild white fish which they were batter dipping and frying; points for using fresh fish and preparing it in house, unfortunately the batter was coming out a bit heavy and seemed overcooked, with a dark brown color and extra crisp exterior. While not bad, if you cann't get the fish right you need to take it off the menu. If it was just the fish I might have put this up to just an off night or a bad choice, but I found the refried beans and spanish rice to be bland and flavorless. About the only thing that I got that was flavorful and spicey was the side of the red hot sauce to put on the meal; this was nicely chuncky, fresh and just the right amount of heat, if only the rest of the food could have been somewhere close to this. It seems that El Charrito is not doing well, I was there early on a Friday night and the small place was only sparcely filled when I left after 7:00pm. Service was ok, although the one waitress seemed a bit behind, despite the low number of customers. It seems that El Charrito may have lost its way a bit. They need to concentrate on making the food better and more flavorful. Here's hoping they realize the problem and can address it.

Cleveland CAM Market - Asian Treasure Trove

Cleveland is fairly well stocked with Asian markets, with several large ones downtown and smaller storefront markets scattered about. Cleveland CAM bucks this trend by putting a large and diverse Asian market at 21200 Miles Road, North Randall, OH 44128 across from the mostly defunct Randall Park Mall. While not my favorite Asian Supermarket in Cleveland, CAM does have a lot to recommend it. It is large and well stocked, very clean and offers some real treats and good values. Upon entering the store you will pass through a lobby area with a small cafe that is open during the weekend. Once inside you will see the fresh produce aisle to your left and here you can get items your fresh vegetables with some good values usually available. At the end of this aisle, you will have several cooler cases with chilled items such as fresh noodles, misos, various packaged goods and even a couple of Kim Chee choices. Also back here you will find some special values on display, usually a good place to stock up on some soy sauce, hot sauce and other items that you need for home cooking. The back of the store is also where the fish and meats are, both fresh and frozen. Nice to have fresh fish swimming around for your selection. Going down the freezer aisle you have a large selection of Asian offerings. Among my favorites here are the large commercial packages of Dim Sum. Here you can get 36 shrimp dumplings for around $8. Take them home and either microwave or steam, add some of the sauces available at CAM or make your own and you have a very tasty treat. Another aisle that is a favorite is the noodle aisle. One side provides the basic dried noodles of almost limitless variety, the other side provides packaged noodles soups in a wide variety. Depending on the kind you can get superior Ramen or other soups (far better than the "Top Ramen" sold in most groceries) or the noodles and seasonings to use as a base for your own Lo Mein or Pad Thai. CAM offers packaged chinese pasteries from outside bakeries, although I have been a bit dissapointed with most of these. Up front by the registers, CAM has a hot food counter and a cooler case of prepared food. You can find some very good food here and there are some good values. My favorite is to pick up a package of the squid salad (about $3) and a package of the seaweed salad (about $2). These provide several options, you can eat them with rice or make a very nice salad with these on top. I usually get 2 sushi style meals out of these and I always enjoy it. Beyond what I have mentioned, there are large selections of sweets, drinks, sauces and spices, rice and china and utensiles. If you want to explore close to home, stop in CAM and enjoy, they are friendly and offer some very good values.

Waffle House - Fast Cheap Breakfast

We were out taking a hike at Mentor Headlands Park and I suggested we have lunch at the Waffle Hut on Route 44 and I-90. The other Waffle Hut nearby is at 36333 Vine Street in Willoughby. While I generally stay away from chain restaurants I have to say that every so often I get an urge for some good waffles and I head out to the Waffle Hut. For those who haven't ever had the Waffle Hut experience, they are relatively small restaurants with a large glass front. Inside the counter occupies a good deal of the restaurant with a couple of booths as well. The decor is primarily shades of gray tiles, but it comes across as cheery. The service is usually young, but well trained and friendly. Food comes out hot and fresh and most times very quickly. In addition you will see a lot of team work used and the staff works hard. The breakfast menu is built around waffles, either regular or buttermilk, eggs and breakfast meats and then the other accessories. Waffle Hut also has some southern flavor with biscuits and grits available. The waffles are thin, but fresh and very good. At $2.70 it is very well priced and for $1 you get a double order. My order of double buttermilk waffles were just right, crisp on the outside and moist and fluffy on the inside with just a bit of the buttermilk twang. topped with some syrup a very good morning start. I also tried the $1 egg and cheese biscuit and it was very good as well. The egg was fried and put on a split biscuit with cheese. The highlight was of course the biscuit, which while a little heavier than some, had a rich flavor. While I passed on the hashbrowns this time, they are very good and once again a good value at $1.50 can be doubled for only $.50 more. Waffle House gives you an options to top the hashbrowns with additional items such as onions, peppers, mushrooms, cheese or even chili for additional cost. Waffle House also has a full menu including burgers, sandwiches and such, but I head there for quick cheap breakfast. If you are on the roads and see the yellow and black sign stop in for a quick meal. So why do I like Waffle House despite it being a chain? The food is made to order, it is actually flavorful and comes out hot and fresh. The food is not underseasoned, and there is an actual assortment of sauces and seasonings on the table to add even more flavor. Also Waffle House offers a good value.

Peppermint Thai - Lander Circle

Had dinner at Peppermint Thai at Lander Circle. This is the second location for the owners who also own Mint Cafe on Coventry. They have a reputation for good Thai food but I found it a little disappointing. First lets start with the good part, the restaurant is very nicely decorated. The long room is divided up with dark wood pieces which give the room some structure and contrast with the light colored walls. The art on the walls is highlighted with spotlights and the overall feeling is upscale and high class without feeling to formal. The service was also very good, with very friendly and attentive staff and food coming out promptly. This is my second trip to Peppermint, as I had lunch there last summer and both times I found that the food is good, but not very exciting. This may be why, even though this is right around the corner from work, I just don't think of this as an option very often. This time I had the scallop eggplant. The dish was nicely presented and came with a decent portion of good sized scallops and thin eggplant slices in a nice brown sauce accented with some fresh Thai Basil. While the scallops were ok, they would have been much better if they had been seared to give them a little extra flavor. This dish just lacked any real zing or excitement. For the price ($13.95) I thought the portion was adequate, but would have expected more. My opinion of Peppermint Thai is that it is a very nice restaurant that serves fairly tame versions of Thai food in a very nice atmosphere. If you are looking for something just a slight bit exotic, this might be the place, but if you are looking for real adventure or excitement I would try elsewhere.

Babushka's Kitchen - Polish Powerhouse

Having heard wonderful things about Babushka's Kitchen, I have been trying to eat there for quite a while. The fact that Babuska's is closed Sundays and Mondays, is not open till 1:00pm on Saturdays, and closes most days at 7:00pm (Fridays it closes at 8:00pm), have kept me from getting there up till now. But all that changed on St. Patrick's day; with the good weather I took off early from work and rode the motorcycle through the Cuyahoga Valley Park. On the way back, I figured that now was as good a time as any to try Babuska's which is located by the Northern end of the park. Babuska's is located at 9199 Olde Eight Rd, Northfield Center, Ohio. This is just South of Route 82 (East Aurora Road). It is set back a little from the road and has half of a little commercial building. Once inside you find a charming, little restaurant, decorated in bright colors and homey touches, the space feels cheery and welcoming. Adding to the atmosphere are the upbeat polkas; hearing Beer Barrel Polka and Who Stole the Kishka should get you ready for some real Polish food. Babuska's is a bit different then most restaurants, you go to the counter and place your order, they give you a number to put on your table and they bring the food to you. The servers are friendly and helpful to guide you through the menu (see here). With the menu dominated by meats, I figured that I might have the chance to get a fish meal since it is the time of year when fish specials pop up. While Babuska's does have special Lenten fish specials, they are only available on Fridays. So I was left to swallow my macho pride and order "Aunt Clara's Combo", a choice of any two pierogis and 2 side dishes. I chose the mushroom/swiss and the potato/cheddar pierogis and the cabbage & noodles and sauerkraut & dumplings sides. What came out was a heaping plate of some of the best scratch made food I have had in a long time. Lets start with the pierogis. Each of these wonderful pasta pockets were about the size of my fist, pan fried perfectly and topped with sauteed onions and a dollop of sour cream. The pasta itself was outstanding, with a rich taste and great texture. The mushroom/swiss was overloaded with swiss cheese melted perfectly and highlighted with sliced mushrooms. The potato cheddar was even better with the filling perfectly balanced and providing a nice textural counterpoint to the pasta. These were simply the best pierogi's I have had and elevate this food to the next level. The sides were excellent as well. The sauerkraut & dumplings were an interesting contrast to the pierogis, with the cabbage having a nice sour bite that was nicely offset by the slightly sweet homemade dumplings. The cabbage and noodles provided a nice buttery taste and a milder element to the plate. The food was all clearly scratch made and showed a devotion to keeping the standards high and the flavors simple and bright. Babushka's has gotten well deserved shining reviews. With food this good at reasonable prices and a friendly old world atmosphere, this is a place you should make an effort to try. I would especially like to hear what some of my carnivorous friends have to say about the meat dishes. Go and feel the love.

Note on Websites

A couple of notes on websites: When I have a website for a restaurant that I am reviewing I put the link in the title of the posting; just click on the title and it should take you to the website. Shuhei has launched its own website at: http://www.shuheirestaurant.com/ A couple of really good websites for finding Cleveland restaurants are: www.clevelandindependents.com/ - Independently owned restaurants in the area. Includes links, news and discounted gift certificates. http://www.asiatowncleveland.com/dining.asp - A list of the restaurants in the Asiatown area with menus.

Koko Bakery - Asian Delights

If you are looking for a bite, something sweet or just something a little bit different in Asiatown (http://www.asiatowncleveland.com), give Koko Bakery a try. Located in a small plaza at 3710 Payne Avenue, Cleveland, OH right across the street from Seoul Hot Pot, Koko provides a wide variety of choices. Set up more like a coffee shop or cafe there is an attractive little dining area and plenty of choices. Walking in you will notice a large bakery self serve display to your left. Here you can pick from a variety of sweet or savory buns (think similar to donuts or danish) at a very reasonable price ($.90 to $1.25 each). Among my favorites are the chocolate creme stick and the egg custard. These pastries show a nice balance between sweet and flavor and are rich and chewy. If you feel adventurous you can pick up a taro root or bean paste bun. The flavors and textures may be a bit different, but they are delicious and a nice change from what you would expect. For those looking on the savory side there are a number of meat based buns. The bakery cases in the counter show off the fancy pastries that Koko provides. These are some of the nicest looking delights available in the Cleveland area. Carefully prepared and arranged, they resemble the displays I saw in Vienna. Most are garnished with vivid fruit and splashes of color. Koko has a limited menu of Asian sandwiches, rice bowls and steamed buns. On this last trip down, I tried one of the steamed green vegetable buns. The greens inside of the soft bun were nicely spiced and flavorful. Finally, Koko offers a wide variety of beverages, from expresso to fruit smooties. My personal favorite is the Bubble Tea. A very sweet milk tea is flavored with your choice of flavoring, I go for the taro root as it provides a slighly less sweet flavor and a nice purple color. Served over ice with sweet tapioca pearls you get an interesting drink with sweetness, some texture and something to chew on. Give Koko a try it will give you a different perspective.

The Seafood Place Plus - Cleveland Heights

Just a quick review on the Seafood Place Plus. I stopped in the other night for a quick takeout. Located at 13439 Cedar Rd., Cleveland Heights, Ohio, right around the corner from Taylor Road, the Seafood Place is a nice upgrade from their former location on Lee Road. The new place is decorated with a very nice nautical theme and is fresh and clean. You have the choice of eating at the attractive tables there or doing takeout, which appeared to be what most people were doing. I had the fried Perch Sandwich with french fries. First the good, the fish was delicious, with two small, but plump pieces of perch lightly breaded and nicely fried. They were fresh tasting and well cooked. The sandwich part consisted of two wonder bread like slices; no real character or substance. The french fries were also a bit bland, lacking any crispness. Combined with packages of tarter sauce, the overall impression was that they need to bring the rest of the food up to the level of the fish. I will think about giving the Seafood Place another try, the side dishes sound like they could be good (look here). With a nice place and well prepared fish, you would hope that they can raise the rest of the food to that level.