Gray House Pies - West Side Decedance

Recently WNCX had a sale on the gift certificates available on its website; you could get $50 gift certificates for $15, a very good deal. One of the sets of certificates that I picked up was 5 $10 certificates for Gray House Pies at 22560 Lorain Road, Fairview Park, Ohio 44126 (see map here). I had not heard of them before, but a quick search online turned up some very good reviews, so I figured it was worth a shot. So on Saturday I took a nice ride through the Metroparks, stopped off for a wonderful meal at Melt and then headed over to Gray House. You need to pay attention to the address, since Gray House is located in a small strip of fairly nondescript shops and the only sign out front is a "Pie" sign. Once inside, you have a nice homey feeling bakery front with a refrigerated case under the counter with fruit pies displayed behind. The pies all look spectacular and there were small samples of blueberry pie on the counter. The blueberry pie was very good, with the blueberries tasting fresh and less overly sweet than many pies you encounter. The pies come in 8" and 12" sizes and there are fruit pies, cream and specialty pies and quiches available. You need to ask for pricing, since none are posted, but it seems that fruit pies and quiches start around $11 and the cream pies start around $13. The list of varieties available are listed here. The man in charge was incredibly helpful showing off what was available and talking about the flavors. He is either very proud of his work or very cruel, making sure to show me the Chocolate Mountain Mud Pie and its variations topped with Strawberries or Raspberries along with the other decedent cream pies available. I finally settled on a small chocolate malt cream pie. Once again the man showed his concern for the product, when he learned on would be taking the pie back to Beachwood on my motorcycle, he went to get an ice pac for the ride, and when he found that he was out he tried to give me several dollars to buy a bag of ice for the trip home. I refused, but did really appreciate the offer, it is nice to see someone more worried about his reputation then the bottom line. So the pie made it home, although the whipped cream did melt a bit. The pie itself is incredibly good. The crust is made of crushed chocolate cookies that they bake fresh and it shows, the crust is rich and chocolaty on its own. The filling is a very good chocolate pastry cream, it has a thick texture and you can tell that it is made from high quality ingredients. This is much different than most cream pies and more resembles a custard like texture and taste. If you are looking for some very high quality pies give Gray House a try, they may very well be the best you have tasted.

Legacy Village - Weekend Concerts

Wanted to give a plug to Legacy Village and their Summer Concert Series that they have most Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings. The concerts are by various local bands and feature a nice mixture of styles, including pop, classic rock, jazz and blues. You can get the whole schedule at this link. The concerts are staged at the bandstand in the middle of the Village and you will have people on the lawn with plenty of kids running around and dancing along to the music. People bring their chairs and enjoy the music. Of course people also come and take advantage of the restaurant patios surrounding the lawn, including Bar Louie, Brio, California Pizza Kitchen and Stir Crazy. The last time I was there, watching a very cool band called Cats on Holiday, California Pizza Kitchen was taking orders and delivering food to people on the lawn. While I much prefer local restaurants to chain restaurants, I will admit that these are some of the better chains around; also this presents a nice relaxed atmosphere and a place to enjoy your weekend. You can come hang out and have a good time at no charge. Of course if you just want something sweet, you can always pick something decedent up at Rocky Mountain Chocolates, get some Gelato at La Gelataria or get a coffee concoction at Starbucks.

Mitchells Homemade - Incredible Ice Cream

If you are looking for the top ice cream in Cleveland you have to go to Mitchells Homemade with locations in Beachwood, Solon, Rocky River and Westlake. The stores are bright and modern decorated in white and light colored wood with multicolor accents. But the reason to go to Mitchells is not for the decor, it is for the decedent ice cream that is loaded with premium ingredients and flavors. I find Mitchells ice cream to be very rich and dense. The flavors are bright, which is necessary since the ice cream is dense and rich. Among my favorites are the double chocolate chunk which puts large hunks of premium bittersweet chocolate into an incredibly chocolate ice cream; carmel fudge brownie, which has brownie pieces swimming in a sea of vanilla ice cream with an incredibly flavorful carmel sauce and key lime pie, which has graham cracker crust pieces to offset the sweet and tart key lime ice cream. The flavors are well though out and balanced, as an example, the carmel sauce is taken to a little darker stage then most places, which gives you just the hint of the burnt sugar taste to offset the sweetness. Prices at Mitchells are not cheap, with a single scoop running over $2.50 and a double scoop coming in at just under $4.00, but you get a very high quality product, served in a good portion and you are supporting local ownership. Mitchells of course offers a wide variety of drinks, sundays and other ice cream treats. You will also find pints of their ice cream for sale at Heinen's and in certain high end local restaurants. Mitchells is probably not an everyday stop, as you are getting a product with alot of calories and fat, but for an every once in awhile treat it is hard to beat; the calories and fat make for one of the best tasting ice creams you will find anywhere. Go out and exercise and burn off enough calories so you can stop by and get some.

Pizza BOGO - Upscaling the Pizza Chain

Wanted to talk about Pizza BOGO, which is a local chain of 3 stores (Akron in the Valley, Hudson and Cedar and Taylor in Cleveland Heights) making upscale pizzas. Taking a bit of a different tact than all of the other chains, PB has designed their menu and stores to look different. Walking into the Cleveland Heights store at 13434 Cedar Road just West of Taylor, the decorations look like a chic restaurant or upscale lounge. The colors are bright and vibrant, with modern abstract art on the walls and several modern leather couches to wait. The menu tends towards fusion and different pizzas, but what has changed since PB originally opened is that they have a one price approach, you pick the size and all toppings are included. Pricing is ok, when you consider that you get two pizzas for the price of one. What seems to be really driving their business is their special offer on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, in which you can get one large pizza with unlimited toppings for $5. This used to require an emailed coupon, then a phrase that they emailed out each week, now apparently they are giving this to all their customers. This has been quite successful, however it is leading to bottlenecks in getting pizzas out. Last week I called about 4:30pm and ordered a pizza, they gave me an estimate of about 40 minutes, in the end it took them about an 55 minutes and they were telling people who were calling in that it would be about a 2 hour wait. People were coming in a picking up 6 and 8 pizzas at a time. I do have to compliment the two women running the registers, despite the backup and the large number of orders, they remained friendly and accomodating, good work there. So how was the pizza? I have to say that the pizza has improved from the first time I tried it, less greasy and more flavorful, however overall I think that it lacks a bit of character. The crust was ok, medium thick and chewey, but lacking any real flavor, the sauce was good, but not very distinctive, a nice background but not a real player. This could have been redeemed with the toppings, however the vegies were ok, with the only real standout being the roasted red peppers and the cheese was lacking, both in quantity and taste. The size of the large is an 8 cut, but closer to a medium than what I would consider a large pizza. Overall, not a bad pizza, and at $5 a good bargain, if you can them to make it in a reasonable time probably worth it, but I wouldn't wait two hours. I will encourage Pizza BOGO to keep working on improving the flavor of the pizza and they may have something.

Jim's Open Kitchen - Solon Diner

I must have driven by Jim's Open Kitchen hundreds of times without ever noticing it. Located just West of the intersection of Aurora Road and SOM Center at 33779 Aurora Road in Solon (see map here), in a small nondescript building it is easy to overlook. Then when I did notice it the use of the words "Open Kitchen" seemed to imply one of the new trendy places that do fusion cooking; well nothing could be further from the truth. Walking in you find an old school 50s style diner done up in a Coca-Cola motif. Jim's has one long counter with the grill behind it and a couple of booths on the other wall. The menu is straightforward and classic American grub, just what you would expect (you can see the menu here). I stopped in for a Sunday breakfast and went with a couple of eggs over easy, hashbrowns, toast and a pancake. One of the nice things about this menu, orders of a single pancake, french toast, or other single item are fairly priced, just about half the price of an order of 2. The order was made quickly right in front of me and was served up fast, fresh and with little fuss. The eggs were well cooked, if a little greasy, but they were tasty. The home fries were very good, with a good ratio of crisp parts to inside, the flavor was rich and I would head back for more. The pancake was freshly made, from scratch and had a really good texture without being overly spongy, it soaked up the syrup and held onto it. Overall a very good breakfast; nothing here that will make you redefine breakfast, but just good old fashion food cooked simply and well. Apparently Jim's is family owned and operated and it shows; the whole family was working and that creates a nice atmosphere with some teasing back and forth; just the kind of place that you might want to hang out. If you are out Solon way and looking for some unpretensious food and some throw back atmosphere, give Jim's a try, just ignore the name.

Happy Buddah Cafe - University Heights Chinese

Happy Buddha Cafe is easy to miss nestled into a small strip mall at the intersection of Green and Cedar Roads. And yes, Happy Buddha is in University Heights, since as Green jogs West, Beachwood gives way for this corner (see the map here). Cleveland has many small Chinese take out places scattered about, and with some notable exceptions, they are unexceptional, well Happy Buddha is certainly different and better. You can get an idea just by looking at their website here; the fact that they even have a website is different, but this one is well done and reflects the care that has been taken with this small restaurant. Connected to Bo Loong by the owners, Happy Buddha has worked to elevate the small takeout restaurant. Since the Lius have taken this spot over they have redecorated to give the small dining area a much better look, the walls have been textured and painted a warm golden color and that are accented by the high gloss pictures of selected dishes. Although much of the business is takeout, they welcome you to eat there and provide table service. The menu is impressive for this type of restaurant, while providing the regular items you would expect, it also has dishes usually found at the larger downtown restaurants, including squid, panfried noodles and salt baked items. The food here is good and among the items that I would recomend are the Singapore style Mei Fun, the Shrip Pan Fried Noodles and the Salt Baked Squid. The food is fresh, well prepared and seasoned and while not the cheapest place in town, the prices are affordable and a good value for what you get. While not as exotic as a trip down to Asiatown, Happy Buddha offers a suprising variety of very good Chinese food at good prices in an attractive if somewhat small setting. If you are in the Eastern Suburbs and want some good Chinese stop by and check it out or take some home.

India Garden - Lakewood Gem

So its Saturday lunch time, the weather is beautiful and I am in the mood for Indian Food; having heard good things about India Gardens in Lakewood I hop on the motorcycle and cruise over to check them out. India Garden is located in a small unassuming building set back from the street at 18405 Detroit Road (see map here). Walking through the door you enter a much different atmosphere, the dining room seems larger on the inside and is done warm earth tone textured walls with red accents. The tables are nicely set with deep red tablecloths with Indian place mats topped with a glass cover. The overall look is warm, inviting and upscale, with Indian accents that don't overwhelm. A good start. At lunch time India Garden offers a lunch buffet for $8.95 and it looks good so I give it a try. The buffet starts with some salad, fruit, tomato soup then gets to the hot foods. On my visit there are four vegetarian dishes, 3 chicken dishes and a goat stew; I of course stayed on the vegetarian side, unfortunate because the other items did look good. The tomato soup was good with a mild but distinctive spice taste to compliment the rich tomato broth. The Pakora were deep fried vegetable appetizers were good, although the addition of the variety of sauces really upped the flavor quotient. The vegetarian entrees included a mushroom dish, cabbage and peas as well as two curry style dishes. All were very well flavored, the vegetables tasted fresh and the spices, while not overpowering, were very distinct and pungent. India Garden's website indicates that they roast their spices fresh each day and it comes through in the flavors of their food. This was some of the freshest tasting Indian food I have had. While the flavors are familiar they seem to be kicked up a bit over what we are used to, a real achievement especially on a buffet such as this. The buffet also has other items such as rice, very good nan which had a tendency to disappear as quickly as it came out, Indian pickles and chutneys. There were also some fresh fruit and two dessert items, in this case Carrot Halwa, which is chopped carrots mixed with sweet milk, nuts and raisins, kind of similar to a carrot cake and then homemade cheese soaked in a sweet syrup. Both were interesting and well prepared if a little different. Service was good, plates were cleared promptly, water was refilled and the buffet was well tended. In addition to the lunch buffet, India Garden offers a full menu that can be seen here. India Garden lives up to its fine reputation, this is one of the best Indian restaurants in the area. The lunch buffet is a good deal and if the regular menu items have the crisp distinctive flavors of the food I tried I can see why India Garden is so popular. Lakewood proves once again that it has some of the best restaurant in Northeast Ohio. Give them a try.

Eat At Joe's - South Euclid Hole in the Wall

I almost don't want to tell you about Eat at Joe's in South Euclid, since it is already too crowded on Sunday Mornings. Located at the corner of Mayfield and Green Roads (see map here), behind one of the big drugstores, Joe's manages to do basic food very well. The name, Eat at Joe's reflects the no nonsense approach; you will find nothing fancy, just good food done right, served fast and priced at a good value. Joe's occupies the same spot that it has been at for quite a few years, when the drugstore came in and tore down the old building they provided space for Joe's to remain and the new building was a nice improvement. Joe's is decorated (if you can call it that) in white with black accents and plenty of black and white sports photos on the wall. The feel is lunch counter, but nice and tidy and clean. Open only for breakfast and lunch, you will find lines out the door on Sundays as people from the area come for a quick breakfast. The menu is very basic, covering two sides of a table standup, one side breakfast, the other side lunch. Breakfast is eggs, omlets, pancakes, french toast, cereal, toast, hashbrowns and breakfast meats. Prices are cheap, with nothing topping out above about $5. This time I had the 2 eggs overmedium, hashbrowns and toast for $3.50. The eggs were good sized and perfectly cooked, just medium and not greasy. The hashbrowns are the grated style and were crispy and fresh tasting. The toast was what you would expect. I have had the pancakes on previous trips and they are nice large not too thick with a good texture and flavor. Joe's food is very simple, but it is well prepared, served in good portions and the prices are downright cheap. Service can be a bit harried, but the waitresses try hard and do get the food out. Joe's is not the place to go for anything fancy, I don't think they even know what parsley is or why you would put it on a plate and forget about food styles and trends. About the most radical thing they served are the specials which are listed on the whiteboard, in this case Eggs Benedict, mushroom spinach and cheese omlet, and a corned beef and Swiss omlet. Lunch is a list of common sandwhiches and a couple of soups and salads, although I have never given Joe's a try I would guess they make these in the same straightforward manner. The easiest way to know that Joe's is a success, try to find a parking spot in the lot on Sunday morning. Not a place to make a special trip for, but if you are in the area and want a good basic breakfast, Joe's is a place to give a try.