Angie's Soul Cafe - Soul Food Nirvana

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.

Swensons Driveins - The update

I know that I just posted my review of Swensons Driveins a week ago, but after going back on Sunday after another hike at the Gorge Park, I tried and saw a lot more of the menu, and I am even more impressed. After yet another very nice hike in the Gorge, we headed over to Swensons with 4 people and 3 vehicles (2 cars & 1 motorcycle). Thanks to this we ended up with a much wider variety of food. Let me comment on what we had. I had the shrimp sampler, which was a very nice sized portion of fried shrimp. The shrimp were nicely breaded and well fried, they were hot and tasty. An interesting thing to note is that while most places, the fried shrimp is fairly uniform, here the shrimp had a bit of variety to them almost as if Swensons is doing their own shrimp rather then using a large commercial product. Good popcorn type of shrimp and a filling portion. I also had the Mint Whip drink, which is a combination of phospate water, mint syrup and ice cream then blended. The result is lighter then a regular milkshake and had a frothy texture with a refreshing minty flavor. A real winner. The steak salad was another winner. A large green salad came in a large bowl, topped with tomatoes, eggs, cheese and chopped steak. Of special note was the peppermill brought carside for fresh ground pepper, a very nice touch and not something I have seen at any other fast food place. Swensons seems to take their salads seriously, making them fresh to order and serving a very nice salad. Among the other items we had was a very nice looking sloppy joe and Watermellon and Key Lime milkshakes. I got to taste the Watermellon and it reminded me of the watermellon Jolly Rancher. Mindy, thought it was a different watermellon flavor and said that while she was not impressed at first, the flavor of it grew on her the more she drank. The shakes were clearly hand made, no soft serve machine here. I saved the best for last; the fried zuchini were exceptionally good. Strips of zuchini were breaded with Italian seasoning and then fried. The results were excellent, with the Italian seasonings perfectly setting off the delicate flavor of the zuchini. Mindy liked it with the ranch dressing, I thought that while the ranch was very good, it overpowered the delicate flavor combination that had been created. I will definately get more of the zuchini in the future and look forward to trying the mushrooms. After another visit to Swensons I am even more impressed. The menu offers alot of choices and the food is made fresh to order. Add to that a place that isn't afraid of adding flavors and spices to its food and you have a winning combination. Once again the young and friendly staff make the visit enjoyable. What more could you ask for from a fast food restaurant?

Shuhei Update - Beachwood Star

You may have read my previous review of Shuhei Restaurant (review is here), but it has been a while since I have had a full meal there; luckily with some family in town for my Niece's Bat Mitvah, we ended up there after quite a bit of discussion. So I wanted to update my previous review and mention some new things. Based on the discussions, many people have strange ideas of what is served at a Japanese restaurant. While Shuhei has the best Sushi Bar in town, the rest of the menu is even more extensive and has something for everyone. Japanese food is generally lighter and simpler then Chinese or other Asian foods. The Japanese like to take high quality ingredients and prepare them in ways that accent their flavors and then compliment those with simple flavor combinations. Even though I was told that "we don't eat Japanese", everyone found a number of things that they could have, and the meals that we had were all exceptional. The prices at Shuhei are actually fairly moderate; sure you can spend a lot if you want, especially if you order Sushi al la carte, but most of the meals on the menu are priced under $20 and that includes, soup, salad, rice, vegetables and tea. Considering the portions are generous and the food is excellent, this is what you call value. So Mom had the Kogani Age (Soft Shell Crab) dinner, her long time favorite. The tasty little critters are lightly floured and then quickly fried to a delicious state. Served over fried rice with sprouts, carrots and green beans, a very wonderful meal. The crabs are perfectly prepared and sided with a simple rice vinegar sauce for dipping. Aunt Helen had the Shrimp Tempura dinner, and if you haven't tasty tempura at Shuhei, you are missing something special. The shrimp and vegetables come wrapped in a perfecly light and crispy tempura batter that is fried to perfection. The crust is a light golden with the insides cooked perfectly. Save the fried banana as a special little treat for the end. Mort has the Kushiyaki, skewers of shrimp, scallops, salmon and vegetables covered in Shuhei's home made teriyaki sauce. A great and classic combination, expertly prepared and cooked. I had the Chirashi Sushi dinner; Chirashi is gathered sushi, with a large bowl of the sushi rice topped with slices of some of the freshest seafood you can find. The fish was impecible, fresh and clean tasting. The tuna was especially good, with each slice just melting in my mouth. Shuhei remains one of the finest restaurants you will find. The decor is excellent, the atmosphere both sophisticated and relaxed. The food is truly outstanding. The servers are friendly and knowlegable, willing to guide you through any questions you may have. Plus you get a lot for you money. What more could you ask for? Give them a try.

LM Chinese - Mentor Takeout Plus

So if you've been reading the blog for a while you may know that I have a thing about Chinese takeout places; there are a ton of them, but I am always on the lookout for good ones that try to do things a bit differently. Two good examples are Richie Chans (review here) and Happy Buddah (review here). Well it looks like I have another one, LM Chinese at 7537 Mentor Avenue, Mentor, Ohio (map is here). Located in one of the strip malls near Great Lakes Mall, a couple of things attracted me to LM; I thought the name was a good sign, as in that it didn't have any dragons, China Gates, Lotus or other stereotypical names for these types of places. The sign was also good, as you can see from the menu it is a bit different and appears a bit more upscale. Once inside, the impression deepens as they obviously spent a bit more money and time on this place then the typical takeout. The front of LM is set with a few high quality tables and chairs, the walls have been paneled and a mirror runs along one wall. If not for the fact that the only thing that seperates the front from the kitchen area is the counter, I would probably consider this a very small Chinese restaurant rather than a takeout place. The menu itself is a bit different, with a bit more emphasis on each dishes, with the food grouped by protein. I have been there twice, trying the Kung Bo Shrimp and the Shrimp Lo Mein, with two very different impressions. Both dishes were well cooked and very nice portions, served on real plates with an eye towards presentation. However I found the Kung Bo to be a bit overpowering, not from a spiceness factor, but more from the sauce seemed a bit too concentrated in flavor and a bit one note. It seemed like it had been overreduced and the result was a very strong soy sauce flavor. On the other hand the Shrimp Lo Mein was excellent, with large shrimp stir and noodles stir fried to perfection. The dish came out dry with very subtle flavors, the addition of some chile oil I requested from the kitchen, made everything sing. It was the type of dish I would find in the finest Chinese Restaurants. So I am not quite sure of where LM is headed, I would like to see more of the approach I got in the Lo Mein, a subtle touch to the seasoning and a light touch all around. It is clear to me that LM is trying to serve a high quality product at affordable prices. Hopefully they can find an appreciative audience in the Mentor area.

Swensons Drive Ins - Akron Classic

So I was out in Cuyahoga Falls to take a hike in the Gorge Metropark, which by the way is a really nice park and well worth checking out (see the website here) and I was looking for a place to eat nearby. Well with Chapel Hill Mall and the other shopping centers nearby I figured it should be no problem; but I try to stay away from the usual chains. Luckily I noticed that there is a Swensons right by the entrance to the park, so since it had been a while I thought give them a try. For those who don't know Swenson's is a small Akron based chain of drive-ins that have been around since 1934. Swensons is a true drive-in; you park the car, or in my case motorcycle, a server brings you the menu takes your order and brings you the meal on a tray. That's right curbside service and eating in you vehicle still lives and thrives. Not only that but Swenson's actually has a fairly diverse menu (go here to see it) with burgers, other sandwiches, salads, fries, onion rings and lots of drinks, including some very unique ones. The menu and the place has a 50's feel, but they have added more modern things as well. I ended up getting a fish sandwich and an order of onion rings. For under $5 it was a nice meal. The fish was an actual filet nicely fried and served on a standard bun, overall freshly cooked and tasty. The onion rings were nice sized rings with a medium breading; tasty without being overly oily; a very good old fashion onion ring. I will be heading back when I am in the area to try the shrimp basket and some of the other sides like fried mushrooms or zucchini. I also want to try some of the different drinks; with 17 flavors of milkshakes, smoth-eees, phosphates and even drinks called California and Florida, it could take me a while to get through this menu. Some how the Mint Whip seems like it might be first on my list. The servers at Swensons are friendly and seem to be having fun, despite having to run alot to keep up. If you want to get away from the usual chains, or you want to get something a bit different, or heck you just feel like reliving Happy Days, give one of the Swensons locations a try (list of locations is here).