Hiroshi's Pub - the review

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

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

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

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

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.

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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

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

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

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.