Biagio’s Donuts–Eastlake Goodness

So I was driving down Vine Street in Eastlake recently and I finally realized that Biagio’s Donuts hadn’t closed, they had just moved into a new building at the other end

of the block they were on.  Located at 35523 Vine St., Eastlake, Ohio, Biagio’s has done the seemingly impossible, taking a new building and making it feel like it has been there for quite a while.  You have to look closely to catch the new location, while the original had a front window and sign facing Vine Street, the new building faces sideways to the street and the smaller sign at street level is easy to miss.  But you should try to find it as Biagio’s has some of the best donuts in the area.

The new store looks new on the outside, but once inside it looks like they just picked up the old shop and moved it over.  You will be greeted by a huge assortment of donuts, with a large variety of crème donuts displayed both in the front case and it the larger wall unit.   I highly recommend going for at least one crème, since they are light and fluffy, with a nice sweetness and good flavor.  Among my favorites are the chocolate crème and the the banana crème.  Cremes are available in several different forms, with round donuts, filled sticks and sandwich sticks.

The other donuts are good as well; with choices ranging from a variety of glazed, frosted and various flavored donuts.  Of course there are cinnamon rolls and various other goodies.  It is hard to go wrong here as these are pretty classic donuts and other sweets, but available in many varieties.


Biagio’s also does pizza, both in slices and fresh baked pies; its been a while since I had one, so I’ll skip any review here.  They have also added some soft serve ice cream with the move to the new building. 

If you need some sweets and are over in Lake County, give them a try.

Wild Goat Cafe - Wholesome Food in Kent

This blog has not had many nice things to say about national chain restaurants, but I will admit that they do build good buildings that offer fertile ground for local owners when the chain abandons them; one good example of what can happen is the Wild Goat Cafe in Kent.  Located at 319 West Main Street in Kent (map is here) in what was once a Friendly's, the Wild Goat is doing things right.  When I was an undergraduate at Kent many moons ago, I used to take Star, our fraternity dog, for walks along the Cuyahoga and then head over to Friendly's for some ice cream; I can say that while I miss Star, the Wild Goat beats Friendly's with ease. 

I had heard that Wild Goat was a great place for breakfast and lunch and that it was trying to use locally sourced, wholesome foods, so combined with the name I was expecting a kind of wild and funky place; actually Wild Goat is pretty mellow and straightforward.  The one big dining room is painted with several subdued colors, the tables and chairs are restaurant standard and there is a minimal amount of decoration.  The effect is pretty much standard American family restaurant.  When I got there it was early afternoon on a Sunday and they were full up, but there was room at the small counter up front.  Service was fast and friendly, the kitchen was a bit slower, but the food was worth waiting for.


The menu begins to reveal a bit more about the Wild Goat (you can see it here) with a bit more flair and a number of items that mention quality items such as hydroponic bibb lettuce and Kobe beef for the hamburgers.  But still sticking to a fairly straightforward selection of breakfast, sandwiches, salads and starters. 

Since I was in a breakfast mood, I ordered the Pancakes and Eggs with a side of sweet potato fries.  The pancakes were 3 medium sized cakes  firm on the outside and just the right amount of sponginess on the inside to absorb the syrup with a good mild taste.  The two eggs were perfectly cooked over medium and seemed to have more yolk then most eggs I have had, which is always a good thing.

The sweet potato fries were excellent, they came out piping hot and wonderfully crispy, with a bit less sweetness then most I have tried.  Each fry was light in color, with a clear snap to the outside and the inside perfectly cooked.  The flavor was less sweet then most, which worked wonderfully by playing more on the savory side of the palate.

Finally, although I was full, I could not resist taking home one of giant Cinnamon Rolls in the front case.   For $3 this was the buy of the day, with a giant roll that filled the full sized to go container, topped with a more then generous amount of frosting.  The fresh baked roll was very nice with a well balanced cinnamon layered between its swirls and the wonderful butter cream topping.  What was unusual, especially for an item such as this was that the sweetness was well controlled, even with the icing so that while I am sure I had too many calories, it could have been a lot worse.

The Wild Goat does very good food made from quality ingredients at fair prices.  Don't let the name fool you, this is straight ahead wholesome food prepared by people who care.  It may not be the flashiest, but it is hard to go wrong.

Circle Restaurant - Monster Pancakes

So you are watching Diners, Dives and Drive-Ins on Food TV and you start to wonder why we don't have any place that serves pizza sized pancakes? Well not to far from Cleveland there is such a place and it is pretty darn good. Circle Restaurant is located on the Circle (what a coincidence!!) at the intersections of Ohio Routes 14, 224 and 225 in Deerfield, Ohio (map is here), which is South East of Ravenna and close to Berlin Lake. Evidently well know in the area, it was busy both times I have been there. The number and mix of different motorcycles in the parking lot are a good sign, we riders like big portions of good food. The outside is a nicely kept brick building of indeterminate age, the inside is very nicely kept up, with a cheery feeling and some nice touches like a tin ceiling. There is a counter and a square dining room packed with tables. Even when the line for a table is long, it does not take long as service is quick and friendly and food comes out of the kitchen in a very prompt fashion. The menu is pretty much straightforward American fare, but the portions are big, the prices are moderate and the food is fresh and good. One thing you might notice is that on the Breakfast Menu the pancakes come in orders of one or two and are about $3 per pancake. This is because the pancakes are about 14" across, and come falling over the edges of a very large plate. The pancake (and I only ordered one) comes nicely cooked with a golden brown color and nice texture. One result of making a pancake this large is that you get different textures depending on which part of the pancake you are eating. The outer edges are pretty thin and a little crisp, the middle is thicker and a bit spongier, just right to soak up the syrup. The flavor is good and in addition to the 2 eggs over easy this is a big breakfast. On a past trip I tried the Giant Cinnamon Roll and it was very good as well, with a nice contrast between the roll and the gooey cinnamon filling. Circle Restaurant has a list of about a dozen or so pies on the special board and I have a suspicion that they are very good as well. Circle Restaurant is one of those good down home style restaurants that makes good basic food and does it well. They are not trying to be cutting edge, instead doing what they know how to do and doing it well. Well worth taking a drive on a weekend and checking out some very good grub.