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.

Lemongrass - Cleveland Heights Thai

Lemongrass has been a fixture in the Cedar Lee area for quite a while now and it has been a pretty long time since I last checked in; but thanks to a Groupon deal (check out Groupon here) I had $20 to spend and I felt in the mood for some good Thai. 

Located at 2179 Lee Road in Cleveland Heights (map is here), just a couple of doors down from the Cedar Lee Theater, Lemongrass is a handsome space.  The small bar is in the middle as you enter, with a nice dining room on one side and a garden room that is a little more casual on the other.  A small patio seating area is in back of the garden room.  I was seated in the garden room and the decor was very nice, light and casual with enough Thai accents to make it feel exotic without being overpowering.  I have to say that I was impressed with the way that they have kept the space up, it looks very clean and new, despite having been here for quite a while.

The menu (which can be seen at their website) has a nice variety, including some unusual items.  $20 goes a decent way here, enough to get a top line entree and an appetizer. 

I started with the vegetarian gyozas,  which are described as containing peanuts, carrots, water chestnuts and melon.  The order came out quickly with 6 crisp dumplings and a sweet dipping sauce.  The good was the crisp gyoza skins, deep fried so that they were light and crunchy and the sweet dipping sauce which added a nice contrast to the dish.  The filling was good, but the peanuts overpowered everything except a little of the carrots.  While not bad, I was expecting more contrasts both from a flavor profile and the textures.  Its not that these were bad, its just that especially after going through six of these, they were a bit boring.

For my main course, I took my waiters suggestion and got the Seafood Choo Chee.  While a nice serving of Shrimp, Scallops, Squid and Vegetables in a curry sauce, I ended up a bit disappointed.  First, while all of the seafood was cooked properly, none of it had much impact, especially disappointing for the nice sized scallops, my personal preference would have been to give them a bit of a char to get some nice texture and flavor.  The sauce was nice, with the right balance of Thai basil and a hint of sourness you expect from Thai food and a little less heat then I would have preferred, but it could have used a bit more complexity in the flavors.  In addition, it reminded me one of the things that I didn't prefer at Lemongrass over the years, the sauces tend towards being soups rather then sauces.  In this case I ended up putting all of the rice into the dish and still just barely managed to soak it all up.  I like a good soup, just not when I am expecting a regular entree.   The vegetables in the dish added some flavor and texture, but not nearly what I was expecting.  I will admit that some of this may be personal preference, the way Lemongrass prepares Thai food just doesn't scratch my itch, I prefer something a bit more rustic and home style, but that is me.

Service was good for the most part, although I could have used a refill on my water during the entree; this was especially bad as the restaurant was almost empty.  I know it is a careful balance when things are quiet in a restaurant, you don't want to have your server hovering over your table, but servers need to remember to check in every so often, no matter how busy or slow things are.  I will say that it looked like all of Cedar Lee was very quiet, it was early evening on a weekday with beautiful weather, plus I think a lot of people were checking out Melt.

So, Lemongrass has held up well over the years, with very nice decor, a great location and high quality food; unfortunately it just doesn't quite do it for me, the food is too refined for my preferences and can be soupy.  Prices are decent, but portions may be a bit undersized for what is being charged.  Give them a try if you are in the area and judge for yourself.

Mario's Bar and Grill

This is going to be a short review, but I had a gift certificate for Mario's (formerly Mario's Fish Bowl) at 3962 Mayfield Rd., Cleveland Hts, OH, 44121 (map is here) near the intersection with Warrensville Road and I finally stopped in. Mario's is a cheery neighborhood bar with a large bar with HiDef tvs on one side and a smaller room with a fireplace and some lounging space on the other. The menu is fairly basic, with some nods towards some interesting items. I was impressed with the Mussels, which was a large serving with a spicy broth with onions and jalapenos. The peppers had given up most of their spice to the broth which made for a nice contrast to the meaty mussels. I also tried the clams, which while small, were tender and just the right amount of salty goodness. The Friday soup was Manhatten Clam Chowder, which was good and loaded with clams and vegetables, however I was less then happy to find that it was also loaded with sausage. I understand the flavor advantage of pork products, but a heads up would be nice when ordering what I thought would be a seafood soup. I was less impressed with some of the other items such as the pizza, which was ok, but nothing special. Mario's is a nice place to stop in and get a drink and pick up some decent food; nothing worth a special trip, but certainly worth considering if in the area.

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.

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.

Lopez - the Mexican Food Hunt Continues

OK, so my hunt for good inexpensive Mexican food continues. I had a coupon for 20% off food on Mondays so I decided to give Lopez on Lee Road in Cleveland Heights a try. First off I have to tell you that I am a little confused about the name. On the web I have seen this restaurant referred to as Lopez on Lee, Lopez Bar & Grill and Lopez Southwestern Food Club; for ease I will just refer to as Lopez. It is located at 2196 Lee Road in Cleveland Heights, near the Cedar intersection and the Cedar-Lee Theaters. Walking in one knows right away that this is not your typical Mexican restaurant. The room is done in warm tones and feels classy and southwestern. The feeling is inviting and upscale, but fun. The chips and salsa are good, the chips come in a small paper bag, the salsa is good with a nice flavor. The menu is also upscale, so I decide to go for a couple of smaller items. I picked the Puffy Fish Taco and the Calamari. The taco was good, although the shell was not very puffy. The walleye on the Taco was excellent, well cooked and flavorful. I had trouble finding the lime cilantro yogurt sauce. The portion size was a little off balance, there seemed too much fish for the small taco shell and vegetables. Make this in a larger shell with more sauce and they would have a clear winner. The Calamari was excellent, lightly fried and served over shredded cabbage with a senstional red pepper dipping sauce. Really well done and a nice if not huge portion. Overall Lopez does not disappoint, the food is very good reinterpretations of Mexican and Southwest food. Unfortunately, this is a bit more upscale; the prices and portion sizes mean that while a place I would recommend, this is not the place for inexpensive Mexican dining. Of course if I am going to be disappointed, this is the way to go; keep Lopez in mind for when you want to go a bit fancy or to impress that certain significant other.

Richie Chan's - Hidden Gem

There seems to be a little Chinese takeout place on every corner of Cleveland. They range from ok to pretty good. Most have a very similar approach and food; many even seem to use the same menu and menu board with just the restaurant name changed. At first glance Richie Chan's at Cedar Lee (13181 Cedar Rd) in Cleveland Heights, may fit in with all the rest, but a closer look will reveal something completely different. This is not your average Chinese takeout place. Walking in to Richie Chan's there are 3 tables out front, using the Goldilocks approach, 1 small, 1 medium and 1 large. The difference from most takeout places is that you will frequently find these tables filled. That's right, this is not just takeout. An especially good sign is the frequently the customers are Asian. The decor is not much, some old Chinese prints right out of most older Chinese Restaurants, hang high on the walls. The floor is covered with industrial runner carpets, but they try to make the place feel homey and while a bit run down it is clean. Now when you look at the menu you will notice that Richie Chan's has its own menu. All of the standards are there Chow Mein, Egg Foo Young, Lo Mein Fried Rice and Combination Plates; and all done very well. But in addition, you will notice other options, including some very good noodle dishes, fish dishes and others you won't see at most takeouts. Then in addition to the menu there are additional items that are posted in Chinese, you can ask for an explanation, but the best option is to watch the other tables and ask what they have. The food that comes out is generally very good to excellent. Among my favorites is the Shrimp Lo Mein, the Singapore Chow Mei Funn and the Shrimp Chow Mein Cantonese style. Let me talk about the last Cantonese Chow Mein. At Richie Chan's you get a large serving of fresh fried noodles (think similar to pan fried noodles, but with bigger noodles) with good sized shrimp and baby bok choy in a delicious white sauce. Overall food quality and taste is excellent. In addition there are a number of items that are definitely not take out style. There are several fish dishes and I have tried the Salty Peppery Shrimp special which is excellent. The shrimp are fried in a very light batter which has a real peppery kick. The large portion of delicious shrimp are served over a bed of lettuce and topped with slices of very small, very hot green and red peppers. A spicy, slightly sweet red dipping sauce is served on the side. Wonderful, especially if you want something that will wake up your tongue with a lot of heat. Service is an interesting point, depending on what you order, you may be served in Styrofoam or on traditional plates. That's right a "takeout place" that serves on regular plates. Also you will usually get a choice of hot or cold tea and a little plate of fruit. Finally I would recommend you check out the special board, for a very inexpensive price, usually about $4.75 at dinner, you get a combination plate with the special entree, plain fried rice and a shrimp egg roll. A very good sized portion of very tasty food at a great price. At lunch the combinations are similarly priced and they are one of the best values in town. To summarize the experience, the decor and setting is takeout, but the food and the friendly family approach is a winner. This is not the place to take someone to impress them, but if you want very good Chinese food at a reasonable price, this is the place to go. A definite winner and worth trying, even if just getting an order to go on your way home from downtown.