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.

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.

Big Egg - Cleveland Breakfast Spot

So you have probably heard that the Big Egg is once again open. After being closed down about 7 years ago and then becoming a Vietnamese restaurant for a while, new owners have taken over and reopened the Big Egg in its original location at 5107 Detroit Ave, Cleveland, OH 44102. Since I never made it to the Big Egg in its original run, I figured I would give it a try and see what it has to offer. First a couple of notes, while the original Big Egg was famous for being open 24/7, this current version is open Monday -Saturday 6:00am-9:00pm, Sunday 6:00am-3:00pm. The Egg shaped menus are back, but the Egg shaped sign out front is gone. The Big Egg is a fairly large space, divided into 2 rooms with plenty of tables and booths. The decor is fairly generic, clean and light but not terribly memorable, about the only thing that stood out to me was the fancy chandelier in the other room which seemed out of place with everything else. Service was fast and friendly, what you would hope for in a breakfast setting. The one thing I did not like, but understand is that there are no substitutions allowed for the breakfast specials. In addition to the breakfast menu that is available all day, the Big Egg offers breakfast specials during breakfast hours; these are the same items on the menu at reduced prices. I went with the 2 eggs with hashbrowns ($2.29) and the 3 pancakes ($2.99); the prices are certainly welcome and you can fill up at very affordable prices. The eggs came out cooked over medium as ordered and were good sized and not at all greasy, the hashbrowns were nice, thinly grated potatoes with a good crisp. The pancakes were good sized and fluffy. Although everything was well cooked, it all seemed to lack a certain pizazz; it was a good and filling breakfast, but I not the kind worth making a trip to get. Part of this may have been the choice of syrup for the pancakes, in this case Hungry Jack bottled syrup which just seemed to lack any real distinctive flavor. In addition to breakfast items, the Big Egg offers a large menu of other items, quite a few with a Greek heritage. The new Big Egg is clean, service is good and prices are a value for the amount of food you get, still it all seems to lack a certain something. Worth going to instead of Denny's or if you are in the area, however not worth making a big effort, for me there are better and tastier breakfast options.

Burgers -N-Beer Breakfast - Willoughby Delicious Dive

A place called Burgers N Beer would seem to be problematic for me; after all I haven't eaten meat in over 30 years, so the Burgers are out, and as tempting as a good draft might be I do not drink when I am out on the motorcycle; but thankfully they did tack on Breakfast at the end of the sign. I am always looking for good breakfast places, you know the kind of place that gives a good sized breakfast at a reasonable price. Especially for Sunday mornings; I don't know why I will usually not eat breakfast all week and then come Sunday, time for a full breakfast. Located at 4027 Erie St. Willoughby, Ohio 44094, right near the intersection with Route 20, BNBB is housed in an old building, with the front of the building underwhelming, almost uninviting. Once inside however you are presented with a nice two room restauraunt/bar done up in vintage European posters, and other knick nacks. The theme even goes to the tables, with posters laminated onto them. The place has a cozy, dive like atmosphere, partially coming from the dark ceiling. The menu is the usual collection of eggs, pancakes, French Toast and the usual go alongs. You will notice that the prices are very reasonable and that they actually offer a good number of different combinations. I did a couple of pancakes with 2 eggs over medium and added a side of homefries. The pancakes were outstanding, with 2 very large and pretty thick pancakes well cooked and very flavorful. The eggs were cooked just right and not at all greasy and the homefries were also very good, with thin slices of potato cooked until crispy on the grill. I have heard that their burgers are very good and having had the fish sandwich, I can say the portion sizes are large, with sandwiches served on large slices of garlic bread. Burgers N Beer Breakfast may not have the most original or catchy name, but it is a cool place to hang out and get some good grub at a very reasonable price, so if you are over Willoughby way, check them out.

Westside Market Cafe - Great Breakfast

With a brief window of good weather on Sunday, I hopped on the Motocycle and headed west to check out the breakfast/brunch at the Westside Market Cafe. Located at 1995 W. 25 St. in the Southeast corner of the Westside Market the Cafe is open even when the Market is closed. Walking in the Cafe has the decor is a bit nostalgic, but in a very genuine way. This is not a space that has been made to look old, rather it is an old space that has been carefully cleaned and taken care of. The overall feeling is that this is a comfortable neighborhood place. There is a bar/counter and two seating areas. The breakfast menu is medium length with most of the items being based around variations on eggs benedict. I went for the Market Special, 2 eggs, toast and home fries for $2.75 and a short stack of the buttermilk pancakes for $3.50. The special was very good, with the eggs cooked perfectly over easy and a large helping of finely diced home fries cooked crisp with onions, and green and red peppers added. But the highlight of the meal was the pancakes. They were nicely presented on a colorful plate with some powdered sugar. The pancakes were medium thick and had just the right buttermilk taste to offset the sweetness of the syrup. These were some of the best pancakes I have had in a while. My overall impression of the Cafe was that they are doing very simple food using the best ingredients and careful attention to details at very reasonable prices. A quick look at the daytime menu shows a number of items I will need to get back and try. Definately worth checking out.