Hiroshi’s Pub–Sunday Brunch

You should all know how much I love Hiroshi’s Pub, as it offers a unique blend of comfort food and sushi in what I consider one of the coolest places in town, well they have made some changes to keep things moving along.  First they have simplified the menu, while it is still big, it is now readable; they have kept most of the favorites and it still covers a pretty wide swatch. 
Second, Hiroshi’s is now open for Sunday Brunch from 11:00am to 4:00pm every Sunday.  They have designed a really nice menu of hearty breakfast and lunch faves (go see the

whole menu here) that includes such delicious items as Apple Cinnamon French Toast, Lemon Blueberry Pancakes, Corned Beef Hatch made with their in-house smoked Corned Beef, big Omelets and a Lox and Bagel plate.  What I like about the menu is that it falls in that nice middle, where you can have a leisurely brunch of food prepared to your order in a relaxed atmosphere without all of the aggravation of the diners and deli breakfasts or the high cost and mediocre food of the buffet brunches.  Big portions of well prepared food with bold flavors always sound good to me. 
Hiroshi’s Pub is located at 3355 Richmond Road, Beachwood, OH Building B, across the parking lot from Moxie. 

Rav’s Creekside–Twinsburg Hangout

Over the years, I have driven by Rav’s Creekside any number of times, and I always meant to stop and check it out.  Well with a Groupon in hand, I finally managed to see what Rav’s is like and I was pleasantly pleased. 

Located at 9224 Darrow Road, Twinsburg, Rav’s is at the North End of a strip of shops.  The end location gives them the advantage of having a large deck on the side overlooking Tinkers Creek; I imagine this is a nice place to hang out during the summer.

Going in to Rav’s through the double doors you find a largish bar/restaurant without much to distinguish it from many similar locations, other then the large wall of windows leading to the deck.  The décor is ok, but certainly not why people come here.  There is a large elevated bar area, with a dining room area on one side and what looked to be a couple of pool tables on the other side.  There are plenty of beer signs and a few flat screen TVs to round out the atmosphere.

The menu at Rav’s (which you can see here) is a mix of bar food mainstays with some small tweaks.  What I did find was that the food was generally prepared with fresh ingredients and at least some care in the preparation.  Not everything completely hit the mark, but I do appreciate that the attempt was made to elevate the food.  With the Groupon to spend, I got a bowl of the Cream of Mushroom Soup, the Fish and Chips and an order of the Calamari. 

The Mushroom Soup should probably have been described as a a Mushroom Bisque, since it had was a bit thinner then a cream soup and had some onions and celery along with a lot of mushrooms.  With that said the soup was tasty and nicely seasoned.  A good start to the meal. 

Up next was the side salad that came with the dinner. A bit bigger then I expected, with nothing too radical, but there were two kinds of shredded cheese and the house dressing was mild, but flavorful.  All of the ingredients were fresh and flavorful, a good way to get your meal started.

The fish and chips were a real surprise, with two huge fillets of tasty white fish breaded and then nicely fried over a large helping of fresh cut french fries served with a nice tarter sauce.  The fish itself was excellent, tender and moist but fully cooked, the breading was ok, but seemed a bit grainy to me.  The dinner was good and the portion size was very large.  At this point I was ready to call an end to the meal, but the Calamari, which I had ordered as an appetizer then came out. 

The calamari (most of which went home for a later meal) were an interesting dish.  First the squid appeared to be fresh, but had been cut into bigger pieces then you usually see, which resulted in something closer to squid nuggets rather then the rings and tentacles most places have.  The breading (which was different then that used on the fish) was good, if a little heavier then I prefer for Calamari.  The dipping sauce was a different variation on a tarter sauce, with a bit more of an herb taste.   The sprinkling of grated cheese was a nice thought, but got a bit overwhelmed by the larger squid pieces.  I probably would pass on the Calamari at Rav’s next time, but that is more an issue of personal taste rather then an huge criticism of the dish, I just like my Calamari to be a bit lighter and more delicate, this was just a different approach.

Overall, I was impressed by the quality of the food, the large portions and the good service I got at Rav’s.  Probably not one of the places you need to seek out, but if you are in the Twinsburg area and want to fill up on some good food, you might want to give them a try.  Plus if it is summer time the creekside deck could be a cool place to enjoy.

Chester’s Legacy Tavern – Painesville Tavern

Just like Hannibal from the A-Team, I love it when a plan comes together.  I have been sitting on a Groupon (Groupon Site is here) for Chester’s and with fall having come it was Clambake time.  So I was very pleased when on visiting Chester’s  website  I noticed that they were doing Clambakes on the weekends in October.   Sounded like a good way to spend a Friday night, chowing down on some tasty bivalves. 

Chester’s is easy enough to get to, located at 11 Chester Street, Painesville, Ohio 44077 just a stones throw from the Painesville exit of Route 2, the location is convenient, if nothing else.  The outside is a fairly nondescript building, but there is a decent sized parking lot and a small patio on one side.  Walking in I was quickly greeted and then seated at a high two top next to the windows and right at the transition between the bar area and the dining room.  The decor is clean and comfortable, heavy on wood and earthtones, but looking very well kept and timeless.  This is the kind of place you would think of as nice, but probably wouldn’t be able to remember anything specific.  A long bar with a lowered ceiling presents a comfortable area to grab a drink and settle in.

Chester’s menu (go here to check it out) is a nice selection of American and Tavern classics, with an emphasis on fish and seafood, a good sign for me since that is my wheelhouse. Also included was the specials with several variations on the Clam Bake (Clams, Clams & Chicken & Clams & Steak). I settled on the Clams & Clams which included 2 dozen clams, chowder and sides.  I also ordered the Shrimp Chester appetizer.

First up was a cup of the New England Clam Chowder.  This was a very nice rendition of the classic recipe, thick, but not over loaded with cream, the mild soup was stocked with chunks of potatoes and plenty of tender fresh clams.  Very satisfying and a good way to get my seafood taste buds going.

Next up was the Shrimp Chester ($10), good sized fresh shrimp smothered in a wonderful garlic sauce and cheese and baked to perfection.  Sided with garlic bread, this was a cannot miss treat.  Simply presented, the aroma got me as soon as this was set in front of me.   The shrimp were perfectly cooked, tender and firm and wonderfully complimented by the garlicky cheesy goodness, that managed to get even better as it cooled and set up.  With the bread there to soak up the extra sauce, this was a very well thought out and executed dish.

Next up was the main course and the reason I made the trip East.  The two dozen clams came out in the classic fiber bowl with melted butter and extra clam broth for dipping.  Sides were the ear of corn and I substituted sweet potato fries for the regular sweet potato.  Portions were large, with the clams generally coming in about half dollar sized and steamed in their shells.  The clams were mild and tender, each a mouthful of the goodness of the sea perfectly complimented by the drawn butter.  Out of the 2 dozen clams, I had 3 that didn’t open (and you should always leave these be), but I had more then enough to satisfy my hunger.  The corn was sweet and fresh and the sweet potato waffle fries were crispy on the outside and sweet and delicious on the inside.  At $26 for the Clams and Clams bake, not cheap, but considering the amount of food and the quality, I think they give you what you expect.

Service was good and friendly, although there seemed to be a bit of a lag on the time for food to come out of the kitchen, it might be that I was there early and they hadn’t hit there groove yet, but I would hope they would be more on top of things when most of the tables were empty.

Chester’s is a place worth checking out, especially if you are in the area.  The food is good, well prepared and presented nicely.  There is not a lot of flourish or trendiness here, but that can be a very good thing.  The biggest thing working against Chester’s is location, if they were located a couple miles North in Fairport Harbor or Grand River I think that they would be more well known, but as it is this a great place to get some good solid food.  Chester’s is trying to push their presence with some of the Groupon and radio and TV station offers, so if you look around you might be able to get a deal.  Check them out.

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.

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.

------------------------------------------------
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.
 

Hiroshi's Pub - Coming Soon To Beachwood

 For those of us who used to hang around the Cedar Lee area in the late 80's and early 90's, Hiroshi's Pub was a favorite hangout with a comfortable atmosphere, good affordable food and some great people.  Well its been quite a while, but a new version of Hiroshi's is coming to Beachwood in the next month or so.  Located at 3365 Richmond Road, Building B, Suite 130 (map is here) across the parking lot from Moxie and Red, Hiroshi's has taken over a former Japanese restaurant and is in the process of converting it into what should be one of the areas most interesting spots.

As with the original spot the people in charge are the same, Hiroshi and Sonya from Shuhei are the owners and the vision behind everything and Mike will be running things day to day.  They bring a wealth of experience and success in the Cleveland restaurant and bar scene. 

I stopped by recently to see how things were coming along and the place is starting to really come together.  They have kept quite a few Japanese elements from the previous place, but the overall feeling is going to be a lot different.  To start, they are laying down a large patio out front that will provide some very nice outside dining, the patio was just being finished and the high quality outdoor furniture was being assembled. 

Once through the double doors and the large Foo Dogs on either side, you will see a large bar to the left and the small sushi bar to the right.   A number of smaller rooms will be set up, one with couches, another with traditional Japanese seating.  They had a ways to go, but it looks like there will be flat screen TVs throughout.  The overall look is warm browns and oranges, with high industrial ceilings.  I get the feeling this is going to be a real eye catching place.  When they get further along I will try to get you some photos.

The huge kitchen is in the middle, with the massive smoker and grill area facing the bar.   The menu sounds like it is going to hit some of the current food trends.  There will be the American classics, made with high quality ingredients, some serious long smoked BBQ, and an eclectic sushi bar with some cervices' flavors and even some meat based sushi.  It looks like the menu will be large and diverse, which should be very interesting.

Hiroshi's will be hitting an area that Beachwood has been missing, a neighborhood tavern with good food and casual atmosphere.  I will fill you in with more as the process moves along.  If you are looking for work, Hiroshi's is hiring, you can get more information at hiroshispub.com.

Melt Cleveland Heights - Greatness Comes East

So I managed to wait one day before I headed out to check out the new Melt Bar and Grilled in Cleveland Heights.  Located at the corner of Cedar and Taylor Roads (map is here), Melt has taken the amazingly successful formula from Lakewood and transplanted it to the East Side.  Even though I arrived at just after 11:00am on Saturday, the dining room was already filled up with a line out the door.  Luckily there was plenty of room at the huge bar and so I grabbed a stool and settled in.

Looking around you get something of the feel with the brick walls, the kitschy decor and the warm friendly feel.  One half of Melt is a large open dining room with nice tables and chairs and the open kitchen.  On this day the dining room is packed with families with lots of young kids.  Of note is the wall with all of the old Dairy Queen items.  The feel of the dining room is a bit more basic and open.

The other side of Melt is a large U shaped bar with another set of seating along the wall.  This gives the bar almost as much seating as the original Melt has with all of its seating.  Here the decor is more intense and diverse and mirrors that of the Lakewood location.  Plastic Dracula, snowmen and jack-o-lanterns are strewn about and thin screen TVs above the bar have sports and cartoons showing.  Little details are cool such as the old video game panels that line the top of the beer coolers.  All in all a good transfer of much of the atmosphere of the original along with its own unique feel. 

For those who know the location from when it was Peabody's or one of the other bars that were located there, they have filled in the floor and made everything into a single floor. 

Melt has a huge selection of beers, both on tap and in bottles, I will have to work through these over time.  It will be interesting to see how Melt ends up between bar and restaurant, the food is so good, but this will be a great place to just hang and drink.

So once I had finally taken it all in, I settled in and decided on my lunch.  The menu (which you can see here) has come over with no changes, which is a great thing.  The soup of the day is Dortmunder Mac and Cheese; after checking that it was vegetarian, I ordered a cup and was surprised to get a full mug of very thick, very good mac and cheese.  I would not call this a soup, as it was easily as thick as most mac and cheese that you can get.  The taste was wonderfully smooth, with some nice crispness from the scallions and the goldfish that came on the side.  The flavor was a wonderful combination of cheese with a bit of smoke and a hint of heat.  Over many visits to Melt, I have not been disappointed by the soups and chili.

My main choice was the Wake and Bacon with Avocado subbed in for the bacon.  The sandwich came out perfectly cooked with a huge pile of french fries and a side of sweet slaw.  The sandwich was a wonderful balance of fried egg, avocado and melted cheese between giant slices of bread.  A little hot sauce added to give some heat and this is one of my favorite sandwiches.  The fresh cut fries were nicely crisp and if anything better then what I get.  The sweet slaw was nicely crisp and well balanced.  A huge plate of excellent food at a reasonable price.

Despite the fact that this was only the second day of operation, and a more then full restaurant, the service was superb.  Chris the bartender who served me was knowledgeable about the food and the bar, was friendly and in a great mood.  Surprisingly, after getting used to having to wait for food at the Lakewood location, my food came out amazingly fast.  I wouldn't count on this happening, but even if you have to wait the food is more than worth it.

My first review of Melt in Cleveland Heights is very favorable.  They have managed to bring the fabulous food and excellent service, while retaining much of the fun atmosphere.  Right now it feels a little more divided then the Lakewood location, with the dining room area being a bit more family friendly and the bar side being a bit hipper and rowdier.  As long as they can manage the crowds and keep standards high, Melt East will be a huge success. 

I would recommend that you go give them a try, except that Melt is already very busy and I want to be able to find parking and get seated when I get the urge, so instead think about driving over to Lakewood and leaving the Cleveland Heights location alone.

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.

Melt - Lakewood's best

Over the Memorial Day Weekend I decided to take a ride through the Metroparks. Since I was going to Rocky River to start the run I decided to hit Melt on Detroit right in the middle of Lakewood. Now Melt has gotten quite a bit of attention and good reviews, and all of it is deserved. For those who haven't been there or haven't heard Melt is one of the best bar/casual restaurants in the area. The decor is old fashion corner bar with all kinds of funky hip decor. The walls are covered with Cleveland memorabillia, with a heavy dose of Cleveland sports teams. There are plastic figures on top of the bar, Dracula, the Easter Bunny etc. and there are a number of TVs which may be on sports or on cartoons, either way you win. The music is great rock and roll. The atmosphere is fun and friendly with a lot of humor. Once you get in and seated, which may involve a wait as the place is usually humming along, you are faced with the first of many hard choices, what to drink. Melt offers one of the best beer menus around, with everything from the regular suspects to beers I haven't seen before. You'll have about 20 draft choices, and a near endless list of bottled beers sorted by category and with plenty of information in the list. All seem to be reasonably priced and there are usually monthly beer specials, so you will have even more options. Now you will get to the menu. Melt bases it's menu around the grilled cheese sandwich. But not the little old ones we used to get in school, these have been elevated to works of culinary art. With a wide range of choices it is hard to go wrong. I have had the Mushroom Melt, the Lake Erie Monster (walleye), the North Coast Shores (Crab Cakes) and they have been excellent. It starts with thick slices of good bread, which are then stuffed with high quality ingrediants and your choice of cheese and then grilled to perfection. Served with a large mound of home made fries and a good coleslaw, this will fill up even the biggest appetite. Melt has taken the grilled cheese and made it king. In addition the menu has a number of appetizers (try the vegie chili another winner), salads and burgers. There is also a monthly special, this month it was the Big Popper. A heavenly combination of cream cheese, cheddar cheese and jalepeno peppers is sandwiched between two slices of killer french toast and served with a side of blueberry maple sauce. This all combines together in ways that will make your tongue sing. The sweet and hot contrast nicely, as does the gooey cheese with the crisp peppers. Served at a size that made me cry Uncle for $8.00 it was the best meal I have had all month. I do want to mention the servers. In the times I have been to Melt, the service has been excellent. The servers know the menu and can explain it to you. Plus they really seem to enjoy working there. This last visit, the bartender was rocking out to the classic rock tunes as he kept drinks filled, delivered and cleared plates and generally made sure that everybody was having a good time. Kudos. Melt is located at 14718 Detroit Road in Lakewood, next to Geigers. There is a small patio. You can check them out on the web at http://www.meltbarandgrilled.com/home.html

Noisy Oyster - Akron in the Valley

So I'm riding my motorcycle out through the Cuyahoga Valley National Park along the canal and looking for a place to get a quick lunch. Just as I hit Akron, I noticed a little bar in a small strip that has the interesting name of the Noisy Oyster and says fresh Seafood. So I figure why not give it a try. The outside is not terribly impressive, but inside the place is actually bigger then you would have guessed. A bar with a number of TV is on one side with a glass walled dining room next to it. Decor is nothing special, but acceptable. The menu is medium sized, but does offer a bunch of Seafood you wouldn't expect. I tried the Seafood Chowder and the Steamed Clams. Lets start with the Chowder. A Manhattan style, ie tomato based soup is loaded with small shrimp, fake crab and fish. And it is good. Thick with seafood and vegetables, there almost isn't enough room for the soup part. And nicely seasoned with just enough heat to keep it interesting. The bowl was not huge, but definitely filling and well priced at $4.95. The dozen clams came out on a metal platter with a bowl of butter to dip and a lemon wedge. The clams were nice sized, cooked very well and tasted just right. At $6.95 a dozen I thought this was a good value. I did see the guy down the bar get a dozen fresh oysters and they looked very nice, both in size and freshness. The service was good and friendly. Daily specials are available, and my new friend down the bar was saying the steak special was good. A good place to go if you are out in the Cuyahoga Valley and looking for a place to catch a nice bite and possible some libations at a reasonable price. I know that I will back to try some more of the menu. Noisy Oyster 1375 N Portage Path Akron, OH 44313 (330) 864-7500

Great Bar Food - Kirtland City Tavern

On Friday went to the Kirtland City Tavern for their all you can eat fish special. I've been there a couple of times before and the food is always good. KCT is located at 10015 Chillicothe Road (Rt. 306) in Willoughby, near the back entrance to Chapin Forest. From the outside it is a fairly nondescript bar, but the inside has a classic and authentic road house feel to it. Nothing fancy and plenty of beer signs, but it has the feel that these were collected over the years, not bought by some consultant. The menu is fairly extensive with the usual hamburgers, sandwiches, salads and some good Italian items (I have tried the Eggplant Parmigana and it is good). But where they really pack them in is for the daily specials. Friday is all you can eat fish. For $9.99 you get coleslaw, freshcut fries and fried fish with tarter sauce. The coleslaw is fresh and mild with a crisp bite. The fries are a bit limp but very tasty, but the fish is where this deal shines. Large filets of whitefish is coated in a medium batter and then fried to perfection. The fish was perfectly cooked with a very crisp, slightly sweet shell. Although the 3 fillets that came in the original portion should have filled me up, I had to get another since they were so good. I would call the Kirtland City Tavern a hidden gem, but they appear to be well known in their area with the place filled and a short wait up front for tables to clear. The service was good considering the crowd. Give them a try.