Zocalo–E.4th Street Yummy Mexican

E.4th Street downtown has become a culinary destination with some of the best restaurants in Northeast Ohio and a diverse spectrum of culinary styles and cuisines.  Zocalo holds down the Mexican cuisine aspect with well prepared and presented food, a classy décor and an unusual menu. 

Located at 2071 E. 4th Street, Cleveland, Ohio you enter Zocalo through the side door off of a small alley.  Once inside you find a very nicely decorated restaurant with a warm golden glow about it.  The decor is relaxed, but classy with a feeling that someone spent a lot of time and attention to create a welcoming atmosphere.  A circular staircase leads to the lower level, but we were seated in a nice table in the back corner.  The one downside of our location was there were several bachelorette parties near us so the sound level was a bit louder then I would have expected, but it was clear that people were having a good time.

The menu for Zocalo (which you can see here) offers a diverse array of both the familiar Mexican faves as well some more diverse representations of Mexican cuisine that we don’t usually see around here.  Noted Latin Chef Aaron Sanchez was brought in and his influence shows in the menu and how the food is prepared and presented.

We started with some adult beverages and the chips and salsa, which give a good indication of what is to come; the chips are fresh and hot and have a more tortilla like texture, the salsa is nicely balanced and has a bit of complexity with just enough heat to make it interesting.

I ordered the  Shrimp Tacos, which came out beautifully plated on a triangular plate.  Each of the 3 soft taco shells had a beautifully grilled shrimp skewers, sided by Tomatillio and mild Habenero sauces to perfectly compliment the succulent shrimp.  This was one of the best shrimp tacos I have had and definitely the classiest version I have ever encountered.  On the side were portions of a flavorful and moist Mexican rice and wonderful refried beans.  The beans were a bit of a revelation, clearly freshly made and with a deep and almost smoky flavor that makes you realize how wonderful a simple dish can be.

My friend ordered the fish special which was perfectly prepared and beautifully presented  on a black plate which made the bright vegetables pop.  The fish was tender and flakey with subtle seasonings that complimented the mild fish.  Accompanied by sautéed vegetables and  a nice portion of rice, this was a very pretty and satisfying plate of food.

Service was friendly, knowledgeable and good with the food coming out in timely fashion, despite the restaurant being filled. 

Although it may not get all of the critical raves of some of its 4th Street neighbors, Zocalo more then holds its own.  The décor is a significant step above most Mexican Restaurants, the food is excellent and unusual and the service is good.  Zocalo provides a very upscale experience at a reasonable price.  My only reservation was the noise level and it is hard to fault a restaurant for drawing large crowds and people enjoying themselves.  Definitely a place to check out if you have an urge to eat some South of the Border food, also it seems to be a great place for a celebration.

Cabanas–Just OK

I have often written about how I prefer local restaurants over the chains, generally the food is better and the atmosphere has a more genuine feel; then I run across a place like Cabanas in Mentor, a locally owned place that has all of the problems I have with chains.  Recently relocated to 9055 Mentor Ave., Mentor, OH 44060,

Cabanas has the potential to be so much more then it is a place with mediocre food and lots of generic Islands decorations. 

Cabanas has recently moved from another location in Mentor, so the restaurant was recently remodeled and as you would expect it has an Islands theme, unfortunately it comes across as a bit cheap and tacky, but not in the good dive place kind of way.  Rather it just feels like they went out and found the least expensive nautical and island decorations and used them. 

The menu (which you can review here) is described as American and Island cuisine and while it is heavy on fish and seafood it seems to be missing any kind of genuine Islands influence, especially since while there is plenty of grouper, shrimp and other seafood on the menu, nothing is at all exotic or unusual.  I would love to see some conch or some Island Chowder, but instead there are the usual Americanized versions of seafood.  

We started with the Coconut Shrimp Appetizer and while the shrimp were plump and nicely deep fried they were a bit sweet, especially if dipped in the orange mango marmalade that accompanied the shrimp.  The portion size was ok, but as I would notice throughout the meal the food was simply presented on the plate with no garnish.

For dinner I ordered the Fish Tacos, which were actually not Tacos at all; rather this was a flour tortilla wrapped around some grouper with a small serving of lettuce and some cheese then cut in half.   The lack of presentation was really bad on this plate as it was just the two halves of the wrap on a plate with nothing else; it looked kind of lonely and sad, with noting to make the plate appealing to the eye.  The fish was cooked alright, but there was nothing to indicate that it had the promised Caribbean spice and it certainly was as far from a fish taco as I have seen.  

Service was ok, but nothing exceptional and our server seemed to be learning the menu as she was going along.  The noise level was pretty high as the place was busy. 

My overall impression of Cabanas was that they have what I call PAF – perfectly acceptable food, but I look for more then that in a place I want to frequent.  There seems to be a lack of passion, like they are trying to create an atmosphere where as long as the food is OK, people will come for the excitement.  A few tweaks here and there, especially in how the food is prepared and presented and they could present a much better experience then they currently do.  Of course your mileage may vary.

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.

Nauti Mermaid - Warehouse District Dive

I've been meaning to check out the Nauti Mermaid in the Warehouse District for a while and luckily I was downtown on Thursday so I figured I would see what is up. Well I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. Usually I get an idea of the place from what I hear and the website, somehow I got the idea that the Mermaid was a nice little fish place, fortunately I was wrong. Located at 1378 W. 6th Street, Cleveland, Ohio (see map here), the Mermaid is a great little dive bar that serves up some good affordable seafood. Only one storefront wide the Mermaid has a shotgun feel with a bar on one side and a row of booths on the other. A couple more table sit in front of the small kitchen. The whole place is decorated in authentic sea stuff, with lobster traps, life preservers and even a pretty good sized boat over the bar. A bit dark and old, it feels like one of those authentic seafood shacks you only hope to find. Much more of a bar that serves food than anything else. I really like the feel and decor, but of course you mileage may vary. Since it was Thursday I was lucky enough to get the $1.50 fish taco special; you have to order a minimum of 3, but at that price you cannot beat them in this area. Also it being happy hour, I had them add a crab cake for $1. The fish tacos were excellent with fresh fried corn tortillas filled with grilled Mahi Mahi, with some tomatoes and a little lettuce and then topped with a wonderful chipolte sour cream. The fish was well cooked and flavorful enough to hold up to the toppings, with the sauce being especially good, just the right amount of heat to balance everything. While a bit messy, that is what you expect from fish tacos. The crab cake was nice and thick with good flavor and balance, if a little light in crab, but for the price one of the better ones I have had recently in this area. I should note that the remoulade sauce that came with it was really very good and complimented the crab cake nicely. Not necessarily an item that I would order off the menu, but certainly worth getting during happy hour. Service was very good by the bartender. Food came out within a reasonable time, although the Mermaid was pretty quiet, so during busy times it could take a bit longer. I was able to watch the food being prepared and it was nice to see things like the tortillas being fried fresh to order. The menu is pretty extensive, although I was told that they are changing it soon; you can check it out here on their website. I would strongly recommend the Nauti Mermaid if you are looking for a place to grab some good seafood at an affordable price or if you are looking for a place to grab some cheap drinks downtown. You should check out the daily specials and happy hour specials as they are great deals. I especially want to compliment the Mermaid on feeling authentic as a dive, they aren't looking to go upscale, they have found their niche and are fitting in it quite nicely.