Fifty Six West - Lakewood Eclectic

This is the first of my Groupon deals that I have used and I am glad I did.  In this case, I got a $20 coupon for $9; using the coupon was easy, I gave it to my friendly server when I was seated and ended up not even seeing a check, all I had to do at the end was leave a tip.  Nice, easy, a very good deal and about the only downside was I may have had too much food.  You might want to give Groupon a try, they will email you a different deal each day, you just look until you find something interesting.  If you want to try it the link is here.

56W is located in two small storefronts on the corner of Detroit and Westlake Avenue, with the address being 16300 Detroit Avenue (Map is here).  The small brick building has a nice light blue awning over the door, with the 56W logo.  Once inside you find two nice clean rooms, with the majority of the tables in the dining room on the left.  The decor is modern and comfortable, the word that came to mind for me was tidy.  Tables are clean with a limited number of condiments.  Overall the feeling is relaxed and comfortable. 

The menu is an interesting mix of items, with 5 basic proteins served up as salads, sandwiches and large plates.  Add in some interesting appetizers and sides, plus some unusual sauces and you have an mix of the familiar and the exotic.  I found the food to be very good quality and well prepared.  Items are dominated by one or two major flavors, but those are usually interesting.

In this case I thought the food was very very good, especially for the price, but each item seemed like a small tweak here or there could have moved it up to excellent, this may just be my taste, but with a place this good you want to see them take the next step.

I started with a cup of the Veggie Chili which was one of the two soups available.  For $3 the portion was nice, but could have used some crackers of some kind on the side.  The Chili itself was more of a cross between a regular chili and a vegetable soup; a slightly thickened chili was loaded with vegetables and made a nice hearty start to the meal.  As chilies go this had a nice flavor, although a bit one note and definitely milder then I prefer.  A couple of shots of hot sauce woke it up, but I could have used some kind of meat substitute to make it feel like a real chili.

Next up was the fried pickles appetizer and this was the highlight of meal.  I received a very nice portion of dill pickle wedges beer battered and served with a nice dipping sauce beautifully presented in a modern white bowl.  I have been wanting to try fried pickles for a while now and if this is a what I can expect, I will have them more often.  The slightly sweet beer batter were nicely fried and wonderfully set off the salty flavor of the pickles, added to that was the nice contrast between the texture of the batter and the cooked pickles.  I might have cut the pickle slices a bit thicker so that there was a better balance with the batter.  I did not detect the hot spice that the menu promised and found the red curry dipping sauce to be nice, but nothing special.

My main course was the Seared Tuna sandwich with a side of sweet potato fries.  The tuna were two thin pieces of tuna, seared on the grill and stacked on top of each other with Asian Slaw and a Wasabi Mayo.  The tuna was well cooked, and still moist which was impressive since it is easy to dry out on the grill.  I think the sandwich would have been better with one thicker piece of tuna, which would allow for a sear while keeping the center rare.  Also a marinate before cooking could have deepened the flavor of the fish.  The Wasabi Mayo seemed to be concentrated in a small portion of the sandwich,with a couple of bites having a nose clearing blast and the rest having no Wasabi flavor; I would think making the mayo a bit milder and spreading it more evenly would solve this.  The slaw was crisp and mild, but I didn't get any flavor profile that made it Asian.  The side of sweet potato fries were excellent, with a nice sweetness and a very good and slightly spicy homemade ketchup.  I did not detect the promised chili rub on the fries which would have been a nice contrast.  For the most part the food presentation was nice and modern, but I had no idea why they stuck a big steak knife in the tuna sandwich; I could understand if I had gotten the steak or if the sandwich was so bit it needed to be cut to be eaten, but neither was the case here.

Service was friendly and attentive and it was clear that my waitress knew the menu well, which is always appreciated.

I would give 56W a strong recommendation, this is a place to get some flavorful high quality food at a reasonable price in a relaxed atmosphere.  This is a place that highlights one or two unusual flavors for each item, while not always delivering the punch the menu promises, they still do better than most places in the area.  I have been a bit more critical in this review, because I think 56W has such great potential and is so close.  I look forward to getting back and trying more of the menu.

Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream - Columbus Delicacies

So the weather was good on Saturday and I headed down to Columbus on the motorcycle to check out the motorcycle superstores and to try Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream.  I saw Jeni's on Food Networks The Best Thing I Ever Ate and I have to say that it ranks right up there with some of the top ice creams I have had.

For those who don't know Jeni's, it is a local Columbus ice cream chain that has 5 locations and is making some excellent ice cream with quality ingredients in unusual flavors.  I stopped at the Dublin, Ohio store which is located in a nice corner space in the heart of the historic downtown.  The shop is clean and crisp, feeling like a modern dairy.   The flavors are a bit more adult and sophisticated then most ice cream places, and if you go to the website here you can see the flavors available.  The guy behind the counter was incredibly friendly and helpful and willing to guide me through the flavors and supply plenty of small tastes to help.

Overall, the Ice Creams I tried were excellent, they had a good texture and the flavors while fairly aggressive were well balanced with subtle characteristics and some clear thoughts of the aftertaste.  I would almost compare the flavor compositions to that wines and the descriptions seem to have that feeling.  To give Clevelanders a reference for comparison, comparing Jeni's to Mitchells Ice Creams, Jeni's is a bit more subtle and balanced, where Mitchells Ice Creams tend to be close to overload in sweetness and fat content, Jeni's manages to taste really good and have a wonderful texture without being excessive.

Now to the flavors, first the couple I tried but go for the full scoop: the Thai Chili packs a real spicy wallop that hits you right up front and lingers a bit, tasty but a bit intimidating and the Dark Chocolate which packs a rich smooth Chocolate flavor and dense consistency, but was a bit more one note then the other flavors.  Now the three flavors I picked (pictured above): the Queen City Cayenne, a rich chocolate with a bit of spice then the heat builds on the aftertaste; this was a unique ice cream for me and the heat plays well with the chocolate, I finished this one first to allow the other mellower flavors to cool my palate.  Savanna Buttermint with white chocolate pieces, the richness of the butter flavor works to temper the strong mint flavor which might otherwise be overwhelming, the white chocolate flakes add a lushness and extra punch to the flavor; this was a great counterbalance to the spiciness of the Queen City.  Finally the Salty Caramel, which has a wonderfully mellow caramel that pops from the salt and then ends with a very mild burnt sugar aftertaste; this was probably the most surprising I tried since the actual flavor profile should be simple, yet they managed to make a complex and satisfying flavor profile.

Cones or dishes are $3.75 for 2 flavors, $4.25 for 3 flavors and $4.75 for 4 flavors.  While the portions are not huge, given the high quality local ingredients and unique flavors, this is well worth the price.

I will visit Jeni's again when I am in the Columbus area, plus , Miles Market does carry Jeni's Ice Cream, unfortunately it is very expensive there.  If you have the chance and are looking for something different and a bit more adult in your ice cream, I don't think you can go wrong with Jeni's.

Pizzazz On the Circle

The end of Passover always means one thing, we can eat bread and pasta again after a week of avoiding them, so a group of us headed over to Pizzazz on the Circle to celebrate.  Pizzazz has been around for quite a while, located in Shaker Heights, nestled into Fairmount Circle, right across from the entrance to john Carrol University, Pizzazz is a good solid Italian restaurant.  (The location is mapped here).

The decor of the dining room is a nice simple combination of comfort and modern; simple wood is set off against warm colors with clean fixtures and modern art prints.  Once seated, service is friendly and efficient even with a larger group.

The menu (which you can see here) is fairly standard modern Italian cooking, with an emphasis on Pizzas, Calzones, Pastas and other Italian favorites.  I ended up ordering the Eggplant Parmigiana dinner, which is a nice portion of fried eggplant topped with some Marinara Sauce and melted cheese and sided with Penne Pasta in more of the same sauce.  The dinner was good, but not great.  The eggplant was sliced pretty thin, which meant that much of the meatiness was lost and the flavor was a bit subdued.  The sauce and cheese were added at the end, so that while they contributed, this never came together into a harmonious whole that is usually better then the sum of its parts.  The penne was fine, and the sauce was ok, a bit light on spices for my taste, but bright and slightly sweet.

The big seller at my table were the Calzones, which were well received and nicely sized, both the small sized.  Probably a good idea to go for the pizza or calzones as they seem to the specialty at Pizzazz.

Overall, Pizzazz is a very nice Italian pizzeria, with pretty good food at decent prices, a very nice location and decor and good service.  What I think it lacks is the actual pizzazz that its name implies, I don't think you will be blown away by Pizzazz, but you will get a nice meal.

Parkview Niteclub Sunday Brunch

A couple of months back I told you how much I enjoyed the Parkview Niteclub (full review is here); I just wanted to post a short update since we stopped by recently for Sunday Brunch.  On Sunday from 11:00am - 3:00pm, Parkview serves a limited Brunch Menu (you can see the menu here).  I went for the Crab and Aspargus Scrambler, which was fresh Asparagus and imitation crab with eggs over english muffins with a Champagne Creme Sauce.   The portion was nice and everything was well cooked, with the Sauce being especially bright and flavorful.  The hashbrowns were nice sized cubes of potatoes which had a good crisp exterior and soft fluffy interior.  My impression was that the food was very good and the portions were fine, with the items a bit overpriced, but made worthwhile due to the creativitiy of the chef on the sauce.  Overall, not a bad place for Sunday Brunch, but probably not worth making any special efforts; I am much more likely to go back for the regular menu than the bruch.

Chinese Buffet Price Wars in Mentor, Ohio

If you are out in Mentor near the intersection of Mentor Avenue and Heisley Road and need a lot of food at a cheap price you might want to take advantage of the prices being offered at two nearby Chinese Buffets that seem to be in a price war (map of the area is here).  I have tried both and while neither is outstanding, they do offer pretty good food and right now the prices are low.

First up is Great Taste Buffet at 9440 Mentor Avenue, just East of the intersection.  Great Taste is the larger buffet with more variety and a slighly nicer decor.  Prices are currently $4.99 for Lunch and $7.99 for dinner.  The front section of the restaurant has several buffet stations set up and the overall food quality is better than most of the Chinese buffets I have tried recently.  Most of the food is well cooked and pretty well seasoned.  The highlight for me was the homemade dessert custard pies.  Decor is pretty standard for this type of place, a bit flashy and starting to get dated, but you don't come for the ambiance.

Phoenix Buffet is at 9354 Mentor Avenue just West of the intersection in a storefront set back from the street.  Phoenix is much smaller and has less of a variety, but is offering the buffet for $3.99 Lunch and $4.99 Dinner.  The buffet is a single long line in the middle of the space, but they manage to squeeze in a good variety of good food.  The highlight here for me was the small fried shrimp with a spicy coating, nicely fried and with a nice zip they were a real treat.  The food is actually pretty flavorful, it might be that having to produce a smaller variety of items allows them to do a better job.  The decor here feels a bit old and very generic, but it is hard to beat the food you get at this price.

My recommendation would be in favor of Phoenix, but that is more for the price then anything else.  The food quality is about the same, flavor slightly favors Phoenix, but variety and decor favor Great Taste.  Either way this is a good way to fill up without spending much money.

The Lancer Steakhouse - Cleveland Institution Returns

The Lancer Steakhouse has been through a lot, but continues to serve up good food at affordable prices.   For those unfamiliar with Lancer, it has been a Cleveland institution for over 50 years.  Located on Carnegie between E.77th and E.78th it has been the center of one of the only real areas of activity between Downtown and the Cleveland Clinic for as long as I can remember.  Lancer is one of the favorites of many of Cleveland's professional athletes and the African-American community.  I have personal history with Lancer, as when I was a young kid, my father had his office in the small strip of shops across the street, so when I would come down to put together catalogs for him, Lancer's was there and already well established.

Recently Lancer's burned down and even worse, due to tight money, the owner had let the insurance lapse, so what came next was up in the air.  I am happy to say that Lancer's has reopened across the street from its former location (the space that had Angie's Soul Cafe) and they have plans to rebuild on the original sight with a new and bigger restaurant.   So I figured I would check them out in their temporary quarters at 7804 Carnegie Ave.
(map is here). 

The outside is nothing special, a plain brick building with some nice front windows, a small lot sits next to the entrance.   Once inside you see that the space is relatively small, but clean and neat with a slightly upscale feel from the red tableclothes covered with white.  During the day, the windows let in lots of light, making the place feel inviting.  While I was there the flat screen over the bar area was showing college basketball.

Lancer's menu (which can be seen here) is pretty straightforward with meat and seafood well represented.  I choose to go with one of the $5 lunch specials, the perch sandwich; you can also get a burger, chicken or catfish sandwich for the same price.

As you can see, what I got was two very nice pieces of ocean perch, lightly floured and perfectly fried with coleslaw and french fries.  While there was a single piece of wheat bread underneath, this is not so much a sandwich as it is a great lunch.  The fish was excellent with some spiciness in the coating and then expertly cooked; it was tasty and really well prepared.  The coleslaw and french fries were both good and everything came out fresh and flavorful. 

Lancer's is a great place to get good wholesome food at reasonable prices.  It will be interesting to see what will come next with the new building, keep an eye out and consider stopping by the next time you are passing by.  Lancer's has a webpage at www.thelancersteakhouse.com and a facebook page at this link.

Update on Watami Buffet and Wendy Park

Just wanted to drop in a quick update on Watami Buffet in Parma (the full review is here); I dropped by this Saturday lunch with my new little brother and have to say that I was impressed.  I had liked Watami before, but I actually think that it has improved since then, which is especially impressive for a buffet.

The decor is still the same, nice and clean in the Japanese style, the upkeep of the place looks very good as the dining room and buffet areas are neat and clean with no signs of wear.

The buffet seems to have improved a little bit, with a bit more variety and an improvement in food quality, especially on the hot side.  Part of this may have been being in when they were busy, but the hot food was well prepared and tasted very good.  Even some items that I found lacking were much better, such as the tempura shrimp were far better.   The sushi side was still pretty good, with the emphasis on combination maki rolls, but the fish seemed fresh and while still not real sushi bar quality, this is a good deal for the money.

I do have to mention that I was especially happy to see that they have added the small custard pies that I usually get at Dim Sum to the hot line as a desert item, so that was a nice suprise.  Overall Watami has held up well and actually slightly improved its food quality; while still not at the level of a real Japanese Restaurant, it is one of the top buffets I have tried in the Cleveland area and certainly a good value if you are looking to fillup on Japanese food at a reasonable price.

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I wanted to also mention that I stopped by Wendy Park on Whiskey Island later in the day on Saturday.  With the weather warming up, I managed to get the motorcycle out and headed downtown to check out this new park at the mouth of the Cuyahoga.   For those unfamilar with this park it is a nice little potential jewel that came about mainly through citizen action and some generosity from Ed Hauser.  You can get more information at the website here.  The park is a work in progress right now, but it does have some spectacular views of the Cuyahoga, the old Coastguard Station and Downtown Cleveland.  I have included a couple of pictures I took, but you can see more at this link.

Mandarain Seafood Buffet - OK Chinese in Twinsburg

I have a confession to make, I have a weakness for Chinese Buffets; fortunately I have managed to mostly avoid them the last couple of years mainly due to the fact that they generally aren't that good and the price has been creeping up.  I recently got a $2 off coupon for Mandrain Seafood Buffet in Twinsburg so I figured I would give it another try.  Mandrain is located at 2695 Creekside Drive in Twinsburg, close to the 480 exit at Darrow Road (map is here) and right next to the Gander Mountain. 

I have been to Mandrain quite a few times in the past and very little has changed, which is both good and bad.  The decor is a modern look, but it isn't at all distinctive or original, its fine but certainly not something that is really noticeable.  About the most interesting thing is that the buffet tables are in the middle of the space with seating areas on either side.  The lunch buffet was $6.50 which I thought was acceptable because of the coupon. 

Lets start off with the items that fall on the good side of things.  They have a seafood soup which is usually very tasty, nicely complimented by the crisp and colorful shrimp chips.  The shrip toast was flavorful and not overdone as it often has been in the past.  The vegetables such as the peapods and green beans were nicely cooked and had good flavor.  Although a close call, the sushi which is set up at the sushi bar at the back of the buffet is good by Chinese buffet standards; it has decent flavor and while not a great assortment there is enough variety to make a nice plate.  I would like for more seasoning in the sushi rice to compliment the seafood, but overall pretty good with the best thing being the handrolled crab salad rolls. 

The medicore is where most of the food I tried fell.  Things such as the fried shrimp, the rice noodle dish, the crab salad, the fried rice and most of the other items were ok, although lacking much flavor.  I enjoy Chinese and most other Asian foods because of the unique and different flavor profiles, unfortunately Mandrain and most other Chinese buffets I have tried in the area tend to make the food as bland as possible to appeal to a broad swath of the population; I understand this, I just don't have to like it.  Desserts for the most part fall into this as well, with some flavor, but not enough to make it worth the calories.

Finally I have to mention the really bad, which were the shrimp in the Seafood Trio, they were very bad with no flavor and either a rubbery or mealy texture depending on the shrimp.  I realize that having certain items on a buffet makes it hard to get the cooking exactly right, but I have had shrimp on enough buffets to know that it is possible to get them right and these were not anywhere near that.  Especially disapointing when you consider this is suppose to be a seafood buffet and the only shrimp in the steam tables were these and some overly sweet batter fried shrimp. 

Finally a word about service, while I don't expect a lot at a buffet, the waitress went by me for about 5 to 10 minutes before asking what I would like to drink and the only way I could get my check was by standing up and putting on my coat; not a good peformance at all.

The bottom line is that while there is a pretty good variety at Mandrain, most of the food has little flavor or distinctiveness.  There is a sushi selection, but no make your own Mongolian grill like some buffets.  I probably won't be back to Mandrain unless something major changes, but your mileage may vary.

Groupon and other Deals

As you may have noticed, I am a big believer in some of the discount deals that you can find, especially with the economy the way it is.  I have subscribed to the Cleveland feed for Groupon and have already made a couple of purchases, Luxe and Cafe Tandoor (which should have reviews once I get out to check them out) and the Cleveland Rock Gym.  Groupon (link is here) is an interesting concept, they only have one offer each day and it is only available for that day.  The offer is only good if a certain number of people buy it, but I haven't seen that being an issue.  The offers are usually for more than 50% off of a service or gift certificate to a restaurant or store in the area.  A couple of things I really like about it, once the deal goes through and they process your order, you just download the pdf file and then print it out, so no mailing, no waiting, other then they usually require you to wait at least 1 day to use the certificate.  There are no additional or handling fees, the price listed is what you pay.  They have featured a nice and interesting array of local businesses, no national chains so far.  Once you sign up and give them an email, you will get daily emails in the morning so you can keep up with what is being offered that day. Definitely worth checking out at this link. 

You might also want to check out the sale going on at the WNCX website, where they are offering a bunch of $50 certificates for $15.  There are some additional fees and you have to read the terms of each offer carefully, but there are some good deals here and I have used this to get some really good food at a discount.  The link for the sale is here.

Give these discounts a try and let me know what you think.

La Mexicana - Tremendous Tamales

I was out East this weekend, so I figured I would check out this Mexican Grocery I had heard about in Painsville (credit to www.eatingcleveland.com). Located at 170 E. Washington Street, Painesville, Ohio (map is here), just a couple of blocks from the Painesville town square, this is an easy place to overlook, but worth finding. The store itself is cramped and well stocked with Mexican foods, so if you need some specialty items, this is a place to check out. Right near the door, are some large pots with lids, inside are tamales; you will have to ask what is in each pot since there are no signs. On the Sunday I was there they had Pork with Red Sauce, Pineapple, and Cheese and Green Sauce. I went for a couple of the cheese tamales and picked up a couple of baked goods in the nearby display case. The prices were excellent, with tamales at $1.50 each and the baked goods at $.60 each. If you are not familar with tamales, they are made of masa (corn flour) made into a batter and then filled with ingredients, rolled in a corn husk and then either steamed or boiled. The results can be spectacular and this was certainly the case with the tamales I tried here. Although at room temperature, the tamales were excellent, the masa dough perfectly cooked to have a soft texture and wonderfully subtle corn flavor with just a hint of natural sweetness. The cheese was good, but what made the tamales was the green sauce; it was hot and spicey, but still well balanced and flavorful. The sauce perfectly set off the milder flavors of the masa and cheese to make a lip smacking package of goodness. The baked goods were nice, although the portions were very large for the price; I had a soft bun topped with a cinnamon topping that reminded me of the Asian desert buns I have had. I also tried a nice white cake with a nice frosting. The baked goods were well balanced and a little less sweet then most of what we get around here which was a very nice change. In addition to the market there was a very small restaurant up front, which looked to be serving very authentic and cheap Mexican food. La Mexicana is well worth checking out, especially if you are in the Painsville area. If you have not tried tamales or are a real fan, then you should really check them out; although I think the tamales are only available on weekends. Yet another culinary adventure without going too far.

Notes - Triple D, Melt, Rachel's, Angie's and Lancer

Just wanted to cover a number of different topics. Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives on the Food Network finally aired the piece on Melt; it was a very nice segment and the place came off great, although I think they could have shown more of the feel of the place. If you get a chance catch it. Also Melt is coming along with their Cleveland Heights location, so look for an opening in the next couple of months. My mouth is watering at the idea of them being just a couple of miles away; YEEHAW!! Unfortunately it looks like Rachel's Caribbean in South Euclid has closed, the sign is down and there is a small sign in the door for a new place that will be taking over the spot. Rachel's was a great place with excellent food and a nice friendly staff, it will be missed. Angie's Soul Cafe (see review here) has moved closer to downtown at 3894 Superior Avenue. Haven't been down to check out the new location but as long as the food is still the same it will be worth a trip no matter where it is located. Taking the spot that Angie's vacated at 7804 Carnegie Ave is the Lancer Steakhouse which got burned out of its original location across the street. Lancer's has been around seemingly forever, I remember that it was there when I was a kid and my father's material handling business was right across the street. Lancer's is a mainstay of the neighborhood and very popular with our professional athletes. You can get more information at their facebook page here. I will try to get down and give a full review.

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.

Ohio City Burrito - Funky Mexican

Over the weekend I headed out to the IX Center to check out the Motorcycle Show, overall not bad, but was a bit disappointed that there was no BMW display. On the way home figured I would stop in Ohio City and check out the new Tanqueria. I have a soft spot for good cheap Mexican and ever since Que Tal folded, I have had to head out to Oberlin when I got the urge (see Agave Review here). Ohio City Burrito is located at 1844 W. 25th Street, Cleveland, Ohio 44113 (map is here). Just a small storefront with a small patio area out front, but the skeleton holding a burrito certainly seems promising in an offbeat manner. Inside is a narrow shop set up with tables up front, with the counter in the middle and a walled off prep kitchen in the back. The decor is funky Mexican with warm golden brown walls, a white tin pressed ceiling and just enough decor to make the place look inviting. The large front windows let in a lot of light and the promise continues. The menu is quite simple and straight forward, even for this type of place, a meat burrito, a veggie burrito, tacos, taco salad, nachos, chips and salsas. The meat items come with a choice of chicken, beef or pork, but I of course went for the veggie burrito. I ended up with a big burrito stuffed with both black and refried beans, rice, veggies, sour cream, guacamole, lettuce, cheese and salsas. A nice touch is that items such as the fajita veggies and the guacamole are included in the price, where some places charge extra. The burrito was very tasty and well balanced, although a bit milder then I would have expected based on the medium salsa, although I was of course able to spice it up with hot sauce. The guacamole was fresh and had the right mild taste and umami feel. The refried beans were especially good, with a warm earthy taste without being overpowering. The rice was moist and mild to allow a nice base to the burrito. About the only thing disappointing were the fajita vegetables, which were OK, but could have used some more carmelization and probably a bit more salt. What I ended up with was a very good meal at a reasonable price. While not quite as memorable as the burritos from Agave or Que Tal, OTC provides a very good product at a good price. This is a major upgrade over what you would get at Chipotle or any of the other Mexican Chains and hopefully OTC will do well.

La Strada - E.4th Bistro

A while back I picked up some discount gift certificates from one of the local radio stations and the one for La Strada on E.4th Street in downtown Cleveland was going to expire at the end of the month so I headed down to check it out. La Strada is the sister restaurant to La Dolce Vita in Little Italy (see review here). Located about halfway down the very happening E.4th Street, the outside is relatively plain, although there is room for a nice patio in the summer. Once inside, which was too dark to get a good picture, I found a very elegant room with a balcony over the bar and the back half of the room. Decor is very nice and upscale without being too formal, a bit dark but a good feeling room with some very nice touches. I got there at the end of lunch, so the place was quiet, but I did get very good service at the bar and the food was exceptional. I ordered off the lunch menu (you can see the menus here). I ordered the Calamari Valencia and the Pesto Omar, unfortunately they have taken the risotto off of the lunch menu, because I was looking forward to trying it. The Calamari was excellent, a very nice portion of squid, lightly battered and then pan fried so that they were tender and flavorful; the tomato sauce with some sauteed squash that topped the dish had just a hint of heat to add to the flavor experience. I would rate this as one of the better calamaris in town. The Pesto Omar is described on the menu as an errorless dish and it was very close to meeting that high standard. The bowtie pasta were cooked al dente and then topped with a wonderful complex pesto sauce. The pesto was excellent, not oily and not coarse, which can be a problem with a pesto. This was earthy and rich tasting, the kind that you have to sop up the sauce at the end. The portion was large for a lunch serving, although probably right for the $12 price. Lunch came with a couple of slices of excellent crusty bread and butter, which is always welcome. The dinner menu is similar to the lunch with some items, such as pastas and entrees going up in price, while others such as the appetizers seem to stay the same. La Strada is a very good place to hit if you are downtown and looking for some excellent food presented in a happening atmosphere. This would be a great place for a romantic dinner and considering the portions and the quality of the food, the prices are not too bad. I may not hitting La Strada regularly, but it is a great place to keep in mind for the right dinner.

Parkview Niteclub - Fieri Find

Part of what inspired me to start C-Town Eats was watching Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives on the Food Network; Guy Fieri finds restaurants around the country and spends some time in the kitchen and tasting the food. The places are usually a bit funky and the food is homemade and usually in big portions. Not too long ago Guy finally hit Cleveland and taped some segments at local places; Melt (see my review here), Geraci's (long time Eastside Italian), Lucky's Cafe in Tremont, Momoco in Ohio City, Frank Sterle's Slovenian Country House on E.55th and Parkview Niteclub. I had a passing familiarity with all of them except for Parkview so I took a look at their website (located here). I had not seen the episode, but saw online that Parkview smoked their own Salmon (video link is here) so I had to try it out. Looking for a place to have a casual dinner with a couple of friends on Saturday, this seemed like a great opportunity, so we headed west and had a great meal.

Parkview is located at 1261 W.58th Street in Cleveland, a couple of blocks North of Detroit Ave. and not far from the Gordon Square neighborhood. Parkview is on a corner where the neighborhood ends and has a view of the Lake and Downtown; the outside is a classic Cleveland neighborhood bar with a brick first floor and a wooden second story. A little alcove out front serves as a wind break for the couple of steps up to the front door.

Inside is even more of a classic Cleveland dive bar feel. A large wood bar covers one wall with a good sized dining room spread around a small dance floor. The decor is old school eclectic with enough stuff to keep you looking for quite a while. One interesting new touch is the electronic frame with pictures from Guy's visit on the middle of the bar. The overall feeling is casual and friendly.

After ordering a couple of draft beers (and Parkside has a nice selection of drafts) we took a look at the menu (see here) which has some great items and variations from the typical bar menu. We decided to start with the fried asparagus and they were sensational. As you can see from the picture they come arranged on the plate with the dipping sauce in the middle. The asparagus were wonderful with a very crisp but thin batter that acts as a perfect

isp but thin batter that complimented the fresh vegetable, then dipped into the chipotle ranch sauce they were a wonderful mouth sensation. The sauce had a wonderful hot and smoky taste that perfectly complimented the asparagus. About the only thing I could think to complain about is how quickly they disappeared off of the table.

Next up were the entrees, I had the Caesar Salad topped with the smoked salmon and it was excellent. The Caesar Salad was a very nice sized portion with a very good dressing; the real surprise was the Salmon. Hot smoked and served hot, the portion was quite large and very flavorful. Instead of the delicate flavor I am used to from Lox, this fish tasted more of cooked salmon, but the smoke flavor came through, especially as it cooled off. This was one of those exceptional meals that got better the more I ate of it. Dan went with the Smoked Salmon BLT which was a very large piece of the salmon served on a Ciabatta Roll with bacon. Dan said it was excellent and mentioned that the mayonnaise tasted especially good. Paul had the Walleye sandwich which was also very good. Prices were very reasonable and we had a great time. Parkview is a real find and worth the trip, this is a neighborhood bar that serves up exceptionally good food at bargain prices. Add in the funky atmosphere, some good bands on Wednesday and Saturday nights and I will be heading back to try more of the menu. Not only do I recomend it, but Guy Fieri does as well.

Mi Pueblo - Authentic Mexican

A friend of mine was back in town visiting and we spent a couple of hours cross country skiing at Chapin Forest in Kirtland (website is here), which is the best place I have found locally with really nice groomed trails, affordable rentals and a great staff. After finishing we felt like Mexican for lunch and neither my friend or I had been to Mi Pueblo in quite a while, so we hopped on the highway and headed to University Circle. The restaurant at 11611 Euclid, Cleveland 44106 (see map here) is the second location of this very authentic Mexican restaurant which started on Lorain Avenue. The University Circle location is a nice converted steakhouse with a narrow bar upfront by the windows and two larger dining areas decorated in very nice Mexican style, resulting in a nice Catina feeling. Although a bit dark, the atmosphere is upbeat without being over the top. My friend mentioned that when he was single and lived in the area, Mi Pueblo was one of his regular date places and I can see where it would be a fun place to hangout and get to know somebody better or just have some big Margaritas. Once seated we were quickly served with chips and two salsas along with the carrots, onions and jalapenos. The green and red salsas were good and very flavorful and a little milder then I remembered, which is good because they used to be pretty hot. The vegetables are one of my favorites, with the carrots picking up enough heat from the jalapeno and getting a little bit of pickling result in a wonderful slightly sweet, a bit hot and crisp combination. Despite the heat, the carrots disappeared quickly leaving only a lethal looking jalapeno. As always, small free food is always appreciated, but it is even better when it tastes this good and it cleans off the taste buds so that everything tastes more vivid. Mi Pueblo is noted for having some of the most authentic Mexican food in this area. At lunch there is a separate menu with some very good deals. My friend had the Pollo en Mole Poblano, the chicken in mole sauce (I did like the suggestion to get pictures of the food, but I missed out since we were hungry) which he said was very good. I had the Shrimp Fajitas, which were good, but not great. I should have known better and gone with the Chile Rellenos, which have usually been among the best in town. While nice, in this case the Fajitas were pan sauteed and therefore missing the wonderful sear you get from the high heat pan. The shrimp were nice, although the bell peppers were cut a bit larger then anything else. As I said, not a bad dish, but not up to what I usually expect from Mi Pueblo. Although the dinner menu has gotten a bit expensive, the lunch menu has some very good buys, especially when you consider the high quality and wonderful tastes. While not everything is spicy, be careful, since when something is spicy it can be very hot. Mi Pueblo is one of the best Mexican Restaurants in Northeast Ohio and it is good to see that they are keeping things going. I will be heading down for lunch again soon. Give them a try.

La Pizzeria - Little Italy's Newest

During this year's Feast of the Assumption in Little Italy, they were handing out coupons for La Pizzeria, which was suppose to be open by Fall 2009; well it has taken a bit longer then that, but it is finally open this week. Located at 2188 Murray Hill Road (the corner of Murray Hill and Cornell) (see map here) across from the Baricelli Inn, they have taken the corner space that used to be a gallery and transformed it into a nice little spot to pick up some reasonably priced good food. Walking inside you will find a nicely set up small space with four tables and a service counter. The old space nicely mixes the old such as the tin ceiling with modern fixtures and a green and red paint scheme to provide a warm inviting feel. The place is obviously set up for mainly takeout and delivery, but eating at the shop is just fine. The menu is based around pizzas, calzones, subs and gellato with some salads, wings and pastas thrown in. The prices are reasonable and while nothing seems terribly innovative or new, if done well this kind of food is very popular. I had a small mushroom pizza and was very pleased. Cut into 6 slices the pizza was excellent with a thin crust that was turned up at the edges to make it seem almost deep dish. The crust was probably the highlight of the pizza, with a good crisp to the bottom and a very pleasant flavor, no flavorless bread here. The sauce was a nicely balanced tomato sauce, with a fresh tomato flavor that complimented the pizza. The cheese mix covered the pizza nicely and had just the right cheesy bite from the provolone mixed with the mozzarella. The overall pizza worked well together, it was cooked just right with all of the elements coming together well. I probably should have waited on the first piece, since I had a bit of a cheese slide, but once everything had set the other pieces were no problem. There is a gellato case up front, but it will be a little while until they have any to serve. La Pizzeria is an interesting idea, but seems to duplicate a lot of what is available in the area; put this up in Beachwood, or Shaker instead of in Little Italy and it would be fairly unique. As it is, this seems well set up to appeal to the neighborhood and to the Case Western Reserve students, but has a lot of direct competition. They seem committed to high quality food at a reasonable price, here's hoping they succeed and thrive.

What About Bob's - Sub Shop Supreme

Willoughby we have a real sub shop! What About Bob's may be the question, but the answer is that this is one of the best and most affordable sub shops in Northeast Ohio. Bob's is located at 38233 Glenn Avenue, Willoughby, Ohio (map is here), just off of Erie Street in downtown Willoughby. It is easy enough to miss, but you should make extra effort to find it. Located in a little storefront, you have a long counter with the menu above and a bunch of extras underneath. The dining area has a bunch of patio furniture and one flat screen TV on the wall; overall the look is clean and simple, but you come for the food, not the atmosphere. The menu (as you can see to the right) lists a nice variety of subs, wraps and a couple of salads. If you don't see what you want, ask; after I inquired they did have tuna subs available even though not on the menu. Pricing is easy and cheap, a small sub or wrap (12") is $3.99, a large sub or wrap (24") is $6.99 and salads are $1.99 and $3.99. You might want to check out the sides and accouterments, since I found them to be reasonably priced, something I usually cannot say for most takeout places. The sub I got was excellent, one of the best I have had and easily better then any of the chains that litter the landscape. The bread is great, a crispy loaf that is a little smaller then some places, but gives just the right texture and base for the sandwich. The tuna was good, light in the mayo with no unnecessary add ins. The cheese was a shredded provolone with a nice cheesy bite. Topped with lettuce, tomato, onions, some very nice hot pepper slices and a very good sweet dressing the whole was better then the sum of its parts. I will warn that the biggest problem was that the sub was overflowing, but that is what should happen with a sub. This was a just about perfect balance with the crusty bun setting off the crisp vegetables with the sweet dressing and bite of the cheese and peppers. Bob's delivers in a very big way; they have excellent food in big portions at cheap prices; add in that it is local and you couldn't ask for much more. The perfect cure for the chain sub shops, this much more a throw back to what sub shops used to be. I would very strongly recommend that you head out to Willoughby and try What About Bob's for yourself; I don't think you will be disappointed.

Gamekeepers Tavern - Chagrin Falls Mainstay

Some family were in town for a Bar Mitvah and so we decided to go out to Gamekeepers in Chagrin Falls for lunch. Gamekeepers is located near the falls at 97 West Street, Chagrin Falls, Ohio (map is here). Gamekeepers has been around for quite a while and seems to have hit on a winning formula. The restaurant is made up of a number of rooms all decorated in classic American outdoors; lots of fishing and hunting decor, the feeling is casual, but in an old fashion way. The menu at lunch runs from $10 to $15 and is made up of classic American fare (a PDF of the menu is here). I had the Grouper sandwich and it was very nice. Two fillets of the fish were battered and perfectly deep fried. Served on a bun with lettuce tomato and a good tarter sauce it perfectly hit the spot. The chips that accompanied the sandwich were a little disappointing in that they seemed to have come out of a bag and not even one of the upscale kettle chips at that. Everyone else enjoyed their meals as well. I did want to mention that it was a real pleasure to have a waiter who actually seemed to know the menu and was able to answer questions and make suggestions. In addition, when he was not sure of an answer he went back and checked (bacon in the chowder and the answer was yes). Gamekeepers offers well prepared American fare in a nice setting without a lot of fuss or muss; it serves up quality food in nice portions. If you are looking for cutting edge or fancy presentations, this is not the place; however if you are looking for a place to deliver a good meal in a comfortable atmosphere, put Gamekeepers on your list.

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.