My dining out group went to AMP 150 last Thursday night and had such an enjoyable experience. My assistant organizer had been tweeting about his excitement in going there, so they were fully aware we were coming. Since he had tweeted his disappointment about his meal at Chinato the weekend before, Ellis (the executive chef) was particularly careful informing the waitstaff. The service was quite good with one exception, but the size of our group probably threw them off a bit. Lisa, our server, did a wonderful job waiting on us and had no problem giving us separate checks.
Chef Ellis greeted us before the meal and came out afterward to answer any questions.
AMP 150 is located in the Cleveland Airport Marriott hotel. It has to be the best “hotel restaurant” I have ever eaten at. My only complaint is that the front parking lot was filled with cars (most likely guests’ cars), and most of us had to park at the back of the hotel and walk around the hotel in the freezing weather. Valet parking would have been extremely appreciated, and I for one would have gladly paid for it. Especially since a single woman walking by herself in a parking lot in West Park can get a little nervous…
Glazed Chesapeake Bay Cod with bok choy, broken shrimp, edamame, and smoked onion broth
Braised lamb special with Chorizo and white beans
AMP 150 features local Northern Ohio “farming and culinary artisanship” so the menu changes regularly. They had two special “secret fan” meals on offer that night – a Facebook special with Velvet Mushroom soup, Glazed Chesapeake Bay Cod with bok choy, broken shrimp, edamame, and smoked onion broth and the warm chocolate cake and the Twitter special with the Velvet Mushroom soup, braised lamb with Chorizo and white beans, and a Lemongrass Crème Brulee.
We started the meal by ordering an order of the sweet soy and peanut chicken wings with house-made kim chee and the spicy chicken wings. I was expecting more peanut flavor from the chicken wings, but they were indeed delicious. The housemade kim chee was not overpowering like kim chee usually is. I used to work at a Korean printing company in Germany and the smell of kim chee usually permeated the building since they worked and lived there. I enjoyed this version of kim chee.
Sweet soy and peanut chicken wings with house-made kim chee
Fried apple pie with Jeni's honey vanilla ice cream
AMP 150 offers small plates and entrees, so there are enough choices to fit everyone’s budget and palate. I had a really hard time deciding. I ended up choosing the Facebook special. The Velvet Mushroom soup was creamy and delicious with a slight hint of smoke. I would order it again on its own if given the choice. The Glazed Chesapeake Bay Cod with bok choy, broken shrimp, edamame, and smoked onion broth was a good choice for a low-fat meal (I’m on Nutrisystem, so I need to be good most of the week). The cod was flaky and the broth and vegetables were hot and delicious. The warm chocolate cake was served with a scoop of Jeni’s Double CoCo ice cream. Anyone who has ever tried Jeni’s Ice Cream would know that it is simply divine. The double coco could become a new favorite. It was rich and creamy and oh so chocolatey.
Milk chocolate pana cotta with salted caramel ice cream and malted hazelnut shake
The chef also sent out several items for us to try, including the braised lamb with farro risotto and celery root and the Fried Apple Pie with Jeni’s Honey Vanilla Ice Cream. Both were divine. The braised lamb had sold out by the time we ordered, but they had saved a portion for us to try. Ellis explained to us that he serves a cut from the neck of the lamb, so it was flavorful and moist due to the ribbons of fat. The fried apple pie was amazing. I think I might have liked it better than my warm chocolate cake.
Chicken Paillard Sandwich with mixed greens, lemon herb vinaigrette, Brie cheese, and white truffle aioli
However, the real star of the night was the Milk Chocolate Pana Cotta with Jeni’s Salted Caramel ice cream and Malted Hazelnut Shake. I have eaten desserts in Europe and the U.S. and have never had such a delicious dessert. It was creamy and chocolatey, but not too overpowering. Simply divine! I cannot wait to go back and order it again.
When I do go back (and it will be soon – my assistant organizer went back the next night!) I may just have to order the Chicken Paillard Sandwich with mixed greens, lemon herb vinaigrette, Brie cheese, and white truffle aioli or one of their delicious-sounding burgers to ensure I have room for the Pana Cotta. I can’t recommend AMP 150 enough, and I really hope you give it a try soon.
Contact info:
Amp 150 Restaurant & Bar
4277 W. 150th Street
Cleveland, OH 44135
(216) 651-9474
Disclaimer: the really great, close-ups were taken by my assistant organizer. The other (lamer) photos were taken by me. I will be buying a Canon as well soon, so expect to see better, more artistic photos here very soon.
Posted by jillsommer 
But I stopped at 
She sells lots of baked goods there, including chocolate chip cookies, rice krispie treats, fudge and homemade pies (I saw pumpkin, apple walnut, mixed berry and blueberry when I was there), as well as apple cider, apples, homemade jelly and preserves, pumpkins, and several kinds of candy for the kids. Not to mention the homemade wreaths, crafts, decorative corn stalks, and gourds. The pumpkins are gorgeous and are available in all sizes and colors (I’d never heard or seen cotton candy white pumpkins before). The variety is amazing.
The 
ere recently, and we enjoyed a lovely meal together. There were lots of different sized tables, ranging from dinner for one to a large family gathering that took up two whole tables, which seat 6-7 each.
salad and fresh baked rolls, breaded chicken, roast beef, mashed potatoes with gravy, stuffing, seasonal vegetables (we enjoyed corn), and dessert (which can be anything Jo Ann chooses, but this night we had the date & nut pudding). The dinner includes coffee and iced tea. No alcoholic beverages were served, but honestly we didn’t miss them.
The food is served family style, which means the food is served in bowls at the table which you then pass around the table. The meal was absolutely delicious. The baked chicken was moist, the roast beef was tender, the rolls were soft and fresh, and the mashed potatoes were smooth, creamy and delicious. But the big hit at our table was the stuffing. Fresh stuffing studded with chunks of celery, so you could tell it was homemade. We couldn’t get enough of it!
After dinner we were served coffee (both decaf and regular) and the aforementioned date & nut pudding. As you can see, the pudding was the consistency of a British pudding rather than the creamy pudding we usually associate with the word ‘pudding.’ The vanilla sauce was almost too sweet and I found myself working around it and just eating the pudding and the whipped cream. But it was delicious, just like everything we were served that night. Simple, yet delicious.
Clam bakes (or as we in Cleveland spell it – “clambakes”) originated in New England, but Cleveland has taken the clambake and embraced it as its own fall tradition. Many restaurants advertise their clambakes in the Plain Dealer and online, but if you ask me the best clambakes are the ones thrown in someone’s backyard. A clambake is a traditional method of cooking seafood over an open fire pit on the beach. The seafood is often supplemented by sausages, chicken, potatoes, onions, carrots, corn on the cob, etc. The food is layered, with lots of vegetables like celery, parsnips, onions, peppers, corn husks, etc. and herbs as flavoring.
My best friend and her family have a clambake every year, and my parents and I really look forward to it. Invitations go out in early September, and payment is due about a week ahead of the clambake (so that they can order the right amount from one of the many Cleveland catering companies that sell clambakes). The company they use is 
They also offer a “chicken bake” alternative, because several people don’t like the taste of clams and two of the attendees are extremely allergic to shellfish. Since everything is boiled together in a pot, that means everything might be potentially life-threatening. As a result, they grill chicken breasts and make separate corn and sweet potatoes for the “chicken bakes.” It’s a lot more work, but it does work out in the end. They also try hard to keep the chicken bakes and clambakes separate.
Once it was determined that the pot contents were ready, the pot was removed from the burner and deconstructed. First, the seasoning vegetables were removed and set aside. Then the chickens were removed and browned in a large skillet over the same burner. In the meantime, the sweet potatoes and corn were transferred to serving platters and the clams were kept in the pot to stay warm. Everyone was encouraged to line up and help themselves.
There is always a bonfire roaring in the backyard, and folks congregate around the fire. There are also rousing games of corn hole and baseball in the backyard – and some years they blow off a cannon.
I love Brazilian steakhouses. Brazilian steakhouses feature skewered cuts of meat grilled over a wood burning fire and sliced into thin, succulent pieces (churrasco) and served to you continuously at your table from skewers. They also feature an all-you-can-eat salad bar. When you want some meat, you flip the table-side card to green and when you need a break you flip the card to red. My first experience was in Cincinnati at Boi Nai Brasa. As a beginner I had no idea what to expect and filled up on its truly outstanding salad bar and barely had any room for the delicious grilled meats.
you can eat your fill of prime rib, filet, chicken and lamb? Dinner starts off with a selection of appetizers and a trip to the salad bar. The salad bar features 40 different salads, vegetables, seafood and pastas.
they are offering. When you would like a piece, they slice off a generous portion and you use your tongs to transfer it to your plate.
When I told my father I ate at the Tremont Tap House he exclaimed, “That used to be Pukach’s. Your Uncle Barney lived in the house behind it.” You see, my father grew up in the Tremont area and tells me all kinds of interesting stories about when he was a kid. GIs home from World War II used to rent rooms in homes and would hang out at the corner bars because they missed the company. They would also congregate at the Lincoln Park Bath House, because their rooms did not have modern bathing facilities. 
They would sit outside and used to give him a dime to run next door for a pack of smokes and a bucket of beer when he was 8 or so. This kind of stuff fascinates me, so I am really tempted to take him to the Tremont Tap House with me the next time I go, which will hopefully be soon.
The food was divine. I had a tough time deciding what to order. I ended up ordering the Salmon BLT on marble rye. It was delicious. The fries that accompanied it were thick and perfectly seasoned (you can see them peeking out from behind the sandwich).
Everyone thoroughly enjoyed their meals. From the macaroni and cheese with dried figs, rosemary and brie (for our vegetarian, but it was so good I will probably order it next time!) to the seared sea scallops with white truffle oil and mushroom risotto or smoked ham and turkey sandwich with brie and cranberry relish served on raisin walnut bread (Thanksgiving in a 
sandwich) and small plates like blackened scallops with red onion jam, blue cheese and walnuts to beer cheese soup and side salads, there was something for everyone. The fried egg burger with Swiss cheese and carmelized onions was a particular hit. The group had a discussion about how to best order the burger to bring out the flavors, with the quote “It is very important to me that it be medium rare.”
The service was a little slow, but they had another large party upstairs, which I think overwhelmed them. The mac and cheese, which was ordered after we had all ordered by one of our late-comers, was comped without her asking because she had such a long wait for it. One of the dining out members, who wasn’t able to join us and tried it separately, now claims it is one of his favorite restaurants in Cleveland to bring guests or just relax and watch a game.