I enjoyed the clambake at the CLE Urban Winery on Lee Road on Friday, October 16th. It was the 4th annual Clam Bake and Music Jam, but it was the first time I had heard about it. I purchase my ticket on EventBrite and invited a friend to join me. It was a cold and rainy night, but it was close to home. I struggled to find a parking space. I like the Cedar-Lee businesses, but hate the parking situation. I’d probably be there more often if it wasn’t such a pain. I parked at the garage and was happy to not get hit crossing the street in the pedestrian crossing. A pedestrian was hit and killed a few years ago, so it isn’t an unfair concern.
CLE Urban Winery brings the unique concept of a working winery and tasting room to the historic urban setting of the Cedar-Lee neighborhood of Cleveland Heights, Ohio. They don’t have a vineyard. Instead, the wines are hand-crafted and bottled on-site in our craft brewery-style winery and are made from premium grapes sourced primarily from the US west coast and branded to honor and celebrate the city of Cleveland. The winery is located in a 100-year old former auto repair garage in the Cedar-Lee neighborhood. It features bar seating, table seating and a few cozy couches. I’ve been there for a book group in the past and they have board games.
We were told dinner would be served starting at 6pm, and the live music would be from 7-9pm that evening. I arrived at 6 pm and easily found a table for two. My friend arrived just as they announced dinner was served shortly after 6 pm (she had told me she would probably arrive later at around 6:15). After she checked out the lay of the land (and perused the menu), we made our way to the back, checked in, and carefully carried our loaded plates back to our table.
The clambake was catered by Brennan’s Catering, and it was delicious! The clambake included:
- 1 dozen Rhode Island Narragansett Bay middleneck clams
- Lemon wedges and individual cups of drawn butter
- Brennan’s Signature baked half chicken
- Baked sweet potato
- Fresh steamed corn on the cob
- Homestyle cole slaw
- Dinner rolls and butter
- Clam broth (but I must haved missed it)
I did miss the clam chowder, which wasn’t included. Chowder is always a highlight for me so that was a bummer, but on the plus side I didn’t need a box for leftovers because I finished everything. The clams were really great and enjoyable to eat. They came loose from the shell easily. I doctored the sweet potato, corn and roll with the pats of butter before digging in. I loved the corn (fresh and juicy) and also enjoyed the chicken, which was moist and fell off the bone (the wing). I never have high hopes for the chicken, but this was good.
We also started a tab at the bar and enjoyed the Hometown Heroes Peach Chardonnay with our meal. I don’t normally like sweeter wines, but this wine was absolutely delicious (and not that cloyingly sweet) and I almost bought a bottle to enjoy later. I’ll probably pop by soon and buy a bottle of it, because I am still thinking of it! They have a lot of cocktails and mocktail choices that sounded good. The Black Cherry Rally Red also sounds delicious, and my friend and I are definitely going to be back to try it. My friend hadn’t been there before and really enjoyed it. I will definitely go back to try the Buckeye Blackberry Merlot Hot Chocolate when the snow flies. I do love their Frosé (frozen wine slushie) in the hotter months.
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We walked back to our cars together as I stared down a car that threatened not to stop while we were crossing in the pedestrian zone with the lights flashing. If you hit me I’ll do some damage 🙂 At that point it was 52 degrees and raining, and I was regretting not wearing a sweater or jacket. It’s definitely Fall in Cleveland. I drove home quickly in the dark and rain and made a hot chocolate to enjoy as dessert and warm up. I’ll definitely be back next year for their 5th annual clambake – and probably organize a game night there with friends soon. Let me know if you’d like to join us.
Contact info:
CLE Urban Winery
2180B Lee Road
Cleveland Heights, OH 44118
(216) 417-8313
