Jill (@bonnjill)

Accent on Euclid Avenue

Accent recently opened on Euclid Avenue, just before the entrance to Lakeview Cemetery. It is owned by SASA’s Scott Kim, and as soon as I read about the Robata Grill and Josper Oven, which flash-cook meats and vegetables leaving them perfectly cooked yet flavorful and deliciously moist, I was intrigued and knew I needed to check it out as soon as possible.

As the Accent website explains, “Often thought of as Japan’s best kept cooking secret, the Robata Grill reaches temperatures of 1,000 degrees ensuring a crisp, outer texture without overcooking the food on the inside. This cooking technique produces the most tender and moist vegetables and meats. … The Josper Oven, originated in Spain, combines the traditional oven with the characteristics of charbroiling. Kim chose to bring this method to Accent as it reaches the perfect temperature using the highest quality charcoal, ensuring rich and textured flavor is preserved without any charring.”

Like Crystal at East*Drink*Cleveland, I usually avoid new restaurants to allow them to find their groove and work out the kinks, but I simply couldn’t wait this time. The fact that it is so close to my home was definitely a deciding factor. You can see the warm and inviting red glow from the street. The egg-shaped dining room is modern yet inviting. Word of warning: I had trouble finding the front door. It is closer to the Uptown plaza center than the valet stand. It had been a pan-Asian week for me that week, having enjoyed a banh mi and pho at Saigon Grille for lunch and the SASA happy hour for a late dinner on Monday, dim sum at Emperor’s Palace on Wednesday and then Accent on Thursday.

I ordered a hot green tea to warm myself up along with a Rosemary Lemon Drop to start and followed it up with an Uptown Cosmo. The Rosemary Lemon Drop was good, but I preferred the Uptown Cosmo. The Lemon Drop was a little sweeter than I expected, having honey vodka in it. The Cosmo was more my style, even though I normally don’t order Cosmos. My friend E. ordered the overflow sake, which was served in a bento box on a saucer to catch the “overflow”. It was a unique and whimsical menu addition.

Chef Michael Lyon recognized E. (who had already been there 3 times, but this was the first time since it had opened), and sent out some complementary kim chee as a welcome. Normally I’m not a fan of kim chee (I worked at a Korean printing company for a bit in Germany where there were several batches marinating every day, I would come home smelling of kim chee), but this kim chee was delicious. Kim chee is a traditional fermented Korean dish made of vegetables with a variety of seasoning. It is traditionally a quite spicy pickled cabbage and other vegetables like daikon, all brined in salt, flavored with herbs, garlic, ginger, and often liberal amounts of red chili peppers. The pickled vegetables in Accent’s kim chee were light and fresh and not as spicy as some I have tried. I enjoyed it, which surprised me.

We of course had to order an order of the addictive SASA fries. The fries did not disappoint, being nice and crisp yet soft inside with a nice flavoring from the seasoning and rosemary. My favorite sauce is the orange dipping sauce. I always manage to finish it off before the fries are gone. Yum!

We asked to order off the lounge menu, because we wanted to try the small plate grilled items from the Robata Grill. Luckily our server was very amenable. I cobbled together a delightful meal from the various small plates. I started off with the Pork Broth with Vegetables, Beef and Brown Rice and a side of Shrimp Yakitori skewer. The menu said you could add any Robata item for $2, but I think the server misunderstood and charged me full price. I wasn’t going to quibble over $4, so I didn’t bother mentioning it. It certainly didn’t detract from my experience. In any event, I LOVED the ramen. The broth was extremely flavorful, and the vegetables were deliciously fresh. I felt very healthy for having ordered it. The shrimp yakitori was perfectly grilled, and the four shrimp on the skewers had a wonderful grilled taste to them. In fact, the heat from the grill had fused them together pretty well.

My friend B. ordered the Accent Crudo, which features tuna, hamachi, and salmon, off the dinner menu and let us try it. It is Accent’s version of ceviche, which is raw fish marinated (aka “cooked”) in lemon or lime juice. Crudo is the Italian version of sashimi: raw fish at the peak of freshness, dressed simply with olive oil and lemon. The fish was was very light, bright and fresh and not at all “fishy”. I will definitely be ordering this next time! I’m a sucker for a good ceviche, and this one did not disappoint!

I also knew I had to order a turkey rib (not pictured, because my photo didn’t do it justice), having read about it on Crystal’s blog, and even if I hadn’t come in knowing I would order it my friend E. had also insisted we all order one. It was divine. The meat was tender and nice and smoky. Most importantly it was deliciously moist. The “rib” is actually the collarbone, and it definitely got me in the mood for Thanksgiving.

We knew we needed to finish our meal with the s’mores. The s’mores feature four marshmallows that have been skewered, rolled in chocolate ganache and graham cracker crumbs and then blasted in the Robata. Chef Lyon invited us back to the kitchen once the rush had died down, and we were able to roast our s’mores over the Josper Oven. It was extremely hot (obviously), so we were very careful not to accidentally burn ourselves and not to have the melted marshmallow fall off the skewer.

Chef Lyon explained that they leave the Josper Oven on all night, moving the coals from the Robata to the oven to keep them warm. The temperature in the oven falls to 300 degrees overnight, but quickly fires up again in the morning. He proudly showed off his kitchen, and we tried as best we could to stay out of the staff’s way. He talked about wanting to possibly add a raw bar, and we were able to give him some suggestions that might be fun to see implemented. I can’t wait to see what he does with the place and really hope it succeeds in this up-and-coming district. Now that MOCA is open, be sure to pop down the street afterwards and enjoy their happy hour or tapas, lunch or dinner menus. We left pleasantly sated – but not too full – and looking forward to our next visit. If anyone wants to meet me there for Happy Hour just say the word!

Contact info:

Accent Restaurant
11460 Uptown Avenue (Euclid)
Cleveland, Ohio 44106
(216) 721-8477

Luna Bakery

Whenever I want to give myself a little treat I stop by Luna Bakery and buy myself a ham and Swiss croissant and a coffee. Luna Bakery is located on Fairmount just after the intersection with Cedar. It is located a door or two down from The Mad Greek (it’s on the end so just turn into the parking lot behind the stores). Luna Bakery IMAG5004 has proven to be so popular that they have already expanded seating to accommodate the throngs of people. This is a great place to meet some friends for coffee and pastry or enjoy one of their outstanding crepes (I recommend the Nutella and banana crepe, but any of them are a good choice).

One of my friends who is a particularly picky eater swears that their cheddar herb scones are one of the best things she has ever ate. One particularly popular breakfast item is the Nest Egg (a sunny egg nested in semolina toast topped with cheddar (ham is optional) – an egg-in-a-hole with a twist), but be sure to get there early because they stop serving it once breakfast hours have finished (11 a.m. on the weekend).

The pastry counter has lots of good choices. They offer a gluten-free / flourless chocolate cake, tarts, and raspberry bars, and their whimsical sugar cookies puts smiles on the faces of children and children-at-heart.

But my favorite treat is the ham and Swiss croissant. It is exactly like the ham and Swiss croissants I used to buy in Germany. The ham and cheese is rolled up in the croissant dough and gets all crispy and melty. It’s divine. But get there early. They usually sell out really quickly. A ham and cheese croissant and a cafe au lait can really brighten up my day. They are also available at The Stone Oven on Lee Road.

Contact info:

Luna Bakery Café
2482 Fairmount Boulevard
Cleveland Heights, OH 44106
(216) 231-8585

Clambake at Alfredo’s at the Inn in Mayfield

Alfredo’s at the Inn is an Italian restaurant located in the Holiday Inn in Mayfield. It’s not Amp 150 in the Marriott, but it is a very good hotel restaurant, which is always nice to see. My friend loved the carved 16th century antique desk just outside the entrance, and the pumpkins lining the hallways were whimsical. The metal shelves lining the wall when you walk to the hostess station filled with bags of chips and the coolers of soda and bottled juices were a little disconcerting though. I felt it kind of detracted from the ambiance of the restaurant.

The restaurant itself has very good ratings on Urbanspoon and Yelp, and I had initially heard about it on the local food program 3 Squares. I’ve been meaning to schedule a dinner with my dining out group here. When I read in the FR!DAY magazine that they were offering a clambake on Friday and Saturday nights in late September and October I knew I had to check it out. The clambake is $23.95 a person and offered a lot of food and value for the money.

The parking lot was fairly full – as was the restaurant when we arrived at 7:30 this past Friday night. Despite that, my friend and I were quickly shown to a table and given menus and water. Even though I knew what I wanted I read through the menu and was thrilled to see they serve Beef Braciole. Not many restaurants serve braciole, which I came to appreciate several years ago at a friend’s aunt’s house the night before my first 3-Day walk. When our waitress came to the table to greet us we ordered wine and the clambakes.

While we were waiting for our wine someone dropped off a basket of warm Italian bread and whipped butter. The bread was really good – crusty on the outside and soft on the inside, and we each had our own containers of butter. Our waitress quickly brought out our first course – a cup of New England clam chowder and creamy coleslaw. The coleslaw needed some pepper to season it, but it was quite good. The clam chowder was hot and delicious, with visible chunks of clam.

The bake itself came out on a HUGE platter and included a dozen steamed middle neck clams, a half of a chicken roasted with rosemary and garlic, grilled corn on the cob, and a baked sweet potato as well as a container of melted butter. Being middle neck clams, the clams were a little chewy but very flavorful. A couple of them were gritty, but I feel that just shows that the clams are fresh. If they were in ice water for a while (or too long) they wouldn’t be gritty. The roasted chicken was fall-off-the-bone tender and moist. I love rosemary on chicken, so I was very happy. The corn on the cob was perfectly cooked – not mushy or hard, but just right. It had some nice char marks from the grill on it. The sweet potato was good, but that is never my favorite part of a clambake.

We had some trouble flagging down our waitress after our food was delivered for more water, and even more trouble getting her to bring us the bill and cash us out. If she had bothered to ask us if we wanted dessert I would have probably ordered a chocolate covered strawberry. Not because I was still hungry, but because they looked amazing in the refrigerated case when we walked in. I can’t wait to come back and try some of the Italian entrees and the amazing-looking desserts. If the food tastes half as good as it smells I won’t be disappointed.

If you love a good clambake and don’t have any friends hosting one at their home, Alfredo’s is a nice alternative. They’ll be featuring their clambake through October.

Contact info:

Alfredo’s at the Inn
780 Beta Dr
Mayfield Village, OH 44143
(440) 449-4833

Sokolowski’s University Inn

Sokolowski’s is a Cleveland institution. My father used to eat there all the time with his co-workers from Richman Brothers, and I grew up hearing about his lunches at Sokolowski’s, Sterle’s and the Hofbräuhaus. I finally got a chance to check it out for myself about ten years ago and have been a fan ever since. I was craving comfort food this afternoon, so I called some friends and we headed out to Sokolowski’s. We got there at around 11:30 to avoid the lunch rush, and got in line just in time because Lolly the Trolley let off a big group there just behind us.

Established in 1923, Sokolowski’s University Inn is one Cleveland’s oldest family owned and operated restaurants. Specializing in Polish and Eastern European cuisine, this Cleveland institution has been feeding its bratwurst, kielbasa (my dad’s favorite), pierogi, stuffed cabbage, cabbage and noodles, chicken paprikash, etc. to its customers for over 87 years.

Food is served cafeteria-style. There is always a crowd, but don’t worry – being cafeteria style the line moves fast. You line up, grab a tray and silverware and work your way down the line. I couldn’t help but start dancing when I grabbed my tray and heard the polka music. The first stop is salads (as well as beet salad and a delicious cucumber-dill salad) served on ice and saran-wrapped pies and cakes, followed by alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages either from bus tubs or the fountain (and they offer several beers on tap – today they had my favorite, Reissdorfer Kölsch on tap for $5 for a pint, but I went with their ‘house’ brand grape soda). After that you are confronted with the hot foods. Every lunch and dinner is served with a roll, so they have a sign telling you to take one. You have to be quick with your order because they move quickly. Hot food is constantly being brought out from the kitchen behind them. All lunches and dinners come with two sides, and they don’t give you a lot of time to think about it. Some of the available sides include pierogi, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, green beans, and cabbage and noodles. You can also order soup and/or sandwiches (which come with a pickle and potato salad). Friday lunch and dinner features lots of fish choices – as well as mac and cheese.

Have a heart for those behind you and try to pay in cash if you can. It keeps the line moving. They have a $10.00 limit for credit cards. They have guys waiting at the cash register to carry your tray and escort you to a table. Normally I ask to sit in the room with the piano player. Tom “Mr. T at the Keys” Ballog plays during Wednesday through Saturday hours. It adds a nice ambiance to the meal. Dad also taught me to unload your tray onto the table when you sit down so they can quickly reuse them, but I don’t know if that is necessary anymore.

My choice today was the fresh bratwurst with a side of pierogi and corn. The woman behind the counter gave me corn and green beans. When I corrected her she slapped some pierogis on a plate for me and told me to tell the cashier (who is one of the owners) that it was a mistake. Well, I didn’t have the heart to do that and paid for the pierogis extra. They’re worth it. But you do need to be vigilant at the counter, because they managed to screw up each of our three orders somehow. In the end I was really pleased I had the corn and green beans (if you are a fan of canned green beans you will be thrilled. Yes, yes, when it comes to green beans I have no taste…), because I walked out of there this time not feeling overloaded with carbs. Sokolowski’s can be quite carb-heavy, as my friend who had the pierogi lunch with potato pancakes and mashed potatoes and gravy can attest. He ended up boxing half of his meal and bringing it home.

Since this is a Cleveland food blog, let me just talk about the pierogi for a second. Sokolowski’s pierogi may be small and only come filled with mashed potatoes and cheese, but they pack a flavorful punch. They are served in a pool of melted butter and sautéd onions. I dripped some of the butter on my t-shirt today and can still smell the onion and butter as I type this. About a year ago I did a taste test, going to Babushka’s Kitchen one night and Sokolowski’s for lunch the next day. I ordered the same thing – stuffed cabbage and pierogi. Babushka’s Kitchen’s pierogi are bigger and there are a lot more choices to choose from, but Sokolowski’s won my heart hands down. Babushka’s definitely gives them a run for their money, but you just can’t beat the flavor of Sokolowski’s pierogi. But for the record, Sokolowski’s stuffed cabbage blows Babushka’s away. It isn’t even a contest in my book. It may not be haute cuisine, but it tastes just like my Ukrainian grandma used to make it.

I had enough room for a bite of the coconut cream cake, which is one of my favorite desserts there (if they don’t have the rice pudding). It looks really heavy, but you wouldn’t believe how light and airy it is. It’s like biting into a cloud of moist cake, whipped cream and coconut. I also had a bite of my friend M.’s carrot cake, and it may have replaced the coconut cream cake in my favorites list. Whatever your dessert favorite, be it rice pudding, cherry, apple or blueberry pie (or whatever other flavor they have), chocolate cream pie, coconut cake, or carrot cake, you won’t go wrong grabbing it at the top of the cafeteria line – even if you have to box it up and bring it home with you, which is what I usually do.

Friday nights I can highly recommend the meatloaf. The slice of meatloaf almost hangs over the plate and has a nice tomato-chipotle glaze. One of the best meatloaves I have ever eaten in a restaurant. IMAG0602

The Innerbelt Bridge project has made it a little more difficult to find it, but the long line at 11:30 shows that it hasn’t killed business. Coming from the east, we got off at the Abbey Avenue exit, took a left on Fairfield Avenue, turned onto W. 11th and pulled into the parking lot on Abbey. Luckily there were signs to Sokolowski’s with arrows that we could follow. Sokolowski’s has directions on its website, but they should only serve as a guideline. If you head to Parallax and South Side you’ll find Sokolowski’s. And I promise it’s well worth the extra aggravation.

I had been debating between Slyman’s and Sokolowski’s today, but Slyman’s sandwiches are $11.00-12.00 and my bratwurst lunch with two sides at Sokolowski’s was $8.00. Sure, I paid extra for the cake, drink and side of pierogi, but I was very happy with my decision to eat at Sokolowski’s. Slyman’s will be there another day. Sokolowski’s is open Monday-Friday 11 am – 3 pm and Friday and Saturday from 5 pm – 9 pm and 4 pm – 9 pm respectively.

Contact info:

Sokolowski’s University Inn
1201 University Rd
Cleveland, OH 44113
(216) 771-9236

And did I mention that Anthony Bourdain ate here for his show “No Reservations”? The website also features Michael Symon talking about Sokolowski’s pierogi in “The Best Thing I Ever Ate.” Like I said, it’s an institution…

Danny Boy’s Pizza

IMAG2849 — Veggie Tortilla Pizza appetizer

I have a new favorite pizza place. I have been hearing about Danny Boy’s Pizza since I lived on the West Side of Cleveland. It opened in Rocky River in 1991. I used to confuse it with Danny Boy Farmer’s Market in North Olmsted, which I used to drive by all the time on my way to work from Olmsted Falls to the Baker’s Square on Lorain Road in North Olmsted. I have been meaning to try the place forever and simply never got around to it.

Well, I heard they opened a new location in Broadview Heights, and my best friend and I finally went there to check it out last night. My friend M. is a total mac-n-cheese freak, so when I told her about their mac-n-cheese pizza I knew she would be up for driving there with me. The location in Broadview Heights opened in mid-August in the longtime home of Pipers III, which closed its doors earlier this year after nearly 40 years in business. I’ve eaten at Pipers III, and I can’t tell you how happy I am to hear a restaurant closed. We used to have the annual meeting of our local translators group there, and I found the place really stodgy. They’ve done a nice job renovating the place. It barely resembles Pipers III – and that’s a good thing. The atmosphere inside the restaurant is casual. Lots of tile and booths and tables. A wood bar divides the more ‘formal’ dining area from the bar area. The walls are are covered in posters, fake road signs, etc. all featuring Rat Pack memorabilia. The voices of Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra and Michael Buble croon over the speakers. I immediately felt comfortable.

IMG_20120925_194713 — Downtown Mac-n-Cheese Pasta Pie

The place was packed for a Tuesday night, but we were shown to a table immediately. The parking lot was still packed when we left an hour and a half later. Danny Boy’s is definitely thriving at the location, and their take-out business is also quite healthy.

IMG_20120925_194743 — The Clevelander Pie

The menu is enormous and features 150 items. I jokingly asked the waitress how long it took her to learn all the items on the menu, and she half-jokingly replied that she was still learning them. I had a hard time deciding on just one item, so I opted to order two small pizzas and bring them both home with me. Also, it should be mentioned that the servings are enormous. You’ll be bringing food home with you even if all you ordered was one of their subs. The plates were groaning with food. The menu features salads, subs, calzones, pizza and pasta as well as some really unique appetizers and even appetizer pizzas. Not to mention ribs and burgers…

I ordered a glass of Chianti, and M. ordered a glass of white wine to go with our meals. I started off with a side salad – and gave M. one of the enormous breadsticks so I wouldn’t fill up too quickly. The breadstick was light and airy and had a nice garlicky/parmesan taste to it. I quickly regretted the decision to give the second one up, but only for a brief second when the table next to us got their subs.

M. ordered the mac-n-cheese pizza and added onions and mushrooms to it. The mac-n-cheese pizza comes out topped with crispy kettle potato chips. The Downtown Mac-n-Cheese features macaroni covered with a Danny Boy’s three cheese blend topped with “kettle chips for a creamy and crunchy delight!” The pizza was amazing. The mac and cheese on its own would have pleased M., but putting it on a pizza crust and topping it with potato chips really elevated it to something special. Carbs on top of more carbs, but what a meal! It was delicious flavorful, and I was happy that M. shared a slice with me. She was THRILLED and can’t wait to come back and get it again.

IMAG2853 — Summer Wind Shrimp with spaghetti instead of angel hair pasta

I in turn gave her several slices of my pizzas to take home to her boyfriend, who was working that night. I decided to order The Clevelander, which is a mixture of a Chicago-style deep dish and a thin New York-style pizza. If I had been in the mood for a more traditional Italian pizza with red sauce I would have been more than happy with this pizza, which is one of their award-winning pizzas.

As it was, I was in the mood for something lighter, so I also ordered the Chicken Fold Over. When I was a young girl my family would occasionally order a chicken fold over from the local pizza joint in town. The Danny Boy’s chicken foldover was just as good, if not even better, than Uncle Al’s in Olmsted Falls. The fold over features cubes of breaded chicken breast and pizza cheese baked golden brown and topped with crisp lettuce, tomatoes and cool mayo. I was in heaven, and had several slices of it this morning for breakfast.

With the salad and one slice each of the pizzas I went home full and happy. I can’t wait to go back and try some of the other choices – including the Spin Dip Pie, which features spinach and artichoke dip topped with kettle chips, and the Polish Pierogi Pasta Pie, which features a buttered crust with onions, green peppers, pizza cheese, Polish kielbasa and potato & cheese pierogi. How very Cleveland of them…

Danny Boy’s has been so successful that it has locations in Boardman, Broadview Heights, Canton, Chesterland, and Sandusky in addition to the flagship restaurant in Rocky River.

Hodge’s Cleveland

in-memoriam-graphic

I’ve been a fan of Chris Hodgson since he started the food truck Dim and Den Sum, so I was very much looking forward to trying out his brick-and-mortar restaurant downtown, which took over the space formerly occupied by Zinc Bistro. The space is very inviting (especially the patio), but we were seated in the back room to avoid the heat of the day. We were there in early July, so the menu had some spring and summer features on it (yes, I realize I am behind on my posting…).

Our waiter was impressively knowledgeable about every ingredient in every dish. I had several vegetarians with me, and he was able to bring out a veggie-friendly serving of tater tots and warn them if they were ordering a supposedly vegetarian entree that used beef stock (for example). I was really impressed!

We started out our meal with several servings of those delectable tater tots (I used to seek out the food truck just to get some of those tots!) followed by a piping hot skillet of corn bread. As expected, the tater tots were crisp on the outside and creamy and moist on the inside. The addition of bacon and cheese was a really nice addition, and I may or may not have taken advantage of the fact that I was the only non-vegetarian on my side of the table and eaten the whole thing by myself. The corn bread was moist and delicious as well, with just a hint of kick to it. I love a good corn bread and slathered my slice with lots of butter.

I just had my appendix out a little over a week ago, and I think I was having a pre-appendicitis bout that day because my appetite had disappeared at that point. I decided to go for something small and light. I ordered the pea soup as a starter and the lobster corn dogs for my main. The pea soup was amazing. I love a good pea soup, and this one did not disappoint. The pea tendril and garnish added to the freshness of the soup. I wish I had twice as much of the soup, because I could have eaten it forever. It was absolutely delicious!

I wasn’t as thrilled with my lobster corn dogs, which came served with chipotle aioli, “tarter” sauce, smoked apple and red pepper jam to dip. I don’t know what I expected, but it wasn’t what I expected. They were good, but didn’t wow me. The corn dogs were lacking in spice, and I think most of the flavor came from the dipping sauces. I ended up taking them home. I’m going to blame my lack of appetite though. At that point I wasn’t feeling well, so it probably wasn’t the food.

The next time I go I will definitely order the gnudi or the fried chicken. I had bites of each, and they were absolutely delicious. My friends also raved about the French Onion Ravioli (ricotta and gruyere ravioli, french onion reduction, parsley, and gruyere croutons) and the 6 Veg (potato shards, cumin roasted carrots, stewed greens, roasted cauliflower, snow peas, and brussel sprouts). Everyone I was with raved about their food.

My friend M. was the only one to order dessert, which was delicious. She chose the coffee ice cream and Chef’s “chow” and ate every last bite. It was really good – in fact all of the desserts sounded wonderful and unique, so try to save room for dessert when you come here.

I was actually looking forward to getting the bill, which is served on a silver platter in an envelope labeled “The Damage.” Just another way Chef Hodgson’s humor shines through.

Hodge’s offers several interesting specials, including beer and a burger Mondays for $10 and a 2 for $40 special on Tuesday featuring an appetizer, 2 entree and a bottle of wine for $40. So if you haven’t checked it out, what are you waiting for? And if you’ve already been there, isn’t it time for another visit? Hodge’s is open for lunch and dinner Monday through Friday and serves dinner on Saturday and Sunday.

Contact info:

Hodge’s
668 Euclid Avenue
Cleveland, Ohio 44114
(216) 771-4000

Eddie’s Pizzeria Cerino

The Cerino name has always been a major player in Cleveland. When I heard about the new pizzeria in Seven Hills that Eddie Cerino (grandson of Carrie Cerino) had opened I knew I wanted to check it out. Eddie’s Pizzeria Cerino uses only high-quality ingredients, such as imported tomatoes, and makes all of the sauces, salad dressings, and pizza dough from scratch. The quality really shines through in the food. I’ve been there several times now, even though I live in Cleveland Heights. There’s always a bit of a wait, but it is worth it.

My friends ordered the Parmesan Zucchini Planks and fell in love with them. They are lightly hand-breaded, perfectly fried and ethereally light. They are served with marinara and lemon aioli dipping sauces. I couldn’t decide which sauce I liked the most with them. Both were absolutely delicious.

Knowing I was going to order an entree but wanting to try the pizza as well, I ordered the Margherita pizza to share with everyone at the table. It was a thing of beauty. Just look at the slice in the photo. Fresh basil, fresh tomatoes, a delicious pizza crust – it just doesn’t get any better than this! I was tempted to order a second one just to bring home with me for the next day or two.

You can tell a lot about a restaurant by the quality of their salad. I started with the Tuscan Salad, which featured Romaine lettuce and field greens tossed with tomatoes, cannelini beans, red onion, Italian pancetta bacon, and Tuscan ranch dressing. The salad was light and fresh. The lettuce was crisp and not soggy, and the pancetta was not too overpowering. Just looking at the photo with the glistening tomatoes makes me want to run out and eat there again. I love that you can order half portions and full portions of the salads as well as the entrees. A half portion was just perfect for me.

Being a huge bolognese fan, I ordered the Rigatoni alla Bolognese, which featured rigatoni noodles cooked perfectly and tossed with a hearty and flavorful meat sauce. The fresh basil on top really added to the flavor of the dish. I again ordered a half portion. It was perfect. I can’t even imagine how much a full portion is.

I could easily see myself finding one or two things on the menu and falling into a rut of ordering them time and time again, but the menu is just chock full of really interesting choices that it would be a crime to do so. My friend R. loved his eggplant parmesan. C. swooned after biting into her wild mushroom ravioli special. The kitchen had no trouble making these entrees meat-free for my vegetarian friends.

It is located on Broadview Road (just north of the intersection with Pleasant Valley Road) and is set back from the road a bit, so you may have some difficulty seeing it at first. It’s in the same shopping plaza as the Aldi, and Panera Bread is located in the next plaza.

Contact info:

Eddie’s Pizzeria Cerino
7350 Broadview Road, Suite H
Seven Hills, OH 44131
(216) 236-6007

Pier W in Lakewood

Pier W has always been the pinnacle of fine dining to a young girl from Olmsted Falls whose family rarely went out to eat and when we did it was the local Vietnamese place in Berea to celebrate our good grades. Everyone always talked about Pier W in lofty tones. Pier W has one of the best views in the city. As the Pier W website explains, “This landmark Cleveland restaurant has been serving a critically acclaimed seafood menu since 1965. The unique building architecture is designed to resemble the hull of a luxury liner cruising along Lake Erie. This full service, white table cloth, contemporary seafood restaurant and bar serves lunch, dinner, Sunday brunch, and private IMAG5771 functions in a unique waterfront location in Lakewood, Ohio. Its minimalist dining room design frames the spectacular views of Lake Erie and the Cleveland skyline.”

This is a great place to celebrate a special occasion, but you also can’t beat their amazing happy hour, featuring wine for $5.25 a glass, food at half the price, and martinis for $5.75 instead of $8 or $9 (Red Delicious pictured here). Happy hour takes place every night but Saturday from 4:00-7:00 pm. The menu features various sandwiches, IMAG5773 their clam chowder and lobster bisque and several smaller plate entrees like calamari. If you want to check Pier W out but don’t have the cash for a full-out meal, happy hour in their bar is the way to go.

However, this particular post is going to highlight my birthday meal. I love seafood, so I knew I wanted some good seafood. Some girlfriends and I met at the bar for a couple drinks and then we moved to the dining room for a delicious meal. I enjoyed several Red Delicious martinis (Laird’s Apple Jack Brandy, apple cider, Chateau Pommari, creme de cassis in a glass with a cinnamon sugar rim) before dinner. I loved the cinnamon sugar rim. It added a really nice touch.

We started by sharing the Iced Seafood Tower. It costs $42 and feeds 3-4 people. It contained all kinds of delicious seafood favorites. It features jumbo Gulf shrimp, poached lobster, oysters on the half shell, chilled mussels and crab salad. The tower was accompanied by four different dipping sauces, which we thoroughly enjoyed. I loved everything about this, but the chilled mussels were my favorite. I left the oysters to my friend C., who loved them. I also thoroughly enjoyed the crab salad, which was a nice surprise. It goes without saying that the shrimp and lobster were outstanding.

The bread was fresh baked, and we had two kinds to choose from. The butter was soft and luscious (one of my biggest pet peeves is when the bread is served with rock hard butter). I ordered the Wood Roasted Heirloom Beet Salad featuring blue goat cheese, marinated watermelon, aged balsamic vinegar, dill oil and red shiso (whatever that is). Beets and watermelon together in one dish? Yes please! All the different flavors really melded well together. It was light and refreshing, and I loved every bite.

Being a huge lobster fan, I ordered the Fresh Lobster Pappardelle for my entree and (since I had thoroughly enjoyed the seafood tower and salad) took most of it home to enjoy the next day. It featured fresh Maine lobster, fresh pappardelle noodles, roasted red peppers, and haricot verts in a light cognac cream sauce. Wow, it was amazing. I would definitely order this again.

Everyone was really pleased with their meals, and the service was just as attentive as you would expect at this five-star restaurant. The staff at Pier W surprised me with this delicious birthday sundae with extra spoons for my friends. It was a great touch to cap a perfect meal.

Contact info:

Pier W
12700 Lake Avenue (Winton Place)
Lakewood, Ohio
Phone (216) 228-2250

The Bake Near The Lake at Lake Erie Nature and Science Center

I just got home from the Lake Erie Nature and Science Center‘s annual benefit. This year’s annual benefit featured “a modern twist on a clambake.” Since I love a good clambake I couldn’t wait and bought ticket number 170. Tickets were $75, with $45 tax-deductible. They also had a silent auction and several raffles. The featured raffle was for $1,000 in airfare. I bought raffle tickets for the electric wine cooler stocked with 22 bottles of wine and the $535 in gift certificates and raffle tickets. Unfortunately I didn’t win, but the money all went to a very good cause – the Lake Erie Nature and Science Center in Bay Village.

The menu was inspired by traditional clambake favorites, including clam chowder shooters, clams, and corn lollipops along with chicken skewers, carved beef sliders, sweet potato fries, and cupcakes and popcorn for dessert along with a Lake Erie Signature Drink called the Nor’Easter (light rum and ginger beer).

We walked in to be greeted by a table overflowing with cheese, crackers, crudités and dip (the first photo was taken at the end of the night, because everyone was crowded around it when we got there). There were also several open bar stations scattered around the Center with beer, wine, soft drinks, and water – and the Nor’Easter was available at the bar station outside near the band. I loved that they had plenty of seating and tables scattered throughout the Center. My friend and I walked around a bit to get the lay of the land and ate our appetizers outside near the bonfire.

The first food station we hit featured honey cinnamon butter, cornbread (both sweet and with chorizo), chicken skewers with Thai peanut sauce, corn on the cob lollipops and steamed clams with either a sun dried tomato pesto, a spicy red sauce or drawn butter. Since I am a purist I stuck with the drawn butter and used it on both the clams and the corn. Everything was simply outstanding. The clams were tender and perfectly steamed. I only had one unopened clam. I chose the sweet cornbread and slathered it with the honey cinnamon butter as well as dipped it in some leftover drawn butter. The chicken skewers were tender, and the peanut sauce was nicely seasoned and had just enough heat to be absolutely delicious. The corn on the cob was a little soggy, but I’ve had much, much worse at restaurants. Plus, corn on the cob is hard to serve to a crowd and keep warm. I went back for seconds of the clams and corn.

The lines started getting a little longer as the night progressed. The line at the roast beef carving station moved pretty slowly, but the carver was trimming the meat as he was cutting. As he got to me they brought out a fresh roast beef. I asked what the crust was, and the servers couldn’t tell me. It looked like a dry rub crust, but who knows what was in it. In any event, it was delicious. It was served on soft dinner rolls along with horseradish cream and stone ground mustard. They served the most delicious sweet potato fries with them. They must have been dipped in brown sugar and cinnamon before baking, because they had a nice cinnamony sweetness to them.

The dessert was served at around 8:30 and they brought out tea, coffee and lots of assorted cupcakes and mini-cupcakes. I chose a mini coconut cupcake and a chocolate cupcake with vanilla buttercream frosting. Both were moist and delicious.

At some point we took a break and checked out the silent auction items, which included a clambake, a Vitamix blender and whole foods cookbook, tickets to the Cleveland Orchestra and Journey, an American Girl doll, various events and classes (I was very tempted to bid on tickets to the Metroparks golf courses for my brother-in-law but he lives in Medina…), 4 hours of personal assistant/organization help, and diamond jewelry. I didn’t bid on anything, but my friend did – and won a night at the planetarium for 60 people by rebidding at 9:30 just as the auction was closing.

We also got to talk with the Science Center employees and volunteers and pet the skunk, ferret, chinchilla, etc. The carving station was located in the critter corner, so I got to admire the snakes, fish, turtles and other “critters” while waiting in line and walking back to my table.

They also had a popcorn station that people could enjoy or bag up to take home. The varieties of popcorn included both savory (dill, ranch and mild cheddar cheese) and sweet (caramel apple, cotton candy, chocolate cherry and banana split). I bagged up some sweet to take home and munched on a handful of ranch popcorn out at the bonfire. I enjoyed singing along with the band (The Feedback) as they played music from the 70s, 80s and 90s. They had a very nice range of songs and voices. Servers walked around with trays of clam chowder shooters (it isn’t a clambake without clam chowder!) and bacon wrapped around blue cheese (the one clunker of the night, but I didn’t realize it was blue cheese until I bit into it and I’m allergic to it).

It was perfect clambake weather – in the 60s and slightly cloudy. I enjoyed wearing long pants and a long-sleeved blouse and not sweating to death. We could see the stars just at the edges of the clouds. It started lightly raining just as the event came to an end at 10:30. I drove home relaxed and very happy – and smelling like a bonfire. It was the perfect way to say goodbye to the summer here in Cleveland.

Contact info:

Lake Erie Nature and Science Center
28728 Wolf Road
Bay Village, OH 44140
(440) 871-2900

NEO Food Tour of the Cedar-Lee District

The city of Cleveland Heights was created in 1901 and became my home a little over two years ago. When I heard NEO Food Tours was going to tour the Cedar-Lee District I bought one of the first tickets. I looked forward to possibly trying some new restaurants and getting to know my ‘hood a little better. Unfortunately they had to cancel the tour last year, so I was out of luck. I was happy to see they were going to offer the tour again on August 28th. This year’s tour didn’t really feature any restaurants that I haven’t been to yet, but then again I have lived in the Heights for a while now. It was nice to enjoy some favorites I hadn’t been to in a while and visit a couple places I wasn’t quite as familiar with. So after enjoying a nice day off I made my way to Cedar and Lee on Tuesday night, parking for free on Meadowbrook.

The tour started at Lopez on Lee. We checked in at the bar and were greeted by Todd Gauman, head of NEO Food Tours, and Cleveland Heights mayor Ed Kelley. My car had been broken into the week before (I leave it unlocked to avoid replacing a window and leave absolutely nothing of value in it), and we talked about that and other topics for a bit. I enjoyed chatting with him and was thrilled when he chose to sit next to me. He is a really nice guy. He told us about some of the upcoming plans for the Cedar-Lee district, including a multi-million dollar housing and retail project at the corner of Meadowbrook and Lee Roads.

Lopez is known for its Mexican cuisine, and we were all served margaritas and bags of chips and homemade salsa as we sat. The executive chef, Michael J. Herschman, greeted us and told us a little bit about Lopez. Turns out Rick Bayless was the first chef at Lopez. Rick hosts a series on PBS and is a regular on the Food Network, so that was a very cool piece of trivia. As we listened to the history of Lopez and their dedication to using local produce, we noshed on their shrimp and grits featuring corn and chile grits with smoked cheese, roasted peppers and scallion. It had a nice heat to it thanks the jalapenos and chiles in the grits and sauce.

We then walked down to Abrash Gallery that featured a pop-up by Rockefeller’s Restaurant and Lounge chef Jill Vedaa. Chef Vedaa and the owner of Abrash Gallery briefly talked about their respective establishments. Abrash Gallery features handmade rugs and other fair trade goods for sale. Rockefeller’s is located on the second floor of the Heights Rockefeller Building at the corner of Lee and Mayfield, which was built by John D. Rockefeller Junior in 1930. I’ve always loved the building and secretly hoped to live near the building and Fairmount, which I now do. Rockefeller’s is located in the former site of a bank. Chef Vedaa prepared short ribs over a bed of shredded carrots (sorry but I don’t remember how the carrots were prepared, but they were good!). Since we were in a gallery that didn’t offer the ability to sit or use a knife, the short ribs were a good choice. They just fell apart with the touch of the fork. She served a pinot noir to accompany the short ribs. It was a very successful pairing. I was happy to find a seat in front of a fan, because it was quite warm in the gallery.

We then crossed the street and headed on down to The Wine Spot, where we were greeted by owners and a representative from FarmShare Ohio. The long table covered in plates featuring local cheeses and wine glasses was quite pleasing to the eye. The cheese plate was accompanied by a handy guide. The 12 o’clock position featured fresh chèvre (goat’s milk) from Lake Erie Creamery, 3 o’clock was a basket cheese (a Guernsey cow milk cheese) with heirloom cherry tomatoes from Lake Erie Creamers, 6 o’clock was a summer blomma with blueberry aigre-doux (my favorite cheese because I’m a huge fan of camembert and brie), and 9 o’clock featured a Own Creek Tomme (a sheep’s milk cheese) from Kokoborrego Cheese Company drizzled with raw honey from Auburn Apiary. We were served 3 different wines from Ohio. I enjoyed the first two (white wines), but not the third (a pinot). I would have loved the third with a meal, but it didn’t quite pair well with the cheeses, especially following two white wines.

After The Wine Spot we headed to Phoenix Coffee to sober up with a coffee tasting. The wired-up coffee expert was extremely entertaining and shared two different coffees with us prepared two different ways – in a French press and cold-brewed. The coffee was accompanied by a bran muffin that tasted to me like a good carrot cake. Yum! He also told us about the coffees he was serving, but I’ll be darned if I can remember them. I think the first one was a direct trade coffee from Mexico and the second one was an Ethiopian coffee, but don’t quote me on that. They try to buy their coffee directly from the growers and cut out the “coyote’ middlemen who underpay the farmers for their harvest. He talked about the different locations and the roastery in the heart of downtown Cleveland. He is particularly excited about an upcoming shipment of coffee in mid-September that sounded interesting (although again I can’t remember the details – just that it sounded great), so I definitely plan to stop by for a cup at my local Phoenix Coffee on Coventry.

Our final stop of the night was at Taste. We walked through the dining room, past the open kitchen where we said hi to the chefs and into the private room in the back. The first thing we noticed was the gorgeous chandelier. We were told later that it was made from wine bottles and glassware from Spy Bar in the Warehouse District. And the sconces on the side walls were made from white bottles. The servers came around offering us our choice of red or white wine. I went with the pinot noir, which was delicious. Todd got a little choked up as he explained he was dedicating the tour that night to Sergio Abramof, the owner of Sergio’s and Sarava who passed away unexpectedly earlier that week, and we raised our glasses in his honor. Sergio was a force behind the independent restaurant movement here in Cleveland and a true mentor to many. He will be missed.

We were served a crab cake served over a bed of fresh salsa and drizzled with basil oil. The crab cake was moist and not too “fishy.” The salsa was fresh and bright, and I loved the fact that it had lots of cilantro in it. If I had known we were being served a crab cake I would have probably opted for the white wine, but my pinot did not conflict too terribly with the crab cake.

We were given take-away bags with some fliers, coupons and bite-sized pastries from Coquette Patisserie. The Queen of Sheba (left) is an almond paste chocolate cake with a layer of spicy Mexican chocolate ganache (spicy chocolate? yes please…). The center pastry is a Pixie Bar, which is a pistachio florentina atop almond paste cake, a layer of lingonberry compote, and a pâte sucrée crust (my clear favorite – almond, lingonberry and pistachio – what’s not to love?). The Blueberry Macaron (right) is an almond flour meringue shell filled with blueberry buttercream and was gluten-free. The meringue shattered to reveal the buttercream, and it was very flavorful.

It was with a heavy heart and stomach that we headed home at close to ten o’clock. I’m proud to report that I went right to sleep shortly after getting home from the tour and the coffee did not keep me up as I had feared it would.