Smokehouse 91 opened in March 2025 and is located next to The Village Butcher on SOM Center Road near the intersection with Wilson Mills in the small strip mall next to Heinen’s. Smokehouse 91 and Village Butcher actually share a fairly large kitchen now, which means the menu at Village Butcher is also larger. It features “Texas barbeque” and is the next iteration of Smokin’ Q’s, which closed in January 2024. Smokehouse 91 is operated by Smokin’ Q’s owners Carl Quagliata and Zach Ladner. Smokehouse 91 is a fast-casual concept with several tables if you want to eat in-house.
They focus on the brisket, although other meats are also available. The meat is smoked low and slow, and you can add barbeque sauces, which are made in house. The sauces include sweet chili, hot & spicy, sweet & tangy mustard, Carolina vinegar, Alabama white, sweet & smokey and Texas-style. I liked the mustard and sweet & smokey the best because those are my preferences. The chopped brisket sandwich was pricy at $18, but it contains a ton of delicious brisket and it is high quality. I love that it is lean, because I’m not a huge fan of fatty meat. I got it topped with pickles and coleslaw, which I highly recommend if you enjoy coleslaw on barbecue. The pickles and coleslaw cut through the richness of the brisket and are a great pairing.
I usually don’t enjoy barbeque, because the sides are usually disappointing because they are an after-thought. Not here. Their sides include barbeque classics like mac n cheese, collard greens with pork, coleslaw, seasonal potatoes and more. The mac n cheese can be topped with a garlic crumb mix and is incredibly cheesy (and garlicky with the crumb topping). In fact, I find it to be too cheesy and never thought I’d say that. When I reheated it it was very dense and hard to spoon from the container to the bowl. The cornbread is quite nice and is served with a pot of honey butter. I like cornbread and have made my own for 30 years. This one is right up there. It was moist and had small bits of corn in it. I wasn’t a huge fan of the collard greens, but I rarely find collard greens in a restaurant that I enjoy. I think I’ve only found one or two that I enjoy, but others might find it enjoyable. I like the addition of pork. I usually use a ham hock when I make my favorite recipe at home.
The standout for me was the banana pudding. I don’t think I’ve ever had a more delicious banana pudding – and my gold standard was Walter Hyde’s at Fat Casual. I savored every last bite over the two days I ate it. It is creamy and has the perfect amount of sliced bananas and whipped cream to pudding ratio.
Smokehouse 91 is open from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. Unless they run out of meat earlier. Be sure to check it out if you are in the area. I’m only a 20 minute drive, which is enough for the food to not cool down too much to enjoy at home. I need to try the smoked turkey next.
Contact info:
Smokehouse 91 822 Som Center Road Mayfield, OH 44143 (440) 565-7160
YYTime opened in February 2024. It was a much-awaited addition to AsiaTown. The owner put a lot of work into renovating an old NTB tire shop located catty-corner from Li Wah and Asia Plaza at Payne Avenue and E. 30th. There’s parking in the front and the back as well in the large lot across the street. That lot is packed during dim sum hours on the weekends, but I have never had a problem getting a spot. Turnover is quick.
YYTime features Asian street food favorites and Dagu Rice Noodle soups (the owner owned Dagu and shut it in preparation for opening YYTime). Dagu was located next to Koko Bakery on Payne and was known for its Crossing the Bridge soup (more on that below). We had a nice meal at Dagu in the past, so I was looking forward to YYTime opening. Unfortunately, the first few times I tried to go I was thwarted by getting sick or some other unfortunate event necessitating me from having to bow out. I was thrilled once I finally made it.
The restaurant is quite spacious and can easily accommodate groups. They have three kitchens, so food comes out very quickly. You can either order using the QR code on the table or from one of the friendly servers, who thoroughly answered all of our questions and were very helpful.
Once I was there I was pleased to see the wide range of fresh fruit and milk teas and coffees. The Dalgona Matcha Latte (available hot or cold – I ordered it hot) was an absolute revelation to me. Dalgona is a whipped foam for coffee or tea, using instant coffee or matcha, sugar and boiling water. It is then added to the prepared coffee or tea. When mixed in with some milk, it’s honestly just an incredible and tasty experience. Any of the foam options sound fun – like the Jasmine Green Tea with Matcha Foam.
On my second visit I hosted a meal with my tea group, because I knew they would appreciate the variety of tea options. I thoroughly enjoyed my Cream Brulee Thai Tea Slush with Amber Pearl (above right – with the fun kitty ears lid). There are so many choices you could try a new one every week and spend several years with a new beverage. I also really like that you can vary the level of sweetness. I’ve found 50% sweetness is perfect for me.
One of my vegetarian friends ordered several vegetarian appetizers, and they were really tasty. I always enjoy garlic cucumbers, but the black fungus appetizer was a nice surprise. It has a nice vinegary broth and lots of roasted peanuts. If you like that kind of flavor profile I highly recommend trying it. The cauliflower under the Vegetables section was also a tasty choice – arriving grilled on skewers, but I didn’t get a photo of it. The lotus root was also a unique choice that I enjoyed. It had the same vinegary broth as the black fungus.
As I said above, YYTime is the next iteration of the Dagu Rice Noodle restaurant that used to be located next to Koko Bakery on Payne. Dagu Rice Noodle is a Shanghai-based franchise and was one of only a few here in the U.S. They offered lots of Chinese street food-style options, but the real reason to come here was/is for the array of crossing-the-bridge noodle soups. Served alongside an enormous bowl of soft, tangled noodles and a platter of uncooked add-in spices, herbs, vegetables and protein such as bamboo shoots, tofu, pork or beef slices, crab, quail egg, bok choy, seaweed, ham, corn, fish ball, etc., you can build your soup to your liking.
The soups arrive in large bowls of boiling hot broth in heated earthenware bowls. The broth of each soup is served at a boiling 300 degrees. When I say boiling I mean it. It comes out boiling and bubbling. It is a good idea to add the veggies and meats and then let it sit for a little while to cool down while they cook. Pictured below is the Original Crossing The Bridge Rice Noodle Soup. It comes to the table as a steaming bowl of pork-based broth and is essentially a hot pot for one. One of my friends swears by the tomato-flavored base soup.
I ordered the Rice Noodle Soup with Coconut Red Curry Chicken on my first visit. It was quite tasty and I ended up bringing about half of it home to heat and eat the next day. The rice noodles didn’t quite hold up, so if you plan on bringing leftovers home you might want to pack the rice noodles up separately. I’m a huge fan of the yellow curry profile, but red curry is a close second for me.
The fried dumplings were highly recommended in a reel I saw on social media, and they did not disappoint. The photo on the left is the Pork with Water Chestnut. One of my friends raves about the Vine Pepper Shrimp dumplings (right), and it was as good as she said it was. I don’t know what the crispy golden brown crust is made of, but the dumplings are fried together because you have to break the crust to eat them. The dumplings were really juicy and tasty.
I ordered the Vermicelli Scallops when I was out with my tea group. It is pricy and small, but was a nice splurge and quite tasty. The powdered spice on top is no joke – it can pack a punch of heat.
The meat and vegetables on skewers were also a highlight. I ordered the chicken skewer and loved it. The flavor was really great, and the chicken was still quite juicy. As I said, the cauliflower on skewers is also surprisingly one of my favorites. The char just complements the taste of the cauliflower. The squid skewer (squid shall?) was also quite meaty and substantial. They are served with scissors to aid you in cutting off pieces. My friend dunked them in the soup to warm them up when they got cold.
My friend was not impressed with the fried rice, but she doesn’t like and didn’t add yum yum sauce, which I felt added to it. I tried it and it didn’t wow me, but it also wasn’t a bad choice. I think if you go to YYTime you will probably be better off trying something very unique.
Another friend ordered the Crispy Chicken Cutlet and wasn’t blown away. Then again, I’m fairly sure he didn’t use any of the accompanying sauces. One of my friends ate the tea egg (top of the photo in front of the cucumber slices) that came with his entree and enjoyed it a lot. They said it was “deliciously jammy.” The flavor is a burst of salty soy with a creamy yolk.
I was also not a huge fan of the grilled eggplant. It was just mushy and didn’t really wow me taste-wise (they were pretty bland despite having ordered them with mild spice. But on a positive note, my one friend said the egg rolls were some of the best he’s ever had (and the presentation is really nice).
I am looking forward to going back soon. I need another Dalgona Matcha Latte. Whether I get it hot or cold will remain to be seen. You can’t go wrong with any of their beverages choices. And dumplings and bao as well as the cold appetizers are fantastic. And now that it is soup season, you need to enjoy their rice noodle soups to warm up on a cold winter day. Plus, any place that has large groups of Asian diners is always a good choice (even if he is giving me the side eye for taking a photo of our table). It is open from 11 AM – 9 PM every day but Tuesday.
Clambakes became quite the rage this year. Our clambake tradition was featured in Food & Wine, reporting that “Cleveland’s appetite for clams outpaces anywhere else when the weather cools” (duh) and was a hugely popular topic online with newbies asking food forums where to find a clambake. The hearty Cleveland clambake menu reflects the Midwest appetite and the cooler climate, making it less of a seaside delicacy and more of a harvest celebration. Hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, of clams are consumed in Northeast Ohio during the early fall, when the harvest is at its peak. Cleveland fish purveyors claim that they sell more clams to Cleveland from August through September than to any other city in the country, thanks to all the clambakes that are held here. Kate’s Fish at the West Side Market claims, “We go from selling about a thousand clams a week to 10,000 in September and October.” As the owner of Salty Mary’s Oyster Bar (which is on my list for next year) reported in the Food & Wine article, “It’s like fish fries during Lent or Browns games on Sunday — it’s one of those Cleveland traditions. It’s comforting to come back to something every year.”
I jumpstarted the clambake season back in mid-September at Chelo’s Kitchen as a Friday special. I was there on the Wednesday before with a friend who wanted their Prime Rib special and ordered mine for that Friday as soon as Sarah told us the specials. Their specials sell out quickly, so I reserved one immediately. I have become a regular at Chelo’s. It’s a great restaurant operated by a really nice young couple. Chelo (pronounced ‘cello’) consistently puts out some tasty food. The clambake included one dozen clams, a 1/4 chicken (bbq or plain – I ordered bbq), sweet potato or baked potato (sweet potato for me with their cinnamon butter!), a cup of clam chowder, a mini corn cob and a dinner roll. It cost me $46 including a generous tip.
My friends ordered tickets for two of the clambakes at Gunselman’s Tavern. I’ll be out of town for the second one, but was able to join them for the first one. Gunselman’s Tavern in Fairview Park is always a favorite, and I have attended their clambake for five years in a row. The clambakes sell out quickly and early. The clambakes are dine-in only and we had a table reserved inside (if you order patio seating you may get rained out, but the weather was perfect this year). The Browns were playing in London that day, but the volume wasn’t on. I got my usual steak bake. They start serving clam broth and clam chowder at 1 PM and serve the clambakes at 2 PM. The clam broth was sufficiently spicy. I added a couple dashes of pepper to mine, but some of my friends added pepper and hot sauce. Irish Kevin’s New England clam chowder was a treat. The chowder had chunks of redskin potatoes and was nicely seasoned with a lot of thyme, which gave it a unique and delicious flavor. The clams were great – tender and not gritty. I had a couple bites of my redskin and sweet potatoes and ended up taking them home along with half of my steak. We were sad that the woman who made the cheesecake is no longer working there. I wasn’t the only one who had been looking forward to the cheesecake. The price of the clambake ($45 with steak) does not include the gratuity or any beverages or add-ons.
I also enjoyed a phenomenal clambake at Square Bistro in Chardon, which are served every Friday & Saturday for dine-in and take-out in the month of October. It was worth the 45 minute drive from Cleveland Heights. It was a nice drive through the countryside with the changing leaves. I had a reservation for 7:30 because they were booked solid when I went to reserve my table that morning. The clambake is available every Friday and Saturday in October (for dine in or carryout). I was tempted to get the sushi bake ($42 for 1 futo maki and 1 maki roll and the clambake) because it’s so unique, but ordered the lobster tail ($45) instead. The chicken option is $39, the steak is $55 and the crab crusted red grouper bake with lobster cream sauce (!!!) is $50. I was extremely pleased with my choice, but it was a hard decision to make. The lobster tail was my favorite part because it was delicious, but there wasn’t a bad component in the bunch: fresh baked bread with brown sugar cinnamon butter, smoky clam chowder with some corn kernels in it, a dozen perfectly steamed Cape Cod middleneck clams, butter poached lobster tail, rosemary and garlic roasted mashed redskin potatoes and applewood smoked bacon braised brussel sprouts. I was taken aback by the small portion of mashed potatoes and brussel sprouts, but it was honestly perfect and super flavorful. I paid a total of $59.80 for the clambake with lobster and a glass of wine plus $12 for the tip in cash. Honestly, it was one of the best clambakes I’ve ever had.
I decided to stay closer to home for the next clambake, deciding to try Poppy on Larchmere. I had been there when it was Felice, but hadn’t been to Poppy yet. Since it is run by the women behind Salt+ (RIP) I knew I would be in good hands. Poppy serves its clambake special every Friday through November 14. I arrived shortly after they opened at 5 without a reservation, but they were able to accommodate me on the large converted front porch (and the early arrival ensured street parking close to the restaurant). The hostess and my server were both lovely. I was given a carafe of water, which I appreciated. I tend to drink several glasses of water when I’m out to dinner. I ordered the PCP, which is made with Bacardi dark rum, pumpkin spice syrup, coconut cream and tropical juice. It was a nice start. The clambake came with the choice of clam chowder or a wedge salad. Since I love both and couldn’t decide, I ordered both and had her add it to the bill. The clam chowder was phenomenal. It was a small portion, but I enjoyed every spoonful. The wedge was not the typical wedge salad. It features romaine instead of iceberg. The salad came as two baby romaine wedges topped with crispy pancetta, polenta crisps, shallot fennel relish, buttermilk and french vinaigrettes & gorgonzola. It was quite tasty. I’m not quite sure what to say about the clambake. It came served in a big bowl holding a dozen clams, a quarter roasted chicken, a small grilled corn on the cob, and crispy fingerling potatoes. The broth was red in color, and I suspect it had harissa in it due to the color and kick of spice. When my server asked, the kitchen said they used Old Bay. I’m not a huge fan of chicken quarters (as you can see from the other choices on this page), and I missed the drawn butter of it all. The fingerling potatoes, on the other hand, were great – crispy and nicely salted. I’m glad I tried it, but I don’t know if I will put it on my clambake rotation. I’ll probably be back to try some other things at Poppy since it is so close. Because I ordered a cocktail, a glass of wine and an extra starter, my bill was around $74.50, making it the priciest clambake this season.
I ended the season at Fat Cats with Rosie’s Clambake, a fundraiser for St. Joseph Academy. It’s an annual one-day event, and there are three seatings – at 4 p.m., 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. As seems to be the case this year, by the time I called to reserve a spot only 6 and 8 p.m. seatings were available. Since I didn’t want to have to sit at a high bar stool, I decided to choose the 8 p.m. seating even if it was a little later. I have/had been working overnights for the past 2 weeks, so my sleep schedule was/is already whacked out, and 8 p.m. didn’t seem that much of an issue. There were three clambake options to choose from — the basic clambake for $40, one featuring St. Louis ribs for $45 and a 10-ounce steak dinner for $50. The steak came with potato salad, and the ribs came with baked beans. The potato salad was tempting, but I was in the mood for ribs when I called to reserve a spot. The clambake features a dozen clams with lemon butter, corn on the cob with sage burnt butter and parmesan (yum!), New England clam chowder, and a roll. It was as phenomenal as I expected. The clams were the tenderest of all the clambakes, and the chowder was delicious with lots of tender clams. Considering I was at the last seating, the tender and perfectly cooked food was a nice surprise. I also really enjoyed my Arnold Palmer and buttery chardonnay. The only negative was that the corn was cool, but I still enjoyed it with the sage burnt butter and parmesan – and it was grilled. Fat Cats always knocks it out of the park.
In summary, it was a very delicious clambake season.
Best chowder: Fat Cats, second place to Poppy Best clams: Fat Cats, second place to Square Bistro Best entree: Square Bistro, second place to Gunselman’s Best side: Square Bistro, second place to Fat Cats (corn) Best beverage: Gunselman’s, second place to Chelo’s because they keep my unsweetened iced tea topped up Most affordable: Chelo’s
Contact info:
Chelo’s Kitchen There’s no website but follow them on Facebook to see the Wednesday and Friday specials 4446 Mayfield Road Cleveland, OH 44121 (216) 382-4490
The Blue Heron Brewery and Event Center is an artisanal brewery that makes flavorful beers and serves good food. It is tucked away in a housing development in Medina off River Styx. It is a beautiful setting on what was once a country club. Full disclosure: I have eaten here twice now, because my niece works here. The first time she was a hostess, and my friends and I wanted to go there in the winter and rent an igloo. Alas, the strong winds shut down our dreams. LOL. We did enjoy watching her work, seating people and busing tables. She is now at college and working here as a waitress over the summer. She loves it. My family met here to celebrate birthdays and Father’s Day and spent a lovely Saturday afternoon on the back patio enjoying the sunshine and live music. She worked a shift after our lunch. Several of my family members have a lot of specific dietary needs and were able to confidently order and enjoy their meals.
The Brewpub
If you squint you can see an igloo in the center of the window.
On our first visit I ordered a Giant Bavarian Pretzel for us to all share, and we enjoyed it very much. You know the German translator had to order the giant pretzel, and it did not disappoint. It was fluffy inside with a nice crust. It is served with a green chili white queso and whipped cinnamon butter. Not exactly typical German pretzel dips, but I really enjoyed the cinnamon butter.
My friend was very excited about the lamb burger, which must be a winter item. She loved it. The housemade chips are also quite tasty. Folks on Yelp suggest saving the splurge of the Wagyu burger, which sounds tasty but I would probably order the Blue Heron or California burger and save a couple of bucks.
Another friend ordered the Caesar salad and added salmon, and it looked delicious. In fact, I was leaning towards ordering it with my family, but ended up ordering something else (more on that later). My mother enjoyed her strawberry and spinach salad with a balsamic dressing and without the goat cheese because she is dairy-free as well as gluten-free.
My brother-in-law recommended the seafood stuffed mushrooms and jumbo chicken wings as appetizers. Both were quite tasty, but I absolutely loved the seafood stuffed mushrooms. They were fantastic!!! The white mushrooms are hand stuffed with diced shrimp, crabmeat, cream cheese and scallions and topped with Parmesan cheese and light Dijon aioli. I could see myself ordering these for a meal! We ordered two orders of mushrooms to share, but it would have been cheaper to buy the special 3 for a dollar less than 2 orders were (a happy hour special). But my family only wanted two, so we stuck with two.
I ordered the Coconut Curry Salmon Fillet, and it did not disappoint. The pan-roasted salmon was served with a delectable Caribbean curry sauce and cilantro lime rice and fresh seasonal vegetables (in this case Brussels sprouts, which were tender and tasty). Everything was flavorful and perfectly cooked. I would probably order this again.
My dad and sister ordered the Reuben and loved it. Seeing how lean the corned beef was I would have probably enjoyed it. Anyone who has been following this blog knows I’m not the biggest fan of corned beef because I’m not a fan of fatty meats.
If you have room at the end, I highly recommend ordering the Peanut Butter Pie if you have the room. It is made with an Oreo crust with peanut butter mousse and fresh whipped cream. It’s delicious. I ordered it during our first visit, and we got 5 spoons to share.
And if your waitress is Carley tell her you read about the Brewpub on her Aunt Jill’s blog.
My parents are creatures of habit. Due to my mother’s dietary issues they eat at home a lot and rarely go out to eat. But when they do they are very careful where they go. Their new weekly restaurant outing for the last few years has been Sand Pebbles in Aurora. Sand Pebbles is owned by a very nice Thai brother and sister. For a while the location in Pinecrest just served Thai food, while the location in Aurora also served sushi since that is where the sushi chef worked. Now both locations serve sushi in addition to Thai. The Pinecrest location is in the old Inca Tea spot very close to Graeter’s and the movie theater.
The Aurora restaurant (above) was initially at a smaller location on W. Garfield Road with limited parking, but they have relocated about a mile down the street in the strip mall where Marc’s and Pappou’s is located. It took them several months to get a new liquor license, but now they have a full-service bar. They have also added brunch/lunch hours (11-3), but I can’t report on that. The photos on Yelp look appealing though. We have eaten there as a family several times to celebrate my parents’ birthdays.
The shrimp summer rolls are a great way to start the meal. It is made with iceberg lettuce, boiled shrimp and carrots wrapped in a thin rice wrapper served with plum or peanut sauce. It is easily shareable with the table. My sister’s family also ordered a California roll to share as well.
The attention to detail for their meals is meticulous. Every dish is served with a beautiful, decorative flower. The first time I ordered a sushi roll I was blown away by the hand-carved lemon. The rolls are rolled tightly, and the fish and other ingredients are very fresh.
My mother usually orders the Vietnamese pork chop. She has gotten it as a salad and with a side of gluten-free fried rice. It is no longer on the menu, but they happily make it for her because they know about her dietary issues (she is dairy and gluten-free). My father loves the crab salad and particularly loves it when it is made with soft-shelled crab. It is usually made with crab meat, spicy mayo, lettuce, cucumber, scallion, sesame seeds, yum yum sauce.
Pearl is very proud of the Kahiki Pineapple (above), which is a tribute to the famous Kahiki Supper Club in Columbus, Ohio. It is $25, but it is a stir fry of tofu, chicken or shrimp, pineapple, egg, garlic, onion, carrot, green pepper, red pepper, curry powder, cashew nut, scallion, and cilantro served in a carved out pineapple. It’s beautiful. And yes, there is a carved out pineapple under there.
I ordered sushi and the coconut soup during the most recent visit. I loved the coconut soup, which is made with chicken and mushroom in coconut milk seasoned with lime juice, scallion, and galanga. The sushi was as good as always, but the soup was the definite highlight.
As long as they keep taking care of my parents so well, my parents will continue to patronize Sand Pebbles. They love it here, and enjoy chatting with all of the employees. Everyone is very friendly and attentive. The owner, Pearl, is the smiling lady in the above photo talking to my father. You should also give them a try. I highly recommend it.
I am a huge fan of Hawaiian poké. Poké is a great choice for people with gluten intolerances and people who have to watch their sugar and carbohydrate intake. Corner 11 was the first poké place that let customers choose their portion size, type of rice or salad greens, proteins, toppings, and sauces. And Corner 11 has great poké – at both locations. The first location is is located in the Tremont on the corner of 11th St and Kenilworth Ave, hence the name Corner 11. I met a group of friends here for the first time several years ago. The restaurant is very clean, and everyone enjoyed it. It offers poké bowls and “pokérito wraps”with an array of toppings to choose from. You order at the counter, and they will bring it to your table. The staff behind the counter at both locations have been very friendly and hard-working.
I’ve become a huge fan of Corner 11 Poké & Ramen in Strongsville and have dined here several times. One of my friends noticed it on our way to a tea event, so we decided to dine here. I have also dined here several times on my own. I have always been satisfied. The Strongsville location is a fairly non-descript storefront in a strip mall, but there is plenty of seating.
My friend, who is a vegetarian, particularly enjoyed the tofu wings. The tofu wings were nicely fried and crisp and topped with a nice spicy Thai seasoning and chili sauce. She’s looking forward to organizing a dinner there in the next few weeks for our group. There are quite a few vegetarian choices to choose from, which are indicated with “(V)”.
I ordered the ramen recently, which appears to be the big seller there. It just reminded me that I’m not a huge fan of ramen, but Cleveland Scene Magazine named Corner 11 as one of the “Top 5 Ramens in Cleveland” in 2022. It was a nice bowl of ramen, but give me a bowl of pho and I am much happier. I chose pork for my shoyu ramen and one of the pieces was quite large because I was given the end. The pork was fatty, which I am not a fan of but many people like. If you don’t like fatty pork you can choose chicken or vegetarian ramen instead. The ramen noodles, menma and boiled egg were great.
My go-to there is a medium poké bowl (which comes with 2 proteins – the small features 1 protein, the large has three). The quality of the fish like salmon and tuna is awesome, and the portion is huge for the money. One of the highlights is the unlimited toppings, allowing for endless customization and ensuring each bowl is perfectly suited to your taste. You can choose between white sushi rice, midnight (“black”) rice or mixed greens, choose raw or cooked proteins like salmon, tuna, spicy tuna, shrimp, chicken, squid or tofu, and then from a wide variety of toppings. The choice of toppings are avocado, carrot, cilantro, corn, cucumber, edamame, jalapeno, sushi ginger, scallion, kimchi, lime wedge, mango, pickled mustard greens, pineapple, seaweed salad, spicy seaweed salad, tomato, masago, and roasted black & white sesame. Certain items have an upcharge if you ask for more. I always load mine with lots of toppings and top it with Yum Yum and teriyaki sauces. The sauces are all gluten-free and include Thai spicy, tom yum, spicy mayo, sweet shoyu (V), yum yum, and teriyaki (V).
Even the beverages are special. In addition to various American and Japanese sodas, you can order a variety of juices, smoothies, milk and fruit teas as well as Thai iced coffee and tea. You can get most drinks with or without boba (tapioca balls). I enjoyed the fruit tea with passion fruit and strawberry puree (although $7 is pretty pricy for something I can easily make myself at home) and especially the Thai Iced Tea with milk. And the mango sticky rice is not to be missed! I have gotten it to go for a treat later in the day and always enjoyed it.
Ice or Rice Cafe attempts to fill the Japanese food void in Asiatown (and dabbles in Hawaiian too). I have been looking forward to the opening of Ice or Rice Cafe for a while. I first got to know Andy and Jessie at the AsianTown Night Markets and their YouTube videos. I even attended a ramen class that Andy taught. Andy and Jessie were the co-founders of the early Ice or Rice, but are not the owners of Ice or Rice Cafe. Andy’s brother is. Knowing that the Cafe is run by Andy’s brother, who is a health inspector, makes me confident that the restaurant and kitchen will always be immaculately clean and the food top-notch.
There’s no parking lot here, so you have to park on the street out front, which usually isn’t too busy, or on the side street. The inside is new and renovated. Everything is made to order, which means it’s fresh. You can watch the cold dishes being made right at the counter, while frying and grilling seems to occur behind the curtains in the back. After ordering at the counter, you can take a seat and food is brought directly to your table.
I gained an appreciation for onigiri in San Francisco, so I was excited to hear they would be featured on the menu. I very much enjoyed all four onigiri (tuna, salmon, pork sung and picled plum) on my first visit, but my favorite was the tuna. My least favorite one was the vegetarian pickled plum onigiri. Onigiri are a “triangle rice ball sandwiching a layer of seasened tuna / salmon / pork sung / pickled plum and wrapped with seaweed with an optinal drizzle of sweet soy sauce or spicy sriracha.” It is a simple yet tasty concept. The rice vs. filling ratio is well-balanced.
The iced milk tea was perfect. The counter workers were efficient and super friendly. They even offered the table next to us a onigiri for them to try when they asked about what I was eating.
My friend ordered a spicy tuna roll, an eel roll, and an onigiri and enjoyed them. The rolls were rolled tightly, which is always a good sign.
The sushi prices are reasonable compared to some other places I have been ($14.99 for a Hawaiian plate lunch with Curry or Katsu Pork Cutlet (the most expensive items on the menu), $9.99 for a Dragon Roll and the spam musubi and onigiri are $4.50 each as of 10/2023).
The staff was friendly and welcoming. I treated myself to a spam musubi and shrimp okonomiyaki the other day. The spam was not salty, but rather was a sweet treat. The rice was firmly packed, topped with a slice of spam with a sweet sauce and wrapped in a sheet of nori. I actually really enjoyed it. It was warm and pliant and definitely hit the spot while I waited for my okonomiyaki, which I was told would take 15 minutes to prepare.
Okonomiyaki is a Japanese cabbage pancake made of shrimp, pork belly or carrots (billed as the veggie okonomiyaki) and topped with okonomiyaki sauce, mayo, powdered seaweed, scallion and bonito flakes. It was so hot that the bonito flakes were curling up and seemed to be waving at me. It was absolutely delicious and the leftovers made my home smell awesome. I couldn’t wait for breakfast the next day (I had eaten half of everything and brought the rest home – they were conveniently served in styrofoam containers. Environmentally unfriendly but I understand why. I wonder if I can bring my own container next time?).
I was also excited to see Ramune Japanese soda ($4). Ramune is a Japanese carbonated soft drink. It is sold in a “Codd-neck bottle” (a heavy glass bottle whose mouth is sealed by a round marble due to the pressure of the carbonated contents). I’m partial to the lychee, but melon is probably also awesome. The photo here was taken at Sushi Train (a conveyor belt sushi restaurant) in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
I have loved everything I have tried here. I’m going back soon for a Hawaiian plate lunch with mac salad and rice. I just need to decide if I want a pork or chicken cutlet or the Loco Moco (a hamburger patty smothered in beef gravy served with two sunny side eggs). I thoroughly enjoyed the Loco Moco and mac salad while in Hawaii and can’t wait. I can see this becoming a favorite spot for me.
I appreciate and regularly crave good seafood. Unfortunately that is not easy to satisfy in northeast Ohio. Red Lobster is okay in a pinch, but I prefer an independent to ensure that the quality is there. My favorite seafood restaurant in the Cleveland area used to be The Lobster Trap on Ravenna Road in Twinsburg. They used to serve a special featuring two whole lobsters, green beans and rice. My parents and I were regulars when I lived near there, but unfortunately they soon went out of business. The Lobster Pot in Willoughby is a good successor. Apparently it used to be in South Euclid and moved to Willoughby Hills in 2017. It is located near the intersection of SOM Center and Chardon Roads.
The restaurant is loosely modeled after a traditional New England-style lobster house. The space is decorated with nautical artifacts like wooden buoys and floats, fishing nets, and the namesake lobster pots, and there is a wooden dory suspended above the dining room. There are also tanks filled with live lobsters and fish. There is a bar with a casual atmosphere as well as a dining room that features white tableclothes and cloth napkins. The patio is also tucked next to the building away from the street and is a great place to relax when the weather is nice
The first time I went there I was craving lobster roll. They have an entree with two lobster rolls on the menu. The rolls were authentic, and the lobster was succullent, with big chunks of tail and claw meat. They were not too heavy on the mayo and had a perfectly buttery taste.
The lobster bisque was ok, but (unlike the lobster rolls) did not contain a lot of lobster. It had a nice creaminess to it. They serve Manhatten clam chowder on the regular menu, but I prefer New England chowder. The New England clam chowder accompanied the clambake. It was a decent chowder. It’s not the worst, but also not the best I’ve had. A decent chowder is still a plus in my book.
The salad was very fresh and was a nice mesculun mix with a couple slices of cucumber, a couple cherry tomatoes and slivers of carrot. I also enjoyed the warm bread was served before meal.
The oysters are super fresh. You can order them raw, baked or as oysters Rockefeller. There is a minimum three per order. I have had them raw and Rockefeller. I have thoroughly enjoyed them every time.
The Lobster and Shrimp Newburg is made with fresh lobster meat and shrimp sautéed with shallots, celery, mushroom, tomatoes, garlic, finished with a lobster cognac cream sauce with a choice of one side. It can be served over rice or pasta. I chose pasta, and it was quite filling. It reheated nicely the next day. I really enjoyed it, despite being made with angel hair pasta, which is not my favorite.
This is a great place to enjoy the clambake or fish fry. I have enjoyed the clambake both inside in the dining room and outside on the patio. I love pairing it with a chardonnay. The clambake comes with a dozen clams, drawn butter, corn on the cob, red skin potatoes and cole slaw. Since I’m a sucker for lobster I usually add the whole lobster. Everything is always perfectly cooked and super tasty. I even enjoy the red skin potatoes.
I also really enjoy the Admiral’s Platter, which features a half pound of snow crab, one lobster til, two jumbo scampi and is served with your choice of two sides. It usually scratches my itch for fresh seafood. If you are craving fried fish, the Fisherman’s Platter is for you. It comes with breaded and fried haddock, shrimp, hush puppies, fries and coleslaw.
Overall, it is a good representation of a seafood restaurant. The parking is convenient. They have great happy hour (Haffey Hour) specials at the bar on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 4-6 pm. The Happy Hour menu features a nice assortment of dishes (calamari, firecracker shrimp, fish or shrimp tacos, shrimp bruschetta, and mussels plus a few non-seafood options) at $7 each, oysters are $2 each and shrimp are $1 each. They also offer discounts on drinks and wine. The food and service are consistently great. You are greeted warmly when you walk in and I’ve never had a bad server. They have always been attentive and responsive to my needs.
Contact info:
The Lobster Pot 2749 Som Center Road Willoughby Hills, OH 44094 (440) 569-1634
For nearly three years, diners eagerly awaited the arrival of Fiyah, the contemporary Korean eatery that opened on E. 55th just north of St. Clair in March 2023. Fiyah offers both Korean BBQ and Asian hot pot experiences in a spacious, attractive setting.
There are more than two dozen booths featuring built-in gas grills, allowing groups to enjoy the interactive art of tabletop grilling. Fiyah is going with two different all-you-can-eat models that offer different selections of meats and seafoods. There’s also a massive wraparound porch and rooftop patio. The big garage-door-like windows will be great in the summer. Drive around the building for plentiful parking and the entrance. The hostess booth is along the wall opposite the bar.
My friends and I met there shortly after it opened. I always try to review a restaurant after visiting twice, but I think I can give it a fair review after our oe visit. The reason being that it is pricey, and I don’t see a second visit in the cards soon enough. Fiyah has several rules. First of all, everyone at the table has to order the same all-you-can-eat tier. This means if one of your friends isn’t that hungry and just wants a soup or something they are out of luck. Also, if one of them insists they want something from the pricier tier like steak you all have to order that. It’s only a $10 difference, but you all have to be on board.
Secondly, there is a two-hour limit and you cannot bring home leftovers. Lastly, groups of 5 or more have an automatic gratuity added. Two of these rules tripped us up, because one of my friends ended up not staying and I still had the automatic gratuity in my head when I calculated what everyone owed and added 2% to the bill. I had to go back the next day and leave our server the missing 18%. Don’t be me. I really hope our server got the money from her coworker.
Anyway, we loved Fiyah. The dining room is industrial but “prettied up” with fake cherry blossom trees. We easily ate our fill of the great items in the AYCE Classic tier, which includes assorted veggies, beef brisket, spicy pork, pork belly and spicy (marinated) pork belly, head-on shrimp, teriyaki chicken and beef bulgogi to grill and rice for $36.99. You also get leaf lettuce to make little Korean leaf cups along with Fiyah sauce and some banchan (pickled veggies and oddly enough a fairly decent potato salad).
Everything was very fresh. I particularly loved the asparagus, shrimp, beef bulgogi and teriyaki chicken. One of our group loved all the pork belly, and the spicy items were not as spicy as you might think. So there was something for every taste. Everyone ate their fill, and we did a good job of finishing everything with minimal waste. If you have a lot of leftover food you will be charged $15.99 per pound, so just order what you can eat and order in small waves.
The AYCE Premium includes everything in the AYCE Classic menu as well as ribeye (1 per customer), salmon, spicy salmon, spicy chicken, Galbi, garlic shrimp and mussels as well as “corn cheese,” which appears to be a creamed corn and cheese dish made with corn, mayo, cheese and seasoning like mustard and doenjang.
They have a wide variety of bubble teas, fruit teas and sodas available, but if you are looking for something really special you should order the Soju Tower. It is a huge tower filled with soju (a clear and colorless distilled alcoholic beverage like vodka), yogurt and fruit. It doesn’t have a super-high alcohol content, because I had probably three or four glasses and wasn’t buzzed in the slightest. But it was super delicious and should be ordered if you are a group.
We really enjoyed our meal at Fiyah despite all the rules. The rules are completely understandable to avoid waste and people cheating the system. Since we were there in April we didn’t get to witness the patio or rooftop bar. We also didn’t notice a ventilation problem (see: Yelp) since it wasn’t that busy when we were there. There is one glaring error that I hope they fixed. I didn’t see any handicap accomodations or entrances, so if you are in a wheelchair or have mobility issues you might want to call to see if they have fixed that.
Watami Revolving Sushi Bar is the only conveyor belt sushi restaurant in Ohio as of right now. It is located on Broadview Road near the intersection with Pleasant Valley Road in Parma near the border with Seven Hills. It is in a small strip mall in front of the Giant Eagle and is next to a Dunkin’ Donuts. You need to enter and exit the strip mall at the gas station.
The sushi chef prepares sushi and puts the individual plates on the revolving conveyor belt that circles the dining area. The items on the conveyor are on various colored plates, so the server knows what to charge by counting the plates on your table at the end of your meal. Diners choose which plates they want as they pass by. If you want something that isn’t on the conveyor belt like rmen or udon or a beverage, you can order it from a server. If you have 15 or more plates you can go try your luck to win a capsule toy. The plates with rolls usually have 3-4 pieces (2 for nigiri), so you can try quite a few different rolls in one meal. They also have some appetizers, desserts, and fruit circling as well. Watami Revolving Sushi Bar is a healthy, fun, and delicious dining experience.
The menu is based on traditional Japanese recipes and has about 100 items including sushi (nigiri and rolls), tempura, ramen, and udon. They do not use artificial sweeteners and preservatives or coloring to any of the food. Unfortunately, I think that also applies to the rice wine vinegar that should be added to the sushi rice. It is pretty bland. I heavily season the nigiri and blander rolls with wasabi. Rolls that have extra sauces or toppings have a great flavor and don’t need doctoring.
The first time I went, I went by myself to check it out. It had just opened. I had been anxiously waiting for it to open. The sushi that was going out was pretty good. I grabbed a good selection of nigiri and rolls. I had to ask the waitress for wasabi and ginger as well as things like gyoza or takoyaki, but that’s preferable to something fried sitting on the conveyor belt for too long. The nigiri was well-portioned, but the rice fell apart too easily. It needed something to pack it together. I really enjoyed the Godzilla Roll and Mango Tango Roll because they were so flavorful. Save your money on the obviously canned fruit. The pineapple was just canned pineapple, but the orange slices in visit 2 were refreshing.
The second time I went I met several friends. Instead of sitting in a booth and having one or two people grab items for the others, I chose to sit at the end with seats facing each other. That way everyone was able to grab what they wanted while the other people could enjoy their meal instead of stressing to quickly grab stuff off the belt.
This place definitely isn’t gourmet, but if you want a casual meal of picking a variety of $3 covered plates with four pieces of sushi or two of nigiri or sashimi off of a conveyor belt, you’ll enjoy Watami.
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