Good eats – Page 13 – Cleveland Rocks, Cleveland Eats

Russo’s Kitchen

Russo’s Kitchen is a unique restaurant that straddles the border of Peninsula and Cuyahoga Falls on State Road (aka Akron-Cleveland Road) near the intersection with Seasons Road (Route 8 is close by). I learned about it from a fellow diner at a wine dinner at The Blue Door. He and his wife raved about the food and said they were there every Saturday. Sure enough, when I went there they were sitting at the bar around the open kitchen. We were sat at the counter and felt lucky. The place was packed so there really weren’t many available tables (it seats 97), but the counter overlooks the open kitchen.

Russo’s has great food and friendly service, but it can be quite loud and hard to hear your dining companions when it is busy. The food theme is Italian/New Orleans fusion, so there is something for everyone. In the mood for seafood? They have some amazing seafood choices like perch and oysters or grouper. Want pasta? How about cavatelli pomodoro with meatballs or meat or spinach and cheese ravioli?

I love New Orleans. It is my favorite city in the U.S., and I’ve been there several times (and going again in September). I went to Russo’s with a friend who used to live in New Orleans, so naturally we focused on the Creole menu.

Of course I had to order a Hurricane. It is my absolute favorite drink, and this one was made without mixes and syrups. It was absolutely delicious and packed a wallop. It was possibly even better than the Hurricane at Pat O’Brien’s.

The bread service is a homemade foccacia with olive oil dip. You could tell it was fresh and was very flavorful. It had a nice consistency to it and was toothsome on the outside and soft on the inside.

My friend started off with the Gumbo Ya-Ya, which was very flavorful. She said it rivaled the gumbo down in NOLA. I had a house salad that featured fresh greens and a delicious White French dressing. The waitress offered fresh cracked black pepper, and I couldn’t resist.

I decided to order the New Orleans BBQ Shrimp appetizer to save room for dessert. The appetizer was filling all on its own. The BBQ sauce was thick, silky, and absolutely delicious with a peppery bite and a hint of sweetness. It had a great flavor to it and was not too spicy. The shrimp were a decent size and perfectly cooked. I also really liked the grilled foccacia garlic bread they served with it to sop up the sauce. I would order it again in a heartbeat.

In fact, my friend enjoyed the meal so much she went back a week or so later and ordered a variation on the same meal, this time lake perch and scallops with smokey baked 3-cheese macaroni, grilled seasonal vegetables, and chipotle tartar sauce.

We splurged on dessert and ordered the bread pudding. It was deliciously creamy and luscious. I would order this one again too, but I also hear the peanut butter pie is delicious.

In addition to the main restaurant there is also a more casual eatery with 60 seats called Bacchus in the back. It serves pizza, fried chicken and burgers as well as a few Creole and Italian choices. It is open for lunch and dinner, unlike the main restaurant which is only open for dinner service. Bacchus has a happy hour Tuesday through Friday from 3-6 PM. They have some drink specials (including some $5 cocktails) and select food choices ranging $3 for a slider to $6 for wings with hot pepper relish.

My only word of advice is to not go here if you are in a hurry. Service is also very southern, and they give personal but slow service. It didn’t bother us because we had made a special trip there, but if you are stopping there on your way to Blossom plan to get there really early and plan for maybe 1 1/2-2 hours depending on how many courses you order.

Contact info:

Russo’s Kitchen
4895 State Rd
Peninsula, OH 44264
(330) 923-2665

Greenbridge Tea House

Cleveland has a new tea house. It opened in October 2015. Located in a recently renovated century home in Twinsburg, Ohio, the tea house overlooks the town square. In fact, I almost missed it. It is on the southwest corner of the square. Parking is available on the street facing the square. The tea house is open Wednesday through Saturday from 11-3. It seats 25. The staff was very friendly and accommodating, and the place smelled delicious.

I came here with several members of my tea group recently. We enjoyed it very much and look forward to coming back soon. As a mostly vegan tea house I did not even miss the dairy or meat! My vegetarian friends were like kids in a candy shop. They said it was so refreshing to be able to order anything off the menu instead of only have one or two items to choose from.

You can choose your own vintage tea cup from the wall shelf. They serve fair trade, organic teas and had a nice selection to choose from, including black teas, herbal teas and tisanes, and green teas. An especially nice touch: the owner brought around samples of the Moroccan mint tea that day, which I had already decided to order. It is a green tea with a nice mint flavor. I found it very refreshing.

I ordered a bowl of the golden mushroom and potato soup with thyme because it made the place smell divine. It was as delicious as it smelled. The soup was chock-full of mushrooms and potatoes. The mushrooms were thinly sliced and flavorful, and the soup had a creamy consistency despite not having any cream in it. I was glad I ordered a bowl instead of a cup.

For my entree I ordered the quiche in a “crustless’ version with eggs, Swiss cheese with onions and chives (not vegan but oh so good). A vegan version is also available. The savory quiche was extremely flavorful and hit the spot (I especially loved the side of garlic bread). I was able to choose a side dish and I chose the broccoli salad with sunflower seeds, sweet onions in vegan mayo base. I enjoyed it a lot.My friends raved about the desserts. They loved the Twin Square Minis (above), which were little fudgey squares of goodness topped with coconut, and Lemon Tea Bread topped with a blueberry sauce (below). I was full from the bowl of soup and entree, so I did not even try a bite.

We look forward to coming back and trying other things on the menu. I need to try the trio of tea sandwiches next. The idea of tempeh salad with rosemary and sage is intriguing. Also, I tried a bite of my friend’s deviled chickpea salad and enjoyed it.

Contact info:

Greenbridge Tea House
9036 Church Street
Twinsburg, OH 44087
(330) 405-9381

Cafe Avalaun

Cafe Avalaun is Ohio’s first entirely gluten-free cafe, bakery and crêperie. They also offer some dairy-free, soy-free, and peanut-free options, and everything is clearly marked on the menu board. It is located on Richmond Road just off I-480 near the I-271 split. The Doyles switched to gluten-free diets for their son and for their own health, so they are extremely knowledgeable. Brian Doyle has worked in numerous kitchens in Cleveland, including the Beachland Ballroom, and offers his catering services through Sow Foods.

This place has made my mother extremely happy, and that is all that matters to me. My mother developed ulcerative colitis about six years ago and cannot eat any gluten or dairy without having severe problems. She is thrilled to have a totally gluten-free restaurant that is sensitive to other dietary issues. My mother loves being able to go here and confidently order off the menu without worrying that there is some butter or gluten hidden in it. I took her here for the grand opening, and she has gone back numerous times since then. My father has no dietary issues and has had to suffer through the early years of gluten-free food because my brother-in-law has celiac disease. Even my dad, who complains about the gluten-free and dairy-free food at the family dinners, loves their paninis, so those without sensitivities will also enjoy the food.

We recently met friends for their Lenten Fish Fry, which was great. They opened special hours for it, and the place was packed. We had to fight for a table, despite my arriving there first. Seating is tight since it is so small. I decided to order the lobster bisque and a small fish dinner, which came with a side salad and a small gluten-free roll. The side salad came out first. It featured mixed greens, cucumber and tomato, and it was lightly dressed with a light vinaigrette of some sort. The lobster bisque was delicious, even if the lobster meat was largely absent. The bisque had a very nice flavor to it, and was my favorite part of the meal. Everyone also raved about the fish dinner. The fish dinner featured gluten-free battered perch, french fries, a delicious hush puppy and housemade cole slaw in addition to a remoulade. We got to watch Brian fry up the orders in the kitchen as we stood in line to order. Everything was extremely fresh and flavorful.

I am thrilled that this little cafe is so successful. At the grand opening there were so many enthusiastic people who were overwhelmingly overjoyed that they finally had a truly gluten-free restaurant. The place was jam-packed. I could not tell you how many people literally had tears of joy that day. The enthusiasm has not waned. The bakery items and cafe items are delicious as well as being tailored to special needs.

They are best known for the crepês and crepêritos, which are crêpes that are rolled up like burritos and stuffed with delicious fillings. The crêpes and can crepêritos be made blonde, buckwheat, or dairy free coconut. Some of the crepês cannot be made into crepêritos, but they are clearly marked.

I ordered the Clevelander crêpe at the grand opening (which is why it is shown in foil and with plastic utensils), and it was delicious. It was a nod to a pierogi, with cheddar cheese, caramelized onions, and mashed potatoes wrapped up in a light crêpe with crème fraiche on the side. If you like pierogi you will love this crêpe.

Some of my friends absolutely adore the Mexican Drinking Chocolate, which is made with 64% dark chocolate, cinnamon, and dash of chipotle. It is seriously good! They serve lots of coffee drinks with custom-roasted Crooked River Coffee, Storehouse Tea, and something called Keto Coffee, which is an Americano blended with grass-fed butter and coconut oil.

I would also be remiss not to mention their amazing gluten-free baked goods. As their website explains, “Café Avalaun’s in-house bakery offers daily selections of classic American and French-inspired baked goods. Every item is completely gluten free and made from scratch, under the expert supervision of Pastry Chef Maggie Downey.” Maggie most recently worked at Coquette Patisserie before joining Brian at Sow Foods. My mother loves chocolate chip cookies. Like seriously loves them. She missed them when she could no longer eat them. Now she comes in and gets a dozen whenever she can. She bought the last one at the Fish Fry and ate it after her meal. The brownies have been described to me as “crack.” Especially the ones with chocolate ganache. One of the stylists at my salon down the street is gluten-free and absolutely adores the brownies. The lemon bars are bright and delicious, as is all the other baked goods Maggie makes every night. Also, Maggie made my parents a gorgeous gluten-free cake for their 50th Wedding Anniversary in July as well as a little gluten-free/dairy-free cake for my mother. You can order gluten-free bakery items and bread in advance as well using their order form on the website.

Thanks to the Doyles and Maggie Downey for opening this little oasis for people with food sensitivities. My mother appreciates being able to confidently order anything on the menu and knowing it will be gluten-free and dairy-free. And that is priceless.

IMG_20170720_125652

Contact info:

Cafe Avalaun
4640 Richmond Road, Suite 200
Warrensville Heights, Ohio 44128
(216) 245-6666

Campus Grille

in-memoriam-graphic

Closed in December 2021

I’d been hearing good things about the Campus Grille, so I knew I had to check it out. The restaurant is located in the old Pizza King building on Seminary Street in Berea. I met some friends there on a dark and rainy night and was happy to have a parking spot so close to the building.

They had a lot of Puerto Rican sodas to choose from, so I ordered the Pineapple and the Lime sodas. Both were good, but I preferred the Pineapple soda. It also paired really well with my Coco Tropical, which is a split rotisserie chicken served over coconut rice and topped with spicy pineapple and mango chutney. The chicken was perfectly cooked, the coconut rice was delicious and the chutney had a little kick to it but not too much that I couldn’t enjoy it. It was also a lot of food, and I ate the other half for lunch the next day.

One of my friends ordered the tostones (fried plantains) and guacamole and let us try some. It also happened to be the last order of the night because they ran out after our order. The plantains were nicely fried and not too greasy. They were definitely enough to share among those of us at the table.

I was able to try a bite of my friend’s vegetarian mofongo, and I LOVED it. So much so that I went back and ordered one for myself. I actually prefer it over the mofongo at Rincon Criollo. It is really flavorful. The plantains are fried and mashed with garlic and chiccarones (although I think they omitted those in the vegetarian mofongo too). I didn’t even miss the pork in the vegetarian mofongo, but it sure was nice in the one I ordered. Mofongo is their most popular dish, and I can see why. It is served with a side salad, and the greens were fresh.

Another friend ordered the pork shoulder with yellow rice and Spanish-style beans. He ate the entire thing, which was pretty amazing. It must have been good.

The restaurant is vegetarian-friendly and can customize most of their dishes to accommodate vegetarian and gluten-free customers. One of my friends ordered the Farmer’s Plate, which features lime-infused cilantro rice, black beans, baby spinach, tostones & Monterey Jack cheese. She also enjoyed it and took home leftovers.

The empanadillas also looked good, and they are available savory or sweet. The desserts are a little pricey, but they are big enough to share or to take home and eat for several days. One of my friends did just that, bringing a flan home.

I highly recommend the Campus Grille. The ambiance leaves a little to be desired, but the food is fresh and delicious as well as inexpensive and plentiful.

Contact info:

Campus Grille
10 Seminary Street
Berea, OH 44017
(440) 243-4229

Buckeye Beer Engine

Buckeye Beer Engine has to be one of my favorite places in Cleveland. I’m shocked I haven’t written about it. It opened in 2007 and is located in Lakewood on Madison Avenue. It is a locally owned, neighborhood brew pub that prides itself on gourmet burgers and gourmet, award-winning beer from Buckeye Brewing Company. If you are looking for a place to explore specialty craft beers, this is one of the better places in Cleveland to do it. In addition to 27 premium draft beers, Beer Engine also features two authentic cask conditioned ales, and 100+ bottles to choose from. I like that the draft beer list tells you what glass the beer will be served in. Not enough places do this, and the shape of the beer glass really does play a role in the enjoyment of a beer. Belgian beers should be served in round glasses, pilsners in long, tall, thin glasses, etc. There is nothing I love more than a good Belgian beer. This one was the “EPIC Brainless on Peaches,” which is a Belgian blonde ale aged in French Chardonnay casks on peaches. With just a hint of peach underlying the delicious blonde ale, I was a very happy camper and savored every drop. And with an ABV of 10.80, I walked out of lunch with a very slight buzz, so be forewarned. Or be prepared to call Uber.

The food is always good. With a small kitchen they limit their menu to items that are primarily grilled or fried. And let’s face it, if you are drinking beer you don’t really care about calories. They offer lots of appetizers that are perfect for sharing, like fried pretzel sticks and beer cheese and mustard dips, wings, “beer caps” (deep fried jalapenos), battered Andouille sausage bites, mac n cheese bites. etc. They feature 20 half-pound burgers as well as sandwiches, salads, platters, many appetizers, and weekly specials. All of the burgers can be easily switched to a Portobello mushroom cap, grilled chicken breast, or homemade spicy black bean patty that makes my vegetarian friends very happy. They feature a burger of the month, a monthly “wildly improbable burger,” and frequent specials.

IMG_20170307_122839 They also have a pretty wide selection of entrees that aren’t listed on the website, such as beer cheesy cheesesteak, meatloaf, a sausage platter, a schnitzel platter, a gouda pork & gravy fries (similar to poutine), and salads. For example, for the entire Lent season they are offering New England clam chowder, conch and crab hushpuppies, linguini frutti di mare (after 5 PM), a beer battered cod hoagie, beer battered fish and chips and drunken mussels. I also saw a sign for a salmon burger.

The first time I came here I ordered the Kobe beef hot dog in a pretzel-bread bun. It’s no longer on the menu, but I loved the fact that they served Kobe beef hot dogs. They now serve Angus beef, but kudos for going for quality from the starting gate.

My absolute favorite burger is the West Side Burger, featuring caramelized onions, sour cream, cheddar cheese and one cheddar potato pierogi on top of a juicy half-pound patty. If I am in the mood for a great burger this is my go-to. The onions are always perfect and the pierogi is just such a fun addition to a burger. The burgers are served with chips, but you can upgrade to a side salad, sweet potato fries, tater tots, or other choices for a couple bucks more. The chips are light and crisp and perfectly salted, so I highly recommend trying them first before you start upgrading. Every burger is also served with a fried dill pickle spear, which is a whimsical little addition.

Their everyday soup is the Chicken Cheddar Ale soup. It is a homemade soup made with chicken-ale broth loaded with cheddar cheese, roasted chicken, red peppers, and onions and topped with crumbled bacon, scallions, cheddar cheese, and served with mini pretzel sticks. I had a bite of it the other day when they mistakenly gave it to me instead of the clam chowder. The soup is surprisingly thick and very flavorful. The roasted chicken is shredded, and the soup is loaded with it.

The New England clam chowder is a total winner, and I was glad that I didn’t just keep the cheddar ale soup. It is in the white chowder base and has lots of clams and small potatoes. I was delighted with the flavor, which was almost buttery to my palate. I almost regretted ordering just a cup and was tempted to order a bowl to go. If you love clam chowder be sure to give this one a try. I have to say it is one of the best chowders I have enjoyed in a restaurant. They comped my chowder due to the mix-up, but I would have happily paid for it. Mistakes happen, and they more than made up for it.

I could not resist the house-made conch and crab hushpuppies when I saw them on the Lent Specials menu. I told my waitress I would probably be taking them to go. She gave me a to go box before they came out, and served the dipping sauce with its lid. That’s service! The hushpuppies were perfectly fried, not too oily and with a crisp coating. The inside was soft and delicious and loaded with seafood. The filling was a mix of crab and conch meat, corn, and scallion. It was served with the Beer Engine whole grain mustard aioli, but I was perfectly happy eating them straight without the aioli. I had one and boxed up the rest.

My most recent burger was the Bob’z Big Boyz Burger, which was a nod to the Big Boy. It was a burger of the month, but is now on the regular menu. It is a 1/3 pound burger topped with American cheese, crinkle cut dill pickle slices, and their homemade Bob’z sauce on a sesame seed bun. It also seems as if it was topped with a lot of chopped up lettuce mixed in the sauce. It was a fun burger and probably better than a Big Boy is nowadays. With the soup and a hushpuppy I got full quickly and took half of my burger home for dinner. The eyes are always bigger than the stomach.

Beer Engine is open every day of the year from 11AM to 2:30AM. I hear they have a great Sunday brunch too. They have a great little patio that is very much in demand in the warmer months. I spent one lovely summer evening on the patio enjoying a West Side Burger and a couple brews with friends. I’m glad that I live so far away from it, because I would be here all the time.

Contact info:

Buckeye Beer Engine
15315 Madison Avenue
Lakewood, OH 44107
(216) 226-2337

Momo’s Kebab

Momo’s opened last year on Lee Road in the space that I think used to be Golden Dragon. The chef/owner prides himself on using the freshest ingredients and buys his vegetables every day. It is also halal, which adheres to Islamic law. My Muslim friend appreciated this a lot. The quality just shines through. The first time I went I met some friends for dinner. The decor is warm and inviting, with two couch areas with Moroccan seating covered with Moroccan textiles. It invites you to sit and relax with a pot of tea and enjoy some good food.

I ordered the mint tea and was completely blown away. It is strong and hot while also being perfectly sweetened (using organic sugar). The tea is extremely refreshing and addictive. A small pot is enough for two, but I could easily drink it by myself. They had no problems IMAG4956 refilling it for us either.

I ordered the chicken kebab (one piece is missing in the photo because I shared it with my friend before taking the photo). The dinners come with Moroccan bread, salad, basmati rice, and grilled vegetables. The bread is a homemade flatbread. It is an unleavened circle of bread cut in half. It was quite nice. The salad has some mint in the light dressing and chopped up radish, tomato, cucumber, crumbled feta, and black olives. It was not overly dressed and was a nice start to the meal. The kebabs were perfectly grilled and came with a spicy dipping sauce. The rice and grilled vegetables were a great complement to the kebabs and were also perfectly cooked.

The beef kebabs were just as delicious and just as tender. The chef marinates all the meat overnight, so the marinade tenderizes the meat and then the grill puts on the finishing touch.

When I saw that the Saturday special is tagine I knew that I had to come back with my friend who introduced me to tagine. She had made it in her own tagine pot and we ate it with our hands. I remember what a special evening that was and remember how amazingly delicious the tagine was. She makes hers with preserved lemon. The Saturday special is “beef and veg,” which was carrots, potato and olives. It tastes like an amazing beef stew. The meat was tender and fell apart with the fork. The flavor was delicious. The vegetables were also perfectly cooked – not too hard and not too soft. I loved every bite.

My friend ordered their second tagine of the day – a sweeter tagine with lamb, caramelized onions, stewed prunes, honey, cinnamon, sliced almonds and sesame seeds. She offered me a taste of the lamb, which was amazingly tender and had a delicious sweeter taste. She loved it and said the tea and the tagine brought her back 15 years in time when she and her Moroccan boyfriend drank mint tea and made tagine. She also spoke with the owner about her visits to southern Morocco, while he is from the north.

I highly recommend Momo’s Kebab. The food is fresh and delicious – and super-affordable. The chicken kebab was $9, and the beef kebab platter was $9.50. My tagine was $12.50, M’s tagine was $15, and our tea was $5. Not bad for a Saturday night dinner. Word to the wise: they don’t serve alcohol, but that doesn’t bother me a bit. The hours are also extremely generous for a Mom & Pop restaurant. They are open every day from 11 a.m. to midnight except Monday when they are open from 4 to 11 p.m. and Sunday when they close at 11 p.m. too.

Contact info:

Momo’s Kebab
2199 Lee Road
Cleveland Heights, OH 44118
(216) 932-3512

Chinese New Year at Li Wah

As most of my long-time readers know, one of my favorite meals is going out for dim sum with friends. One of the most fun events of the year is celebrating the Chinese New Year at Li Wah. Li Wah is located in Asia Plaza on East 30th and Payne Avenue. I managed to score a parking space in the side lot, but there was plenty of parking available in the back of the plaza. When we left at 12:30 people were parking along Payne Avenue and the back lot was full. It’s a very popular event.

We met this past Saturday, braving the Arctic temperatures, for dim sum and to watch the Lion Dance. My friend Nancy from Fun Playing with Food put in a lot of work trying to herd all the cats together for this, with several dates and times suggested and schedules compared. In the end, we were six people for dim sum, with three calling off at the last minute. Nancy and her husband got there right at 10 when they opened to get us a premium table. I tried to make it there as close to 10 as I could in solidarity, because there is nothing worse than being hungry and watching all the carts groaning with tasty treats go by as you wait for everyone to get there. They had a pot of tea waiting, and I had brought some fancy chopsticks for everyone to have instead of the wooden disposable ones.

I started off with some wonton soup, which in hindsight I probably should not have had because it filled me up quickly. But I love it and enjoyed every last drop. The bowl was brimming with lots of tender wonton dumplings with a nice firm pork filling. I love the wonton dumplings here because they are full of goodness. Other wonton soups have a lot of extra dumpling dough. These are obviously handmade too. The green onions and light hint of ginger in the broth warmed me up perfectly.

I also ordered a Mai Tai, because come on it’s Saturday brunch. It definitely hit the spot. Not too cloyingly sweet, it was a very nice adult beverage. I loved the apple umbrella instead of the usual basic paper umbrella. I could feel the alcohol hit me about halfway through, so that was nice. I am not a big drinker, so one was perfect.

The first round was chosen right before the rest of the group got there, but they arrived very shortly afterwards. Nancy wanted to strike while she saw the special New Year’s dim sum offerings. She also ordered a sticky rice, because they are very popular at Li Wah and tend to run out quickly. The first round was more sweet than savory. Red bean paste coins and black sesame seed rolls were definitely unique choices that will hopefully bring us luck in the coming year. The red bean paste was a creamy consistency and the whole beans were soft enough that they did not detract from the creaminess of the paste. The black sesame rolls were definitely different. They had a toothsome quality, yet Nancy’s husband equated the consistency as eating jell-o with chopsticks. They appeared to be a flat dough that was rolled out thinly and then rolled into a kind of elongated shape. I don’t know if I would order them again, but they were a fun little treat. The sticky rice was as delicious as usual. Nice and savory with some shrimp flakes added to it. I love their sticky rice there.

Things started getting more intense with the next round. Nancy just kept on ordering for us – lots of favorites, including tofu skin rolls (pork and mushroom filling wrapped in a yuba bean curd wrapper), shu mei (steamed pork and shrimp dumplings), spare ribs with black bean sauce and some other kind of dumpling that kind of looked like their shark dumplings (made with pork and shrimp – not shark). This was definitely my favorite round because I love tofu skin rolls and shu mei. One per person was just enough and we had a couple dumplings from the four piece plates that ended up sitting around to the end. There was simply so much goodness to enjoy we didn’t want to fill up too much.

Another round brought deep fried goodness in the form of deep fried taro and the most amazing dim sum I have ever tasted – a seafood paste wrapped in bacon and deep fried. The deep fried taro dumplings feature taro paste that has been mixed with mushrooms, pork, and shrimp, rolled in a breading and then deep fried until feather light and crispy. As for the bacon-wrapped seafood, the bacon and seafood flavors really melded together well and made for a delightful couple of bites that I savored. I hope I can find it again on regular dim sum days.

By 11, which was the scheduled start time for the Kwan Lion Dance, the restaurant was really filling up. They were setting up large round folding tables in the hallway to accommodate the crowds, and there were lots of carts circulating all around the restaurant. It was just a really fun atmosphere. I forgot to keep photographing, so my photos of the food from here on are non-existent.

By that point I had hit the wall of fullness (thanks, wonton soup), but a couple other notable bites were the shrimp stuffed tofu and the deep fried eggplant stuffed with pork and shrimp, which is one of Nancy’s all-time favorites. We ordered some green vegetables for some roughage – the Chinese broccoli with oyster sauce. I liked the flavor a lot, but it was a little overcooked. I didn’t mind it being a little softer, but some people prefer it to be much crisper than it was. I think it had been on the cart for a while. It still hit the spot as a veggie in a dumpling-heavy meal.

On yet another round Nancy grabbed orders of steamed taro cakes and turnip cakes, which the server graciously divided in half for our table to share, as well as potstickers. The taro cakes were slightly overcooked and fell apart rather easily. The turnip cakes were good. They are a little creamier than the ones at Emperor’s Palace, which are my absolute favorites. I can’t say anything about the potstickers. I don’t think I ate one because I was just full.

Nancy ordered two Beijing duck steam rolls when they came around at the very end, because she really wanted some roasted pork or duck from the hanging cart. At that point we were so full that the two couples enjoyed splitting the steam rolls, I watched them enjoy them, and the sixth member of our table got a nibble of the duck meat. I don’t think we could have handled a huge plate of roasted meat, although their roasted meats are delicious.

We had started winding down on the food feast when the Lion Dance started. The Kwan family has been busy this season performing their Lion Dance all over Cleveland. It starts off with firecrackers to scare away the bad spirits and then the Lion dances around the restaurant to the rhythmic beats of the drums. People put money in envelopes for good luck (any amount except increments of four, which Nancy informed us was bad luck) and feed it to the lion as it meanders through the room. I love watching the little kids’ reactions to the lion, but this photo of a cart server feeding an envelope to the lion is my favorite photo from this particular performance. The joy on her face and the playful stance of the lion make it a fun photo. Once the lion has made its way through the room it ends the performance by climbing up on some benches and pulling down a head of lettuce (and this year it was also dressed with some green onions). The lion then shreds the lettuce and “spits it out” and kicks it at the audience. I love the photo with its head bowed, because the look on the woman’s face in the middle of the photo is priceless. It’s a fun way to spend a Saturday morning.

We paid our check (with me deducting my Mai Tai before calculating the per person cost) and divided it up for a grand total of just under $20 a person. They kind of threw me, because they automatically added gratuity this time, which they normally don’t do, so the originally quoted $23 a person dropped down to $19 and change. I added the price of my Mai Tai, gave them the pile of money, and we headed out into the frigid air to go about the rest of my day. I will most likely be full until around 6 or 7 and will have a bowl of cereal for dinner. Not a bad day enjoying some delicious “heart’s treasures” with friends and fellow food lovers.

Nancy has documented the individual dishes on her Flickr feed. The photos are beautiful, so be sure to check them out.

Note: their website is pretty atrocious, so I am linking to their Facebook page in the Contact Info below. Also, be sure to check out the photos on Yelp to really get your taste buds revved up. Just point at stuff on the cart and enjoy.

Contact info:

Li Wah
2999 Payne Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44114

Phusion Cafe

Cleveland now has an authentic Taiwanese restaurant, Phusion Cafe, which is located in the middle of the Superior Asia plaza (behind Superior Pho, towards the front door) in the old Mama’s Soul Kitchen location. The space is a little odd and lacks walls, but it makes up for the less-than-ideal ambiance by serving some killer food.

The most popular dish at Phusion Cafe is the Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup ($7.95). The broth is very flavorful. It looks brown in photos, but it has a reddish cast to it. Because of the color I was afraid it was going to be spicy, but it was perfect. It actually has a slight pepperoni-like taste. The noodles (I upgraded my noodles for $1 more) were thick and a little hard to eat with a chopstick, so if you aren’t really adept with chopsticks swallow your pride and use a fork. I used chopsticks and ended up wearing a lot of it. The beef pieces were a decent size and fairly thick, yet tender. Overall I can definitely see why this is their most popular dish.

When Map of Thailand was unexpectedly closed on the day I planned a dinner we tried to come up with a Plan B, and someone suggested Phusion Cafe, which had just opened. They handled our large table of 11 wonderfully considering we just showed up with no notice (something I never do). The server was pleasant and super competent. The group was full of vegetarians and non-pork eaters, and everyone left happy and full.

I ordered mango iced tea, an egg roll and the Three Cups Chicken ($12.95). The egg roll was nothing to write home about. It was nicely fried and had a nice filling. The Three Cups Chicken was a bit unwieldy to eat since it had the bones still in, but it had a nice flavor. The chicken is cooked with fennel, whole pieces of ginger root, and basil, in a savory sauce. It was unlike anything I’ve had before.

I already had a dining out event at Phusion Cafe booked a few weeks later with my dining out group, so we met up again and had an even better meal. As mentioned in my Best Bites of 2015 post, the dish that absolutely astonished us and had us constantly reaching for more was their crispy chicken with fried basil. It was perfectly fried and extremely flavorful. My friend Nancy described it as “Chicken-Basil Crack.” I’m not sure if it is on their regular menu, but if you see it as a special do yourself a favor and order it. It was extremely addictive and makes a great appetizer.

We ordered several different entrees that visit and shared them. We ordered the eggplant with garlic sauce ($9.95) since so many of us are fans of the Chinese dish. It was definitely on point and was very similar to other eggplant dishes such as Wonton Gourmet and Szechuan Gourmet. Another big hit was the hakka pork with tofu and celery. The flavor was really good, but it was really hard to eat with chopsticks. The thin little strips were difficult to wrangle. Again, don’t be too proud to ask for a fork. We also ordered the Sausage Fried Rice. Although several of my friends enjoyed this dish I wasn’t as big of a fan. I thought it was kind of bland.

I was there recently for lunch and grabbed the Peanut Butter Chicken combination to go ($5.95 – the combo at dinner is $6.95). If you love peanut butter you will adore this dish. It was crisp fried chicken in a luscious peanut butter satay sauce. This is the chicken satay I have been searching for since I lived in Germany. The chicken was perfectly fried and still held up to reheating later. Now that I have had this dish I have to be honest and say I don’t think I will ever try anything else here. I still need to try the Peddler Noodles, but I can easily see the peanut butter chicken becoming an addiction.

Overall, Phusion Cafe is in a weird location, but it is super cheap and super delicious. Give them a try.

Contact info:

Phusion Cafe
3030 Superior Avenue
Cleveland, OH
(216) 861-3399

Wonton Gourmet

Wonton Gourmet is one of the best Chinese/ Cantonese/Hong Kong style restaurants in town. The neighborhood might be off-putting for suburbanites and the restaurant is nothing to look at on the inside, but if you like authentic Chinese food you really should give this a try. And I can assure you that the neighborhood is fine. I drive through here all the time. Parking is right outside and there’s closed circuit monitoring of the parking lot inside the restaurant, so I’ve never felt unsafe there. There is also zero ambiance, with enlarged photocopies of food hanging on the wall, paper place mats, and a TV playing loud Chinese shows in the back. But I don’t go there for the ambiance. People have talked about a decline in quality since a change in owners, but I hear it has improved again. I honestly can’t speak for how it was since I’ve only started coming here in the past two years, but my experiences at Wonton Gourmet have always been consistently good. It has menus, but most people rely on the photos on the wall to choose what they want. I suggest you order dishes you don’t find in most “Americanized” Chinese restaurants, because they really shine here.

Everyone I know raves about their chive potstickers and turnip cakes. I’m the same. The chive potstickers are wrapped in a delicate wrapper and come with a delicious dipping sauce. It’s hard to limit yourself. I also really enjoy the flavor of the turnip cakes very much. I think they are up there with Emperor’s Palace’s version. They are creamy and flavorful and reheat really well, so don’t feel bad ordering them if you are eating alone.

The entree I order the most often is the fish fillet with jade tofu. Jade tofu is a silken egg tofu that is fried on the outside and soft on the inside. That tofu is amazing, with a golden yellow color and creamy consistency. I’ve included a photo of my leftovers with a cross section of the jade tofu to show you how lovely it is. I also love the fish fillets that accompany the tofu. It has a nice little crunch to it despite the sauce, and the fish is just very flavorful. The vegetables also pair really well with the dish. Normally my favorite vegetable in Chinese cooking is the sweet pea pod, but in this dish I love IMG_20170323_143629 the Chinese cabbage. Yum!

You also can’t go wrong with any of their salt baked seafood. I ordered the salt baked tri-seafood the other day and it was exceptional. Perfectly baked fish filet, shrimp, scallop and calamari with just the right amount of breading. Very flavorful. The Hong Kong deep-fried pork chops in Beijing style were also delicious. Lots of meat with little bone and tender as can be.

I’m not a huge fan of their wonton noodle soups. They come with wontons and ramen noodles and you can add brisket, roast pork or roast duck. In fact, the 3 Flavor Shrimp Dumpling soup has three different delicious shrimp wontons. I love wontons, but the broth doesn’t appeal to me. I think it tastes a little musty, but I know plenty of people who love it.

I went here the other day with a friend and split the fish fillet with jade tofu. We needed another entree and decided on the Szechuan chicken with Chinese eggplant. Wow, this dish was delicious. It was not as spicy as I thought it would be, and I just really love the Chinese eggplant stir fried in the Szechuan sauce. I loved the flavor of this dish and would order this again in a heartbeat. I’m looking forward to eating the leftovers. The photo below is the salt fish chicken fried rice. It was really good too!

IMAG5404 The tea is hot and flavorful, and the service is attentive without being overbearing. I honestly love the food here. I can’t vouch for what it used to be, but I certainly like it as it is now. Many of the clientele are Chinese, which is the sign of a good Chinese restaurant as far as I am concerned. So if you are looking for a good place to eat some authentic Chinese food give this place a try. If you prefer the Americanized dishes like General Tso’s chicken, egg foo young, chop suey or chow mein you can order it here too, but I highly recommend picking something that looks good from the photos on the wall. I guarantee you won’t regret it!

IMAG5415

Contact info:

Wonton Gourmet
3211 Payne Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44114
(216) 875-7000

Black Box Fix

I have a new favorite sandwich, and it comes from Black Box Fix. It’s called the OMG Philly, and OMG is it good! People were sad when Sweetie Fry closed last year, but Chef Eric Rogers has opened Black Box Fix and it no longer hurts. The 1,200-square-foot restaurant opened this past March and serves gourmet sandwiches, soups and dishes with a Creole and Cajun flair, all served in black boxes (hence the name “Black Box Fix”). The restaurant’s name refers to the black, recycled, compostable boxes the food is served in. The restaurant also seats about 15 for customers who want to eat in. Black Box Fix was just voted Best New Business and Best New African American Owned Business in the 2015 Future Heights Best of the Heights Awards.

The OMG Philly ($13) is a chicken philly sandwich with grilled chicken and jumbo shrimp with sautéed mushrooms, onions, peppers and melted Swiss cheese on a toasted brioche roll and drizzled with yum yum sauce. This sandwich is delicious. Every bite is well-seasoned and full of flavor. The cheese is nicely melted and holds it all together. The sandwich is served with a side of garlic-parmesan fries, which were good, but I was all about the sandwich. Try one as soon as you can. You won’t regret it.

I also tried the Hibachi Burger ($13) several days later. It features seasoned beef topped with mozzarella and provolone, sautéed mushrooms, onions and peppers and 4 jumbo hibachi grilled shrimp on a Kaiser roll with yum yum sauce. I ordered it medium and it had some pink but not as much as I expected. It was a delicious burger. Again, it came with a side of the garlic-parmesan fries. The shrimp were huge and succulent and every bite of the burger was soul-satisfying.

Their Creole Soul Roll ($3) is so popular that it is only offered Thursday through Saturday. It is a deep-fried egg roll filled with smoked turkey, collard greens, andouille sausage, and jambalaya rice. It was really good. The rice was fluffy, and the “stuffing” had a really good flavor to it. It comes with a dipping sauce that is reminiscent of a sweet chili sauce.

I was less impressed by the Mr. Martin ($9), which features a fried chicken breast dipped in agave BBQ sauce and topped with sweet onion vinaigrette slaw. Despite arriving after the 15 minutes specified on the phone the sandwich and fries were a little soggy from condensation (and the bun from the BBQ sauce and slaw). If you are going to order it I would suggest eating it in the restaurant. I also didn’t love the BBQ sauce; it was sweeter than I expected and not zippy.

Chef Rogers also believes in giving back to the community. I hear $1 from every Lee Road Hobo ($8.50 – the Black Box Fix version of Cleveland’s Polish Boy) is donated to the Ginn Academy Youth Support Program, which provides programs for inner-city children in Greater Cleveland. Paintings by local artists are exhibited on the restaurant’s walls. He’s happy to be in Cleveland Heights, and we’re happy to have him.

Since it is a locally owned, true “mom and pop” store, Black Box Fix is closed on Sundays and Mondays.

Contact info:

Black Box Fix
2307 Lee Road
Cleveland Heights, OH 44118
(216) 383-8130