Most Clevelanders know about Malley’s Chocolates. Malley’s Chocolates is a Cleveland-based chain of 23 chocolate and candy stores that was founded in 1935. Their chocolate covered treats are the stuff of legends. Chocolate covered strawberries, grapes, raspberries, tortilla chips, bacon, etc. are treats on holidays. The chocolate covered Oreos, pretzels, potato chips (a personal addiction), almonds, etc. are available throughout the year. I am such a hardcore fan of Malley’s chocolate covered strawberries that a few years ago I drove out in a blizzard on Valentine’s 
Day to buy some and crashed my car on the retaining wall going back up my driveway. That was the most expensive Valentine’s Day ever.
Four of the chocolate and candy stores include ice cream parlors year-round (Bay Village, Lakewood, North Olmsted, and Mentor). The store at Aurora Farms Premium Outlets does not offer seating and only serves ice cream in the summer months. The one in North Olmsted features a slow-moving carousel (see photo to the right), and the flagship store in Lakewood has an Alice in Wonderland theme (see photo to the left). I haven’t been to the Bay or Mentor stores, so I can’t tell you anything about them.
If you go to one of the stores with seating, it is usually “seat yourself.” They greet you with a glass of water and a bowl of pretzels. I taught my nieces to use the pretzels to scoop up vanilla ice cream for a salty and sweet treat. Others love scraping up the leftover hot fudge sauce with the pretzels. Yum. There are over fifty ice cream concoctions to choose from. Whether it’s an ice cream soda, shake or malt, banana split or their trademark Hot Fudge Sundae, Malley’s has a rich, creamy, cold treat for everyone’s
taste. The ice cream is pretty basic with solid flavor choices. This is not a hipster hangout. There are no organic ingredients, and I don’t know how locally sourced it is (although I’ve heard rumors that the ice creams come from Pierre’s). However, the sundaes are inventive and, best of all, very affordable. We’re talking a couple bucks for a sundae, and the serving sizes are generous. Kid’s sundaes are around $3-4, and more complex ones are $4-6. I don’t know a kid growing up who hasn’t ever had a Puppy Love, Malley Clown or Mickey Malley sundae. They are just tons of fun for kids.
Their most popular sundae is their signature Malley’s Hot Fudge Sundae. It is really good if you add Spanish peanuts to it – sweet and salty together is just a great combination. If you buy a fundraiser chocolate bar from a local school kid or the public library there is usually a buy one get one free coupon on the back for the hot fudge sundaes.
Growing up, a trip to Malley’s in North Olmsted was a huge treat. It later became a great date night location. One’s tastes tend to be formed in childhood, and my two favorites are the Coconut Royale (vanilla ice cream, hot fudge sauce, coconut shavings and whipped cream) and the Pink Elephant (peppermint stick ice cream, Spanish peanuts, hot fudge, and whipped cream).
A sundae will run you between $3.50 and $5.50. If you are with a bunch of people and are feeling adventurous try the Ultimate Sundae. It comes with (to quote one Yelp reviewer) “10 scoops of ice cream, 4 different toppings, 4 types of nuts, and a crap ton of sprinkles and cherries.”
With its pastel walls, gaudy mirrors, vintage ice cream bowls and paper doilies, Malley’s reflects an old-fashioned ice cream parlor from way back when. The simple charms of Malley’s draw local Clevelanders, young and old, for life. This is the kind of place parents bring their kids and then those kids bring their kids and so on… I for one hope it never changes.
one or two entrees to choose from. C. raved about the Curried Butternut Pasta featuring roasted cubes of butternut squash with coconut milk, cilantro and lime over pasta, while R. loved the Vegan Beanburger, featuring a huge herb-scented, mixed bean patty, fried crispy and served with arugula, fresh cucumbers, tomato, and Monterey Jack cheese, with house-cut Yukon fries and herbed mayo.
is a pistachio florentina atop almond paste cake, a layer of lingonberry compote, and a pâte sucrée crust and my clear favorite. Britt is most known for her macarons. The Blueberry Macaron in the photo (right) is an almond flour meringue shell filled with blueberry buttercream and gluten-free.
Black Walnut Banana, Cantaloupe-paprika, Guiness float, etc.), are $2 and 5.5 cm. You can have them dipped in dark chocolate for an additional $0.25 per macaron. My creamsicle macaron was divine!
friends and on my own. I have yet to have a bad meal.
Everyone who tried this dish absolutely loved it. It was perfectly prepared and just a huge knock-out. The Pla Rad Prik (or spicy crispy fish) is a Chef’s Special dish. It features either whole red snapper or halibut fillets, deep fried to a golden brown and topped with your choice of sauce, tamarind or garlic. The fish was indeed spicy and crispy when I ordered it. I had tried it at Siam Cafe and wanted to compare. This one held up to the Siam Cafe’s, and in my opinion it exceeded it. 
The dish was indeed spicy and served with the tamarind and pepper sauce. I ordered it as a cross between mild and medium, and it was just right for me. I left with a pleasant yet not overwhelming burn.
restaurant that can make everyone happy, and My Thai is one of them.
I have had both the My Thai and the Love in Thailand cocktails. The My Thai is made with pineapple, orange and lime juice mixed with white and dark rum and crème de almond, while the Love in Thailand consists of rum, crème de banana, orange and pineapple. Both are refreshing.
The service is impeccable – almost too much at times, with several people coming by to ask how everything was. Our water glasses were always full, bread was always replenished, and every tiny request was quickly fulfilled. They definitely get an A++ for service.
group encourage your fellow diners to bring cash!
My father would love it.
I’m not sure what my fellow diner chose here, but it is beautifully plated so I wanted to include it. It looks like a taco and a beef enchilada.
According to the Pickle Bill’s website, the name Pickle Bill’s was conceived back in 1967. Its first location was on Old River Road in the Cleveland Flats. It was in business for 11 years and had a fairly limited menu. In 1982, Pickle Bill’s relocated to River Street in Grand River. There was a fire in 1998 and it was a total loss. The restaurant rebuilt and reopened in January 2000. There is no mention of the Lakewood location (which is now Deagan’s) on the website, but I remember eating there several times in the 1990s.
cinnamon honey butter, these things are the bomb. You can see from the photo how much cinnamon is in the butter from the darker color. It’s almost worth the trip just for the fried dough, but luckily they have lobster, crab legs, shrimp, various sampler platters and all kinds of all-you-can-eat specials.
are a lot of work, but worth it once you fish the succulent chunks of crab meat out of the shell.
The fish dinners serve huge filets of fish that extend over the sides of the plates. Two of my friends who are vegetarian but eat fish and chips loved their fish dinners here. One ordered it with the chips (aka French fries – pictured), while the other ordered the corn on the cob. Both pieces of fish extended over the sides of the plates. I am fairly certain the fish in the photo on the right is the panko-crusted walleye, but they also offer perch, tilapia, salmon and cod fish dinners.
The happy hour menu is fairly extensive, featuring all small plates, half pitchers of draft beer and select sakes, wines, martinis and cocktails for just $5.
One other must are the SASA fries. The fries here are something really special. They come with two choices of house dipping sauce (I prefer the creamy orange one, but both are delicious), and the fries are covered in shichimi pepper, a spice mix, and sesame-roasted, sun-dried seaweed flakes.
, arriving in a flaming foil package that has been doused in a liquor (sake?). The brief brush with heat gives the teriyaki sauce a smoky quality that seasons the lobster, crab, Chinese broccoli and masago (bright orange fish roe) filling. I simply can’t get enough of the delicious char flavor. It’s such a unique and delicious roll!
I must mention the cute white bottles and dipping plates for soy sauce that they use with the sushi. The dipping plate is curved to allow the soy sauce to collect in one half, leaving the other half somewhat elevated so you can rest your sushi there if needed. Very elegant!
from 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., but one Yelper also warned that if you get there after 2 they may have closed early so be forewarned if you are looking to get there towards the end of their work day.
chutney, bacon, coleslaw and Maui sweet onion potato chips on toasted sourdough. It was warmed in a panini press and all I can say is WOW! This sandwich was DELICIOUS. The flavors blended together perfectly. The smokiness of the turkey, the sweetness of the chutney, the creamy freshness of the coleslaw and the crunch of the potato chips just worked together so well! Each bite was an absolute delight. I have a new favorite sandwich.
ologna, Monterey jack cheese, lettuce, tomato, pepper rings and Italian dressing on a hoagie roll, to eat later that night. The hoagie did not disappoint. The bread was soft, the meat was fresh and the Italian dressing dripped from the sandwich, which I always view as a sign of a good sub. I hate subs where you can barely taste the dressing. I ordered it with a side of “potato chippers” – homemade kettle chips that are seasoned and served with a Ranch dipping sauce. The Ranch dressing was necessary, because the pepper seasoning was intense but good.
Cleveland Rocks, Cleveland Eats 