When I was in grad school at Kent State University Mike’s Place quickly became a favorite haunt. Mike’s Place opened at 6 am on September 5, 1987 and has become an institution. People either love it or hate it. I love it, because you can’t help but love a place that features off-the-wall humor on the menu (click here to check out the menu in all its glory), quirky decorating and a fighter plane.
I was in Kent the other day to visit my dentist (no cavities) and decided to go to Mike’s Place for an early lunch. I was there at 11 a.m., and apart from a couple hung over co-eds the place was populated with an older crowd than I was used to seeing.
My favorite sandwiches at Mike’s Place include Samuri Mike’s Teriyaki Terror (a hamburger with teriyaki sauce and onion rings), Josh’s Chicken Meltdown (fried chicken tenders, sautéed onions, American & Swiss cheese on 2 slices of grilled rye) and Lutz 
Lavishous Lust (pictured here – grilled chicken breast, bacon, 1000 island dressing, tomatoes & pineapple topped with shredded cheese), but there is a sandwich for just about every taste under the sun. You will need at least ten minutes to peruse the menu and narrow down your choices. I never managed to order a dinner entree, because I never managed to work my way through the sandwich menu!
Mike’s also serves breakfast all day, which was really appreciated when I was in grad school. They also feature lots of affordable specials. Mike’s hours of operation are 6 am – 11pm Monday through Thursday and 6 am to midnight Friday and Saturday, and 7 am to 10 pm on Sundays.
And if your sandwich is too sloppy, there is always a roll of paper towels on the table.
Contact info:
Mike’s Place
1700 S. Water Street (corner of SR 43 & SR 261)
Kent, Ohio 44240
330-673-6501
The 
ere recently, and we enjoyed a lovely meal together. There were lots of different sized tables, ranging from dinner for one to a large family gathering that took up two whole tables, which seat 6-7 each.
salad and fresh baked rolls, breaded chicken, roast beef, mashed potatoes with gravy, stuffing, seasonal vegetables (we enjoyed corn), and dessert (which can be anything Jo Ann chooses, but this night we had the date & nut pudding). The dinner includes coffee and iced tea. No alcoholic beverages were served, but honestly we didn’t miss them.
The food is served family style, which means the food is served in bowls at the table which you then pass around the table. The meal was absolutely delicious. The baked chicken was moist, the roast beef was tender, the rolls were soft and fresh, and the mashed potatoes were smooth, creamy and delicious. But the big hit at our table was the stuffing. Fresh stuffing studded with chunks of celery, so you could tell it was homemade. We couldn’t get enough of it!
After dinner we were served coffee (both decaf and regular) and the aforementioned date & nut pudding. As you can see, the pudding was the consistency of a British pudding rather than the creamy pudding we usually associate with the word ‘pudding.’ The vanilla sauce was almost too sweet and I found myself working around it and just eating the pudding and the whipped cream. But it was delicious, just like everything we were served that night. Simple, yet delicious.
When I told my father I ate at the Tremont Tap House he exclaimed, “That used to be Pukach’s. Your Uncle Barney lived in the house behind it.” You see, my father grew up in the Tremont area and tells me all kinds of interesting stories about when he was a kid. GIs home from World War II used to rent rooms in homes and would hang out at the corner bars because they missed the company. They would also congregate at the Lincoln Park Bath House, because their rooms did not have modern bathing facilities. 
They would sit outside and used to give him a dime to run next door for a pack of smokes and a bucket of beer when he was 8 or so. This kind of stuff fascinates me, so I am really tempted to take him to the Tremont Tap House with me the next time I go, which will hopefully be soon.
The food was divine. I had a tough time deciding what to order. I ended up ordering the Salmon BLT on marble rye. It was delicious. The fries that accompanied it were thick and perfectly seasoned (you can see them peeking out from behind the sandwich).
Everyone thoroughly enjoyed their meals. From the macaroni and cheese with dried figs, rosemary and brie (for our vegetarian, but it was so good I will probably order it next time!) to the seared sea scallops with white truffle oil and mushroom risotto or smoked ham and turkey sandwich with brie and cranberry relish served on raisin walnut bread (Thanksgiving in a 
sandwich) and small plates like blackened scallops with red onion jam, blue cheese and walnuts to beer cheese soup and side salads, there was something for everyone. The fried egg burger with Swiss cheese and carmelized onions was a particular hit. The group had a discussion about how to best order the burger to bring out the flavors, with the quote “It is very important to me that it be medium rare.”
The service was a little slow, but they had another large party upstairs, which I think overwhelmed them. The mac and cheese, which was ordered after we had all ordered by one of our late-comers, was comped without her asking because she had such a long wait for it. One of the dining out members, who wasn’t able to join us and tried it separately, now claims it is one of his favorite restaurants in Cleveland to bring guests or just relax and watch a game.
If you are looking for a place to spend an enjoyable evening, give the Stone Mad Pub a try. The restaurant is just off Detroit Avenue on W. 65th Street. They have put a lot of work into the place and have two photo albums depicting all the work that went into transforming the typical Cleveland row house into the impressive stonework and cobblestone masterpiece it is today. The owners tore the house down to the raw frame, and everything is new but purposely has an aged look.
The first thing you notice when you park the car is all the stonework. This is not a place to wear stiletto heels, and I am glad I warned my dining out group about it. The driveway / parking lot to the right of the building is nothing but stone. The stonework patio (as seen in the photo) seems like a great place to while away an evening. Unfortunately when we were there a summer storm was looming, so we ended up seated inside.
The inside of the restaurant is also quite impressive. It features shiny dark wood, stained glass, and a cozy fireplace. The back of the house is bright and airy, with light wood, lots of windows and a bocce ball court.
wasn’t as impressed with the hash browns, which I had to order separately. They were bland and not very well seasoned. I ate them with a lot of ketchup.
match the decor, this could definitely be a place to frequent regularly. If you want a good burger, this is the place to get one.
those who are not familiar with Austro-Hungarian cuisine, Wiener Schnitzel is a veal cutlet pounded flat and battered and fried to a golden brown. It is traditionally served with spaetzel (delicate dumplings made of flour, eggs and water) and applesauce.
night. We were a fairly large group and the restaurant was full, but we had no problems with the service. They seated us at an L-shaped table by the window.
Trattoria on the Hill
my blog when I went here I did not take as many pictures as I normally would have. We were there on a Tuesday and the place was pretty full, which is a testament to the fresh food.
One of my favorite places to go to lunch with my family is 
choice of soup or one of their side salads. They have four delicious salads to choose from: cucumber salad in a light creamy sauce (my sister’s favorite), chilled cranberry salad (Miss Molly’s specialty), broccoli salad (one of my favorites) and strawberry pretzel salad (which is by far my favorite). I ordered both the broccoli salad and the strawberry pretzel salad.
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I have also had the Heavenly Wrap (roast beef and roasted red peppers with watercress, fresh spinach leaves and horseradish) and the Cooper River Croissant (hot ham and cheddar cheese) during past visits and can vouch for the freshness of the ingredients and overall tastiness. Miss Molly’s also features a quiche of the day and a featured lunch. The featured lunch the day we were there was a white lasagna.
Cleveland Rocks, Cleveland Eats 