Special occasion – Page 5 – Cleveland Rocks, Cleveland Eats

EDWINS Leadership and Restaurant Institute

EDWINS is a unique restaurant. The brain child of restauranteur Brandon Chrostowski, it is billed as “a hospitality center training ground for individuals seeking successful re-entry into the professional world.” Formerly-incarcerated students looking to learn how to work in the hospitality industry spend six months learning the ins and outs of the trade. Successful graduates are now working at top restaurants in Cleveland as well as other cities. It is a non-profit 501c3 organization (and as such does not have a tip line on the bill, but a “charitable donation”).

EDWINS’ restaurant sales subsidize the nonprofit’s mission. I prefer to think of it as a delicious upscale French restaurant. This is a wonderful mission and well worth supporting. And a HUGE step up from the previous restaurant that occupied the space, the old Grotto wine bar. This is a welcome addition to Shaker Square.

Chef Gilbert Brenot runs the kitchen. I have known about Gilbert since he had his own restaurant (Bistro 82) in Twinsburg and my sister waitressed for him back in college. The man can definitely cook. Everything that comes out of the kitchen is flawless. The restaurant focuses on fine French dining.

On the first visit I had a very small appetite, so I ordered a number of appetizers and small plates. I started my meal with a Parisian Mule, which features Tito’s Vodka, Creme de Cassis de Dijon, Fresh Lime, Fever Tree Ginger Bee. It was just as light and refreshing as I expected. I had heard wonderful things about the rabbit pie, so that was a must. The official description is Tarte de lapin au Parmesan et jambon en croûte (rabbit pie with Parmesan and prosciutto crust). The crust was flaky and definitely had a salty Parmesan and prosciutto flavor. Although a little drier than I expected, the filling was extremely flavorful and delicious. Everyone who had a bite of my pie enjoyed it. I accompanied the rabbit pie with the Artichauts barigoule (artichokes braised in white wine, olive oil and butter). They were perfectly cooked and were a nice complement to the rabbit pie. I split the Salade Niçoise (a fresh salad with Ortiz tuna, haricot verts, egg, potato, anchovy, tomato, red onion, Niçoise olives and red wine vinaigrette), and they split the salad on two plates for us. This was light and fresh and featured perfectly cooked tuna steaks. The size is small, but it is a nice side salad to pair with an entree.

I splurged on my second visit. I started with an an Aviation cocktail (Boodles gin, Luxardo maraschino liqueur, crème de violette, and fresh lemon) and the Bisque de homard (lobster bisque). It was very smooth and not overly creamy with fresh lobster meat served in the middle and decorated with a swoop of crème fraiche. My second course was the Tournedos de saumon gratiné au raifort et sa sauce aux concombres et crème fraîche (horseradish encrusted salmon with cucumbers and crème fraîche), and I paired it with a glass of California Chardonnay. I have to say that this is probably my favorite thing on the menu. Our server asked how I wanted the salmon cooked, and I left it up to the chef to prepare it as he saw fit. It was perfectly cooked (not too dry and not too moist), and the crème fraîche sauce with dill was the perfect accompaniment. I even used some bread to sop up some of the sauce when I had finished the salmon.

Also worth noting is the Ratatouille avec tofu et pistou (Ratatouille with tofu and pistou sauce). The pistou sauce is a tomato-based sauce that was absolutely delicious. One of my friends ordered this and allowed me to taste it. I am not normally a huge fan of ratatouille, but this one has definitely won me over. It is absolutely delicious!

Everyone raves about the cheese service, which is very impressive, but for me the star of the restaurant is the Bananas Foster prepared table side. It is a delight to watch – from the melting of the butter, to the caramelizing of the brown sugar, addition of the banana and flambeing with liquors – and even more delicious and delightful to eat afterwards. One of my tablemates ordered it, and I have every intention of coming back just for the bananas foster! The gentleman preparing the dessert was a little nervous and had someone whispering what to do in his ear, but he explained afterwards that it was his first time preparing it. He did a wonderful job for a first-timer, and we made sure to complement him to the manager.

The créme brulée and soufflé are also outstanding choices. I have been lucky enough to try bites from my dinner companions. The sugar on the créme brulée was perfectly caramelized, and the custard was deliciously creamy. The soufflé was as light and delicious as you would expect. Be sure to order it with your meal, because it takes 25 minutes to make. You won’t go wrong ordering any of the desserts. Even the poached pear is delicious.

Video of the Grand Marnier Souffle: https://www.instagram.com/p/C-9KbFLJW7s/

20240821_193144 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.

Contact info:

EDWINS Leadership and Restaurant Institute
13101 Shaker Square
Cleveland, OH 44120
(216) 921-3333

Pickle Bill’s in Grand River

Now that the weather is getting nicer Clevelanders start heading outside to enjoy it. One great place to enjoy the warmer temperatures is Pickle Bill’s in Grand River. It is a bit of a drive from Cleveland, but it is well worth it. If you try to find it using Mapquest or GPS you might not get there. The best way to do it is head to Mentor Headlands Beach. Pickle Bill’s is right off Route 44. There is a big sign. You can’t miss it. The restaurant is aware of the problem, so they offer detailed directions on their website for people coming from the north, south, east and west. They are closed on Mondays, open Tuesday-Friday from 4 to 9 p.m., Saturday from 3 to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 8 p.m. Be sure to call for Barge and Rooftop bar hours, as they are weather-dependent.

101_0834 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.

Pickle Bill’s can be enjoyed year round, but there is nothing better than sitting outside on their patio or on the Dock or the Barge, which features the carousel-like round bar, in the middle of the Grand River. There is also a Fireplace Room, Rooftop bar and Cantina bar. This is my go-to place for seafood and frozen adult beverages. I have been eating at Pickle Bill’s since it was in Lakewood. I never made it to the location in the Flats.

The decorations are whimsical and reminiscent of a seafood house full of kitschy ocean- and seafaring-inspired decorations. The fun decor somehow makes you relax and enjoy yourself.

This place is not fine dining, but the quality is good. It bills itself as “casual waterfront dining.” I have yet to have a bad meal here. All of the entrees are served with choice of mixed greens, Caesar salad or cole slaw, one side dish, and their fried dough and cinnamon honey butter. The choice of sides include mixed vegetables, spicy red beans & rice, French fries, corn on the cob or baked potato.

Let’s talk about the rolls for a second. Like Red Lobster’s Cheddar Bay Biscuits, the Pickle Bill’s fried dough and cinnamon honey butter are extremely addictive. It is easy to fill up on the fried dough. It is that good. Light as air and slathered with their 101_0851 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.

Unless you are a bottomless pit or all-you-can-eat pro you might be better off just ordering dinners off the menu. My sister and I ordered the all-you-can-eat snow crab legs (currently $42.95) back when they were still in Lakewood. The waitress felt bad for us because we were full after just one bucket and changed our bill to the 1 lb. dinners (currently $22.95). And we had limited ourselves to one piece of fried dough! The snow crab legs IMG_20120829_203716 are a lot of work, but worth it once you fish the succulent chunks of crab meat out of the shell.

One of my friend’s favorite choices is the Appetizer Dinner. You can choose two appetizers (under $11.95), either a Caesar or mixed green salad and one side dish for $19.95. It is a great value.

My go-to meal is the Fine Kettle of Fish, which features a 1 lb. whole Maine lobster (or a 5 oz. lobster tail), snow crab legs, clams, mussels and corn on the cob for $35.95. You can also upgrade to a 1 1/4 lb. lobster for $40.95 or 1 1/2 lb. for $44.95. I have ordered it numerous times, and the seafood always comes out perfectly cooked. Even the corn on the cob is not overcooked!

101_0847 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. IMG_20120829_203628

They also serve Whiskey Island Chicken, ribs, prime rib and a (cheese)burger for those of you who are allergic or don’t like seafood but are married or dating a seafood lover. My one friend who ordered the ribs enjoyed them a lot.

Be prepared for lots of food and lots of plates. I once ordered the lobster dinner and added on an order of snow crab legs. The lobster, the snow crab legs, the corn and the mashed potatoes were all served on their own separate plate. In fact, the photo of the snow crab legs is from that meal.

I have celebrated my birthday here two times. They sang for me (not too obnoxious like in other restaurants) and gave us a small birthday cake! The cake is nothing to write home about, but it’s free and they wrap it up for you to take home. If you actually have room for dessert, everyone in my group who tasted it raved about the key lime pie.

Ladies, be sure to visit the ladies’ room and lift the leaf loincloth of the guy in the mural. An angel will get its wings.

Contact info:

Pickle Bill’s
101 River Street
Grand River, OH 44045
(440) 352-6343

Medieval Feast at Trinity Cathedral

One of the most unique dining events in Cleveland is the Medieval Feast at Trinity Cathedral. It used to span two nights, but has now been limited to just one night in January. Tickets sell out fast, so I quickly booked a ticket. The ticket price of $70 benefits Trinity’s Music and Arts program. Many attendees were in period (and not-so-period) attire, but it wasn’t a must. It was definitely a fun night, and I’m glad I braved the bad weather this year (this year it was held on Friday, January 25th). The Feast was held during a huge snowstorm and I had initially turned back home, but my friend called assuring me the roads were not as bad as I thought. It was slow going, but not impossible. There were numerous empty seats, however, because some people decided not to brave the weather.

Doors opened at 7 PM, and the Cathedral opened for dinner at 8 PM. The foyer hosted mulled cider and hot apple cider as well as a table of cheese and crackers. By the time I arrived the cheese and crackers were pretty much decimated. Service of the courses was slow (it’s hard to feed 300 people at once), so we didn’t leave until almost 11. I can’t imagine how late they were there breaking down the tables and preparing for the Sunday service the next morning.

We walked into the Cathedral in a procession of bagpipes. I love the Cathedral, so I can’t imagine a more lovely venue to have a meal. We quickly found our seats at our assigned table and tucked into the pickled beets, cauliflower, onions and cucumbers as well as loaves of bread from Breadsmith. Dinner was unfortunately not served on trenchers of bread, but rather in salad bowls. We ate with our hands. Luckily I was aware of this ahead of time and brought the hand sanitizer. Some previous attendees brought their own silverware, but if you ask me that is cheating and detracts from the experience (those same people also brought plastic bags for leftovers, so…).

The tables were set with pitchers of water and large bottles of burgundy and chablis wine, and the servers came around with two choices of beer – Stella Artois Belgian lager or Honey Brown Ale. They kept refilling when asked. I went with the Stella. It was refreshing and paired quite nicely with the first two courses (I switched to water after that since the roads were treacherous).

The first course was chicken breasts stuffed with Stilton cheese and honey glazed carrots. We sat with the guy who had stuffed the chicken breasts, so it was fun hearing some behind-the-scenes-prep stories. The chicken was amazing. They were lightly breaded, and the Stilton was an excellent pairing. The honey glazed carrots were also delicious. I hadn’t yet found my groove for photographing the food, and had trouble photographing this course.

The second course was a plate of assorted sausages and dried fruit. There were four different sausages, ranging from a kielbasi to what might have been a blood sausage. They were very moist and delicious. The dried fruits were dates, figs and apricots.

Our third course was billed as roast loin of boar with wild mushroom sauce and green beans, but I honestly think it was pork. The wild mushroom sauce was DIVINE! The pork was perfectly seasoned and cooked and was not at all dry.

The dessert course was amazing – and had been touted as being their best dessert they have ever had at the Feast. It was a cranberry walnut bread pudding with a hard vanilla sauce. I was stuffed at this point, but the dessert was so good I had several (small) handfuls.

They offered entertainment to keep us occupied during the breaks between courses. In addition to fencers and jugglers, they had actors portraying the Sheriff of Nottingham, Robin Hood, Friar Tuck and Maid Marion, which carried on throughout the evening. They had tucked away playtime coins under the bowls that we were to give to Robin Hood or his henchmen when they came by. They had a group of madrigal singers, which were quite talented. Todd Wilson played the organ for a sing-a-long. And last but not least they had a fire breather for entertainment as well. It was definitely an experience that should not be missed – and the money goes to a good cause! The funds raised from the Feast allow Music and Art to produce its free Brownbag Concert series, which are every Wednesday at noon and is a great lunch break. Tickets for the Feast go on sale in mid-December here.

Lucky’s Cafe in Tremont

When people ask me what my favorite brunch place in Cleveland is I don’t even have to think about it. My answer is always Lucky’s. The quirky little cafe is tucked away on the one-way portion of Starkweather just before it meets Professor (look for the brick building on the right with some weird metal sculpture on it because if you don’t I guarantee you will drive right past it). The restaurant prides itself on the quality of its ingredients, which are locally sourced or straight from the garden outside (you can actually see them go out and pick the fresh veggies and herbs). Everything here – from the bread to the condiments – is made from scratch.

Owner Heather Haviland is particularly proud of their Reuben, which is made entirely in-house, from the corned beef and sauerkraut to the bread to the Thousand Island Dressing. It was featured on Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. Michael Symon is a fan of her biscuits and gravy.

The place is usually packed with a long line on the weekends, so I try to go here on off-hours. I showed up at 1 p.m. today and was told this was the slowest they had been since 9 a.m. During the summer you can eat in their garden right outside of the restaurant, which helps the lines somewhat but not entirely. This photo of the garden is older. Guests now sit under a wooden enclosure instead of a tent.

Since the restaurant uses locally sourced ingredients, Lucky’s has a tendency to run out of certain dishes. When I decided to order a cup of their corn and bacon chowder today I was informed that they had just run out. Drat!

My favorite item on the menu is the Shipwreck. As one Yelp reviewer states, “The shipwreck is a gigantic pile of awesome on a plate.” It is a scramble of home fries, eggs, seasonal veggies, bacon and cheese together and serves it with four diagonal slices of buttered como toast and a little side of fresh fruit. I always feel healthy eating it, but if you want to be even healthier choose the Canoewreck, which features curried tofu, home fries, seasonal veggies and brewer’s yeast. I was craving the como toast today, so I made the trek. The server was able to get me some jam, but once I tasted the buttered como toast on its own I stopped using the jam.

One of my best friends, who is a mac n cheese addict, loves their baked mac-n-cheese. It is rich and creamy with several different kinds of cheeses, plus extra cream. Definitely worth a splurge! I also highly recommend the waffle (the gingerbread waffle with fresh whipped cream is divine)

I love Lucky’s because it offers 20 oz. mugs of coffee served in cafe au lait mugs (one of my friends refers to them as “bowls of coffee”). The Papa Mocha (chocolate, cream, milk and espresso) is one of my favorites. I splurged today and ordered a 16 oz. Caramel Créme Breve and Sunshine Cocktail (orange Pellegrino mixed with fresh squeezed oj over ice). The coffee was as smooth and delicious as always, and the sunshine cocktail was refreshing. I was full and happy for the rest of the day.

Ordering and paying is a little different here. Your server will give you a little table topper with a letter on it when you order. After the meal, you then go to the register with the table topper, and a person behind the counter will ring everything up based off of the waitress ticket. I calculated the cost in my head when I ordered, so there were no surprises and I already had an idea of the tip I was going to leave.

Just a word of warning: they don’t do substitutions or special orders here, and the food can be a bit pricey. If you want an omelette “your way”, go to IHOP or Bob Evans. Plus, you should be prepared to pay a little extra for the quality and fresh, locally sourced ingredients. Expect to pay $12-15 per person for your entree and extra for drinks. My bill today was around $21.50. I couldn’t afford to eat here every day, but it is great for the occasional splurge or birthday brunch.

Contact info:

Lucky’s Cafe
777 Starkweather Avenue
Tremont, OH 44113
(216) 622-7773

Cibrèo Italian Kitchen

I was honored to be invited to a soft opening chef’s tasting at Cibrèo last week. It officially opened yesterday. Cibrèo is the latest creation of the Driftwood Restaurant Group, which operates Washington Place Bistro, the Welshfield Inn, Hodges, Orchard House, and 87 West at Crocker Park.

After taking advantage of the free valet (especially welcome when the surrounding parking lots were charging $10 due to the Indians game) we were immediately blown away by the ambiance of the place upon walking in. Gone are the darker fixtures of Bricco and in their place are light-colored sandstone, brick archways and oak barrels, which are reminiscent of a Tuscan wine cellar. I adore Tuscany, so I immediately relaxed as soon as we walked in (and after braving the Indians game traffic I needed to relax!).

A fire was roaring in the corner, and there were flickering (flameless) candles in recesses inside a massive sandstone wall on the north side of the room. I particularly loved that feature. The new location seats 200 people, with private rooms that can seat up to 125. We were welcomed with a small feature cocktail, the Paloma Italia, which features Milagro Reposado tequila, fresh lime juice, and Grapefruit San Pellegrino. It was light and refreshing, and although I am not a huge fan of grapefruit I really enjoyed it. I can’t wait to try some of their other cocktails, such as the Jack Lemmon (Caravella Limoncello, Plymouth Gin, ginger, mint, and Fever-Tree Bitter Lemon Soda – I LOVE Bitter Lemon soda!), the Sophia Loren (OYO Honey Vanilla Bean Vodka, egg white, chocolate, Fragelico and cream) or the A&W (1792, vanilla and root beer). They hoped to have the liquor license by the time they opened.

The bread service featured sea salt, butter and pesto drizzled lightly with olive oil. The bread was easy to dunk, and they also served bread sticks.

The first course was sausage, porcini mushroom and bean soup. It was delicious. It was somewhat spicy and made me appreciate the sausage, mushroom, beans and kale of it all. I could see trying to recreate something like this at home – very simple and fresh ingredients.

The second course was an earthy Risotto Funghi. If you like mushrooms you will enjoy this. I’m still on the fence about it. It had a very creamy texture, as a good risotto should be. It was definitely flavorful, but the earthiness of the mushrooms were a bit overwhelming. If you love mushrooms you will definitely love this dish. The added shaved fresh parmesan brightened it up. It features porcini and shitake mushrooms, truffle, and pecorino toscano cheese. It came out served family style, but we only ate half to save room for the remaining courses.

The third course was a bolognese of veal, pork and beef served over fresh pappardelle that they import from Italy. I may or may not have wanted to lick the plate clean. As Chef Erik Martinez explained, a good bolognese should not be dripping in sauce. It should stick to the pasta, and there should not be anything left over when you are done. I am a huge fan of Bolognese, so I enjoyed this course a lot.

The fourth course – the Pork Osso Buco – blew everyone away. Paired with a glass of white Vernaccia wine (which honestly surprised me but it complemented it well), it had a light gremolata glaze that featured hints of citrus. Gremolata is a chopped herb condiment typically made of lemon zest, garlic, and parsley. This one was heavy on the lemon zest, but it provided a nice contrast to the richness of the meat, but didn’t detract from it. The meat immediately fell off the bone when I went to cut it in half to share with my tablemate. It was served with brown butter polenta and Swiss chard. OMG, the polenta was DIVINE. I am not a fan of polenta normally, and I would order a heaping plate of this as an entree if I could.

We were offered gelato for dessert. Judging from some of the other reviews they made a lot of different gelato flavors. Our table was offered passion fruit and Nutella. I was stuffed, but there’s always room for gelato – just not room for two different kinds. The Nutella gelato was as creamy as a good gelato should be and was sufficiently chocolatey and hazelnutty. As Nutella should be. It was the perfect end to a delicious meal.

I can’t wait to go back and try some of the other things off the menu. Can you say boar and porcini ragu over pappardelle? To quote George Takei, “Oh myyyy!” But I will be sure to order the polenta! It’s available as a side dish. As a Broadway series subscriber I’m at PlayhouseSquare a lot. I will be visiting frequently, and look forward to sitting in front of the fire this winter.

Contact info:

Cibrèo Italian Kitchen
1438 Euclid Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44115
(216) 862-9212

Disclosure: I was invited by Cibrèo to attend the Friends and Family preview with a guest. However, all opinions are my own.

Le Bistro du Beaujolais

I learned to appreciate French food living in Europe for six years. Le Bistro du Beaujolais is a charming little French restaurant located on the corner of Columbia Road and Mill Street on the edge of Grand Pacific Junction in the heart of my hometown, Olmsted Falls. I only wish this restaurant had existed then, but then again we didn’t go out to eat very often and when we did we went to Nam Wah in Berea. I apologize in advance for the darkness of some of the pictures. I did not want to disturb the other diners with a flash.

The owners Georges and Claudie D’Arras are welcoming, and the food is delicious. Georges is an absolutely charming and gregarious host, while his wife Claudie oversees the kitchen. The location burned down in 2009, and they worked to meticulously recreate the restaurant. The original 1830 house, designated a historic landmark, was restored in ten months and looks almost exactly as it did before. The restaurant features two cozy rooms as well as a lovely outdoor patio. I particularly love the light fixtures, which are whimsical music holders.

Their 3-course prix fixe menu offers a variety of choices at a reasonable price of $27. You have your choice between 3 starters, 3 entrees and a dessert. I have ordered this in the past and been very happy with my choice. I have also thoroughly enjoyed their vegetarian offerings, including the most delicious vegetarian roll-up dish featuring lentils I have ever eaten. I liked it so much I was back within a week to order it again – and I live on the East Side of Cleveland. It’s worth the drive.

I met a friend here recently to celebrate her birthday. I decided to splurge and ordered a la carte because I wanted their French onion soup. It was well-seasoned, the onions were nicely caramelized, and the cheese was sufficiently melty and gooey. Just as a good French onion soup should be.

One of my favorite entrees on the menu is probably something you have never heard of – the baked skate wing (Alle de Raie Sauce à la Compote d’Échalotes). Skate is type of Ray (its appearance is similar to a stingray). Despite being a cartilaginous fish it is not at all fishy. I would have never tried it if Georges hadn’t brought one out for us to try the first time I dined here with my dining out group. It is served topped with a delicate shallot and butter sauce over rice and simply melts in your mouth. I am a HUGE fan. You simply have to taste it to appreciate it.

I finished my meal with a dense and rich mousse au chocolat. As you can see from the photo the portion was generous (served in a clear tea cup) and topped with real whipped cream and chocolate powder.

As a true French bistro, they serve only French wines. The staff can help you choose the perfect wine with your meal. Since they only serve French wines they can serve by the glass while maintaining a wide range of inventory at a great value.

Word to the wise: if they have coq au vin on special, order it. You won’t regret it.

Contact info:

Le Bistro du Beaujolais
8134 Columbia Road
Olmsted Falls, OH 44017
(440) 235-8883

White Oaks in Westlake

White Oaks has been a Westlake institution since the 1920s. It is a very throwback restaurant with a country club vibe. During prohibition, it was a speakeasy catering to the crème de la crème, and it honors that rich history with its decor and food. The interior is split up into a honeycomb of many small rooms covered in dark wood and rich colors with fireplaces spread throughout the restaurant. I felt like I had stepped back in time. In fact, we had. I think we were the youngest table there, but that didn’t stop us from enjoying our meals. White Oaks features old-school fine dining, with entrees such as Beef Wellington, Veal Oscar (which was a special that night) and venison. I learned later that it was my parents’ special occasion restaurant in the 1970s and 80s when I was growing up in Olmsted Falls.

I apologize in advance for the darkness of the photos. I didn’t want to use the flash on my phone and disturb the other diners. Plus, there is a sign discouraging the use of cell phones, and I didn’t want to be chastised.

Every table is served house-made cottage cheese and a relish tray featuring carrot and celery sticks, a couple radish slices, and green and black olives. I found this very quirky, but loved the cottage cheese, which is flavored with fresh chives. It was definitely unique. I love cottage cheese (especially Breakstone Cottage Cheese) and could have eaten the scoop of cottage cheese all by myself if given the opportunity.

I started with the Apple Onion Soup Gratinee, which features “slowly simmered Spanish onions and Red Delicious apples in a flavorful broth. Topped with freshly grated Mozzarella and Swiss cheeses golden-browned”. I love French onion soup, and the addition of apples was an inspired choice. This soup was absolutely delicious and piping hot with all kinds of melty cheese. I was in heaven. I wasn’t as enthralled with the bite of escargot, but having had excellent escargot in France I am spoiled. It was good, but not spectacular. My friend, however, enjoyed it very much. Next time I will try the highly recommended Pale Ale White Cheddar Cheese Fondue, but I may just have to order the soup again. It was *that* good!

The salads were good, but not anything that stands out. My friends ordered blue cheese dressing and ended up paying a$1.50 upcharge for it, which I don’t remember the waitress mentioning when they ordered it. They enjoyed the fresh salad dressing with crumbled blue cheese and didn’t mention it when we were settling the bill. Word of warning: they put our four meals all on one bill. Apparently they don’t do separate checks even when asked. We could pay with separate credit cards, but we had to tally the bills up ourselves.

I ordered the Venison au Poivre for my entree. It was not at all gamey and was marinated in a ruby red port with assorted seasonings and juniper berries and topped with a port cranberry game sauce. I requested the twice-baked potato instead of the rice. The venison was perfectly cooked and I loved the sauce. The twice-baked potato was a little drier than I would have liked, but was good. The entree came with haricot verts and julienned carrots.

For dessert I ordered tea and a simple order of fresh strawberries topped with a splash of Grand Marnier and fresh whipped cream. I chose a nice Orange Pekoe from their selection of tea bags. The strawberries were fresh despite not being in season any more. The dessert course was simple, yet perfect.

My friends loved their meals as well, ordering the Beef Wellington, the Veal Oscar and the Filet Mignon with Gorgonzola. The service was attentive but not overbearing, and our water glasses were constantly topped off. If you are looking for a restaurant with old-fashioned flair give White Oaks a try. I hear it is sumptuous in the winter with the fireplaces burning and reflecting off the polished wood.

Contact info:

White Oaks
777 Cahoon Rd
Westlake, OH 44145
(440) 835-3090

Clambake at Alfredo’s at the Inn in Mayfield

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Contact info:

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

Pier W in Lakewood

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Contact info:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Contact info:

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