EDWINS Butcher Shop

EDWINS Butcher Shop opened up in December 2018 and has filled a void in the Buckeye neighborhood. It is part of the EDWINS Leadership and Restaurant Institute and shares the building with EDWINS Patisserie, Bakery and Diner.  Its logo is a pig that flies, which makes me smile. The EDWINS program trains people who were previously incarcerated in restaurant skills (cooking, hosting, and serving). Now, they’ve opened an additional program at the butcher shop where students can learn butchery.

The Butcher Shop was the first to open. It sells various meats in the meat case as well as prepared foods like fried chicken and shrimp, hot dogs and sausages, burgers, and sandwiches. They also sell a range of specialty items like Cleveland Ketchup, jams, mustards and spices. They have several coolers filled with prepared soups and salads, beverages (including rare sodas like Cheerwine), and prepared desserts like banana pudding.

They have a great fish fry during Lent and serve a great fried shrimp dinner as well. The shrimp was plump and tender, and the fries are really good. I went one Friday in April for the fish fry. Even though it looks overcooked it wasn’t. The fish inside the breading was moist and tender. I chose JoJos (wedge potatoes) and mac n cheese as my sides. The mac n cheese is really creamy and delicious. The

They also serve a great burger. I ordered in medium rare, and it came out medium. Color me surprised. It’s hard to find a place that makes a medium rare burger. The burger itself was still quite tasty, despite the patty being quite firm.

They also serve dinners that come with 2 sides and a roll. These dinners include 1/2 a chicken, 6 oz of brisket, a half slab of ribs, fried chicken and pulled pork – and special dinners like corned beef on Saint Patrick’s Day. The sides are also available individually. They are all only $2 and are good sized portions.

PDF of the Butcher Shop menu

Contact info:


EDWINS Butcher Shop
13024 Buckeye Road
Cleveland, OH 44120
(216) 417-1100

In Memorium: Walter Hyde

It’s been a month. I thought I was ready. I wasn’t. I promised his sister I would post this memorial video though. We miss you, Walter.

https://jill-sommer.com/Walter.mp4

The Cleveland food scene and its close-knit chefs suffered a major loss on October 16th. Walter Hyde of Now We’re Cooking, Swingo’s, Giovanni’s, The Annex, Fat Casual BBQ, Tavern of Solon, Fahrenheit-Charlotte, Sterle’s and most recently [Ice Ice] Daisy’s on Fleet died of a heart attack after a smoked prime rib pop-up with Penny Barend Tagliarina at Terrestrial Brewery. We are all reeling from the loss. His creativity was boundless. Who else could turn a cheese ball into a legendary appetizer? He and Scott could roast a delicious pig. His smoked prime rib and kind heart made him a legend. Everything he touched was delicious. Walter Hyde, you will be missed. I’m heartbroken.

Jeff Jarrett and Walter at Dinner in the Dark at Sterle’s

Legendary appetizer by Walter Hyde – cheeseballs, BBQ and pickle

Cleveland Scene Memorial by Doug Trattner

DiCillo Tavern – Fish Fry Friday #1 2021


From Google StreetView

After finishing my invoicing for the month I was ready for a fish fry last night. I referred to my shortlist, and the first on the list was also one of the closest to me. DiCillo Tavern is located on Mayfield Road in Mayfield, close to Golden Gate. It sticks out in the sea of strip malls because it is an old house. It’s got this good quality hole in the wall vibe going for it. In fact, it reminds me of the old Suds MacGuire in Olmsted Falls – an old house that was a dive bar/restaurant and had killer fish fries. DiCillo has been serving their famous “Whaler” fish fry dinner since 1933. The fish fry is take-out only this year, daily from 4 to 8 p.m.

I headed out shortly after 5 and arrived there at 5:45. I had tried to call in my order, but no one answered the phone. The parking lot was packed with big trucks. I got one of the last easy-to-access parking spaces (the trucks were not parked straight so there were gaps). I was surprised to see so many vehicles and expected a long wait. I was pleased to see the bar side was packed with patrons (no masks as far as I could see, but they were in a separate room), while the restaurant side was hopping with take-out pick-ups. I placed my order and was told it would be about a half an hour. I had planned to sit in my car, but I was told I could sit in the socially distanced restaurant area while I waited. By the time my order was ready I was not the only person sitting around the restaurant, but we were all masked and sitting at tables divided with plexi-glass.

I was surprised when my order was only $24. I had ordered the Fisherman’s Sampler ($18), which contained a “mini” Whaler, a couple pieces of perch, and a couple fried shrimp. I ordered the pierogi as a side dish ($6) and the clam chowder ($6). She had added the pierogi as my side, so I didn’t pay extra for them. I slipped her a couple bucks as a tip and was on my way home. I had to play parking Jenga to leave because two cars had blocked the exit row and two other cars were parked along the side with their flashers on.

As to the fish fry itself, it was delicious. The only down side was the pierogi, which I would not be surprised were Mrs. T’s. Luckily I didn’t end up paying extra for them. The clam chowder had a thicker consistency than most milk-based chowders and it was chock full of clams and potatoes. I think the consistency might have come from the potatoes breaking down. I really enjoyed it.

The Whaler – from the DiCillo Tavern Facebook page

The fried fish and shrimp were delicious. Perfectly fried and overcooked or dry. I can see why the Whaler is so popular because that particular piece of fish is stunning. It is a large portion with firm white meat inside. The perch were okay. They were flatter and consistent, which leads me to believe they are frozen, not fresh. But perch is perch and adored by many here in Cleveland. I also adored the coleslaw. It had a nice horseradish bite to it and was really creamy. If I go back again (and let’s be honest, I just might) I’ll order a Whaler and a huge side of coleslaw. If you are on the east side, you can’t go wrong with DiCillo’s. But order early. They ran out of chowder at 6:30.

Contact Info:

DiCillo Tavern
6088 Mayfield Road
Mayfield Heights, OH 44124
(440) 442-2755

It’s Fish Fry season again!

This has been a very weird year. I’ve been disconnected from the restaurant scene because I am at high risk and have been sheltering like a pro. I’ve been doing my part in getting take-out, but oftentimes I have been relying on restaurants I regularly enjoy and have probably already reviewed. I pivoted my Instagram, which was set up to feature my food adventures, to featuring Pampered Chef products. I became a Pampered Chef consultant in July and have been cooking at home with all my fun new and old Pampered Chef gadgets. I particularly love our Air Fryer and put my VitaMix in storage in favor of the Quick Cooking Blender, because it doesn’t just heat up but cooks the soups and hot chocolate and makes other things like jam.

But I too am getting corona-weary and miss a good piece of fried fish, so I decided to shake things up and do Fish Fry Fridays again. I missed Ash Wednesday because it snuck up on me, and I wasn’t in the mood for fish yet. Nevertheless, last night I decided I needed a good fish fry and referred to the shortlist I made from the Scene’s 50 Cleveland Fish Fries to Try This Lenten Season. I whittled down my choices to a select few this year: DiCillio Tavern, Post and Beam on Snow Rd, West Park Station, the Flat Iron Cafe, the Firehouse Grille in Willoughby, the Little Polish Diner, Tavern of Little Italy, and Larder. I may or may not also grab one from Ohio City Provisions and/or Melt.

808 Shave Ice

In keeping with the Hawaiian theme, I also came to appreciate shave (not shaved!) ice in Hawaii, which is a much better version of a snow cone. The Hawaiians shave the ice until it is almost the consistency of snow. There is no crunch from the ice. This local chain also uses high quality imported flavors mixed with 100% cane sugar and contain no high fructose corn syrup or preservatives. The shave ice cones are handcrafted and can take 30-60 seconds to maintain quality and presentation. You can also top it with sweetened condensed milk (called a ‘snow cap’), whipped cream or mochi or get a scoop of vanilla ice cream at the bottom for your very own float.

There are a ton of flavors to choose from. The first time I went I chose one of their suggested combos (Lahaina Luna), which features pineapple, coconut and banana. It was a very tropical treat on a very hot day in May. Another of my friends ordered The Cool Cat (root beer and vanilla with a snow cap). She said it hit the spot. We got a kick out of their tables, which include recessed holes for the shave ice cones to fit into.

By the time I made it back, Covid was in full swing and there was no more seating. You order at the window, go stand in front until your order is ready, and then leave. I chose to eat in my car, but the church a couple buildings down has some picnic tables set up on the front lawn.

I’ve been back several times since – one of the most memorable was the Getaway, which features margarita, pina colada, a mai thai. These non-alcoholic flavors were still chocked full of flavor. But everyone kept recommending the Tiger Blood flavor (strawberry-coconut) to me, so I ordered two-thirds tiger blood and 1 part orange dreamcicle. I loved it. The two flavors complemented each other really well.

Then I tried another combo just to be adventuresome and tried a combination of my own making. I chose tiger blood, passion fruit (which is dye-free and comes out clear white) and banana. That was a winning island combination as well.

This place also offers a lot of choices. In addition to shave ice, they serve bubble tea, ice tea, various hand-pressed lemonade flavors, smoothies, and milkshakes. Overall I love this place. I’m sure you will too. I’m always sad to see it close in the fall (it’s open from May to September – their close date this year is September 27th).

Lahaina luna (pineapple, coconut, banana) with a snow cap

Getaway (margarita, pina colada, mai tai)

Tiger’s Blood, Orange Dreamsicle, Tiger’s Blood

Tiger’s Blood, Passion Fruit, Banana (w/ ice cream)

Contact info:

808 Shave Ice
21280 Lorain Avenue
Fairview Park, OH 44126

12457 Pearl Road
Strongsville, OH 44136

Cleveland Metroparks Zoo
3900 Wildlife Way

Poké Fresh

Poké Fresh is a small local chain with locations in Akron (N. Hawkins Ave.), Cuyahoga Falls (Portage Trail), and Highland Heights (Wilson Mills near the entrance to I-271). I fell in love with poké in Hawaii a few years ago and love sushi, so I was excited to find this place. I discovered it when I was picking up my peaches from The Peach Truck. I’ve been back several times already.

My friends and I enjoyed the poké at the 2nd and High Poke House + Bar, but the volcano started erupting on Hawaii and the chef had to fly home to help his family and it closed. We also ate at Corner 11 Bowl & Wrap in Tremont, but as much as I enjoyed it I never think to eat there. This is the first poké that is in my neck of the woods.

​The word Poké (pronounced “PO-kay”) is Hawaiian for “to slice or cut”. Having been served on the islands since the early 1970’s, this delicious dish has finally made its way to the mainland! It is set up like a Chipotle, Piada, or any other fast casual food place. You can order one of their suggested bowls (there’s a vegan one and a cooked chicken one) or you can make your own. You start by choosing your rice base (white jasmine and brown available) or a bed of Ohio grown organic greens. Then you pick your protein. The choices include ahi tuna*, salmon*, shrimp, chicken, tofu, crabstick and more (*raw). You then choose your toppings. You can choose from edamame, furikake, corn, cucumber, pickled ginger, sweet onion, and more. I really like the pineapple. Seaweed salad, avocado, and masago are a dollar more. Lastly, load up with one of their signature sauces and top it off with something a little crunchy! Halé sauce is their house sauce, similar to a soy sauce.

The first time I went I ordered the ahi tuna and have them put every topping on it but jalapeno, edamame, and masago. I topped it with the Halé sauce and citrus ponzu and toasted sesame seeds. I enjoyed the cucumber, seaweed salad, pineapple, cilantro and avocado a lot. The portion was very large, and I ended up quitting with just a couple bites to go.

I loved it and was back two days later with a friend to whom I had raved about it. The guy behind the counter remembered me and suggested I get a loyalty card (and gave me two punches). The second time I asked for half ahi tuna and half spicy salmon. I once again had the same toppings on it and topped it with just Halé sauce. We sat inside and there was only one other table occupied. She enjoyed it a lot and took the menu since she lives in the Akron area.

The last time I was there I ordered for curbside pickup and discovered the popping boba in their bubble tea. I was a little more discerning with the toppings this time. I went with ahi tuna and added crabstick. I left out the seaweed salad and pickled ginger as well and only had the green onions, carrots, cilantro, sweet onion, cucumber, pineapple, fire roasted corn, and avocado. My sauces were the Halé sauce, citrus ponzu and wasabi aioli with sesame seeds and furikake as toppings. I especially liked the kick of the wasabi aioli. I was finally able to finish the entire portion.

I ordered the Honeydew Boba Tea with popping blueberry boba. The blueberry added a nice flavor kick, but after a little while they just deflated and moldered at the bottom of the cup. That said, the honeydew boba tea was very refreshing.

Contact info:

Poké Fresh
6319 Wilson Mills Road
Highland Heights, OH 44143
(440) 421-9121

Los Arcos Mexican Restaurant Bar and Grill

I never would have thought a great little gem of a Mexican restaurant would be hidden in a strip mall on Green Road. Los Arcos Mexican Restaurant Bar and Grill was recommended to me by my massage therapist. He told me many of his clients enjoyed eating there.

Authentic Mexican is hard to find, and I’m certainly not someone who can tell. However, one southern California transplant is a fan and that’s enough for me. She recommends the cheese enchiladas (and several people suggest getting the verde sauce) and fish tacos. And they have tacos and gorditos de lengua (tongue) on special on Saturdays (click on the Specials on the website). You don’t see too many restaurants here that serve tongue. They also serve pozole on Saturdays and menudo on Sundays as well as cheap street tacos (hard shelled for $1, soft shelled for $2) on Taco Tuesday.

I met a girlfriend there for lunch after her massage for our first foray there. I ordered what is probably the most Instagrammable item on the menu, but it is as delicious as it is beautiful. I ordered the pineapple fajitas. I love fajitas because they are hard to screw up, but these fajitas come in a pineapple half on top of the searing hot plate. The chips are fresh and warm, and I enjoyed the salsa. The margarita was great. I ordered a frozen peach margarita the first time, but over time I have determined that I love the fresh margarita the best.

This became my go to place to order from during the coronavirus crisis, because they starting serving their margaritas to go. I got a little emotional when I had a sip of margarita for the first time in months. They serve peach, raspberry, blue raspberry, strawberry, watermelon, mango, pineapple and lime on the rocks or frozen. They are available in glasses, jumbo glasses, half pitchers, and pitchers. I love the raspberry, watermelon and – when I really want to splurge – fresh lime margaritas. They are $14.99 ($18.99 for top shelf). They also have a nice happy hour every day.

My go to order here is the Pollo Adobo. It features grilled, seasoned and marinated chicken strips with grilled mushrooms, spinach, tomatoes, bell peppers and onions covered in queso. It comes served with rice, beans and tortillas. This is my favorite thing in a Mexican restaurant. It isn’t available at every restaurant, so when it is I order it. I love the cheesy dip mixed with the savory chicken and veggies.

My dad likes chile rellenos, so I like to try them when I see them on the menu. I was able to order it in a combination with a spinach enchilada and bean burrito (Vegetarian Combo #7). I thought it was a little bland, and I loved the spinach enchilada the most out of the three. The best thing about it was the cost – $9.99. You can’t beat that when you are pinching pennies during a pandemic.

Growing up we had Chi-Chis, and everyone ordered their fried ice cream. The fried ice cream here actually comes kind of close to the Chi-Chis fried ice cream. My photo doesn’t look very appealing, because it was in a to go container during COVID (and on Cinco de Mayo to boot). They got overwhelmed with orders and I was afraid my ice cream would melt, but it came out perfect and was still cold when I got it home. I highly recommend it if you like the combination of cinnamon and ice cream.

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Left to right: Taco salad, Carne asade taco, Burrito

Contact info:

Los Arcos
2175 S Green Road
University Hts, OH 44121
(216) 862-6623

Congin’s

Photo from Yelper Laura S.

I had never heard of Congin’s until I attended a Bordeaux wine dinner by myself at Le Petit Triangle. I was sat at a larger table of strangers, and we were trading favorite food tips (as foodies tend to do). One of the women, who I recognized as a writer for the Cleveland Heights Observer, recommended the pizza at Congin’s. Congin’s Pizza is a family-owned restaurant that has been in business for over 27 years. Apparently there are two locations – Congin’s Pizza in Chardon and Congin’s Italian in Cleveland on Nottingham Road & St. Clair near the Euclid/South Collinwood border). I drove past the Nottingham location, and it took me a second to recognize it. It looks like an unassuming auto body repair shop. One Yelper describes it as “a very unassuming, bare bones building lacking in even a modicum of charm.” I made a point to stop for a pizza (making the mistake of not calling it in – I sat and waited in the austere waiting area for a while). It was worth the wait, and I’ve been frequenting Congin’s Italian ever since. It is a quick drive from Cleveland Heights once I learned the back roads, and it serves what I think is the best old-school, American-style pizza in Cleveland. The crust is delicious, the red sauce is not too sweet and not too acidic, and they are generous with the toppings. I especially like the generous clumps of sausage. I am hooked. In fact, I was driving for Lyft on Valentine’s Day and decided to call it a night when I was near Bedford. I called in a pizza order to Congin’s and drove all the way there to get my pie just before they closed at 10 pm. Driving 271 to 90, I got off at E. 185th, and it was a quick trip until I was there on Nottingham. They have a drive-thru window if you’re lazy and don’t want to get out of car. I can’t usually wait until I get home and dig into the pizza as soon as I can. The melty cheese stretch brings so much satisfaction, and I rush to get the slice in my mouth before the warm toppings slide off. I’ve gotten pretty good at holding it so it all stays together. I order the same pizza every time – the Deluxe, which features pepperoni, sausage, mushroom, green pepper, black olive, and onion. I think about switching it up every once in a while, but why mess with perfection.

I’ve also tried several other things off the menu. I ordered the Congin’s sub on my second visit, because ordering the sub named for the restaurant seemed like a no-brainer. I enjoyed the sub a lot. The Congin features turkey, ham, roast beef, cheese, lettuce, tomato, mustard, & Miracle Whip. Even though I prefer mayonnaise I didn’t hate the Miracle Whip. I think it gave it a more unique flavor. The tomato was surprisingly fresh and perfect for a tomato in January. It was a nice surprise. I loved the fact that the lettuce they used was a spring mix featuring arugula. They have a meatball sub, Italian sausage sub, chicken and eggplant parmagiana subs, and hot buttered steak sub that sound good – as well as something called a Bundo Burger, which is apparently very similar to a Romanburger. Ah, Cleveland, never change!

Their pasta dinners come with a dinner salad and a bread roll. You can order a half order, but it doesn’t come with the salad or roll. I ordered the spaghetti with meat sauce my first time around. I always order spaghetti at a new place, but have learned not to order meatballs because I tend to be disappointed. The spaghetti was good and the meat sauce was quite generous. I will be trying other pastas off the menu in the future.

The wings were weird. People raved about them on Yelp. I was not expecting to receive breaded wings with the sauce on the side. They were large, meaty wings, but I prefer unbreaded wings. Breading makes the sauce soak in and is just unnecessary in my opinion.

Contact info:

Congin’s Italian
18812 Nottingham Rd
Cleveland, OH 44110
(216) 481-4585

Congin’s Pizza
104 South Street
Chardon, OH
(440) 286-1260

Fish Fry Friday 2020 – Emerald Necklace Marina/Big Met TO GO

One of my dining out group members recommended the Big Met Fish Fry, and we had every intention of trying it – until the Corona virus happened. Instead, Big Met Fish Fry switched to call ahead and curbside pick-up in two locations. On the last official fish fry day (Good Friday) I called Big Met to order my fish fry (it took numerous tries to get through) and was told to go to the Emerald Necklace Marina to pick my meal up at my allotted time.

I drove to the west side to pick it up earlier in the day to avoid the rush hour traffic. There was only one other car ahead of me, and one pulled up as I left. There were a lot of people walking in the Metroparks and enjoying the nice weather.

The Fish Dinner featured two pieces of fried or baked cod (I chose fried), served with your choice of potato (fresh cut French fries, house cut potato chips, or roasted redskin potatoes), coleslaw, and rye bread for $13.00. The fish pieces were pretty small and pretty uniform in size. When I get fried fish I prefer a battered fish as opposed to a panko-crusted one (or whatever this was). I chose the roasted redskin potatoes, because I felt they would travel and reheat the easiest. I wasn’t wrong. The potatoes were a really nice change and were nicely seasoned. I also added an order of hush puppies with honey butter ($6.50) and a clam chowder ($4). The clam chowder was okay, but had a smoky flavor that I just couldn’t get behind. The hush puppies were packaged in the styrofoam straight out of the fryer and melted the styrofoam as well as the plastic honey butter container. They were soaked in melted honey butter, which was quite tasty, but I wonder about the melted styrofoam. The hush puppies were definitely the standout here.

In addition to a shrimp dinner and fish sandwich, they have also non-fish options like a grilled cheese, a chicken tender wrap and the Rocky River Burger.

I don’t know if I would go back. It was a good fish fry, but it didn’t wow me. I enjoyed the differences from most fish fries – like rye bread and redskin potatoes, but it isn’t enough to make me clamor to go back. If you are on the west side definitely check it out.

Contact info:

Big Met Golf Course
4811 Valley Parkway
Fairview Park, OH 44126
440-331-1070

Emerald Necklace Marina
1500 Cleveland Metro Park Drive
Lakewood, OH 44107
(216) 226-3030

The Crispy Chick

The Crispy Chick opened on Woodland Avenue near the intersection with E. 55th in October 2019 in an old Church’s Chicken building. I had watched the renovations, so was happy once it finally opened. The Crispy Chick is a minority female owned business (the owner is from Eritrea but has lived in Cleveland for 20 years), which I like to support. The Crispy Chick serves chicken raised without hormones or antibiotics at affordable prices. The chicken is real whole chicken tenderloin with no gristle or fatty filler pieces. The sauces and seasonings are made from scratch.

The menu is quite limited. It only has four chicken tender meal choices – a strip sandwich, a three-piece, a four-piece (“Original Meal”), and a six-piece “Mega Meal.” The four piece comes with garlic toast, slaw and one sauce; the mega meal supposedly comes with garlic toast, slaw and two sauces. They also have a Kids Meal with two tenders, fries and sauce. There are also two chicken wing dinners – with three wings and ten wings. The sauce flavors are BBQ, Buffalo, Habanero, Honey Mustard, House Sauce, and Sriracha. The House Sauce is a zingy, creamy sauce. I liked it a lot, but I’m at heart a honey mustard girl. The two sauces go well together when both ordered.

The drink choices are limited too – and not listed. They are (if I remember correctly) Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Dr. Pepper, Fruit Punch, and Orange. They also have fresh brewed tea and lemonade for $2.39 and $2.99. When I asked to mix the two she said it would be extra (??), but I think there might have been a communication problem with the intercom. They also have milkshakes for $3.95.

The first time I stopped I ordered a three-piece meal. The tenders were delicious, the fries were decent enough, and the garlic bread toast was phenomenal. The three-tender meal comes with one sauce, but I wanted to try another sauce as well so I ordered a second sauce for another $0.75 (ordered BBQ and Honey Mustard). The second time I ordered a Mega Meal (6 tenders) and an extra garlic bread toast. The food itself is great. The size of the tenders vary, but they are juicy and perfect.

Despite the limited menu the service is pretty slow. The first time I wasn’t even sure it was open because I sat at the drive-thru ordering sign for a while without being greeted. A couple minutes later someone greeted me. I thought it was an anomaly until my second visit when I was asked to wait three times while sitting at the drive-thru ordering sign, she rang up the car in front of me that had drive up to the drive-thru window (because I could see their order being rung up on the sign), and then I was finally greeted. Once I got to the window I was handed my drink, eventually asked for my payment, and then after another minute asked to pull around, where I sat waiting for at least 15 minutes. I’m not quite sure what the hold up was, because nothing was blazing hot as if right out of the fryer. I was then told they were out of House sauce (they had one, which was in my bag, but I had asked for a House sauce and Honey Mustard so it was okay – she had just forgotten that). When I then checked my order in the car and went in to ask about the missing cole slaw I was told they were out of cole slaw. Out of House sauce and cole slaw at 5 PM on a Wednesday. Okay, I didn’t have my heart that set on the cole slaw any way…

While I was waiting, two people went inside and came out with preordered meals, so that seems like the way to go. You can order on GrubHub, DoorDash or UberEats, but I’d rather go there in person and make sure they get the entire cost of my meal. The food is good and affordable, so preorder your meal or do not be in a rush if you stop here.

Contact info:

The Crispy Chick
5618 Woodland Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44104
(216) 331-4700