It’s Lent. That means fish on Fridays. Not because I’m Catholic and don’t eat meat on Fridays, but because I love fish and can indulge most everywhere.
A week ago someone posted the Friday specials at Chelo’s Kitchen on the Facebook food group I am on. I have been on a tuna melt kick, and their tuna melt lunch special looked amazing. I had already had lunch when it got posted, but I needed the tuna melt in my life. I looked forward to it all week. It was just as good – if not better – than it looked. Their tuna melt features tuna, grilled onions, and American and Swiss cheese on seeded rye bread. It was amazing!!! I’m going back again before the season is out. Chelo’s Kitchen is a traditional American breakfast and lunch place with some South American options (the owners are from Uruguay). It’s only open until 2pm every day except during Lent, when they have dinner specials from 3:30-7:00 pm on Friday night (they call it Fish Frenzy Friday). It took over the space that used to be Kalie’s Restaurant on the corner of Mayfield Road and South Green in South Euclid. I’ve been meaning to try it and I will definitely be back! The servers were fantastic and really friendly. The hashbrowns look amazing. I have a new place to put on my rotation even after Lent.
But you are here for the Fish Fry. I chose to return to St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Ukrainian Church for my first Friday Fish Fry of the season. I took someone who just moved to Cleveland from Los Angeles 5 months ago and had never been to or even heard of a fish fry. I chose St. Vladimir because it’s on State Road (near St. Josaphat’s and St. Francis de Sales, so you know they have to offer their A game). It offers five seafood dinners (baked cod, salmon, fried perch, fried whitefish and fried shrimp) and seven sides (french fries, pierogi, potato pancake, redskin potatoes, steamed vegetables, cabbage and noodles, and mac n cheese) to choose from, and some of the best pierogis in the city. We were lucky enough to get a spot really close to the front door. As we walked in we passed the bar, so I got a Ukrainian lager to enjoy during my wait in line. I wasn’t driving, so I was able to enjoy it during the wait and during my meal.
They have six dinners to choose from – baked salmon (1 pc), baked cod (1 pc), fried perch – aka Captain Gene’s dinner (3 pc), fried whitefish (2 pc), fried shrimp (6 pc) and potato pierogi (6 pc). And they also have a kid’s dinner with a slice of pizza, french fries and applesauce. All dinners include cole slaw or applesauce, a dinner roll, coffee and a cookie – and your choice of one side. The choice of sides include french fries, 2 pierogi, 1 potato pancake, redskin potatoes, steamed vegetables, cabbage and noodles, and mac n cheese.
Last year one of the parishioners suggested I order the cod next time, so I went with his suggestion and ordered the baked cod dinner to dine in and a pierogi dinner to go. The cod was perfectly baked and had an herbacious crumb crust. I ordered the cabbage and noodle to go with it, which was tasty. But the pierogi are still my number one! The helper who carried my tray for me suggested the potato pancake as my side for my pierogi dinner, which, as I said, I got to go and will eat for the next few days. I ate half of the cod, roll, and cabbage and noodles and put the other half in the to go box holding the pierogi dinner.
My friend ordered the Captain Gene’s dinner, because I urged her to get the perch. She chose a potato pancake for her side. She also really enjoyed everything – including the cole slaw, which was nice and creamy. I really enjoyed the cole slaw too. It’s delicious. She definitely enjoyed her first Cleveland fish fry.
Au Jus is Cleveland’s first exclusive Chicago-style Italian Beef restaurant. It is tucked away in a nondescript strip mall on Broadview Road in Parma. Its grand opening was on February 8, 2023, so recently celebrated its first anniversary. Up until recently you really had to search for an Italian Beef sandwich. Ferrera’s serves one, but it sells out quickly and they close pretty early. It takes me a while to get out of the house some days, so I usually miss the window. And Ferrara’s is cash only.
Au Jus prides itself on the quality of its products, and it shows. They use top-round beef and slow roast hundreds of pounds of it every day. I have been following the journey online from the planning stages to the opening and finally got a chance to try the restaurant out recently. It is primarily a carry-out business. There are a couple of seats, but it’s not exactly conducive to relaxing. The kitchen is also spotless and every corner is visible. You can watch the workers create your food as you wait. It is a welcoming environment, and the staff is very friendly and knowledgeable.
The Italian Beef is available in regular or large, and you can choose between Swiss or Provolone cheese. You can also add mild, spicy or mixed giardiniera and hot peppers if you like it spicy. Some customers choose to upgrade with double the meat, but save your money. The portions are very big and priced excellent for the quality and quantity of the food. I can probably only eat a regular (and probably only half in one sitting), so I went for the regular Italian Beef with Provolone cheese on my first visit. I forgot to specify mild giardiniera. The beef is shaved thin and piled on a soft hoagie bun. I got the au jus on the side since I wasn’t going to be eating it right away and “dunked” would have made it a soggy mess. The sandwich was delicious. I liked it better than Ferrera’s. You can tell the beef is high quality. I was in the mood for onion rings as well, and they did not disappoint! The onion rings here are battered, not breaded.
I absolutely adore their Italian sausage sub. It comes on a soft bun and is topped with a thin layer of tomato sauce and smothered in onions, peppers and melted provolone cheese. The sausage itself is tossed on the grill in the kitchen before topping it with all that goodness. I was only going to eat half but could not stop eating it because I was enjoying it so much.
If you can’t decide between the Italian beef or the Italian sausage sandwich and like it spicy you can order the Spicy Trifecta, which features Italian beef and cheese, a spicy Italian sausage, hot peppers, and spicy gardiniera. The sausage is split and laid atop the Italian beef and then topped with the hot peppers and gardiniera. It’s too hot for me to handle, but if you are in the mood for spicy it features the best of both worlds.
I also ordered the mushroom and Swiss sandwich. It is one of their pressed sandwiches. The owner warned me that there was no meat because other customers have not been aware of that, but I was. I, however, was not aware that it was more of a vegetarian sandwich and less of a mushroom and Swiss sandwich. I was really looking forward to a mostly mushroom and Swiss sandwich, but it was overpowered by the peppers and onions in my opinion. If I order it again I will tell them to hold the peppers and onions or maybe hold the peppers and go light on the onions. But that is my personal preference. This is a great choice if you are a vegetarian and love roasted veggies.
The owner had also asked my local Facebook food group for their input on the perfect Sicilian sub when he was planning the menu before opening the restaurant. As a result, the pressed Sicilian sandwich includes ham, pepperoni, salami, provolone, lettuce, tomato, onion, diced mixed olives, capers, Italian dressing and lemon basil aioli. That’s a lot of meat! It kind of makes me think of a muffaletta but with lettuce, tomato and onion. It’s one of Au Jus’ best sellers.
Au Jus is open noon-9:30 pm Monday-Saturday. The owners are there on Sundays doing catering, so they don’t mind accepting orders. The owners are friendly and really dedicated and passionate about their products. This is one of those restaurants that I really like to support and root for. Be sure to check them out!
Contact info:
Au Jus 5875 Broadview Road, Unit B Parma, OH 44134 (216) 795-5063
I’m trying something different with the photos today since they aren’t displaying properly on my end (pushing to the left and overlapping the text). I promise I am working on finding a solution!
No fried fish for me this Friday! Despite my best intentions a fish fry was not in the cards for me. Work came in the way, and I had too much on my desk to be able to clear an hour or two for a fish fry. Luckily I had made plans with a friend for lunch, and we were meeting at Ice or Rice Cafe to introduce her to the place (she lived in Japan for many years, so she needed to try it). So I still had fish, but it was raw instead of fried.
I was greeted like a regular by the owner and waited for my friend to arrive. We ordered at the counter and sat there chatting as our food was being prepared. I noticed they had several new onigiri on the menu – a crab salad and a raw tuna, so I definitely had to order them. I love onigiri, and Ice or Rice is the only place that serves them here in Cleveland. They are a must for me. Onigiri (おにぎり) are Japanese rice balls made of steamed rice that you compress into a triangular, ball, or cylinder shape and are usually wrapped in a nori seaweed sheet. The filling here is very generous – with lots of crab salad and a really nice chunk of tuna. They are individually packaged to keep them fresh, and they were still slightly warm when I enjoyed them. They were both delicious.
I was tempted to order the Seared Salmon roll again, but I wanted to try something new. I ordered a Rainbow Roll, because I am trying to eat through the sushi menu. The roll was smaller than most Rainbow Rolls in a sushi restaurant (just six cuts instead of eight), but it suited me just fine because I ordered enough for two meals as it was. A Rainbow Roll is a roll that is filled with imitation crab, cucumber, and avocado, and topped with salmon, tuna, and yellowtail. Their Rainbow Roll was fresh and tightly wrapped, draped with thin slices of raw salmon, tuna and avocado. They don’t have yellowtail on the menu so they use what they have, but I didn’t miss it. It was a tasty roll. I had half (3 pieces) in the restaurant and put the lid on the other half to take home for later. It was just as good later as a snack/light dinner instead of the fish fry.
If you want something tasty and hot (but not fried), order the shrimp okonomiyaki. Okonomiyaki is a savory pancake dish consisting of wheat flour batter and other ingredients cooked on a teppan grill and topped with okonomiyaki sauce, mayo, powdered seaweed, scallion and bonito flakes. My friend ordered the pork belly okonomiyaki and loved it. She used to make it all the time for herself and her kids, and she really liked this version. She lamented it didn’t have pickled ginger, but she really enjoyed the flavor of the cabbage, scallions, batter, pork belly, and toppings. I’ve had the shrimp version before and loved it. I enjoyed the bite she shared with me.
I ordered the lychee kumquat sparkling lemonade, which was really refreshing and had a couple full-size lychees and kumquat zest and juice in it. My friend very much enjoyed her iced boba matcha. I ordered one for myself to go and even though I don’t like boba all that much I enjoyed the flavor of the brown sugar boba they use.
If you haven’t given Ice or Rice Cafe a try, be sure to check them out! I’m looking forward to next Friday when I will be enjoying a tuna melt at Chelo’s for lunch and a fish fry! Have a great week.
The Lenten season is upon us, and in Cleveland that means the start of Fish Fry Season. Ash Wednesday fell on Valentine’s Day this year. I knew there was no way I was going to even try to dine in at a restaurant on one of the busiest days in the restaurant industry, and most of the churches don’t offer fish fries on Ash Wednesday since they have church services. So I decided to do carryout, and Mom’s Pierogies posted their carryout fish fry on my Facebook group so it was fate. I placed my order online and headed out to pick it up before most people even got off work. My order was ready when I arrived, and I was greeted by the friendly staff and given my order. I handed the employee who retrieved my order a couple bucks for a tip and went happily on my way. It smelled divine despite all of the containers (and the can of Pepsi) being wrapped in plastic wrap. And the fish was wrapped in foil inside the styrofoam (you can see it peeking out of the side below). No chance of leakage here!
After following Waze’s convoluted driving directions and driving on streets I’ve never driven on before, I located Mom’s Pierogies on Memphis Avenue. Getting home was also fairly convoluted and took me through a speed trap in Linndale and had me going south on I-71 before exiting and reentering to go north again, but all in all the drive was about 20-25 minutes there and back. It is located next to Aldo’s and very close to the Memphis Kiddie Park, which I had been to once with my nieces when they were younger. So I *kind of* recognized the area, but most of the streets were fairly new to me despite being a lifelong Clevelander and living on the west side for 23 years.
There is no seating available. It is strictly carryout. Mom’s Pierogies started in the early 2000s when the owner Janet Vedda was inspired to use her mother’s recipes to make and sell pierogies to family and friends during the holidays. She then branched out to selling pierogi at farmer’s markets and supplying many restaurants. Mom’s Pierogies opened as a brick-and-mortar shop in August 2018. They sell frozen pierogi in bulk – a dozen or 1/2 dozen at a time. The menu boasts around 20 flavors, and they always keep about a dozen of the traditional, most popular flavors on hand. I think I need their breakfast pierogi (featuring sausage, egg and cheddar cheese) in my life and freezer. They make the pierogi by hand every day.
I am so glad I chose Mom’s Pierogies, which I had never heard of before their post (social media works, folks!). In my opinion, an excellent fish fry always includes pierogi (plural: pierogi or pierogies or pierogis, but I prefer without an s – it’s the language geek in me). For the uninitiated, pierogi are small, semi-circular ‘dumplings’ made of dough and filled with a range of ingredients, which can be sweet, savory or spicy. They are a staple in Cleveland, and some would argue that these little pockets of deliciousness are also the national dish of Northeast Ohio. Mom’s Pierogies specializes in gourmet Polish pierogies, and you should not sleep on these pierogies. Although they were smaller and not as filled as I prefer the dough was so delightfully soft and almost melted in my mouth. These were stellar pierogies! Anyway, I digress… We are here for the fish fry.
Every single component of this meal was outstanding – there was not a miss in the styrofoam container. Even the little details like the tartar sauce, carmelized onions and butter, and garlic sour cream (!!!!) were outstanding. The fish is a 9 oz. pollock. It was lightly breaded and perfectly fried. The fish itself was moist and flaky and simply delectable. The housemade tartar sauce was an excellent addition, but it was even tasty without it. I ordered an extra pierogi for $2 and should have ordered more. These pierogi were so good! Most pierogi dough is a little thick and chewy. These were thinner and soft and pillowy – and had a tasty potato filling. The pierogi have been handed down from the owner’s Polish mother’s recipe. I can see why. These are the softest pierogi I have ever enjoyed. The garlic sour cream was ethereally good. You can choose between regular or garlic. Get the garlic! It isn’t overpowering and just gilds the lily. I wished I had ordered more extra pierogi, because I only had one left for lunch the next day and you can eat them in a couple bites even if you are savoring them. I would drive all the way back for a pierogi dinner, but they also serve stuffed cabbage that looks right up my alley, so…
I also added a side of cucumber salad, because it never hurts to have a veggies to balance the fried food. LOL The cucumbers are small and sliced razor thin. They are drenched in a sour cream and onion dressing that I really enjoyed. This was a quality cucumber salad. It is also available in 1 and 2 lb portions. Even cole slaw was a revelation. I definitely detected a heavier pepper presence, which I enjoyed, but there is an herb mix that I can’t quite place (dill? thyme?). The mayo-based cole slaw was delicious, and I enjoyed every forkful of it as well.
All in all, this was an excellent start to Fish Fry Season 2024. I’ve already planned which churches and restaurants I want to try this season (St Mary’s Church in Collinwood, Gesu Catholic (catered by EDWINS), St. Agnes / Our Lady of Fatima and Voodoo Brewery are new to the list and I plan to revisit St. Joseph’s Parish and St. Vladimir as well as Benedictine High School to give them another chance after a less than stellar review pre-COVID). I have lunch plans at Ice or Rice Cafe tomorrow, so we’ll see if I am hungry at fish fry time. There may or may not be two reviews tomorrow. So see you tomorrow (or Saturday whenever I get the post written)!
They also sell t-shirts if anyone wants to get me one 🙂 The photo above is just one of the choices on their website (follow the link). Mom’s Pierogies has apparently been in business since 2003. They are closed on Sunday and Monday and open from 11-7 on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, 11-5 on Thursday and 11-4 on Saturday. Be sure to check them out – and don’t forget the garlic sour cream!!!
Mochinut is an American restaurant chain specializing in mochi donuts, boba, and Korean-style hot dogs with locations in the U.S. and South Korea. It was founded in California in 2020. A location opened on Detroit Road in Westlake near the Columbia Road exit on I-90 in August 2022. The next closest location is Ann Arbor, Michigan and then another is in southern Indiana. It is open 7 days a week from 11 am to 8 pm.
My friend Judi is obsessed and stops there whenever she is in the area. Her daughter lived in Japan and got her hooked. She took me there after a tea presentation at Bay Village Library. I of course had to try the boba (bubble tea) and mochi donuts. The dining area was very clean, and the staff was very friendly and helpful.
I ordered a Thai Tea boba, which was perfectly made. They have a cool plastic can with a metal lid that they make the tea in. It was not super environmentally friendly though, and they don’t recycle them (I asked). The milk and sugar ratio in the tea was just right. If you want more sugar order the brown sugar ones.
The mochi donuts are made with rice flour, making them flexible and recognizable due to their distinct shape of eight small balls connected as a circle. Mochi doughnuts have a crispy exterior, due to being fried or baked, and a chewy interior thanks to the use of sweet rice flour. Apparently some of the donuts are gluten free, since they use rice or tapioca flour rather than the conventional wheat variety. Be sure to ask, and they encourage you to do so with some signage. The flavors change daily and they serve eight different flavors each day.
I ordered a chocolate donut with chocolate sprinkles on my first visit (in the first photo – this one on the left is Blueberry Lychee). The donut is light and chewy. I really enjoyed it. I ordered three donuts ($10) on the second visit and enjoyed all three. I liked the Matcha donut I ordered on my second visit even more. I stopped here with a couple friends after meeting them for sushi just down the street at Yuzu King. Being a huge fan of matcha is was a no-brainer the minute I saw it on the board. I also ordered the Milky Fruity Pebbles and Chocolate Funnel Cake donuts. The Matcha donut and Funnel Cake ones weren’t as sweet as the chocolate one, and I really enjoyed them a lot. And who doesn’t enjoy Fruity Pebbles? My friend thought the Pina Colada one was too sweet, so I got to take it home with me and enjoy later. It was sweeter but still enjoyable. I do prefer the less sweet ones though.
They are also known for their Korean hot dogs. The Korean hot dogs are wrapped in a bun similar to a corn dog. You can get a hot dog or mozzarella cheese or a half/half (hot dog and cheese) on a stick. They are then dipped in batter, coated in potatoes, ramen, Hot Cheetos or “Blue Heat” (apparently covered by crushed Takis rice cakethat is a blue hue) toppings, and deep fried. I ordered the half mozzarella half hot dog coated in ramen. I would have prefered it if the mozzarella and hot dog were next to each other sharing space instead of one on top of the other. I still enjoyed it though. It was a crunchy delight. My friend enjoyed her potato-covered mozzarella one.
Look at that cheese pull!
I definitely look forward to my next visit. I can’t wait to see what will be on the board then. And I need to try the Ube boba.
Contact info:
Mochinut 26161 Detroit Road Westlake, OH 44145 (440) 455-1028
It’s almost Pączki time. Celebrate at the Winery this year from noon-6 pm on January 28th, but you can stock up on pączki at the Bakery until February 13th this year.
My favorite pączki are made at Michael Angelo’s Bakery. The Bakery has been open for 20 years and is located on Broadview Road in Broadview Heights Ohio just to the north of Wallings Road. The same owners opened Michael Angelo’s Winery during the pandemic. It is located down the street on the corner of Boston Road and Broadview Road in Richfield, and I have heard nothing but good things about it. I haven’t made it there yet though.
As I’ve said, Michael Angelo’s Bakery (not to be confused with Michaelangelo’s (the restaurant in Little Italy) or Michael Angelo’s Winery) is my go-to bakery for pączki (pronounced poonch-kee). For those who don’t know, pączki are made from especially rich dough containing eggs, fats, sugar, yeast and sometimes milk in the month or two before Lent (but definitely on both Fat Tuesday and Fat Thursday). They feature a variety of fruit and cream fillings and can be glazed, or covered with granulated or powdered sugar. Michael Angelo’s pączki are generously stuffed with filling and are light and airy while also being heavy in weight. It is a must-visit for me every pączki season. I go during the day during the week, but you have to get there early before they run out (or you will be stuck with prune) – or order them ahead of time. The lines are long during pączki season – especially on the weekends. If they run out of a certain flavor and they still have the pastries they will run and fill them for you. But once they are out they are out.
Their bread is also very good. They make bread for St. Sava. It looks like it would have a firm crust, but it is really quite soft. It is a tasty bread, but my favorite is their Buttercrust bread. It is their Italian bread topped with butter and baked in a loaf pan. It’s so good! Pictured here to the left is the Country Grain. It reminds me a lot of European bread – a harder crust with a soft center.
They also sell lots of packaged coffee, boxed or bagged cookies and bagged chocolate-covered treats like Oreos or pretzel rods. Their chocolate chip and oatmeal cranberry cookies are great. I had a friend buy them for one of our tea events. The last time I went I also bought a bag of their peanut butter cookies with mini Reese’s pieces, and they were moist and delicious. I’ve also heard good things about the macaroons but can’t attest to them because I’m not a fan. They do look pretty though!
They are also known for their special order cakes. The cakes I have seen people pick up here are spectacular, from kid’s birthday cakes to special events like bachelorette parties or baptisms. They also have smaller individual cakes in a display case to the left of the store.
The only thing I haven’t enjoyed here are the ham and cheese croissants. They are too doughy, and the ham is not good. Croissants should be light and flaky. These are not.
They also sell coffee and tea, which is helpful when you need a jolt of caffeine or a soothing hot tea.
Growing up in Olmsted Falls I am very familiar with Polaris Career Center and its job and training courses, which offer hospitality and cosmetology services to the community such as the restaurant and bakery, hair salon and the now-closed audiovisual services. Polaris offers courses designed to help junior and senior high students and adults from the surrounding cities prepare for meaningful careers, update job qualifications, or develop a personal interest. Students who were not college-bound attended Polaris in the afternoons. The only reason I was familiar with the Lorain County JVS, which is in Oberlin, is because I know someone who works there and used to run the Culinary Arts program there. The Culinary Arts program trains students in all areas of the demanding and competitive world of food service. Basic cooking techniques, baking, salad preparation, cafeteria operation and advanced culinary skills are taught by chef instructors and guest chefs. The Buckeye Room is a full-service restaurant run by students in their senior year. They also learn to cater functions before, during and after school.
The restaurant at Polaris is Savour and the bakery is Indulge. The restaurant at the JVC is The Buckeye Room. I had never eaten at either restaurant before. I have eaten at both twice now and look forward to more visits in the future. The food is amazing and the kids take great pride in what they are doing. You can also order online for take-out at Polaris. Finding the restaurant at Polaris was easy from the visitor parking lot on the right side of the complex (the last driveway on Old Oak Boulevard). Finding the Buckeye Room was a little more difficult. I entered the main entrance and parked in the lot to the right. I then had to walk to the entrance on the right of the photo and turn right as I walked in. There was a sign pointing me to the right, but the doors to the restaurant are not marked. Once you turn to the right, if you don’t know that the restaurant is hidden behind the double doors on the left just inside the cafeteria you will walk past it and have to ask someone where it is.
The bakery is open on Wednesdays through Fridays (most weeks from September to May) from noon to 2:00 p.m. and coincide with Savour’s hours of operation. The baked goods are quite good, and I can highly recommend the cookies, eclairs, individual cheesecakes and pastries such as the tarts and croissants. The bakery usually has a long line and it is SLOW. If you have a reservation at 12:30 you’d better get in line before noon because you will still be in line at 12:30 (even if you were towards the front). If you have a 11:45 am reservation grab your table and then put your order in with a friend as you queue up. Not only do all the elderly patrons slow things down, but the girls working behind the counter were not efficient either time I was there. One writes down your order while the other puts the baked goods on the tray – then they get taken to be boxed and then ring the sale up. I know they are students, but the slow pace is not doing anyone any favors. I’ve worked in restaurants and they are very high pace environments. They also tend to sell out of things quickly.
Both restaurants require reservations because demand for tables is high since they are only open a couple of days a week and only a couple of weeks a month. My friend makes several reservations at once as early in the season as she can for the lunches. I always joke that I am one of the youngest ones dining here, but there has always been one table of twentysomethings eating here as well.
Savour is open for lunch from 11:45 am – 1:00 pm. The schedule is posted here. Each table gets a basket of bialys for your party, and you can order more to go if there are extra. A bialy is flat bagel-like roll with a depression in the center typically seasoned with an onion and poppy seed mixture. The more well-known bagel refers is a round roll, typically with a hole in the center. Unlike bialys, bagels are boiled and then baked, giving them a chewier texture. On our first visit they had not taken the number of reservations into account, and our table was shorted two bialys.
First row: Walleye, Short Ribs, No-Bake Nutella Cheesecake Second row: Clam chowder, Pot Roast, Maryland Crab Cake Third row: cross-section of the Crab Cake, NOLA Bread Pudding, Pot de Creme
You order off the limited menu here. There are two soup choices, two salad choices, a Reuben, two flatbreads, three entrees and two desserts to choose from. All the entrees include a complementary dessert for around $16. The servers are also learning to work front of house, but they have all been fairly competent. Our beverages have been refilled and food brought out efficiently. We had one case of the shrimp in the soup being overcooked, so we let the program manager know to tell them not to cook the shrimp in the soups for so long. Other than that everything has been excellent. The clam chowder on my second visit was so good that I ordered a quart to take home. They did not overcook the clams, and the potatos and seasoning were perfect. I absolutely fell in love with the Chicken Rockefeller on my first visit, and it was one of my Best Bites of 2023. The chicken, hollandaise and rice were perfectly cooked and the sauteed zucchini was also delicious. My crab cake on my second visit was moist and delicious (see photos in the table above – including the cross-section). And the chocolate pot de creme was exquisite.
The Buckeye Room is open for lunch from 10:45 am – 1:00 pm Monday thru Friday on certain dates throughout the year. All prix fixe menus are $17.00 for a 4-course meal and a drink. The dining room here at the Buckeye Room is very small, only seating maybe 50 people. On our first visit we were seated promptly, but they had taken too many reservations on the second visit and the kitchen was in the weeds, so we had to wait a while for our table. They had some seating for waiting guests, but people were standing in the small hallway for quite a while. The clientele here tends to skew a little younger.
Just a selection of the meals First row: Cheese & sausage stuffed mushrooms, Calamari, Potato & leek soup Second row: Herb roasted turkey breast with sage stuffing, mashed potatoes, glazed carrots and corn; Spiced vanilla trifle; Arancini Third row: Winter chop salad, Chicken pot pie; Cherry pie
I can never finish the full 4-course meals here. I tend to enjoy the appetizer and soup or salad and then half of the entree, and tend to ask for a to go box. The cherry pie was easier to take home than the tiramisu, so I opted for the cherry pie even though the tiramisu looked amazing. My favorite bite here so far was the Surf & Turf on my second visit. The 4 oz. filet was perfectly cooked to my medium rare specification with a delicious demi-glace. The shrimp skewer was delightfully charred and served on a bed of roasted tomato risotto that was extremely flavorful. They had run out of the brussel sprouts, but the zucchini they substituted was also delicious and I didn’t miss the brussel sprouts. Another Best Bite of 2023.
I look forward to my meals here in 2024 and beyond.
2023 has been a really bad year work-wise, but I have focused on my health and have lost approximately 50 pounds so far. As a result I really cut back on going out and took a lot of my meals home with me as leftovers (I’m taking a semaglutide, which quiets the “food noise” and makes me feel satiated). And yet I still had to eat and have quite a few Best Bites I remember enjoying this year.
Speaking of health, I scheduled a colonoscopy on Valentine’s Day (and the day after the Super Bowl). No food gluttony for me 😦 ! I prepped with pho broth (I do not recommend it – my blood pressure was almost too high for the procedure). I know the first food after a colonoscopy tastes wonderful, but I treated myself to a special Tres Leches with Dulce de Leche pancakes and fruit platter from Sabor Miami Cafe and still think back on it fondly. The Tres Leches pancakes with Fruity Pebbles and fresh fruit (including a kiwi that looked like Baby Yoda) made me so happy! It was so good that I barely used the Dulce de Leche dip. Even though I was starving it took me a couple days to eat it all. And good news – I only had a couple of small, non-cancerous polyps and got a clean bill of health.
Probably the Bite that sticks out the most for me is the baked Verlasso salmon with the dill chardonnay sauce at St. Joseph Parish’s fish fry in Avon Lake. That sauce was amazing. I literally dreamt about it for days. I loved the fish fry so much that I went back on St. Patrick’s Day to try some of the other standouts like their baked cod in mango chutney and the tomato bisque (which they generously shared the recipe for with me). Who knew a tomato bisque would be so exquisite (even if it isn’t very photogenic)? I might have to hit St. Joseph’s a couple of times this fish fry season as well.
This was also the year that I appreciated good corned beef. Yes, the corned beef at St. Joseph’s was really good (I shared it with a friend I brought with me), but the moment when my hate of corned beef turned to appreciation was when I tasted the Reuben at Express Deli. They make their own corned beef on the premises, so I guess I like lean corned beef. Express Deli is a family-owned deli that is making some of the best sandwiches in Cleveland. Express Deli was listed #41 in Yelp’s Top 100 Places to Eat in America in 2018. The deli offers a tasting tour of their three most popular sandwiches – the turkey, the pastrami, and the Reuben – to first-time visitors. I liked the Reuben so much I ordered it instead of the sandwich I planned to order. Their Reuben features corned beef, Swiss and kraut with a mix of their delicious Thousand Island dressing and garlic mayo – and they aren’t skimpy with it! The sauce and melted cheese made every bite super creamy, and the sauerkraut was not sour at all.
I also learned to appreciate angel hair pasta this year. I have disliked it for a long time because I didn’t like the consistency of small thin noodles, but the Angel Hair Basilico at Geraci’s changed my mind. I was in the mood for pasta instead of my usual Honey Pie pizza. My waitress passionately suggested the angel hair instead of spaghetti, so I ordered the Angel Hair Balsamico, which is angel hair pasta, artichoke hearts, diced fresh tomato and basil in a butter and white wine sauce. I added chicken for protein (the semaglutide diet plan suggests eating lean protein at every meal). The angel hair was coated in the butter and wine sauce, giving it an amazing buttery taste that just popped. I have ordered it again and loved it just as much. But definitely add chicken. It’s so good!
Fish fries and pancake breakfasts are an integral part of Cleveland winters and make me look forward to the weekend. I was very judicious when choosing my fish fries this year and enjoyed some fish fries more than others. Every fish fry (apart from one) had something that made it stand out – be it the pierogi at St. Vladimir, scalloped potatoes at St. Joseph Byzantine Church, or flaky, moist Icelandic cod, crab cakes, fries (!!) and fresh squeezed lemonade at St. Barnabas in Northfield.
My favorite pancake breakfast this year was the Bainbridge Civic Club‘s pancake breakfast at Kenston High School (it’s always the first three Sundays in March from 8 am to 1 pm – great for a late riser like me!). They serve killer pancakes and real maple syrup. All orders include sausage, coffee, milk, maple syrup, applesauce, orange juice and unlimited pancakes and/or French toast. If you choose the Combo you get 2 pancakes and a French toast and sausage. I came near the end, so I got 3 pancakes (buttermilk, blueberry and buckwheat) and a French toast with my combo. The sausage patties are ground and made fresh each week by Mazzulo’s Market and were generous and perfectly cooked.
I have been a huge fan of Mama Catena’s since 2019, and my meals there in 2023 also did not disappoint – from spur-of-the-moment meals alone to celebrating my birthday with the Sunday Sauce and cannoli cake (always a delight!). But the “aha” for me this year was the meat sauce. I usually order the Sunday Sauce or Roselli sauce, but I had a hankering for fettucini and decided to order it with the meat sauce. The meat sauce was absolutely delicious. I paired it with the citrus and olive salad and enjoyed the leftovers the next day.
Tita Flora’s opened in Independence on Brecksville Road . The restaurant serves Filipino staples like chicken and pork adobo (braised in soy sauce, vinegar, onions, garlic, and pepper), crispy vegetable or pork lumpia (similar to fried spring rolls) and other delicious things. Out of all the dishes I tried I enjoyed the pork adobo, Ginataang Gulay, and Turon the most. Turon is a deep-fried banana rolled in a spring roll wrapper served with ice cream. It was perfectly fried with no residual grease and absolutely delicious. The Ginataang Gulay is a creamy coconut milk stew made with squash and green beans. You can add shrimp (and probably chicken) to it for protein. All of the dinners come with white rice, but you can upgrade to garlic fried rice for an extra $2. I thought the garlic fried rice was good, but it was a little overpowering when paired with some of the more flavor-forward items.
My friends and I have been enjoying lunches at the local vocational centers recently (the post is coming soon). The menu changes every week on the limited days they are open to the public. Every meal has been lovely, but the Chicken Rockefeller at Polaris’s Savour and the Surf and Turf at Lorain County Joint Vocational School’s Buckeye Room have been the standouts for me. I’m not usually a fan of hollandaise sauce, but I love a great Rockefeller. The chicken topped with spinach and hollandaise and served over the rice and sauted zucchini was absolutely delicious. You can order what you want off the menu (from a couple appetizer choices, three mains and two desserts) at Savour, and Buckeye Room serves a prix fixe four-course and drink. You must make a reservation to enjoy the goodness. These kids are making great food.
Pho Sunshine opened in February 2023 and has quickly become a favorite. It serves a wide variety of Vietnamese dishes, from spring and summer rolls to broken rice and cold or stir-fried rice noodles, ramen, phos and soups, and a half dozen choices of banh mi, including a vegetarian version. The bahn mi is one of my Best Bites. My banh mi of choice is the Bánh Mì Thịt Nướng, which is chock-full of grilled pork, pickled veggies and a deliciously light sauce. The pho and honeydew smoothie aren’t too shabby either.
Ice or Rice Cafe fills the Japanese food void in Asiatown (and dabbles in Hawaiian too). I fell in love with Onigiri in San Francisco, so I was excited to hear they would be featured on the menu. No other restaurant in town offers them. Onigiri are a “triangle rice ball sandwiching a layer of seasoned tuna / salmon / pork sung / pickled plum and wrapped with seaweed with an optinal drizzle of sweet soy sauce or spicy sriracha.” I very much enjoyed all four onigiri (tuna, salmon, pork sung and picled plum) on my first visit, but my favorite was the tuna. They also serve spam musubi and shrimp okonomiyaki. Okonomiyaki is a Japanese cabbage pancake made of shrimp, pork belly or carrots (billed as the veggie okonomiyaki) and topped with okonomiyaki sauce, mayo, powdered seaweed, scallion and bonito flakes. The onigiri and okonomiyaki are among my Best Bites this year. The okonomiyaki is a flavor bomb!
Milk n Tea in Parma is serving some great bubble teas and bubble waffles. They have the usual flavors as well as several others as well as brown sugar boba. You can adjust the sweetness level, which is something I really appreciate. They also sell reusable boba cups! A friend and I ordered a regular bubble waffle and it was okay. However, one of my friends ordered the Chocolate Chip Bubble Waffle, and it was delicious. I could not stop stealing bites of it.
And last but not least, the Salmon Gratin at Restaurant Europa in Pepper Pike deserves kudos. It was a special on the night I was there with a group. I didn’t order it, but it looked so good that I ordered it to go. It was a mixture of risotto, salmon, spinach and cheese. The photo is of just half of it reheated, because it smelled so good that I immediately dug in. It was outstanding and probably one of the best things I have eaten all year.
Emperor’s Palace and sushi at Issho Ni deserve honorable mention. I will miss Emperor’s Palace’s dim sum and ginger scallion chicken (it closed recently and I will miss it so much!). And the sushi at Issho Ni is always a delight.
I first learned about Matteo’s from a feature on New Day Cleveland. It sounded and looked delicious, and the fact that it was located in my hometown (Olmsted Falls) made me want to check it out. I’ve been there several times and have always really enjoyed my meals there. It is located on Columbia Road/Route 252 near the intersection with Bagley Road in Grand Pacific Junction (in the strip of business just south of the railroad tracks).
Grand Pacific Junction was developed after my family moved away. It was a bunch of ramshackle buildings and a strip mall that housed my first bank (National City) and Kucklick’s Furniture back in my day. It is a very popular, fully restored Victorian shopping village with more than 30 shops, restaurants and services. Restaurants in Matteo’s location have struggled over the years, but Matteo’s has been here since 2015 and does a booming business because the food is so good. Reservations are highly recommended if you want a table.
Matteo’s main entrance is in a storefront facing the parking lot and several of the standalone buildings such as Clementine’s, although they also built a storefront facing Columbia Road. But that door is locked and you need to use the side entrance (door on the right as you look at it – the first door you come to from the street). There is ample parking behind the buildings and on the side street.
The quality of the food is good, and everything is apparently housemade. There is a good selection of vegetarian, meat and seafood dishes. The menus is fairly extensive but not too extensive or overly ambitious. The food is tasty, and the prices are reasonable. In fact, the prices about the same or a little less than places like Carrabba’s and Macaroni Grille, but it’s always nice to support an independent. Many of the entrees are available in half portions (and still come with a side AND a dinner salad)l It isn’t advertised, but if you ask they can accommodate you. You can easily eat a half portion and STILL have leftovers.
The service was friendly and very attentive. The servers and runners are well-trained and efficient, and it is obvious that management cares. The chef is definitely underrated. He is dishing out great food in generous portions – all beautifully presented and perfectly cooked.
On my first visit I met friends from high school for lunch. It was pre-pandemic. They are only open for dinner during the week (except Mondays) from 4 to 9 (and 8 on Sunday and 10 on Friday and Saturday), but are advertising that lunch is “coming soon.”
They have no trouble serving large parties. Every time I’ve been here with a group we have received prompt and attentive service. Each time we were blown away by the food – especially the pizza. It is a simple flatbread-like pizza and absolutely delicious. I really liked the pillowy yet crunchy crust that you can sink your teeth into.
As for dinner service, the bread is warm and has a nice crust. It is served with both butter and a dipping oil of vinegar and lots of herbs and roasted heirloom tomatoes. The butter was not rock hard, which I really liked. I like being able to choose between dipping oil or butter and totally appreciate being able to spread the butter I am given.
The Italian wedding soup contains generously sized meatballs, shredded chicken, escarole and napa cabbage, pastina and chunks of carrots and celery. It was tasty. I think it is one of the better Italian wedding soups in town.
The Zucchini Frites are a great starter – crispy, seasoned, and delicious – and the basil aoli is divine. Our dining group polished it off by sharing it up and down the table, and everyone really enjoyed it.
A friend and I recently arrived at 4:30 on a Friday night without a reservation (I figured 4:30 would be early and more accommodating) and were given a table in the bar. It quickly filled up, and there was a small line at the door for a table when we left at around 6. We were given beverages and then ordered from the bartender/server.
The runners who brought out our food were efficient, but we did have to ask someone for the coffee my friend ordered after she had had her tiramisu for a while. Also, when I asked about the Monte Cristo after-dinner drink the bartender admitted she had been working there since March (it was November) and had never made one. Obviously I didn’t order it, but it is really nice to be able to order a drink because the town was dry when I was growing up and residents had to cross the town line to drink alcohol in an establishment. My friend enjoyed her cocktail, which she said had lots of bourbon, and a glass of Chianti with dinner. I had a pumpkin martini, which was perfectly prepared.
The cavatelli and gnocchi and other pastas appear to be housemade. Two of my friends ordered the gnocchi and thoroughly enjoyed it. I ordered the lasagna, since they are well-known for their “5-layer lasagna.” It is made with sheets of fresh pasta and mini meatballs and smothered in their house red sauce and provolone cheese and baked. It was definitely one of the better lasagnas out there.
The eggplant parm is absolutely amazing. Three big, thick slices of tender breaded eggplant topped with a tomato slice and cheese and served with a side of pasta. My friend ordered it and gave me her extra slice to take home with my leftovers, and it reheated well and was absolutely delicious.
I asked our waitress which entree she recommended – the Chicken Matteo or the Shrimp Matteo – and she quickly answered “Chicken Matteo.” The Chicken Matteo is their signature dish and is billed as breaded chicken with “romano cheese, tomatoes, asparagus, lobster sherry sauce, served with mashed potatoes.” The mashed potatoes were smooth and creamy, and the two chicken cutlets were perfectly cooked. The lobster sherry sauce didn’t seem very “lobstery” or sherry-heavy. It just seemed like a cream sauce. It was very good and reheated well.
The dessert options were tempting, and included limoncello mascarpone cake, cannolis, and cassata cake. My friend ordered the tiramisu, and it was creamy and absolutely delicious – and large enough to share.
If you enjoy delicious Italian food and are on the west side, be sure to check Matteo’s out!
Guarino’s is Cleveland’s oldest Italian Restaurant in Little Italy. It was established in 1918 when Vincenzo Guarino purchased a building that housed a poolroom/tavern and had an apartment above. Vincenzo operated the poolroom and tavern, while his wife Mary prepared dinners in the back dining room for friends, neighbors, and business clientele. Vincenzo’s son Sam took over the business after Vincenzo died in 1954. I had the pleasure of meeting Nancy Phillips, a life-long friend of Sam and who helped run the business with Sam’s wife Marilyn after Sam died in 1987 . The restaurant is now run by Nancy’s children, Rachel & Scott, and her oldest grandson Scott Jr.
Homemade wine and liquor was served in coffee cups during prohibition as the strings of beads hung from the ceiling to shield the bar from the police in the streets. The beads still hang there today and almost graze your head when sitting at the bar. This photo of the bar was taken during one of my Meetup Happy Hour Group’s happy hours. The bar is not usually this packed.
Guarino’s features a private parking lot next to the building, which is always welcome in Little Italy, and one of Cleveland’s most romantic garden patios. The garden patio is one of my favorite spots on a warm sunny day. The ambience inside is that of a classic Italian restaurant. The indoors hasn’t changed in years, very old school and traditional with tableclothes and cloth napkins. Rumor has it Dean Martin used to hang out here back in the day. I have been here for lunch, dinner, a happy hour and a friend’s wedding.
They did a really nice job with the wedding. We were at in the back dining room, and the service was great. I even sang a song for the couple at my friend’s request. My friend was a friend of the family and their photo was featured when you walk in. I think she might still be in a photo there even if he has been cropped out.
The bread service is a solid Italian bread and butter. The Italian wedding soup is quite delicious. It features tender meatballs and is made with escarole, which is a treat. The side salad that comes with the meals has a nice mix of lettuce, croutons and veggies. The Italian house dressing is also nicely balanced.
I love the brasciole (there aren’t many places that serve it!) and the lasagna. Brasciole is made from a flat steak that is stuffed with prosciutto, hard boiled egg, cheese, fresh garlic and parsley and rolled. I had it for the first time at a friend’s house when we were carbing up for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day Breast Cancer Walk and fell in love with it. It is served on a bed of marinara pasta. The lasagna is a 60 year old recipe and is also very good. I’ve had it several times and never had reason to complain. People also rave about the chicken piccata.
Brasciole and lasagna
I’m not a big fan of the marinara that comes on spaghetti and other pasta because it tastes somewhat metallic to me. It’s not my favorite restaurant in Little Italy, but it has its fans and is definitely worth a visit for the historical value and the patio.
Cleveland Rocks, Cleveland Eats 