Eating Out
I enjoy eating out, but as I cook most nights and tend to revisit the same favorites places on other nights I don't make it to a ton of new restaurants. This means that my recent of run of new (to me) restaurants has been very atypical. Even better, pretty all of the places I tried were pretty darn good. Here are some capsule reviews.
Barroco Grill - Su 4/07 - gieves and I ate at this new place in Lakewood before we caught Esperanza Spalding. It bills itself as Colombian street food, which apparently consists of very meaty sandwiches. Said meaty sandwiches were delicious, and according to their menu has been selected as the best in Ohio by the food network. We also had fried plantains. They don't have license but are happy let you bring your own. I'll definitely go here again.
Wonton Gourmet - F 4/19 - DJ Relativity and his lady friend were in Cleveland for Notacon. He wanted to go to one of his favorite Chinese places. Wonton Gourmet is in a small nondescript storefront on Payne in Chinatown. It's the sort of place where the only person who speaks English is the son of the owner who is working the front counter. There are big pictures of the menu on the walls so you can simply point at one to order. The food is good but not great Chinese with minimal American influence. It's worth a trip downtown if you don't mind your Chinese restaurant being cheap and authentic.
Banana Blossom - M 4/22 - justbeast also in town for Notacon. gieves, darlox, theferrett and zoethe met him at this Thai restaurant in Ohio City. We had a pleasant evening. The food is good but isn't up to the standards set by Thai Kitchen in Lakewood, but the ambiance is a heck of a lot nicer. If you want good Thai AND you don't want to do take out, this is a good choice. If you just want Thai, stick with Thai Kitchen.
Bruno's Italian Ristorante - F 5/03 - Bruno's is at W.41st right off the interstate. It's been there ten years, but I'd never heard of it until my cohost Shari told me about it. gieves and I tried it out for an event at the art museum. First off, it's a small place. I'm pretty sure my living room is larger than the seating area. Make sure you have a reservation. Second, it's a little dressy. I wear t-shirts everywhere and almost never feel underdressed, but I think I was there, not that anyone said anything. You get a LOT of food for a modest amount of money. We spent $60 (including tip) for two entrees, a dessert and a glass or two of wine. It was well worth the cost; the food was good, especially the loaf of freshly baked bread. I'm not often in the mood for Italian, but the next time I am Bruno's is probably the best west side option I've encountered.
The Flaming Ice Cube - S 5/11- JAD, DG, JG and I decided we needed to catch a Cleveland Gladiators game. Before our first taste of AFL football we opted to have dinner downtown. Since JAD and DG are vegans, this severely limits the available options, but right there on Public Square is The Flaming Ice Cube, a totally vegan restaurant. I had a pesto burger and a side of artichoke dip and it was delicious. DG's rice bowl looked even better. Everybody enjoyed their meal. I'm no vegan (although I have increasing sympathy for the environmental arguments in favor of it) but I would eat hear again even if I wasn't with vegan friends.
The Black Pig - S 5/18 - I went there on Saturday with my friend DrI. Why were a couple of nice Jewish kids in a pork themed restaurant? Because pork is delicious, obviously. This is a new place on W.25th right near the West Side Market; it hasn't even been open a year yet. There were delicious cocktails (bourbon, amaretto and egg whites? yes please). We split a delicious mussels appetizer, and then there was the pork. I had a very nice bone-in pork chop which is their usual Saturday special. She ordered pork schnitzel, which is one of their most popular items. We both enjoyed our meals and agreed that we would return. It's a little pricey and you'll probably need a reservation, but I have no other complaints.
Flour - Su 5/19 - I wasn't planning to go out to brunch after staying up late playing metal on the radio, but when I got home I found a message from DPR saying that brunch was ON, and did I want to be there. Then Tulip woke me up early, and I didn't have to do my radio show that afternoon due to Hessler Street, and why the heck not? JAD, DG, JG, DPR, N, and NJ met over in Moreland Hills for an 11am brunch. I had a pasta dish with anchovies, and when that wasn't enough I had some french toast with nutella. It was all delicious, but Moreland Hills is a long ways to drive for brunch when there are so many good brunch options closer to my house.
So where should I eat next? I still have a lot of places left on my list from four years ago but that's an eternity in restaurant lifetimes.
Barroco Grill - Su 4/07 - gieves and I ate at this new place in Lakewood before we caught Esperanza Spalding. It bills itself as Colombian street food, which apparently consists of very meaty sandwiches. Said meaty sandwiches were delicious, and according to their menu has been selected as the best in Ohio by the food network. We also had fried plantains. They don't have license but are happy let you bring your own. I'll definitely go here again.
Wonton Gourmet - F 4/19 - DJ Relativity and his lady friend were in Cleveland for Notacon. He wanted to go to one of his favorite Chinese places. Wonton Gourmet is in a small nondescript storefront on Payne in Chinatown. It's the sort of place where the only person who speaks English is the son of the owner who is working the front counter. There are big pictures of the menu on the walls so you can simply point at one to order. The food is good but not great Chinese with minimal American influence. It's worth a trip downtown if you don't mind your Chinese restaurant being cheap and authentic.
Banana Blossom - M 4/22 - justbeast also in town for Notacon. gieves, darlox, theferrett and zoethe met him at this Thai restaurant in Ohio City. We had a pleasant evening. The food is good but isn't up to the standards set by Thai Kitchen in Lakewood, but the ambiance is a heck of a lot nicer. If you want good Thai AND you don't want to do take out, this is a good choice. If you just want Thai, stick with Thai Kitchen.
Bruno's Italian Ristorante - F 5/03 - Bruno's is at W.41st right off the interstate. It's been there ten years, but I'd never heard of it until my cohost Shari told me about it. gieves and I tried it out for an event at the art museum. First off, it's a small place. I'm pretty sure my living room is larger than the seating area. Make sure you have a reservation. Second, it's a little dressy. I wear t-shirts everywhere and almost never feel underdressed, but I think I was there, not that anyone said anything. You get a LOT of food for a modest amount of money. We spent $60 (including tip) for two entrees, a dessert and a glass or two of wine. It was well worth the cost; the food was good, especially the loaf of freshly baked bread. I'm not often in the mood for Italian, but the next time I am Bruno's is probably the best west side option I've encountered.
The Flaming Ice Cube - S 5/11- JAD, DG, JG and I decided we needed to catch a Cleveland Gladiators game. Before our first taste of AFL football we opted to have dinner downtown. Since JAD and DG are vegans, this severely limits the available options, but right there on Public Square is The Flaming Ice Cube, a totally vegan restaurant. I had a pesto burger and a side of artichoke dip and it was delicious. DG's rice bowl looked even better. Everybody enjoyed their meal. I'm no vegan (although I have increasing sympathy for the environmental arguments in favor of it) but I would eat hear again even if I wasn't with vegan friends.
The Black Pig - S 5/18 - I went there on Saturday with my friend DrI. Why were a couple of nice Jewish kids in a pork themed restaurant? Because pork is delicious, obviously. This is a new place on W.25th right near the West Side Market; it hasn't even been open a year yet. There were delicious cocktails (bourbon, amaretto and egg whites? yes please). We split a delicious mussels appetizer, and then there was the pork. I had a very nice bone-in pork chop which is their usual Saturday special. She ordered pork schnitzel, which is one of their most popular items. We both enjoyed our meals and agreed that we would return. It's a little pricey and you'll probably need a reservation, but I have no other complaints.
Flour - Su 5/19 - I wasn't planning to go out to brunch after staying up late playing metal on the radio, but when I got home I found a message from DPR saying that brunch was ON, and did I want to be there. Then Tulip woke me up early, and I didn't have to do my radio show that afternoon due to Hessler Street, and why the heck not? JAD, DG, JG, DPR, N, and NJ met over in Moreland Hills for an 11am brunch. I had a pasta dish with anchovies, and when that wasn't enough I had some french toast with nutella. It was all delicious, but Moreland Hills is a long ways to drive for brunch when there are so many good brunch options closer to my house.
So where should I eat next? I still have a lot of places left on my list from four years ago but that's an eternity in restaurant lifetimes.