Charlene's Top 3 CLE Restaurants

As a part of today's Ohio Blogging Association's All State Blog Swap, I'm happy to introduce you to Charlene from Life in the CLE. Head on over to Charlene's blog to check out my tour of Great Lakes brewery!  On this day, bloggers from around the great state of Ohio are guest posting on one another blogs as a way to help to get one another in our blogging community. For a full listing of blog swap participants, please visit Poise in Parma today.

One of the things that Stephanie and I have in common (beside both playing on BvBCLE Football Teams), is our love of Cleveland food. My group of friends and I have all decided that we all have our go-to spots and our favorite chefs in town. One of the best things about living in Cleveland? The fact that we have so many great spots in town and so many wonderful chefs. This year, I had the wonderful opportunity of getting to know some of these chefs better and also seeing them show their Cleveland pride while celebrating the West Side Market 100th Birthday.

My top 3 favorites? I selected based on food, atmosphere and staff - all three make a huge difference in a dining experience. My top three are pretty obvious choices but here are my go-to’s in town:

1. The Greenhouse Tavern - Jonathon Saywer. Reasons I love this location: It’s on the gorgeous East 4th Street. GHT has a beautiful rooftop bar where you can enjoy a great view of the city, while enjoying a fabulous mixed cocktail (my favorite is the Smartie). The food is to die for. Seriously. I recently took a client to GHT for dinner and every course, from the special Fifth Quarter to our entrees was cooked perfectly. 
2. SOHO - A newer Ohio City spot, the southern feel touches this Northern girl’s heart (even though I’ve always wanted to move south...specifically Dallas or Austin). A great brunch menu is always important and this one is a favorite. The drinks are fun and when celebrating the WSM100 with friends on a cold, rainy day, the staff went above and beyond to make sure we had warm apple cider with rum. One of my favorite brunch drinks is bourbon & bubbles - two of my faves!
3. Hodge’s Cleveland - Chris Hodgson. This spot has quickly become my home away from home. A great, affordable menu with fun spins on classics, Hodge’s is a place where you are sure to find multiple entrees that you will enjoy. The new fall menu features plenty of seasonal food and I can’t get enough of the new gnocchi dish or the spaghetti squash. If you are looking for a great drink - you cannot go wrong with the Pete Rose. My favorite thing about this restaurant though - it just feels like home. I’ve become friends not just with Chris, but also with his staff. There’s something to be said for a staff that knows your favorite drinks and calls you by name. 

Those are my three go-to’s when I have friends, family or clients in town and want to show them a great evening. What’s yours? 

Romance in Cleveland

I will admit, I have always liked Valentine's Day.  I never thought of it as "Single's Awareness Day" or some made up Hallmark holiday, even when I did not have a Valentine.  I would look forward to the classroom parties in grade school and had my Snoopy Valentines filled out by February 1.  Even in high school and through college, I would still buy the box of Valentines and pass them out to my friends and, if I really felt daring, my crush of the moment.  Maybe it was just another excuse to eat way more candy and treats then I should, or maybe I am just a hopeless cheesy romantic.  Either way, I am looking forward to another romantic culinary adventure on Feb. 14th with my boyfriend and our dinner at a new Cleveland hot spot next Friday.  With all that said, I hope to inspire you if you are still in need of V-Day plans with my top 5 most romantic Cleveland restaurants.

5: L'Albatros Zach Bruell's French inspired brasserie has provided a modern yet seductive atmosphere on University Circle for almost two years.  There is something to be said for enjoying French cuisine by the fireplace with a bottle of wine in the winter or on the patio in the spring and summer.  I also enjoyed a very romantic birthday dinner here.  For Valentine's Day, Bruell is offering a prix fixe menu at $75/couple along with an aprodisiac salon on February 13.

4: Lago The only Italian restaurant in Tremont offers a wine list and menu to seduce the wine and Italian food lover in all of us.  The booth's offer a cozy, intimate setting to enjoy one of Chef Fabio Salemo's interpretation of Northern Italian cuisine and a bottle of wine from a list that boasts over 100 varieties of Italian wine, many being undiscovered or hard to find.

3: Fahrenheit Rocco Whalen's Tremont restaurants provides a dimly lit atmosphere perfect for any couple looking to set the mood.  The food speaks for itself, making it one of my favorite Cleveland restaurants.  Whalen describes the food as "contemporary American regional cuisine".  I describe it as romance for your tastebuds.                              

2: Lola Michael Symon's East 4th establishment can make anyone fall in love.  Dimly lit and intimate tables for two are only the beginning.  The menu boasts some of the Iron Chef's best creations and can satisfy any pallet.  If you are looking for a "wow-factor" date, everything about Lola will fit the bill.  Afterall, the wine list is on an iPad.  Or just order the 6 a.m. special.  Bacon ice cream = food of love!

1. Pier W.  Maybe it is because I love seafood and Pier W sets the standard.  Maybe it is the breathtaking view of Lake Erie and the Cleveland skyline.  Maybe it is the fact that is has been a Cleveland landmark since 1965.  Maybe it is because it was the setting for my perfect Valentine's Day last year.  Whatever it is, Pier W tops my list.  Last year, their special Valentine's Day menu was superb.  This year, they are offering a chocolate bar and V-Day packages starting at $75/couple.

For more Valentine's ideas around Cleveland, check out these posts from fellow bloggers Bite Buff, Poise in Parma, and Why CLE?.  I can only speak from experience with this list, so I must ask you dear readers, What do YOU think the most romantic restaurant in Cleveland is?   

Until next time...follow your heart, fulfill your hunger!

Greenhouse Goodness

"Tuesday's Tidbits" is taking a week hiatus since I have not had time the past few days to blog about last Friday night.  I promise, it will be back next Tuesday full of juicy tidbits about fabulous food events around Cleveland.  So what is so great that is causing this hiatus?  CLEgal may have alluded to our Friday night in her most recent Why? Weekends post.  (P.S. While you are visiting WhyCLE, enter her contest!!)

CLEgal and I always love an excuse to go to The Greenhouse Tavern.  Chef Jonathon Sawyer's eco-friendly spot on East 4th Street quickly became one of our favorite CLE restaurants since it opened its doors in 2009.  The eclectic atmosphere, the location, and of course, the food keep us coming back for more.  With a menu that changes seasonally to ensure the freshest ingredients, there is always the anticipation of what Chef Sawyer will have waiting for you in the kitchen.  Nationally, The Greenhouse Tavern has been recognized by both Bon Appetit and Food and Wine Magazines.  It also has been featured on The Best Thing I Ever Ate as Iron Chef Michael Symon's guilty pleasure (the gravy frites).  Last Thursday, as CLEgal and I were tweeting, we both noticed Greenhouse was offering a free Green and black organic chocolate pot du creme with any chef's tasting purchased.  Free chocolate just sweetened up our Friday night dinner decision.  Or so we though...

Bread and goat's milk butter

Devils on Horseback

The Chef's tasting menu allows you to select a first, second, entree, and half of your choice for $44 (yes, there are vegetarian/vegan options available too).  After enjoying our first round of drinks and the bread and butter , CLEgal and I decided to share the chef's tasting menu since we both came to the conclusion, it was quite a bit of food. Afterall, we needed room for the pot du creme.  For our first, we were in agreement to get the Devils on Horseback.  What's not to love about dates wrapped in bacon and filled with chocolate and Fresno pepper.  The perfect first course to start off the evening.    

Crispy Chicken Wings Confit

For our second course we had to go with my favorite menu item, the crispy chicken wings confit.  Now these are not your ordinary wings.  Whatever Chef Sawyer does to the wings to make them fall off the bone melt in your mouth delicious is some sort of magic.  They are flavored with jalapeno, lemon juice, garlic, and scallions which all blend so well and compliment each other perfectly.  They are not greasy or lacking anything.  The only problem with this dish is when they are all gone.  I have been to Greenhouse and made these my meal, whether it is lunch, dinner, or a post Tribe game snack.  No trip here is complete without them.

It was around this time CLEgal and I were checking our texts and tweets when we both received this:

"@HungryInCLE @whycle Glad you're here! Come say hi to the kitchen!" from @thegreenhouse.   

Duck Pasta

Ohio Apples and Tokyo Turnips

Organic chocolate pot du creme

As we awaited our entree with half, we both decided "Why not!"  Being the social media savvy bloggers we are, we both tweeted earlier about having dinner at The Greenhouse.  We couldn't help but wonder if it was Chef Sawyer himself who sent the tweet.    For our entree, we selected the duck pasta, which was strozzapreti pasta with duck livers, duck skin cracklings, Ohio apples, red onions and toasted bread crumbs.  As a great compliment to the apples in the pasta, we chose the roasted Ohio apples and Tokyo turnips for our half.    Don't be intimidated by the description of what is in the pasta.  The crunch from the livers, cracklings and bread crumbs adds to the dish and the 


apples add a subtle sweetness.  Overall, I would recommend this combination.  One we cleared our plate, the server brought us the black and green organic chocolate pot du creme.  Very rich, very creamy, very chocolaty.  It was the perfect ending to a perfect meal.  Even though we were enjoying all of this wonderful food, we kept thinking about that tweet.  After paying the bill, we finally headed downstairs.  We went up to the kitchen window and asked who sent a tweet to HungryInCLE and WhyCLE.  To our pleasant surprise, Chef Sawyer spoke up.  We ended up talking with him briefly about his restaurant and food.  Since he was busy in the kitchen, and we had a Salt n Pepa concert to attend, we left with his business card, fulfilled hunger, and smiles on our faces.  Now, we have even more reasons to look forward to our future visits to The Greenhouse Tavern.  Thank you Chef Jonathon Sawyer!

  

Until next time...follow your heart, fulfill your hunger!

Hungry in 2010

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas filled with family, friends, and food.  As we now look forward to they new year, I would like to take a moment to look back on 2010.  I would love to do a Hungry in Cleveland Best of but since the blog is only 4 months old, I figured this would be a better option.  2010 had its fair share of downtime.  We prayed for the earthquake victims in Haiti, trapped miners in West Virginia and Chile.  We looked on in horror as oil spewed into the Gulf of Mexico devastating beaches and wildlife, and felt betrayal as a wannabe "king" took his "talents" to South Beach.  We mourned the passings of Tony Curtis, Lena Horne, George Steinbrenner, and Cleveland Indians legend Bob Feller to name a few.

However there were moments of joy and celebration.  We saw hope for the Browns when the New Orleans Saints went to and won their first Super Bowl. We cheered on victorious Americans in the 2010 Winter Olympics, and "honked" our vuvuzelas while watching the World Cup.  We may have caught a bit of "Bieber Fever", went goo-goo for Gaga, and fist pumped along with the Jersey Shore.  Through it all, we remained Hungry in Cleveland.

2010 welcomed many new places to the ever growing Cleveland food scene.  The East Fourth Street Neighborhood welcomed Zack Bruell's fourth Cleveland restaurant, Chinato, and  Zinc.  Around the corner on Prospect, R. J. Bolands and the Caddyshack Lounge offered more options for a pregame drink before heading the "The Jake" or "The Q".  Zdara added a bit of Mediterranean flair to the Warehouse District.  Tremont became more of a foodie destination with the additions of Bac, Istanbul Grill, and the reopening of Dante.  East-siders rejoiced when the second Melt opened in Cleveland Heights.  Dim and Den Sum took to the streets parking throughout the city for lunch and late night eats.  Little Italy welcomed Mia Bella and Washington Place Bistro and Inn to the family of great places to "mangia mangia!"  The every growing and changing Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood added Roseangel and Battery Park Wine Bar, along with the reopening of the legendary Big Egg.  In the suburbs, Deagan's Kitchen found a home in Lakewood, Rocky River welcomed Market, and Palate will be opening its doors in Strongsville this week.  I cannot wait to see what 2011 will bring, especially in Ohio City with the opening of Dim and Den Sum's Restaurant and the addition of Market Garden Brewery.  Happy New Year!!!

Until next time...follow your heart, fulfill your hunger.

The Best Thing I Ever Ate...Part 1

Happy November Everyone!  I hope everyone had a great Halloween full of their favorite treats and pumpkin libations.  With that said, let the days get shorter, the temps get cooler, and the thoughts of TURKEY fill our minds and pallets.  November is a great month for foodies.  A few events worth noting before I get to the point of this blog.

*The Fabulous Food Show will be at the IX Center November 12-14.  This is a wonderful time to meet celebrity chefs (Guy Fieri, Michael Symon, and Giada De Laurentiis to name a few), taste treats from local businesses, and do a little wine tasting.  Tickets are $25 in advance (wine tasting is $5 extra).  For more information visit: http://www.fabulousfoodshow.com/

*Christmas time is here...well, sort of.  A Cleveland Christmas favorite is now on taps and will soon be on store shelves this week.  The elves at Great Lakes Brewing Company have the 2010 edition of Christmas Ale ready to bring holiday cheer to all.

*Cleveland Independent Restaurant Week November 1-14.  For two weeks, many local favorites are offering three courses prix fixe  for $30.  A complete list of participating restaurants and menus is available here:  http://www.clevelandindependents.com/wp/?page_id=280

*Thanksgiving: November 25.  Need I say more??

Ok, so one of my favorite shows on Food Network is "The Best Thing I Ever Ate".  Each episode, Food Network personalities and other famous foodies give their best of list related to a particular topic.  Every time I watch this show, I often wonder how I would answer "What is the best (fill in the blank) you have ever eaten?  Some are hands down easier then others.  Last week, while dining at Lola, I came across a dish that would answer that question.  If I am ever asked what is the best dessert, sweet surprise, etc. I have ever had, I would hands down say the 6 a.m. Special at Lola on East 4th Street.  As we all know, Chef Michael Symon loves bacon and finds unique ways to work it into any dish.  When I first heard of the bacon ice cream served at Lola, it immediately topped my list of things I MUST eat.  The ice cream is actually maple bacon ice cream.  This combination of sweet, salty, crunchy, and creamy is making my mouth water as I type this post.  It is served on top two pieces of brioche French toast and drizzled with maple syrup.  On the side, it is paired with caramelized apples.  I already love the "Breakfast for Dinner" concept, but the "Breakfast for Dessert" idea takes the cake.  I may even recommend ordering this first just to make sure you have room for it.  I was also informed this ice cream is the base for the apple bacon bourbon milkshake at B-Spot.  Iron Chef, you once again succeeded at infusing bacon into a very unlikely treat.

Until next time...follow your heart, fulfill your hunger.