June 27, 200717 yr OK so I'm thinking of doing something life altering this coming Friday. Part of this plan involves a nice romantic dinner- this is where I need help. I'd like some suggestions on restaurants that would fit that motif. Sans Souci Pier W. Lola Sarava Baricelli Inn Ponte Vecchio One Walnut table 45 Fahrenheit Might I ask what the "special" occasion is?
June 27, 200717 yr "OK so I'm thinking of doing something life altering this coming Friday. Part of this plan involves a nice romantic dinner" OMG!?!?! If we're talking about what I *think* we're talking about - Fat Cats is nice but definitely go for Vivo (and call ahead and ask for an appropriate table). OMG!!! Oh - and if indeed we're talking about what I *think* we're talking about - if you don't get down on one knee, I will hunt you down and feed you to a yak! I know, most people would think it's a given but I shudder to think... clevelandskyscrapers.com Cleveland Skyscrapers on Instagram
June 27, 200717 yr yeah we're talking about what you think; and as far as the whole knee thing goes...in public....not so sure I wanna do that...however I wouldn't be opposed to doing the whole knee thing in the privacy of my place. Right now this is just a "not quite so thought out plan". Of course I'd like to do this properly so I may need to put more thought and effort in this process.
June 27, 200717 yr Pier W, or Ponte Vecchio would make a nice backdrop to the event though. You could promise the world then (looks out window to behold the future)
June 27, 200717 yr I try to get to as many of the romantic places as possible (not the getting down on one knee thing), my recommendations (in no particular order): Vivo Ponte Vecchio Lola Lolita Pier W Blue Point Grille
June 27, 200717 yr yeah we're talking about what you think; and as far as the whole knee thing goes...in public....not so sure I wanna do that...however I wouldn't be opposed to doing the whole knee thing in the privacy of my place. Right now this is just a "not quite so thought out plan". Of course I'd like to do this properly so I may need to put more thought and effort in this process. Congrats! aahhh young love. If you're not going to "pop the question" at the restaurant, do you have any other places to do it?
June 27, 200717 yr "Of course I'd like to do this properly so I may need to put more thought and effort in this process." Well don't rush anything - but doing it properly will require you to be on one knee wherever you happen to be. Trust me - if you don't you'll be cursed! clevelandskyscrapers.com Cleveland Skyscrapers on Instagram
June 27, 200717 yr ^ well I ruled out in the car and via text message...I'm open to suggestions. Where did you first notice each other? That is always a good place to do it... or at least have it as part of the days events. My wife and I noticed each other at the Flat Iron. but we officially met at Smart Bar where I worked. We ended up having our wedding and reception there.
June 27, 200717 yr ^ well I ruled out in the car and via text message...I'm open to suggestions. Is there somewhere special you to like to frequent? My dad proposed to my mom on the steps of the CMA. My brother proposed to my SOL (why, why, why? :evil:) on the Shaker Lakes. My cousins husband proposed to her a stand at the central market where they first met, another cousin proposed at the botanical garden and one got engaged at the memphis drive in. Come on folks, lets help the kid out!! Sunset at Edgewater Park The old viaduct bridge Wade Oval
June 27, 200717 yr Well don't rush anything - but doing it properly will require you to be on one knee wherever you happen to be. I agree with MayDay.
June 27, 200717 yr There's that one street off of Lake that when you look to the right you have the skyline. If you're there at the right time at this time of the year, to the left is the sunset, and to the right downtown is already lit up. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=cleveland,+oh&ie=UTF8&ll=41.486141,-81.754417&spn=0.01175,0.022659&t=h&z=16&iwloc=addr&om=1 Cliff Drive on the map
June 27, 200717 yr The Lithuanian garden in Rockefeller Park worked for me! And back on topic a bit... From the Free Times: DiningVolume 15, Issue 8 Published June 29th, 2007 Bites Josh Kabat cooked at Lola Bistro for just two years, but while there he amassed bits of wisdom that continue to guide him in his professional life. Many of those pearls will be put into play when Kabat, 28, opens Reddstone (1261 W. 76th St.) in early August. "I'm taking my fine dining background and applying it to bar food," Kabat explains. Reddstone, set in the former Snickers Tavern, is ideally situated to take advantage of adjacent Battery Park. Modifications to the old building include installing booths and banquettes in the barroom, freshening up the exterior and relocating the entrance from the side to the corner, features Kabat admired at Lola. Also, though Snickers enjoyed use of a second-floor dining room, Reddstone will confine its activity to the 50-seat bar and 70-person patio. "I want this place to be loud, crowded and high-energy," he adds, again invoking the spirit of his former employer. Reddstone will serve burgers, pastas and gourmet pizzas. Kabat, who recently sold a majority stake in Peabodyąs Concert Club, said the reason for his return to the restaurant biz is simple: "My partner [Dan Cull] and I sold the club and we needed a new hangout," says Kabat. Andy Zelenkofske, a food-and-wine-loving tax attorney, first got the restaurant bug when he, along with a partner, opened Sinergy on West 6th Street. "I love this business; I love the creativity," says Zelenkofske, who left Sinergy to open a restaurant with greater visibility. That restaurant, Marmalade, is slated to open in mid-August at La Place Fashion Centre, in the spot formerly occupied by American Café. With Joe Bemer as its chef, who also departed Sinergy, Marmalade will feature "casual, contemporary American cuisine" during lunch, dinner and weekend brunch. The 160-seat, 5,800-square-foot space is undergoing a complete overhaul, including a new façade. Built offsite, the bar will be a focal point thanks to its underlit etched-glass bartop. Zelenkofske hopes to create a "hip, late-night vibe" in the lounge, which will serve a special small-plate bar menu. An extensive wine list will focus on selections from California and Southern Italy. Sinergy (1213 W. 6th St., 216.363.1130) appears to have terminated its lunch and dinner service. Calls to the club were not returned. Last week, The Pub on Lee (2191 Lee Rd.) abruptly shut its doors. No word on the future of the space, which has housed some version of a pub for decades.
June 27, 200717 yr Also from the FT: DiningVolume 15, Issue 8 Published June 29th, 2007 Dining Lead Fire-proof . Back After A Blaze, Velocity American Bistro Shows Real Staying Power By Douglas Trattner Velocity American Bistro 10427 Clifton Blvd. , Cleveland, Ohio, 44102 216.961.3438 Medallions of Grouper cheeks - With sweet, spicy, salty glaze and sweet pea risotto. Observing the swiftness with which calamity struckVelocity American Bistro, it was hard not to get swept up in "curse talk." Just six weeks after the restaurant's grand opening last summer, a fire forced it to close, effectively nullifying the momentum and goodwill it had established up to that point. Velocity, as jinx theorists like to point out, is housed in a spot notorious for its long line of short-lived restaurants. Bad luck, it also can be said, was behind the unreasonably lengthy delay in reopening - nearly a full year for damage most admit was superficial. But chefs are characteristically strong-willed types, and Gregg Korney seems to have used that downtime to further steel his resolve to succeed. With help from partner and brother Ken, Korney is picking up right where he left off. Visitors to any of the (by my last count) five previous restaurants that occupied this particular address on Clifton know it to be a knockout. The sharp industrial-cool interior mirrors that of pricier metropolitan bistros with its open floor plan, exposed kitchen and generous bar area. Pair that with one of the sweetest patios alongside one of Cleveland's most appealing tree-lined lanes and you begin to wonder how the prior restaurateurs managed to screw things up. As former executive chef of Ristorante Giovanni's and Hudson's Vue Restaurant, Korney most certainly knows his way around a fine-dining kitchen. But it was his time at the helm of Sushi Rock that may best define his cooking style. Velocity's menu is rife with Asian-inspired dishes, sushi and sashimi, and sides seasoned with liberal doses of sweet soy glaze. But the menu moves well beyond East meets West, venturing south to Cajun country, more south to Latin America, and staying right here in Middle America. Korney's menu is broad enough to include trendy items like sliders and gourmet mac and cheese, while not excluding the steak-and-potato posse. Overall, the menu features some 40 items. If that sounds a bit overwhelming, just wait. Servers begin each meal with a recitation of the night's specials, which typically pile on six to eight more appetizers, the same number of mains and, when the time comes, a handful of desserts. Considering a typical entrée includes a protein, a crust or batter or seasoning, a side (often suffused with other ingredients) and a sauce, it isn't long before exhaustion, even frustration, sets in. What is the harm in reducing these items to writing? The time waiters spend reeling off this litany of specials could be better spent on, say, fetching cocktails. But when one decides on a course of action, odds are good he or she will be pleased with the outcome. Korney may be one of the most industrious chefs in town, evidenced not only by the menu's girth, but also its depth. Every item comes with a unique side and sauce, a far cry from the places that consider cheddar mashed potatoes creative. The chef makes his own pickles and kim chee, dressings and dips, batters and doughs. Soft house-baked pretzels ($4.50) are served by the pair with an apt mustard and Gouda sauce. Pinky-size spring rolls ($7) are filled with ground chicken and mushrooms and fried crisp. A heady porcini dipping broth nudges the starter's earthiness ever further. Three plump skewered shrimp ($8) are battered corndog-style, fried and presented with pickles and chipotle ketchup. A charred flour tortilla ($8) is loaded with tender duck meat and cheese. Korney's Asian flair can be witnessed in the flavorful stir-fried rice that accompanies a roasted and sliced duck breast ($18). The breast, cooked to a perfect medium rare, features a sweet-spicy exterior, another of the chef's calling cards. A similar sweet, spicy, salty glaze seasons delicious medallions of prosciutto-wrapped grouper cheeks ($19). Served on a lengthy platter, the cheeks dot a king-size hillock of sweet pea risotto. Used as a coating, crushed pecans add a nutty richness to tender planks of pounded and sautéed pork ($16). Thai-style beans and whipped sweet potatoes flush out the plate. Intriguingly pleasant shrimp meatballs add interest to an otherwise unexciting dish of spinach gnocchi ($17). The vodka-truffle sauce lacked depth - and seasoning - and the billed lobster was a no-show. Fans of Mise, which stood on this very spot, no doubt recall its killer coffee and donuts. Korney resurrects the dessert, at least in spirit, with his warm donuts ($6), which he fills with mascarpone, ripe fruit and drizzles with strawberry-maple syrup sauce. If heart matters in a restaurant's longevity, Velocity just may outlast its predecessors.
June 27, 200717 yr also, weird, but Caribou on Coventry closed. Given that I never liked that place. It's crazy that the district won't have a coffee shop now, considering the prominent role Arabica played in the neighborhood for some time.
June 27, 200717 yr also, weird, but Caribou on Coventry closed. Given that I never liked that place. It's crazy that the district won't have a coffee shop now, considering the prominent role Arabica played in the neighborhood for some time. Oh wow! No coffee joint...my surprise impromptu trips to Tommy's with my niece have just come to a crashing halt!
June 27, 200717 yr ^ what is up with Tommy's coffee? love the place otherwise but the coffee is very dishwater like.
June 27, 200717 yr ^ what is up with Tommy's coffee? love the place otherwise but the coffee is very dishwater like. thank you....and you're being kind when you say that!
June 27, 200717 yr also, weird, but Caribou on Coventry closed. Given that I never liked that place. It's crazy that the district won't have a coffee shop now, considering the prominent role Arabica played in the neighborhood for some time. that's beyond weird to me. It seemed that the place did enough business, but nothing crazy busy.
June 29, 200717 yr ^ well I ruled out in the car and via text message...I'm open to suggestions. Okay, my husband and I were on a trip to Fredricksburg, VA. It was around Thanksgiving. We were on Caroline Street around dusk, under the old fashioned gas lamps. Light snow softly falling. We were walking by an antique jewelry store and he said that he was looking for something for his father like a watch. We went in and he bought this ring that was the most gorgeous antique ring I'd ever seen. He pulled me outside under the lamplight and told me that he couldn't think of anyone else he'd rather spend the rest of his life with. Then we went to dinner at La Lafayette and the place was packed so they sat us by the kitchen in a private little alcove and the staff kept coming over to congratulate us and it was the best ever! He didn't plan any of it, just went with the moment.
June 30, 200717 yr This post isn't for a unique or "local" restaurant. But personally, I am a big fan of Chipotle. So, by chance, as I was driving around the Steelyard Commons, I saw a new building being built. I drove by, and as I got closer, saw a Chipotle chili logo on it to my surprise! I've been looking all over for one nearby, and haven't been lucky. Later that day, I was in Independence, and was eating at the Chipotle on Rockside Rd. I asked if they had any idea when the new one would open, and one employee said "within 2 months". :clap:
July 1, 200717 yr This post isn't for a unique or "local" restaurant. But personally, I am a big fan of Chipotle. So, by chance, as I was driving around the Steelyard Commons, I saw a new building being built. I drove by, and as I got closer, saw a Chipotle chili logo on it to my surprise! I've been looking all over for one nearby, and haven't been lucky. Later that day, I was in Independence, and was eating at the Chipotle on Rockside Rd. I asked if they had any idea when the new one would open, and one employee said "within 2 months". :clap: for what it i worth, from what I can tell SYC is going to have some of the better quality chains that people (not me!)actually go out of their way to go too -such as Chipotle and Steak n' Shake.
July 1, 200717 yr there are Chipotles in Lakewood and Cleveland Heights (Coventry) also, for future reference.
July 1, 200717 yr Does McDonalds still own Chipolte? I have not heard otherwise. edit: I stand corrected if Wiki is correct http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chipotle_Mexican_Grill
July 2, 200717 yr The Anatolia Cafe (currently in Cedar Center) looks to be moving to the Cedar-Lee District in September. I recommend checking it out (at either location), I've been there a handful of times and always left happy. Looks like they found a good spot (next to TavCo?). There's a small rendering on their website: http://www.anatoliacafe.com/
July 2, 200717 yr ^I second that- Anatolia is top notch. Psyched their location will be upgraded soon- looks like outdoor seating in the mix too.
July 2, 200717 yr From Cleveland.com: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- New Restaurant in Cleveland Play House Posted by Bill Lubinger July 02, 2007 13:13PM Categories: Restaurant news Gary Lucarelli's Sweetwater Restaurant Group is taking over operations of the private restaurant at Cleveland Play House, 8500 Euclid Ave. A private dining club for 47 years, the restaurant reopens to the public as Stages at the Cleveland Play House in time for the theater's September season-opener. A Play House spokeswoman said the transition allows the theater to focus on productions - not running a restaurant - and that opening to the public should draw a broader show audience. More at cleveland.com http://www.cleveland.com
July 3, 200717 yr also, weird, but Caribou on Coventry closed. Given that I never liked that place. It's crazy that the district won't have a coffee shop now, considering the prominent role Arabica played in the neighborhood for some time. quick turnaround! someone called this, but I can't remember who it was: Phoenix Coffee plans Coventry, downtown stores Posted by Bill Lubinger July 03, 2007 15:22PM Coventry Village, a slice of eclectic Greenwich Village in Cleveland Heights, is replacing a Caribou Coffee shop that recently chose not to renew its lease after 10 years. The locally owned Phoenix Coffee Co. plans to open a shop there and another on East 9th Street, between Euclid and Superior avenues in downtown Cleveland, around Aug. 1, the company said Tuesday. Phoenix, founded in 1990, will grow to six coffee shops with the expansion.
July 12, 200717 yr Aw, what the heck, I'll post it here too! Former Symon cohort making plans for own gastropub Wednesday, July 11, 2007 Bill Lubinger Plain Dealer Columnist Jonathon Sawyer, most recently chef du cuisine at Michael Symon's Parea in New York and previously with Symon at Lolita in Tremont, is back in town. He's working part-time as a consulting chef at Lockkeeper's in Valley View while pursuing plans for his own local restaurant - a gastropub (essentially a casual bar with great food), called simply Gastropub. More at cleveland.com http://www.cleveland.com
July 25, 200717 yr Max's Deli is moving from its great Detroit Rd. location to generic Westgate. Now it will have LOTS of parking. Also reported in the PD today. Bautto (spelling) in Little Italy is closing after 7 years (business has fallen off) and the Pub in Cedar Lee closed all of a sudden with no explanation. In the same column their reported on a number of corporate chain openings. Hope we all try and support the independent restaurants or good local chains.
July 25, 200717 yr With one exception, I haven't eaten at a chain restaurant in at least five years and have no plans to :-) clevelandskyscrapers.com Cleveland Skyscrapers on Instagram
July 26, 200717 yr ^Only because you don't have kids. MayDay is the step parent to two pugs...does that count? :|
July 26, 200717 yr I think they'd eat anything for three meals a day! I know musky - many moons ago, I was out with a friend who has a six year old and she asked if there was a place to grab lunch. I of course suggested a local coffee shop - I mean, the kid wouldn't scoff at a chicken-salad croissant, right? Little did I know... I think that would be one of the most difficult things for me - I'd be known as the "mean one who doesn't let us go to McDonalds!". clevelandskyscrapers.com Cleveland Skyscrapers on Instagram
July 26, 200717 yr I kid... mostly. I have developed a fine sense of taste in my children. (There are several forumers here who can testify to my culinary skills.) My kids have their particular taste preferences. I do insist they at least taste whatever new thing I concoct at home. But every once in awhile, we just have to go to Fridays, or IHOP, or Cracker Barrel, or... well, you get the point.
July 26, 200717 yr Musky, I think alot of parents are like that until their kids are able to drive. Growing up we ate at home Sunday-Thursday. Friday was "kids choice" day when my cousins would come over (or we would to their house) and our parents allowed us to call for pizza or something like that. I think they'd eat anything for three meals a day! I know musky - many moons ago, I was out with a friend who has a six year old and she asked if there was a place to grab lunch. I of course suggested a local coffee shop - I mean, the kid wouldn't scoff at a chicken-salad croissant, right? Little did I know... I think that would be one of the most difficult things for me - I'd be known as the "mean one who doesn't let us go to McDonalds!". MayDay you're not the only one. I rarely let my nieces/nephews eat at McDonald's. I think its important to introduce developing palets to a smorgasbord of items. However, Yours Truly & Tommy's gets tired after a while.
July 26, 200717 yr When I'm home/in town it is always the neighborhood, individual restaurants that I go to. When I'm traveling for my job I usually try to find a Panera Bread but sometimes you just have to go to the drive through and grab a burger. Burger in the right hand, blackberry in the left, drive with the knees. Just sampled Ty Fun Bistro at the Taste of Tremont. Can't wait to actually sit down and eat a full meal there! I wish Tremont/Detroit Shoreway/OC had a good Indian restaurant.
July 26, 200717 yr You will love Ty Fun... looove it. And amen on the request for a good Indian restaurant. clevelandskyscrapers.com Cleveland Skyscrapers on Instagram
July 26, 200717 yr Burger in the right hand, blackberry in the left, drive with the knees. I know exactly what you mean!
July 26, 200717 yr Burger in the right hand, blackberry in the left, drive with the knees. I know exactly what you mean! now try shifting gears!
Create an account or sign in to comment