^ Particularly as individuals less familiar with the "other side of Tremont" might question the safety of that neighborhood and would be reluctant to walk under the overpass from the W. 14th side.

"I did note there is nearly no parking in the little lot in the back, and street parking looks really limited. I am guessing this is going to be an issue. "

 

I really doubt that the clientele they are shooting for would be turned off by having to park on the street if they don't in fact walk there.  Don't see why this would be an issue.  Should they tear down a neighboring house for more convenient parking.?..?

Dude. seriously. did I say that (tear down houses)??? many of the streets around there are no parking. go see for yourself. The clientele that they are aiming for is not walking from down the street. They are driving from some where, and thus need to park. No, people don't mind parking on the street, and I never implied that they would, but it has to be legal.

Market Cafe is adorable. Reminded me of a Whole Foods without the groceries. My chicken quesadilla was a tad bland for my taste (but not at all bad for an organic quesadilla ... not their fault that my parents developed my quesadilla palette with Taco Bell) and my Italian Panini was absolutely yummy ... I already want another one! The menu did seem a little meat-heavy (although they did have a decent selection of salads), with lots of burgers, pizzas, etc. They have some nice signage explaining their commitment to sustainability (local produce, low-carbon food service, green build-out, etc.) and the place has a really nice aesthetic to it ... definitely will serve a nice double as an evening wine bar, if they can draw a substantial enough crowd to maintain their current hours (I believe it's 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. right now ... don't quote me on that, though).

 

Definitely check it out!

Maybe this was already stated here, but Kan Zaman didn't close - they moved down West 25th south of the hospital in a stand alone building with parking in front...

 

I was in there last week and it was a real mixed bag.  The pita that came with our hummous was burnt and stale.  We sent it back and the second batch was quite tasty.  I ordered tawok sandwitch and it was very good, but my girlfriends chicken was undercooked.  It was also DEAD in there-- there was only one waitress and she would disappear for long periods of time.  Definently not the experience I remember from the old location though.  It had only been open for a couple days prior, so perhaps your milage may vary after giving them time to break into the new location.

very sad to hear about la tortilla feliz, that was our fav place. besides the food, they had a very unusual selection of every central and south american beer known to man. too bad.

 

otoh i was glad to hear the upstairs of the flat iron reopened and that it seems like the fire damage is behind them. that is going to be the oldest bar in cleveland, no? or is the oldest the harbor inn? thx if you know.

 

* i'm not counting kindlers because its closed down and i think wolstein is going to tear it down for the east bank flats redevelopment.

I also had the pleasure of eating at market cafe on opening day.  I agree with 8 Shades that for a sustainable restaurant, the menu seems a bit heavy on the meat. But when you get your food, in my case the italian Panini, they do a really good job of filling up and flavoring the sandwich with a lot of non-meat items, i.e. giardiniera, tapenade, etc.  thereby enhancing a small amount of quality meat rather than doubling-up on low grade meat.

 

For the quality of food and presentation, the price points are very reasonable. Between two of us, we ate a bowl of soup with a side of snowpea slaw and an italian panini with a side of potato salad which totaled $14

 

As 8Shades pointed out, they have good signage regarding where they source their food.  They work with 7 or so local farms and invite each one to come in one day of each week to represent and sell their wares, thereby furthering the connection between plate and farm.  Yesterday a mother and daughter were selling maple syrup among other maple based products -yum!  They also do a good job connecting the beautiful wood tables with their original incarnation (barn).

Great to see such attention to sustainability all wrapped in a beautiful package as an investment in downtown cleveland  - hopefully we'll eventually see some spin-off.

 

 

Drove by the the new El Jalapeños on West 117th Street Saturday night and took a peek inside. It was packed. They did a nice job redecorating and painting the outside, too.

^We ate at El Jalapenos last week.  Pretty standard mexican fare...somewhere in between El Rodeo and Neuvo Acapulco in quality.  We liked everything we had.  We were there on a Thurs, and it was pretty packed. 

 

I'm interested in market cafe.  I wonder why a couple of you questioned a more meat-heavy menu for a "sustainable" and/or "local" place?  We have a lot of local farms and shops that provide meat; 99% of all the meat I buy is locally raised.

^ Don't get me wrong ... I'm an all-out meat addict, without a doubt (in my two times at Market Cafe, I've already had "three" meaty sandwiches. But in the larger global context, maybe I shouldn't be. From the August 2004 USA Today Article "Global impact of meat consumption":

 

Deforestation and grassland destruction, The world's appetite for meat is razing forests at an accelerating rate. In Central America, 40% of all the rainforests have been cleared or burned down in the last 40 years, mostly for cattle pasture. In the process, natural ecosystems, where a variety of plant and animal species thrive, are destroyed and replaced with monoculture grass.

 

Fresh water. Water experts calculate that humans are consuming half of the available fresh water on the planet--leaving the other half to be divided among 1,000,000 or more species. Producing eight ounces of beef requires 25,000 liters of water.

 

Water disposal. Waste from livestock production exceeds the capacity of the planet to absorb it. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that livestock waste has polluted more than 27,000 miles of rivers.

 

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1272/is_2711_133/ai_n6148291

^ Don't get me wrong ... I'm an all-out meat addict, without a doubt (in my two times at Market Cafe, I've already had "three" meaty sandwiches. But in the larger global context, maybe I shouldn't be. From the August 2004 USA Today Article "Global impact of meat consumption":

 

Deforestation and grassland destruction, The world's appetite for meat is razing forests at an accelerating rate. In Central America, 40% of all the rainforests have been cleared or burned down in the last 40 years, mostly for cattle pasture. In the process, natural ecosystems, where a variety of plant and animal species thrive, are destroyed and replaced with monoculture grass.

 

Fresh water. Water experts calculate that humans are consuming half of the available fresh water on the planet--leaving the other half to be divided among 1,000,000 or more species. Producing eight ounces of beef requires 25,000 liters of water.

 

Water disposal. Waste from livestock production exceeds the capacity of the planet to absorb it. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that livestock waste has polluted more than 27,000 miles of rivers.

 

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1272/is_2711_133/ai_n6148291

 

I find that most of the statistics about the destruction of the earth from eating meat are 100% attributable to giant factory farms such as Smithfield (pork).  I do not buy factory farmed meat.  In fact, one can make an equally strong argument about how pastured meat can actually make an otherwise barren land thrive due to the cycle of fortification produced by the manure.  See "Omnivore's Dilemma" for a more detailed explanation.

 

Just think if the farmers of our country stopped mass-producing cheap corn because of subsidies and then shoving it into every product on the shelf in the form of corn syrup, and instead farmed a variety of meats and produce.  It would be better for the land and for Americans' health.

I agree that agribusiness trends have pushed up the environmental impacts of consuming meat, but even underlying this, it generally takes more energy to produce meat than produce because a) livestock generally takes longer to develop than produce and b) raising livestock also requires the production of grains, etc. to feed animals during their development. I think you would be hard-pressed to develop a model of producing meat products that required less or equal production energy than producing produce, even on a local farm. Moreover, there has been some questioning as to whether increased meat consumption worldwide have led to more pronounced methane levels in the atmosphere. That being said, I agree, purchasing food from local vendors and food that is organic and requires less production energy devoted to preservatives and additives goes a long way toward advancing sustainability. And good points about increasing crop yields by reusing manure.

This is the Cleveland Restaurant Thread, not the Environment Impacts of Meat Eating Thread

 

I agree that agribusiness trends have pushed up the environmental impacts of consuming meat, but even underlying this, it generally takes more energy to produce meat than produce because a) livestock generally takes longer to develop than produce and b) raising livestock also requires the production of grains, etc. to feed animals during their development. I think you would be hard-pressed to develop a model of producing meat products that required less or equal production energy than producing produce, even on a local farm. Moreover, there has been some questioning as to whether increased meat consumption worldwide have led to more pronounced methane levels in the atmosphere. That being said, I agree, purchasing food from local vendors and food that is organic and requires less production energy devoted to preservatives and additives goes a long way toward advancing sustainability. And good points about increasing crop yields by reusing manure.

 

This may be one of the best conversations I've had on here.  To continue just one more point, if beef, for example, were raised on what they're supposed to eat, which is NOT grain/corn (which they have a lot of trouble digesting, hence the methane) except in small amounts at the end of their lives, the argument about needing to produce all that grain to feed them all the time and the excess methane goes away.  In a good "circle" of pasturized farming, the cows eat grain, poop, the chickens "follow" the cows, picking out worms and such from the poo, which they love, depositing their own blend of fertilization, then the grass is allowed to grow back, richer than before from the dual fertilization, then before it gets too high/old, the cows come in again and the cycle repeats.  It obviously requires farming "energy" because someone has to move the animals around, process them, etc., but in general this requires a lot less energy and produces healthier animals and a healthier ground than any factory farming model.

Folks, when a Mod asks you to get back on topic - is it really too much to just do that? If you want to continue a conversation, there's always the private message system.

 

 

Folks, when a Mod asks you to get back on topic - is it really too much to just do that? If you want to continue a conversation, there's always the private message system.

 

 

I'm so sorry, I didn't see you asking that. 

 

Edited to add: went back, saw the request.  Again, sorry.  I'll shut up now.

It's okay - it's just that even though it was a more cerebral discussion than most off-topic posts, we have to keep things tidy. :-)

I went to the Market cafe today.  OMG it was awesome.  Really big space, much bigger than what I anticipated, and a great metropolitan feel, like something you'd find in DC.  While it was very busy (and too warm inside for my liking), the lines moved quickly and two different staff members approached me and my friend offering to help explain how things work, where to go, etc.  They have been having problems with credit cards so for now, bring cash if you go. They also have a sort of house debit card you can buy, you put a balance on it via CC online and then swipe to reduce the balance, reload whenever.  It would be a great idea if other restaurants used them in town, but I doubt I will get one just for them even though I enjoyed the place. 

 

I think one of the guys I talked to was one of the owners as I asked him some questions about his sources for different things and he knew where everything was from.  He also said when the weather gets nice they're going to be able to install a rooftop garden to grow their own herbs and things.  Woo!

 

I got a chicken kabob and baked potato side, both were cooked properly which can be tough - potatoes on a line are usually overcooked and chicken often sits and gets hard or is undercooked if cooked to order, and it was cooked just right, so that's great.  I got the potato loaded and a bottle of water - the kabob, potato and water were $8 and served on a REAL PLATE, which is a nice change.  My friend got a slice of pizza which she said was very good as well.

 

I will definitely be back to this place, and often.

Good Restaurant Row this week:

 

RESTAURANT ROW

Somer's Diner offers comfort food in Ruthie & Moe's old space

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Evelyn Theiss

Plain Dealer Reporter

 

Craving diner-comfort foods? Somer's Diner has opened in the space on Prospect Avenue once famously known as Ruthie & Moe's.

 

Owned by Sam Khouri Jr. and Brian Rooks (they are partners in the Somer's on West 150th Street, too), the place will keep diner-type hours: 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, serving breakfast and lunch.

 

The owners say diners will see some familiar faces, as about 60 percent of the staff from the old Ruthie & Moe's is working at Somer's. You'll see some familiar favorites on the menu too, including mac and cheese, meatloaf, matzo ball soup and those densely delicious chocolate brownies. Soup specials and wraps will round out the menu.

 

More at cleveland.com http://www.cleveland.com

that's heartening to hear that ruthie and moes is back up and running as a diner again.

More from Restaurant Row:

 

RESTAURANT ROW

Shaker Square is adding Italian eatery, losing Luchita's

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Evelyn Theiss

Plain Dealer Reporter

 

Shaker Square will be adding to the multicultural flavor of its restaurant offerings in 2008 with a new Italian wine bar and eatery by Rick and Fabio Salerno, the father/son team behind Gusto in Little Italy and Lago in Tremont. Joined by Fabio's brother, Bill Salerno, the family will open the place on the northeast quadrant of the square, near Balaton.

 

More at cleveland.com http://www.cleveland.com

from Cleveland.com

 

You'll love that kiss of Italy served inside Il Bacio

Thursday, December 20, 2007

 

When you find Antonio Calandra inside his Il Bacio restaurant in Little Italy, you can't miss the spirit and love of what he does.

 

The personable Calandra makes it a point of meeting and talking to his customers. Mind you, that's provided he isn't in the kitchen, helping turn out orders.

 

More at cleveland.com http://www.cleveland.com

What's the new restaurant on E. 9th next to Kinkos/FedEx?  I was running last night and saw it lit up.  It's amazing how much a few new places like that could invigorate that part of downtown after 6pm and on weekends! 

 

When is the Phoenix coffee shop opening on E.9th?!

 

I think their definition of "coming soon" needs a little work... apparently, this has been in development for quite some time. The last I had heard was November 15, which obviously didn't happen, and when I asked a clerk at the Mayfield/Green location about it, she didn't sound too optimistic. C'mon, guys, get with the program, I'd like another alternative to Arabica & Caribou (don't even mention $tarbuck's, and Au Bon Pain is a little too yuppie frou-frou for me).

As someone who is all too familiar with yuppie frou-frou, I can assure you that Au Bon Pain (best said as "AWWBAWWPANNNN!!!!" with a bad accent) is anything but frou-frou.

 

Fyi, Stone Oven in the Galleria brews City Roast (aka Civilization in Tremont) coffee. It's not a cafe per se, but at least they're offering something 1. good and 2. local.

Also, just half a mile to the east, you can already enjoy some Phoenix love (Superior and E. 22nd). You also have Artefino at Superior & E. 19th and the new place in the Theater District, along with a handful of Starbucks (including 2 at Steelyard Commons alone). Then you have Talkies just across the river and Civilization and Lucky's in Tremont. Maybe not as spatially as close as we would like in winter, but we are talking about roughly a dozen coffee shops within two miles of each other.

From Cleveland Scene:

 

Lunch Off the Menu at New Budapest Blue

Fri Jan 04, 2008 at 01:45:08 PM

 

If life really is what happens while you’re making other plans, Ilona Simon and her crew at Budapest Blue have been livin’ large. Consider: Just a few weeks after the Blue – Simon’s new venture inside Ohio City’s former Halite -- launched lunch service, two key members of her team, daughter Vera Durejko and partner Leonard DiCosimo, were put out of commission by nasty falls.

 

“I'm like a coach whose first-string are all on the injury list, and there's no second string ... how can you still play the game?” wonders Simon, whose other gig is Independence’s highly successful martini and wine bar, Budapest Blonde.

 

As a result, lunch service is now off the table at the Blue, until further notice. In its place, Simon has decided to stick with the game plans she first developed at Blonde, focusing her attention on crafting a comfy wine and martini bar with what she calls “a wonderful evening lounge atmosphere.

 

“Our injured 'family' staffing can handle that right now. We’ll have to see what the future holds for us being restaurateurs!”

 

Budapest Blue is located at 2800 Clinton Ave.; current hours are Tuesday through Thursday 5 p.m. - 11 p.m.; Friday 5 p.m. - 1 a.m., and Saturday 7 p.m.-1 a.m.

 

Stop in and drink to their health. -- Elaine T. Cicora

 

Also, just half a mile to the east, you can already enjoy some Phoenix love (Superior and E. 22nd). You also have Artefino at Superior & E. 19th and the new place in the Theater District, along with a handful of Starbucks (including 2 at Steelyard Commons alone). Then you have Talkies just across the river and Civilization and Lucky's in Tremont. Maybe not as spatially as close as we would like in winter, but we are talking about roughly a dozen coffee shops within two miles of each other.

 

Thanks for the rundown 8SoG, it's always good to know where else I can get my fix...

 

Man, TWO $tarbuck$ in Steelyard? talk about saturation...

Man, TWO $tarbuck$ in Steelyard? talk about saturation...

 

Yeah, and they're not even spread out "in the Commons". One is at Target and the other is at an outlot cattycorner from Target ... a whopping 0.15 miles apart.

Looking to try these places - Stone Mad, Reddstone, Cheddars, Latitude 41. I don't know where to start. Any opinions on the food, value or atmosphere?

^ i love cheddars.  There are 20 macaroni and cheese's on the menu. i am determined to make it through all of them.  5 so far and i haven't been disapointed yet.  Since they expanded into the old snicker's place it's a little more upscale, and at 12-14 a plate for mac and cheese i guess it's really not inexpensive. But the portions are huge, and i love the food.

I took 5 work colleagues to lunch (on a weekday) at Cheddar's and we had a really bad experience.  There was no server around so after nearly 10 minutes I walked back in the kitchen and asked the cook if he could find someone to help us.  (this was before the space were combined with snickers by the way)  The girl took our orders but didn't write anything down and then came back twice more to check/confirm because she couldn't remember what anyone got. 

 

After waiting 25 minutes to put our orders in, it took over 40 minutes for the food to come out. 

 

People who are working need an hour to 1.5 hours MAX to get out and come back.  This was an excruciatingly long wait.  We wolfed through our food. Only half the people liked what they got and nobody took to-go boxes even though all had leftovers.  It just wasn't that spectacular. 

 

The server did not understand how to do math.  We gave her $ for the bill and then (nearly 15 minutes later) she brought back about 78% of our entire amount paid and said that was our change.  It didn't even add up right in the change!  She clearly had no idea what she was doing and if we had left with that amount the restaurant would have taken a big bath, financially.  When we told her this she looked stricken and said, "Ok, let me take it back and try again," and we were like noooo! we have to leave!  So we just gave her back enough money that it approximated the original total plus a tip, it was unbelievable.  Something like 2.5 hours later, we were back in the office and obviously have not returned.

Vinea on Huron across from the Wyndam closed. It seemed like they were always full for lunch but totally empty for dinner.

^^ Try it again rockandroller.  You aren't the only one who said the service was poor (including myself) at Chedders before they merged it into Snickers.  I have been there a few times since and the service has been fine.  Basically got the impression it was on the backburner before, but now it is the center of attention.

 

As far as Vulpster03's post.....Stone Mad is not open yet, but it looks like it is getting closer...when driving past I actually saw they had bar stools in there.  Anyone else have an idea when it is going to open?  Can't wait to check it out.

^^ I also just heard that Hunan's on 14th & Euclid is closing... :whip:

Aside from having a potentially vacant storefront - what's to miss? It seemed pretty much like any other mainstreamed Chinese spot. :?

^Are there other non-food court Chinese spots in the main part of the CBD (i.e., not in the old or new Chinatown, and not in the WHD)?  Honest question. 

There's China Sea across the street from Hunan Renaissance (the closing one) as well as their West 6th location, there's a buffet on East 12th in the Chesterfield... that's all I can think of at the moment.

^^ I also just heard that Hunan's on 14th & Euclid is closing... :whip:

 

Is that in the Star Bank (US Bank) building?

^ the chinese buffet in on the north side of euclid in the theater district.  i think it's called China Sea?

 

re: snickers (cheddars), since the move to detroit, it's been a great place for biz lunches as they offer a $10 menu with ten items where the $10 includes drink, soup/salad, tax, & tip!  it's quick and eliminates potential haggling over the bill.  plus snickers (cheddars) has big comfy tables and it's usually pretty quite making it ideal for working lunches.

^^Yes, fka Renaissance at Playhouse Square - thus the restaurant's name of "Hunan Renaissance".

Bricco in the Hanna building is getting close to opening. They have started hiring. 

Thanks Mayday and 3231.  Wanted to make sure there were still some options.  The Vietnamese place coming to E4th will certainly plug a big hole for me.  And there are one or two Indian places, no?  What about Thai places?

There's one Indian spot - Indies (lunch kiosk/carryout only) in the Colonial Arcade food court - but it's outstanding.. They recently moved from one of the smallest spaces in the food court to the largest - they've been doing well ever since relocating from 200 Public Square.

 

No Thai restaurants in the CBD, but with all the great restaurants in Asiatown not far away, I'm guessing they just prefer the lower rents outside of the CBD. There's also Phnom Penh on West 25th by the West Side Market.

Aside from having a potentially vacant storefront - what's to miss? It seemed pretty much like any other mainstreamed Chinese spot.

 

  What is to miss is that i live about a block from here, and unlike most places in that area it was almost always open. hard to replace that.

 

^^ Try it again rockandroller.  You aren't the only one who said the service was poor (including myself) at Chedders before they merged it into Snickers.  I have been there a few times since and the service has been fine.  Basically got the impression it was on the backburner before, but now it is the center of attention.

 

Thanks for this, I definitely will.  I WANTED them to be good so badly! It was my idea for us all to go there that day and it was embarrassing.  I'll go on my own to re-check.

What is to miss is that i live about a block from here, and unlike most places in that area it was almost always open. hard to replace that.

 

Now *that* I wasn't aware of. Bummer :-(

There's one Indian spot - Indies (lunch kiosk/carryout only) in the Colonial Arcade food court - but it's outstanding.. They recently moved from one of the smallest spaces in the food court to the largest - they've been doing well ever since relocating from 200 Public Square.

 

what about Royal Saffron on E. 9th & Euclid?  or have they closed too?

I think that place closed a long time ago.

I went there last year, so it couldn't have been that long!

royal saffron has been closed a while... actually the entire first floor of the euclid 9th building is completely empty.  Though the last couple days i've seen some work going on.  I am hoping they are doing some test spots to see the condition of the original building underneath it's skin.  Beneath that puke brown metal is one of the most beautiful buildings in downtown.