The foodies at the cleveland.com Food & Wine forum (usually a decent source) have been raving about it.

Any reviews for L'albatros?

 

I was going to ask the same thing.  I saw some glowing reviews recently, but wondered if any UO'ers have tried it out yet..      MTS...?  I know you love Mr. Bruell's Table 45....

 

Also, I have'nt heard too much about La Strada on E.4th, just a couple comments here and there.  Anybody have any experiences there.. 

 

I'm trying to figure out my dining schedule for my March visit.  I will be on E. 4th one night to see my girl... Adele at HOB, so may try La Strada or Greenhouse if it is open. 

Any reviews for L'albatros?

 

I was going to ask the same thing.  I saw some glowing reviews recently, but wondered if any UO'ers have tried it out yet..      MTS...?  I know you love Mr. Bruell's Table 45....

 

Also, I have'nt heard too much about La Strada on E.4th, just a couple comments here and there.  Anybody have any experiences there.. 

 

I'm trying to figure out my dining schedule for my March visit.  I will be on E. 4th one night to see my girl... Adele at HOB, so may try La Strada or Greenhouse if it is open. 

 

I haven't been, yet.  I just sent my cousins (huge francophiles) to see if they've been.  My mom hasn't been

^I've been to La Strada twice, and loved it both times.  The food is very good, not exceptional, but very good.  It's a pretty eclectic menu and I have not been disappointed with anything yet.  What I liked the most though was the decor.   

Thanks, I will definitely check it out then!

I went to La Strada for lunch right after they opened, it was delicious, albeit quite expensive for lunch.

 

A good foodie friend of mine went to L'Albatros and really enjoyed it.  Am looking forward to a visit there myself.

I want to try L'albatros too. I looked at the menu on line and could have eaten the computer screen

I'm one of the owners----i hope you'll all visit and make it your downtown meeting place.  We'll reward you with amazing coffee (with latte art and a slice of chocolate!), great breakfast and all-day sandwiches (bagel paninis), wonderful smoothies (Glacial Grooves topped with flavored Italian Granita), plus free wifi, long hours (weekdays 6am-8pm, friday til 11 pm, Saturday 8am-11pm, and sunday 8 am-2pm)

 

We open February 19 and are very excited to welcome you there!    Easy to find---right across from LOLA!

 

visit www.erieislandcoffee.com and please join our Facebook group too!

Welcome aglazen! 

 

Congrats and I wish you much success.  Please don't be a stranger here.

 

The folks at urban ohio are the best focus group/constructive critics you can have.

I'm one of the owners----i hope you'll all visit and make it your downtown meeting place.  We'll reward you with amazing coffee (with latte art and a slice of chocolate!), great breakfast and all-day sandwiches (bagel paninis), wonderful smoothies (Glacial Grooves topped with flavored Italian Granita), plus free wifi, long hours (weekdays 6am-8pm, friday til 11 pm, Saturday 8am-11pm, and sunday 8 am-2pm)

 

We open February 19 and are very excited to welcome you there!    Easy to find---right across from LOLA!

 

visit www.erieislandcoffee.com and please join our Facebook group too!

 

Question about the hours.

 

You're closing at 2 PM on Sunday?  What about on Game days?

 

Are these hours negotiable now and you could adjust them based on patronage and foot traffic is.

anybody been to bistro on lincoln park yet?

 

just curious because thats a nifty looking menu and the $5 happy hour items can't be beat.

Yeah, I was there a couple weeks back.  The food was great.  I would especially recommend a spicy black bean cake appetizer -- can't remember the exact name.

^ thanks for the report.

 

***

 

tanned, rested & ready? clevo's most favorite former dive diner....the big egg....returns to action 2/16.

I found some pictures of Trifecta's Sports Lounge. http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewProfile&friendID=428702678

 

This is the space on East 8th/Euclid. It was Machu Picchu previously. I doubt a bar can succeed in such a bad location but I hope I'm wrong.

I found some pictures of Trifecta's Sports Lounge. http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewProfile&friendID=428702678

 

This is the space on East 8th/Euclid. It was Machu Picchu previously. I doubt a bar can succeed in such a bad location but I hope I'm wrong.

 

Sports lounge? I dont even see a TV in their pics.

Swingos family closes last two of its restaurants

by Joe Crea/Plain Dealer Food and Restaurants Editor

Monday February 16, 2009, 6:04 PM

 

Lisa DeJong/Plain Dealer file

The bar at Swingos Grand Tavern glowed during its good times.

They hosted Frank Sinatra and the Rolling Stones, Muhammad Ali and President Jimmy Carter. Now, one of Cleveland's pre-eminent restaurant families has called it quits.

 

Matt Swingos, a third-generation restaurateur, says he and his brother, Dan, are closing the family's two restaurants. Swingos Grand Tavern at 32858 Walker Road, Avon Lake, closed at the end of service Feb. 7, and Swingos on the Lake at 12900 Lake Ave., Lakewood, served its final meals over the weekend.

 

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

The Big Egg, former late-night fave in Cleveland, reopens

by Michael Sangiacomo/Plain Dealer Reporter

Tuesday February 17, 2009, 2:00 PM

http://www.cleveland.com/taste/index.ssf/2009/02/the_big_egg_former_latenight_f.html

 

The Big Egg is back, right down to the nostalgic, egg-shaped menus. The celebrated eatery opened at 6 a.m. Monday. Once known as the after-hours place to go, the restaurant reopened at its former location, 5107 Detroit Ave., Cleveland. 

 

The new owners, brothers Jimmy and Ahmad Lababidi, both of Cleveland, said they hope sometime in spring to resume 24-hour dining on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Meanwhile, the restaurant will close at 9 p.m.

 

More at

http://www.cleveland.com/taste/index.ssf/2009/02/the_big_egg_former_latenight_f.html

That place brings back some memories, I wish them good luck!

Regarding the Barley House that is opening, it will be identical to the one in Akron.  I would say it's pretty similar to Cadillac Ranch (not Bar Room portion).  They're opening February 25 I believe.

That place brings back some memories, I wish them good luck!

 

You and me both.  I'm sure most of the over 35 crowd has a Big Egg 4 AM memory!

I had a great lunch at Marie's at 4502 St. Claire this week. What a great place! Please pardon this post if someone has already mentioned this locale on the first two pages of this thread. Great authentic place. If you like homemade sausage, this is a great place to dine. Additionally, the decore gloriously has not been updated in decades--I loved it!

I had a great lunch at Marie's at 4502 St. Claire this week. What a great place! Please pardon this post if someone has already mentioned this locale on the first two pages of this thread. Great authentic place. If you like homemade sausage, this is a great place to dine. Additionally, the decore gloriously has not been updated in decades--I loved it!

 

Sounds fun!  I love "vintage" joints!

Marie's is a fave.  Real place, real food.  Great schnitzel.

I have not been there forever, in fact it was right after I moved to Cleveland and I forgot about it.  I just happened to drive by last week, and from what I could tell, business looked good. Tasty!

Eatery owner to bring luck of Irish downtown

 

By JOHN BOOTH

 

4:30 am, February 23, 2009

 

The owner of the 5-year-old Green Island in Bay Village plans to open a second Irish restaurant and bar, this one at 75 Public Square in downtown Cleveland.

 

More at

http://crainscleveland.com/article/20090223/FREE/902209959

 

I know it's closed, but any reviews on how "High and Dry" was?

I used to really like the High and Dry, but IMO their service wasn't very good.  Towards the end of their life there was inconsistency in the food as well and I quit going.  I have not been very pleased with the place that's replaced it, can't even think of the name right now.  I got a turkey sandwich there the first visit and it was turkey "roll" with the pressed, formed turkey with little airholes through it, not very appetizing, and service has been appallingly slow each of the 4 times I've been there, so I quit going there as well.

 

Why do you ask?

The replacement is "South Side," I believe.

 

I ask because someone was talking about that restaurant and how good it was, and I was curious what others thought of the place.

 

Also curious who the chef was.

right, south side.  I honestly can't remember who the chef was. I don't think it was a name I'd recognize but I was less cognizant of the cleveland food world then so who knows.

The Hi and Dry had alright food but atrocious service. I'm a fan of the Southside, both for food *and* service.

^Agreed on SS, eclectic food at reasonable prices.  Plus very nice, non-annoying crowd.

Two irish bars (Flannery's) near each other, can they be sustained?

^ Actually it's 3 now with Barley House opening on West 6th. I don't see why they can't coexist. It's not like they're right next door to each other.

Well there are about 10 Irish bars in Lakewood, 10 more in West Park, and they seem to do ok.

Plus very nice, non-annoying crowd.

 

I cannot disagree more with this statement.  the southside has on the worst crowds in all of cleveland.  douchey and full of meatnecks.  two each his own surely.  but I think for tremont, I would prefer something that catered a little less to the saturday night warehouse district crowd.  that said, they are very successful, and I don't have to go there...rant over.

^Wow.  I really disagree.  Seems a pretty gay, over 30 crowd.  From what I've experienced, very little meatyness. 

SS doesn't have a Warehouse District crowd.  It is maybe less chill than Lava or Prosperity, but it's far from a drunken punch palace.  Certainly not full of meatheads any time I've been there.

It definitely depends on what time you go - Friday nights (I avoid most Tremont spots at that time anyway - too many "tourists" ;-) ), or if there's a *big* sports event on TV might bring in that kind of crowd but during lunch and early dinner I think it's pretty tame. Even so, you can always avoid the boisterous folks by going out to the enclosed patio. And for god's sake - how bad can it be if *I* feel comfortable there?!?

the tourists are one of the reasons I moved out of tremont.  there are times when ss is unbearable, and times when it is simply loud and obnoxious.  meh.  I never got a sense of the crowd being overly gay, unless we are talking happy and not capital G exclamation point Gay!  surprising so many uo'ers would like the place, since as I understand it the owner had the cute brick house next door torn down.

the house next to it had been condemned.

^The (agreeably) cute brick house was an absolute wreck - I was inside it with a few folks in the construction/restoration business. It's unfortunate, and sure it would have been nice if they could have done something with it but I'm not about to crucify someone for demolishing an unsalvageable heap.

 

As for the tourists, they mostly keep north of 490 (there's more to Tremont than Literary @ Professor) and it's only if you're right on top of the hotspots that they're a nuisance. Besides, I'm glad they spend their money in the neighborhood - I just let them have the weekend nights, and I enjoy the much more tame days and weeknights :-)

well, all those tourists pour a boatload of money into the neighborhood.

What is a "tourist?"  Someone who comes in from outside of the city limits or outside of Tremont?

What is a "tourist?"  Someone who comes in from outside of the city limits or outside of Tremont?

 

I'm assuming that's what's implied. Anyone that doesnt directly live in tremont.

yuck.

What is a "tourist?" Someone who comes in from outside of the city limits or outside of Tremont?

 

I'm assuming that's what's implied. Anyone that doesnt directly live in tremont.

 

That's the implication: specifically folks who come in from the suburbs on the pub-crawl buses.  Nothing quite like sitting at the bar in Prosperity's as the hired bus unloads a few dozen "WOO!ers".

 

On a more pleasant note, Restaurant Dante is tentatively scheduled for a May opening, and it will feature a warm-weather courtyard in the back (you can see one of the entrances off of Literary), an all-weather gazebo in the courtyard, and a meat curer in the old vault (if I remember correctly).  Price points will be similar to Lolita, and we seem to have yet another splendid Happy Hour option.

A tourist is a suburbanite who goes out in the city on weekends.  They aren't ready to consider moving in and many never will.  SS gets a lot of these, because it sounds so cool to say "south side" no matter what the context.  Good job whoever came up with that name. 

 

I liked some of the weird bands they used to get in there when it was the Hi & Dry.  I only ate at Hi & Dry once and had a similar experience to MayDay's-- food average, service worse.  The place seemed too pretentious for that and I don't think I went back.  They had cool art for sale on the walls though, and I almost bought something.  This was back when Prosperity was still Dempsey's Oasis.

What is a "tourist?"  Someone who comes in from outside of the city limits or outside of Tremont?

 

I'm assuming that's what's implied. Anyone that doesnt directly live in tremont.

 

That's the implication: specifically folks who come in from the suburbs on the pub-crawl buses.  Nothing quite like sitting at the bar in Prosperity's as the hired bus unloads a few dozen "WOO!ers".

 

On a more pleasant note, Restaurant Dante is tentatively scheduled for a May opening, and it will feature a warm-weather courtyard in the back (you can see one of the entrances off of Literary), an all-weather gazebo in the courtyard, and a meat curer in the old vault (if I remember correctly).  Price points will be similar to Lolita, and we seem to have yet another splendid Happy Hour option.

 

Drinks on Avogadro!!  :D

As Avogadro said - in no way do I begrudge the "tourists"* solely based on their locale. For a brief stint I was one but it was trips to places like Miracles, Hi and Dry, Lola (now Lolita) , etc. that helped me decide to move from Hudson to Tremont when I first moved to Cleveland proper years ago. It's maintained that same great vibe and that's why I chose to live here now. I don't care if they drive in from Toledo, I love it that people from wherever are dropping cash in my 'hood, and that my 'hood has places that make it a destination for that.

 

I just prefer to avoid noisy crowds if I'm trying to unwind on a weekend evening and usually weekend evenings are teeming with the tourist trade. I'm no different from people who live in other "destination" areas - the influx of money and foot traffic is great, but for those of us here day-to-day, we'd rather enjoy our places on "off" days. I love that people are checking out the neighborhood and I love that my usual spots are making bank on weekends - I'd simply prefer to go when things are less noisy/crazy, that's all - and my usual spots appreciate the business on their "off" days.

 

However, as Avogadro said - there *are* some - the "WOOOOOO!!!ers" who truly fit the "tourist" label's most derogatory connotations - I prefer to avoid those types no matter what.

 

*Btw, I think you guys are missing my sense of humor if you're taking that remark too seriously.

As Avogadro said - in no way do I begrudge the "tourists"* solely based on their locale. For a brief stint I was one but it was trips to places like Miracles, Hi and Dry, Lola (now Lolita) , etc. that helped me decide to move from Hudson to Tremont when I first moved to Cleveland proper years ago. It's maintained that same great vibe and that's why I chose to live here now. I don't care if they drive in from Toledo, I love it that people from wherever are dropping cash in my 'hood, and that my 'hood has places that make it a destination for that.

 

I just prefer to avoid noisy crowds if I'm trying to unwind on a weekend evening and usually weekend evenings are teeming with the tourist trade. I'm no different from people who live in other "destination" areas - the influx of money and foot traffic is great, but for those of us here day-to-day, we'd rather enjoy our places on "off" days. I love that people are checking out the neighborhood and I love that my usual spots are making bank on weekends - I'd simply prefer to go when things are less noisy/crazy, that's all - and my usual spots appreciate the business on their "off" days.

 

However, as Avogadro said - there *are* some - the "WOOOOOO!!!ers" who truly fit the "tourist" label's most derogatory connotations - I prefer to avoid those types no matter what.

 

*Btw, I think you guys are missing my sense of humor if you're taking that remark too seriously.

 

I totally agree with MayDay.  On days when the weather is nice "visitors" the square hog up seats and stay for ever.  Residents & regulars know go early and get out.  I appreciate the visit and the money, but learn the lay of the land folks.