Kayteeohh, try Indian Flame on Euclid and E. 117th St., right by the Euclid Tavern. Great, authentic Indian food and I believe they have a lunch buffet.

Also, if you like Mexican, try Mi Pueblo, also on Euclid near E. 116th-ish.

I don't really think it's overrated; people like it for what it is - inexpensive, decent pizza, made locally.  It's not gourmet, and it's not costly.

I don't really think it's overrated; people like it for what it is - inexpensive, decent pizza, made locally.  It's not gourmet, and it's not costly.

 

I think there are better local pizza places around (Gelateria, and Presti's or Stone Oven for slices, even Valentino's) in the same price range.  I think Mamma Santa's is very popular in part because of its great location in the heart of Little Italy and also in part because it is more "Mainstream American" pizza than some other independent pizza places (especially the ones they make at La Gelateria), which to me makes it overrated.

Add me to the list of fans of Chinato http://chinatocleveland.com/

So hasnt anybody tried Dante?  My next visit is coming up and Im trying to decide between Dante and Chinato, I had heard through a 3rd party that Dante was awesome as well.

Mayday its in your hood...?

I don't really think it's overrated; people like it for what it is - inexpensive, decent pizza, made locally. It's not gourmet, and it's not costly.

 

Definitely not costly when you don't tip half of the time because the servers are rude to you because you're in college.....  They treat older people completely differently than college students.  I mean, hello?  I was a waitress once too.  You'll get your 20% if you actually give me service instead of just assuming you can blow me off for your more affluent crowd.

I love the Mama Santas will pretend I didn't read any of these negative comments.  Though my opinion was formed in the early 1990s so may be out of date.

 

So hasnt anybody tried Dante? My next visit is coming up and Im trying to decide between Dante and Chinato, I had heard through a 3rd party that Dante was awesome as well.

 

That is my exact culinary agenda too.  Though I may just break down and try both when next in town.  Both so exciting.  I hope Dante opens a new place in UARD if he does well in Tremont.

 

I love the Mama Santas will pretend I didn't read any of these negative comments. Though my opinion was formed in the early 1990s so may be out of date.

 

So hasnt anybody tried Dante? My next visit is coming up and Im trying to decide between Dante and Chinato, I had heard through a 3rd party that Dante was awesome as well.

 

That is my exact culinary agenda too. Though I may just break down and try both when next in town. Both so exciting. I hope Dante opens a new place in UARD if he does well in Tremont.

 

 

Oh, I love their pizza.  It's just the waitresses that are rude sometimes.  It's not as bad since I'm getting older now, but seriously, when I was in college?  We went in there expecting to be ignored sometimes.

I don't get to many places if they're not downtown and open for lunch, just the way things are right now.  Would love to try Dante but we don't really have a babysitter yet so it's just not in the cards. Am anxious to hear how it is from others though.

So hasnt anybody tried Dante? My next visit is coming up and Im trying to decide between Dante and Chinato, I had heard through a 3rd party that Dante was awesome as well.

 

That is my exact culinary agenda too. Though I may just break down and try both when next in town. Both so exciting. I hope Dante opens a new place in UARD if he does well in Tremont.

 

Chinato and Dante are tops on my wife's and my list as well.  We're hoping to get to both in April.

Time may not allow me to make it to both on my visit, but I am currently leaning towards Dante. 

 

I will be sure to give a review. 

^I'm not sure I can afford to eat at both on my next visit, so I'll probably have to choose too.  So yes, definitely post a thorough review if you go to Dante!

Had a nice peppercorn filet at the Waterstreet Grill on W9th St last night after "Xanadu."  Why is there no 24 hour diner/coffee shop in all of downtown, or is there?  I love the 24 hr diners in NY/NJ with the extensive menus.

 

So, it's not quite 24hrs, but its' a start...

 

Beginning Thursday, the 1890 Restaurant at the Hyatt Regency Cleveland at the Arcade debuts its Late Night Diner -- open from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m., Thursdays through Saturdays.

 

http://www.cleveland.com/dining/index.ssf/2010/03/late_night_diner_offers_an_opt.html

Why is there no 24 hour diner/coffee shop in all of downtown, or is there?  I love the 24 hr diners in NY/NJ with the extensive menus.

 

Well it's not a 24 hour diner, but it is a "late night diner" open until 4am:

 

Late Night Diner offers an option for after hours at 1890 Restaurant

By Joe Crea, The Plain Dealer

March 16, 2010, 11:45AM

 

Late-night munchies can be a real drag if late-night happens to find you downtown. After you've enjoyed some world-class entertainment at PlayhouseSquare or world-class Cavs at The Q but skipped the stadium fare, you're stuck. You either scramble for the 'burbs (where you're likely to land at a chain breakfast joint) or else scramble some eggs at home.

 

Finally, there's another option. Beginning Thursday, the 1890 Restaurant at the Hyatt Regency Cleveland at the Arcade debuts its Late Night Diner -- open from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m., Thursdays through Saturdays.

 

More at cleveland.com:

http://www.cleveland.com/dining/index.ssf/2010/03/late_night_diner_offers_an_opt.html

 

Had a nice peppercorn filet at the Waterstreet Grill on W9th St last night after "Xanadu." Why is there no 24 hour diner/coffee shop in all of downtown, or is there? I love the 24 hr diners in NY/NJ with the extensive menus.

 

So, it's not quite 24hrs, but its' a start...

 

Beginning Thursday, the 1890 Restaurant at the Hyatt Regency Cleveland at the Arcade debuts its Late Night Diner -- open from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m., Thursdays through Saturdays.

 

http://www.cleveland.com/dining/index.ssf/2010/03/late_night_diner_offers_an_opt.html

 

You son of a gun, ya beat me by 23 seconds!

^Wow, total mind meld there- even in our lead-ins.  Except that I'm a Celtic fan.

 

Cross post from the DS thread: per a post by Guv, there's a sign announcing that a new Indian place is on the way across from Minh Anh on Detroit.  That would be awesome.

So hasnt anybody tried Dante? My next visit is coming up and Im trying to decide between Dante and Chinato, I had heard through a 3rd party that Dante was awesome as well.

 

That is my exact culinary agenda too. Though I may just break down and try both when next in town. Both so exciting. I hope Dante opens a new place in UARD if he does well in Tremont.

 

Chinato and Dante are tops on my wife's and my list as well. We're hoping to get to both in April.

 

Tried Chinato Saturday night.  My wife and I thought it was excellent.  We each had a small salad and both were excellent.  I had the Tuscan Onion soup, which again, was great.  And we each had a small pasta, of which I would especially recommend the Gnocchi, but beware as it's not particularly diet-friendly (rich butter sauce).  The only thing that I didn't particularly like was a small Fried Artichoke appetizer that we also tried.  It was certainly creative, but it was a bit dry and tasteless.

So hasnt anybody tried Dante? My next visit is coming up and Im trying to decide between Dante and Chinato, I had heard through a 3rd party that Dante was awesome as well.

 

That is my exact culinary agenda too. Though I may just break down and try both when next in town. Both so exciting. I hope Dante opens a new place in UARD if he does well in Tremont.

 

Chinato and Dante are tops on my wife's and my list as well. We're hoping to get to both in April.

 

Tried Chinato Saturday night. My wife and I thought it was excellent. We each had a small salad and both were excellent. I had the Tuscan Onion soup, which again, was great. And we each had a small pasta, of which I would especially recommend the Gnocchi, but beware as it's not particularly diet-friendly (rich butter sauce). The only thing that I didn't particularly like was a small Fried Artichoke appetizer that we also tried. It was certainly creative, but it was a bit dry and tasteless.

 

The Fried Artichoke app sounds like it would be delicious... I just might have to try that!

The only thing that I didn't particularly like was a small Fried Artichoke appetizer that we also tried. It was certainly creative, but it was a bit dry and tasteless.

 

Were they flash fried whole baby artichokes (often called "Jewish" or "Ghetto- style or something I think)?  If so, those things can be incredibly good if done right...  Or not so good if not :(.  That menu looked huge last time I checked it; I sometimes wonder if a chef can keep the staff up to snuff with so many things.  I certainly hope so.

Yeah, come to think of it, they were called "ghetto"-something -- maybe Roman Ghetto?  They weren't fried "whole" though. 

 

The first few bites of it were quite good, but by the end of the bowl, they either seemed to have dried out more or weren't seasoned evenly, because they were harder to chew through and didn't taste as good.  Don't get me wrong.  It didn't ruin my experience by any means; it was just the one dish that wasn't up to the bar set by the others.

My wife and I went to Johnny's Bar on Fulton (the original one) on Saturday night and it was a great experience.  I grew up attending church at St. Procop down the block on Trent and got married there so was very familiar with the restaurant but had never gone.  It exceeded my expectations.  The atmosphere was perfect - like a step back in time, and the food was incredible. 

 

I can't recall all the details about what we had, but we had this duck appetizer with some sort of sauce, walnuts, and dried cherries - followed by warm house salads (warmed balsamic vinegar dressing with goat cheese, walnuts, dried cherries, etc.).  We both had the steak special that had some sort of goat cheese/garlic butter concoction on top of the meat and possibly the best mashed potato's I've ever had.  My wife had the banana foster for dessert and I had original cheesecake.

 

We dropped nearly $200 on dinner (includes drinks and tip), but felt it was worth it.

 

I was in Guys Pizza downtown location at E. 6th & Superior on Saturday evening waiting for an order. I had walked over and was a little early.

BTW, this little spot is great. I didn't actually ever go inside when it was a Domino's so I don't know if it was the same or not.

There are 3 or 4 little tables where you can stay and eat pick-up orders and the location provides great views of the heart of downtown's CBD. All in one tiny unassuming place. Loved it and the food is great.

...So, while waiting, I picked up what I thought was a Scene magazine but it wasn't, it was "The Cleveland Independent". It bills itself as "NE Ohio's Independent Alternative". It was the first time that I flipped through the pages of one of these. Has this paper been around a long time? I hadn't seen one before.

Anyway I got to reading the food reviews from the resident food critic... "The Food Fairy" ( aka Mark Corcoran).

He went to E. 4th and reviewed GHT and Chinato 's . This was also the first time that I had read any of the Food Fairy's restaurant reviews. I found myself smiling/laughing throughout his wittily funny and sometimes acerbic writing. He has reviewed places from Gates Mills (Sara's Place) to restaurants downtown.

 

Here are his reviews of GHT and Chinato (and I agree with him at least on Chinato , I haven't eaten at GHT yet but some of the things I've heard echo Mark Corcoran):

 

 

http://www.clevelandindependent.com/2010/03/26/the-food-fairy-goes-to-fourth-street/

 

 

And here is his website:

 

http://www.foodfairyonline.com/index.html

 

 

Not only was Guys Pizza a great find but so were The Cleveland Independent and The Food Fairy.

 

 

omg *beats self in the head* it's CHINATO, singular.  Lola.  Chinato.  Not Lola's or Chinato's.  Sorry, I'm better now.  Thx for the info about food fairy, hadn't read his stuff yet.

 

^

Touche.

You're absolutely right. I usually am a stickler about the same thing, can't believe I did it.

 

omg *beats self in the head* it's CHINATO, singular.  Lola.  Chinato.  Not Lola's or Chinato's.  Sorry, I'm better now.  Thx for the info about food fairy, hadn't read his stuff yet.

It may not be a good choice to use acronyms or employ asterisks as punctuation when criticizing someone else's grammar. 

omg *beats self in the head* it's CHINATO, singular.  Lola.  Chinato.  Not Lola's or Chinato's.  Sorry, I'm better now.  Thx for the info about food fairy, hadn't read his stuff yet.

 

Actually, "Chinato's" is singular too-but possessive.  So yes, wrong. :)  And kind of weird, because chinato is a thing, not a name.

Here are his reviews of GHT and Chinato (and I agree with him at least on Chinato , I haven't eaten at GHT yet but some of the things I've heard echo Mark Corcoran):

 

Thanks for the links, that was amusing, and somewhat reflective of my GHT experience (not terrible but a bit underwhelmed, also agree about the space) although after my first experience I promised Id try it again, but alas there are too many other places to try!. 

 

 

 

Just wanted to add other news from the Leader Building (in addition to Guys Pizza)...Bar One has officially ended its run under that moniker. It appears that St. Patrick's Day was Bar One's last night.

The sign has come down and the space is being revamped. The sign on the door says "Leader Bar & Grill" coming soon.

I promise I won't call it "Leader's".  :-)

Come to think of it though, "Liters" wouldn't be a bad name for a bar (as in pints and quarts).

 

 

 

 

^ Or, literally, as in Liters! :D  Liters of delicious adult beverages.

Pedros Pedros Mexican Grill on Euclid Ave & 18th street MIGHT be better than your local Chipotle, especially since all burritos and burrito bowls are $5! I walked from e 6th and Superior to try it today and will deffinitely be making the trip again sometime soon.

Thx!  I wish they'd get a real website instead of just on FB.  Would like to see their menu.  I walk a lot more when the weather is nicer so I will try to get down there soon.

Pedros Pedros Mexican Grill on Euclid Ave & 18th street MIGHT be better than your local Chipotle, especially since all burritos and burrito bowls are $5! I walked from e 6th and Superior to try it today and will deffinitely be making the trip again sometime soon.

 

Ummm!! Jealous  :cry:

Matt Fish reports that if the Cleveland Heights location of Melt works out, he will be looking to open up in Avon, Strongsville, Columbus, Pittsburgh, and Cincinnati. 

 

My opinion on this is....ehhhhh.  I know he has to do what is best for him, but by opening up the Columbus and Pittsburgh locations...you are taking away a market of people who come up to Cleveland on a day trip and parlay it into a visit to our museums or parks.

I hope "works out" means he figures out a quicker way to serve people than at the Lakewood location.  I heard the CH location is opening May 21.

I also find it disappointing that he would think of going out of market before opening up a location in the city proper. Obviously, he has to do what's best for his business, but I would think a Melt would thrive downtown ... Warehouse District, E. 4thish, College Town or Superior Corridor ... I could see this working with different models in all those place.

Matt Fish reports that if the Cleveland Heights location of Melt works out, he will be looking to open up in Avon, Strongsville, Columbus, Pittsburgh, and Cincinnati.

 

My opinion on this is....ehhhhh. I know he has to do what is best for him, but by opening up the Columbus and Pittsburgh locations...you are taking away a market of people who come up to Cleveland on a day trip and parlay it into a visit to our museums or parks.

 

I agree, if he takes his business out of the city, it would take away from the all the people who do take the time to travel up to the Cleveland area and it would be nice if there was a Melt downtown... but then I would probably go broke from eating there all the time :)

In all seriousness, I know I'm beating a dead horse here, but I don't see how that could survive downtown because business people could not spare the time necessary to go there to eat.  We went to the lakewood one with my department a few times early on after they first opened (before you had to always wait for a table), and it routinely an hour to receive your food.  Most people just wouldn't be able to wait that long.

Matt Fish reports that if the Cleveland Heights location of Melt works out, he will be looking to open up in Avon, Strongsville, Columbus, Pittsburgh, and Cincinnati.

 

My opinion on this is....ehhhhh. I know he has to do what is best for him, but by opening up the Columbus and Pittsburgh locations...you are taking away a market of people who come up to Cleveland on a day trip and parlay it into a visit to our museums or parks.

 

I agree, if he takes his business out of the city, it would take away from the all the people who do take the time to travel up to the Cleveland area and it would be nice if there was a Melt downtown... but then I would probably go broke from eating there all the time :)

 

Yes, I know when I was reading their Facebook posts they were getting alot of fans from the Food Network publicity that planned to make the trip to check it out.  And then there were some that lived in other places that had been there and were begging him to open in their city. 

In all seriousness, I know I'm beating a dead horse here, but I don't see how that could survive downtown because business people could not spare the time necessary to go there to eat. We went to the lakewood one with my department a few times early on after they first opened (before you had to always wait for a table), and it routinely an hour to receive your food. Most people just wouldn't be able to wait that long.

 

but doesn't this mainly have to do with the really small kitchen in lakewood?  I just can't imagine it's cooking the grilled cheese that takes that long.  A properly laid out kitchen in a different location I would "think" would alleviate the ridiculous waits.

Yes and no.  I think some of the wait time is because each sandwich is very complex and made to order and they take awhile to cook.  Some of that could definitely be overcome with a larger kitchen but it would definitely require multiple grills and multiple broilers.  I guess we'll see how it goes in Cle Hts.  If it's still taking an hour to get your food, they either didn't expand the kitchen properly or the food just takes a really long time to make.

In all seriousness, I know I'm beating a dead horse here, but I don't see how that could survive downtown because business people could not spare the time necessary to go there to eat.  We went to the lakewood one with my department a few times early on after they first opened (before you had to always wait for a table), and it routinely an hour to receive your food.  Most people just wouldn't be able to wait that long.

 

 

I thought you would be a slow food movement kind of person...

 

Their beer list makes the wait go fast. I usually have 2 or 3 pints by the time I get my food.  I am worried about M. fish being able to maintain the quality of ingredients across the expanded locations.

 

Nobody goes there, it's too crowded.

LOL.  And I *am* actually a member of the local Slow Food chapter, but that's not the point.  People downtown who are working cannot have a 2 or 3 pint lunch or an hour long wait for food.  I might be in the slow food movement but I still can't take more than an hour for lunch with any regularity, so I have to be "fast" when going out for lunch.

 

 

I think I knew that already and was being a little sarcastic, I got your point in the original post and God knows I can't have 3 pints at lunch, or even one.

 

Basically if I want Melt now, I either plan on a 3 hour minium usually with friends or I get take out.

My two cents regarding Melt...have been twice where I actually ate (first time I did not have the time to wait an hour for a table)...I was looking forward to it because it sounded like my kind of sandwhich...grilled melted cheese with whatever I wanted on it...sat at the bar both times and was in no particular rush...as expressed by rock and roller above, both times I was surprised by how long it took to get my sandwhich...I am generally not an impatient diner and have no problem waiting and enjoying the atmospher, but the wait was noticably long both times....and both times it really was not that crowded (week day about 2:30 p.m.). 

 

More disappointing to me personally was the sandwhich itself which I was looking forward to very much.  It just seems they cut the bread way to thick and in addition it is very hard and crunchy.  I hate to say but both times I cut the roof of my mouth on the sandwhich...nothing serious but I prefer that my food not attack me...I mentioned this to one of my employees and he was of the same opinion...that the bread it too thick and hard...I thought maybe this was just a bad day on my first visit so I gave it a second try and same thing.

 

Oh well, despite my opinion they must be doing something right given the crowds, and it would appear most people do not have a problem with the bread.  I will visit once they open in CH to check it out and have a bowl of their chili which I hear is very good.

^My mouth always hurts after eating there too, but it's so long in between going, I forget. 

Too bad they don't make a softer sandwich.

UM, WHAT?

the reason the wait is so long at melt is that when they expanded the restaurant they couldn't expand the kitchen because if they expanded the kitchen they would have had to put it a larger sprinkler system. the line going from street to that building wouldn't be equipped to handle such a large load, and digging up detroit to run a new line was not in the budget, so they kept the original kitchen. it's not that the sandwiches are complex, it's that they can only make i think 8 at a time.

 

 

on another note, i just walked my dog by the new market street brewery. they have completely gutted the building. literally there is only the outside walls left. a worker was out back getting some equipment and i asked him when they expected to open and he said the original date was supposed to be july 4th weekend, but they are way behind and he doesn't see that happening.

the reason the wait is so long at melt is that when they expanded the restaurant they couldn't expand the kitchen because if they expanded the kitchen they would have had to put it a larger sprinkler system. the line going from street to that building wouldn't be equipped to handle such a large load, and digging up detroit to run a new line was not in the budget, so they kept the original kitchen. it's not that the sandwiches are complex, it's that they can only make i think 8 at a time.

 

That's fine, but the LAST thing they should have done given that situation was expand the seating!  So now you have 3x as many customers, and can still only produce a few sandwiches at a time.  Instead of, say, 40 people being hungry and waiting, you now have 100.  How is this the smart thing to do?  I don't know.