seriously, bland Thai or Indian is an abomination. I have a pet peeve regarding people who want to eat these cuisines and complain they are too spicy--even when they have been dumbed down big time. Have a plate of turkey, peas and mashed potatoes in the hospital cafeteria and stop ruining every place for me. When I go to these places I am like WTH? and the waiter or mang always says they have to make it bland b/c people will complain. sigh..

seriously, bland Thai or Indian is an abomination. I have a pet peeve regarding people who want to eat these cuisines and complain they are too spicy--even when they have been dumbed down big time. Have a plate of turkey, peas and mashed potatoes in the hospital cafeteria and stop ruining every place for me. When I go to these places I am like WTH? and the waiter or mang always says they have to make it bland b/c people will complain. sigh..

 

Random Lakewood update, Route 6 Cafe on the corner of Summit and Detroit  (in the old Niko's space) is now Niko's On Detroit again and has the full Greek menu. Currently they are only open for Dinner after 5. Business seems brisk from when it was Route 6.

 

 

wow, that is crazy. 

I think Niko (he was listed on the permits posted in the window) still owned the building and leased it to the propeitor of Route 6. They did major renovations during the first switch so it looks like he just went back to what he knew on a limited scale to keep from losing money on the space.

Table 45's patio will be open this weekend barring any major weather calamities. :)

Table 45's patio will be open this weekend barring any major weather calamities. :)

:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

I was visiting Slavic Village today. I stopped by the new place that took over the coffee shop on 65th near St. Stans....  It was a really nice place called Shipley's.

 

I try and support some of the businesses there when I can and am just letting everyone know that there IS something new in the space that was mentioned to be closed in a few posts above. It has nice atmosphere and would be nice if more can show some support for the place.

 

Nice menu of simple freshly made sandwiches, coffees, teas, baked goods, etc...  and very reasonable. Hours are Monday through Saturday 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM...Closed on Sunday!

 

Check it out..this area could use a bit of a boost. Try Seven Roses while near there as well!

seriously, bland Thai or Indian is an abomination. I have a pet peeve regarding people who want to eat these cuisines and complain they are too spicy--even when they have been dumbed down big time. Have a plate of turkey, peas and mashed potatoes in the hospital cafeteria and stop ruining every place for me. When I go to these places I am like WTH? and the waiter or mang always says they have to make it bland b/c people will complain. sigh..

 

 

I agree!  I love the concept of Indian buffets, but then I can't order the food "Indian Hot"!

I have actually had pretty good luck engaging Indian proprietors to get me some goodies to spice it up. They seem tickled you like heat and since it is on the side they know you won't send the whole dish back. Indian Buffets are pretty much the only buffets I can get into b/c the food actually do hold well in the warmers

I just had dinner at Taste, which is a nice restaurant in the Cedar/Lee neighborhood in Cleveland Heights.  The food is really good, especially their burgers and fries; however, it is a little pricey, especially for the portion sizes.  $16 is a little steep for the burger and fries, however fancy they're doctored up, and this is the second cheapest entree they have.

 

I noticed pretty good happy prices as well, and the ambiance is great!

 

Very nice staff too

 

And there you have it:)

 

I just had dinner at Taste, which is a nice restaurant in the Cedar/Lee neighborhood in Cleveland Heights.  The food is really good, especially their burgers and fries; however, it is a little pricey, especially for the portion sizes.  $16 is a little steep for the burger and fries, however fancy they're doctored up, and this is the second cheapest entree they have.

 

I noticed pretty good happy prices as well, and the ambiance is great!

 

Very nice staff too

 

And there you have it:)

 

 

What type of meat was used?  $16 doesnt seem out of reason to me.

^the only thing more ridiculous than the $16 hamburger is the $10 bowl of chili.

I just had dinner at Taste, which is a nice restaurant in the Cedar/Lee neighborhood in Cleveland Heights. The food is really good, especially their burgers and fries; however, it is a little pricey, especially for the portion sizes. $16 is a little steep for the burger and fries, however fancy they're doctored up, and this is the second cheapest entree they have.

 

I noticed pretty good happy prices as well, and the ambiance is great!

 

Very nice staff too

 

And there you have it:)

 

 

What type of meat was used? $16 doesnt seem out of reason to me.

 

unless they are using Kobe beef, or topping each with caviar then $16 is a bit steep.

 

As the Geniuses at Miller said: "$11.50 for a Hamburger?? ... Y'all must be crazy!"

 

http://www.evtv1.com/player.aspx?itemnum=8658

The Fairmount wine and martini bar (Cedar-Fairmount) has a new chef now, so their food is fancier.  They have a Kobe burger currently - it's rather tasty.

Forti's on Prospect has closed. No surprise there considering it had awful management. A new place called City Tap Cleveland is taking over the space.

Dim and Den Sum's menu changes every week and they are downtown frequently. This is very bad news for my waistline. 

Forti's on Prospect has closed. No surprise there considering it had awful management. A new place called City Tap Cleveland is taking over the space.

 

Bad management is right.  A bourbon bar that could not even figure out how to deal with the State so that they could get their orders filled. 

Just by chance, I sat next to Romeo Crennel at Flemings in Woodmere last week.  We both had bar menu food (pretty good quality for only $6) and the restaurant has these fantastic chips they make every morning.  Romeo was a pretty cool guy and the food was outstanding - I had a yummy tuna platter and cheeseburger with blackened bacon.  Not sure what Romeo had - we just exchanged some minor pleasantries, and he was there with friends, so I didn't bug him outside of saying hi and joking about the chips.  A really nice experience all in all.

Deagan's, the restaurant/bar that will be opening soon in downtown Lakewood, posted their menu on Facebook.  Looks pretty good, though, at those price points, the food better be good or it could go the way of Route 6.  A 30 tap craft beer selection will help their odds of survival.

 

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=25373&id=119954291365652

Ate at Etna Friday.  It's the old Valerio's space in little Italy.  Excellent.

Ate at Etna Friday. It's the old Valerio's space in little Italy. Excellent.

 

Favorite place for food and price in Little Italy.

Some more info about the new Turkish Grill in Tremont in this week's Scene:

 

http://www.clevescene.com/cleveland/bites-istanbul-grill-in-tremont/Content?oid=1974482

 

The true stars here, though, are the kebabs: grilled meat dishes served with rice or yogurt.

 

Did the writer really have to explain what kababs are?  The low expectations of reader knowledge make most of the professional food writing in this town unreadable to me...Seriously food writers, it's OK if some of your readers have to google* a term or two.  No reason to bore the rest of us.  *Google is a web search engine.

 

Also good info about the new wine bar coming to the Battery Park power house.  Cool.

 

Some more info about the new Turkish Grill in Tremont in this week's Scene:

 

http://www.clevescene.com/cleveland/bites-istanbul-grill-in-tremont/Content?oid=1974482

 

The true stars here, though, are the kebabs: grilled meat dishes served with rice or yogurt.

 

Did the writer really have to explain what kababs are?  The low expectations of reader knowledge make most of the professional food writing in this town unreadable to me...Seriously food writers, it's OK if some of your readers have to google* a term or two.  No reason to bore the rest of us.  *Google is a web search engine.

 

Also good info about the new wine bar coming to the Battery Park power house.  Cool.

 

 

It's extremely insulting.  Clevelands foodies/diners are pretty damn well read and knowledgeable.

I'm surprised to see that from Doug Trattner, he seems better than that. I wonder if the editors made him add it. I feel like I'm in school and they're making us take turns reading sentences and we're listening to the slow kid sounding out words.

Good lord, folks.  I know what a kebab is too, but you guys are a might bit touchy if that one clause of explanation sent you off the friggin' hooks.

Seriously. Some people on here bitch just to bitch. How is explaining what a kebab is insulting? I think most people who didn't know what one was would find it helpful. And for those who did know what it was, I would assume it was included in the article for those that do not.

The frustration is not with this one sentence, it's with the low level of professional food writing of which this is but one conspicuous example.  Imagine reading sports coverage that always praised the team's performance and explained the rules of the game every time.  I'm sure there's a market for it, but I would guess many sports fans would find it very tedious.  I don't need Frank Bruni to cover the Cleveland restaurant scene, but it would be nice if someone in the local press would speak to the city's growing foodie culture without the lowest common denominator filler.

The frustration is not with this one sentence, it's with the low level of professional food writing of which this is but one conspicuous example.  Imagine reading sports coverage that always praised the team's performance and explained the rules of the game every time.  I'm sure there's a market for it, but I would guess many sports fans would find it very tedious.  I don't need Frank Bruni to cover the Cleveland restaurant scene, but it would be nice if someone in the local press would speak to the city's growing foodie culture without the lowest common denominator filler.

 

I completely agree!

Newsflash - it's Cleveland Scene Magazine - a free publication, not the New York Times.

^Though truthfully, I think Tratner is better than any of the reviewers the PD uses.  I understand the complaint about CLE needing better restaurant critics, but I don't think kebab explanation is a big deal.

Seriously. Some people on here bitch just to bitch. How is explaining what a kebab is insulting? I think most people who didn't know what one was would find it helpful. And for those who did know what it was, I would assume it was included in the article for those that do not.

 

That's right...Not everyone does know what one is..... Gee whiz...some aren't even sure what to call them. When you're in Oz and say "KaBOB" the locals laugh because they say "Ka-BAB"  :-D

Newsflash - it's Cleveland Scene Magazine - a free publication, not the New York Times.

 

Free to us, but the dude gets paid to write this stuff.  I agree with Morning Theft and others though, Tratner's generally better than the PD, which seems to print anything any nice old lady will write about a restaurant.  I'm sure Joe Crea is a great guy, but I really wish the PD's food writing would step it up to match the classical music or architecture coverage.

 

By the way, this is when electronic communication does a poor job conveying tone.  I'm not blowing a fuse or getting worked up; this is just a long standing lament that the kabob sentence reminded me of.

Agree, it's not blowing a fuse, but the "dumbing down" of any writing content to Clevelanders is just not necessary, particularly with our burgeoning food scene.  And the Scene is not some fly by night, silly rag, they have won journalism awards.

^ Is this happening just to Clevelanders or is it more widespread?  I ask because I was never aware of the food scene anywhere else I have lived (hadn't reached the needed level of maturity yet).  I would assume this is likely not happening in New York, but what about Cincy, Milwaukee, or the Twin Cities?

What's going on in Cleveland is a pretty big gain in the food world.  Foodies are traveling to Cleveland for the first time for the express purpose of eating at Cleveland's dining establishments as the word is getting out nation-wide that this is a great place to come for food.

 

Larger cities with already estabilshed food cred like NYC would be n/a, but the other cities you mention would be a good example if things were really hopping there as well.  Most cities of our size have some good food scene, but it's not as "up and coming" and "hot" as Cleveland's, it's more well-established already, or else not yet on the radar (I'd place Cincy in the latter category).

I understand that, but does the whole populace that reads The Scene?

 

I guess that's what I'm getting at.  For a city our size and with our culture should we expect all readers to understand different applications and preparations of food from cultures that may not be familiar? 

I would say, yeah, most everyone who goes through the effort of picking up the scene is a regular reader, and most of them are intelligent enough to know what kabobs are, however you spell them.  It's not like he was talking about poutine or rilletes or gallatines or something. Honestly, I would say if you were writing it for the PD, you might want to define it, but not the Scene.

I can't believe what an issue this has become. I am laughing over it all. Kebab. Seriously? I thought this thread was about restaurant news and information. Maybe you guys can start a new thread titled: "I am offended over the explanation over the word kebab."

Hmmm, let's not start that new thread, but let's get back on the topic of "Restaurant News & Info".

In on-topic news, I went to Maha's Falafil (sic) cafe today for a takeout lunch. I have been a patron of their stand at the WSM for a long time, and used to go to their little outlet in Strongsville before it closed up, finally got a chance to stop here today - it's right next to MetroHealth medical center.  Falafil just as good as at the stand and I got a pretty good Greek salad too. They're so nice, and it looked a little slow but like people that were there were enjoying their food.  Give it a try!

In on-topic news, I went to Maha's Falafil (sic) cafe today for a takeout lunch. .... Give it a try!

I hope they do well for many reasons. I agree they are very good people and they have a good product..well they need to tweak the shwarma-they may have already. Also I am a huge fan of having healthy non fast food chain options in the more impoverished areas. I hope Metro staff is giving them a try. Whenever I have been behind the scenes there it seems like the personnel loves this type of food-hummus, tabbouleh etc. always seems to be in the back rooms

Had dinner at Indian Delight on Detroit last night.  Excellent food!  It took a while for the food as we were the first to be there when they opened at 5:30 PM so everything was fresh and delicious.  The place was clean and service good. 

^food should ALWAYS be fresh in a restaurant no matter what time it is served.  Delicious is a plus as well.

In on-topic news, I went to Maha's Falafil (sic) cafe today for a takeout lunch. I have been a patron of their stand at the WSM for a long time, and used to go to their little outlet in Strongsville before it closed up, finally got a chance to stop here today - it's right next to MetroHealth medical center. Falafil just as good as at the stand and I got a pretty good Greek salad too. They're so nice, and it looked a little slow but like people that were there were enjoying their food. Give it a try!

 

 

This place is very clean, cheerfiul atmosphere...and the food was good. Reasonable as well. Nice atmosphere in this building and the immediate surrounds.

^food should ALWAYS be fresh in a restaurant no matter what time it is served. Delicious is a plus as well.

Yeah, I was thinking about the first time we went there for the weekend buffet.  I am not a buffet fan to begin with so when I posted I was thinking comparatively.  Agreed, food should always be fresh but sometimes with smaller venues that don't see much traffic you run the risk of "not so good".  Not the case here.

Here's a serious topical question for you: is there anyone in the city where I can find a good döner kebab? I know they're not that popular in the states at all, but I'd sure like to make them so :)

Most turkish places have doner kebab, I think Anatolia does, and there is a newer turkish place in Tremont that probably also has it.  I have always found them on the menu at turkish places, don't think doner is unusual at all.

Here's a serious topical question for you: is there anyone in the city where I can find a good döner kebab? I know they're not that popular in the states at all, but I'd sure like to make them so :)

 

Especially if you're intoxicated when craving one, a quality gyro is a close enough approximation, IMHO.  But R&R is right, Anatolia has them and probably any other Turkish place in town does too.

According to Anatolia's, they are "The first and only Turkish restaurant in Northeast Ohio".  They probably need to update that statement.  Maybe they should say something subjective like "The first and best", which many would probably agree with.