I grew up liking the sloppy, thick-crusted pizzas of Old Brooklyn and the south suburbs, so I have to give a shout-out to Dina's.  Sometimes competent and comforting beat gourmet and well-executed.

 

Good places listed. For a thicker pizza, I also really, really like Captain Tony's on Shaker Square ... Some really tasty treats there. A lot of Heights folks rave about BOGO in Cleveland Heights, which does use some interesting ingredients, but the pie itself always strikes me as good not great. Along the unexpected lunchtime pizza, I'm a big fan of Tastebuds' cafeteria-style pizza. Yum.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand now I want Valentino's for dinner.

It might not be a bad idea to keep this going.  Next up.... best Chinese food.  I am going to be biased and say Hunan Coventry.

It might not be a bad idea to keep this going.  Next up.... best Chinese food.  I am going to be biased and say Hunan Coventry.

Eeeh.  I'll say Bo Looong or Siam

I unfortunately have not found a Chinese place I like. That includes those already mentioned in this thread.

It might not be a bad idea to keep this going. Next up.... best Chinese food. I am going to be biased and say Hunan Coventry.

Eeeh. I'll say Bo Looong or Siam

 

I thought Siam was more known for its Thai dishes?

It might not be a bad idea to keep this going.  Next up.... best Chinese food.  I am going to be biased and say Hunan Coventry.

Eeeh.  I'll say Bo Looong or Siam

 

I thought Siam was more known for its Thai dishes?

 

It Chinese/Thai.  So thats I included it.

^I guess it all looks the same to you...

Pizza - I'm predisposed to NY style pie, so I like Vincenza's a lot. Marotta's is a favorite as well. Thicker crust I go with Touch of Italy over by Chagrin / lee.

 

Chinese - Bo Loong is my #1, Hunan Coventry #2, Hunan by the falls #3

 

For pizza.

West side... Danny Boy's on Lake Rd in River. Not the most traditional but the bread/dough is awesome. As is the entire menu.

East side...Beach Club Bistro on LSB in downtown Euclid. Sort of an east side Danny Boy's.

For the best, most traditional pizza...definitely Valentino's on Murray Hill.

 

I agree about Valentino's.  I have sampled pizza from every place in Little Italy while living here the past few years and it is definitely my fave and the most like what I had in Italy.  It is all about the crust! crispy yet not too crispy

I agree about Valentino's. I have sampled pizza from every place in Little Italy while living here the past few years and it is definitely my fave and the most like what I had in Italy. It is all about the crust! crispy yet not too crispy

 

Have you had the pizza from Gelateria?  I have heard that it is most like the pizza from Italy (or at least it was before they started making the crust a little thicker).

Official Grand Opening of The Flaming Ice Cube this Saturday...Drawings, gifts, music, free samples and more.... Here is the information:

 

http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs025/1101677680861/archive/1103896437240.html

I unfortunately have not found a Chinese place I like. That includes those already mentioned in this thread.

 

Li Wah?

I did go to Li Wah years ago and I remember liking it, but maybe I'm not remembering the right place. It was a kind of nice restaurant and I think it was on Euclid, and I thought it closed?

Li Wah is at 30th and Payne in Asia Plaza. It's probably my favorite Chinese food in the nabe. A lot of people (including a lot of chefs and foodies) swear by Wonton Gourmet for its authenticity (3211 Payne Avenue), but I've tried it twice and can't get into it ... maybe I prefer Americanized Chinese to authentic Chinese?

 

I'd also keep an eye on Asian Town Center. With 115,000 square feet of space to program, I'd expect to see at least a couple of new Asian restaurants pop up there ... according to their website (http://www.asiantowncenter.com/tenants.html), there's an "authentic Vietnamese restaurant" either already there or planned, as well as "The Crumb" (http://www.thecrumbcleveland.com/TheCrumb.html). The center is pretty extraordinary ... If you haven't been through yet, I highly recommend a walkthrough. 

 

There also appears to be a buildout/storefront rehab going on at 3142 Superior, and the interior finishes on the east storefront look like a restaurant or coffee shop to me. Stay tuned!

I also prefer Americanized chinese. No feet or eyes for me, kthxbai. 

 

Do any of the free loop buses go down by asia plaza?

Pearl of the Orient?

my coworkers who are korean (from LA) and thai (from chicago) are super into wonton gourmet and said i'd like it but i haven't been.

 

i like the ma po tofu at ho wah at la place...

I find everything at Ho Wah to be kind of plain.  Their workers are not very friendly either.  We ordered take-out from work one day (10 orders) and they made us all get the same type of rice because it would be "too confusing" to have some people get white rice and some get brown rice.  Would they rather I called in 10 different times with 1 order each time?  I much prefer Sun Luck Garden (hard to beat Annie's cooking) and Pearl of the Orient.

I also prefer Americanized chinese. No feet or eyes for me, kthxbai.

 

Do any of the free loop buses go down by asia plaza?

 

Do you mean the trolley lines? If so, no. I think the closest they get is Chester and 21st, which is still a pretty healthy walk away. Asia Plaza is served by the 38; the 3 also puts you about a block to the north. Li Wah also has a pretty wide delivery service area, so that's another option. But half the fun of these Asiatown centers like Asia Plaza is checking out all the tchotchke shops :)

Thx, yes, I meant the trolleys. Oh well.

I did go to Li Wah years ago and I remember liking it, but maybe I'm not remembering the right place. It was a kind of nice restaurant and I think it was on Euclid, and I thought it closed?

 

I think that was Lu Cuisine you were remembering.  It was a pretty upscale place in the Halle building for several years.

that's it! Ok so I don't think I've been to Li Wah then.

Time to move on.  Best steakhouse?

 

I've never been... but I hear great things about 'Red'

Time to move on.  Best steakhouse?

 

I've never been... but I hear great things about 'Red'

 

When my cousin was fat he would go there and Flemings.  It's OK, it's better than the sister restaurant in Miami.

 

My choices

Sergios!

XO

When my cousin was fat...lol

When my cousin was fat...lol

 

He was.  He was our family's Jabba the hutt/Jimmy DiMora.  He gained something like 140 lbs of fat.  He drove to work and lived a 5 min walk to his office.  Being 6'2" and 300+ lbs is not cute.

But he could help you push a piano

or a stuck car

 

Winter's coming!

I was an Elsners fan back in the day, but since then I haven't found a steak place I love. I've had the steak at flemings and I always seem to get the cut with the giant vein embedded in the middle. So I'm done w/ that place. Red is over priced and the steaks are fair at best. Plus it seems to be the place where the. Self important d-bag prefers to dine.

 

Used to like Hyde Park but then I got in a fight with the folks in Beachwood and have never been back. Downtown 140 used to have a grat strip but the chef left and its not the same. Haven't had steak at XO so I'll have to give it a whirl.

Anybody been to AMP150, we are going there tomorrow night with some friends.

I was an Elsners fan back in the day, but since then I haven't found a steak place I love. I've had the steak at flemings and I always seem to get the cut with the giant vein embedded in the middle. So I'm done w/ that place. Red is over priced and the steaks are fair at best. Plus it seems to be the place where the. Self important d-bag prefers to dine.

 

Used to like Hyde Park but then I got in a fight with the folks in Beachwood and have never been back. Downtown 140 used to have a grat strip but the chef left and its not the same. Haven't had steak at XO so I'll have to give it a whirl.

 

I don't like Hyde Park at all.

 

I also haven't tried XO, but I'd like to.  The best steak I've had around Cleveland was at Ferris Steakhouse, but I haven't been there for a couple years.  Are they still on Detroit or did they move to the Gold Coast?

Anybody been to AMP150, we are going there tomorrow night with some friends.

 

I haven't been there, but I've heard some good things.  Please report back with your opinion.

But he could help you push a piano

or a stuck car

 

Winter's coming!

 

No...Blubber was good for nothing, except producing large quantities of sweat.

 

Then after our Grandmother went on her "quality of life" kick, his wife and kids, told him they didn't want him to die.  He had the option of losing the weight or losing his family!

ferris is still on detroit

Anybody been to AMP150, we are going there tomorrow night with some friends.

 

I haven't been there, but I've heard some good things.  Please report back with your opinion.

 

Thumbs up. We had a party of 4 and did the Chefs 4 course dinner, so we got to try most of the menu. It's well worth it for $30 a head. The menu is seasonal so I am not sure what is a staple on the menu and what was seasonal. I'll have to pull up the menu later to see what I had because right now all that I can remember is the large entrees and desert. The braised lamb was to die for. It was falling off the bone and had the perfect amount of "lamb" flavor. It tasted like lamb, without crossing over into gamey. The flank steak was excellent too. The smoked pork chop was pretty good but  the outer portion was overwhelmingly smokey for my taste however  the meat closer to the bone hit a really nice balance. And the chicken was OK but nothing special. 3 of the 4 deserts were top notch, too. All of the salads, apps and small plates were good to great too.

 

On the downside the wine is grossly overpriced (according to my friend who runs his own restaurant) and most of the drinks were "meh" except the margarita. Beer is reasonable and the selection is good.

 

Oh and Peyton Hillis showed up and my wife got her picture taken with him. He called her "maam'. haha

ferris is still on detroit

 

Thanks, I was just by there and I thought it looked like they were open.  Do you know when they're moving (or if they still plan on it)?

 

EDIT: I just found this on LoveLakewood.com:

 

MDN Investment Corp. owes $104,000 on the restaurant in The Carlyle that once housed Swingos.  The Plain Dealer reported in January that Ferris Steak House was going to take over the spot. The article says Bruce Ferris purchased the location for $255,000, but property records don’t support the claim.

 

In fact, the Carlyle Condo Association on June 3rd placed a $26,000 lien on the property, and named East 4th St, LLC as an owner — although that company doesn’t seem to own the property either, according to the Cuyahoga County Recorder’s Web site.

 

http://www.lovelakewood.com/blog/2010/06/28/lakewood-plaza-tops-in-delinquent-property-tax/

 

Interesting...

Anyone have a sense how Zinc is doing?  I checked the web site to see if they had opened the bakery operation yet- doesn't look like it.  But it does look like they've added a ton of discount specials and happy hour promotions.

Anyone have a sense how Zinc is doing? I checked the web site to see if they had opened the bakery operation yet- doesn't look like it. But it does look like they've added a ton of discount specials and happy hour promotions.

 

When I was in Cleveland nearly 2 months ago, we went there on a Friday night and it was pretty dead.  There were no events that night, but still it was sad to see.

We sat at the patio bar and had good drinks but the food was very hit and miss.  The Shrimp was awful....  Tasted like cardboard. 

Anyone have a sense how Zinc is doing? I checked the web site to see if they had opened the bakery operation yet- doesn't look like it. But it does look like they've added a ton of discount specials and happy hour promotions.

 

We ate dinner at Zinc with another couple during Cleveland Independents Restaurant Week a couple weeks ago on a Thursday.  The bar was moderately busy but there weren't many people in the rest of the restaurant.  After reading some complaints about the place (mostly about service) online I was a little worried to go there.  But the food and service were both very good.  The waiter said they were much busier when it was nice outside (the patio is very popular).  Also, we asked about the bakery and he said they are having a hard time finding a bakery chef, but they are hoping to open as soon as they find one.

Thanks, guys for the reports!  I like the look of the patio when I walked back there over the summer.  I worried, though, about their timing to the market and if their product would really be up to snuff.  Hopefully they'll work it out.  I think the bakery would be a great addition to downtown.

Hate to say it but downtown might have reached the "over restauranted" point at this time.  Maybe this will change once the casino and med mart open but right now I would be hesitant to open a new place.  Let's patronize what we got.

Hate to say it but downtown might have reached the "over restauranted" point at this time.  Maybe this will change once the casino and med mart open but right now I would be hesitant to open a new place.  Let's patronize what we got.

 

Please explain your methodology.  Keep in mind the First three weeks in November retail/service goods sales drop considerably.  In addition, the second week of January thru Valentines are slow periods for all consumer goods sales, and travel.

Hate to say it but downtown might have reached the "over restauranted" point at this time.  Maybe this will change once the casino and med mart open but right now I would be hesitant to open a new place.  Let's patronize what we got.

 

Unless its someplace outstanding, yes I think downtown has been saturated untill more out of towners are drawn in.  Hopefully this will change when the casino and medmart open.  It will also help if more housing gets underway. 

 

Zach Bruell and many other restaurant owners agree with this.   

^I know a number of owners and talk to suppliers on a regular basis.  They have been complaining that sales have been down this year as compred to last for most of the year.  Obviously some are during better than others but as a whole things are not great.  Maybe it is time to catch our breath and let those out there succeed if they can.  Of course this is American and the free market rules.  Just worried is all.  Don't like to see somebody put a lot of time into a business and see it fail, not due to their own fault but due to the market.

Hate to say it but downtown might have reached the "over restauranted" point at this time.  Maybe this will change once the casino and med mart open but right now I would be hesitant to open a new place.  Let's patronize what we got.

 

Unless its someplace outstanding, yes I think downtown has been saturated untill more out of towners are drawn in.  Hopefully this will change when the casino and medmart open.  It will also help if more housing gets underway. 

 

Zach Bruell and many other restaurant owners agree with this.   

 

Really, where did you read that.

 

Honestly, I wouldn't be too worried.

I just wanted to mention Chinato, I had another fabulous lunch there today.  The food is just incredible, and it's just a great place.  I had the tongue app and the carbonara pasta today and it was absolutely perfect.

I agree with R&R.  I have not had anything but a great experience (or even heard of anyone else having anything but a great experience) at Chinato.

^Me too.  IMHO, Zach Bruell is the top restaurateur in the Cleve.  Great food that's not dumbed-down, but also the full dining experience his places deliver, including design and service.  I don't worry about his places in this economy.