www.accentcleveland.com

The wifey and I went to Accent for our anniversary last night.  That is the new Korean themed restaraunt in Cleveland's new Uptown development.  I usually don't rave about food, but it was off the charts IMO.  Highly recommended.  Somewhat exppensive, but worth it.  All the presentation you get at the uppity places but without the miniscule protions.  We has the miso soup, the SASA fries, and the pork belly to start out.  As entrees, I got the Korean short ribs and she got a sampler they offer of their entrees.  Add in a few drinks and a dessert and our bill was just north of $100.

 

It wasn't busy at all, which makes me nervous it might not be around long.  The waitress said that it really picks up with their weekend brunches, so hopefully the word will get out

 

That pork belly is out of this world!!!!!

We would (will) go back there for that alone.

This one's a hoot!

 

:-o

 

Cheesecake Factory in Lyndhurst offers delicious variety of entrees, desserts in a handsome setting

 

Looking for family comfort food, we opted for famous factory meatloaf ($14.95) and were happy with the choice. The well seasoned specially ground beef mixture, was tasty, tender and moist. It is topped with gravy and grilled onions. Served with coarsely mashed red skin potatoes and corn succotash, a mixture of corn, chopped sweet red peppers and zucchini.

 

Chicken and biscuits ($16.50) is called Cheesecake Factory "comfort classic" Sauteed chicken breast is covered with rich pan gravy, served with mashed potatoes, seasonal vegetables and buttermilk biscuits. Perhaps heavy for this time of year, but a family favorite as cold weather rolls around.

 

The "glamburgers" consist of more than dozen choices besides the old fashion beef burger ($10.95) and are served on toasted brioche bun.

 

-------------------------------------------------------------

 

...and it keeps going and going and going and...CLICK BELOW:

 

http://www.cleveland.com/sun/scoopdujour/index.ssf/2013/08/cheesecake_factory_in_lyndhurs.html

http://www.slate.com/blogs/crime/2013/08/15/cleveland_plain_dealer_barbara_collier_cleveland_com_s_review_of_the_cheesecake.html

 

 

Nothing like national exposure for this shame.

Those "special to " bylines are always such garbage. Unfortunately, I'm guessing a lot of people are going to mistakenly think Collier is the PD restaurant critic.

that picture! and it just gets better & better:

 

"About Me: I can be contacted at BabsReviewsFood at aol.com"

 

I was at The Elevator Brewery in Dowtown C-Bus on Monday night.  Thumbs up on both the food and the brew.  Excellent ambience too.  Really impressive and ornate interior.  Was that building an old theatre?  What is its history?  Where did that bar come from (I assume it was transplanted there somehow if the buidling was a rennovation from some other use)?

That's been a bar in some form for at least 100 years. At one time it was called Bott's Billards and later The Clock. There was a large ornate clock in front of it until the early 2000s or so. I don't know how long they've been brewing their own beers; probably less than 10 years. I do believe it doubled as an oyster place back in oyster houses' sketchy days around the turn of the last century.

 

Coldayman, ink, JYP and I had a mini-meet there about a year ago.

best tacos in the Cleveland area? In Painesville. Where else?

 

 

Mexico, Only 30 Miles Away: The Best Authentic Tacos in Northeast Ohio Can Be Found, Of Course, in Painesville, in the Front of a Grocery Store

by Douglas Trattner

 

http://www.clevescene.com/cleveland/mexico-only-30-miles-away-the-best-authentic-tacos-in-northeast-ohio-can-be-found-of-course-in-painesville-in-the-back-of-a-grocery-store/Content?oid=3861162#.UzR2iNhkixo.facebook

Yelper Gives New Restaurant One Star; Cleveland Owner Goes Ballistic

October 21, 2014 5:11 PM

 

This was the Yelpers review of Chef Bac Nguyen’s new Restaurant ‘Ninja City’ in University Circle (he also owns ‘Bac’ in Tremont)

 

Via yelp.com

 

Really hate to give this place such a low rating but I tell it like it is!

 

http://q104.cbslocal.com/2014/10/21/yelper-gives-new-restaurant-one-star-cleveland-owner-goes-ballistic/

^ Well there's no such thing as bad publicity....unless you're a restaurant owner....or say something that sounds racist.

Holy moly.  I actually wasn't a huge fan of Bac in Tremont the 1 time I had it.  He seems to be a racist a-hole.  It was a private text so I'm not sure if I should hold it against him but I probably won't be in either of his establishments. 

If anyone has seen the recent movie "Chef" his response is very similar to the chef in the movie's response to a critic.

Holy moly.  I actually wasn't a huge fan of Bac in Tremont the 1 time I had it.  He seems to be a racist a-hole.  It was a private text so I'm not sure if I should hold it against him but I probably won't be in either of his establishments. 

If anyone has seen the recent movie "Chef" his response is very similar to the chef in the movie's response to a critic.

 

These two obviously know each other. So it's a bit different than a random review and response.

Yelpers are, generally speaking, morons. I don't even understand this complaint: "The worst part was his answer to how sweet the Vietnamese coffee was. He hastily responded, “I’ll give you the coffee and the condensed milk and you make it as sweet as you like”.  How is that a problem?  Oh, he was hasty?  Maybe it was busy and he doesn't have time to play 20 questions with a moron.

There has been a lot of talk about this in my food community. It seems they didn't know each other personally from what I can gather, but knew people in each other's social circle. That being said, whether it was his best friend or a customer he'd never seen before, using this kind of language is pretty bad if you ask me. I mean, this is archie bunker level wrong. I have a terribly foul mouth but I don't throw around racial slurs like that.

Just a personal anecdote to add here, but my BFF came up from Florida for the weekend and we did a sort of tour of Cleveland. She honestly loved it here. She "got" it, the gritty, rust belt heart and soul of the place. Some places/things we did:

 

Friday:

 

VTR (Velvet Tango Room) - she thought it was amazing and couldn't believe how inexpensive the drinks were (we went during happy hour, drinks are $10). Also, she forgot her credit card here, and since I know the owner, I messaged him the next morning and he went in early to make sure they had it, and left it for me at the front register. That extra personal touch really is nice.

Lola (her request) - we just had drinks as we went early and they weren't serving dinner yet, but my friend David was bartending and was super friendly to both of us and she loved it.

Butcher & Brewer - I know the chef and we were there early so we got seats at the bar. Chef came out to greet us and make sure everything had been to our liking, and some marching band came in and played in the middle of everything because of the basketball tourney stuff, and my friend thought it was fantastic. We ordered a bunch of small plates ton share and everything was amazing. She especially liked the dates and the brussels sprouts.

 

Saturday:

Superior Pho - we had an early dinner here. She loved it.

my ninja parking skills came through again, and we found a free meter a block away from Playhouse Square, where I was taking her to see Flanagan's Wake. it's a great, great show, and I'm not just saying that because I know half the cast personally, ha. It's just a super fun time and everyone there has a blast. Before the show we got a shot at Parnell's, and then popped in to 216 for another drink to wait for my friend who was joining us at the show. It's really cute in there, I hadn't been in before.

After the show, I took her over to SOHO, where I also know the chef, and boy am I glad I do, because he ended up having to throw some big meatheads out who were bothering me and my friend. I am no damsel in distress but these guys were big and drunk and putting their hands on us and he saw what was happening and stepped in. We got there pretty late and they had closed the kitchen early and were trying to shut down, and I think some of that was because of people like the guys who were bothering us. We were starving. Because they know me, the server got us some snacks from the kitchen before they were completely broken down and it hit the late-night spot, warm biscuits and butter and some of their homemade BBQ potato chips and pimento cheese dip. My friend was really impressed that people would come to your defense like that. My friend was really impressed with the food and the care taken of the customers.

 

I drove her through/around Tremont and the Flats and Ohio City but we didn't have time for anything detailed in terms of a tour as she was only here Friday night through Sunday morning. She really enjoyed it and I loved playing tour guide for her.

^ so nice to read this. paulius to the rescue at VTR (and the SOHO crew too i see)! and a marching band!?! why am i not surprized by any of this haha.

I was really sad she didn't get to meet Paulius. He is as unique as his establishment and such a great guy. But the rescue by the chef et al at SOHO was really above and beyond. #ThisIsCLE

Just a personal anecdote to add here, but my BFF came up from Florida for the weekend and we did a sort of tour of Cleveland. She honestly loved it here. She "got" it, the gritty, rust belt heart and soul of the place. Some places/things we did:

 

Friday:

 

VTR (Velvet Tango Room) - she thought it was amazing and couldn't believe how inexpensive the drinks were (we went during happy hour, drinks are $10). Also, she forgot her credit card here, and since I know the owner, I messaged him the next morning and he went in early to make sure they had it, and left it for me at the front register. That extra personal touch really is nice.

Lola (her request) - we just had drinks as we went early and they weren't serving dinner yet, but my friend David was bartending and was super friendly to both of us and she loved it.

Butcher & Brewer - I know the chef and we were there early so we got seats at the bar. Chef came out to greet us and make sure everything had been to our liking, and some marching band came in and played in the middle of everything because of the basketball tourney stuff, and my friend thought it was fantastic. We ordered a bunch of small plates ton share and everything was amazing. She especially liked the dates and the brussels sprouts.

 

Saturday:

Superior Pho - we had an early dinner here. She loved it.

my ninja parking skills came through again, and we found a free meter a block away from Playhouse Square, where I was taking her to see Flanagan's Wake. it's a great, great show, and I'm not just saying that because I know half the cast personally, ha. It's just a super fun time and everyone there has a blast. Before the show we got a shot at Parnell's, and then popped in to 216 for another drink to wait for my friend who was joining us at the show. It's really cute in there, I hadn't been in before.

After the show, I took her over to SOHO, where I also know the chef, and boy am I glad I do, because he ended up having to throw some big meatheads out who were bothering me and my friend. I am no damsel in distress but these guys were big and drunk and putting their hands on us and he saw what was happening and stepped in. We got there pretty late and they had closed the kitchen early and were trying to shut down, and I think some of that was because of people like the guys who were bothering us. We were starving. Because they know me, the server got us some snacks from the kitchen before they were completely broken down and it hit the late-night spot, warm biscuits and butter and some of their homemade BBQ potato chips and pimento cheese dip. My friend was really impressed that people would come to your defense like that. My friend was really impressed with the food and the care taken of the customers.

 

I drove her through/around Tremont and the Flats and Ohio City but we didn't have time for anything detailed in terms of a tour as she was only here Friday night through Sunday morning. She really enjoyed it and I loved playing tour guide for her.

 

Make sure you contact the restaurant and let them know the chef helped you out, you don't need to mention that you know him.  :)

 

For most restaurants and even bars, keeping unaccompanied women or groups of them comfortable is a huge part of the business model.  It's a part of my job, though certainly not directly part of his.

 

Indeed, d-bags will ironically try that kind of crap in a lower key place because they wouldn't get away with it in a club.

the chef is the owner :)

New video:

 

Just a personal anecdote to add here, but my BFF came up from Florida for the weekend and we did a sort of tour of Cleveland. She honestly loved it here. She "got" it, the gritty, rust belt heart and soul of the place. Some places/things we did:

 

Friday:

 

VTR (Velvet Tango Room) - she thought it was amazing and couldn't believe how inexpensive the drinks were (we went during happy hour, drinks are $10). Also, she forgot her credit card here, and since I know the owner, I messaged him the next morning and he went in early to make sure they had it, and left it for me at the front register. That extra personal touch really is nice.

Lola (her request) - we just had drinks as we went early and they weren't serving dinner yet, but my friend David was bartending and was super friendly to both of us and she loved it.

Butcher & Brewer - I know the chef and we were there early so we got seats at the bar. Chef came out to greet us and make sure everything had been to our liking, and some marching band came in and played in the middle of everything because of the basketball tourney stuff, and my friend thought it was fantastic. We ordered a bunch of small plates ton share and everything was amazing. She especially liked the dates and the brussels sprouts.

 

Saturday:

Superior Pho - we had an early dinner here. She loved it.

my ninja parking skills came through again, and we found a free meter a block away from Playhouse Square, where I was taking her to see Flanagan's Wake. it's a great, great show, and I'm not just saying that because I know half the cast personally, ha. It's just a super fun time and everyone there has a blast. Before the show we got a shot at Parnell's, and then popped in to 216 for another drink to wait for my friend who was joining us at the show. It's really cute in there, I hadn't been in before.

After the show, I took her over to SOHO, where I also know the chef, and boy am I glad I do, because he ended up having to throw some big meatheads out who were bothering me and my friend. I am no damsel in distress but these guys were big and drunk and putting their hands on us and he saw what was happening and stepped in. We got there pretty late and they had closed the kitchen early and were trying to shut down, and I think some of that was because of people like the guys who were bothering us. We were starving. Because they know me, the server got us some snacks from the kitchen before they were completely broken down and it hit the late-night spot, warm biscuits and butter and some of their homemade BBQ potato chips and pimento cheese dip. My friend was really impressed that people would come to your defense like that. My friend was really impressed with the food and the care taken of the customers.

 

I drove her through/around Tremont and the Flats and Ohio City but we didn't have time for anything detailed in terms of a tour as she was only here Friday night through Sunday morning. She really enjoyed it and I loved playing tour guide for her.

 

Thanks for sharing!  Always fun to read these type of stories.

 

Saturday:

Superior Pho - we had an early dinner here. She loved it.

my ninja parking skills came through again, and we found a free meter a block away from Playhouse Square, where I was taking her to see Flanagan's Wake. it's a great, great show, and I'm not just saying that because I know half the cast personally, ha. It's just a super fun time and everyone there has a blast. Before the show we got a shot at Parnell's, and then popped in to 216 for another drink to wait for my friend who was joining us at the show. It's really cute in there, I hadn't been in before.

After the show, I took her over to SOHO, where I also know the chef, and boy am I glad I do, because he ended up having to throw some big meatheads out who were bothering me and my friend. I am no damsel in distress but these guys were big and drunk and putting their hands on us and he saw what was happening and stepped in. We got there pretty late and they had closed the kitchen early and were trying to shut down, and I think some of that was because of people like the guys who were bothering us. We were starving. Because they know me, the server got us some snacks from the kitchen before they were completely broken down and it hit the late-night spot, warm biscuits and butter and some of their homemade BBQ potato chips and pimento cheese dip. My friend was really impressed that people would come to your defense like that. My friend was really impressed with the food and the care taken of the customers.

 

 

I'm both not surprised and surprised by your story.

 

Not surprised by he reaction of the chef co-owner.  I know SOHO's owner and have met her husband.  She is awesome and he seems like a great guy (they met in culinary school) -- he's the kind of decent sort who would step up to the plate as you said he did.  I don't know the exact detail of what happened, but obviously chivalry isn't dead among certain guys, and that's good to know.

 

I am surprised at the setting.  I'm not just putting SOHO on a pedestal because of my relations with these good folks, but it is the least likely venue for that kind of behavior.  SOHO stands out on the W. 25th strip (like Mitchell's Ice Cream for other, obvious reasons) because it's such a small, homey, anti-bar type place: more of a true sit-down restaurant- I mean SOHO is their humorous play on the words: SOuthern HOspitality.  I used to playfully chide the owners because, for more than a year into their operation, the flat screen TV over their little bar wasn't even hooked up to cable, so they kept it turned off.  It didn't really matter much, because the restaurant is so much more a low-key, classy place that emphasizes service, good food and good relations with their customers, it's not a pick-up kind of place where guys (and women) drift in to watch sports (that said, I'm glad they finally hooked up the TV :) ... But it goes to show that incidents like this can happen anywhere and I guess given SOHO's locale at the epicenter of Ohio City's thriving strip, maybe it shouldn't be all that surprising.  It's also good to know that some guys, like the co-owner/chef will stand up to drunken fools like the ones you and your friend unfortunately suffered, especially these days where such intervention comes with considerable risk...

 

... too bad it happened, but I'm glad it worked out as it did and the 2 of you went on to enjoy your friend's short visit, and that it even enhanced her obviously already high opinion of Cleveland.... Thanks for sharing.

 

Saturday:

Superior Pho - we had an early dinner here. She loved it.

my ninja parking skills came through again, and we found a free meter a block away from Playhouse Square, where I was taking her to see Flanagan's Wake. it's a great, great show, and I'm not just saying that because I know half the cast personally, ha. It's just a super fun time and everyone there has a blast. Before the show we got a shot at Parnell's, and then popped in to 216 for another drink to wait for my friend who was joining us at the show. It's really cute in there, I hadn't been in before.

After the show, I took her over to SOHO, where I also know the chef, and boy am I glad I do, because he ended up having to throw some big meatheads out who were bothering me and my friend. I am no damsel in distress but these guys were big and drunk and putting their hands on us and he saw what was happening and stepped in. We got there pretty late and they had closed the kitchen early and were trying to shut down, and I think some of that was because of people like the guys who were bothering us. We were starving. Because they know me, the server got us some snacks from the kitchen before they were completely broken down and it hit the late-night spot, warm biscuits and butter and some of their homemade BBQ potato chips and pimento cheese dip. My friend was really impressed that people would come to your defense like that. My friend was really impressed with the food and the care taken of the customers.

 

 

I'm both not surprised and surprised by your story.

 

Not surprised by he reaction of the chef co-owner.  I know SOHO's owner and have met her husband.  She is awesome and he seems like a great guy (they met in culinary school) -- he's the kind of decent sort who would step up to the plate as you said he did.  I don't know the exact detail of what happened, but obviously chivalry isn't dead among certain guys, and that's good to know.

 

I am surprised at the setting.  I'm not just putting SOHO on a pedestal because of my relations with these good folks, but it is the least likely venue for that kind of behavior.  SOHO stands out on the W. 25th strip (like Mitchell's Ice Cream for other, obvious reasons) because it's such a small, homey, anti-bar type place: more of a true sit-down restaurant- I mean SOHO is their humorous play on the words: SOuthern HOspitality.  I used to playfully chide the owners because, for more than a year into their operation, the flat screen TV over their little bar wasn't even hooked up to cable, so they kept it turned off.  It didn't really matter much, because the restaurant is so much more a low-key, classy place that emphasizes service, good food and good relations with their customers, it's not a pick-up kind of place where guys (and women) drift in to watch sports (that said, I'm glad they finally hooked up the TV :) ... But it goes to show that incidents like this can happen anywhere and I guess given SOHO's locale at the epicenter of Ohio City's thriving strip, maybe it shouldn't be all that surprising.  It's also good to know that some guys, like the co-owner/chef will stand up to drunken fools like the ones you and your friend unfortunately suffered, especially these days where such intervention comes with considerable risk...

 

... too bad it happened, but I'm glad it worked out as it did and the 2 of you went on to enjoy your friend's short visit, and that it even enhanced her obviously already high opinion of Cleveland.... Thanks for sharing.

 

It will happen in a more low key place because it doesn't always get nipped in the bud very quickly there.  In this case, RnR knew the chef so he knew the nonsense was unwelcome.  But as I tell women I know or customers, if you don't know someone on duty, always make it clear that you don't appreciate the "attention".  Even if it does not dissuade the idiots, it lets staff know that intervention is welcome.  Don't tolerate it in order to "keep the peace".  I've actually tried to help out in situations only to find that the ladies not only didn't mind but were amused.  Go figure.

Yeah, SOHO is about the last place I expected something like that as well. I've been going there for years and never experienced anything like that. They were clearly out of towners in town for the basketball hoo-ha. The chef is a good guy and it really meant more to me than I can say that he stepped up like that. These were pretty big guys and obviously very drunk and if they had wanted to, they could have given him a pounding. Goes to character. And made me feel even more dedicated to giving them my business as often as I can. 

Yeah, SOHO is about the last place I expected something like that as well. I've been going there for years and never experienced anything like that. They were clearly out of towners in town for the basketball hoo-ha. The chef is a good guy and it really meant more to me than I can say that he stepped up like that. These were pretty big guys and obviously very drunk and if they had wanted to, they could have given him a pounding. Goes to character. And made me feel even more dedicated to giving them my business as often as I can. 

 

You don't have to look as far as two doors down to see where those meatheads came from.  I still haven't stepped foot in town hall and probably never will.  My wife and I were walking from Crop to Mitchells one night around Christmas and there were decorations out.  About 6 dudes jumped out of a taxi van and walked into Town Hall yelling just stupid, mindless, sophomoric things.  We looked at each other and pretty much said we weren't surprised.  I assume it was spill over from there considering Soho is a high brow place.  I don't understand Town Hall.  Not that west 25th will ever take the path of west 6th, because the business owners and residents wont let it, but it just seems like such a lazy business plan.  And the customers, where do these people come from?

Townhall is great for lunch/early dinner and drinks.  They brew rising star coffee, have decent food, and a good beer list.  But if you stay there after 9:30pm it becomes hell on earth.  After the sun goes down, I avoid that place like the plague.

^Agree. I view Town Hall as the slightly more trendy cousin of Around the Corner in Lakewood. For some reason, my friends love the place, but I despise being there on a Friday or Saturday night.

Ok I used to be an A the C regular so I get that comment, but also have not been to Townhall.

Yeah, SOHO is about the last place I expected something like that as well. I've been going there for years and never experienced anything like that. They were clearly out of towners in town for the basketball hoo-ha. The chef is a good guy and it really meant more to me than I can say that he stepped up like that. These were pretty big guys and obviously very drunk and if they had wanted to, they could have given him a pounding. Goes to character. And made me feel even more dedicated to giving them my business as often as I can. 

 

You don't have to look as far as two doors down to see where those meatheads came from.  I still haven't stepped foot in town hall and probably never will.  My wife and I were walking from Crop to Mitchells one night around Christmas and there were decorations out.  About 6 dudes jumped out of a taxi van and walked into Town Hall yelling just stupid, mindless, sophomoric things.  We looked at each other and pretty much said we weren't surprised.  I assume it was spill over from there considering Soho is a high brow place.  I don't understand Town Hall.  Not that west 25th will ever take the path of west 6th, because the business owners and residents wont let it, but it just seems like such a lazy business plan.  And the customers, where do these people come from?

 

I'm not familiar with these places specifically, but places of that nature that want to remain in business have a protocol for dealing with drunken idiots in general, and drunken idiots bothering female customers in particular.  Drunks seem to have an instinct for what they can get away with, too.  (Except tonight.  Tonight is amateur night.)

 

Odds are good that Dumb and Dumber got tossed from somewhere else, and wandered into the lower key place, with which they were unfamiliar.

 

^I think some folks are a little harsh on Town Hall. I find it a fun and interesting place -- the food can even be decent-- and I love the fact that it attracts such a large crowd to OC most hours it's open.  The place is always buzzing and his really brought W. 25th's mid-block to life.... I'm sorry but the memory of wads of trash blowing along empty W. 25th during non-WSM hours is too fresh in my mind to scoff at places like Town Hall.  Plus any comparison with the rowdy joints in the WHD is a real stretch as most of those really rowdy joints feature live bands and, to my knowledge, TH does not. ... TH is a large restaurant and micro-brew sports bar.  I like the semi-self serve general store next door/attached to the main restaurant where, frequently, you have to take a number for a table...In any place that attracts large crowds, there can be issues, but I think it's unfair to imply that TH attracts this kind of trouble.  I have seen occasional public drunkenness on W. 25 at night, but I've seen that even before TH opened...

 

It seems in Cleveland we just can't strike a comfortable balance with some folks.  Like with the Flats, we loved it's fun and excitement, ... it just became too exciting for some... Knuckleheads are in every city's thriving entertainment district.  Other cities deal with it, so I hope we here in Cleveland mature as a really "hot" spot so we can do the same and not freak out.

I love townhall and constantly frequent it. Good bourbon and whiskey selection and their food is non-GMO... It's very good IMO. What good bar doesn't have some type of non-desirables? You can't have a vendetta against a business because of one time some guys jumped out of a car screaming stupidity..

I love townhall and constantly frequent it. Good bourbon and whiskey selection and their food is non-GMO... It's very good IMO. What good bar doesn't have some type of non-desirables? You can't have a vendetta against a business because of one time some guys jumped out of a car screaming stupidity..

 

Agreed.  With those kind of standards you're limiting yourself to maybe the restaurant at the Grace Cathedral.  And maybe not even that joint. 

 

Anywhere you have alcohol and ladies you'll have D-bags.  As sure as the sun will rise.  And hopefully Cleveland keeps supporting all these establishments.

I just find the whole place a lazy piggyback off of real talent. That's fabios MO, in my opinion. Reddstone was the same way. The identity is just find what's hot at other places and emulate it. Wooden interiors- check, organic foods, check. Large microbrew selection- check, shakes, cigars, rice bowls, check, check, check.  And the service and waitstaff was bad. I realize it appeals to many, but I enjoy more chill joints with their own niche and talent that they have perfected. Just my opinion. Happy it's there and doing well, I just won't be found in there.

 

Never seen a douchbag at Toast or Spice. Heck I haven't even seen one at Happy Dog and the clientele ranges to just about anybody there! The leadership of those places hold their business and clientele to high standards

This is a great conversation, but it might be more appropriate for a restaurant review thread?

^I think some folks are a little harsh on Town Hall. I find it a fun and interesting place -- the food can even be decent-- and I love the fact that it attracts such a large crowd to OC most hours it's open.  The place is always buzzing and his really brought W. 25th's mid-block to life.... I'm sorry but the memory of wads of trash blowing along empty W. 25th during non-WSM hours is too fresh in my mind to scoff at places like Town Hall.  Plus any comparison with the rowdy joints in the WHD is a real stretch as most of those really rowdy joints feature live bands and, to my knowledge, TH does not. ... TH is a large restaurant and micro-brew sports bar.  I like the semi-self serve general store next door/attached to the main restaurant where, frequently, you have to take a number for a table...In any place that attracts large crowds, there can be issues, but I think it's unfair to imply that TH attracts this kind of trouble.  I have seen occasional public drunkenness on W. 25 at night, but I've seen that even before TH opened...

 

It seems in Cleveland we just can't strike a comfortable balance with some folks.  Like with the Flats, we loved it's fun and excitement, ... it just became too exciting for some... Knuckleheads are in every city's thriving entertainment district.  Other cities deal with it, so I hope we here in Cleveland mature as a really "hot" spot so we can do the same and not freak out.

 

Oh, we deal with them, just like anywhere else.  Places they frequent know exactly how to do so.  Just like Hooters, the Kilt, and keep-going know how to deal with creepers and stalkers.  Ever watch the ladies leave for their cars at a respectable "gentleman's club"?  It's as organized as a military operation.

 

Places they stumble into may or may not be prepared, as the chef at Soho showed.    But as is mentioned above, what you accept is what you get.

 

Though I beg to differ that thefts and assaults in parking lots are "exciting".

The chef/owner at SOHO is my brother in law, so glad to hear he came to the rescue.  Speaking of SOHO, they had a great Pappy Van Winkle tasting/dinner last night.  For those that don't know, Pappy is considered some of the best bourbon in the world and very very very tough to actually get a bottle at retail.  They had a tasting of every one produced - 10, 12, 15, 20, and 23 years.  It was very good and they sent out a ton of food.  I actually told my brother in law they probably didn't need that much food!  In addition, everyone got a gift bag with fixings to make an old fashioned. 

 

Here are some pics:

 

Yes, I have friends that go to all their Pappy tastings and I live vicariously through them.

 

Your BIL is a stand-up guy and it's an awesome place. I really felt like a valued regular in a way I never expected. Like a friend at a neighborhood pub. Honestly it really meant a lot to me, and will always stick with me. I'm no shrinking violet and I can take care of myself so it takes a big man to step in when it becomes clear I need an assist, which is rare.

 

One day I would love to go to one of those Pappy tastings. Maybe when I sell a book.

My wife and I went to Santorini Greek Taverna in the WHD (Cleveland) last night. She is 100% Greek so she has been waiting for this one to open. She loved it and said it was the most authentic Greek food she has had since the last time she was in Astoria.  I am not a big fan of Greek food myself, but enjoyed everything I tried. Good atmosphere. Highly recommended. The real test will come the next time my mother in law comes to visit. I hope this one survives

Hts, my wife and I went to Santorini's last night as well. The food was amazing. Seriously, the grilled octopus was some of the best octopus I've ever had. I'll usually order it if I see it on a menu and I'm usually disappointed. We also had the sausage appetizer and the grilled lamb chops. I'm comfortable to say the best meal we've had in the last6 months and we eat out a lot. I really hope this place makes it as well.

^ funny we ate greek yesterday as well for lunch. i had really been craving it for awhile. i love greek food, but not all of it. i can do without the desserts and the phyllo stuff like spanakopita. i like the more typically pan-mediterranean items, like grilled items, fish, lamb and souvlaki. we had taramosalada, lemon potatos, grilled sardines and retsina. fwiw the restaurant was aganati taverna in queens on the corner of astoria park. nice, busy place. anyway im glad to hear a review of santorini i have been looking forward to trying it.

 

here are the sardines!

 

 

 

^^what time were you there?  We sat down around 730. Had a table against the north wall in the front

 

My wife got the octopus too and she loved it. I had the salmon for my entree and it was outstanding

We got there at 6:30 and left right around 8. We were at the table just past the host stand and to!the left. After the octopus and sausage entrees, we split an entree of grilled lamp chops. They were delicious.

I love good octopus, but it's hard to find inland.  Can't wait to try this place.

I haven't been as adventurous as you two, but I went there for lunch and had a gyro and it was pretty frickin good

I really don't like Octopus, but I tried a bite and it was quite tolerable (take that in the context of someone who just generally doesn't like the dish).  It was still chewy, but not rubbery at all.  The sauce it came with was good.  I am not sure how the entrée differs from the app, but she got the app. 

 

As for pricing, we kind of went wild with an app, an entrée, and an extra side dish for each of us, plus two desserts and a few drinks.  Total bill was $120, without the tip.  The portions were "Greek", so we left there with a large bag of leftovers to enjoy yesterday.

Jonathan Sawyer's northern Italian restaurant, Trentina, instantly became my favorite place in NEO when it opened. I think he was justly recognized with the James Beard award shortly after, but the last year or so I felt that the tasting menu had fallen a little short. It wasn't blowing me away as it had in the past. The tasting menu or Menu Bianco, as Sawyer calls it, is $150 per person with an additional $50 for drink pairings, so it needs to wow people to stay relevant in Cleveland. In the past month or so I heard that Trentina had hired a new young chef de cuisine, so last night I tried it out again for the first time in at least 8 months. I was blown away! Like the first time I had the menu bianco at Trentina, it was a transcendent experience. Korey Aldrich is the new chef de cuisine and recently married and moved here, his wife's hometown, from San Francisco where he had worked at Saison, one of the best restaurants in the world. 

Admittedly, it was cold last night and it is the week after the holidays so there is bound to be some hangover but the restaurant was almost empty on a Thursday night. Our experience took 4 hours and I think there were only 4 other tables in that time. I hope Cleveland can appreciate this place, it really is world class.

Thanks for that review.  I've been meaning to check this out but for what will amount to a $500 night out with the Mrs., I better have the greatest meal of my life.

Service industry is getting murdered this and last week due to the abnormal weather.