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potato bacon basil soup at peller estates winery

Peller Estates Winery Restaurant Review

by The Chubby Cook on 11. Aug, 2010 in Restaurant Reviews

Peller Estates is a really beautiful place to visit. They have consistently been producing wines that are above average for the Niagara region. Our reason to visit Peller recently was not solely to sample the wine, but to enjoy some of the delicious food they prepare in their restaurant. Over the past four years, we have eaten at Peller on four different occasions, including our stop this past weekend. Our experience has always been positive with fresh takes on dishes with a clean and elegant finish. The wine parings have been spot on in most instances as well. Overall, this has turned into a destination location for a good meal.

Caroline and I had been looking forward to this past weekend for several weeks. We were visiting her parents in Ft. Erie which is about 25 minutes south of Niagara on the Lake. The plan was to leave Jack with her parents and enjoy an afternoon of good food and wine. We did not have reservations, but have been to the area enough to know where is good and where to avoid. Our first stop was at La Cachette which is associated with Strewn Winery. This location is unique due to the cooking school, restaurant, winery and store which are provided all under one roof. Unfortunately for us, the menu looked completely uninspiring, so we sampled some wine (which was not all that great… also unfortunate) and headed out to Hillebrand Winery.

Hillebrand has been the standard which we have compared all meals in the Niagara region. We have spent several four hour dinners at their location and have always been impressed by their food. The Trius wine they offer at one point seemed like the best wine to us in the region, but we have since found better up on the Bench. I’ll get to that in another post or check out my reviews on Yelp. When we arrived at the restaurant at Hillebrand, we were behind another couple who were interested in the desert menu. The hostess was completely rude to them. They left and we idled up to the stand, asking to see a menu before we committed to the restaurant. A long story short, the menu looked boring- I had seen everything on it at other locations in Cleveland. The hostess was rude to us as well, so we decided that this was not the location for us. There’s no need to be a jerk to people looking to spend a bundle on a nice meal. We left the restaurant and figured we would taste some of their wine. Good grief- do they have their heads up their asses. They moved to a flight tasting menu where you have to pay $7 for three one ounce pours of their wine. The girl behind the counter was a complete idiot, justifying the price by stating that there are two $18 bottles and one $25 bottle being tasted. Give me a break. I was interested in tasting their Sauvignon Blanc and their Cab. I would have had to pay $14 to do it- what a ripoff. So, Hillebrand is off our list for a return as well as any recommendations that we might have for people looking in the area.

We left Hillebrand and headed over to Peller Estates hoping that we would be successful, otherwise it would be strike three. The hostess at Peller was exceptionally nice and put us at a wonderful table for two overlooking the courtyard and vineyard. The day was beautiful at about 75 degrees and we couldn’t be happier. The menu was a bit strange however. It was Saturday at 2:00PM and they were serving brunch. Brunch? Yes, brunch. Seemed a little lame to me overall- why not have a full menu on Saturday? Brunch is supposed to be on Sunday. The brunch was set at $47 per person, which is a bit steep when you consider that they were offering essentially soup or salad for starters and basic lunch fare for your main meal. Dessert is included as well, but certainly didn’t justify the price tag. For an additional $25 you can enjoy a wine paring chosen by the chef. We both chose the wine paring and different meals.

Caroline started with the potato soup with goat cheese, bacon and basil. It was really incredible. Rich and layered with flavor. I started with the tomato caprese salad with soya (soybean) oil and goat cheese. It was absolutely delicious with huge heirloom tomatoes and just the perfect amount of salt and oil. Very satisfying. My dish was paired with the riesling which I thought overpowered the dish. My second dish was served with a chardonnay, which was mellow enough that it would have been better paired with the tomatoes.

For our main course, Caroline ordered the capon over pasta with tomato and goat cheese. Unfortunately, they forgot to add the goat cheese. This really sucked since our waiter explained to us that the flavor for the dish was drawn from the hot pasta being mixed with the goat cheese and tomatoes. They delivered the goat cheese on the side, but it still was a big bummer. I ordered the Croque Monsieur. My sandwich was way overcooked. The ham was completely dry and crumbling out of the sandwich. There was’t any moisture to be found anywhere on the plate. The icewine slaw they served with the dish was as dry as the sandwich. They said that there was berry compote, but it was enough for about one bite of the sandwich. I say BOO to the main dishes. Chef Jason Parsons should have been paying more attention to the food going out. These are the basics, like making sure that dishes are seasoned. All the ingredients? Check. Good. Nothing WAAAY overcooked? Check. Good.

Layered with flavor- this is one good soup. Photo by Scott Groth

The dessert was really not great. Essentially they were sheet cakes with some different toppings. I don’t think I need to go into more detail here. If you’re going to charge $50 bucks, give me something other than sheet cake. The saving grace for the dessert was the icewine which was oak aged. We have had a lot of icewine between us and neither have had an oak aged icewine. It was really delicious with a thick and rich mouth-feel and just enough sweetness from the honey flavor which was offset by the spiciness of the oak. Wow. It was really a tremendously delicious wine. That glass alone made the $25 chef’s paring worth the price of admission.

Peller Estates Restaurant Dessert on the patio

Delicious: View, Icewine and so-so dessert. Photo by Scott Groth

So, I spent a bunch of time going over the good and the bad of this joint. What I can say is that we will go back in the future in hopes of a better outcome. To Chef Parson’s credit, we were seated just after two huge parties (one was at least 35 people) were served so the kitchen was probably in the weeds. Weeds or not, forgetting ingredients and overcooking food is really for the birds. Next time we will most likely visit for dinner rather than lunch so that we can work into a full menu rather than a limited brunch menu. The wine parings will be purchased again because they were all enjoyable. Our server was courteous and professional, which is what I expect at a location like this. He stayed out of our business and checked in at the appropriate times. The only letdown there was when we commented on our dishes and less than a halfhearted gesture was made to remedy the issues. Maybe next time we won’t have any issues, which would be great.

Peller is a sister winery to Hillebrand. I say congrats to Peller for insisting on at least decent customer service. Maybe Hillebrand will teach some manners to their hostess and rethink their menu to excite the palette rather than dull the senses. I also say congrats to Peller for creating an icewine that is different enough to make me take notice. Their rosé was just interesting enough for us to buy a bottle and the sauvignon blanc is worth buying as well. The people working in their store are extremely knowledgeable and courteous, which goes a long way with us. If you are in the area, be sure that you check out Peller Estates. Buy some wine and then head to Cheese Secrets in Niagara on the Lake proper to pick up some goodies to eat with some fresh bread in your hotel room. Now that sounds the a great start to an evening.

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J Alexanders Grilled Chicken Salad

J. Alexanders in Beachwood, OH

by The Chubby Cook on 20. Jul, 2010 in Restaurant Reviews

Let me start by saying that I know that J. Alexanders is a chain restaurant. If you have read my post on Drunk & Full about how I feel with regard to chain restaurants, then you would think I wouldn’t be going here. Seems like I have been eating at a lot of chains recently for some unknown reason.  Check this moment of clarity: the J. Alexander’s chain does it different. Not sure how, but every time I go there they have great food and top notch service. The prices are a little steep, but I think that the overall experience makes up for it.

This restaurant is always busy at lunch. Over the last six years, I have probably eaten here forty or fifty times, almost always at lunch.  Try to get there by 11:45 to get a bar table. The funny thing is that I have only had about ten things on the menu. No need to stray when you have some favorites. There are two dishes in particular that I really have to think about before I order to make sure I am getting exactly what I want that day. The first is the Grilled Chicken Salad, which is in the picture. This salad is really incredible. It has some great crunch with the thin tortilla strips, freshness from the mixed greens, moisture from the perfectly delicious dressing and everything else I love with the tomatoes, feta and juicy chicken. The croissant you see is made in house and has a honey butter on it. So good that you want a dozen, but know one is more than enough. When I order this salad, I get extra feta which they bring in a little cup alongside the salad. No charge either- fantastic. This salad stands no chance when it is set down in front of me. I have had about half of their salads and this one is far and away the best.

The other meal that pulls at my gut is the Veggie Burger. WHAT? A VEGGIE BURGER? No, I am not a vegetarian, as you should know from the other blog posts that are a carnivores wet dream. It took quite some time and a lot of convincing by some good friends of mine for me to order the burger. The first time I ordered it was under duress. It was for dinner the day that Jackson was born. I had been up for 70 hours or something and figured that the salad wouldn’t travel well. My friend Dan asked me if I was feeling okay since I ordered the veggie burger. I told him just to please bring food. It was fantastic. I have had other veggie burgers, mostly based on dares, and none even hold a glimmer of hope at tasting good compared to this one. This burger is HUGE. Probably just slightly under 2 inches thick and as wide as a large kaiser roll. It comes with lettuce, tomato, cheese and some really good mayo on it. It even smells great when they bring it out.

We have been trying to figure out exactly what is in this burger but so far have only come up with some rice and grain. It is house made and the other ingredients will probably forever remain a mystery to me. I’m okay with that, so long as it keeps on tasting delicious. I like the fact that it is house made as well. Unlike Michael Symon’s B-Spot that serves Morningstar Veggie Burgers, it shows that J. Alexander’s has the veggie burger figured out. They spent some time on it and have converted at least ten carnivores that I know to try this monstrosity. It comes with a side of fries (the thin kind that are crispy- yumm.) This is more than a meal and will stick to your ribs well through dinner. Think of how you feel hours after downing a Chipotle Burrito. Transfer that thought to a post-meal J. Alexander’s Veggie Burger. Hands down, the best veggie burger I think you will eat.

Like I said, the service here is way too good to be part of a chain. When you walk in and out of the restaurant, they open and close the door for you. Unnecessary, but a really nice touch. Your wait staff are quick, friendly and pay attention to their customers needs rather than their own. If you are at a lunch meeting and are in a discussion, they don’t hover over your table until someone acknowledges them. They come back when there is a break in the conversation. Typically, we sit at the bar booths which are perfect for a quick lunch. The bartenders are responsible for the service which is usually a service nightmare at most restaurants.  At J. Alexander’s, they are incredible at what they do. I don’t remember the last time that my iced tea even reached half way empty before there was another at the table. Although the staff are required to upsell you on apps when you sit down, there are no other complaints about the service. Nice job J. Alexanders.

The restaurant itself is huge and has an excellent atmosphere about it. The kitchen is open, but not the focal point of the restaurant. There bar area is separate from the main dining area and the main dining area has several levels which breaks up the floor. They have an outside seating area which is nice in Cleveland. The only issue with sitting outside is that the chairs weigh an absolute ton. The chairs look like they were meant to be bolted into the ground.  Cast iron, huge and ridiculously heavy- nobody is making off with their patio furniture.  Take that, would-be Beachwood area patio furniture thieves.

There are two complaints I have for J. Alexanders. The first is they do not allow take-out orders over the phone. You actually have to go in, order and sit at the bar while you wait. I can’t tell you the number of times we have been driving back from Chautauqua and would have picked up some J. Alexanders to bring home. I don’t get why they don’t take orders over the phone. What’s the point of having a phone in a restaurant? The other point of contention is the website. It’s flash based and really not good. For this review I was hoping to see a menu so I could tell you about more stuff that we have ordered. I know they have locations all over the US and that many locations have different items on the menu.  That is really no excuse not to have the menu online.  Programmers at J. Alexander’s, do your homework and get on it. You can find the locations, just add a menu feature to that page.  It’s simple, really.

I have been to the J. Alexanders in Atlanta, GA, in Scottsdale, AZ and very frequently in Beachwood, OH. The service at each is top notch, the food is excellent and the restaurants are very well maintained. Whatever equation this chain follows from the management down to the expediters, it works. There are so many other chains that could follow suit, but don’t. Nice work J. Alexanders. You will remain in my rotation.

J. Alexander's Grilled Chicken Salad

A perfect mountain of salad. Try one today. Photo by Scott Groth

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Original Pancake House eggs n hashbrowns

The Original Pancake House in Woodmere, OH

by The Chubby Cook on 19. Jul, 2010 in Restaurant Reviews

When you need a place for a breakfast meeting, you should schedule it for the Original Pancake House on Chagrin Blvd. in Woodmere. Here’s the deal… the food is not all that great, but the restaurant is setup for people to have meetings there. The service isn’t top notch and if you are drinking anything but coffee, you should never hope for a refill. But the joint is PACKED every morning of the work week with people doing business. Let’s figure out why.

Not much to look at, but a great place to meet. Photo by Scott Groth

Like I said, the food is not all that great. It is called the Original Pancake House, so they should have some killer pancakes, right? That’s what we thought, but they are thin with a wet feeling finished product, like they have been steamed or something. The flavor isn’t great either. Tastes like there is something fake in the batter. Can’t put my finger on it, but something is not right. Caroline ordered the blueberry pancakes and I think that the blueberries are canned or something. There wasn’t a whole blueberry in the lot and they didn’t taste like blueberries either. Weird. So, pancakes are out. What’s next? The omelettes are frickin huge- so big that I can’t finish them and I’m chubby. There is a ton of egg in them and quite a bit of whatever it is you ordered inside as well. What they are missing is some type of seasoning. A huge heap of egg with ingredients just isn’t all that great. Toss in some spice people! The same goes for the home fries. They are cooked pretty well but have no crust from the grill. You have to order them well done to get even a light browning. And there is no spice. Pancake House people, spice it up baby! What is excellent here is the thick cut bacon. Damn, that is good stuff. No spice needed here.

blueberry pancakes at Original Pancake House

Flat no flavor blueberry pancakes. Boring. Photo by Scott Groth

The service is only good if you know one of the wait staff. My friend Jamie and I go there frequently enough that we do, but when I first started there it was a good fifteen minute wait between when you sat down and when you saw the waiter at your table again. In particular, there is a lady that works here who is just no good. I don’t know her name, but will find out and post an update. I like to make my own breakfast sandwich with eggs over hard with cheddar and bacon on sourdough toast. She once delivered the eggs, cheese and bacon, but no toast. Twenty minutes later after 2 reminders, still no toast. What’s the dilly yo?

If you are a coffee drinker, which I am not, you will be pleased that every thirty seconds there is someone roaming the restaurant with piping hot regular and unleaded. If your cup is ever empty, you are either a fish or have waved them off enough times that they finally got the picture. If you drink water, juice or soda you should ration your drink to get you through the whole meal. I get that juice isn’t a free-refill type beverage, but I’ll pay for another after chewing on that deliciously salty bacon if I could just get someone to bring it to the table. Get the picture? Good. Onward and upward.

So, not great food, so-so service and lackluster beverage retrieval. Why is this place great for meetings? Tons of tables and almost no sound proofing in the entire joint. At 7:30A on any weekday, the place is packed with people having a power breakfast. You see every walk of life there pitching something to somebody. It gets loud enough that there is not chance to eaves drop on the table next to you. I have tried several times and have gotten nowhere.

Free wi-fi with a password that changes every couple of months. I like this feature in a restaurant. If you want to get on, you ask the owner who will give you the password. Next time you come, maybe it works, maybe it doesn’t. This past visit, we were working on my Facebook fan page and the speed on the line was exceptional. There were no annoying ads or disclaimers. Surf at your own risk? Sure, but it felt like I was at home. Perfect for the business person or home-office worker looking for a place out of the home. An office away from the office if you will. Why people sit at Starbucks or Panera Bread when this joint is so close has confused me for a while.

The last reason it is great for business is because the owner knows that business happens there. When he seats you, you get this “have a great meeting.” It’s a great primer and sets the stage. If you get there early he will seat you away from the other people until the joint is getting full. It’s a mini-privacy thing which I like. But the biggest reason the Original Pancake House is great for meetings is you never feel rushed out. You can wolf down your meal and sit there for another four hours if you want. They will keep pouring you coffee every thirty seconds until you leave with a smile. The wait staff doesn’t give you dirty looks or stop off at the table to clear everything off. You can just sit and talk. And talk. And talk if you want. Or read your paper or even a book. Whatever it is you want to do, consider that table yours until you choose to get up and leave. I think that’s an excellent policy and more restaurants would benefit from it.

If you are in the Beachwood area, you don’t have a whole lot of choice for breakfast. There is Yours Truly which seats about seven people; Corky & Lenny’s which has been closed more times than a car door due to sanitation issues or the Original Pancake House. When you put it that way, if you are into the restaurant business, I bet you would make a killing opening a really good breakfast joint around this area. Until something better comes along, take a stop in at the Original Pancake House to pitch something to someone while enjoying mediocre food and piping hot coffee.

Where's the spice? The brown on the hash to make em hash browns? Photo by Scott Groth

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Harry Buffalo French Chicken Salad

Harry Buffalo in North Olmsted

by The Chubby Cook on 17. Jul, 2010 in Restaurant Reviews

For those of you who are not from Cleveland, you need to understand something about this city. There is an East Side and a West Side. Most people from the East Side don’t go to the West Side and vice versa. For some reason, all East Siders think that the West Side is on another planet and it takes just as long to get there as it would to get to the moon. I am a die-hard East Sider. Why? I have no idea, I just am. There are plenty of great restaurants and things to do on the West Side, but I don’t know the area well and am not inclined to drive more than 30 or 40 minutes to get somewhere. I guess the same could be said about Akron- that’s only about 35 or 40 minutes away and it never comes to mind when we are trying to figure someplace to go.

Knowing this information, we now plug in that North Olmsted is on the West Side. And the Harry Buffalo is a bar. There is no way that I would travel all that way for bar food. I think that is a truism of life. I was on the West Side at the Disney store picking up a die cast Frank the Combine for Connor’s birthday tomorrow and met a friend who lives and works on the West Side at this location. So now that the mystery of the Harry Buffalo location is solved, let’s get to the review.

This bar is decked out- it’s new and has both an inside and an outside seating area. Being that it was 90 degrees and humid, I opted for the inside. I saddled up to the bar because I was about a half hour early and ordered a beer. Their beer lineup was just okay, nothing special, but they had two that I had never tried before. The first was a Leinenkugel called Summer Shandy. This was a cloudy beer with a soft hay color to it. The citrus smelling head on the beer was like no other beer I have enjoyed without adding some type of citrus to it. It smelled like the tail end of a lemon air freshener that has been in a car for too long. The taste was initially refreshing but smacked my palette on the tail end with bitter lemon. If you like lemon, this is a beer for you. Not for me.

The bartender had a certain trucker aura about her that I couldn’t exactly place, but she was at least nice. She dropped off my second beer which was Bell’s Oberon Ale. This beer had a huge head on it and smelled of orange. Apparently the manager likes fruity beers at the Harry Buffalo. This is a slightly sweet beer but after the lemon of the Summer Shandy, I just couldn’t handle it. Down the shoot quick like a bunny. Two outs in a row. Three outs and it’s game over Harry Buffalo.

So my friend Lisa shows up and we take a look at the menu. The menu is a little unusual. It’s got a little bit of everything and is kinda confusing to look through. The design department sorta just upchucked every possible idea all over the menu. They have pictures of the pages on fire and of these strange looking wooden buffalo heads- it’s really just a terrible looking menu. The food on the menu is all over the map as well. Burgers, salads, wraps, pizza, “buffatizers,” “chickentizers,” hot sandwiches, cold sandwiches, signature sandwiches, lions, tigers and bears… Oh my! Give me a break people- it’s simple: appetizers, sandwiches, pizza, dessert. Keep it simple, stupid.

We choose our meals. I am psyched because they have something called a Mahi slider. I am a sucker for a mahi-mahi sandwich and have never had a mahi slider before. Lisa is being good and orders a salad. The Buffalo French Chicken Salad. Well, we’ll see what happens with this one. About fifteen minutes later, our food arrives. Overall, it looks good.

Then, I kicked the tires and looked under the hood. My mahi sliders were weird looking. I thought that she brought me something other than Mahi. For the first time in my life I was staring at a mahi nugget. That’s right, they flaked off some mahi-mahi, added some binder and compressed it into a nugget. It reminded me of a fishy chicken roll or something. Really strange and not all that appetizing. Is it that hard to grill up a piece of fish, quarter it and toss it into a mini-bun? Apparently at the Harry Buffalo it is way too hard to do that. Better to open up a plastic bag and pull out four mahi-mahi nuggets and go to town.

Fish nugget aside, there was just about no sauce on it. So you have this dried out, weird sausage patty looking thing with no flavor and then no sauce. Had plenty of raw onion which I promptly picked off. Huge piece of lettuce? Check. Giant slab of tomato? Check. Flavor? Umm… I think they forgot to check for that one.

harry buffalo in North Olmsted

Ever seen a compressed, Mahi Mahi nugget? Here it is! Photo by Scott Groth

When Lisa’s salad arrived, she looked at it with what I could only call apprehension. Maybe I was reading the situation wrong, but it wasn’t exactly a look of wonderment. I know, it’s just a salad, but wait till you read my J. Alexander’s review. Now that is a salad and a half. This looked like eggy colored (you know, when you hard boil eggs wrong and the yolk turns kinda yellowy green?) romaine topped with Sysco prepared chicken bits, lots of onion, filler croutons and a strangely thin dressing. The three wedges of pita chips did make the presentation though. I thought that pita wedges disappeared in the 90′s?

When the bartender took our plates, more than three quarters of the salad was left. Lisa commented that the dressing was really “Frenchy.” With the exception of homemade French dressings, I have yet to meet a French dressing from a bottle that is even near to tasting good. The bartender asked her if she wanted it boxed up… “Ummm… No.” Enough said?

harry buffalo in north olmsted

Would you like that boxed up? Umm... No. Photo by Scott Groth

All told, the Harry Buffalo has a lot of potential. It fails to meet that potential at every turn, opting for mediocrity, trying to blend in with the rest of the chain-bar fillers that are out there. I know that this is America and the almighty dollar drives just about everything, but sometimes you have to open your eyes a little. Don’t opt for the cheapest crap you can buy to serve to people. Serve them good food and instead of having a three quarters empty restaurant during the lunch rush, you will have all the seats filled. If your food is delicious people will want to come there and bring their co-workers and friends. I would never bring anybody to eat compressed fish nuggets on a mini-bun. I doubt that Lisa will be rushing back with her husband to down another uninspired salad. It’s not that hard to figure out people!

I give this restaurant a solid C-, bordering on D+. There are plenty of other places you can go in the same price range that give you better food. When you drive by the Harry Buffalo in North Olmsted, give em a honk and keep driving to another restaurant that serves good food.

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Pacific East at Eton: Good Sushi

by The Chubby Cook on 15. Jul, 2010 in Restaurant Reviews

There is something to be said for consistency. That is what you get when ordering just about anything at Pacific East. You know when you order a roll that it will be exactly like the one your ordered last time. And, of course, that it will be good. In the dozen or so times I have eaten either dine-in or take-out from Pacific East, I have never had a bad meal. That speaks volumes about a restaurant in my book.

In the Beachwood area, there are several choices to get sushi. You could choose Pacific East, the new restaurant Wasabi, the aging Shuhei, Sumo which is off the beaten path or Sushi Rock. I know that there are other places to get sushi, but these are the players in this area. Here’s my nickle tour of each of these other places. Wasabi is really good and has a nice menu. You would do well going here, although my wife really can’t stand their sushi for some reason. Shuhei used to be the spot to get sushi in this area. Enter three or four competitors and all of a sudden the restaurant is a little beat up and sometimes the sushi smells a little fishy. It’s funny how things change like that. I would avoid Sumo. We ate there four or five times and it is simply uninspired. Lastly, Sushi Rock. I think that both times I went to this place at least one person who went with me got sick. Doesn’t that say enough? Plus, they really think they are a lot cooler than they are, probably because they have the word Rock in their name. Can you smelllllllllllllllll what Sushi Rock is cookin? Sorry, that was a throwback to my WWF days.

Pacific East uses high quality ingredients in combinations that simply taste good. From the seaweed salad (which if you haven’t tried, you should!) to the maki rolls, everything is pretty good. Caroline’s favorite roll is the Manhattan roll, which is a giant roll with spicy shrimp with crunch inside (looks like fried panko) smothered in a lobster sauce. It’s probably terrible for you, but it tastes really good. The second favorite is the West Field roll which is chock full of spicy tuna and has a nice lobster taste to it. I am partial to the King Crab Roll and Golden Dream, both of which really deliver on flavor. We have eaten our way around the menu and I can tell you that there really isn’t anything that is bad. My slight critique might be that the Boston Roll has too much Boston bibb as compared to the avocado and shrimp. Some bites are just all lettuce, which I don’t mind but I would rather have a more balanced bite.

Off the Sashimi menu, my favorites are the Maguro and the Hamachi. We have ordered the Toro in the past which was good, but a bit pricey. They also have daily sashimi specials. If they have the fresh scallop sashimi, it is worth the try. Although I didn’t enjoy the mouth-feel, it had really good flavor. Served in the shell with some lemon juice. A friend of mine ordered the Uni (sea urchin) and I just couldn’t bring myself to eat it. Maybe next time.

When you eat at the restaurant, you should expect really good service even when the joint is packed. Every day at lunch Pacific East has every chair pretty much filled. The wait staff works in unison with eachother, which is something that you don’t see very often anymore. What I mean is that if any wait staff walks by and your drink is low, they will go and fill it up. Or if your giant platter of sushi has been destroyed, instead of letting it sit until your waiter comes by they will grab it for you. I like this kind of service at a casual restaurant.

If you choose to sit at the sushi bar, you are in for a treat. I think that it is really incredible to watch them work their magic behind the counter. I know that they are just rolls, but it takes talent to get them just right every time. They don’t weigh the ingredients to know how much to use, they just know by feel or something. Like I said, each roll whether ordered today or six months from now, will be consistent in size, flavor and texture. It is really incredible and has to take skill to do.

Last night we had take out with our friends Jamie and Amy (a blogging friend of mine with a ton of talent. Check out his blog at DrunkandFull) and I forgot to take a picture of our massive spread.  Oh well, you can just trust that the food looked incredible and tasted even better.  I can say that I ordered a roll last night by accident that I did not like.  It was called Chicken Maki.  I thought that I ordered a Japanese spring roll, but this is what showed up instead.  It was a chicken finger with cucumber and avocado.  Not exactly delicious.  I have to chalk that one up to my mistake though, I should have clarified before it was ordered.

Here’s the scoop with Pacific East: go there, order more than you need and enjoy.  Some people drink sake, but I order the giant Kirin beer to go with my sushi.  Whatever you do, have fun while you are there.  The food is bound to be good, so you need to supply the good company.  Enjoy.

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tomaydo tomahhdo chopped bbq chicken salad

Tomaydo Tomahhdo Restaurant in Beachwood, OH

by The Chubby Cook on 14. Jul, 2010 in Restaurant Reviews

When I was working in Beachwood, this was a restaurant we would frequent.  The prices are reasonable and the food is pretty good.  It’s not great, but good for the money you are paying.  It’s a unique concept with a walk-up counter, partial wait service and a wood fired oven.  The biggest complaint that I have about Tomaydo Tomahhdo is the inconsistency of their food.  We’ll get into that a little later.

This is a restaurant that is in a tough location to get to.  Anytime you are going down Chagrin Blvd around a meal time, you might as well tack 20 minutes onto your commute.  Makes it more difficult if you are trying to get back to work in an hour.  The parking here is also a bear, particularly on sunny days when the patio is packed up.  My advice is to get here early or after the lunch rush.

This advice is well heeded when you enter Tomaydo Tomahhdo as well.  If you get there at noon, you will most likely find yourself waiting in a line of at least 15 people.  They don’t have the cattle corrals here, so the line just kinda smushes itself toward the door.  Just hope that everyone around you uses Irish Spring as well, cause it might take a little while to get your order in.

One item of confusion at the order counter is the phone in orders.  They have two registers with people taking orders, but if a phone order comes in you are just going to have to wait while they take that order first.  Keep in mind, a lot of the phone orders are for pretty large orders so they tend to take a while.  The people behind you will be wondering what is taking so long and you may get some dirty looks.  I toss out a dirty look at the whole room, but that is just my style.  Equal opportunity dirty looker.

Tomaydo Tomahhdo has a lot of selection on their menu.  They have dishes baked in the brick oven, a whole slew of pizza’s, sandwiches and salads.  Over the years, we have eaten around the menu.  Here’s what I can tell you about it: the homemade mac ‘n’ cheese is just blah.  If you’re going to eat mac and cheese, it had better be good.  Stouffers makes a better mac and cheese in my opinion.  The calzone is great- the crust is cooked well and the insides always taste great.  You can’t go wrong here.  The same goes for the pizza.  I have had the BBQ chicken, the Cheese Gratification, the Philly Cheese Steak, the Tomaydo Margharita and the Pesto Harmony.  The only one that I didn’t really dig on was the Pesto Harmony, simply because I thought that the pesto was really heavy on the garlic.

They have two types of sandwich: bistro and grilled.  Although I have not had many of their sandwiches, there are a few that people I worked with would consistently order.  Here they are:   the Turkey Focaccia, the Tuna Salad, the Chicken Caesar Wrap and the Turkey Club from the bistro menu.  From the grilled menu the Chicken and Bacon was always a favorite along with the Spicy Buffalo Chicken.  You’ll have to find out on your own about the rest.  One comment that I will make about the sandwiches is simply that the sides are lacking.  You have your choice of fresh fruit which is seasonal (I tried it, no flavor), kettle chips (boring), homemade pasta salad (tastes like bottled dressing on pasta) or the spicy peanut coleslaw.  This coleslaw is one of the worst slaws I think I have had, and I am a slaw man.  I love slaw, from blue cheese to a vinaigrette slaw, I think they are all good except this one.  The flavors just don’t go and I wish they would just get a regular slaw to offer.  That would be great!

The main area that I always order is the salads.  Here’s a word to the wise, if you are going to eat in the restaurant, get the salad tossed.  They give you this little plastic thing with dressing in it for a huge salad.  It’s insulting, really.  If you have to go to the counter to ask for more, be prepared for a wait because everyone there is busy.  That being said, I also get mine tossed for delivery and just deal with the soggy lettuce.  Can win for losing on this one.

Let’s jump into these salad bowls.  The Chopped Santa Fe is pretty good and I do like the honey lime cilantro dressing.  Imagine that, I like cilantro.  It’s only in just about every recipe for the past two weeks.  The Chicken Caesar is a throw away salad.  You can do better at home, so don’t bother getting it here.  The Seattle Walnut is a favorite of people I worked with.  I had it once and thought that it was pretty good, but I don’t really dig on apples in my salad.  Not sure why, it’s just a thing.  The Tom Tom Cobb is great, but then again, how do you screw up a Cobb salad? 

My favorite item on the menu is the Chopped BBQ Chicken Salad.  It is just good.  It has some crunch from the tortilla chips and a nice smack of flavor from the bacon and onion rings.  The corn provides some sweetness and the hard boiled egg melds nicely into the ranch dressing.  Top it off with BBQ sauce and you have a flavor explosion.  It’s pretty good and I think that you should try one yourself.  Mmmmm.

So let’s talk about the inconsistency of the food.  With the baked dishes or pizza, it may be heavy on salt or ingredients one day and light the next.  I know that when the big dude is in the kitchen making pizza’s that they are going to be great.  When anyone else is there, you never know what you are going to get.  It’s a real drag.  When it comes to the salads, some days you get this great big salad and others just a so-so salad.  When you have an expectation of a great big salad and get a so-so salad, it pulls down the experience.  Take for example the salad that I had yesterday.  When it arrived at the table, I was a little disappointed.  Usually it is stacked high, basking in its BBQ glory.  This salad was limp and lacking bravado.  Who wants a salad like that?  Well, at least the flavor was still there.  Also, take a look at the plate.  See those fingerprints in the dressing?  Those aren’t mine.  The plate also just looked like it had been used A LOT.  Might be time for them to invest in some new china.

The long and short about Tomaydo Tomahhdo is they serve some pretty good food from a well developed menu.  Pay attention to who is working that day to decide if you want a pizza or not.  You can’t miss the big dude who makes the pizza’s- he is really big and super friendly.  I say stick with the salads and see if you can get a table outside.  When the sun shines in Cleveland, you need to get out in it because it is a rare event.  For the prices you pay, this should hit your rotation if you work in the Beachwood area.

Although this one isn't what I expected, typically this salad is awesome. Photo by Scott Groth

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Casino Wing Sampler

Village Casino in Bemus Point

by The Chubby Cook on 11. Jul, 2010 in Restaurant Reviews

The Casino is one of the only and best stops to make if you are boating on Lake Chautauqua. You can pull your boat into a slip and they will serve you on the boat, which is really a nice. Pop up the bimini top, turn on the stereo and you have a private floating restaurant. It gives you an excellent opportunity to people watch, which around this lake is really entertaining.  On busy weekends, you should either get here early or plan to idle for a while until a slip becomes available.  Remember that it is not even first come first served for slip spaces, it is whoever is closest to the boat that is leaving and can get there first, even if they just showed up and you have been there for a half hour.  Not the greatest system, but it works if you aren’t looking to make friends.

The wait staff who handle the docks are about as good as they come. They really have to work hard, carrying the food and drinks a really long way out to the boats. I commend them on their efforts and appreciate that they bring stuff out to me on the boat. It is one of our favorite parts of the summer, dining on the boat, enjoying the sun with a cold beer.  Keeps us coming back summer after summer.

You can also eat inside, which we have done on occasion. The atmosphere is very casual and they have live music just about every weekend of the summer. The view is excellent and you can sit out on the large porch as well if you would like. We have sat at the bar a couple times and this is the only place that it seems like the service is lacking. The bartenders are really heavily worked with the amount of drinks they are pumping out and it seems as though they have a hard time getting to people sitting there. Small complaint, however.

The food is pretty good for bar food. This year they have expanded their menu a little bit and have included a couple pages of “specialty” drinks. Here’s my first piece of advice: don’t order salad at the Casino. It’s really not good and the dressings that we have had taste fake for some reason. The spinach and artichoke dip is definitely frozen and just reheated. The tuna sandwich is just tuna with mayo and no other seasonings. Bland and definitely avoidable. Other than those items, it’s really just decent, mostly fried food.

Some of our favorites are the fish sandwich, the french dip and most of the wraps. Anything that has the word “buffalo” included in the name is bound to be good here. Our favorite are the wings, which are really good. We order them extra crispy. We think that the best flavors to order are Cajun, Irish Pub, BBQ and Medium with extra sauce on the side. The wings are served with celery and blue cheese. The hot wings are pretty hot, not the hottest I have had, but definitely have some heat on them. If you can’t decide which one you want, try the sampler.

Make sure that when you are here you try the fries. They are really good. Enough said.

The kids menu at the Casino is good with about eight different options for kids to choose from. We’re not proponents of fried food for kids, but every now and again is ok. Jack is a fan of the grilled cheese which comes out on thick cut bread with cheddar inside. It comes with fries and a bag of animal crackers. Not many places have the animal crackers, which is a really nice touch.  He eats about half of the grilled cheese and a few of the crackers. 

Kids grilled cheese with Fries. Photo by Scott Groth

All told, this is a great summer joint. It closes in October and reopens in May, but if you are jonesing for some of the wings during the winter, you can go to their sister restaurant The Wing City Grille in Fredonia. Whether on a boat or tooling around Bemus Point, this is a good stop for simple but good bar food.

Delicious chicken wings

Cajun, Irish Pub and Medium wings from Casino. Photo by Scott Groth

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Guppys Restaurant in Bemus Point, New York

by The Chubby Cook on 08. Jul, 2010 in Restaurant Reviews

I think that we passed by Guppy’s Tavern about a hundred times before we decided to give it a shot.  Not sure why, we were just trying other places around lake Chautauqua and really weren’t up near their restaurant too often.  When we moved, it is just a short distance from our house so we decided to give it a try.  We were really pleasantly surprised when we walked in the door. 

The interior is very cozy and we were greeted by Christy, one of the owners.  After the food was ready, Christy’s husband Doug brought it to our table.  We had a really good conversation about the restaurant as well as the area.  For those of you around the lake, it is important to know that Guppy’s is open year round.  Most of the restaurants close in October and don’t open again until April or May.  It’s nice to have someplace to go in the dead of winter after a long day of skiing.  This is a snowmobile haven as well.

This year, they opened a huge covered patio outside.  Although we have not yet sat out there, we have checked it out and it is really nice.  When it was being built, Doug said that in the winters they would have a fire pit out there for people to sit around which is a really nice touch as well.

The food is pretty good.  My favorite dish is the hog wings, which are pork shanks slow cooked and covered in a tangy barbecue sauce.  They are fall off the bone good and the flavor is just delicious.  We have had their BBQ chicken a couple times and it is hit or miss.  The days it is on it is juicy and the days it is off are dry.  The ribs are ok, not as tender as I would have thought, but still have good flavor.  Caroline has had the pulled pork sandwich many times.  I think that speaks for itself, but I will add that it is exactly how a pulled pork sandwich should taste if you are not from the South.  This is slow cooked, not smoked, so we love it.

Their marinara sauce is home made and is pretty good.  The meat lasagna is fantastic and just about all of the stromboli we have tried are really delicious.  The meatballs are off the hook, but they definitely give some indigestion to everyone who has eaten them.  We’ve had the chicken parm and it is cooked just right, has enough cheese to satisfy and the sauce keeps it lively.  On our last visit there with friends, Linda tried the Portabella & Cheese ravioli which she said were very good.  I don’t think you can go wrong with any of the dishes listed so far.

If you are into fried foods, the fish fry is pretty good as is the Whaler Sandwich.  I would avoid the french fries.  They taste like Ore-Ida Golden Crinkle frozen fries.  Just too much potato.  They would kill if they had a curly fry or a crisp house made french fry.  Instead of the fries, we order a double shot of the coleslaw.  It’s straightforward and tasty. 

Almost all of the appetizers are good with my favorite being the Crabby Dip.  It’s pretty tasty.  The cheesy garlic bread is the bomb.  We have not had their wings since we hold out for the crispy wings at Casino. 

There is a full bar and it is nice that they have some local brews on tap.  The Southern Tier beers are quite good and I have been enjoying them all summer.  They always have Yuengling beer on tap which suits me just fine if the seasonal brews sound a little too funky for my taste.  When you are at the bar or a table, expect that you will get your drinks fast and always correct.  That’s a hard find around the lake.

All told, this place is pretty good with very friendly staff.  The tables are always filled and it is nice to see the owners making sure that everything is running smoothly.  Most nights their specials are tasty and every night if you get there past 6:30, you will have to wait for a table.  I think that speaks the loudest for a restaurant that is off the beaten path: every night we pass by, the parking lot is packed full.  So, when you have had your fill of overpriced food at the Italian Fisherman or straight-up bar food at Casino, be sure to drive up 430 about 3/4 of a mile and check out Guppy’s Tavern.  You’ll be happy that you did.

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Nachos at Italian Fisherman in bemus point new york

Italian Fisherman in Bemus Point, NY

by The Chubby Cook on 08. Jul, 2010 in Restaurant Reviews

Caroline and I have eaten at the Italian Fisherman in Bemus Point, NY many times over the past eight years we have been coming to Chautauqua. Each time I am newly surprised by the poor quality of the food and astronomical pricing as we worked our way around the menu. I understand that it is a tourist trap, but they should have a little bit of pride in the food that they are serving.  The least expensive appetizer is $13 for 2 ravioli, which seems a bit steep.  They have a “little wedge” salad for $9.  Iceberg lettuce with some blue cheese dressing and crumbled egg.  You be the judge, but the prices are high for a little boating town.

This year, I stopped back at the Italian Fisherman with some friends of ours who were in from Boston. We did the walk around Bemus and stopped in at a few of the small shops. Since I was just feeling better from the salmonella bout, I thought it would be fun for us to have a couple drinks on the floating dock at Italian Fisherman. I had my diatribe all ready to go “we’ll just have drinks because the food here is terrible and super expensive for what you get.” Well, that ended when Justin and I walked in and witnessed quite possibly the largest plate of nachos we had ever seen. When you see a plate like that, it brings out the inner-caveman who needs a club to beat the table to let everyone else know that you have ordered such an undertaking. I knew that grunting would be appropriate when eating these nachos.

Justin and I ordered some beers and the giant plate of nachos while we waited for Linda to arrive from one of the shops in town. Jackson was keeping busy going through the pot of utensils and plates which was in the middle of the table. We both ordered Southern Tier’s Hop Sun. It is a seasonal beer made in Lakewood, NY which is about 20 minutes from where we were having lunch. The Hop Sun is a very refreshing, hoppy beer. The color is a very nice light gold and it has notes of citrus and wheat.  It is a really good summer beer.  If you find it, I would recommend picking up a sixer.

Linda arrived just before our nachos landed at the table. When they did, everyone was a little wide-eyed. The nacho’s are different than anything I had seen before, not just because of the size. The chips are made from Italian pasta. I am assuming that they cut triangles of pasta dough and fry them. Whatever they do, they are really tasty.  Crisp and light is hard to do when combined with the word “fried.” The chips are mounded high and smothered in the asiago cream cheese sauce. This sauce is rich, evenly applied throughout the pile and goes very well with the chips. Interspersed throughout the nacho mound is ground Italian sausage with black olives and green onion. What really stands out are the huge slices of banana pepper covered in shredded cheese. I could write a thousand words on this, but I think that in this case, a picture is just better. The nachos are almost as big as Jackson!

We thought that we would never make it through the pile of food, but after some serious grunting and belly rubbing we managed to get it down. Although I will not recommend Italian Fisherman overall to anyone going to Bemus Point or Chautauqua until I give the menu another shot, I can say that if you want a cold drink and some really delicious nachos, check out the floating bar at the Italian Fisherman. These nachos are sure to please.

Jack loves Italian Nachos from Italian Fisherman. Photo courtesy of Linda Peacock

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Sophias Gyro Omelette

Sophia’s Restaurant in Buffalo, New York

by The Chubby Cook on 07. Jul, 2010 in Restaurant Reviews

About six months ago, I was watching the show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives on the Food Network.  Although I really can’t stand Guy Fieri, the places that he visits on this show really appeal to me.  On the particular episode that I was watching they showed a five minute clip of a restaurant in Buffalo that caught my eye.  The restaurant is called Sophia’s and it specializes in Greek cuisine.  Check out the clip from Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives:  Sophia’s Restaurant.

The first time I tried to stop at Sophia’s several months ago, it was closed.  It was a Monday and I should have known better.  My friend Jamie and I were in Buffalo scouting out some equipment at the time which happened to be in Buffalo.  While we were there, I suggested that we hit up Sophia’s.  Jamie checked it out and decided that there were enough vegetarian options to stop, so we did.  Sam, the restaurant owner, answered the door to let us know they were closed and sent us to his cousin’s restaurant.  That afternoon, we ate at Nick’s Restaurant, which was excellent, inexpensive and had huge portions.  We sat at the counter and enjoyed about six different dishes that we just had to order.  All-in-all, we had a really good time at Nick’s and I would suggest it to anyone looking for a good spot in Buffalo.

This past weekend, Caroline and I had her brother Alexi and some good friends in from Boston for the holiday weekend.  The closest major airport to Chautauqua is Buffalo, so I thought that perhaps it would be a good plan to try Sophia’s again while we were in the neighborhood.  Earlier that week, I sent through the link to Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives with the clip about Sophia’s to see if anybody had an interest in stopping here on the way home.  Everyone agreed and a plan was formed.  Unfortunately for me, on the way to pick everyone up the last stand of my salmonella decided that it would plague my gut, so I had to take it easy at the restaurant.  The group, however, did a pretty good job of sampling around the breakfast menu.

Sophia’s is not a good looking restaurant from the outside.  It is some shade of beat-up gray with a bruised red trim.  It’s got the Buffalo grime which is a result of hard winters with lots of salt.  The parking lot once was gravel but is mainly dirt now.  On our way in, Justin said “well, I can see now that it is a dive.”  Man, I just hope that the food is good.  Once you walk into the restaurant, it is a completely different story.  The interior is sparse with inexpensive diner booths and chairs but looks extremely clean.  The walls are covered in either pictures of Guy Fieri or gold-gilded pictures of religious figures who are unknown to me.  The air smells delicious with hints of sweet maple syrup, breakfast meats and fresh toast.  Yumm.

Sam was behind the counter cooking up a storm in his Got Breakfast t-shirt and latex glove covered hands.  His mother, Sophia, was assisting in the kitchen.  Everyone else working at the restaurant is sure to be family, but that is an unsubstantiated observation.  Just feels that way from being in the restaurant that everyone working there is related.  We choose a booth that looks out to an automotive repair shop surrounded by a chain link fence.  There is a hat tacked to the wall with a message from Guy Fieri written in silver ink on the brim with something like “Your restaurant is off da hook!”  A small picture of Sugar Ray Leonard is in a frame behind the ketchup bottle and Franks Red Hot.  This is a real American diner and I love it.  Reminds me of a lot of places I frequented with my grandfather as a kid. 

Let’s get into the food.  Justin ordered the corned beef has with a couple eggs.  Prior to ordering, we had a discussion on whether the hash would be home made or from a can.  I insisted that everything was scratch made, I mean the guy makes his own bread!  My optimism was met with some sceptical looks, but he ordered it anyhow.  The hash came out of a can, which was disappointing, especially to me.  It was somewhat disguised because it was mixed in with the home fries which are really delicious and have a crust on them like I have never seen before.  I am not sure how hard it is to make your own corned beef hash, but if Sam could figure that out, this would be a winning dish. 

Linda ordered the omelette with gryo meat, tomatoes and feta (as seen in the picture to this posting- thank you Linda for providing the shot.)  Should be called the Greek Delicious Omelette. She also received a side of the hash browns, which you can see have this really dark crust with a super crunch.  They are not burned, just really browned. The portion sizes are just huge, so you will not leave Sophia’s feeling hungry.  She loved her omelette and the home fries as well.  I had never seen gyro meat in an omelette before and it really appealed to me.  Mental note for the next time I encounter this combination on a menu.

Alexi decided on an omlette, I believe, but I don’t remember which one (sorry).  What I do remember is that he joined the clean plate club, so it had to be good.

My breakfast was just straightforward.  Two eggs over hard with cheddar, four slices of the home made toast and a side of the hash browns.  There were a couple orders of the home made toast at the table.  After watching the bread made fresh on the clip from Diners, Drive-In’s and Dives how could you not order it?  The one big disappointment with the home made toast was the size of the slice itself.  It was sliced thin like a Pepperidge Farm loaf.  Made it hard to contain the eggs and cheese when I made my breakfast sandwich.  Felt as though the bottom would fall right out.  We were all hoping for thick slices, toasted to the perfect brown and slathered in just enough real butter to make the first bite irresistible.  Don’t get me wrong here, the bread was good, but it could be so much better.  Like everyone else, I loved the hash browns. 

As we left Sophia’s the conversation ensued on the quality of the breakfast.  The high points were discussed and some of the disappointments were “hashed” through (sorry for the terrible pun, but it had to be done.)  Overall, we were glad that we stopped, but decided that it was not the best diner breakfast that any of us had experienced.  We did discuss that for lunch it might be a very good option to try again.  The fried bologna sandwiches look better in person than they do on the show (yes, people were ordering them at 9A on a Friday morning.)  If you live in Buffalo and have not tried this restaurant, you need to put it into the rotation.  The hash browns alone are worth the effort.  In my book, Sophia’s gets a solid B+ and would have been an A- if the bread was cut just a bit wider.

gyro omlette with home fries or hash browns

Sophia's Gyro Omelette and hash browns. Photo courtesy of Linda Peacock.

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Back in the kitchen

by The Chubby Cook on 19. Apr, 2010 in About the Chubby Cook, Restaurant Reviews, Uncategorized

Wow, it has been a long time since my last posting.  For my readership, I apologize for the break, but it was much needed.  Since the last post, a lot of food has been eaten and wine has been drank.  My family and I took a trip that included stops in North Carolina, Florida and Georgia.  At each location, we were with good friends enjoying the company, food and drink as well.  Seems like a theme in my life- most of my good memories are surrounded by good friends, good food and typically drinking.  Well, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it- right? 

So what’s up on the upcoming agenda?  I am not quite sure.  I wrote a bunch of reviews for Trip Advisor while we were in Florida.  Here are the links if you are interested- look for the reviews by Headly1976:

Fancy Sushi Review

Moon River Pizza

Ciao Bistro

Jack & Diane’s

Sonny’s Real Pit BBQ

Bright Mornings Cafe

Arte’s Pizza

Bonito Grill & Sushi

Espana Restaurant

I’ve got some more coming- not sure if I should post them on Trip Advisor or post them up on here.  Guess we will just have to wait and see what happens- right?  Till then, hope you are all doing well.

Here’s a good thought I picked up from a friend of mine:  The future isn’t stressful, it should always be exciting.  It’s a matter of perspective.

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Zack Bruell’s Chinato Restaurant Review

by The Chubby Cook on 28. Feb, 2010 in Restaurant Reviews

It was a dark and snowy night in Cleveland.  I wonder how many bestsellers start off with a line like that…  Anyhow, last night the trek was made from the East Side of Cleveland to Downtown to check out Zack Bruell’s new Chinato restaurant.  The new restaurant is located on the hip East 4th Street section of downtown, caddy corner to Michael Symon’s Lola and directly across from a long-time Cleveland establishment Flannery’s.  Our plan was simple, get the baby down for the babysitter, hit the road to Chinato, chow down and then hit Flannery’s for New Barley Corn, an excellent Irish folk group.  

We found Chinato with no problem and were seated promptly.  The atmosphere is fairly retro feeling with high ceilings and unusual light fixtures.  There is a mural across one wall which is really cool and can be found on theChinato website.  The hostess was prompt, took our coats and showed us to our table.  The restaurant has an open kitchen to the dining room and the smells were intoxicating.  Our table was very close to the kitchen and Zack was finishing and inspecting each plate before it was delivered to the table.  Attention to detail is the name of the game.

We were served by Brian, a very good waiter who really paid attention to the table.  We ordered drinks and began to review the menu, which is very deceiving.  The menu itself is small in size, but when you open it, there are at least 60 dishes listed for your perusal.  Ok, so I can get sixty dishes, but many of them have unusual names that I don’t think most people would know, so you are dependent on the server to explain.  Brian again did a great job.  The tough part was to choose at this point.  There are so many great sounding dishes.

Here’s what we ate for the first round.  Tuna crudi with lardo, which was tender, flavorful and delicious.  The portion was small, but expected for crudi.  There were 2 orders of fried baby artichokes done “roman ghetto” style.  Not sure what the roman ghetto has to do with anything, but there were mixed reviews at the table.  The outside leaves of the artichoke were very chewy.  I thought that they had excellent flavor and really added to the dish.  My wife and mother-in-law disagreed and had leaves strewn about the edges of their dish.  I ordered the shaved mushroom salad with capers, lemon and evoo.  Wow.  Well balanced and delicious.  Went perfectly with our wine.  There is enough mushroom to share with others to have them enjoy the perfect balance.  I would give this dish five stars.  Absolutely a must order if you visit Chinato.

The second round brought out another shaved mushroom salad for my father-in-law and two new dishes.  The first was for my brother-in-law which was the fennel, orange, olive and tomato salad with ricotta.  I have made a dish very similar to this in the past and it was very flavorful.  I wouldn’t call it a standout, but it was certainly a nice salad.  Caroline ordered the curly endive and roasted pepper salad with endive and anchovy dressing.  The salad might have been good if you could breath through the anchovy and garlic in the dressing.  This is a real palate killer dish and I would not recommend this to anyone to order.   After I tried it, it took four pieces of bread to get the terrible flavor out of my mouth.  The wine that I had liked just a minute before took on a whole new and unpleasant flavor profile.  This dish needs to be tweaked pretty badly, but even it is, it really isn’t a standout of a salad.  Might as well order iceberg with bottled Italian dressing.  It’s about that exciting.

Our entrees arrived shortly thereafter.  Here’s the scoop.  The beef tongue with salsa verde:  this dish is excellent and very richly flavored.  I have had tongue in the past which has not been very good and this is not an example of that.  Very well executed but very rich.  The beef braised in amarone with creamy polenta:  the nose on this dish is so intoxicating that I can’t even describe it with words.  Super beefy with a hint of something exotic that you just can’t put your finger on.  The flavor was universally described as intriguing.  I wouldn’t go so far as to call it delicious, but certainly something that made me think about what the flavors were that I was sampling.  The beef was perfectly cooked and polenta was certainly creamy.  The skate wing milanese:  I did not sample this dish, so I can’t really comment on it other than my mother-in-law said it was very good.  The toast points and micro-green & tomato side were very fresh looking.  I would recommend this dish in the spring.  Caroline ordered a half order of the ravioli and it was really quite delicious.  The half order is perfect for an appetizer or as a side to any of the dishes. 

Finally, I ordered the burger.  Yes, the burger at an Italian restaurant.  That’s like ordering fish at a steakhouse, I know.  But, for some reason it just sounded great to me.  It was ordered medium rare with all the fixins.  I never expected what I received and was thrilled when I saw it.  The burger was huge, with a perfectly soft bun.  It has caramelized onions with a slight char on them on the bottom, then the patty which was engulfed in fresh mozzarella with the edges seared off on the flat-top.  It was topped with a fresh marinara sauce and what looked like arugula.  The juices ran pink from this burger and it was probably one of the best burgers I have eaten.  I have eaten a lot of burgers too.  This is a home run if you are interested in going to a fancy restaurant and picking up your food.  The fries were overly salted, but still tasty.  Bang- this was good.

Brian told us before we ordered about a dish called porchetta.  From what I remember him saying, it is pork belly rolled up with sage and other herbs and cooked as a roll.  I believe that it is served over a bed of braised greens.  Everyone was interested in the dish, but no one wanted to order it as a main course.  So, we ordered one to split at the table.  The dish was very rich and I am not sure that I could have eaten the whole thing on my own.  Perhaps it was just the portion that I received, but the fat content was overwhelming.  There was about half of the portion left at the end of the meal which we asked to bring home, however an expediter pitched it so they graciously made us another entire portion to take with us without us even asking.  Very nice.  My father-in-law ate it the next day and said that on its own, it was really good.  So, perhaps it was simply that I had already had too much rich food or maybe just a poor cut.  This dish is not for the faint of heart.

To summarize the entire experience, I would say that Chinato is a restaurant to definitely visit again.  According to Zack when he visited our table for less than a minute, the purpose of having so many dishes is to get people coming back again and again.  I’ll give it another shot for sure and am hoping that we have an equally good server to translate the menu for us so that we can choose our dishes appropriately.  As a side note, keep your coat with you.  The basement room they store them in is not as warm as upstairs and your coat will be returned cold.

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One Walnut Restaurant Review

by The Chubby Cook on 20. Feb, 2010 in Restaurant Reviews

So this past Wednesday, February 17, 2010, my wife and I had the opportunity t0 dine at the downtown Cleveland restaurant One Walnut.  The food is distinctly American cuisine and it was in close proximity to the theatre that we were going to watch the show The Heights.  All-in-all, it looked pretty good online and we were excited to eat here.  We were excited enough that we thought we should make reservations over a week in advance, just to make sure we could get in.

Well, it turns out that making reservations that far in advance was completely unnecessary.  I always find it interesting when you walk into a restaurant at 5:30 that has a really nice looking bar that there is nobody sitting at it.  I also find it interesting and annoying when the hostess asks if you have a reservation even though only 1 out of the 40 tables were occupied.  I figured she was asking because they were expecting a blowout crowd.  We were 1 of 2 tables through 7:10 when we left One Walnut.  As a side note, it is funny that I called earlier in the day to ask what time our reservation was at because we made it so far in advance.  The hostess made a big deal out of having me spell my name and whatnot- she could have just looked at the only damn name on the list and saved me some time. 

So we head into the vast expanse of a dining room in serious need of a make over.  Where is Chef Gordon Ramsay when you need him?  And believe me, this restaurant needs him.  The dining room is art deco, including a huge steamship mural that just smacked of the late 80′s, which is a time frame that most people try to block out of memory.  The proliferation of mirrors, tufted walls and Escher-esque carpet was almost nauseating.  It’s a good thing that I don’t really care what a place looks at to eat the food.  But, looking around at the disjointed picture, I might have set my expectations somewhat differently.

Let me take a quick step back and talk about the hostess, because she needs a minute of description.  I would say that she was in her late 40′s or early 50′s, thin as a rail and quite unique in her own right.  I couldn’t put my finger on whether she was drunk or just had tripled up on her meds for the night or something.  It was as if she didn’t have an inner monologue… every thought that came to mind dropped on the floor like a fish out of water, struggling to catch a breath.  I would look at the fish and feel sorry for it for a minute, then try to put it out of its misery.  I can understand now how a fishmonger has no compassion for the multitude of fish passing through his hands every day.  Sooner or later you become conditioned to the annoyance of fish stench and their gasps for air.  The sad part was that she was oh so much more than just the hostess.  She was also our server for the evening.  Good grief. 

Anyhow, the menu looked pretty good… certainly nothing groundbreaking but there was a certain air of comfort knowing that the food we were about to order would be right in the wheelhouse of solid flavor profiles.  We decided that we were going to order several appetizers and split an entree.  We ordered up the leek and potato bisque, the baby green salad with blood orange vinaigrette, lobster nachos, calamari and the scallop entree.  Then we looked at the wine list which is setup so strange.  They don’t have it broken down by reds or whites or even by geography.  It is broken down by price point, but not by exactly how much the bottle costs.  It is by price point group.  That’s right- the price points said $25+, $45+, 65+ and 85+.  What the hell does that mean?  Does it mean that I make out if they have a $29 bottle of Merlot or I lose out if they have a $19 bottle of Pinot Noir?  Why not just put the prices on?  Also, the list was pretty much a shit list.  Looked like something that the distributor put together rather than the chef.  I think that is a sad commentary about the chef.

Here’s the breakdown of the food:  The soup was ok, but it was a strangely small portion size for the price.  Also, leek and potato soup is hard to mess up which is why so many home cooks make it.  This was no standout and I commented to Caroline that hers has more depth and character.  My salad was complete crap, and that is being nice.  The greens looked like they not only came out of a bag, but the bag was an old bag.  Completely wilted.  The dressing was out of proportion as well, with way too much acid on the plate.  They paired the dressing with kalamata olives and goat cheese.  The whole thing was just a total mess.  The lobster nachos were ok, but I thought that the guacamole they served under the nachos overpowered the whole dish.  If I wanted guacamole nachos, I would have ordered them from a cheap Mexican restaurant without the lobster.  Showcase the protein if you are going to use one like lobster.  I was surprised that Caroline liked them, so perhaps there was some saving grace in there somewhere that I just couldn’t discern.

For our main course, our hostess/server /crackhead had a great idea.  She would split the calamari and scallops on two plates for us.  I was thrilled because that meant that both Caroline and I got to have the fried egg on each of our plates over the scallops.  Well, I might have thought twice if I knew that my fried egg would have enough uncooked white on it to spread salmonella to half of Cleveland.  The scallops were cooked well and quite flavorful.  The issue was more with the whole dish being put together.  Scallops with sloppy fried egg, arugula with bacon and a soft polenta.  Where is the crunch to offset the mush?  If I had dentures, this would have been the meal for me.  Slick and sloppy, it barely required chewing.  Aside from the mouth-feel, the flavors just didn’t work together.  Each component, egg aside, was good though. 

The calamari, which I saved for last but not because it was the best, is an entire different story.   I think that the chefs, wait, the cooks in the kitchen were taking the night off or something.  This was a pan sauteed calamari without even a hint of any type of bredding, which I have had in the past and has been fairly good.  The strange part about this calamari was the prep work.  There were some tentacles on my plate that were six inches long and half of the tubes had only been cut once.  They were cooked with tomato and peppers and had some type of asian sauce with them.  The sauce was probably the best thing of the night, but didn’t complement the tomato and peppers that the calamari was cooked in.  I just had a really hard time working around the super long tentacles and the fact that nothing for the entire night was working out.

Dessert was nothing to note as special.  We had creme brulee and a chocolate torte cake.  The brulee had too much brulee compared to the shallow puddle of creme in the bottom of the dish.  The chocolate torte Caroline really liked because it was bitter rather than sweet.  I tasted it and immediately hated the thought of associating that with many of the delicious chocolate tortes I have had in the past. 

All told, if you are reading this review wondering if you should go to One Walnut, I would advise you to not go there.  It was pretty funny on our way home that night after the show.  We stopped off at another restaurant and talked to the Chef about our night.  When I said where we ate, he asked me if we were the only people there.  I was taken aback and said that we were one of two tables there and when we left the nuts at the bar were already covered up.  He laughed and immediately my fears of writing yet another crappy review were laid to rest.  One Walnut goes down in my book on my bottom 5 restaurants that you need to make a reservation for. 

Enough said- right?

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Michael Symon’s B Spot Restaurant Review

by The Chubby Cook on 23. Jan, 2010 in Restaurant Reviews

After the first season of The Next Iron Chef, Michael Symon is a household name across the country.  But here, in little old Cleveland, he has been a household name for much longer.  I can remember back about eight or nine years ago going to a little place down in Tremont which was ultra-hip and uber cool.  The restaurant was called Lola, across the street from another unique venue then called Mojo.  Both restaurants were filled with the beautiful people, you know, the people who live in the city and rarely see daylight on a weekend unless it is through a cab window on their way home. 

Lola, however, was an enigma.  For Cleveland, it was bordering on hyper-trendy with its new age lighting and blue glow.  But once you sat down and picked up the menu, you were confronted with food choices which were definitely steeped in Americana.  Macaroni to die for, pork chops with potato and herbs, roasted chicken that was better than even Mom used to make.  This was a restaurant that you just knew would be around for a long time, and it still is.  Having moved from Tremont, it is now downtown where it is still very successful.  Micheal opened up Lolita in Tremont and most recently the B Spot restaurant at Eton in Woodmere.

As you can see, Michael has been around in Cleveland.  When I heard that he was opening up a burger joint at Eton called B Spot,  I knew it would be another success.  The restaurant was constructed quickly and opened in time for the holiday rush.  I met a good friend of mine, Jamie (www.drunkandfull.com) for a quick lunch.  When I arrived, I was expecting the same vibe as Lola but was greeted by a more gritty coolness.  There is a huge glass garage door and a massive wall of beer cans that spell out the letter B in the middle.  It is really just cool.  The tables are rough hewn wood and instead of linens you have a roll of earth friendly paper towels on an iron pipe.  The bar is retro looking with motorcycle parts sprayed in silver hanging and there is an actual pickle bar as well.  Quirky joint.

My friend is a vegetarian and had been to this restaurant before.  He noted that on the menu there were limited vegetarian options, to which I noted that B Spot stands for Burgers, Brots and Beers.  Not much vegetarian food mentioned in the name.  He agreed and we discussed his options.  The morningstar veggie burger is a very strange option coming from the newly appointed Iron Chef.  I mean, J. Alexanders has a veggie burger which is deliciously interesting and none of their chefs are made of iron.  Jamie settled on a salad and I on the Lola burger. 

Let me tell you a little about the restaurant before we get into the food as there are rules here, which they adhere to.  First, you need to arrive with your entire party.  I get it when it is busy, but the most recent time I was there with a colleague of mine we were the only people in the restaurant and they wouldn’t seat some lady who was waiting for a friend.  Seems a little over-the-top to me when the joint is empty.  Next, you have to order everything at once since all ordered food will come out at the same time.  Just better to know in advance in case you order all the Bar Snacks & Sides and an entree.  Your table will be chock full of stuff.  They have a ton of burger options and all have a plethora of condiments on them.  You can ask for stuff off, but can’t add stuff on.  The reason given for this is the thought put into the composition of the burger.  Again, I get it, but what about my thought on how the burger should be put together?  Another visit when I was there, a friend of mine loved the condiments on the Thin Lizzy but wanted to add a fried egg.  In both our opinions and tastes, a soft fried egg tastes pretty good on just about every burger.  No dice.  Oh well, at least the directions are written down for you to follow along.  Makes it easier on the wait staff as well.

Back to the burger.  The Lola burger is delicious.  The egg with the pickled onions, bacon, cheddar and mayo are just delicious.  I have now had this burger four times at B Spot.  Why four times when there are other perfectly good things on the menu?  It is just thatgood.  The only area for constructive criticism that I can see is I would like to have a slightly softer bun.  The current bun’s stiffness causes much of the deliciousness to be squished off the burger.  The equation should be as follows:  Delicious burger and toppings + softer bun so deliciousness ends up in mouth = the ultimate burger experience. 

In my visits I have eaten around the Bar Snacks & Sides because your $9 burger comes a la carte.  Here’s the quick rundown:  The fries are pretty good.  Thin cut, nicely salted with good herbs on them.  The onion rings are just about as good as you can get.  They are cooked well, have a nice crunchy crust and pair really well with some of the sauces at the table.  More on those later.  The wings leave a little to be desired.  Their flavor is really good, but they are a bit slimy.  If anybody is looking for a great wing, head to Chautauqua Lake and make your way to The Casino.  Now those are some good wings.  The chips with fondue are pretty good.  The chips are fresh and the fondue is rich.  Tomato bisque with bleu cheese is really quite delicious.  I have avoided the porky fries simply because I am not a huge fan of cheese whiz.  Imagine that, a chubby guy who doesn’t really like cheese whiz.  Anything with chili in it I am not allowed to eat.  Let’s just leave it at that. 

The pickle bar is really cool.  They have some pickled goodies the likes of which I have never tasted.  The pickled green tomatoes are a good example.  Also, there is one variety which starts off sweet and then kicks your taste buds right in the nuts with residual heat.  I pile my plate high with these and the pickled onions.  The rest are good, but these two take home the gold.

Sauces.  There are six sauces at every table.  My favorite is the coffee bbq sauce which is so delicious with the onion rings.  Man, is that good.  My least favorite is the Lola ketchup, which I think tastes more like Hunt’s ketchup with some worcestershire sauce in it.  Hunt’s, not Heinz- get it? 

Next to the food, honorable mention goes to the wait staff.  They have always been friendly and johnny-on-the-spot with food, drinks and the bill.  They have a tough job to fill with the rules as Symon has given and they do it well.  If anything is wrong, they fix it quickly and quietly.  Even when the restaurant is hopping, you get a visit from your server continuously to make sure everything is just right with your meal or your wait.  Two thumbs up.

When I go back to B Spot, which I most certainly will, I plan on trying a brot.  To be completely honest, I don’t even remember seeing a brot brought to any table around me during any of my visits.  I will also sample more of the beers on the menu.  I have made my way through about seven, but there are plenty more to whet my whistle.   There is so much to try on this menu and with most everything cooked in lard, I know that it is so bad for me that I have to break up the visits.  This is a seriously good restaurant where when you order a burger medium, it comes out pink in the middle just like it should be.  Enough said.

Food: 9
Service: 8
Ambiance: 7
Menu Creativity: 8
Management/Front Desk: 6
Overall Experience: 9-

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L’Albatros Brasserie Restaurant Review

by The Chubby Cook on 21. Jan, 2010 in Restaurant Reviews

At the end of a tough day in the office, I have a lot to look forward to going home.  Some people may say that I am a lucky guy in this regard and I wouldn’t argue with them.  This past Tuesday was a particularly hard day for me for reasons beyond my control.  I was not only looking forward to driving home as quickly as possible, but was also looking forward to our night out at L’Albatros Brasserie.  That’s right folks, we had a baby sitter and were going out.  The night was a special night due to the event being held at L’Albatros.  It was a Spanish wine and cheese tasting.  Yumm- the idea alone is delicious.

My in-laws had invited us to this spectacular event and I was thinking on the way down that it should be fantastic, particularly since it seemed as though my father-in-law was trying out for an upcoming role in the movie Fast & Furious: Out of Control.  My blogging past flashed before my eyes multiple times and was disappointing at best.  I have something to live for, dammit!  Seriously though, I think when I exited the car you could see a few more grays. 

So we arrive at the event, expectations are high and my mother-in-law has a busted up leg and a throw pillow.  Enought said there.  Due to physical calamity, we are the special request guests, which they would accomodate with no problem.  Well, there was a problem straight off the bat: our reservation for the Wine and Cheese extravaganza had evaporated.  They were trying to seat us in the main dining room.  No wine?  No cheese?  I was thinking that since the restaurant is basically right next door to where the Cleveland Orchestra was protesting, I would go and grab one of those bastards to plead our case.  Protest!  Revolt!

Well, during the protesting and revolt activity, our table in the main room was given to another party as well.  Now isn’t that special.  Additionally, instead of handling the problem in a relatively private area, like the front of the restaurant, the manager decided that it would be fun to discuss right next to the wait station.  Brilliance!  Let’s have four upset people, one with a gimpy leg, all stand around in one of the busiest areas of the restaurant.  I’m not a fan, although I have been to this restaurant many times before and have been a fan.  It’s incredible just how quickly a person can be swayed and then go and write a blog about it.

A long story short, we were eventually escorted to the front of the restaurant where we were told we could wait for the next available table.  I mean, I get it, but giving away our table while we were trying to figure out a snafu is bush league.  Meanwhile, I was furiously searching on my blackberry to find an alternate restaurant in the area I could call so we could get the heck outta Dodge.  Leave it to technology to backfire exactly when you need it the most.  My phone was on the blink.  We were on the hook, come hell or high-water.  I was hoping for high-water more than hell, cause I’m chubby and float pretty well.

After being seated at our modern looking table with armless plastic chairs, our waiter comes to the table.  We’ll call him Leedlenits (all names changed to protect the innocent) and I will set up a visual for you here.  I say he’s about twenty-five or six, certainly in love with himself and fairly metro without the sophistication.  His hair is in the latest Gen whatever style, sorta peaked in the front.  Looks like a hairy rowboat is being stored upside down on his head.  Good look though, I think I’ll do that sometime in the near never.  To look into his eyes is to experience a dullness which I would never wish upon any of your knives.  Needless to say, I really like this guy and am expecting great service.

So let’s get to the food.  As I said, we frequent this restaurant and have eaten our way around the menu which appears to have not changed in the year plus that we have been dining here.  The good news is that at this point, there isn’t much left that we haven’t tried, so it makes choosing your meal a lot less complex.  Overall, the menu is well rounded with many dishes which most diners have probably never tried unless they come from France.  I don’t come from France, but my wife and her father do as well as the Coneheads.  I love that movie and I love the menu choices.

I chose the chop salad to start and the sea scallop entree.  The chop salad soon arrives and is intriguing to me.  It has currants, roquefort, what looks like bulgar, spinach, pickled onion, shredded chicken and braised fennel.  A veritable pantry of delicious components which when mixed together really sing.  Excellent start to the meal.  I paired it with their malbec by the glass.  I was looking for something to stand up to the roquefort but not overly heavy.  It was not spot on, but perfectly good.  All told, once again not disappointed with the food.

By this point, our table was wafting in the bliss of good food and good wine.  The troubles from earlier were fading from memory and conversation was lively.  Enter Leedlenits.  Well, I take that back, it was not the entry which was a problem, it was his absence which was the issue.  Our wine was tapped out, the comped bubbles for the wait were drying quickly.  Our heads were akin to a table of bobbles as we searched the tundra wide-eyed for our last bastion of wine hope.  But alas, Leedlenits was nowhere to be found.  We knew time was dwindling before our piping hot dinner would arrive and it is a cardinal sin at a Frenchman’s table to have empty wine glasses.  In my head I was thinking that Leedlenits should be selling hotdogs outside the stadium, not high-end food at L’Albatros. 

Enter the Seared Sea Scallops into my world.  Still no wine.  The scallops are cooked in a pernod cream sauce with julienne brussel sprouts.  The noodles are more of a pappardelle which soak up the cream sauce deliciously.  I am eyeing my perfectly caramelized scallops with decadent trimmings thinking that I am pissed that there is no wine at the table.  My food is getting cold.  Leedlenits shows up and takes the order only to return two minutes later to state that the bottle we ordered is sold out.  At this point the food was on the table for five minutes.  We choose another and tell him to get it on the double double like Little Caesar.  Wine in hand, we dig into our respective dishes.  The scallops are perfectly cooked, slightly cool now but I can’t blame that on the kitchen, just on their dubious wait staff.

Here’s what everyone else was eating: all three ordered the frisee and lardon salad with poached egg.  All agreed that it was delicious, although my mother-in-laws egg was completely cooked through.  I like that they don’t skimp on the lardon and the dressing was perfectly pleasant.  My mother-in-law ordered the goat cheese tart with olives and sun-dried tomatoes.  She seemed to like it considering her plate was clean.  My father-in-law received a huge bowl of mussels with pommes frites piled high with spicy aioli.  My wife has had this in the past and it is excellent, tonight was no exception.  He was smiling from ear to ear as he worked his way through the mountain of perfectly cooked fries.  Caroline ordered the daily special which was braised pork with white beans and root vegetables.  The smell of this plate was divine.  The pork was cooked to perfection, although we all found the vegetables to be a bit too al dente.  Seems fashionable these days for restaurants to not cook their vegetables well enough.  The food was really good all around.

At this point in the meal, we were waiting with baited breath.  We were not sure if they would hook us up with a sample of the wine and cheese that we had missed out on.  Leedlenits arrived to clear the plates, slopping stuff all over the table and dropping silverware from our plates.  This is apparently his modus operandi as he did this between the appetizers and main course, but then he even went so far as to stack the plates with silverware between them.  I have eaten in a lot of very nice restaurants and have come to expect different service than I do at home.  I stack plates at my house, but not with silverware still on them.  Leedlenits, the reason for that is because they become unbalanced and thus unwieldy.  Once this happens your chances of slopping stuff or dropping a plate or the silverware on your guest increases exponentially.  Look around and take some pointers from some of the good waitstaff at the restaurant.

 Then, out of the blue, a plate with eight slices of cheese arrive with Brandon Crostowski, the Fromagier, arriving faster than a speeding blue cheese.  We know Brandon from our previous visits and his face was a welcome sight.  He quickly explained what we would be eating, dropped off a menu for the cheeses so we would remember and headed off to finish up his night.  Soon, three glasses of nectar arrive.  Needless to say, we polish off the cheeses (see my wife’s blog at www.motuvino.blogspot.comto read about the spread) and the wines.  Brandon, you save the night and some customers.  Of the entire crew at L’Albatros, you are the most professional, well spoken and polished.  Mr. Bruell is lucky to have you at this location providing such good service.  Perhaps you can put on a clinic for the rest of the staff to lift and tighten. 

So here’s the lowdown on this joint.  We have been there five or six times and every time the food is very good.  Brandon shines throughout the restaurant and is the best Fromagier in Cleveland.  The front desk staff can be snooty at times, but that is to be expected I think.  The bussers and expediters are excellent, always bringing the right food to the right tables and keeping the water glasses flush and bread plates loaded.  This trip, Leedlenits really blew the show.  My inlaws have had him serve their table before and said that it was a repeat blundering performance.  Leedlenits, remember that there is always a future in the hotdog service business.  The managers did an okay job of managing, but really need to argue less in public and listen more before they interrupt people.  It’s customer service people, not listen to what you have to say.  That will come in time, but not before the customer is listened to.  Pick up any book on the subject and it’ll be in the first chapter.

Here’s the rating (1-10 with 10 being the highest):

Food: 9
Service: 3
Ambiance: 5
Menu Creativity: 8
Management/Front Desk: 4
Overall Experience: 7

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