Nelson R. wrote: |> |> Two friends and I are going to be in Cleveland the weekend of |> August 13th for an Indians baseball game. Any suggestions about |> where to eat would be helpful. Casual attire (but great food) |> is our preference. If you know of a nice place to stay, preferably |> near the new stadium if safe, would also be helpful. thanks for your |> help. |> |> -- |> Nelson G. Rich | E-mail: [email removed] |> Department of Mathematics & Computer Science | Phone: (716) 586-2525 (x327) |> Nazareth College | FAX: (716) 586-2452 |> 4245 East Avenue, Rochester, NY 14618-3790 | "Only the educated are free." There are lots of nice places to stay by Jacob's Field (name for Indian;s stadium). But they cost lots of bucks (Ritz Carlton, Marriott,Sheraton, Radisson etc). Some may have weekend packages. You can stay quite reasonably in the burgs and either drive downtown (about $6 to park near Jacob's) or take the rapid ($1.50 each way per person). Below is a restaurant list we have collected for Cleveland. The Cleveland Visitors Bureau has at least 3 publications about what to do in Cleveland. The first is WALK a walking tour of downtown. It is a guide to 48 sights downtown in Public Square, The Mall, Warehouse District, North Coast Harbor Financial District, University Area (CSU), the Flats and Gateway. The second looks like a postcard and has color photos of 8 attractions, Cleveland skyline, Shooters, Museum of Art, Stadium, Tower City, North Coast Harbor, Sea World, Playhouse Square,and the Powerhouse. The third is the Official Visitors Guide, 90 pages of things to do. It discusses Sightseeing, Neighborhoods (Coventry, Ohio City etc.), Restaurants, Shopping, etc. etc. etc. Includes phone numbers and hours and prices. It might be a good idea for each division office to order some sets and keep around for official visitors as well as for employee's social visitors. Here are phone numbers that might be handy. Convention and Visitors Bureau (can order thru them) 621-4110 Toll free visitor info 1-800-321-1004 Fun phone (weekly events) 621-8860 -- The following is a collection of Cleveland Restaurant recommendations from local residents. Some are repeated as no attempt has been made to produce a unified list. Directions and addresses can be supplied upon request. ******************************************************************************* [email removed] Larry Fishbach @ NASA Lewis Cleveland Ohio "Everything here is my own opinion" Quoth the Maven "Evermore" ******************************************************************************* >Chinese >Hunan on Coventry >Gourmet of China >Bo Long >Golden Dragon > >Thai >Paul's Siam > >Japanese >Shujiro > >Greek >Mad Greek > >European >Sutters > >American + >Proud Pony > >Gourmet >Classics > >Seafood >Watermark > The absolute best, IMHO, is Luchita's on W.117th just south of Lorain (NOT the Luchita's in Rocky River). They have great moles, both dark and green. It's tough to find mole on a menu around here, let alone a good one. But everyone seems to have their own favorite. You might also try El Xochimilco, somewhere on West Blvd. (also south of Lorain). > > Actually El Xochimilco is on W. 105th after it does a wierd "X" intersection with West Blvd. Another good one is El-Jacal at 10010 Madison Ave. They serve Mole! Also try Villa Y Zapata at 8505 Madison Ave. There is an excellent Indian Restaurant on (thank heaven) the West side. It's Bombay Express at 26709 Brookpark Road Extension in North Olmstead. It looks inside like a fast food place but close your eyes and *taste* (this IS a food SIG-not a decorator's SIG.) It's open ONLY on Friday, Saturday and Sunday or limited hours. Not exactly Indian, but have you tried Ali Baba's at about W 120th & Lorain?? Vegetarian and Lebonese food, all freshly prepared, also take-out is available. The food is great, and the prices are very very reasonable. Subject: ALL YOU CAN EAT Date: Wed Sep 26 01:23:07 1990 So far I have: Ponderosa Country Buffett Ground Round fish wed and fri Olive Garden dinner salad Duff's Wendy's salad bar Big Boy seafood bar breakfast bar - not at breakfast, in the middle of the night, salad bar - but I wouldn't get it Arby's salad bar? drinks: Taco Bell Burger King Subway Denny's iced tea. RAX - south of cleveland in northfield center on route 8 on wednesday and friday's all you can eat for $3.95 Varga's Pizza Shop - monday nights in richmond hts $3.95/all you can eat pizza and salad bar best kept secret in town - not anymore! I've eaten in Italian restaurants across the country, in Northeastern Canada, and Norther Italy and am pleased to say the best Italian restaurant is in my own humble town of Cleveland, Ohio. It's called Johnny's Bar, and is a small, dark place in w working class section of the city. Deceptively expensive considering the outside, but the seafood and pasta dishes are tremendous. Cherry walnut duck appetizers are great, and I don't think you could go wrong on the menu at all. WE HAVE FOUND THAT THE BEST THAI CUISINE IN THIS AREA IS AT "PAULS SIAM CUISINE" ON LEE ROAD IN CLEVELAND HTS. WE HAVE VISITED THAILAND AND THIS IS AS AUTHENTIC AS THAI FOOD CAN GET. THERE PHONE NUMBER IS 371-9575 THE ADRESS IS 1918 LEE RD. -- -------------------------- Here is my recommendations: Thai food: --------- If your friend is also from Columbus, the Thai rest. here in Cleveland will be at best--mediocre--compared to the ones in Columbus. There aren't that many Thai rest.; so the best will be: Paul's Siam Cuisine, Cleveland Hts. (Warning: I have never been there since they changed ownership in this past 2-3 months, used to be the best though, and crowded on weekends!) Another one to try: Taste of Thailand, 5136 Mayfield Rd.-- little less expensive than Paul's. Indian food: ----------- My Indian friend only goes to: The Mad Greek restaurant at the corner of Fairmount and Cedar. (moderate to expensive) Saffron Patch, 20600 Chagrin Blvd. -- expensive Chinese food: ------------ Bo Loong, downtown location, authentic Chinese food (including dim-sum) slightly expensive Hunan Gourmet at downtown Tower City location -- expensive There's one small rest. at the corner of E 32 and Payne -- serve good authentic Chinese food, and not expensive (unfortunately, never remember the name, it's in downtown!) For American type Chinese food: look at the yellow pages, they're all pretty much the same :-) I'd like to recommend also a small Vietnamese restaurant: Minh Anh, at Detroit Rd. (west side), cheap, good food. Continental cuisine: ------------------- That Place on Bellflower, University Circle area -- moderately priced. Pier W, food is good, nice location, and moderately expensive. Italian food: ------------ Mama Santa, in little Italy, the food is okay, but it's cheap! Porcelli's, in little Italy also, moderately expensive, but good food. First off - the chinese. I have a Chinese friend, whose parents have tried to find good, AUTHENTIC Chinese food in Cleveland. Mind you, good food and authentic food are not necessarily the same to many people. With that in mind there are three recommendations that she would make if she were here. 1) Foo Do 2) Le wa's 3) Bo long's For my tastes the food is INCREDIBLE. However, I am afraid to go without this friend of mine. She is able to order food within the bounds of reason- ie. not TOO wierd. Most of the clientelle is asian, and i'm sure that most of the waiters would be much happier with cantonese than with midwestern. There are a couple of other recommendations that I would make. Try "The Pearl of the Orient" at Van Aken shopping center in Shaker hts. They are VERY popular. Also try Peking, in the shopping center near the intersection of Cedar and Warrensville. I can only name the Indian restaurants. I'm not quite capable enough to make recommendations. As far as I know there are six restaurants that have indian food in the area: Bombay Bistro - nothing incredible - but Indian food can't be BAD. Saffron Patch - Also in shaker hts. its on Chagrin Blvd. in a building designed by Walter Gropius. I've only been there once myself, but I hear good things about them from other people Taj Mahal - on mumble mubmle South Taylor. I remember thinking highly of them. The Taj Mahal is actually on Coventry on Mayfield. I'd give it a so-so review. The Indian restaurant on South Taylor is Cafe Tandoor. I've never been there but have consistently heard good things about it. If you're on the west side, there is Bombay Express on Brookpark Ext. (near Great Northern Mall). _Excellent_, but a bit pricey IMO. As far as Thai, there is Taste of Thailand on Mayfield Rd. (nothing to shout about) and Paul's Siam Cuisine on Lee at Superior (I've heard inconsistent reviews). Unfortunately, Cleveland is not a mecca for Thai food. It ain't even a minor shrine. Other Cleveland area restaurants I'd recommend in other categories: -- Piccolo Mondo, West 6th at St. Clair. "South American Italian" is how they describe themselves; I call them just plain GREAT. Pasta dishes and wood-grilled entrees and pizzas. Super desserts. And reasonably priced, too. My current favorite Cleveland eat. -- If you want straight ahead Italian, Mama Santa's in Little Italy (Mayfield Rd.) is my choice for homemade pasta. -- For great Mexican, go west. Luchita's on W 117th just south of Lorain is closely followed by El Jacal on Madison at W 100th. -- And if you want to do it up all the way, the Ritz-Carlton has the greatest restaurant in town. Forget Sammy's. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) Go to the flats (an area in downtown Cleveland) that has a large selection of bars, restaurants and night-life. You can find everything from a 50's style diner to seafood, to fancy restaurants. 2) Go to Ohio City area and you can find a good selection of ethnic (especially german) restaurants. 3) Murray Hill (Little Italy) has many Italian places of course. 4) If you venture outside of the city proper into the suburbs there are many choices, Mimi's for ribs, Cork & Lenny's for deli, Friday's for continental, and many more. >The BEST restaurant in the area is The Barricelli Inn at the corner of I had dinner at the Barricelli last month, and agree that it is excellent. We spent > $100/person, but we went no-holds-barred on the wine selections. You might also consider En Provence on Cedar at Lee (Cleveland Heights), which I can't speak for it personally, but which has a strong reputation in the provincial French area. If you're willing to venture into the city, have dinner at the Ritz-Carlton. I'd give the Ritz an edge over the Barricelli. Right downtown in Tower City. Be sure to check out the port selection. Giovanni's Ristorante in Beachwood----quite close to Shaker Hts. Piperade--continental and truly different--downtown Cleveland Greetings. Of course there is Lopez y Gonzalez (Lee Rd at Washington, Cle Hts), which to me is the ONLY place doing REAL Mexican food (altho I haven't been to many others around town)...their former head chef and the gentleman responsible for setting up their menu was Rick Bayless, now of Chicago, who with his wife wrote "Authentic Mexican", a FANTASTIC Mexican cookbook, compiled from when they lived in Mexico, many of the recipes are straight from street vendors and restaurants down there. Been a while since I was there, but remember the food was great. I do remember tacos al carbon, with huge flour tortillas...excellent. Will have to get back there sometime, but I look forward to trying Cantina as well. A couple other good restaurants Cafe Brio - Mayfield Rd. just west of Brainard, Lyndhurst. Italian. Expensive. 100th Bomb Group - Grayton and Brookpark, just off 480 and across from NASA and the airport, Cleveland. Moderate. I *love* this restaurant -- it's one of a kind. Reservations recommended at both places. ______________________________________________________________________ Can't help posting on this too, particularly to "stir the pot" on a few suggestions. First, skip Sammy's - everybody in town really calls it "Scammy's" because it's overrated and overpriced. Baricelli Inn, Wilsher Grille, and Giovanni's are probably the best places to go for that kind of classy food. Augostino's (at Ridge and Memphis) has the best calamari. Primo Vino (on Mayfield hill) is terrific - great food and an excellent wine list! Luchita's can be good, but sometimes their attitude is a little too yupped. Xochimillo has been closed for some time. The all time best El Jacal has just recently closed. Victor hopes to open again, but times are tough. Hey all you folks - if he does open again, please support the place as much as possible! It's hard to find real good Mexican and Central American food in town now. James F. wrote: >I am looking for recommendations for a nice restaurant in the Playhouse >Sqaure area. I would like to thank everyone that responded. We selected San Souci in Stouffer's at Terminal Tower suggested by Dave Fricker. I will add my recommendation to Dave's. The food was excellent, service was first class and the atmosphere was classy, yet relaxed (all the walls were mural of Mediteranian country-side, white-washed hill-side villages, and Roman sculpture gardens). We both had the mixed fish grill. Strips of tuna, swordfish, snapper, and shark sandwiched between two enormous prawns with spicy seasonings, grill over hardwood and served atop cous-cous (sp?). The rest of the menu looked like very classy Italian. I wish that we both hadn't fixated on the grill, so that I could report on at least one more item on the menu. Prices were reasonable, though like most places its not the main course that jacks up the bill. It's the wine, appetizer, salad, coffee, and dessert that mount up. If you go, park in the Stouffer's garage (off Superior), and have your parking ticket validated by your server. OBTW, Hal Holbrook was fantastic as Willy Loman in "Death of a Salesman". His portrail of a man wanting to be so much, but trapped in a job and situation that he no longer has any control over is so convincing that it sent chills up my spine. For those comtemplating going to Playhouse Square, and looking for a restaurant in the downtown area, here is a summary of those recommended. Lydia Frankel recommends **Getty's at the Hanna**. This is right across the street from Playhouse Square, so you have to park only once. Just make sure to make reservations well in advance. Getty's was seconded by Toni Grobstein, who also recommended **Piccolo Mondo** (241.1300) is my favorite. W 6th and St Clair. It's good northern Italian food, quite reasonable and plenty of it. I almost always get the pasta special, and have never been disappointed. **Greek Isles** - On the NE corner of W6th and St Clair (861.1919). It's relatively new,with an interesting interior, and a good wine selection. **New York Spaghetti House** (696.6624) on E 9th across from the new stadium for some real tradition. Serious Italian food, waiters, and decor. Usually packed. [recommendation seconded by Dale Hubler] **Pipperade** (241.0010) is a very nice French restaurant with an extensive wine list. Right across the street from Tower City. Tony Facca suggested **Cafe Sausalito** and *Ninth Street Grill** in the Galeria. **Top of the Town** on top floor of Erieview Plaza (9th and St. Clair) [I'll second this one. We went there last anniversary] Larry Fishbach (who has collected suggestion like this before) forwarded the following suggestions in the downtown area. **Piccolo Mondo**, West 6th at St. Clair. "South American Italian" is how they describe themselves; I call them just plain GREAT. Pasta dishes and wood-grilled entrees and pizzas. Super desserts. And reasonably priced, too. My current favorite Cleveland eat. the **Ritz-Carlton**, if you want to do it up all the way, has the greatest restaurant in town. Forget Sammy's. **Piperade** continental and truly different--downtown Cleveland **Bo Loong**, downtown location, authentic Chinese food (including dim-sum) slightly expensive **Hunan Gourmet** downtown Tower City location -- expensive Like a thread running through a number of them was the recommendation to NOT go to Sammy's. O.K. so I won't go Lastly, I'll add my own **Lu Cuisine** E 12th and Euclid (within 3 blocks of Playhouse, it should be possible to walk), proving that haute cuisine doesn't have to be French. Don't go expecting the standard Chinese decor. (we were there only a month ago, so we didn't want to go right back, though it was tempting) ______________________________________________________________________ Just goes to show how restaurants come and go --- The Burgess Grand Cafe on W6th has closed, replaced by Johnny's Downtown. Haven't been there, but have heard good reviews. Shorty's in the Flats also closed quite awhile back. Shujiro's on Lee was closed last time I looked, but could have reopened (They were having problems with internal politics - does anyone know?) Also, I wouldn't call the cuisine at Tommy's on Coventry "American;" it's sort of a cross between Middle Eastern and So Californian health food, but you can get a cheeseburger there. Certainly not traditional American, tho. Maybe "eclectic American". Other recommendations: The Watermark in the Flats for Sunday brunch; Clifton Lunch (117th + Clifton) for classic diner food; and Dai Shin (at Center Ridge and Walther) for Japanese (excellent sushi).
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