dining in Cleveland

Dixitque [email removed] (Earl K. Miller) in cle.general:
>
>I will be visiting Cleveland soon and would like suggestions for fine dining.

Rather odd -- you're posting from a Cleveland Freenet address. Is this a troll? But what the heck, I like food and restaurants so here goes.

Narrow it down a bit -- what do you like to eat, and which section of town will you be visiting?

If you're in town for any extended period, pick up the book /Cleveland Ethnic Eats/ by Laura Taxel, which lists all sorts of restaurants and gives plenty of comments to help you make a decision. Be sure to get the second edition -- unless the third edition is out already.

Here are some of my personal favorites. I am not saying these are necessarily the best in their category in Cleveland, but they are my personal favorites from among the ones I know.

For very, very good steaks, I like Hyde Park Grille on Coventry Road in Cleveland Heights. (They also have a location further east, which I've never visited.) The prices are about like Ruth's Chris, but at Hyde Park I felt that I got what I paid for and I did not feel that way at Ruth's Chris. When I want to put on a suit and eat some very good (and rich) food at a nice place, I think of Hyde Park. (You don't actually have to wear a suit there.)

For innovative Italian, Porcelli's on Mayfield Road in Little Italy, near the eastern border of Cleveland proper. Actually, there are a LOT of good Italian restaurants within about a two-block strip: just walk along and look at the menus in the windows.

For pizza, Pizzazz on SOM Center Road in Mayfield Village, also near Fairmount & Warrensville in University Heights. A close second would be Captain Tony's in Shaker Square. (I'm not sure the atmosphere at Captain Tony's would qualify as "fine dining".)

For Szechuan, you have lots of good choices. My favorite is Hunan Coventry, on Coventry Road in Cleveland Heights. The atmosphere there is a cut above the typical Chinese restaurant, and you did specify "fine dining".

You can put together a very nice picnic from the deli counter at the Food Co-op, also on Coventry in Cleveland Heights. Many items are vegetarian, but they also have stuff with meat. The Co-op also sells wine, breads, cheeses, and pastries.

For fish, I like the venerable Don's Lighthouse at the west end of the Shoreway (where route 2 changes from a freeway to a surface street).

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Someone wrote:

> I would highly recommend the Chop House located on St. Clair downtown.  excellent
> steaks and the atmoshpere is great.  Also Johnny's right downtown or in Ohio City
> also is very good.
>
> Earl M. wrote:
>
> > I will be visiting Cleveland soon and would like suggestions for fine dining.

I second the recommendation of Johnny's. Also consider Parker's, in Ohio City (near west side). Everything I've had there has been very pleasing -- well-seasoned and delicious. Atmosphere is elegant but not stuffy. Nice wine list.

(Haven't been to the Chop House.)

More details on location and preferences will yield even more opinionated recommendations...

jeanne