8 Places For A True Taste Of Cleveland

by Libby Zay on

Cleveland is a culinary town. From a roving army of food trucks to a collection of upscale restaurants run by Cleveland-born Iron Chef Michael Symon, this city has something to please any appetite. Drawing on the culinary traditions of immigrant groups who came to the city, there are a few foods visitors simply must try when in town. Among them are the Polish Boy, a sandwich invented in Cleveland that consists of sausage covered with fries, and Lake Erie perch, a blue-collar staple found at neighborhood bars and churches throughout the city at Friday night fish fries. Whether you are spending some time in Cleveland or just passing through, here are eight of the best places to get a meal.

Sokolowski’s University Inn
Neighborhood: Tremont
Nearby Attractions: A Christmas Story House, Cleveland Zoo
Established in 1923, Sokolowski’s University Inn is a cafeteria-style restaurant serving old school Polish foods. On any given day you can order up hearty servings of chicken paprikash, pierogies, stuffed cabbage, salisbury steak, bratwurst, beef stroganoff or other Eastern European dishes. Although it proves difficult, be sure to take your focus off your plate and survey Sokolowski’s walls – this place is part Cleveland shrine, part history lesson.Melt Bar and Grilled
Neighborhood: Lakewood
Nearby Attractions: Edgewater Park
Melt Bar and Grilled takes simple bread and cheese to a whole new level. The bar is known for two things: 1) an eating challenge that requires consuming a monster sandwich with 13 different cheeses and 2) giving a 25% discount (for life) to anyone who gets a tattoo of their logo (also for life). But you don’t need to potentially suffer heart disease or permanently scar your body to enjoy all Melt has to offer. You will, however, probably have to wait in line for your sandwich. Still, this is one place that lives up to the hype.

Happy Dog
Neighborhood: Gordon Square Arts District
Nearby Attractions: Capitol Theatre, Cleveland public Theater, Detroit Shoreway
Five dollars might seem a little steep for a hot dog, until you realize you can smother it in as many toppings as you’d like from a list of 50. From picnic-inspired toppings like pimento macaroni and cheese, garbanzo bean chili and bourbon baked beans to more exotic selections, like garlicky escarole, Brazilian chimichurri and vegetable chow mein, the combinations are limitless. Whip up your own concoction or use Happy Dog’s list of “suggestive weiners,” but whatever you do don’t miss out on a side order of tater tots (also with limitless toppings). As for the ambiance, Happy Dog is a true neighborhood spot with stools lining an oval wood bar. From polka to punk rock, this place has live music most nights, more than 75 beers, and an additional downstairs bar with pinball machines and shuffleboard.

Corky & Lenny’s
Neighborhood: Woodmere Village
Nearby Attractions: Bridges to the Future Children’s Museum, University Circle, Little Italy
This family-owned deli has been serving up overstuffed corned beef and pastrami sandwiches, potato pancakes, lox and bagels, matzo ball soup, kosher pickles and other Jewish favorites for more than 55 years. Some patrons liken Corky & Lenny’s to a New York-style deli, but ordering up a sandwich from this place is an authentic Cleveland experience. Give it a shot, and you might discover a new Jewish deli to compare all other Jewish delis to.

Trattoria on the Hill
Neighborhood: Little Italy
Nearby Attractions: The Cleveland Museum of Art and Cleveland Museum of Natural History
Lined with art galleries, churches, bakeries, pizzerias and restaurants, Cleveland’s Little Italy consistently ranks high amongst Italian enclaves across the nation. There’s a lot of competition along Little Italy’s main drag, Mayfield Road, but Trattoria on the Hill is a standout. The secret here seems to be in their sauce: get it over pasta, on pizza, or over eggplant and you won’t be disappointed. Nearby to Little Italy is University Circle, where you’ll find many world class museums – among them The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland Botanical Garden, Cleveland Museum of Natural History and the Crawford Auto Aviation Museum.

Slyman’s Deli
Neighborhood: Goodrich – Kirtland Park
Nearby Attractions: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame & Museum, Cleveland Science Center
This always popular diner has been voted as the best place to get a corned beef sandwich by a number of local and national outlets, including accolades from Esquire magazine and Rachael Ray. Although Slyman’s menu does include things other than corned beef, roast beef and pastrami, there’s no reason for you to look beyond these mile-high sandwiches. Just don’t try to stop in on the weekends, cause this place is closed Saturdays and Sundays.

Tommy’s Restaurant
Neighborhood: Coventry Village
Nearby Attractions: Lake View Cemetery, Little Italy
When Tommy Fello opened up a soda fountain in the 1970s, it was a one man show: he took the orders, made the food, cashed people out and washed the dishes. As regulars started coming in and making up their own sandwiches, Tommy jotted down their names or initials. As the restaurant grew, this is how the menu took shape – each item is named after its creator. Today, the menu is 21 pages long with sandwiches, pizzas, salads and soups, as well as the shakes and malts that helped Tommy make his mark. While there, take some time to stroll around Coventry Village, Cleveland’s version of San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury with book stores, a rock club, a retro toy store, a record store, taverns and Phoenix Coffee, a local coffeehouse.

Great Lakes Brewing Company
Neighborhood: Ohio City
Nearby Attractions: West Side Market, Playhouse Square
Great Lakes Brewing Company has pushed their suds into 13 neighboring states, but the best place to knock one back is in their hometown. Luckily, the company’s namesake brewpub is also the perfect place to get a taste of Cleveland. From bratwurst and pierogi to reubens, each of the menu options are paired with one of the company’s brews.

Cleveland in 36 hours and some

by Jamie Rhein on

This past Sunday’s New York Times’ article “36 Hours in Cleveland” did the city proud. Writer Brett Sokol captured most of the must-sees of Cleveland’s many faces that range from the down home blue collar to the artsy and highbrow. I was particularly pleased to see a nod to Lilly Handmade Chocolates in the Tremont district. The pink-haired owner is a delight and the chocolates exquisite. Think manna from heaven. Please go there because I so want this upbeat business to succeed.

For anyone planning a few days trip to Cleveland, print off Sokol’s article as a basic guide but add to the itinerary. The places I’d add to round out the mix are top notch and next to the ones that Sokol highlights. You’ll have to add a few hours to fit everything in though, otherwise you’ll be racing through Cleveland without enough time to enjoy the view–or savor the food.

Even if you don’t want to pay admission to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, take time to enjoy the building. The atrium and gift shop are free. The building, an I.M. Pei creation, is one of my Cleveland favorites. Some hotels like the Embassy Suites may have a package deal where tickets to the museum are part of the deal. The view of Lake Erie from inside the museum is wonderful.

Next to Rock and Roll is the walkway that heads down to the lake. This is where artist Spencer Tunick set up his shots of naked people. At the end of the walkway you can catch a trip on the Good Time III, the sightseeing boat that travels up the Cuyahoga River. The tour passes under a series of Cleveland’s movable steel bridges that turn and raise to let tall boats through.

This part of Cleveland that edges Lake Erie is also where the Great Lakes Science Center and the Cleveland Browns Stadium are located. The science center boasts a wide range of hands-on exhibits that suit people of all ages. Along the outside wall of the Browns stadium are bronze relief plaques that pay tribute to Football Hall of Famers who played with the Browns.

Before you head to Lilly’s for a chocolate fix, if it’s a Sunday, go to Lucky’s Cafe for brunch. Lucky’s is also on Starkweather Avenue. Be prepared to hold your ground when it comes to getting a table. It’s first come, first serve. Don’t lose your place in line. If you’re with another person, one of you should stake out a table while the other person orders at the counter. The fruit salad with yogurt is absolutely gorgeous and sublime. Personally, I’d have them go sparingly on the honey.

At Lolita, Iron Chef Michael Symon’s restaurant, one of Sokol’s recommendations I second, order appetizers and a pizza for dinner. It’s one way to cut down on the price of a meal and still be able to savor Symon’s brand of creative cooking paired with a glass of wine.

Sokol’s choice of Sokolowiski’s University Inn as another meal location was a brilliant call as a way to contrast Cleveland’s upscale cutting edge creations with its comfort food and ethnic roots. Here I dug into the pirogies and cabbage rolls . Plus, as Sokol notes, the view of Cleveland from this restaurant encapsulates what makes the city unique.

Another area of the city that Sokol captured in his 36 hour spree is University Circle. Although it was “built on the backs of the working people,” as my husband, the son of an auto worker, is fond of saying, wealthy industrialists did put their money to excellent use. For example, The Cleveland Museum of Art, I think, is the grandest museum in Ohio–and it’s free. Recently renovated, the 1916 building is an architectural gem. October 4- January 18, 2010, Paul Gauguin: Paris features 75 of Gauguin’s paintings. Although the main museum is free, this special exhibit has an admission.

Nearby are the Cleveland Botanical Gardens and the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Each are also worth a visit. The glass house at the botanical garden features a wonderful canopy walk that is a chance to pretend that you’ve gone to Costa Rica–the version without the rain as Katie recently experienced.

Another of my Cleveland favorites that garnered a Sokol nod is the Westside Market. Fabulous, fabulous, fabulous place. If you want to see the bounty of Cleveland’s ethnic heritage, it’s clearly evident in the mix of food stalls. Asian food newcomers have found their way here as well. Here you can pick something up to take on the road or chow down on there.

Ohio City, where the Westside Market is located, is a restaurant mecca. Within view from each other–most on West 25th Street are Phnom Penh, Bar Cento, and Nate’s Deli and Restaurant . Around the corner on Market Avenue are Great Lakes Brewing Company and Flying Fig. Each of these are excellent. Take your pick depending upon your mood, time of day, financial situation and appetite. There are more eateries than these, but these are the ones I’ve been to and can give a rousing thumbs up.

Creativity on Parade in Cleveland

by Jamie Rhein on

Here is a parade that is like no others, and I’ve seen a lot of parades. Next weekend in Cleveland, Ohio is the annual Cleveland Museum of Art “Parade the Circle.” This is an event where anyone with a creative spark has an opportunity to shine. Arts organizations from around the Cleveland area make costumes that are truly magnificent then skate, walk, glide, roll or do whatever it takes to transport themselves around the University Circle part of the city. People transform themselves into street performers, winged creatures, clowns, flowers and anything else that captures a lighthearted mood. We went four years ago and spent the day being enthralled.

These aren’t the “Let’s slap some glue on tissue paper to cover a brown paper shopping bag and cut eye holes,” type costumes either. The idea is to create wearable that showcases an artistic bent. Besides the parade around University Circle, there are free arts activities, performances and food as well. Activities are geared with both kids and adults in mind.

A few days ago my husband mentioned it was coming up. Now, that my sister-in-law sent me the flier, I think we’ll go. It’s worth the two hour drive from Columbus.

The University Circle is the area where the Cleveland Museum of Art, The Western Reserve Historical Society, the Cleveland Botanical Garden and the Cleveland Museum of Natural History are located.