Monday, June 20, 2011

Summer Days Spent at Cropicana

There were a LOT of good eats this past weekend, including Melange (more on that later) and the Tremont Tap House- yum. But we also had a new dining experience. One that just screams "Summer!"

Saturday afternoon we headed to Whiskey Island and met some of "R's" friends at Cropicana to celebrate a birthday with some beers, sunshine, and snacks. This "beach-inspired" restaurant and bar is Crop Bistro owner Steve Schimoler's newest venture, and he was there on Saturday all tan and sporting his shades. He is clearly lovin' the laid back, waterfront vibe.

Great music was pumping from the speakers, all sorts of people and their pets wandering around...The second one is my little pup, Lizzie! And we happily enjoyed several cold beers that afternoon. We reached a point where we were hungry, so we decided to share an order of the Fish Tacos and a basket of french fries ($12).Cropicana offers a limited menu of basic fare: cheeseburgers, ribs, pulled pork sandwiches, onion rings, french fries...you get the idea. We thought that the Fish Tacos would probably be the most interesting. While this still may be true, I couldn't help but be disappointed. They were certainly fine, and even had some winning aspects to them (like fresh cilantro, lime juice, and a nice crispy coating without being too greasy), but overall they were bland in my opinion and just lacking something special. They certainly did the trick since we were just looking to fill our bellies, but I was hoping for more from Schimoler. I'll just have to try it again.

But I'll be back to continue to enjoy this unique setting, cool summery vibe, and cold beers by the lake all summer long!

5 comments:

Ben said...

We’ve been meaning to go to Cropicana, but it seems to be getting a lot of middling reviews. That said, there’s a strong appeal to bringing your dogs to the beach, drinking beer and grabbing a bite to eat. Fish tacos sound like the perfect beer-friendly beach food, but based on your review we’ll probably skip them in favor of wings, ribs or the caprese sandwich.

Alana said...

some places are just meant for drinking :) and this place is just perfect for beers, boats and doggies!!

Bite Buff said...

I'm glad that it's not just me! But I still do love the location and vibe.

Cleveland.com story:

http://www.cleveland.com/top-restaurants/index.ssf/2011/06/cropicana_at_clevelands_wendy_park_serves_fairly_standard_food_for_the_public_good.html

Cleshopaholic said...

We LOVE taking Otto and Clair there!! Lizzie looks like she was having a good time too!!

Bite Buff said...

Cropicana is no more, I'm sorry to report. But you can still enjoy the spot as Sunset Grille takes over again. Pretty standard food of burgers, chicken tenders, etc.