I felt like Christopher Columbus last weekend. We were all over Cleveland, poking our heads (and tummies) into different restaurants and bars. It was fun, and delicious! It all started with Touch Supper Club in Ohio City on Friday night. I admit that I was a wee leery to try out this spot. This place has evolved over time, and while they still boast to have some of the best live music and dancing in Cleveland, they are quickly becoming well-known for their happy hour specials and growing menu items. If you are going to check them out, and I suggest that you do, hit it up on a Friday night for FREE SUSHI during happy hour. It was delicious, and the platters didn't stop coming out of the kitchen while we dined.
We started with the Delirium Mussels- Delirium tremens steamed jumbo mussels, bacon, garlic, and herbs served with belgian frites ($9). The mussels were swimming in a tasty garlic broth, with a small drizzle of creamy sauce that had just a little kick to it. The belgian frites are best eaten after letting them soak in the broth for a while! I then moved on to the Mac and Cheese- Cottswold, vermont cheddar, port salut, taso ham with petite peas ($11). When I took my first bite, I didn't like the dish. Oddly enough, it grew on me as I continued. One thing to note is that the kitchen staff forgot to include the petite peas, which is never a good sign. Their attention to detail and presentation is obviously lacking. "R" had the Lamb Ravioli– Arugula and tomato feta salsa ($16). The dish was served cold (still not sure if that was on purpose or not) and lacked flavor. I took one bite and turned down his offer of more. The dish was quite disappointing. The shining star of the meal was the Berries Foster dessert. The warm puff pastry was smothered in raspberries, black berries, and blue berries and topped with two mounds of melting vanilla ice cream. It was quite a way to end the meal. The only other thing worth mentioning is that the restaurant serves cucumber water. The slight hint of cucumber is refreshing and left us wanting more!
After leaving Touch, we headed over to West 25th Street. I wanted to check out Bar Cento's new bar called Speakeasy. They opened this new establishment in their basement, and I was curious to see what they had done. We walked through the packed house of Bar Cento/Bier Markt and wandered down the staircase. We turned the corner and were sadly disappointed. "R" exclaimed that it felt like a dark dungeony basement, and apparently we weren't the only ones who felt this way because there was only about eight people at the very large bar. We turned on our heels and headed back out to the street.
We ended up at Market Avenue Wine Bar's new location across from the Great Lakes Brewing Company. It's cozy atmosphere and extensive wine list was a perfect end to the evening. The exploring did not end on Friday night, so stay tuned for another blog post later this week!
Touch Supper Club
2710 Lorain Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44113-3470
(216) 631-5200
Bar Cento
1948 W 25th Street
Cleveland, OH 44113
(216) 274-1010
Market Avenue Wine Bar
2526 Market Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44113-3434
(216) 696-9463
Showing posts with label Bar Cento. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bar Cento. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Friday, August 7, 2009
It Ain't Easy Being Green
Since its opening this spring, I've been meaning to get over to East 4th and try Jonathon Sawyer's The Greenhouse Tavern. As the first green-certified restaurant in OH, it has created quite a buzz in the restaurant world. I'd enjoyed his dishes at Bar Cento in the past, so I was really looking forward to trying out his new restaurant. I had stopped in for a peek a few weeks ago when I was in the area, and was impressed with the decor and atmosphere. The "green" elements are everywhere.
The food lived up to my expectations. I opted for the Pommes Frites with two poached eggs & black pepper. The fresh-cut fries were cooked perfectly, and the black pepper seasoning was just right. They had just the right amount of kick! The real highlight of the dish were the two poached eggs perched on top of the pile of fries. I broke the yoke and spread it over the fries, and thoroughly enjoyed the warm gooey goodness. My dining companion ordered the Vegetarian Entree special, which that evening was a risotto. Her dish was flavorful and the plating was very artistic.
The only complaint (ok two) that I have are that the chairs on the patio are very uncomfortable and the drinks are a little overpriced. I went with the House White (a dry white) that was $6, but my friend's wine selection was $10 a glass. The price of drinks and uncomfortable chairs kept us from settling in, but maybe that is the goal. The place was packed and the turn over was quick. This has definitely become one of Cleveland's hot spots overnight. I want to give some credit to their PR person (or persons). Whoever you are, you've done an amazing job. Congrats to Sawyer and the Greenhouse team- you delivered!
By the way- they are now open for lunch!
The Greenhouse Tavern
2038 East 4th Street
Cleveland, 44115
216-443-0511
The food lived up to my expectations. I opted for the Pommes Frites with two poached eggs & black pepper. The fresh-cut fries were cooked perfectly, and the black pepper seasoning was just right. They had just the right amount of kick! The real highlight of the dish were the two poached eggs perched on top of the pile of fries. I broke the yoke and spread it over the fries, and thoroughly enjoyed the warm gooey goodness. My dining companion ordered the Vegetarian Entree special, which that evening was a risotto. Her dish was flavorful and the plating was very artistic.
The only complaint (ok two) that I have are that the chairs on the patio are very uncomfortable and the drinks are a little overpriced. I went with the House White (a dry white) that was $6, but my friend's wine selection was $10 a glass. The price of drinks and uncomfortable chairs kept us from settling in, but maybe that is the goal. The place was packed and the turn over was quick. This has definitely become one of Cleveland's hot spots overnight. I want to give some credit to their PR person (or persons). Whoever you are, you've done an amazing job. Congrats to Sawyer and the Greenhouse team- you delivered!
By the way- they are now open for lunch!
The Greenhouse Tavern
2038 East 4th Street
Cleveland, 44115
216-443-0511
Friday, July 17, 2009
Celebrating Bar Cento's Success
Bar Cento in Ohio City celebrated serving its 50,000 pizza last night by offering a FREE pizza for any purchase of a carafe of beer or wine. What a fantastic deal! Three of us headed over there after work, and I'm so glad that we did. We started off with two carafes of Stella Artois and Blue Moon, and the Arugula Pizza w/ pine nuts, onion, garlic & mozzarella and the Salsiccia Pizza w/ tomato sauce, provolone & sweet Italian sausage. The beers are two of my favorites, and both of the pizzas were very good (both thin crust). The arugula pizza had just the right amount of spice, and the caramelized onions were a nice touch. The salsiccia pizza was a little salty, but overall very interesting and tasty. We finished the evening with another carafe of stella and the Sunnyside Pizza w/ eggs, provolone, pancetta & lots of black pepper, which our waiter boasted was the most popular pizza on the menu. It was certainly creative with its over-medium egg and strips of bacon. I would order it again. The pizzas run from $6-$13, so to get three pizzas for free was one hell of a deal. Congratulations to Bar Cento for serving over 50,000 pizzas, and now I can see why after sampling three delicious versions!
Bar Cento & McNulty's Bier Markt
1948 West 25th Street
Cleveland, Ohio, 44113
216-274-1010
Bar Cento & McNulty's Bier Markt
1948 West 25th Street
Cleveland, Ohio, 44113
216-274-1010