Crop Rocks

We are really loving spending time down in The Flats since all of the restaurants and bars have been popping up over the last year. There are still a couple of places that we haven't been yet, but we did get to cross two off the other night with friends.

For pre-dinner drinks, we met at Beerhead Bar + Eatery. With six locations spread across Illinois, Ohio, NY, and Pennsylvania, it is a chain, but one that I think will be welcomed in Cleveland, and do well in that area. They are offering 50 beers on tap and 400+ in bottles. Beer is certainly the focus here, but they do have wine and cocktail offerings. Just don't ask them to make a "mock"tail (not for me!), because you'll thrown them for a loop and you'll get a skunky-tasting non-alcoholic beer instead. With so many dining options and great places to grab wine and cocktails in that area now, it's nice to have a craft beer option. They are serving some small plate food and pizzas too, and I've heard that the pizza is good. We'll be back.

We had dinner reservations at the new Crop Rocks restaurant from the folks behind Crop Bistro and Crop Kitchen. They also opened up Crop Sticks right next door to Crop Rocks.

This casual bar setting highlights 50 years worth of Cleveland music history and 15,000 vinyl records. The menu is "American Comfort Food," and plenty of the dishes are served right on metal trays. The vibe is fun, laid-back and will be great during the warmer months when they open up the garage door-style walls behind the main bar overlooking the river.

I went with the Kung-Fu Fighting ($13) with Korean BBQ meatloaf, kim chi, and sriracha aioli on a toasted bun. Yes, almost every dish is named after a musical reference.

The sandwich contents were a bit mushy and I made quite a mess of myself as I ate half of it, but it had good flavor. I'd probably order other items before revisiting this one though.

With the sandwiches, french fries are served, but for a small up-charge you can substitute a side of gravy cheese fries, shrapnel fries, slaw, or a salad. Pictured above are the gravy and cheese fries, and they were outstanding. The gravy was very flavorful, and they didn't overdo the quantity of gravy on on the fries. You got the flavor of it without the fries turning to complete wet mush.

Mr. H and our friends were happy with their food as well. We'll revisit this one. I also popped my head into Crop Sticks (because the bathroom hallway connects both restaurants). This small Asian bistro is more formal than its sister restaurant next door. Something for everyone.

Then, we headed to Punch Bowl Social where I embarrassed myself on the bowling lanes, but we had a good laugh. Between pre-dinner drink destinations, several restaurants, and entertainment like Punch Bowl and Big Bang (dueling piano bar), you can really make a night of it in The Flats now.

Crop Rocks
1075 Old River Road
Cleveland, OH 44113

Campus Grille- Last 2015 Restaurant!

You guys...I did it! I just squeaked by, and finally got to the last restaurant on the 2015 To Dine Challenge list just before Christmas hit. Hooray! 

Mr. H and I scooted out to Berea to Campus Grille for lunch last Saturday.

Just steps away from the Baldwin Wallace campus, it is open Wednesday - Sunday from 12 - 9PM (6PM on Sundays). There is a small parking lot in front of the building, and the signage is easy to identify.

This casual, family-friendly spot is serving up fresh, authentic Caribbean/Latin cuisine. They have printed menus at the counter, or you can order from the chalkboard menus hanging above.

Many were taking their food to-go, but they do have a small section of seating by the counter and another small section by the front door for dining in. We ordered at the counter, and took a seat to wait for our food. The open kitchen was allowing our nostrils to be tantalized from the smells wafting our way.

We decided to share the Caribbean Mango Guacamole ($8 with chips or $3.30 as a side). Guacamole is not served with tortilla chips here. Instead, you get these pressed and fried plantains (tostones) with lots of garlic. We loved them! My dad would hate this place. Garlic everywhere!

Mr. H ordered The Campus "Cuban" ($8.50). Dining Deals Alert!

We both agreed that the version at Moncho's from an earlier 2015 To Dine visit was slightly better, but this was a darn good Cuban sandwich for Cleveland.

I had to order something totally new-to-me, the House Mofongo ($9.50). These fried plantains are mashed together and molded with garlic, olive oil, and pork cracklings. You can add meats for an additional charge. I selected pork shoulder (+$2), and the center of the mold was stuffed with the pulled meat.

It was sweet from the plantains, full of garlic flavor, and salty from the meat. I was thoroughly enjoying this dish! It was unlike anything that I've had before. It was also huge. I took more than half of it home with me, and didn't even touch the salad until the next day. I appreciated that the salad dressing was served on the side. Don't you love the little flag too?

This was a big hit with us, and one that we'll revisit. They are also known for their split rotisserie chicken, so we'll have to give that a try.

The 2015 To Dine Challenge ended on a high note. You guys picked well last year!

Some highlights from the 2015 list included: Campus Grille, Thai Elephant, Forage Public House, Gigi's on Fairmount, and Moncho's. A couple of the restaurants on the list we've even  already been back to this year, like Grove Hill, Forage, and Bourbon Street Barrel Room.

It's not too late to make some last-minute suggestions for the 2016 To Dine Challenge list, so don't forget to head over to the blog post to comment before 12/31. Let's put together another outstanding list like 2015. What a year! I hope that you enjoyed following along as I visited all 10 on the list.

Campus Grille
10 Seminary Street
Berea, OH 44017

Merry Christmas!

For those of you that celebrate Christmas, here's wishing you a very Merry Christmas.

My mother has created a "Christmas monster" out of me, according to Mr. H.

I do truly love the spirit and joy that this season brings. Twinkling tree lights, the smell of fresh pine, personal ornaments that we've collected through our travels, holiday tunes on the radio, family traditions, and selecting the perfect gifts for my family and friends all bring me immense happiness and peace this time of year.

I will spend this day surrounded by my family, each appreciating what really matters. We have a lot to be thankful for this year, and much celebrating to do!

Adega Brunch

Mr. H and I celebrated our one-year wedding anniversary on December 13th! How is that even possible? The year just flew by, and our anniversary kind of popped out of nowhere. I'm sure that it will always be a struggle, since it's smack in the middle of the holiday season. But, we couldn't let it pass us by without doing something special!

We decided it was easy enough to plan a "staycation" in Downtown Cleveland. Of course, we made a Saturday dinner reservation at Cibreo. We were married in the Cibreo Privato space, so this restaurant will always hold a special place in our hearts. We were fortunate enough to have a server that actually worked at our wedding. She took great care of us, and truly made the meal very special. Then, we headed over to the Ohio Theatre for A Christmas Carol from the Great Lakes Theater. The unseasonably warm December evening allowed us to walk through PlayhouseSquare and enjoy the city's holiday tree and lights as we strolled back to the Metropolitan at The 9, where we had decided to stay the night. It all brought back great memories of our wedding weekend last year.

For the last portion of our Downtown "staycation," we decided to try Adega at The 9 for brunch on Sunday morning. I wish that I could say that this dining experience was as pleasurable as the rest of the anniversary weekend, but it sadly wasn't.

I had to start the meal with The C-Town Bloody Mary ($15). Pricey, and certainly not the best Bloody Mary that I've had in town.

I ordered it spicy, but it barely had any heat to it at all. Otherwise, it did taste fresh and had some interesting flavors from the sweet relish, yellow mustard, and maple syrup. I love a Bloody Mary that you can "chew" on. This one had stuffed olives, serrano ham, and bacon. Not the cubed cheese or blue-cheese stuffed jalapeno peppers that are advertised on the menu though. Hmmm...

Mr. H ordered The Adega ($14) with serrano, ground chorizo, tomato, cilantro, arugula, pickled red onion, manchego, and a basil pesto aioli on ciabatta.

He was expecting a chorizo patty, but the sandwich is made with crumbled chorizo. This did make it more difficult to eat, and the meat was very greasy. Also, our server offered him hot sauce or ketchup...when he had two bites left of the sandwich. Bad timing. 

He also ordered a side of the Chicken Apple Sausage ($6 for 2 links) for the table. The links were unappetizing to look at, all gray and deep-fried. It reminded me of a mozzarella stick. Had little to no flavor as well. We left most of it behind on the plate.

I decided on a Build Your Own Crepe ($8). They have a list of sweet toppings and a list of savory toppings. Missing was any type of vegetables. I went savory, and you can only select from meats and cheeses.

I ordered Bacon and Boursin. There wasn't much cheese in there, and unfortunately, the kitchen uses the same thick-cut, extra-crispy bacon that was featured in my Bloody Mary. Great for soaking in tomato juice, not so great as large, hard chunks in a delicate crepe. Even Mr. H called the bite that he took "terrible." Again, I left half of it on the plate.

I also ordered a side of Marble Rye Toast ($2). The bread was wonderful, but the solid, rock-hard butter was un-spreadable, and it just shredded the poor toast. Can we all agree that chilled, hard butter should never be served with toast or starter bread at a restaurant? Please, stop. 

With an additional coffee and orange juice, this meal ran us about $60 with tax and tip. A very expensive brunch, and not one worthwhile thing about it. It doesn't leave me wanting to run back and try their dinner menu.

Was this meal just a misstep? Have you dined there and had a different (or similar) experience?

The weekend ended with a home-cooked Hong Kong-style Sea Bass dinner, and the frozen top tier of our wedding cake from A Cookie and a Cupcake. I had very low expectations, but it tasted as if we had just bought it that day!

Adega
The Metropolitan at The 9
2017 East 9th Street
Cleveland, OH 44115
216-239-1200

Ring in New Year's Eve in Style

With Christmas looming and lots of last-minute gift buying, holiday gatherings, and other tasks to complete, I've overlooked the fact that 2016 is almost upon us. How will you be ringing in the new year? Given it any thought yet? If not, here are some tasty events going on around Cleveland for you to choose from!

New Year's Eve at the Cleveland Museum of Art: Explore the galleries late into the evening, see the blockbuster exhibition "Painting the Modern Garden: Monet to Matisse," and dance the night away as Solstice 2015 performer King Britt returns to Cleveland to reprise his non-stop, high-energy set of electronica, house, and soul-fusion, with opening set by DJ MisterBradleyP. Enjoy curator-led tours, gallery programs, stunning visuals in the atrium, late night desserts, a complimentary champagne toast at midnight, and other surprises as you ring in 2016. General Admission – $40 (Cleveland Museum of Art Members $30). Centennial Package – $150. Upgrade your evening with free reserved parking and access to the Centennial Lounge, complete with a complimentary full bar, specialty hors d’oeuvres, and DJ Darrick Grant spinning old school funk and soul all night. Purchase tickets here.

New Year's Eve Prix Fixe Dinner at Spice Kitchen + Bar: Celebrate a year well-lived with the perfect prix fixe menu! Five courses, featuring fresh hoop house produce, sustainably raised meats & fall preserves. $75 per person – menu only. Add wine pairings for an additional $25. Choose one of three seating times: 5:00pm, 7:00pm, or 9:00pm. Reservations required: 216-961-9637.

NYE at Crop Bistro + Bar: 9-course tasting menu. $100 for menu only, and $135 with wine pairings. Call 216-696-2767 for reservations.

New Year's Eve at The Black Pig: 7-course prix fixe menu to ring in the New Year. Reservations are required, and are available between the hours of 6PM - 9PM, and can be made on the website or by calling (216) 862-7551. $75 per person (dinner only) + optional wine pairings for an additional $45 per person.

Celebrate New Year's Eve with Fahrenheit: $80 per person or $120 a couple. Includes a bottle of Moet and Chandon White Star Champagne. Four courses. Call 216-781-8858 for reservations.

Countdown to 2016 from Behind the Mask: Join Lago Custom Events inside the aLoft Hotel for the New Year’s Eve Masquerade Ball! Unveil the New Year with a night of lavish dining, dancing and entertainment. Dinner accompanied by live band and music spinning all night from DJ Flaco Flash. Cocktails will be pouring at the premium bar with a variety of decadent food served throughout the night. Ticket Prices: $175 per person | $300 per couple | $500 per couple includes a room at the aloft Hotel for the night. Purchase online here.

New Year's Eve Bash at Graffiti: First Seating (5-7pm) for $30.00 (Tax and gratuity for the buffet has been added to the ticket). Includes- Endless buffet, complimentary glass of champagne, drink specials. Second Seating (9pm-12am) for $30.00 (Tax and gratuity for the buffet has been added to the ticket). Includes- Endless buffet, complimentary glass of champagne, drink specials, DJ and dancing. Reserve your seating online here.

This is only a sampling of some of the great ways to ring in the new year in Cleveland this December 31st. If you have others to share, please comment on this post.

Me? I'll be quietly spending New Year's Eve with my husband and family. 2015 was pretty darn good to us, and we're looking forward to welcoming in 2016 together.