Taco Tuesday- Sachsenheim Hall

My Taco Tuesday quest took me to Sachsenheim Hall on Denison Avenue last night. Several of you suggested their tacos, and for just $1 each- I can see why.

First, the building is quite the sight.

It is over 100 years old, and includes a bar area, ballroom, dance hall, and several other smaller rooms throughout. There is decent parking space available in a lot just to the right of the building, and we entered through the side door. Immediately, we were hit in the face with the stench of urine and cigarettes. No joke.

Inside the bar area, we found quite a mix of people. It was great people watching! To our left was a fine specimen of a mullet, with multiple elastics holding it into a perfectly sectioned ponytail. To my right, a classy young gal talking loudly about her mandatory DUI class as she downed five shots while we sat there. We saw families, blue-collar workers, hipsters, and plenty of your average Joe's. All are welcome.

After securing our drinks, we were handed a menu of the Taco Tuesday specials.

With 15 different types of filling, it was hard to choose. They come in a hard or soft taco shell for $1 each, and "loading" them with lettuce, cheese, tomato, sour cream, and salsa is free. This is often not the case with other Taco Tuesday deals. They also offer empanadas stuffed with any of the fillings, or a V-RITO which includes a soft shell, a layer of nacho cheese, and then a hard shell.

I ordered a Habanera Empanada, Black Bean & Corn soft taco, Fish soft taco, and a Jamaican Jerk Sausage soft taco.

All were served warm. The Habanera filling had a nice heat to it, but wasn't as spicy as the bartender made it out to be. The empanada was a little over fried, and dry around the outside. The fish taco was the only one that I didn't care for. It was lacking the crunch of a good fried breading, and tasted a little "fishy". The Jamaican Jerk was probably my favorite of the bunch.

With two beers (one pint, one liter), and "R" having more tacos than I did- our bill STILL only came to $20 and change. Per person, this is definitely a Dining Deals alert!

Don't get me wrong, I love Touch's Thursday tacos and Deagan's gourmet tacos...but this type of Taco Tuesday was more what I had in mind when I started this series. Stay tuned for more, and keep the suggestions coming!

Sachsenheim Hall
7001 Denison Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44102
216-651-0888

Sweetie Fry

Opening a restaurant that only serves french fries and hand-crafted ice cream...a risky business venture, or pure genius?

After our first visit last night, my vote is pure genius. Sweetie Fry on Lee Road in Cleveland Heights opens its doors in the afternoon, and stays open late Tuesday-Sunday. We stopped in around 9:00PM last night for an after-dinner treat, and we weren't the only ones with that in mind. The line was out the door, but it moved quickly. Suddenly I found myself at the counter, forced to make a decision.

Luckily, the staff happily gives you samples of any flavors that you want to try before ordering. They had just added a Goat Cheese with Honey and Walnuts flavor, and after one taste I knew that was what I wanted.

It was light and creamy, with a distinct flavor of my beloved goat cheese. The honey drizzled on top, and crushed walnuts, added interesting texture and complimented the flavor of the goat cheese well.

With each order, you also receive a small "Sweetie Scoop" of any flavor on top. Oops, I had already dug into my Maple Bacon before I snapped this photo. Excuse my excitement. With a strong maple flavor, and chunks of real bacon crumbled into it- I would order this flavor as a whole scoop.

Now, we didn't try the french fries since we had stuffed ourselves with Pacific East sushi for dinner. But the smell of the cinnamon and sugar on the waffle fries, and hint of malt vinegar in the air for the fresh cut fries, were driving us nuts so we had to leave as soon as we finished our ice cream. "R" was about to find room in his belly for some.

Have you been to Sweetie Fry yet? What's your favorite flavor there? How does it stack up against other ice creams in the area, in your opinion?

Sweetie Fry
2307 Lee Road
Cleveland Heights, OH 44118
216-932-2300

2012 Update

Where the heck is 2012 going? The months have been flying by, in my opinion. How is it the end of May already? Geez.

Well, the "Year of Fun" has been good to me so far. For the most part. We traveled to New Orleans, are spending quality time with family and friends, "R" and I will celebrate our five-year (dating) anniversary this summer, my best friend from high school is getting married in July, and we have a couple of other mini-trips planned. But, I'm still battling my health issue. The end is in sight, but boy what a long road. It will probably be close to three and a half years when this is all said and done. I thought that I would be better sooner, so I feel like this has slowed down my "Year of Fun" and the big plans I had for 2012.

Including my "To Dine" list.

2012 "To Dine" Challenge:
Stonehouse Grill
Lure Bistro & Sushi Bar
Marotta's
The Fairview Tavern
Beach Club Bistro
Bistro 185 ----- DONE
Sullivan's Irish Pub & Restaurant
Tree Country Bistro
Sun Luck Garden Restaurant
Bruno's Ristorante & Catering

Only ONE done! That is not okay. I need to get my butt in gear.

Who's coming with me?

Maxi's in Little Italy

I'm not even sure how I am awake at this hour this morning. Yesterday was event #1 of three within three weeks of each other that I am working on right now, and with only three hours of sleep the night before, a 3:45AM wake-up call, and a dinner event to attend last night after my walk was all said and done...I don't really feel human today.

Last week was a flurry of last minute event details, and plenty of stress. I fell off the WW bandwagon for several days, but it's back to it today! While I knew that I wasn't counting points, we decided to indulge in some Italian food on Thursday night. Work errands on the east side of Cleveland prompted "R" and I to finally use our gift certificate to Maxi's Bistro in Little Italy.

In the heart of it all on Mayfield Road, they offer a couple of outdoor tables, an expansive bar and small casual dining area downstairs, and then a more formal dining room upstairs. We just saddled up to the bar, and had excellent service from the bartender throughout the meal.

I knew that I wanted to start with the Stuffed Banana Peppers.

Two good sized peppers arrived swimming in a marinara sauce. I enjoyed the dish, but agreed with "R" that the flavor of the sausage could have been more prominent. The pepper was cooked well with a great subtle heat, and the sauce was flavorful and perfect for dipping our warm bread into. I find that so many marinara sauces are pretty bland when dining out, but this was not the case.

Two things determined my entree for me: red pepper and shrimp.

This penne in a spicy vodka sauce had my name written all over it. The portion was huge for $18, and I took more than half of it home.

But "R" had the winning dish of the night. He ordered the goat cheese and roasted tomato ravioli, but the kitchen made a mistake and served him the Spinach Ravioli dish instead. Who cared? Not us! The raviolis were so light and airy, and the stuffing was delicious. However, the Alfredo sauce that it came with was outstanding and had us both licking his plate. I was so happy that I had saved half a piece of bread. It went right into the sauce left on his plate! Only complaint...the dish included just four ravioli. They weren't large, and for the price- the dish should have included one or two more.

I haven't really enjoyed the handful of restaurants that I've tried in Little Italy, other than Washington Place Bistro (duh) and Trattoria's gnocchi. But Maxi's easily is the best overall meal we've had in the area's traditional Italian restaurants. Now I just need to check out Michelangelo's...

What's your favorite restaurant in Cleveland's Little Italy? What is the best dish there?

Maxi's Bistro
12113 Mayfield Road
Cleveland, OH 44106
216-421-1500

Barrio's Tacos

Tuesday was just begging for some patio time and cocktails that evening. The weather was a perfect balance of sunny skies and no humidity. That rarely happens in Cleveland, so we were certainly taking advantage of it! This led to an impromptu gathering of friends and significant others at the recently opened Barrio in Tremont.

Barrio took over the old 806 Wine Bar on Literary just over two weeks ago. So they are brand spanking new. And it kind of showed. But there's potential there.

First order of business, margaritas.

We went with a pitcher of the traditional flavored Casa Made Margaritas for $24. We got about four and a half drinks out of it. I thought the mason jars were a cute twist.

Now that we were settled in on the brick patio, it was time to order. Like Happy Dog, you are given a checklist of taco choices. You start with either hard or soft, flour or corn, and then build your custom taco. The options are lengthy, so we felt that over time they should create and provide a list of "suggested" combinations.

Before tacos, however, came guacamole. "R" and I shared the Tuscan Guacamole with pine nuts, mozzarella, tomatoes, and balsamic vinegar. The ingredients added some texture and minimal flavor that apparently the Traditional was lacking, but our version still needed the addition of citrus and salt. It was certainly fresh and creamy, but a little bland in the bites without the balsamic.

The chips were sometimes chewy, perhaps a little stale?

Our tacos arrived a bit later. I had gone with two soft flour tortillas, and built my tacos around the fish and chorizo.

While the flavors of both were good, the tacos have really cooled down by the time they arrive. I know that they can be difficult to keep hot when adding so many cold toppings, but I still think that the kitchen just hasn't quite figured out that balance. There's improvement in their process needed. I give these tacos a solid 4 out of 10, but if they had been served warmer they would have been bumped up to a 6 out of 10 (in my opinion).

Overall, the ingredients were clearly fresh and they have a great concept. The tacos were reasonably priced at $3 each. I love the addition of a Tequilaria in Tremont. It's something that isn't being done in the area. They are serving late night tacos as well, from what I hear. They are just going through some significant growing pains with both food and service (long wait times, food/drinks missing, wrong kind of tortillas used on a couple of taco orders), but there's hope for this new spot.

Barrio
806 Literary Road
Cleveland, OH 44113