Heights Eats

Yesterday on the way home from Peninsula we took a detour through Hudson. As we were driving by I noticed Main Street Cupcakes. I had heard great things about it, so I asked Ben to park the car.

The shop is small but clean and sort of reminded me of what Martha Stewart’s cupcake shop might look like if she had one. They offered a variety of cupcakes–there were at least 14 or 16 different flavors available. Initially we thought we would just get three for us to eat after lunch, but we couldn’t resist. Everything looked amazing. We ended up buying one for a friend’s birthday (Half Baked, it had a tiny chocolate chip cookie on top — it was too cute) 8 for a family cookout tonight (pictured above) along with the 3 we intended to have for desert after lunch that day.

The three we bought for J, Ben and myself did not make it past the parking … continue reading

Sarah and I recently visited Saugatuck, Michigan while in the area for my brother’s wedding. Saugatuck is a very small, picturesque town on the shores of Lake Michigan which is known for its community of artists. It reminded us a lot of Key West.

For lunch we visited Pumpernickels. We started off by splitting a cinnamon roll, which, while not a typical appetizer option, looked too good to pass up. It was unbelievably good, with so much cinnamon flavor that it almost tasted spicy (but it was plenty sweet as well). It was probably the best cinnamon roll I’ve ever had.

For sandwiches Sarah ordered the tuna salad on pumpernickel and I had a turkey, bacon and Swiss on cracked wheat. The sandwiches were fairly generously portioned and very fresh, but a bit heavier on the bread than I generally like. Sarah loves bread, so she was fine with the ratio. Jonathan had a peanut butter and jelly. They were really … continue reading

Stone Oven is a bakery and small sandwich shop with two locations in Cleveland’s east side and one downtown. We generally visit the Lee Road location in Cleveland Heights. They specialize in fresh baked breads, cookies, tarts and other sweet stuff. Their menu includes a variety of cold sandwiches, salads and fresh soups as well as various coffee drinks. (Their menu is similar to Panera, but smaller and better!) At lunch time they also serve hot pizza and occasionally feature other hot options as well such as grilled sandwiches or mac and cheese.

We have never really been disappointed by the Stone Oven–their prices are reasonable and the food quality is great. I think their pizza (pictured here) however is my favorite thing to get there. It is only served at lunch, and generally is served starting at 12 noon, but disappears fast. The pizza dough is thick yet light, very yeasty and … continue reading

While on a recent trip to northern Michigan to visit family over the holidays, we stopped off in Ann Arbor to visit Zingerman’s Deli. We had been receiving their holiday catalogs and we thought pretty much everything in them looked really good — so we planned to stop on the way up north.

The deli itself is very small, and jam packed with all kinds of foodie goodness. There is an amazing cheese/deli section with expensive and exotic cheeses and deli meats. There is a small bakery counter with tons of different kinds of breads and sweets. There is also a small “alley” behind the bakery counter with vinegar and olive oil samples. The most impressive sample on our visit was the aged balsamic vingar, with a sweetness and consistency reminiscent of maple syrup but a much more complex flavor. There is also a small coffee counter and an area in the back of the … continue reading