Heights Eats

After a nice meal at the Flying Fig, we realized that our babysitting hours weren’t quite up and drove our scooters west to Sweet Moses. We really enjoyed the visit.

Sweet Moses is an old-fashioned soda fountain and candy shop that makes their own ice cream. Walking in the door brings one back to the 1950s, and they even serve phosphates and other long-forgotten drinks.

We decided to split the Tin Roof Sundae. The ice cream tasted rich and creamy but had a lighter feel than many other local offerings. We really enjoyed it and look forward to trying out their homemade hot fudge and caramel sauces.

We also ordered a dark chocolate covered rice crispie treat to go, which we ate over the next couple days (it was huge). The cinnamon pecans, Belgian chocolate and cripsy marshmallow center create a complexity rivaling the best fine dining desserts.

Jonathan would surely love Sweet Moses as well, and we … continue reading

Sonic gave us a $50 gift card to review the opening of their new Cleveland-area location. That was over a year ago when they opened on Snow Road, and we never made it there. We still had the card when a franchise opened in Mayfield Heights, though, so we decided to check in out.

While Sonic’s menu is largely typical fast food fare, their quality and delivery method are a step above the competition. Over numerous visits we tried almost everything on their menu and were pleased with both food and service.

There are three ways to order at Sonic: the drive-in, where servers deliver your food on roller skates; the inside counter where there are tables to eat; or at the drive through. We generally do drive-in for the uniqueness. There are lots of pull up spots, and our orders have generally been accurate and quickly delivered. We did have a communication issue once, but, after I walked up to … continue reading

We were invited to a media preview at “The Spread” buffet at the soon to open Horseshoe Casino in Tower City. We were, on the whole, very impressed with the food.

The executive chef, Steven Varga, gave everyone a short tour of the facility and fielded questions. The establishment has a farm-to-table, seasonal emphasis. They highlighted spring asparagus on their salad bar and plan to use plenty of local zucchini as the months progress (we seem to have a limitless bounty around here). We asked about local beef and poultry and were told that it was “Ohio Grown.” I was hoping for something like Tea Hills Farms, but on the whole they seem to be doing a really good job with the local emphasis.

Varga worked for many years in Las Vegas but started his career in Cleveland at the famed Baricelli Inn. His culinary expertise really shined in all of the savory foods we tried.

Salad

The grilled asparagus was very good. They were a bit … continue reading

What is Slideluck Potshow? From their organization website, here’s the definition:

Slideluck Potshow (SLPS) is a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to building and strengthening community through food and art. SLPS operates multimedia slideshows combined with potluck dinners in about forty cities around the world. For each event, artists submit up to five minutes worth of images and guests bring along delicious food to share. The evening begins with a couple hours of mingling and dining on home-cooked dishes, and then the lights are dimmed, the crowd is hushed, and a spectacular slideshow commences.

To me it sounds sort of like Pecha Kucha with some yummy food.

The very first Cleveland Slideluck Potshow is going down on Thursday May 3 from 6:30pm to 10pm at the smARTspace at the 78^th St Studios (1305 W 8^th Street, Suite 116).

Just $5 if you bring a dish to share & $11 if you don’t at the door. They’ve extended the deadline to this Wednesday … continue reading

We spent our Saturday afternoon at an excellent Passport to Fishing class for kids at the Goodyear Hunting and Fishing Club south of Akron. Since we were in the area, we figured we check out a local restaurant and picked Cajun Dave’s in Kent.

Cajun Dave’s is located inside the Water Street Tavern and is basically just a counter and a kitchen. We ordered the Cajun Dave’s fries ($8), appetizer gumbo ($5.50) and shrimp creole ($12) to split. All apps were actually a dollar cheaper for their 3-7pm happy hour. Jonathan ordered the smoked gouda mac-and-cheese.

We were a bit surprised at how long we had to wait for our food, about 30–35 minutes. We also felt a tad out of place both as a family and 30–40 somethings. The music is loud, there are lots of televisions, and almost no one looked over 23.

Once our food arrived, we were quite happy with it. The fries were clearly fresh cut with lots of meaty debris (fragments … continue reading

We were invited by Scott Kuhn and Chris Hodgson to a preview dinner at their new restaurant Hodges. Sarah is not a fan of crowds, so I took my friend Matt.

The space is large but inviting, with a deep red motif. The noise level was low, making conversation easy. Then again, the place was less than half full.

We started with the tater tots, which are served with every meal the way chips and salsa is at most Mexican restaurants. They were dusted in bacon and served with a sour cream dipping sauce, making for a perfect combination of tot and baked potato. They went down really easy.

The next course is also complimentary with every meal, a cast iron of corn bread. It was moist and tasty with some really good bourbon butter on the side. Matt was not happy with how hot it was, but I didn’t mind so much as it cooled down fairly quickly (3−4 minutes) after being cut.

We were then … continue reading

We celebrated Sarah’s birthday at Crop Bistro a couple weeks ago. They’ve definitely kept their quality up since the move from the Warehouse District.

The new location is in a large building on West 25^th Street kitty corner from the West Side market. The space is extremely large and gives the sense of a large European train station or even a Cathedral. It’s a beautiful space.

When we arrived for our 6:30 Saturday reservation, we were told that a space at the chef’s table had opened up and that, considering the desirability of such a spot, that we would be advised to take it. We did.

Our meal began with a compimentary amuse buche, a couple sweet and spicy fried spring rolls. We very much enjoyed them.

I ordered a Lanigan to drink ($9), an excellent mixture of vodka, pear juice and ginger that tasted almost wine-like in its mix of subtle sweetness, fragrance, and sour / bitter elements. It went very well with everything we ordered.… continue reading

Sweet Moses

Sonic

“The Spread” at Horseshoe Casino

Slideluck Potshow — Thursday, May 3

Cajun Dave’s

Hodges Preview Dinner

Crop Bistro, New Location