Heights Eats

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

Waffles usually disappoint me. The perfect waffle should be crisp–almost crunchy–on the outside but light, fluffy and moist on the inside. Most waffles, even at restaurants, tend to be too heavy and lack much distinction between outside and inside.

The secret to perfect waffles is yeast, which results in highly risen, flavorful and crisp waffles. Unfortunately, yeast batter recipes (called “overnight waffles”) do not generally allow for a quick waffle fix. However, using inspiration from Alton Brown’s English Muffin recipe, I realized that I could speed the process to a little over 30 minutes. The ingredient list is from Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything. His overnight recipe can be found here.

We had these for dinner, but they could easily be made quickly enough for a weekend breakfast or brunch.

Quick Yeast Waffles (serves four hungry adults)

2 cups whole milk 8 TB (1 stick) butter 1 tablespoon sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 envelope yeast, active dry or instant 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 … continue reading

We’ve been meaning to make it to Deagan’s in Lakewood for dinner for eons. We were already on the West side from a late afternoon trip to Dave and Buster’s, so we decided to take advantage of our location. We were glad we did.

We arrived at 6:00pm on a Friday night and got the last open table. We were given menus–including a kids menu for Jonathan–and our drink order was taken quickly.

Deagan’s has an excellent selection of draft beers, making for a difficult decision. I ordered the Green Flash Red IPA ($5). It was perfectly balanced between the hops and bittersweet caramel from dark roasted malt.

The décor is warm, with high wooden ceilings and plenty of thick, dark wood in the chairs and tables as well. The lighting was perfect, just dark enough to feel relaxed and intimate but bright enough to clearly see your food and surroundings.

Deagan’s has a large variety of small bar snacks and appetizers. Jonathan … continue reading

Sarah and I had heard good things about Jammy Buggars for quite a while and figured that, as it was Saturday, we had time to cross the river for dinner. We were happy we did.

The establishment feels like a moderately upscale bar / restaurant with dark wooden beams and a stylish décor. The ambience is informal, and we were among a number of groups with children.

Despite arriving before 5:30pm, we weren’t seated for a half hour. The waiting area is small with few chairs, and we felt a bit cramped while standing.

We were very comfortable once seated, though. The booths are among the most comfortable in town, with thick, supportive uphostery. Tables are set with a free basket of tasty, homemade potato chips, so any hunger pangs from waiting were immediately put at bay.

Jammy Buggars has an excellent list of draft and bottled beers, and I started with a Bourbon Barrel ale ($4.50). Despite liking both bourbon and ale, this will be my last try on this beer, which is … continue reading

I have been going to Tommy’s since before I was born. It’s home to my first memories of experiencing pita bread. Ben and I met the minister that married us there and we’ve been to Tommy’s many times since.

The restaurant itself is plain, and the décor consists of the work of local artists (for sale) and plants. Natural light abounds during the day. The menu has not changed in decades — but this is a positive attribute. Although known for being vegetarian, their menu does not exclude meat. Some of the more popular items on the menu include milk shakes, french fries, toasted cheese (served on pita), salads with Louie dressing (a take on Thousand Island).

One of our favorites is the unusual pairing of hummus, toasted cheese and fresh vegetables. Warm hummus with melted cheese sounds odd — but tastes really good. Jonathan gave the dish the kid stamp of approval. Our only minor complaint is that there should have been … continue reading

Sarah from Top Chef recently won one episode with her sausage stuffed cabbage. It looked really good to me, so I decided to make it.

Sarah (from this blog, not Top Chef) typically dislikes stuffed cabbage, which is usually filled with a tomato beef sauce. This recipe has no tomatoes but lots of vegetables. In addition to the big cabbage leaves, the meat mixture also contains more cabbage and onions and is stuffed into kale. Sarah really liked it, and even Jonathan enjoyed it.

The recipe we made is modified in a number of ways from the Top Chef recipe published here. It uses less butter and less olive oil. And, instead of two small heads of cabbage (green and Napa), we used the one large head we got from City Fresh. It might be very good with Napa, though. I wouldn’t suggest following the original recipe to the letter. Bravo tends to be pretty sloppy with these, including not mentioning when … continue reading

I’ve been to Palookaville Chili twice, both times during lunch. The first time was late summer, a period which in theory is not “chili weather.” I work in Parma, so, if I can get off work early, Palookaville is basically on my way home.

Despite the fact that there’s only really one specialty here, their menu is actually a lot more diverse than, say, Chipotle’s. There are five kinds of chili including pork, beef, chicken and two vegetarian options, with a variety of spice levels. You can have your chili in a bowl, over chips (“nacho grande”), on a hot dog, over pasta or in a burrito. They also offer pulled pork and BBQ chicken sandwiches. Optional toppings include fresh jalapenos, cheese, red onions, sour cream and bacon.

Thus far I’ve only ordered vegetarian options as I usually prefer light lunches. Their spicy veggie chili is amazing. I did a quick inventory of my palate after having a bite to verify that they hadn’t snuck meat in there, but apparently … continue reading

Cajun Dave’s

Better Waffles

Deagan’s Kitchen and Bar

Jammy Buggars

Tommy’s

Top Chef Stuffed Cabbage

Palookaville Chili