Some places in town are blessed with the space for a patio behind their front facades so you can eat and drink and pretend you are wherever you would rather be. Personally, I prefer the sidewalk patios where one can watch the Cleveland world go by. In many places this means watching people go by. But at the Flat Iron Cafe, it means watching a swing bridge and massive ships.
Though it has been down in the Flats since 1910, the Flat Iron has only just added a sidewalk patio this year. It is wide and comfortable, thanks to Councilman Cimperman's work to get some parking meters removed, thus allowing the patio space to be bigger than most. The tables are large and the chairs are comfortable.
Best of all, the patio faces the West, so when the sun is setting, it hits your smiling face perfectly as it fans out under the arches of the Detroit Superior Bridge. Yesterday we were there when the swing bridge swung open and the massive Maumee freighter eased by as we were enjoying our excellent sampler platter of deep fried goodies.
The food at the Flat Iron is very good, especially the burgers and jambalaya, and the service is friendly and prompt. So, wander down to the Flat Iron Cafe as people have done for almost 100 years, and enjoy the patio as people have been doing for about two weeks.
