The Cleveland Epicure

Stuffed at Danny Boy's and Tartine's Bistro

We've not been people to frequent Rocky River since we moved to Cleveland.  Mrs. Epicure and I tend to like worn jeans, people with tattoos and PBR a little too much to hang with the River crowd.  Still, two recent get togethers with friends brought us to two very different places in this upscale 'burb.

First, we can report that Tartine's Bistro is a fun place to visit especially if you can sit outside.  Situated in the old city hall building, it features old brick walls, big window/doors that open to the patio, and a nice outdoor dining space.  We tried the mussels appetizer (very good and the sauce is worth getting extra bread for) and the bacon-wrapped dates that were certainly very tasty.  We shared some house white wine that I thought was a tad overpriced for what it was.  Entrees varied in quality from a well-received wild mushroom pizza with a whole wheat crust to an over-cooked and undersized baked cod serving.  In between were two of the namesake "tartines" which at this establishment consist of elongated pieces of toasted bread with various toppings, kind of like a higher-end version of the Stouffer's pizza bread.  The French serve les tartines with butter or confit or pate, so basically they take really good bread and put really good stuff on top of it.  That is the idea here as well.  I had ricotta cheese, figs, honey and a variety of nuts  as a topping and Mrs. Epicure had roasted chicken, apples and melted cheese.  The tartines were good but a bit challenging to eat because they were over-toasted (in my book, at least).  Desserts ranged from a super flourless chocolate cake to a tiny portion of caramel gelato.

Second, and much more established, is Danny Boy's Pizza, a place known for its epic Chicago-style pizzas and epic waits for a table.  Danny Boy's does not take reservations, so you have to be patient when you go and they help that patience process by providing a cornhole game out front on the sidewalk.  As long as you don't mind strangers correcting your scorekeeping or coveting the corn-filled bags, you will be all set.  The interior is all Frank and Dean and Bennett, and the music matches the decor.  The waitstaff is pleasant and helpful.  We had a hard time deciding what to eat because there were so many good options, but we opted for the chicken philly cheesesteak pizza, which came topped with french fries, green peppers, chicken breast and cheese.  The crust here is thick and the pizzas are very filling but very tasty.  Several at the table enjoyed the house salad prior to the pizza, mainly because the salad comes with a pair of breadsticks that are made from the pizza dough.  After we ate as much as we could the waitress asked if we wanted dessert.  We all begged off and I asked how many people ever even get dessert.  She said that they sell about one a night.  As I suspected, most people wait so long to eat dinner and then eat so much of the huge portions, they have no room to fit any sugar into their bellies.  My advice--if you want dessert there, you should probably start with that course and work your way backward.  You can always take the leftover pizza home for breakfast.

So, River proved to have better food than I might have guessed, and I did not get too much of a sense of people looking down their noses at me, even as I sported my Ohio City T-shirt.

Margs at Momocho

On a recent evening Mrs. Epicure and I required a margarita, both of us coming to this same conclusion independently.  We wandered down the street to Momocho, the fabulous Modern Mexican restaurant on Fulton Ave. in Ohio City.  We enjoyed the classic "gold margarita" during their Happy Hour + 1/2 (5-6:30) and then both a cucumber margarita and hibiscus margarita before we ambled home.  I can take or leave the hibiscus version, but on a hot day, the cucumber margarita is tough to beat with the refreshing coolness of cucumber juice melding with the spicy salt on the rim of the glass.

I can also report that the tequila-marinated grasshopper dish is still on the menu and should be there "for a while" according to the bartender. 

Travel to Greece and Eastern Europe

Near the West Side Market are many fine food establishments that deserve your attention.  Let me highlight two.

First is Athens Pastries and Imported Foods at 2545 Lorain, just a handful of steps from the Market.  Athens features many ingredients needed for proper Mediterranean cooking as well as many prepackaged items for your use at home.  Examples are a wide range of olives, feta and other Greek cheeses, taramosolata (a kind of caviar spread), grape leaves wrapped around all sorts of goodies, and an impressive selection of olive oils and balsamic vinegars.  You can also get food to eat at the store where they have a few indoor tables, and this includes their impressive selection of pastries, featuring a splendid version of baklava.  They also have a nice selection of wines (including a 25% off shelf), beers and juices.

Second, and just a bit farther west, is the Hansa Import Haus at 2717 Lorain, which features many German foods, beers and wines.  On a recent trip Mrs. Epicure and I procured some delicious German bologna, piquant ketchup (they have about seven kinds of ketchup including curry flavored and just a crazy number of different mustards), a fantastic dark chocolate (Hachez 77%), and several really interesting adult beverages that we will soon be sampling.  These beverages include a line of wines called "Fountain of Cleveland" that feature the epic war memorial fountain downtown on the label.  How the connection came from the country of Macedonia--where the wines are made--to Cleveland I am not sure.  We picked up a couple of bottles including a variety I am unfamiliar with: traminec.  We also picked out a couple of beers from the extensive options available.  I don't think I am overstating the case to say that this store has the best selection of German beers at least in the Near West side of Cleveland.  I am also a sucker for different kinds of salt and they carry a sea salt from Slovenia that is hand harvested and unrefined.   I love the variety of the sizes of the chunks of salt and the flavor is at once both intense and smooth.  Also at Hansa Haus you will find products that are priced higher elsewhere, sometimes by a couple of dollars per bottle of wine, for example.

So, the next time you make your way to the West Side Market, do yourself a favor and go to both Athens and Hansa.  You will find yourself returning again and again.

Kicking It in Kamm's Corners

A short drive west on 90 from our home in Ohio City is the Kamm’s Corners neighborhood, which notes itself as the “Suburb in the City.”  There is much to recommend this West Side neighborhood that has the general boundaries of West 140th on the east, the Metroparks on the West, Puritas on the south and I90 on the North.

First and foremost to recommend is the Kamm’s Corners Farmer’s Market.  Held in the parking lot behind the Walgreens just south of Lorain at West 168th every Sunday from 10-2, June through October.  This is what I would call a “true” Farmer’s Market.  By that I mean that everything sold there is created/grown by the purveyors.  On a recent Sunday Mrs. Epicure and I found 24 such vendors.

One such vendor was the Red Cedar Coffee Company from Berea.  They roast all of their own coffee and we enjoyed the freshly brewed Papua New Guinea on this cool, windy day.  Their coffee is available from them directly as well as at many local Cleveland establishments like Gypsy Bean in the Detroit Shoreway neighborhood.

Right next to Red Cedar is a stand from Hickory Acres Meats.  We didn’t get any meat on this particular day, but they offer about 70 different cuts of meat including Flintstone cut short ribs, Canadian bacon, and most impressively, hangar steak, which is often difficult for the home cook to get a hold of.

We picked up a piece of sweet potato pie from Jenny’s Sweets, a fine savory scone from Failte, hand-picked blueberries from H-W Organic Farm of Sullivan, hand-picked peaches from Geneva, and a variety of other vegetables and fruits from a number of other nearby farms.  There are plants available from the Puritas Nursery, gourmet dog biscuits from Classy K9nz, and on occasion a stand that sells soaps and lotions.  True, you won’t find any bananas or mangoes, but what you can find is produce that you know is cared for from seed to table and that is worth a lot.  Plus the vendors are enthusiastic, the vibe is welcoming and the smiles are all warm and honest.  Beyond the fruits and veggies, there is a weekly chef demonstration, a live band, a wellness demonstration, and horse-drawn carriage rides.

Just across the parking lot from the Farmer’s Market there are a number of very good pubs for you to explore.  Visually the most stunning is P.J. McIntyre’s Irish Pub.  It really feels like what I imagine an Irish pub must be like (no, I have not been to Ireland yet).  One wall at the back of the space looks like the interior of an old Irish church, complete with layered flagstone and stained glass windows (this also serves as the backdrop for the many bands that play there).  The dominant feature in the pub is the oval bar, which is perfectly shiny in a worn, old school kind of way.  The owner is the former lead dancer in the Lord of the Dance stage show.  I highly recommend a visit to this gem that I wish was in my own neighborhood.

We enjoyed a Guinness at P.J.’s with Steve Lorenz, the local executive director of the Kamm’s Corners Development Corporation.  Steve is obviously a popular guy in the neighborhood, as he is a tireless promoter of the area and its many positive offerings.  Plus he is an official barbeque tasting referee and he carries a wallet that looks like it is made out of bacon, which is about the coolest thing you can put your money into as far as I am concerned.  Steve clued us in to the many happenings in Kamm’s Corners, such as the aforementioned Farmer’s Market, the upcoming streetscape upgrades (they’ll be widening the sidewalks, burying the power lines, etc.), and the attractions at the other nearby establishments.

One such establishment just down the street from P.J.’s is West Park Station.  The comfortable tavern shows its dual loyalties to both Italy and Ireland in the flags on the walls and the split menu.  It also pays honor to the many firemen, policeman, and other service people who live in such large numbers in this area.  We had a few drinks there with friends and also had dinner, which was decent enough though not anything to make it a destination for dining.  But if you are looking for a good place to have a few beers and some great conversation with friends old and new, West Park Station is an excellent choice.

Across from the pubs is the blues venue Smedley’s that has a groove all of its own.  Known for Cleveland-based blues and a $6.00 strip steak that Steve highly recommended, Smedley’s definitely has the hardest edge to it of the places we visited.  Smedley’s is also clearly unimpressed by the indoor smoking ban that was passed a year or so ago.  But if you are looking for a place to play pool, have a good steak, and a shot and a beer, Smedley’s might be right up your alley.

Mrs. Epicure and I have just scratched the surface of Kamm’s Corners, but we’ve seen many a bright glint in those areas that we have taken the time to investigate.  It is most definitely a place that is on the rise with many cool places to recommend it already, and it has the feel of a place that will be adding more to recommend it as a destination for a beer, a meal, or a Sunday trip to get some great local produce.