By Claudia Taller
Who needs a tour guide to show you Cleveland’s best restaurants? Not you!
Here’s what you do: pick a neighborhood and decide to go to three different restaurants in one evening. What will it be? Little Italy or Downtown Cleveland or Main Street Vermilion or the Square in Medina? Once you’ve decided which direction you’re driving, choose your restaurants by asking people where they like to go, returning to a favorite place, or doing an internet search. Make sure to end up at the best dessert place last, and wear a good pair of walking shoes so you can window shop before, during and after your crawl for good grub.
I recently heard that Pier W, Lakewood’s premier lakefront restaurant, hosts happy hour seven days a week. We decided to go on a Saturday—the online menu promised mussels, calamari, sliders, and marguerita pizzas at half-off prices and sharply-reduced prices on select wines and cocktails. An hour later, filled up on full-sized salmon and beef burgers at $5 each and mellowed out by soft and tasty $5 wines, we weren’t ready to go home. Sure, the colored lights under the bar and the green-lit tables made for interesting colors, but we didn’t really have a view of the lake unless we decided to move into the dining room to spend serious money.
Then I remembered Humble, the new Deagan’s wine bar, and we headed for Detroit Avenue, where we found people sitting on the sidewalk to enjoy the weather. We went inside to sit at the bar and sip wine while watching pizza dough being grilled, toppings being tossed, and cheese being melted in the big pizza ovens and on the work counter in front of us. The oven gaped open before us and we could see the yeast working to swell the dough while we spoke with the pizza experts.
We could almost eat again, it looked so wonderful, but that will happen on another restaurant crawl. Dessert made more sense, so we meandered northwest to Sweet Melissa’s in Rocky River—if you’ve never gazed at the cupcakes, cheesecakes, cookies, brownies, and layered tortes in the dessert case, you should know that if you do, you’ll walk out with something sweet to eat. We bought a couple of cannoli’s to go, and our teeth were closing down on the crisp pastry as we walked down the street. Our restaurant crawl felt complete.
Next time, we’ll start at Humble and drive until we find a place for the main dish, maybe at Gordon Square or Ohio City. That leaves dessert at the Sweet Spot or Mitchell’s on the way home.
Not so adventurous? Or prefer to be guided by an expert? Reserve a tour with Taste Cleveland Food Tour. It’s easy to get a seat and you don’t have to worry about what to order on the menu. Much like being on a travel tour, the tour guide talks about history and current attractions as the group walks through the neighborhood. At each destination, the tables are waiting and the wait staff is quick to bring the pre-selected choices of food. You can trust Taste Cleveland to choose a flavorful and eclectic variety of menu items that show off east restaurant’s chef talents. During a recent excursion, I enjoyed Thai appetizers, chicken and waffles, and s’mores. Book a tour soon — these fill up fast.
Do a restaurant crawl this Fall. Not only will the food and walking do the body good, the crisp outdoor air and autumn scenery will soothe the soul.
Claudia Taller is the author of Ohio’s Lake Erie Wineries and has been a Cool Cleveland contributor for many years. She helps writers and other creative people discover possibilities for their lives through Igniting Possibilities events, including Word Lovers retreats. She has written articles for numerous publications over the last decade and blogs at http://ClaudiaTallerMusings.blogspot.com. Her book can be purchased at http://OhioLakeErieWineries.blogspot.com and makes a perfect gift for history buffs and wine lovers.