ClevelandNights.com Critic Posts

Stone Mad Irish Pub is finally open in Detroit Shoreway Cleveland

Message by cnc on 4/22/2008 6:05:00 PM EST

The wait is finally over to see what's inside of Stone Mad in the Detroit Shoreway Neighborhood of Cleveland's West Side near Battery Park housing development. We stopped in a couple of days after they opened last week and got the scoop from Jimmy and Ricky who were working that evening and also helped the owner build the pub.

No details were spared on the project, from the wood to the old school door hinges and even the bathroom wash basins. They told us that during their soft launch Stone Mad will be serving lunch and then getting dinner rolled out next week it sounded like. Check out the patio and if you're fortunate enough to find an empty seat near the fire, take it. We did and it was great sitting around the fire on their stone patio furniture just taking in the whole scene.

Jimmy and Ricky got us even more excited when they told us about the expansion plans. This undertaking and the reportedly multiple millions they spent wasn't just for this pub. It seems that there eventually will be a compound of entertainment options. A wine bar, cigar bar, coffee shop and separate fine dining venues were all brought up. In any case, Stone Mad is great addition to the growing Detroit Shoreway mix of restaurants. I'm already looking forward to our next visit!

Latitude 41 North

Message by cnc on 4/8/2008 9:41:00 AM EST
I went to Latitude 41 North for a friend's birthday this weekend and was quite impressed with both the atmosphere and the food. Never having been there before, I was quite surprised that you ordered at the counter and it was BYOB. The service was great and the chocolate cake was awesome! I would definitely recommend stopping by if you're in the area or are just looking for a new place to try.

Mac and cheese week in Cleveland

Message by cnc on 3/15/2008 9:22:00 PM EST

For those of you who follow this blog at Cleveland Nights, you know that I've mentioned the themed weeks a couple of times. This past week was "macaroni and cheese week". A group of about 15 friends decided that since macaroni and cheese is now the new hip dish and that so many restaurants have it, we had to make a whole week of it.... Wow, it was a heavy week. Allow me to run through each night.

Monday
Tremont Tap House in Tremont
We started the week off right in Tremont. The Tremont Tap House is the newest bar in the Tremont neighborhood just outside of Downtown Cleveland. It's on the other side of I 90 away from other venues, so it's easy to miss. They have a great selection of beers and their menu is a nice mix of upscale bar food "gastro pub" style as they call it. Their mac and cheese was very good. They had a light cream sauce with some herbs in it with figs. The figs made it very different and delicious. So far the week was off to a good start.

Tuesday
Wonder Bar on East 4th Downtown Cleveland
Wonder Bar was the scene of our second stop. I was running late that evening and as soon as I walked in, I could smell that something was not quite right. Our group of 12 had ordered the mac and cheese (of course) and it was busy baking back in the kitchen. What I smelled was the strong cheese which they used it in and the duck. First, I have found out that I'm not a huge duck fan. That doesn't help when the dish is stuffed with it... The group was completely split on Wonder Bar's mac and cheese: you either loved it or hated it. I was in the latter. Slow service didn't help the situation either.

Wednesday
Cheddars in the Detroit Shoreway neighborhood in Cleveland
Cheddars is the old Snickers and is now going to be renamed Krazy Mac's or something like that in the next couple months. Seems like there is a back story, but we'll leave it be. Alright, for the middle of the week, we went to the palace of mac and cheese in Cleveland. Cheddars has 21! different types of mac and cheese. DID YOU NOTICE 21??! Awesome! The group got smart and ordered 5 different mac and cheeses and then we served them up buffett style. We had hamburger mac and cheese, buffalo chicken mac and cheese, lobster mac and cheese, south beach mac and cheese and their carolina mac and cheese with pulled pork on it. WOW, this was mac and cheese heaven. Several favorites from the group, but the buffalo mac and cheese got the most nods. This night was going to be touch to beat.

Thursday
Players on Madison in Lakewood
I've been to Players in Lakewood several times, but never had the mac and cheese. One of the members of the mac and cheese entourage swore by it, so of course we went there. I was impressed. Their mac and cheese had a sharp cheese mixed with chorizo. The dish was delicious and expensive. It was $17 for a serving. Everyone spilt their order with someone else which worked out great for our wallets and most still had some to take home. C'mon folks, almost $20 for mac and cheese??

Friday
Lolita in Tremont
Being the last evening of Mac and Cheese week, Friday was being built up especially because we were all going back to Tremont to Lolita's. Lolita is one of superstar chef Michael Symon's famous restaurants, so it had to live up to the hype. Everything we had that evening: appetizers, salads, drinks and bread were delicious. I wish I could say the same for the mac and cheese. The dish was made with goat cheese which I love, but for whatever reason, was the saltiest dish I had ever eaten. It was really a shame because the evening was perfect otherwise.

Alright, so now I'm 8 pounds heavier and $100 poorer for all the glory that was mac and cheese week. It is a delicious dish that has so much potential and it was an incredibly fun week with a great group of friends. It's interesting and enjoyable to see that a lot of Greater Cleveland's best restaurants are experimenting with dish. Next time you're out, go ahead and try the old favorite.

Reddstone Bar in Detroit Shoreway Cleveland

Message by cnc on 2/23/2008 12:25:00 PM EST
I have been wanting to visit Reddstone Bar in the Detroit Shoreway neighborhood of Cleveland for awhile and finally had a chance to this past Thursday night. Redstone is set back on West 76th north of Detroit Avenue. It pretty much is at the end of the street that deadends into the Battery Park neighborhood that is up against the bluffs that overlook Edgewater Park.

The place had a great funky neighborhood feel to it that you should expect to see more of in the up and coming neighborhood. They really overloaded on the red lighting, but I guess that might be their trademark look with their name. The drink selection seemed fine and I had a Brooklyn IPA so at least they seem to understand putting a couple of good microbrews on tap.

They had a DJ setting up that evening and once he started, he essentially blasted us out of the place. I'll come back, I just hope for such a small venue that they can keep the ambiance equal with the auditory experience.

Lucky's Cafe Coffee Shop in Tremont Cleveland

Message by cnc on 2/2/2008 6:07:00 PM EST

Visited Lucky's Cafe in Tremont this morning for coffee. I hadn't been there in about 2 years and was pleasantly surprised. The place was jammed packed and full of energy on a late Saturday morning. They have a breakfast and weekend brunch menu that looked delicious. Most of it looked reasonably priced, but I did spy a $9 breakfast burritto... I hope that it is huge!

I recommend popping in for at least a coffee and if you try their breakfast out, let me know how it is.

West Park Station Review

Message by cnc on 1/20/2008 12:53:00 PM EST

I finally visited West Park Station in Kamm's Corners in Cleveland Saturday. It was mid afternoon so the place was quiet, and unfortunately the service, slow. We sat at the bar and ordered a mid afternoon snack of chili with the works and their guiness cheese soup. The food was very good and the chili lived up to the good recommendations I had received. The cheese soup was delicious!

West Park Station looked very nice on the interior as if it might have received a heavy make over in the last few years. They have a large patio in the back with a nice looking bar and fireplace and there's room in the front for a patio too. This is obviously a police and firefighter's bar and it had some paraphenalia to prove it.

If you haven't been to Kamm's Corners in awhile, check it out. There's a lot of good little bars and restaurants in the area breathing life back into that great section of Cleveland.

Stampers in Fairview Park brings the entertainment

Message by cnc on 1/13/2008 11:18:00 AM EST

I visted Stamper's Bar and Grill in Fairview Park last night looking for some live music. I believe that they always have it on the weekend, so we found what we were looking for. Stampers is nice because it's in an older neighborhood, but the establishment has kept up with the times and that's why it's a packed restaurant everytime I've gone in there. Also, I've never paid a cover with their live music, so that's a nice feature too.

Last night Charlie in the Box was playing there and was fun to watch. They should have just stuck to the instruments which were well handled (especially their drummer), but need to rethink their vocal abilities. Even with that being said, it was a good time and Stamper's had a great mix of young and old, well dressed and casual there to enjoy the music with.

Bubba's BBQ in Avon Ohio

Message by cnc on 1/7/2008 9:11:00 PM EST

I visited Bubba Q's Bar-B-Q in Avon over the weekend after an event at the Avon Lake highschool. I've read a lot about Al "Bubba" Baker's BBQ restaurant, so I was eager to try it. They offer what our waitress referred to as a patent pending de-boned baby back rib. Patent pending? Wow, this place must take their BBQ pretty darn seriously...

Our party had a variety of dishes from pulled pork to ribs to sandwiches and beef brisket. All of them were good and the sauce was tasty. I have to say though, that I'm always leery of BBQ places that talk about "award winning" and "world's best "and all of that type of talk. This place was no different. Bubba's was a very solid restaurant that I'll return to, but it's not one that I'll refer to as "world famous".

If you find yourself in Avon, Ohio hankering for some BBQ, give it a shot.

Nick's Cafe in Ohio City Cleveland

Message by cnc on 12/16/2007 5:17:00 PM EST
I stopped in at Nick's Cafe in Ohio City Cleveland this morning for Sunday breakfast. I'm a huge breakfast fan and it was great to find what I experienced here in Cleveland. Since my last stop there over a year ago, they have completely redone the interior. They crammed several more booths in and threw up a ton of funky cartoon art on the walls.

Their breakfast menu was very thorough. Everything from skillets and omlets to pancakes and your basic egg plates. I had the Speedy Gonzales skillet and it was delicious. It had 3 eggs, chorizo, hash browns, onions and green peppers in it. If you're in the Ohio City neighborhood and are more worried about a solid meal than a pretentious atmosphere, check out Nick's Cafe.

Agave Mexican Restaurant in Westlake Ohio

Message by cnc on 12/9/2007 12:42:00 PM EST

I visited Agave Mexican Restaurant in Westlake at Crocker Park last night. To be fair, they warned us that they haven't had their public grand opening yet. However, they've been in "practice" mode for 2 weeks. A couple of weeks is a long time to soft launch a restaurant in such a high traffic area such as Crocker Park.

To get to the point, I was utterly disappointed. The first impression walking in was an interesting bar area, but then they slammed the seating area into it. Sadly, this hyped restaurant looked like a modern day Chi Chi's with an attempted makeover. It just screamed chain atmosphere.

I can't judge the full menu, since they we're still running with a shortened pre opening menu, but it wasn't anything to get too excited about. We ordered a couple of small plates including their guacamole especial with mango in it and it was good until we dug into brown spoiled chunks. The drink menu looked good with plenty of rum drinks on it. The rest of our food was mediocre, though served to us very fast. Our waitress seemed to need a bit more training as she was unsure of a couple of questions we had about the place and the food.

Steer clear of Agave in Westlake while they get the kinks straightened out. I'll give them another shot since it takes a lot to get a restaurant off the ground, but they've got a lot of work to do in the mean time.

Restaurant Closings

Message by cnc on 11/11/2007 8:25:00 PM EST

I met some friends last night at the old Crazy Rita's in Lakewood which is now a Cleat's sports bar. When did it become a Cleat's? What happened to Crazy Rita's?

I saw on the menu that Cleat's is now up to 14 locations. They have really expanded quickly over the last several years.

Also, does anyone know what is going on with Velocity on Clifton Blvd? Why did it end up closing?

Cleveland Talk Like a Pirate Day!

Message by cnc on 9/19/2007 9:07:00 AM EST
Aye! It's that day of the year again! Talk Like a Pirate Day is finally here!!! Get out to your favorite watering hole near water tonight! Check out Cleveland's downtown restaurants and bar locations here. Aye, and don't forget your eye patch!!

MidTown Cleveland 25th Anniversary Party

Message by cnc on 9/11/2007 8:16:00 PM EST

On Thursday, September 27th, MidTown Cleveland Inc. is celebrating their 25th Anniversary. Kudos to them to making it a community event, instead of the typical stuffy black tie event. The event is raising funds for public art, which is another cool aspect of the evening and tickets are very affordable. The web site says that the RTA will have the much awaited Euclid Corridor super flexy buses there for rides available to attendees.

Mark your calendars for the 27th for the MidTown Cleveland 25th Anniversary!

Cleveland's Little Italy

Message by cnc on 8/13/2007 6:26:00 PM EST

Cleveland's Little Italy neighborhood is always on my list of places to go, but I never seem to get there enough. I was there last week for dinner at La Dolce Vita for the first time and thoroughly enjoyed it. We sat on the sidewalk to eat dinner with friends and everyone was very happy with their meal. The place doesn't have air conditioning, which gives it even more authenticity when you walk into it in the middle of summer...

The portions were hearty, the food fresh and the prices in the more expensive range, but fair for the great meal. The whole Italian neighborhood was alive for a Monday night. Parking is always difficult there, but that's part of the ambiance of a dense neighborhood. If you haven't been or it's been awhile, get there while the weather is warm and sit outside and enjoy the people watching and fine cuisine that one of Cleveland's best ethnic neighborhoods has to offer.

Also, the "Feast" as it's known (The Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin) is coming up August 15th through the 18th. For directions to Cleveland's Little Italy neighborhood, click here. Enjoy!

Big Cleveland Weekend

Message by cnc on 7/16/2007 2:24:00 PM EST
With the AST Dew Tour, Ingenuity Festival, Winking Lizard Shot in the Dark and Rascal Flatts all Downtown this weekend, you're sure to have a good time in the city this weekend. ClevelandNights is giving away tickets to the Dew Tour, click here to find out how how you could win.

Not feeling Downtown? Check out the Irish Cultural Festival at the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds or Space Rovers at the NASA Glenn Visitor's Center.

There is a lot going on in Cleveland this weekend- make sure to be a part of it.

Cleveland Grand Prix Weekend

Message by cnc on 6/23/2007 1:13:00 PM EST

It's a beautiful weekend, so get out of the house and get to Downtown Cleveland and check out the annual Cleveland Grand Prix.
I've driven past Burke Lakefront airport several times over the last few days and it is hopping down there! They've got signs up all over the place and it is a short walk from the Rock Hall and the Science Center if you're looking for something else to do.

Keep an eye out, because there's a lot of great big events like this happening Downtown this summer!

Cavs Playoffs in Downtown Cleveland

Message by cnc on 6/3/2007 5:32:00 PM EST

Wow, what a weekend to be in Downtown Cleveland! You had the Indians splitting a series with the Detroit Tigers, and then of course, you had the Cleveland Cavaliers beating the Detroit Pistons securing the Eastern Conference Championship for Cleveland for the first time in team history.

If you didn't get Downtown to soak up the excitement, you missed out. However, we've got the championship series with the San Antonio Spurs starting this Thursday, so can get into Cleveland to experience the electricity of thousands of fans on the streets and at the bars and restaurants cheering the Cavs on to victory! For more information check out the Quicken Loans Arena (The Q) site and Cavs.com.

If you can't get into the arena to watch in person, check out a list of Downtown Cleveland restaurants and bars on ClevelandNights.com. See you down there!

Three Birds Lakewood

Message by cnc on 5/14/2007 6:07:00 PM EST

I recently took my significant other out for a special night and chose Three Birds restaurant in Lakewood to go to. We were both delighted at the outcome. I thought that their menu leaned a little more towards seafood than I would have guessed, so I tried the scallops which were recommended by the waitress. She was right. I do not usually go out of my way for seafood, but it was delicious!

We also ordered their poblano pepper for an appetizer, and it had just the right amount of spicy kick to it. We also had soup before dinner which was a smoked cold tomato soup. Overall, I was very impressed with the food and the ambiance. They put a lot of thought into the interior and have created a really nice looking outdoor patio too. Their menu is a la carte and most entrees were in the high teens to mid twenty dollar range.

Three Birds probably isn't a place that most Clevelanders will go every week, but it is a place that I'll revisit for special occasions.

Gypsy Beans Coffee Shop in Cleveland Detroit Shoreway

Message by cnc on 3/10/2007 4:30:00 PM EST

I finally visited the recently opened Gypsy Beans Coffee Shop in Cleveland's Detroit Shoreway neighborhood. I wished I hadn't waited so long...

They had a great variety of coffee drinks which is refreshing for someone that doesn't have their coffee options memorized. We also ate there and enjoyed the heartiness of the food. We had a very hearty and plentiful chili and a delicious, cheesy macaroni and cheese. The sandwiches coming out of the kitchen also looked good. It would help if their menu was on the chalkboards behind the counter instead of on sheets of paper, but I'm hoping that they do that because they change it up often.

Gypsy Beans appeared to have wi-fi and had a great neighborhood feel to it. I'll be back soon.

Light Bistro at the old Parker's

Message by cnc on 3/5/2007 6:14:00 PM EST

The old Parker's Bistro in Ohio City that closed at the beginning of 2007 is set to reopen this month as Light Bistro. Currently, there is no menu posted on their web site: www.lightbistro.com, but according to their home page:

"The cuisine will bring an innovative dining concept to Cleveland encouraging diners to try multiple small plates and share larger plates for an enlightening evening with friends or a romantic evening as a couple."

Ohio City seems to keep bringing in the restaurants! If you get a chance to check it out let Cleveland Nights know what you thought of it.