Menus for Cleveland Independents Restaurant week are up! I have reviewed and will give you the best ones for the value here! The value is that you get a three-course meal for $33 per person from a specially selected group of items. Some restaurants want to serve you a Cesar salad, pasta and cheesecake...that will not be a top restaurant on this blog.
I have 5 that I think are interesting menus and well worth the money for the three courses. Three of them are old favorites that I think always have the best menus. Let's start with my three veteran restaurants: Pier W, Light Bistro and Grovewood Tavern.
Pier W has a fish heavy menu with quality. For the starter there is a unique selection of a roasted pear salad, scallops over a truffle and apple relish, or tuna satay with a yakitori glaze, each is interesting in its own way. The main meal has quite a few options but my favorites were the tandoori shrimp with couscous and jalapeno honey, blue cod with saffron basmati and chorizo, or Peking deck lo mein with Szechuan vegetables. For dessert they are offering a pumpkin cheesecake or a trio or sorbets. The trio of Sorbet is amazing, I have had it before. They are also offering a $15 wine pairing for the meal.
Next up...always a favorite for special dinners...Light Bistro. Light Bistro is offering many choices and each one sounds better than the other. It is a unique menu with items you would not normally find just anywhere. For the first course they have oxtail soup; braised pork belly on a ramen salad, or ricotta ravioli with butternut squash sauce. The second course is even better with a roasted salmon and a curried cauliflower puree, hanger steak with potato cake and a bacon and mushroom marmalade, roasted chicken breast or a Moroccan vegetarian option. For dessert, pumpkin brulee or pear and apple crisp.
The last of the best deals and my favorites is Grovewood Tavern on the East side. As always their menu is amazing and they are offering a wine pairing with each course for an additional $15 per person. My pick for the appetizer is the grilled smoked Gouda pan seared with mustard seed cavier on crostini. They are also offering a crab cake with a Creole remoulade. For dinner you can try the scallop yakitori with spicy noodles and seaweed salad, a fillet with compound butter, whipped potato and veggie or a maple-adobo pork chop with homemade spaetzle. This may be my favorite dessert offerings: pecan cake, creme brulee or tiramisu.
While these are my favorites, I do have a few honorable mentions in the group. The first is Bac in Tremont. Bac is offering a 3 course meal for $27 per person and it has a soup, salad, app, and dinner as part of the meal. Pretty standard Bac fare, but it sounds tasty. The second honorable mention is Taste in Cleveland Heights. They have a diverse selection of apps and dinners ranging in value.
As always...hit me up with your favorites or to meet out for dinner one night!
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Friday, October 12, 2012
Light Bistro Light Price
Light Bistro is one of my favorite places to eat in Cleveland. The food is always delicious, the service fantastic and the atmosphere is fun and well...light. Anyone who has been there knows it can be a bit pricey. But Light Bistro has a great happy hour and an even better Pizza Thursday!
Every Thursday Light Bistro offers three pizza's for only $5. Last night they had the Hot Pepper Pizza- simple garlic sauce, hot pepper and cheese, the Chicken Confit Pizza-chicken confit, terryaki, and peanut sauce, and the Philly Cheese steak pizza-more details to follow. They also offer $5 glasses of white or red wine. Last night it was a Portuguese varietal and the red wine was dry and delightful. In addition to these choices, they had the normal happy hour menu which included a burger, tacos, truffle frittes, and a mac and cheese. All of these are at a very affordable price and maintain the quality Light Bistro is known for. They also have a specialty cocktail and martini each night. Last night the cocktail was a berry mojito and the martini was an old Manhattan.
The Philly Cheese steak pizza was my choice...what a fine choice it was for a Thursday night. It was a light crisp crust brushed with olive oil and topped with sliced ribeye steak, red peppers, onions, a creamy provolone cheese and garlic sauce. The topping to crust ratio was perfect and the pie was large. Half of it I ate there and half is going to be my lunch today....what time is too early to eat lunch? I have wanted to go on many Thursdays and just always have something going on, however, I will need to make more time for this happy hour and maybe even try another night and some of the other fabulous creations.
Get ready....Cleveland Independent's Restaurant Week is coming soon! Before the end of the month I will blog about where there are the best deals for this 3 course prix fixe menu! Hint...Light Bistro usually makes the list.
Every Thursday Light Bistro offers three pizza's for only $5. Last night they had the Hot Pepper Pizza- simple garlic sauce, hot pepper and cheese, the Chicken Confit Pizza-chicken confit, terryaki, and peanut sauce, and the Philly Cheese steak pizza-more details to follow. They also offer $5 glasses of white or red wine. Last night it was a Portuguese varietal and the red wine was dry and delightful. In addition to these choices, they had the normal happy hour menu which included a burger, tacos, truffle frittes, and a mac and cheese. All of these are at a very affordable price and maintain the quality Light Bistro is known for. They also have a specialty cocktail and martini each night. Last night the cocktail was a berry mojito and the martini was an old Manhattan.
The Philly Cheese steak pizza was my choice...what a fine choice it was for a Thursday night. It was a light crisp crust brushed with olive oil and topped with sliced ribeye steak, red peppers, onions, a creamy provolone cheese and garlic sauce. The topping to crust ratio was perfect and the pie was large. Half of it I ate there and half is going to be my lunch today....what time is too early to eat lunch? I have wanted to go on many Thursdays and just always have something going on, however, I will need to make more time for this happy hour and maybe even try another night and some of the other fabulous creations.
Get ready....Cleveland Independent's Restaurant Week is coming soon! Before the end of the month I will blog about where there are the best deals for this 3 course prix fixe menu! Hint...Light Bistro usually makes the list.
Monday, October 8, 2012
New menu...new specials
One of my favorite places to go is Reddstone in Gordon Square. Recently they put out a new menu and have some new specials. They have the typical wing night and taco night...but my favorite is the Monday night half off small plates.
This is a great bargain for some kick ass food. My two favorite half off items on the list: The Southern Stack ($5) and the Nachos from Hell ($5). For a total of $10 you have a fabulous meal, although maybe not that healthy. The southern stack are cornmeal pancakes, BBQ pork and spice maple butter. It all just melds together perfectly and leaves a great taste in your mouth. The Nacho's From Hell... it is a mish mosh of meats (chicken, BBQ pork and meatballs) with fabulous nacho toppings and a spicy pepper sauce. This is not for the faint of heart. Pair all these yummy items with a beer or vodka (my personal favorite) and you have a great night out with unique bar food.
Just to fill you in on some of the other great specials: Tuesday is 25 cent wing night and I highly recommend the wasabi ranch and the chipotle BBQ. Wednesday is $5 burger and beer. Thursday is $2 tacos and $3 margaritas. Sunday is all day happy hour!
Reddstone fits the frugally classy profile and is highly recommended.
This is a great bargain for some kick ass food. My two favorite half off items on the list: The Southern Stack ($5) and the Nachos from Hell ($5). For a total of $10 you have a fabulous meal, although maybe not that healthy. The southern stack are cornmeal pancakes, BBQ pork and spice maple butter. It all just melds together perfectly and leaves a great taste in your mouth. The Nacho's From Hell... it is a mish mosh of meats (chicken, BBQ pork and meatballs) with fabulous nacho toppings and a spicy pepper sauce. This is not for the faint of heart. Pair all these yummy items with a beer or vodka (my personal favorite) and you have a great night out with unique bar food.
Just to fill you in on some of the other great specials: Tuesday is 25 cent wing night and I highly recommend the wasabi ranch and the chipotle BBQ. Wednesday is $5 burger and beer. Thursday is $2 tacos and $3 margaritas. Sunday is all day happy hour!
Reddstone fits the frugally classy profile and is highly recommended.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Luxe Happy Hour
A few weeks ago my lovely sister was in town and we were meeting up for a quick bite before her long drive back home. I suggested we meet at Luxe and the decision was great! The happy hour at Luxe fully fits the frugally classy mantra!
To begin with they have 4 specialty drinks that are only $5.50 each. Included on this list is the ever popular Bloom- a citrus vodka with lavender lemonade and blueberry puree. This drink is phenomenal. That evening while waiting for my sister I also tried the Simplicty- vodka infused with fresh basil and pineapple and the Artemis- cantaloupe infused tequila with honey and lime juice. All were well prepared and absolutely delicious!
The menu for happy hour is just as affordable and delicious. I started with the guacamole and warm pita. The guacamole was fresh, vibrant and had wonderful flavors. The warm pita was a perfect pairing. I also ordered the BBQ pork sliders. Three sliders on soft fresh bread appeared. The BBQ pulled pork was cooked perfectly and the sauce was sweet and spicy. Each of these dishes were $6. My sister ordered a pizza with mushrooms. The topping to crust ratio was great. The pizza during happy hour was half off. My sister took almost half of it back home with her.
The service that night is what impressed me the most. It was a Friday night and they were busy. The bar tenders kept a close watch to get people seated at the bar or at tables quickly and fairly based on when they walked in to the restaurant. The bar tenders were attentive, polite, and very helpful. They made it a great experience. Luxe has unique drinks and great food on a regular basis, but I strongly suggest the happy hour menu for a quality bite on a budget.
To begin with they have 4 specialty drinks that are only $5.50 each. Included on this list is the ever popular Bloom- a citrus vodka with lavender lemonade and blueberry puree. This drink is phenomenal. That evening while waiting for my sister I also tried the Simplicty- vodka infused with fresh basil and pineapple and the Artemis- cantaloupe infused tequila with honey and lime juice. All were well prepared and absolutely delicious!
The menu for happy hour is just as affordable and delicious. I started with the guacamole and warm pita. The guacamole was fresh, vibrant and had wonderful flavors. The warm pita was a perfect pairing. I also ordered the BBQ pork sliders. Three sliders on soft fresh bread appeared. The BBQ pulled pork was cooked perfectly and the sauce was sweet and spicy. Each of these dishes were $6. My sister ordered a pizza with mushrooms. The topping to crust ratio was great. The pizza during happy hour was half off. My sister took almost half of it back home with her.
The service that night is what impressed me the most. It was a Friday night and they were busy. The bar tenders kept a close watch to get people seated at the bar or at tables quickly and fairly based on when they walked in to the restaurant. The bar tenders were attentive, polite, and very helpful. They made it a great experience. Luxe has unique drinks and great food on a regular basis, but I strongly suggest the happy hour menu for a quality bite on a budget.
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