Fat Cats

I will stand by this statement all day...Best Happy Hour in Cleveland- Fat Cats!

Fat Cats is located at the East End of Tremont and is sort of tucked away- which is great for parking purposes.  While I do not want to give away my secret because the place already is constantly packed this is my favorite happy hour spot.  To begin with the place is so inviting and bustling that you feel as though you are part of the action in some swanky joint.  You sit at the bar, where the happy hour menu is already sitting at each open spot waiting for the customers to arrive and partake.  While the drinks are still expensive- they are all well crafted and delicious.  On this particular occasion I met two friends and we shared alot of our bites...and some we kept for ourselves.  Nothing disappointed. 

What is fun about happy hour here is that you can order a few bites...sit...eat...drink...order some more.  So we started with the fried zucchini($3) and calamari ($5).  Nothing is greasy, just crispy perfection with flavorful sauces on the side.  The calamari includes some crispy tentacles as well.  Personally, i do not like calamari.  it tends to be chewy and the texture just throws me.  Fat Cats is the one place I will eat it.  The fried calamari just melts as you chew it, no weird texture.  After that we moved to the next set of plates, pumpkin risotto ($3), BLT ($4), Burger ($5) and Mac-n-cheese ($4).  The pumpkin risotto was creamy and sweet but still savory.  (One friend actually ordered one for himself after this course).  I did not try the other three items, but they came out looking beautiful and my dining companions loved the food.  As I had really only eaten at this point the risotto and fried items I decided to go with the melted cheese ($5).  All I can say is wow!  This was better then any wanna be grilled cheese sandwich you could find at any other restaurant- even one promoting grilled cheese.  The bread was thick and crispy but still soft in the middle.  The cheese was a white cheddar and there were grilled zucchini slices inside that helped to cut the heavy cheese.  It was a perfect balance of cheese and bread with some cheese parts oozing out that became crispy on the griddle. 

The meal was amazing.  They do offer domestic beers for only $2, but I do not really drink beer so I went with the $6 Moscow Mule.  It was gingery and spicy and well made. 

There are so many other wonderful items I want to try next time including...spicy ribs, seafood, taco, and pizza with grape jam and gorgonzola. 

If you do not make happy hour...do not fret...while their normal meals are slightly higher in price they never disappoint.  but be sure to get a reservation for dinner.  They are the happening spot to be on a Friday night.