The Battery Park Wine Bar is easy to forget about sometimes...it is nice and tucked away at the bottom of a street away from the busy streets. It is one of my favorite places to go and just get some yummy treats. I finally made time to try the happy hour. There is a select menu of items at a reduced price and it is a diverse list with something for anyone.
Let's start with the drinks- this is what always adds to the bill- but here they have a select red or white wine for $4. On Friday night the red was a Portuguese wine. It had good flavor and paired well with what I knew I wanted to get for my meal.
The Happy Hour menu does have a choice for everyone from salads to fish and many shareable items if with a group. I actually chose on this visit one item from the happy hour menu and one from the regular menu that Ihad been wanting to try. The food here is always fresh, well prepared and I full of flavor. This night however I was slightly disappointed. The Happy Hour item that I ordered was a crab cake ($6). It had a lot of crab, great flavor, perfectly crispy with a delicious roasted red pepper sauce. The carpaccio($11) though was very disappointing. The meat was dry and the salad overdressed. It was actually more like a salad with a few pieces of beef on top. The balsamic syrup was good and complimented the peccorino cheese well. It was just very disappointing since I expected the beef to be the star of the plate and it was more like dried beef thrown on a salad.
On other days when I have been here the food as been nothing but stellar. The BBQ Beef Shortrib sliders were amazing last time. The meat was falling apart and infused with great flavors and spices. The sweet potato fries were perfectly cooked, not greasy and served with an ancho aioli that was amazing. In the past I have also had their flat breads that have a nice crisp crust and the correct ratio of toppings to crust. The toppings are interesting and many of the combinations unique, such as the argula pesto, Camembert, roasted grape with balsamic glaze flatbread.
Overall...the happy hour prices are great- most items are under $6 and the wine is a great deal for $4 a glass. The atmosphere is fun yet classy. Get together with a few friends or just go alone and sit at the bar. It makes for a fun night out, and parking is very convenient with a lot right in front.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Time to get serious
This year it is time for the frugally classy lady to get serious with this food blog thing. I want to find all the best deals in town to share with my friends. I am going to let everyone in on all my favorite places and the deals they offer. I will admit though...sometimes you just need a good meal no matter what the cost. I am also going to add in some cheap places to drink.
so the first Frugally Classy post is about the quality meal from Crop Bistro in Ohio City. It is not cheap, but the quality, service and atmosphere is worth every penny spent.
My friend and I decided to do the appetizer dinner. This is something my mom always used to do and with the great choices at Crop it is worth it to try. We started with splitting the Waldorf Salad- Pears, Fennel, Celery Root, Arugula, Candied Walnuts, Raisins, Vanilla Balsamic for only $9. We then enjoyed the meal with the famous balsamic popcorn (recipe is on their website) ($6) and the Cherry Bomb ($10). If you have never had the cherry bomb, it is unique to Crop. It is a roma tomato stuffed with chorizo and jack cheese covered and fried in a won ton. It is set atop a bed of pureed sweet corn and basil and pepper sauce. Our last item to top off the meal was the cheese plate ($12) with a maytag blue, truffle soft cheese, and a three way cheese. The cheese were complimented with apples, grapes, fig paste, almonds and truffle honey. The maytag Blue had beautiful deep blue veins. The truffle cheese was cold but so soft it was melting on the plate. The three way cheese was a goat, cow, and sheep milk cheese. It was soft and hard and the flavors were amazing To Finish the meal we had the Pretzel Unlogic ($8)for dessert- Chocolate Custard, Pretzel Crust, Malted Whip, Salted Caramel, Chocolate Dipped Pretzel
Our total meal was $45. This would totally fit the frugally classy way. However, we were out for a fun night so we added to the meal a glass each of Prosecco and salted carmel cappuccino. This put our total cost for the meal without tip to around $75. Alcohol and beverages almost always will kill any budget, but some nights it just worth it!
Crop has always been one of my favorites. It is affordable to order an entree as well. Most are in the low $20 range and the quality and freshness of the food is well worth it. If you are looking for a cheaper version...the offer Thursday Happy Hour. From 5 to 7 p.m. “Get Cropped” at Happy with select $5 cocktails, beer, and wine by the glass, and small plates for $5 including the cherry bomb, steak and cheese flatbread, or lamb sliders. Crop offers local products which to this blogger is an added plus for any restuarant.
http://cropbistro.com/
so the first Frugally Classy post is about the quality meal from Crop Bistro in Ohio City. It is not cheap, but the quality, service and atmosphere is worth every penny spent.
My friend and I decided to do the appetizer dinner. This is something my mom always used to do and with the great choices at Crop it is worth it to try. We started with splitting the Waldorf Salad- Pears, Fennel, Celery Root, Arugula, Candied Walnuts, Raisins, Vanilla Balsamic for only $9. We then enjoyed the meal with the famous balsamic popcorn (recipe is on their website) ($6) and the Cherry Bomb ($10). If you have never had the cherry bomb, it is unique to Crop. It is a roma tomato stuffed with chorizo and jack cheese covered and fried in a won ton. It is set atop a bed of pureed sweet corn and basil and pepper sauce. Our last item to top off the meal was the cheese plate ($12) with a maytag blue, truffle soft cheese, and a three way cheese. The cheese were complimented with apples, grapes, fig paste, almonds and truffle honey. The maytag Blue had beautiful deep blue veins. The truffle cheese was cold but so soft it was melting on the plate. The three way cheese was a goat, cow, and sheep milk cheese. It was soft and hard and the flavors were amazing To Finish the meal we had the Pretzel Unlogic ($8)for dessert- Chocolate Custard, Pretzel Crust, Malted Whip, Salted Caramel, Chocolate Dipped Pretzel
Our total meal was $45. This would totally fit the frugally classy way. However, we were out for a fun night so we added to the meal a glass each of Prosecco and salted carmel cappuccino. This put our total cost for the meal without tip to around $75. Alcohol and beverages almost always will kill any budget, but some nights it just worth it!
Crop has always been one of my favorites. It is affordable to order an entree as well. Most are in the low $20 range and the quality and freshness of the food is well worth it. If you are looking for a cheaper version...the offer Thursday Happy Hour. From 5 to 7 p.m. “Get Cropped” at Happy with select $5 cocktails, beer, and wine by the glass, and small plates for $5 including the cherry bomb, steak and cheese flatbread, or lamb sliders. Crop offers local products which to this blogger is an added plus for any restuarant.
http://cropbistro.com/
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Barrio Tremont
I had some great cheap eats on Saturday night for girls night. The newest...I think...hotspot in Tremont is Barrio. This place is hopping and with good reason. The drinks are creative and delicious and the menu is simple but complex. The meals are a great price for the quality and quantity. The tacos are $3 each or $4 for a stoner taco- I had one of those. You can also order extras including sour cream and guacamole. For the night we ordered a sampler of 3 dips- mango salsa, the Tuscan guacamole, and the queso of the day. All were awesome and enough to share with a large group for only $15. The mango salsa was straight mango with so yummy spices. The Tuscan guacamole is avocado, mozzarella cheese, basil, tomatoes, and balsamic. It was amazing and fresh! The queso of the day included jalapenos and tomatoes and was also delicious.
Now on to the tacos....I ordered two tacos. One taco was a stoner and one was a soft corn tortilla. You can also choose a hard corn tortilla or a flour tortilla. The stoner taco is a hard corn tortilla, cheese, a soft corn tortilla and chorizo. I included with this taco the pulled pork, chihuahua cheese, cilantro and onion, tomato, salsa rojo and a very hot sauce. It was amazing and well spiced. What is great is that you can choose what you want to put on it. The second taco was a braised beef, jicama and strawberry slaw, cilantro and onion, and tomato, fresh queso, and hot salsa. Each taco give the choice of a shell, one protein- including tofu, any of the salsas, any number of sauces, any number of vegetable toppings and any number of cheeses. One friend actually skipped the protein and just ordered a taco with all three cheeses and other toppings and salsa.
My entire meal cost $7 for the ample gourmet tacos- this is not ground beef iceberg lettuce and tomatoes, and $5 for my part of the sample dip. The entire dinner was only $12. This is a great deal. Not my overall dinner with tax and tip was $30 but I had 2 mango margaritas!
I hate to post this...but I fully recommend this restaurant. Note: you can only make reservations with parties of 8 or more.
Now on to the tacos....I ordered two tacos. One taco was a stoner and one was a soft corn tortilla. You can also choose a hard corn tortilla or a flour tortilla. The stoner taco is a hard corn tortilla, cheese, a soft corn tortilla and chorizo. I included with this taco the pulled pork, chihuahua cheese, cilantro and onion, tomato, salsa rojo and a very hot sauce. It was amazing and well spiced. What is great is that you can choose what you want to put on it. The second taco was a braised beef, jicama and strawberry slaw, cilantro and onion, and tomato, fresh queso, and hot salsa. Each taco give the choice of a shell, one protein- including tofu, any of the salsas, any number of sauces, any number of vegetable toppings and any number of cheeses. One friend actually skipped the protein and just ordered a taco with all three cheeses and other toppings and salsa.
My entire meal cost $7 for the ample gourmet tacos- this is not ground beef iceberg lettuce and tomatoes, and $5 for my part of the sample dip. The entire dinner was only $12. This is a great deal. Not my overall dinner with tax and tip was $30 but I had 2 mango margaritas!
I hate to post this...but I fully recommend this restaurant. Note: you can only make reservations with parties of 8 or more.
Friday, November 9, 2012
Don's Lighthouse
So last night i enjoyed a meal for Cleveland Independent's week at Don's Lighthouse. I had not included it in my original blog because in the past I have been slightly disappointed by this place, however, last night it delivered!
The choices for restaurant week were amazing.
First Course: Soup, Chowder, Ceasar Salad, Bistro Salad, Stuffed Mushrooms or Bruschetta
Second Course: Roasted Chicken, Steak Oscar, Salmon, Clambake, or Lobster Tail
Third Course: crumble, chocolate mousse
My choices were the Bruschetta, Steak Oscar and Chocolate Mousse! The bruschetta was grilled with a nice soft and flavorful cheese melted on top with the compote of tomatoes. It was crispy and fresh. The Steak Oscar was amazing. It was a strip steak topped with crab and served with mashed potatoes and asparagus. Everything was perfect except for the temperature of my steak. I ordered it medium rare, but it was more medium. Still delicious, just slightly disappointing. The dessert was also very good. It was a dark chocolate mousse topped with fresh whipped cream. It was a perfect balance and a great way to end the meal.
There is one more week for restaurant week...try to go to one of these fine restaurants before it is too late for the great deal!
The choices for restaurant week were amazing.
First Course: Soup, Chowder, Ceasar Salad, Bistro Salad, Stuffed Mushrooms or Bruschetta
Second Course: Roasted Chicken, Steak Oscar, Salmon, Clambake, or Lobster Tail
Third Course: crumble, chocolate mousse
My choices were the Bruschetta, Steak Oscar and Chocolate Mousse! The bruschetta was grilled with a nice soft and flavorful cheese melted on top with the compote of tomatoes. It was crispy and fresh. The Steak Oscar was amazing. It was a strip steak topped with crab and served with mashed potatoes and asparagus. Everything was perfect except for the temperature of my steak. I ordered it medium rare, but it was more medium. Still delicious, just slightly disappointing. The dessert was also very good. It was a dark chocolate mousse topped with fresh whipped cream. It was a perfect balance and a great way to end the meal.
There is one more week for restaurant week...try to go to one of these fine restaurants before it is too late for the great deal!
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Cleveland Independents Restaurant Week
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!
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!
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.
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