Things That I Love - Cleveland-ish Edition - Local Merry Brew

Update: Make that an "important" update.  I tested the "Holly Jolly" and found it to be slightly too sweet and uncomplicated - but a good beer nonetheless.  Plus the 8% by volume left me feeling warm and toasty.  Also, I added a six pack of Brew Kettle's (Strongsville) Winter Warmer to the mix.  Haven't tried it yet.  



Mmmmmmmmmmmm.  It's sitting on my counter, but I haven't tried the Holly Jolly (North Olmsted) yet; the Great Lakes (Cleveland - Ohio City) is very good; and the Thirsty Dog Christmas Ale (Akron) is the best beer ever (hmm, except I do like Trader Joe's Vintage Ale - but we're talking apples and oranges aren't we ... but I digress with this conversation with myself).

Things that I Love - Cleveland-ish Edition - 56 West Restaurant

Yesterday, Dad/Grandpa Doug took us to what seemed to be a hole-in-the-wall at 56 West in Lakewood, Ohio about two miles from our house.

Simply. Rockin'.

Here's a review from the interwebs:

"Delicious hamburgers, neat ambiance. The food definitely tasted fresh, each ingredient was delicious and complimented the entree. We went for burgers, but the specials that night sounded scrumptious. Will make a repeat visit to try the other dishes, and maybe try out their ..."‎

I don't know what they were going to say next.  Maybe try their pajama brunch where even the wait staff comes to work in their pajamas.

All the food is local (mostly from the West Side Market).  The coffee is City Roast, which translates into delicious.

The food is very reasonably priced.

Dad and I had a burger.  Naomi got the brunch buffet which was incredible.  Fries were very good.  Salad was very good.  Oh. My. So. Good.  Again, not a bad price either.

The ambiance was very kid friendly, which naturally means it didn't feel as "hip" as some interweb reviewers would like, but since I have kids, I'll trade the hip-factor for kid-friendliness, cheaper price, and delicious food any day.

Finally, the kids menu was very good and servings were very large.  Kids loved it.  We shall be back.

Here's a little video they did to introduce their restaurant.

Bottom line: Very Good! Very.

Things that I Love - Cleveland-ish Edition Miscellaneous

It was a wild weekend - and mostly good wild – except for the fact that our friend, Steve Trenta (who’s “fine”) broke his leg.  We went biking with Steve and Melinda and the kids last weekend.

On Friday, Erich & Lisa Sulzbach arrived for the weekend from Chicago-ish. We went to dinner at Dewey’s and then came back home. While we were letting our stomachs take a break, Sam found a five dollar bill on the tree lawn. Since he knew we were going to Mitchell’s for ice-cream, he offered to pay. And I accepted his offer.

Saturday we went to the West Side Market in the morning. In the evening we went with Erich & Lisa (sans kids) to the Great Lakes Brewery Restaurant where the food was good and the Holy Moses was delicious. I hadn’t had that brew, but it was very good. FYI – Cleveland was founded by Moses Cleveland.

Then we drove around downtown and past Progressive Field where the Indians were playing the Reds. Decided not to go, but would have been a great night for it. We then went to the Tremont neighborhood to have coffee at Civilization. Then we drove around that neighborhood a bit. “A Christmas Story” was partially filmed there.

On Sunday we went to church followed by a trip by me and Erich to Fairview Hospital (where Anna was born, where I've had surgery and where we've taken our fair share of trips to the Children's ER) to see Steve Trenta who looked astonishingly good despite the fact that he was recovering from surgery from the day before. After falling off the ladder/roof while cleaning the gutters, he broke his leg in 15 places. But it was old hat to Steve who broke his other leg in a white water rafting accident five years prior.

We then all went to the Rocky River Nature Center and walked up a loooooonnnngggg staircase that ended in this view.

We ended the weekend at our church small group meeting, which I always like.

Why am I bragging about our awesome weekend (except for the whole “Steve-breaking-his-leg thing)? Just to let you know if you come and visit – we know where to take you for fun times!

Things that I Love - Cleveland-ish Edition: Proximity to American Chains

Editor's note (I also happen to be the author of every blog post): This may be the last in the series.  This should not imply that there is not more to love in Cleveland.

In my last few “Things that I Love – Cleveland-ish Edition” posts, it looks like we eschew all restaurant chains, box malls, etc. Rest assured that we do not. We’re Americans. Well, I am anyway – I guess Naomi isn’t.

We live within 3 blocks of Starbucks, Penn Station (subs), National City bank, Subway, plenty-o-taverns, gas stations, Tuesday Morning; within 6-8 blocks of the local bakery (I guess that's local and not chain, but whatever), Heinen’s grocery store, Caribou Coffee, Einstein Bagels; within 1-2 miles of Five Guys Burgers and Fries(!), Target, Chick-fil-A, Chipotle, Qdoba, Home Depot, Lowes, Kohls, Marshalls, AMC Theater, Giant Eagle grocery store, Office Max, etc.; and within a 15 minute drive to Trader Joe’s (which sealed the deal on us moving here – just joking – sort of) and Crocker Park mall (the “uppity” mall).

So, Cleveland-ish may have some uniqueness … but it’s still in America.  And I'm happy about that.

Things that I Love - Cleveland-ish Edition: Nature's Bin

Have you ever been described as “granola”? If so, you also may love Nature’s Bin. It’s across between a food co-op, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods and an independent health food store. Sort of. It’s bigger than most independent health food stores and much smaller than Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods. They have food (including granola) and coffee in bulk, an excellent bakery, fresh fruits and vegetables, wines and eclectic beers, organic-y stuff, teas, vitamins and so much more.


And it’s in [long] walking distance from our house.

Nature's Bin, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, is one of the largest health food stores on the west side of Cleveland. From their website they say that they are more than just a natural foods store. It is also a rehabilitation facility for people with disabilities. It is operated by Cornucopia, Inc., whose mission is to “help people with disabilities develop their skills, confidence, and workplace potential.”

I recently ran in the Nature's Bin 5K with my friend Eric.  I did it for the t-shirt, baby.

Things that I Love - Cleveland-ish Edition: Mitchell's Ice Cream Shop

What can I say?  It's homemade.  It's ice-cream.  I especially like the cake batter flavor and the pumpkin spice ain't bad.  Expensive, but to be expected for the type of shop it is.  And, it's walking distance.

Things that I Love - Cleveland-ish Edition: Riding the Bus to Work

Strange?  Let me explain.  First of all it's an environmentally friendly way to go, but I'll confess it's not my primary reason for loving the bus ride.  It gives me time to read, think and rest on the way to and from work.  Also, it's free (the Feds pay the bill for the pass).  It also gives me the "opportunity" to get a little bit of exercise walking/jogging to and from the bus.  The bus stop near my house is 2 and 1/2 blocks away and it's 5 blocks from my bus to work downtown.  Finally, the view along the way is beautiful.  I get to see old, unique big houses, drive along the shoreway (Lake Erie) and get a view of the Cleveland skyline which is especially nice when it's still dark outside.  We'll see if I'm still singing the praises of the bus after it snows a few times or is as windy as it was this morning. 

Things that I Love - Cleveland-ish Edition: The West Side Market

From Wikipedia:

The West Side Market is Cleveland, Ohio's oldest operating indoor/outdoor market space ... The market began operating in 1840.

A few of my favorite things at the Market include:

*The Dichotomy popcorn.  It's a mix of caramel and cheddar.  It's not two separate flavors mixed together, but both flavors on each piece.  Mmmmmmm ... savory-sweet.

*City Roast coffee.  I'm a fan of the bolder ones.  They are good, indeed.

*Italian turkey, Adams' sharp cheddar cheese and a variety of breads to make my now famous (in my own mind) toasted sandwiches.
*Apple fritters.
*Not technically at the market, but the Great Lakes Brewing Company (and restaurant) is across the street. 
*Again, not technically at the market, but the The Souper Market is a big, big hit with Naomi for their soups and salads.

Oh, I should give a hat tip (HT) to Miles Travis who first told me about the West Side Market.  I should be wearing a fedora for this hat tip, because he deserves it.

Things that I Love - Cleveland-ish Edition: Sidewalks and Older, Unique Houses

I put them both together, because you can see both when you're out for a stroll, jog, bike ride or run.  It's great to be able to let the kids ride their bikes, because there are sidewalks to ride on!  P.S. The pictures are from September 2008.  Poppa Ron is walking from the library to our house and Ben is on his [old] bike.

Things that I Love - Cleveland-ish Edition: Lake Erie & Rocky River

We live within a mile of the lake and the river. 

Now, I wouldn't recommend immersing yourself in either (I'd go to the rec center pool [pictured] for a baptism), but they certainly are beautiful.

Things that I Love - Cleveland-ish Edition: The Library

Living near the library has been very fun and very convenient.  It's a hub of activity in town and we like the activity (even if it means traffic on our corner).  The kids love playing in the children's area.

I'd like to say that I love checking out lots of books, but I mainly love checking out DVD's, Blu-ray discs - including new releases.  On some days I'll tell Naomi I'm taking the trash out (which I am) and two minutes later I walk into the house with a new video.  We haven't checked out any movies from the video store since we've moved here. 

Also, Betty-Jean (Naomi's mom) loves checking out a stack of magazines every time she comes to visit.

Things that I Love - Cleveland-ish Edition: Dewey's Pizza

Miles Travis has a series on his blog called "Things that I Love".  I will create a Cleveland-ish edition to promote my fair city in hopes to attract visitors (not random visitors - visitors that I know).

The first featured "thing" is Dewey's Pizza - I love the food and the ambiance.  For Chicago-style pizza fans - this is nothing like that.  I like Chicago-style, but comparing the pizza styles is like comparing apples to oranges. Why do I love it?  Let me count the ways.  First of all, it's in [long] walking distance from my house.  Second of all, their crust is the best texture/flavor to have ever been created.  Third of all, the sauce is a wee-bit spicy.  Fourth of all, it's a great family atmosphere.  The kids can watch the folks flip the dough and make the pizzas through glass and they tend to put on quite a show for the kids.  Fifth of all, their salads are delicious and quite large.  Sixth of all, [of interest to people like Miles Travis] the Vespa shop is literally around the corner.

My favorite pizza is their winter seasonal called "The Don".  It has red sauce, mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, salami, capacola ham and oregano.

My sole complaint: their slogan.  "Taking Pizza to the Next Level".  But their logo is kinda cool.