I ( didn’t ) heart Waffles

Okay, I realize so far that most of my entries have been pretty cheerleader-eque in positiveity. I like to look for the good in things and also I feel I tried places that were highly recommended.

I went to Shaker’s own “I Heart Waffles”

I was expecting something akin to Jay-Jay’s Diner from Parks and Rec or Waffallonia a fantastic little place in Pittsburgh. I was wrong.

When you walk into I Heart Waffles, its very clear what the design plan was:  White, red and black. Hearts. Find some girls who decorated for middle school dances and let them go to town. There was glittered adhered to the counter tops and a pillar had paper hearts taped to it. There was an assortment of heart shaped balloons and a heart shaped shag rug.  I don’t need fancy. I sometimes enjoy a silly theme. This was over the top and ultimately not good.

When you walk in the menu of options is on many poster sized signs hangin from the ceiling. A friendly man came up to explain the restaurant’s options to us.

He started by saying they have the regular waffles and “It is just like Menchies, you pick what flavors you want”.

To this I say, no it is nothing like Menchies. I did not get to physically pick out gummi worms or sprinkles and then take it to be weighted. THAT is like Menchies. This was just like ordering food anywhere else where you get an option.

 Anthony and I were overwhelmed by the sheer number of options and took a seat. They have paper versions of the menu to look over. There was numerous flavors and ingredient to be put on the waffle. In addition there were  15 dessert waffles and 21 waffle sandwiches.

First of all I counted at least 5 different fonts. Check out the surprisingly good website

Secondly, they trademarked a lot of things that just made me roll my eyes, such as the Pizzaffle (pizza waffle) the Donuffle (donut waffles) and the TacOMG (a taco waffle) and Infusient, which is the ingredient that is put inside your waffle.

Third, in addition to the near infinite types of waffles they have, the menu goes, inexplicitly, on and on:

You could also order wings. or an omelette. or lobster mac and cheese. A spinich salad (no other salads though). Loaded broccoli.  Tilapia and grits. smoked salmon. waffle fries. ice cream. oatmeal.  (oddly they serve no french toast or pancakes).

I decided on the Peach Cobbler Dessert waffle and  Anthony orders the Bananas Foster.

In all the descriptions and explanations that were given it never said that the dessert waffles were not the regular round waffles that pictured everywhere (which i now assume you only get if you order a design your own varietal). They were oblong and slightly bigger than a hot dog bun.

Peach Cobbler was a cinnamon spiced waffle with peaches (not fresh) whipped cream and cinnamon butter.

It was fine. I ate it. It tasted fine. But it was small and I was annoyed that it wasn’t the big Belgian waffle that I really do heart.  It was 4.99 and I was still hungry after.

Anthony’s was also a cinnamon waffle but had caramelized bananas, salted caramel glaze and pecans.

I really hope someone from this establishment reads this, because they need to know that Salted caramel should not taste like an oyster. It was practically briney.  Anthony was not pleased with his nautical banana hot dog bun. His was 5.99 and generally you have to spend a lot more than that on processed meat to get that much sodium.

Baffled. Bawaffled. Still hungry, and curious if Menchie’s is aware of this establishment claiming to have imitated their business model (without actually doing so) we left.

Maybe we just ordered the wrong waffles? For all I know 99.8% of the items on the menu are fantastic.

Indian-Irish pub?

Right off the bat Charlotte and I had a lot to talk about that wasn’t food related. My new haircut…my new car….. her upcoming wedding. She had suggested O’Tooles on Detroit in Lakewood and I am glad she did. This place looks like a pretty typical Irish/American Bar, with one small exception. The one chef is Indian and infuses the ingredients and flavor pallets into many of the dishes. Words like curry, Tandoori taco and Naan are scattered throughout. July Menu
  We were there on the day a Grateful Dead cover band performed… they were pretty good, but nearly every song sounded the same and was pretty loud. However the crowd for the most part was Living for it. I was more grateful when they took a break. Charlotte got a blackberry whiskey lemonade and liked the sweetness. She described the oakiness… which is my favorite word to describe any alcohol even ones that were never in a wood barrel. Only a few other people at the bar were eating, which is probably why the offer a pretty amazing happy hour, too bad we got there at 8. 
  The lovely bride-to-be. She’s only had one wedding stress dream so far 😛

We split an appetizer.  Go. There. For. This. Thick fried potato wedges smothered in a sweet curry sauce and a whiskey cheddar cheese. It shouldn’t work as well as it does. I was trying to sound like a pretentious food with Charlotte but I think I just smiled when I tried it. It was sweet, and savory, and starchy and greasy and messy goodness. For $6, I wanted more… but I think I would have wanted more no matter how much was given.

  The bar was a little dark and they aren’t the most beautiful of fries, but they are worth it.
Charlotte got the tempura cod sandwich ($9). It was a  very generous portion. She said the light tempura did not cover the fish flavor. ALso there were hints of dill in the remoulade which she really liked. She would absolutely get it again, and took nearly half of it home.  I got a flatbread, the Sartini, which was more Italian with Marinara, sausage, lots of garlic and both mozzarella and provolone. It was rather pretty with the peppers and mushrooms on top, and a little bigger than I was expecting (10$).  Question: Why aren’t all flatbreads made on Naan?! Honestly. I cannot think of a good reason. So much better than the thin tasteless crust that normally accompanies these kinda-pizzas.

Overall, the music was loud, some Thursdays are karaoke so I guess the O’Tooles crowd was spared, denied my Celine Dion and Charlotte’s Total Eclipse of the Heart. It was loud and we had to wait a long time for the food (I think the kitchen staff liked the band and kept coming out to listen instead of cooking). That being said I had flavors that I totally enjoyed and left me very happy. The prices and portions are good. They have an extensive drink list and I would never expect such unique fusion food from a neighborhood bar.

Tommy’s brunch

Tommy’s on Coventry is a Cleveland Heights Institution, they opened in the early 70’s. I have been there many times, but never for breakfast. Also, Nathan, my dining companion for the morning is a vegetarian and this place caters to the veggie/vegan crowd.

Tommy’s home page

If you have never been to Tommy’s, it’s a casual, laid-back place with typically large portions.  The prices are a little higher than you might expect but they have a lot of  unique vegan options beyond tofu or veggie burgers (baba, seitan, tempeh…). I typically order a milkshake (which is HUUUUUGE, pretty much 2 shakes). They let you combine ice cream flavored. I have enjoyed black cherry-chococlate and mint-cookies and cream. According to their website Rolling Stone called them “the best milkshake East of the Mississippi” in 1972.  Almost everything on the menu has a person-name, some of them are more conventional names like  the Stacey or the Lynne, but others are letters or other nicknames like the KS or the Curly.

  I asked our waitress what to get off the breakfast menu and she suggested either an omelette or the pancakes (I was half expecting a recommendation of tofu-scramble or something). I got the Lisa- 3 strawberry pancakes- and I am not sure if the picture does it justice but they were a very large portion. I only ate half. They were for fresh of the griddle that the whipped cream melted.  The strawberry topping and whipped cream were so good it honestly didn’t need maple syrup. There was an option of getting sour cream instead of whipped cream, which is odd but intriguing.  Very good, but at 7.20, a little more expensive than IHOP, but also better. They were simple, good pancakes, and the other half were good as an early dinner.
  If you go there order a side of fries. I don’t think anything comes with fries, still get them. You won’t regret it (well maybe if you go alone you will, as they are a lot of fries). I typically ask for a side of bbq sauce.   Nathan got the Mackenna. 3 oz of fajita seitan strips, with grilled onions and peppers, tomatoes, lettuce and salsa in a pita. (9.45).  He liked it/ ate it all (with some hot sauce).  I tried it, the seitan tastes like chicken with a texture closer to mushrooms.
 Once he cut open the pita.

Overall, Tommy’s is part of Cleveland. Go and order a milkshakes and fries and a sandwich of sorts. I once was feeling ambitiously healthy and got a salad. I can eat a lot of spinach but this was a portion big enough for a giraffe (#zookeeper).  If you are a vegan/vegetarian this is great place for meeting your needs and giving you an aray of options.  It’s casual and has been around for awhile… the website has a list of famous people who have dined there. Included are Ellen, Al Roker, Anthony Bourdain,  Alicia Keys, Molly Shannon and Lebron!

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I have been carless for nearly 2 weeks. It has been an interesting exercise in using the public transit and trying to get friends to come to the East side. Hopefully I get a car soon and will continue my fooding.

Graffiti brunch

I had been wanting to try Graffiti for awhile (I loved Reddstone that used to be in this location in Battery Park, and the lovely patio is exactly the same).   My parents came up to Cleveland to spend the day. Unfortunately,  we realized that a majority of the places I wanted to try were not open Sunday evenings. Graffiti reopens at 4 and has an evening brunch until 8. This was more than okay with me. 8 Words: Coconut Waffle with Pineapple Pistachio and Lime Gastrique (10$).
  This jumped off the menu at me immediately and Mike our very helpful server recommended it immediately when I asked what I should get.  It was everything I wanted. Interesting, attractive, flavorful, contrasting, filling but not overwhelming.  Love. Expect a wedding invite soon. The coconut was subtle and I would never pair pistachio and pineapple together as flavors but  somehow it all worked.   Mother ordered the French Toast. It was on Challah bread, filled with Brie, stuffed with crispy bacon and peaches. Honestly, it was just okay. The middle of the bread was gooey and the flavor of the brie was lost, just making the middle kind of sticky. That being said, it was still good…and we finished it completely.
  Dad got the Graffiti burger, he was not feeling the evening brunch.  The fries came in a small paint can, and I am a sucker for playful presentation (do I sound like an Iron Chef judge ?) But they were just mediocre fries. The burger’s toppings included fried tomatillo (which I always like but is a pretty strong flavor), banana ketchup (which had jalapeno in it and was good, but more of a salsa), frisee, pickled banana pepper and goat cheese. My mother hates goat cheese and made a point of commenting on it at least 8 times.  I found the burger good, but I wasn’t really in the mood for a burger. The goat cheese and tomatillo were a bit over powering,  I liked dipping the fries in the banana ketchup.

Even though they were not serving the regular dinner menu I asked to peruse one a copy. The entrees were all pretty unique but I was super captivated by the desserts:

 Overall. If you go to a restaurant at a weird time (5:00 for evening brunch) and there is only one other table of people, and your parents loudly question you about your food blog……. you are going to get great service. Which we did. I am hardly ever disappointed when my order coincides with what the waiter was excited about.  Also the fact that the pros/cons of goat cheese don’t come up very often must be how my parents have been able to stay married for almost 39 years (they have VERY different opinions on it, but agree that feta is nice).  Graffiti was nice, the patio is still lovely, although the high fence is blocking an almost view of the lake. Go on a nice evening and enjoy something non-typical and arsty (….oh! like grafitti art!)

Side note- we are on a lake,why are there so few restaurants with lake views?!   The menu is quirky and playful, the prices are a bit high but not painfully so.

#black box fix

I’ve been wanting to try Black Box Fix for awhile as I’ve heard about them on Cleveland.com and CevelandScene food lists.  They opened a few months ago and have a rather unique business model. They are in the location formally held by Sweetie Fry in the Ceder-Lee area of Cleveland Hts.  (Please. A Moment of silence for a fallen artsy ice cream and gourmet french fry place).   My lunch companion on this wonderful Friday was Patrick, we were spending the day exploring Clev. Hts.  It’s a small building with only a few tables. But while we were there a number of people came and went, so they were doing a fair amount of lunch traffic.
  This place prides itself on being a lunch sandwich carry-out place (the food comes in signature black boxes, as the name suggests). If you are trying to be healthy or are a vegetarian this is not the place for you.  Also the only utensils you get are the plastic wrapped sets, which just reinforces the idea that they want people to come in and get their fix and leave. Upon walking in the place also feels a little like a black box, with dark walls and simple but effective decor. 90’s R&B played a little too loudly, but overall I like the vibe of the place. The staff was incredibly friendly and attentive, and they seemed to be family (there was an 11 year old  happily working with them behind the counter).  They made suggestions and seemed very passionate about the food.  The menu is small but offers a verity of sandwiches. I did not initially see the Soul Rolls, Creole style Egg rolls until after I had ordered, but the idea intrigues me.

  Yes they have a hashtag on their name and an app.
    I ordered a chicken philly, which was essentially the OMG Philly but without the shrimp. The sandwich came with  grilled chicken, sauteed mushroom, onions, and peppers and melted Swiss on a brioche with yum yum mayo. There was a LOT going on. It came with a side of cheesy Parmesan garlic fries.
  This was a ton of food. When I opened it didn’t hit me as being too much but I couldn’t finish it all. It was very heavy, honestly one could easily be cut and a still be a substantial lunch. The meals were 9-14 dollars.  The fries were seasoned and greasy and wonderfully unhealthy. The sandwich had a lot different tastes and textures going on. My only qualm would be that the sandwich had a ton of sauce, to the point that it masked the other flavors. I tried the chicken separately and it was fantastic.   Mine came out first and Patrick was rather pleased when his burger was  finally brought to him in the black box.  He ordered the hibachi burger (which I may have ordered if he didn’t).  It consisted of a hibachi seasoned beef topped with mozzarella and provolone as well as mushrooms, onions, peppers and grilled jumbo shrimp and also the yum yum mayo served on a kaiser bun. He got it medium-well, but it was barely pink in the middle, but still very good. He noted that his had too much sauce as well (we both scrapped some of it off).
  Overall, it was a great lunch place.  I like how they try to utilize social media and seem to want to be part of the neighborhood.  I realized that we were not talking much, which means the food was satisfying. The food was heavy, so if you are looking for a light lunch this is maybe not your location.  At the end we both noted that we needed wet naps and that it was deceptively a lot of food. I didn’t like how they did not have tap water available (the environmentally minded person does not like paying for bottled water)… but that same person likes that the heavy duty black boxes are compostable.  also,  if you have any suggestions  or would like to come eat somewhere in the city wit me please comment 🙂