Anthony's of Little Italy

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As far as community fairs go, I’m not a fan. Because my interest is mainly food, I think it’s safe to say that having a bunch of carnies serving up fried dough doesn’t really have much appeal to me.

We actually ended up at the Feast of the Assumption celebration in Little Italy, on Thursday. You see, my sister is a teacher at Holy Rosary Montessori and wanted to show us the space for her new classroom. Since I had never been to the FOTA it was a perfect opportunity to do both.

Without going into too many specifics, there was a lot of Italian sausage, sheet pizza, and cavatelli with meatballs being served (just what you want on a hot summer night, right?. Most of what was being served was much of the same at each stand. There was a guy selling mussels and clams but I didn’t think it would be very easy to eat with a plastic fork – but they get an A for effort.

I will say this; the desserts had a fair amount of variety from stand to stand. Many were homemade Italian originals being served with much pride. Other stands were of the traditional county fair, tow behind trailer, elephant ear variety – no pride.

We decided to err on the side of lower fat and all got some gelato from Anthony’s of Little Italy. My wife and I are gelato/ice cream freaks. The bar was set exceedingly low for what Anthony’s was serving up. Our reasoning was:

a) We had never heard of them.
b) La Gelataria is the only gelato maker in Cleveland we’ve ever heard of.
c) Since we aren’t fans of La Gelataria (which is widely considered the best in Cleveland), then Anthony’s must be a couple clicks below the place we already don’t like.

Let me start by saying that I’ve been to Italy. I’ve tasted the gelato there. It’s awesome, however that was eight years ago (before I had a true appreciation for food). I think the secret is actually pretty simple: get the freshest damn gelato you can find. I don’t think the stuff at Anthony’s had been sitting around for very long. The first taste coated my tongue with the smooth taste of chocolate. Moments after putting it in my mouth you could still taste it.

The next night we had dinner with a couple at L’Albatros and skipped dessert to go to Anthony’s, it’s that good. The best I’ve ever had is from Capigiro in Philadelphia, Grom in Greenwich Village is up there as well. The only criticism I have is that they don’t have very original flavors. If you happen to be in the University Circle area you’ve got to give Anthony’s of Little Italy at try.

Anthony's of Little Italy
12018 Mayfield Rd
Cleveland, OH 44106
(216) 791-0700
www.anthonysoflittleitaly.com

Mi Pueblo

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Mi Pueblo is a Mexican place that we had been meaning to try for some time. On Sunday we decided to give it a try since we weren’t really in the mood for anything too fancy.

Located just down the street from University Hospital, Mi Pueblo serves your typical Mexican food. Walking in it looks like most any Mexican restaurant you’ll find in Cleveland.

The chips and salsa were decent, but the next bit was more amusing than anything. After we ordered, the waitress put down in front of us my Corona and…….chicken noodle soup!?!? Whaaaaat??? I like chicken noodle soup, especially when it’s complimentary and cold as balls outside. However, chicken noodle soup at a Mexican place was a first for me.

Regina ordered the Shrimp Fajitas. They came with onions, peppers and the standard sides of rice and guacamole. She asked to switch out the rice for refried beans with cheese and they gladly obliged. I had the Pollo a la Plancha which was grilled chicken marinated in guajillo pepper sauce and served with grilled onions, rice, charros, pico de gallo, and guacamole. I like spicy food and this certainly fit the bill. It wasn’t what I call topical heat (like a spice rub or a sauce with a bunch of hot stuff in it), it was a developed heat that I could taste throughout the chicken. I liked it.

As far as Cleveland Mexican food goes, it’s a slightly above average place with typical prices. If you’re looking for a cheap night out and your on this side of town, it’s is a viable option.

Mi Pueblo
11611 Euclid Ave
Cleveland, OH 44106
(216) 791-8226
www.mipueblorestaurants.com

An Albatross of a Different Feather

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Imagine my surprise when I heard that Chef Zach Bruell was opening an affordable French bistro on my side of town. If one is looking to eat French food in Cleveland there aren’t a whole lot of options. I can only do the trek out to Vermillion once or twice a year (preferably in the summer), to eat at Chez François.

Why “The Albatross”? From what I hear the golf fanatic chef named it after the term for completing a par five in two shots. This event is much more uncommon than even a hole-in-one. I saw a guy do it on the 11th hole at OSU Scarlet Course. It’s something very special I’ll remember for the rest of my life. When we were on the tee we were teasing him because he was using “La Jolla” brand woods. Unbelievable.

Housed in the old “That Place on BellFlower” on the Case Western Reserve Campus, L’Albatros is a very affordable night out.

We made our reservation on opentable.com. I used the app that it is out now on the iphone – ‘twas very easy.

So we walk into the restaurant and the kitchen is immediately off to the right, the bar and tables are in various coves to the left. If you haven’t been in this building before, there are nooks and crannies with seating tucked in everywhere. It’s cozy, but not NYC cozy. The tables didn’t have table clothes. Instead this white resin type material was used for the table. It didn’t require a table cloth, yet looked quite smart.

We kicked things off with the five serving cheese plate. The cheese service is actually a direct interaction with the cheese server, in this case Brenden. He happily went through all of the cheeses that were available and individually cut them off of the wheels, right at our table. He was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable about what they had to offer. It was a lot of fun - highly recommended.

I ordered the Chicken Confit with spätzle, paprika, and roasted garlic jus. I thought it was good. The spätzle wasn’t the best I’ve ever had, but the chicken was cooked perfectly. By the way his grilled chicken breast at Parallax is one of my favorites.

Regina ordered the Braised Leg of Lamb with pasta risotto and rosemary jus. The lamb was an appropriate size and also very tender.

Our desserts consisted of a Chocolate Brownie with walnuts, cherries, and vanilla gelato. I had the Espresso Pots de Crème. It was very rich and creamy with nothing left in the bowl.

If you’d like to view the menu, I robbed it from a link on Stuart Spivack’s blog, here it is.

I thought it was a really enjoyable dinner. For a restaurant that had only been open a week, I’d say it’s pretty far along. Affordable French – I think it’s a concept that is going to work great in “The Circle”. I eagerly await my next visit. Metaphorically speaking, this anything but an albatross.

L’Albatros
11401 Bellflower Rd
Cleveland, OH 44106
(216) 791-7880
www.albatrosbrasserie.com