Monday, December 29, 2008

Catching up on Some Smaller Dining Experiences

Make sure to check here for more Cleveland posts

It always amazes me just how much food related stuff you come across in the course of a week. As we plow our way through the holiday season it seems like dining opportunities are abound. I've got a few places that I've kind of saved up, just because they were really nothing all that earth shattering.

You might be asking yourself why I even waste the time. I think reviews on the these types of places add to the body of knowledge that's on the internet. I can't tell you how many times someone has suggested a place, albeit small, and I have no idea if it's any good or not. I don't need much information; just enough to give me idea of what it's comparable to.

Flying Crane's Cafe
Some time ago, I had mentioned that Shaker Square didn't have any good places for lunch. Stuart Spivack informed me that Flying Cranes in Larchmere was worth a try. So I invited Stuart to join us for lunch on a Saturday afternoon.

It's a small breakfast and lunch place. They offer a wide variety of food both American and Asian. Regina ordered the Eggplant and Rice. It was a very basic dish with eggplant slices encircling a mound of white rice. I had the Naomi's Grilled Cheese, which was basically a ham with mozzarella panini. I thought it was very small for $7. Come to think of it, I don't even think it came with a side. Stuart's actually turned out to be the best. His was an Asian noodle dish that actually looked very good.

If you go, get Asian. It was my fault for ordering a sandwich.

Flying Crane's Cafe
13002 Larchmere Blvd
Cleveland, OH 44120
(216) 795-1033

Santo's Pizza and Pasta
I stopped by my Dad's in Berea. We decided to grab a bite to eat before I went home. I like Dante's pizza in Berea, but my Dad wanted to go to Santo's. I'd never been, so I figured what the hell. He and I shared a pepperoni and sausage pizza. I thought the pizza was decent. If I had to describe it I'd say it was your run-of-the-mill Cleveland pizza, nothing to write home about. My brother had the chicken parm which was also your run-of -the mill chicken parm.

In the end it wasn't bad, it wasn't good. You get what you pay for here, (which isn't a bad thing).

Santo's Pizza & Pasta
7565 Pearl Road
Middleburg Heights, OH
(440) 234-6480
www.santospizzaandpasta.com
Santo's Pizza & Pasta on Urbanspoon

Weber's of Mentor
My Father-in-law's birthday was being celebrated late because he had been down in Florida, so Regina decided to get him an ice cream pie. I guess in the 50's, in the Higbee's downtown, they used to make a malted ice cream pie that was quite popular. Well, Weber's of Mentor sells that exact same pie. I won't go into great detail, but there is a good story (possible legend) that goes along with pie. While picking up the pie I had a vanilla malt and I have to say it was excellent. They still make ice cream with these machines from the '30's that are the only ones still in existence. I thought that was cool. Worth a trip if you're in the area.

Call before you go, I know they were going to shutdown for a remodeling.

Weber's of Mentor
8640 Mentor Avenue
Mentor, OH 44060
(440) 974-8030
Weber's of Mentor on Urbanspoon

Off topic
We watched Man On Wire last night. It was a very good documentary about a guy who tightrope walked between World Trade Center Towers 1 and 2. I think what made it such a good movie is that the tightrope walker, himself, did such a thorough job of documenting the whole planning process. I highly recommend renting this one.

2 comments:

  1. You should go back and try the Japanese food. I've actually never had any of the other stuff. The udon noodle soup is great and the pork chop that I had was also great. They're both also a little more substantial than the sandwich and the eggplant which I ate as an appetizer on a previous visit. They're both still smaller than you'd get at most other restaurants but I think it's more than made up for with the quality. Besides, once in a while I feel like having a light dinner.

    Some of the baked goods looked tempting on our last visit but I had so much in the house already that I couldn't get any more.

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