A Slice Above, Cleveland, OH

If you knew me, you’d know that it pains me not to have photographic evidence of a good meal. Especially when I know that I’ll be posting about it later here on the blog. Well, it happened. I ate some coma-inducing, stomach-filling pizza and got so caught up in things that I forgot to grab the camera. That’s really saying something.

Less than 3 miles from the Cleveland airport Crowne Plaza is A Slice Above Pizza.
Yup, the name really does say it all!

Tons of unique topping combinations, five types of crust to choose from, a few different sauces, homemade ice cream, and even “take and bake” pizzas (baking tray included). Holy cow, what more could you ask for from a tiny little take-out-or-delivery pizza joint?

I took a hint from a Yelp review by Lisa S. and chose one of the staff favorites, the “Honey Bee.” With a real honey base, pieces of ham, big bacon strips (not crumbles), sharp white cheddar, and mozzarella, this pizza was finger-lickin’ good.

[website]    [yelp]

These sandwiches will mess you up (in the best possible way)

I'm sure that your first reaction on going to Cleveland is something along the lines of a very enthusiastic, wholehearted "Meh." Well, seriously... dare I say I love Cleveland, after today. Here is something that will absolutely blow your mind.

Here. This. Go here. Please just go here.

Melt Bar & Grilled has had some awesome media coverage, including Man vs. Food, NBC, USA Today, and so on and so on. I heard about it through my friend who is an executive chef at a fancy food establishment back in Seattle, and he gave me the "you just have to try it" speech. The concept is .. basically, gigantic gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches. They've gained some notoriety for having a "tattoo club": anyone who gets a Melt tattoo gets a 25% discount off of their sandwiches/meals for life. There are over 200 people who have done this.

They have three separate locations in Lakewood, Cleveland Heights, and Independence. I went to the Lakewood restaurant, and it was really hip and pretty big -- there's a full service bar with great local beers, the waiters are super friendly, and there are a ton of both meaty/cheesy and vegetarian/vegan options. Their special sandwich for the month was a "meatloaf melt," and I went ahead and had the vegan version of that.

Seriously. Go here.

No joke, this sandwich will feed you for a week. A family of four. A pack of hungry, vicious, vegan tigers. A horde of relentless cheese and meat hungry gorillas. It was several thousand kinds of delicious. The bread was phenomenally crispy and fluffy, the meatloaf was pretty dense, and the sandwich itself was packed full of mashed potatoes. Mashed potatoes. In a sandwich. What is this, Christmas??

Their menu is huge, their beers are great, the portion sizes will put you in your place and the sandwiches are, for lack of a better word, one-of-the-best-things-I've-ever-eaten-oh-my-goodness. It will make you happy to be in Cleveland and itching to come back.

website yelp

A Program Developer's Take on Things (pg 2 of 5)

Disclaimer: Former BER program developer, Sandy Anderson, has kindly provided her list of favorite restaurants around the country and the following descriptions are verbatim from her notes with the addition of formatting and hyperlinks by myself. Enjoy!

Sandy's Restaurant Reviews - Updated Version for Fall 2000 (continued)

Cincinnati, OH

You might enjoy Champs in the Hyatt-Saks Square (map). Informal yet tasty. Other options include Sturkeys (map, now an Encore Bistro), Cafe Cin-Cin in the Crowne Plaza (closed) and Boca (map) - all eclectic menus.

Cleveland, OH

Harry Corvairs (closed) serves modern American cuisine. Also, you might try Moxie (map), an American bistro, or Lola (map).

Columbus, OH

I've not tried it, but Rigsbys Kitchen (map) comes highly recommended, so the next time I'm in Columbus I'll have to try it.

Dallas, TX

If you want to splurge, there's The Mansion on Turtle Creek (map) which is wonderful. If you want more reasonably priced and like Mexican, try Uncle Julios (map) near the Galleria.

Denver, CO

Z Brasserie (closed?) is a fun place in the heart of downtown. Situated in a former bank, the restaurant offers up a lively atmosphere with a stellar menu. Selections lean toward a New American bent, but you can find a wide variety of dishes to tempt your palate. The formal restaurant at the Brown Palace Hotel (map) is yet another classic on the Denver restaurant scene. The Beef Wellington is well worth the wait, especially as your server slices it tableside. A very formal atmosphere with first class service.

Detroit, MI

Some recommendations include French Asian at Tribute (map) in Farmington Hills and Duet (map) for French American.

Honolulu, HI

My two favorite places are A Pacific Cafe (map) for seafood and Alan Wong's (map) for the best Ahi I've ever eaten. Another to add to the list is Yanagi Sushi (map).

Indianapolis, IN

If you like Italian, try Benvenuti's (location unknown). I enjoyed it. The California Cafe (closed) also serves an eclectic menu with fresh seafood each day.