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]

Meat so soft you could drink it…

Maybe it was because I was halfway into my flight of beer samples, but when my server asked if everything tasted okay, I responded with, “Words cannot describe the happiness in my mouth right now.”

That right there should be more than enough to convince you carnivores out there to step into Champaign, IL’s Black Dog Smoke & Ale House. Not far from either Holiday Inn that we use (albeit a little farther from the Stoney Creek Inn), Black Dog is in downtown Champaign and is almost a literal hole in the wall; I drove past it twice on the first visit. It’s a barbeque joint in a small college town that can’t be missed.

• Killer barbeque that melts in your mouth? Check.
• Always packed with locals? Check.
• To-die-for cornbread? Check.
• Home-made infused tequilas? Check.
• Rotating cast of seven craft brews on tap? Check.
• A 7-sample flight of those tap beers for only $12? Check!

[facebook page]   [yelp]   [map]

Get to the Greek

As with a few of the hotels we visit, the Holiday Inn & Suites in Columbia North has no in-house food options for lunch and the only restaurants within walking distance are Waffle House and some chain steakhouse. For your sake, I hope you have access to a car because there’s no hotel shuttle. We only drive to Columbia from Raleigh or Atlanta, each of which is over three and a half hours.

Anyway, inspired by my presenter’s craving for a Greek salad, I get on the trusty ol’ Yelp and find the closest Greek eatery is this place called Nick’s Gyros & Subs #3. I get a taxi from the hotel and start telling my driver where to go, but before I can even finish telling him, he pulls down a menu for this joint and exclaims, “Man! That is my PLACE!”

The place is less than two miles from the hotel and looks to be in what could easily pass for an old Wendy’s building. They specialize in Greek food, but serve a little of everything: Italian, seafood, burgers, rice & beans, salads, and whatever. All at very reasonable prices and with pretty quick service, so just keep the meter running.

Great food, many options, cheap, and an obvious favorite of the locals makes this an obvious choice. Oh, and they’re open until 2 a.m. every night except Friday and Saturday when they’re open ‘til 4 a.m.

[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

Like a TGIFriday’s that didn’t sell out

A foggy night in downtown Sacramento

A few of my aunts and uncles lived in Sacramento back in their youth and, when I asked for suggestions of places to go at night in Sacramento, one of them answered immediately with what turned out to be a great place to get a little local flavor, cheap booze, and some pretty tasty burgers. Fanny Ann’s Saloon is in Old Sac and is a 4-level building that was originally, you guessed it, a saloon. There’s kitsch everywhere and license plates nailed to the wall from all over. One Yelper wrote this apt description: “Imagine a universe where a TGI Friday's was actually cool and not a gimmick.”

A few interesting things before you go:

• The place has four levels and the atmosphere on each is different, so check them all. The bar/food counter is on one, an arcade area on another, karaoke on another, and a level with more secluded booth dining.
• The bartenders make STIFF drinks, so make sure you know how you’re getting back to the hotel safely. They also don’t keep tabs, so pay in cash or you can charge $5 to your credit card and get wooden coins to use as payment.
• Be wary of the restrooms; choose your door wisely.
• Good food and drink specials are listed on their website

[ official site ] – [ Yelp ]

Phoenix Pasties

No, not the stripper kind. Get your mind out of the gutter.

Staying in Mesa, AZ and in need of some tasty treats? Look no further than the Cornish Pasty Company near Arizona State University.

This place is tucked away on the wrong side of an already too tiny strip mall and it’s about 3 feet too narrow inside, but once you’re there, it all somehow seems to fit. The place is filled with hipster kids, tatted from head to toe, but they cook some mean pasties. Just trust me on this one.

[ official website]
[ Yelp page ]

Yeee-haw in OKC!

My first visit to Oklahoma City entailed staying at the Clarion Meridian Hotel near the airport and, of course, being thoroughly unimpressed by the facilities. Having driven a few hours from Texas and not looking forward to staying at that hotel, my presenter and I were pretty tired and willing to settle for one of the many chain restaurants in the area.

We drive down the road and pass this one place with a parking lot that was absolutely PACKED. Well, this is usually a good sign, so we stopped to check it out. Enter Cimarron Steakhouse:

We walk right in and I’m immediately cheered up because of the bombastically-incredible décor. I mean, just look at the place! It was huge and absolutely full of Western-themed souvenirs. Old timey wagons, Cowboys & Indians dioramas, animal pelts, and lots & lots of leather. Leather everywhere.

The food is decidedly mediocre, but don’t let that stop you from checking it out. If you’re in the mood for good ol’ fashioned Western food, this is the place because it is Cheap (with a capital ‘C’)! The meat was really good (chicken fried steak for me) and I would say that and the place’s atmosphere are really the best reasons to go there.

The salad was laughable (more lettuce with my dressing, please) and the rice was pretty bland, but when you look around and realize every other person in the joint is wearing denim (skirts, overalls, whatever), it’ll bring a smile to your face. At least it did for me.

[ Yelp review ]