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STATE OF THE PLATEFood trucks, gastropubs, burger joints and pop-up dinners, simplified menus and complicated cocktails — the past 12 months have brought big changes in the way we’re eating and drinking now.

BEST RESTAURANTS 2011

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edited by Beth Stallings

stories by Jennifer Keirn, Amber Matheson, Andy Netzel, Kim Schneider, Jamie Shearer, Beth Stallings, Laura Taxel, Erick Trickey and Carly Toyzan

photo illustration by Michael Cavotta

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Blue Canyon Chef Brandt Evans’ food is as big and bold as the American West that inspires his restaurant. The lodge vibe is the perfect stage for Evans’ hearty and inventive fare. Order: Alaskan halibut with fiddle head ferns ($24) 8960 Wilcox Drive, 330-486-2583, bluecanyonrestaurant.com Chez Francois ( ) This place is proof that formality can be fun and fresh without caving to the casual ethos. Fine service and a terrific wine list enhance John D’Amico’s consistent cuisine. Order: Escalope de veau aux fruits de mer ($33.95) 555 Main St., Vermilion, 440-967-0630, chezfrancois.com Crop Chef Steve Schimoler is a master of flavor.

Nobody gets more out of food without relying on the axis of evil: fat, salt and sugar. Crop is shuttered for now but is scheduled to reopen in its new Ohio City spot by late summer. 2537 Lorain Ave., Cleveland, 216-696-2767, cropbistro.com Delmonico’s The steaks are why you come, but Delmonico’s is also retro in all the right ways: an elegant dining room, perfect gin martinis and service that’ll make you feel like Don Draper. Order: Double cut filet, 10 oz. ($34.50) 6001 Quarry Lane, Indepen-dence, 216-573-1991, hospitalityrestaurants.com Downtown 140 Chef Don Triskett builds upon the work of his predecessor, Shawn Monday, with a four-part menu where inventive “firsts” are as much the draw as the main course. Order: Ahi tuna tartare cone ($4) 140 N. Main St., Hudson, 330-655-2940, downtown140.com

it’s Friday night, and Deagan’s Kitchen & Bar is slammed. The cavernous gastropub is one of the newest entries in the fine-dining-casual-atmosphere scene, opening

in Lakewood in September.It’s easy to see why people love the

place: It has a large central bar, plenty of room for sitting or milling around, and ample flat screens. The beer list is deep and interesting, even offering hard-to-find, one-off craft brews such as Founders Black Biscuit and Kaiser Curmudgeon.

Deagan’s is a friendly neighborhood pub that never seems like it’s trying too hard. No memorabilia hangs on the walls in a desperate attempt to look like the place has been around for decades. There’s nothing fake or kitschy — on the walls or the menu. Take the dining room’s horse and buggy mural, for example, which was discovered during remod-eling. It had been flipped over and used as drywall during a previous renovation, but owner Dan Deagan saved it and hung it in his dining room. That old-meets-new aesthetic filters through the menu, where you’ll find mac and cheese dressed up with duck meat and pommes frites fin-ished with truffle oil.

“I look at [a gastropub] as a place that has a more relaxed setting, a tra-ditional English pub but with higher-end food,” Dea-gan says. “The funny thing is that I actually had no idea there was a name for what we were doing.” Dea-gan and his wife, Erika, just wanted to create a place that catered directly to people like them: foodies in T-shirts and jeans.

They interviewed almost 20 chefs before selecting Demetrios Atheneos, formerly of Bodega. Atheneos crafted a menu that features unexpected takes on pub fare from Moroccan meatballs made with wagyu Kobe beef to dev-iled eggs with Lake Erie Creamery goat cheese and English mustard.

“There’s just something about serv-ing great food that makes you proud,” Deagan says. Case in point: Lovers of the ubiquitous Taco Tuesday phenomenon are in for a surprise when they show up to Deagan’s version. The kitchen churns out five varieties, from adobo-braised beef to yellowfin ahi tuna. Welcome to the new all-American bar and grill.

| GASTROPUBS | Food: Elevated pub fare is made by actual chefs (no line cooks

here) using quality ingredients (so that’s fresh fish, and those chips were made here).

Beer: At least six are on tap (mostly American craft brews) with seasonal selections.

Booze: It’s a matter of quality, not quantity. Feel: Like a neighborhood hangout

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THE PUB ROCKY RIVERFOR A TRUE GASTROPUB EXPERIENCE, short of a pricey flight to the term’s English roots, there’s The Pub Rocky River. The wooden bar was shipped from England, bourbons and scotches hang upside down (a British technique that ensures a perfect pour every time), and if there’s a soccer match on the telly, The Pub is open. Owner Nick Sanders’ aim was to bring the corner pub feel he fell in love with overseas back to the states. The meandering rooms are a hit with large groups, who can grab a table, hang at the bar or flood onto the covered and heated patio. “The lounge is kind of a traditional British pub; it’s great for soccer. It’s al-most like you’re in your living room,” says general manager Matt Suter. “Whether you dine here three or four times a week, you can get a different feel.”

WE’RE EATING: Fish and chips ($12.95) with beer-battered haddock // WE’RE DRINKING: Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale (the Pub was one of the first places to carry it here) // ON TAP: 30 beers, includ-ing a solid stable of British brews. Roughly 10 ro-tating and 20 set taps // 19304 Detroit Road, Rocky River, 440-356-6933, tavernrestaurantgroup.com

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BURNTWOOD TAVERNBURNTWOOD OPENED ITS DOORS in September with a tight, focused approach to just about everything. The restaurant itself, with its wealth of reclaimed barn wood beams, is compact and elegant — there’s an inviting bar, cozy lounge area with a couch and fireplace, and minimalist dining room. The beer list is equally simple, just six well-chosen microbrews on tap and 15 in bottles. There are a few surprises, though: 10 varieties of vodka are infused in-house, and the prime rib is smoked on the premises. “People love the coziness of walking in and feeling comfortable,” says owner Bret Adams.

WE’RE EATING: Tavern dip ($11), with au jus, house-smoked prime rib, Swiss cheese and horse-radish // WE’RE DRINKING: Dogfish Head seasonal // ON TAP: Six beers, all rotating seasonals from American craft breweries // 504 E. Washington St., Chagrin Falls, 440-318-1560, burntwoodtavern.com

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Tremont Tap House

The 48 beers on tap at the Tremont Tap House all share one commonality: They’re uncommon. You’ll be hard-pressed to find so much as a Guinness or even a Samuel Adams here. What will delight the beer connoisseur and regular old adventurous drinker alike is the sheer unpredictability of it all. The list, almost exclusively American craft beers on tap, changes weekly

and by 50 to 75 percent each time. “We tap it; we taste it; we print up the list with a description of the flavor pro-

files,” explains Jason Workman co-owner of the city’s first notable gastropub, which opened in 2007. He and fellow owner Chris Lieb’s dedication to quality runs deep — they have the tap lines cleaned professionally every two weeks.

If it’s foreign beers you want, you’ll just have to dive into the Tap House’s 100-bottle selection. If you get hun-gry, well, Workman sees that as the added bonus of run-ning a place like his.

“When I think of gastropub, it’s a casual pub where you go to see your friends, but you don’t necessarily go there to eat food,” he says. “But when you order, you’re going to get somebody that’s put a lot of time and effort into the quality of that dish.” Chef James Locomber is a prestigious Johnson & Wales alum (13 of their grads are up for James Beard awards this year), so you’ll find veg-etables grown from their own garden and touches such as locally made chorizo in the tacos.

TRIED & NEW Twenty proven spots we

love for always keeping it fresh season after season.

THE BEST NEW RESTAURANT

DEAGAN’S KITCHEN & BAROld meets new at Deagan’s, from the spicy shrimp tacos to the dining room’s reclaimed mural (below).

WE’RE EATING: Moule frites ($12) – PEI mussels and fries with blue cheese, bacon, shallots, garlic and a Belgian beer broth

WE’RE DRINKING: Victory Prima Pilsner

ON TAP: 48 beers, ap-proximately 12 set and 36 rotating 2572 Scranton Road, Cleveland, 216-298-4451, tremonttaphouse.com

WE’RE EATING: Spicy shrimp tacos ($9) with avocado, corn, white cheddar and micro cilantro

WE’RE DRINKING: Bell’s Two-Hearted Ale

ON TAP: 28 brews, with seven currently rotating. Eventually that will switch to 21 rotating and seven set taps. 14810 Detroit Road, Lakewood, 216-767-5775, deagans.com

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PEI mussels and fries get an upgrade with blue cheese, bacon,

shallots, garlic and a Belgian beer broth in Tap

House’s moule frites.


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Lucky’s Café 777 Starkweather Ave., Cleveland,

216-622-7773, luckyscafe.com

Ty Fun Thai Bistro 815 Jefferson Ave., Cleveland,

216-664-1000, tyfunthaibistro.com

AMP 150 4277 W. 150th St., Cleveland, 216-706-8787, amp150.com

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Four raised, 4-foot-by- 12-foot beds on the patio

A 4-foot-by-12-foot plot adjacent to the restaurant

A quarter acre out back, plus six plots in the parking lot, and a potted herb garden

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“We decided, Let’s go for it,” Haviland says. “We got fund-ing from a number of different organizations.” Donors supplied wood for beds, compost and even money for scholarships that pay neighborhood kids to help out.

“It’s organic and it’s much more fresh, [with] more aroma,” explains chef and owner Sunny Ting. Plus, he says of gardening, “I love it. It’s therapy — meditate and relax.”

“It’s the basis of a lot of the food we do here,” says chef Ellis Cooley, who started the grass-roots garden last year, “taking really good local ingredients that are really easy to do and just let-ting them speak for themselves.”

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Heirloom tomatoes for canning, romaine lettuce for salads and peppers for hot sauce. She also rotates new items in and out. Last year, she grew the flowers that graced Lucky’s tables.

Thai cuisine staples such as Thai sweet basil and chili pepper, mint, tomatoes, scallions and string beans

Heirloom tomatoes, varieties of eggplant and squash, peas, beans and root crops

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Penne pesto pasta ($12.95). “That’s basil from our garden and little cherry tomatoes from the garden,” Haviland says. “And people just freak out about it.”

Kra prow ($17) with sauteed chicken, veggies and basil leaves tossed in chili garlic sauce. The homegrown Thai basil is the star of the show.

Everywhere. “We’re definitely going to have sliced tomatoes with salt, pepper and olive oil,” Cooley says. “I get really excited about each vegetable as it comes up. We haven’t had tomatoes on the menu since last year.”

Backyard to TableLOCAL CHEFS ARE TILLING AND SOWING whatever misplaced green space they can get their hands on. “I was walking past what was a vacant lot next to the restaurant,” says Lucky’s Café chef and owner Heather Haviland. “I just realized that we clean it, we mow it, it’s a big, open grassy area that really just sits there.” That was five years ago, and diners have been enjoying the veggies of her labor ever since.

OFF THE MENUPop-up dining takes the show on the road with tasty results.

ben Bebenroth redefined dining out five years ago when he set up a portable kitchen next to a barn. Diners met him at a local farm; he handed them a cocktail and then asked them to put

on boots and head into the woods to forage for wild edibles. Using whatever was brought back, Bebenroth crafted a multicourse, gourmet meal tableside.

“Diners never know what to expect,” Bebenroth says of his Spice of Life Catering, which was the first in town to take a dinner series mobile. “Anything can happen. Even the best restaurants can’t dupli-cate this kind of excitement.”

His Plated Landscape dinners have since at-tracted sell-out crowds of 40 at more than a dozen May through September events. Free from the confines of a set menu, more chefs are taking advantage of this new way of dining. We give you exhibits A, B and C.

| A. DINNER IN THE DARK |Relax, there are no blindfolds or poorly lit rooms. Diners even know the event location and which six chefs have been chosen to prepare one of the night’s courses. The mystery? What’s for dinner. “Chefs like it because we rarely have time to work together and learn from each other,” says Brian Okin, who co-founded the series with chefs Ellis Cooley and Jeff Jarrett. Removed from the comfort of their kitchens, Okin says, the chefs have the freedom to prepare envelope-pushing dishes you might not find on the regular menu: deconstructed Caesar salad with flash-fried egg yolk, garlic pudding and short ribs with chocolate sauce. Find on facebook.com

| B. EMERGING CHEFS |With a portable burner as his pulpit, chef Jeff Fisher tempted the taste buds of diners at a February dinner with biblically inspired morsels. “Everything had some sort of religious association,” says Fisher, the Touch Supper Club chef who hosted the Emerging Chefs’

Sacri-licious dinner inside a former church. “I made ‘communion’ wafers with toast points and foie gras,

cured salmon for a tartare in Saint Germain liqueur, [and] served [it] with braised pork belly with forbidden rice.” Cre-

ated by former city of Cleveland tech czar Michael DeAloia, the dinners are designed to promote culinary creativity by bring-

ing 30 to 60 eaters together for themed nibbling. emergingchefs.com

| C. CRISP CATERING |A chef with a flair for entertaining, Matt Mytro plans parties that challenge perceptions. He's gotten people to suck lemons at Flavor Tripping get-togethers by dispensing African berries that trick taste buds into identifying sour as sweet. His Yumm events showcase molecular gastronomy (liquid nitrogen milkshakes anyone?). His most recent creation, Naked Sushi, features hors d’oeuvres passed by women in g-strings and body paint, who later become platters as tasty bits of seafood and rice are laid out on them. “I’m a sociable guy who gets bored easily, so I come up with these crazy culinary concepts,” Mytro says. crispflavor.com; stovemonkeys.com

Best New Restaurant1:: Deagan’s Kitchen & Bar2:: Chinato 3:: Dante

Best Local Chef1:: Michael Symon, Lola2:: Chris Hodgson,

Dim and Den Sum3:: Jonathon Sawyer,

The Greenhouse Tavern

Best Fine Dining1:: Lola Bistro2:: L’Albatros Brasserie & Bar3:: Pier W

Best Cheap Eats1:: Dim and Den Sum2:: Melt Bar & Grilled3:: Tucky’s

Best Seafood1:: Pier W2:: Blue Point Grille3:: Mitchell’s Fish Market

Best French/Continental1:: L’Albatros Brasserie & Bar2:: Chez Francois3:: Sans Souci

Best Italian1:: Mama Roberto’s2:: Mama Santa’s 3:: Chinato

Best Indian1:: Cafe Tandoor2:: Saffron Patch3:: India Garden

Best Chinese1:: Hunan on Coventry (tie)1:: Pearl of the Orient (tie)2:: Hunan by the Falls

Best Japanese1:: Pacific East2:: Sakura (tie)2:: Sushi Rock (tie)

Best Asian (Other than Chinese or Japanese)1:: Bác2:: Ty Fun Thai Bistro3:: Superior Pho

Best Mexican1:: Momocho2:: Luchita’s Mexican Restaurant3:: El Rodeo (tie)3:: Nuevo Acapulco (tie)

Best Greek1:: The Mad Greek2:: Niko’s on Detroit3:: The Greek Village Grille

Best Middle Eastern1:: Aladdin’s Eatery2:: Nate’s Deli3:: Anatolia Café

Best German or Other Central European1:: Sokolowski’s University Inn2:: Balaton Restaurant 3:: Der Braumeister

Restaurant and Deli

What will be the next big dining trend?“There’s going to be more communal dining. Eventually there’s going to be a lot more sharing. There’s going to be a lot more interactive dining because people look to dining as entertainment more than they did before, and dining rooms are more of a destination than they were before.” — Regan Reik, Pier W

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is for Firefly Farms: Certified organ-ic greens grown by Steve Jones just outside of New London Use: The

greens are “sweet, tender, just a beautiful ex-ample of what a green might be,” says Flying Fig chef and owner Karen Small. She loves that, be-cause of the quality, she can keep it simple.

is for Killbuck Valley Mushrooms: Farm-grown and wild fungi varieties by Tom Wiandt in Wayne County

Use: “Tom’s mushrooms are some of the best I’ve ever worked with,” says Lolita ( ) execu-tive chef Andy Strizak. “We use less, because they hold their shape a little more.”

is for Lake Erie Creamery: Made by hand in small batches at an urban Cleveland creamery using milk from

local goats Use: Where other goat cheeses can be gritty, Lake Erie’s is “way more smooth,” says Melange co-executive chef Matt Creighton.

is for Miller Livestock: Grass-fed, humanely raised beef, pork, lamb and chicken from a Kinsman-based farm

Use: “We want to buy something someone has taken care of and treated humanely, and had respect to the environment,” says chef Jonathan Bennett of Moxie, who purchases whole grass-fed pigs from the Kinsman farm.

Ben Bebenroth’s Plated Landscape dinners (above) inspired other pop-up events such as Emerging Chefs’ Prohibition Party (left).

KNOW THE GROWChefs are heralding their relationships with Ohio farmers. We define how four farms make for a smarter menu.


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Farmer’s Gazpacho Speakeasy

INGREDIENTS: Belvedere Bloody Mary Vodka, dill and cracked pepper syrup, aloe, dill, lemon, tonic INSPIRATION: The nearby West Side Market serves as the muse for this drink and others on Speakeasy’s cocktail menu, says Matthew Stipe, assistant gen-eral manager and head bar chef. “Everyone uses fruit. I go to every booth.” He looks at vegetables and herbs you might not think of as cocktail ma-terial. MIXOLOGY: “It feels fresh. It feels healthy. In old cocktail books, you’ll see health cures. This goes back to that. It’s like a faux tonic.” Fresh herbs and spices mingle with other nontraditional cocktail in-gredients on Speakeasy’s menu. On the bar, you’ll see a line of seasonings alongside the liquors (dill is Stipe’s favorite). Speakeasy also serves classic pre-prohibition cocktails and has well-trained bartend-ers who will create drinks on the spot. 1948 W. 25th St., Cleveland, 216-274-1010, speakeasy216.com

Fahrenheit Chef Rocco Whalen has mastered the art of regularly changing his menu to never let things get stale, but somehow every visit always feels pleasingly the same. Order: Grilled lamb loin ($26) with crispy salt and herb fries 2417 Professor Ave., Cleveland, 216-781-8858, fahrenheittremont.com Fire The fact that Doug Katz is such a passionate supporter of local farmers and a great chef makes patronizing his restaurant plain fun. Plus, the meats and fish out of his tandoor oven are always spot on. Order: Foie gras studded mortadella ($14) with marinated pecorino, apricot jam, arugula and grilled flatbread 13220 Shaker Square, Cleveland, 216-921-3473, firefoodanddrink.com Flying Fig The combination of chef Karen Small’s commitment to using fresh, local products; a from-scratch-style; and finesse with Asian and Mediterranean flavors makes

for reliably great dishes. Order: Tempura-battered green beans ($7) with ponzu sauce and pineapple caramel 2523 Market Ave., Cleveland, 216-241-4243, theflyingfig.com Lola ( ) Our Iron Chef’s love for meats and the Midwest packs in diners at this beloved hot spot, which relocated from Tremont in 2006. Of course, when you’re feeling nos-talgic, you can always go to Lolita. Order: Seared sea scallops ($30) with sweet pea tart 2058 E. Fourth St., Cleveland, 216-621-5652, lolabistro.com Michelangelo’s Nobody in Cleveland does Italian better than chef and owner Michael Annandono, who favors rustic Piedmontese cuisine notably in carpaccios, meaty ragouts, duck and truffle dishes. Order: Sacchetti ($25), ricotta and black truffle stuffed pasta and white truffle cream sauce 2198 Murray Hill Road, Cleveland, 216-721-0300, mangelos.com

Singapore Redux Bác

INGREDIENTS: Bombay Sapphire Gin, lime juice, pineapple juice, Thai chili syrup INSPIRATION: “I was watching Apocalypse Now, the Redux re-lease,” says mixologist Chris Flood. “I thought about what I’d want to drink before going to war and mowing a bunch of people down with a machine gun. This is it.” MIXOLOGY: “The drink starts out sweet but has a fiery kick. Not a Tabasco kick, but a cinnamon burn,” Flood says. The Sin-gapore Redux is a simplified version of the clas-sic Singapore Sling. Bác has many classic-inspired cocktails, but Flood prefers to update each drink with a subtle modern touch, often substituting an ingredient or two (such as hazelnut ginger syrup or lychee juice), especially to add an Asian touch. These drinks will revive the love affair you once had with those old flames. 2661 W. 14th St., Cleve-land, 216-938-8960, bactremont.com

Pimm’s Cup Dragonfly

INGREDIENTS: Pimm’s, lemon, lime, simple syrup, ginger beer (mint and strawberries are added when in season) INSPIRATION: A classic cocktail created in 1823 by James Pimm, who infused gin with fruit and added some sweet touches to the otherwise bitter liquor. MIXOLOGY: “It works because it ap-peals to so many,” says mixologist Kindra Pucci. “Women love it because it has a fruit taste to it and it has a beautiful aesthetic. Men love it because it has a strong kick. It’s a drink that will surprise you each time you order one.” Dragonfly has many classic cocktails done without variation from the original recipes and a few house drinks crafted with high-quality ingredients and artisan touches. You’ll love the Monte Carlo Sour, with red wine sitting atop the cocktail. Sip the red wine directly off the top rather than mixing it in. 1865 W. 25th St., Cleve-land, 216-696-7774, dragonflycleveland.com

Zinc Rickey Zinc Bistro

INGREDIENTS: Brandied cherries, Hendrick’s Gin, lime, bitters, Damascan Rose Elixir INSPIRATION:

“This is our take on the gin and lime rickey, but it tastes cleaner, more refreshing and like something you wouldn’t find anywhere else in Cleveland,” says general manager John Williams. MIXOLOGY: “This drink has a lot of ingredients in it. It also has a lot of flair in presentation because it does get set on fire,” Williams says. “The reason it works, though, is because it is so clean. ... It is a drink you will crave.” You’ll see thoughtful concoctions at Zinc with a drink lineup that shifts with the seasons and syncs with the menu. Always expect at least one surprising ingredient, such as the rose elixir in the Zinc Rickey, or freshly squeezed juices that go beyond basic citruses, such as raspberry and black-berry. 668 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, 216-583-9462, zinccleveland.com

UP TO BARThis is what it takes to make a great cocktail.

The Velvet Tango Room is delightfully pretentious. From the antique-mixed-with-modern decor to the assurance (not apology) that a drink may take up to 15 minutes to arrive, to the rant against the created-to-get-you-drunk “cocktails” that greets you as you walk in.

Paulius Nasvytis is at the heart of the message. When you speak with Paulius, you speak to an artist.

The New York Times, USA Today, Food Network stars and national magazines have all lauded Paulius and his establishment. He is not just the father of the handcrafted cocktail scene in Cleveland, he’s the man that gives it credibility.

Paulius offers some advice that should help you determine if you’re in a bar where it’s worth ordering a cocktail. “There are some magnificent beer pubs in Cleveland and a few good places for cocktails as well. There are none that do both.” 2095 Co-lumbus Road, Cleveland, 216-241-8869, velvettangoroom.com

| HANDCRAFTED COCKTAILS | Fresh: Like fresh fruit, ingredients go

bad if they’re not used. Syrup: It’s homemade. Infused: Why buy prepackaged vanilla

vodka? Great bars put vanilla beans in a bottle and serve their own. Fail: Order an appletini,

and a good cocktail bar will try to talk you into a better drink that you will end up loving more.

Good Ice: Water should be filtered, and it should not be in a crescent shape. “Ice is shaped that way to take as much vol-ume in the glass as possible. That means there’s less room for the expensive stuff,” Nasvytis says. Standard ice is chilled to 28 degrees Fahrenheit. Ice at the Velvet Tango Room is chilled to -30 degrees Fahrenheit. “It melts slower and does not water down your cocktail.”

Measuring Tools: A proper cocktail has ingredients mea-sured to the gram. You do not eyeball. Nasvytis uses angled measuring cups to give a clear view of how much is poured. “When people are free-pouring, the size and density of the spout and the viscosity of the liquor changes everything,” he says. “A six count of gin is going to be a lot faster than a six count of Campari. People don’t look at it that deeply.”

Visible Squeezing: “A lot of places claim to use freshly squeezed juices,” he says. “If it is in a plastic container, who’s to say when it was ‘freshly squeezed.’ You should squeeze each drink to order.”

Homemade Bar Syrups: “There’s a fake flavor to most premade syrups. Making your own allows you to control the ingredients and the quality.”

Liquors That Match The Menu: Top-shelf liquors should be available, if not standard, for every cocktail. “There’s a big difference between Paramount Triple Sec and Cointreau,” he says. If there is a drink that traditionally calls for an ob-scure liquor, the bar should have that liquor, not a substitute. “Making cocktails is like baking. You need to have the right ingredients; otherwise, your bread may not rise.”

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Anybody can throw a T-bone on the grill and end up with something de-licious. The real talent lies in turning organ meats and unfamiliar parts into appealing dishes diners crave. “This

shows respect for the animal and the farmer that raised it,” says chef Jonathon Sawyer. “[It] is part of living sustainably.” There's nothing to be squeamish about. In skilled hands, these odd anatomical tidbits go from eww to wow.

The Greenhouse Tavern Dish: Roasted pig’s head ($29)Details: Half heads are brined in molasses, brown sugar, salt and spices; braised in red wine and cola; and cooked to order. Why Try It: Arriving smiling on a huge silver plat-ter, the head has crisp skin with incredibly moist meat underneath. “If you like barbecue and pork belly,” Sawyer says, “you’ll love our pig face.” And don’t worry about an accusing stare. “We remove the eyes because they freak some people out.” 2038 E. Fourth St., Cleveland, 216-443-0511, thegreenhousetavern.com

L’Albatros Brasserie & Bar Dish: Oxtail ravioli ($20)Details: Ragout of braised, pulled meat is served between pasta squares topped with creme fraiche

Why Try It: Reminiscent of short ribs, it’s more ten-der than stew with a rich, beefy taste. “For many who grew up eating these less expensive cuts, it evokes memories of childhood meals,” says chef and owner Zack Bruell. 11401 Bellflower Road, Cleveland, 216-791-7880, albatrosbrasserie.com

Fire Food and Drink Dish: Crispy chicken livers ($20)Details: After a buttermilk soak, flour-dusted liv-ers are deep-fried then plated with cherry com-pote, sauteed spinach and house-made bacon.Why Try It: Think crunchy, soft, sweet and salty. “Each bite is a perfect mix of textures and flavor,” says chef and owner Doug Katz. “This is a signature dish with its own fan base.” 13220 Shaker Square, Cleveland, 216-921-3473, firefoodanddrink.com Chinato Dish: Beef tongue ($17)Details: Meat is slow-cooked in red wine and veal stock, sliced thin and seared in olive oil.Why Try It: It looks like brisket and has a tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture and a surprisingly fa-miliar flavor. “If you didn’t know what you were eating,” says chef Andy Dombrowski, “you’d swear it was a forkful of your grandma’s pot roast.” 2079 E. Fourth St., Cleveland, 216-298-9080, chinatocleveland.com

Best Spanish/Portuguese1:: Mallorca2:: Viva Fernando 3:: Marbella

Best Caribbean/ Puerto Rican/Latin American1:: Paladar Latin Kitchen & Rum Bar2:: Sergio’s Sarava3:: Johnny Mango World Cafe & Bar

Best Caribbean/Puerto Rican/Latin American (chain)1:: Bahama Breeze

Best Ribs/Barbecue1:: Bubba’s Q World Famous

Bar-B-Q & Catering2:: Hot Sauce Williams BBQ3:: Rick’s Café

Best Steaks1:: Red the Steakhouse2:: Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse3:: Morton’s the Steakhouse

Best Pizza1:: Angelo’s Pizza2:: Geraci’s3:: Dewey’s Pizza (tie)3:: Mama Santa’s (tie)

Best Hamburgers1:: B Spot2:: The Beer Engine3:: Swenson’s Drive-In

Best Small Plates1:: Sergio’s Sarava2:: Amp 150 3:: Deagan’s Kitchen & Bar

Best Appetizers1:: The Greenhouse Tavern2:: Lolita (tie)2:: Sergio’s Sarava (tie)

Best Desserts1:: Sweet Melissa2:: Deagan’s Kitchen & Bar

Best Desserts (chain)1:: The Cheesecake Factory

Best Sandwiches1:: Melt Bar & Grilled2:: Slyman’s Restaurant3:: Joe’s Deli

Best Soups1:: Souper Market2:: Melt Bar & Grilled

Best Soups (chain)1:: Panera Bread

Best Vegetarian/ Vegan Selections1:: Tommy’s on Coventry2:: Aladdin’s Eatery3:: VegiTerranean

Best Wine List1:: Wine Bar Rocky River 2:: Lola Bistro3:: La Cave du Vin

Best Cocktails1:: Velvet Tango Room2:: Bác3:: Chocolate Bar

Best Beer Selection1:: Winking Lizard Tavern2:: The Beer Engine3:: Melt Bar & Grilled

HIP TO BE GREENUsing local ingredients seems less culinary craze than manda-tory practice these days. Three chefs tell us what’s hot now and what’s so last growing season.

OUT: Mixed baby greensIN: Fennel“I have gotten pretty bored with mixed baby greens,” says Sarava’s Sergio Abramof. “I’ve worked very hard to try to push the flavor pro-file just bolder, stronger.” ON THE MENU: Thinly sliced fennel tossed with lemon-infused olive oil, mush-rooms and Parmesan cheese. “It’s really crisp and vibrant, has a little bit of a licorice aftertaste,” Abramof says. “It’s just very, very different than the usual salad.” 13225 Shaker Square, Cleveland, 216-295-1200, sergioscleveland.com

OUT: Potatoes and broccoliIN: Root vegetable purees“I don’t use broccoli, for one,” says Chez Francois chef and owner John D’Amico. “Everyone uses broccoli.” ON THE MENU: “I make a cel-ery root puree, and I serve it with a lamb dish,” says D’Amico, who pairs purees with the main course. “It’s refreshing. It’s not as heavy as a potato.” 555 Main St., Vermilion, 440-967-0630, chezfrancois.com

OUT: Button mushroomsIN: Morels and black trumpets“The black trumpet mushroom has such an earthy tone because it grows underneath pine trees,” says VegiTerranean chef J. Scot Jones. ON THE MENU: Black trumpets may show up in beet cream sauce or morels on top of plain aglio pasta. Look for the hyper-seasonal fungi in specials. 21 Furnace St., Akron, 330-374-5550, vegiterranean.com

What’s one food trend you wish would go away?“The stacking of food: It’s just difficult to eat. ... You do a couscous and then a seared fish on top, and then you garnish with a marmalade, and then you garnish with a rose-mary sprig; then you garnish with a potato chip, and before you know it, your plate’s 6 feet tall.” — Eric Williams, Momocho

HUGE VAULT DOORS, harsh florescent lighting and rows of plexiglass-shielded counters — not exactly the kind of environment you’d expect to stimulate taste buds. But for the three restaurants that have recently nabbed former bank spaces (two now open and one reopening this summer), renovations have turned repositories into eateries that are so money.

IN THE VAULT

The Whole Damn ThingForget the filet. Chefs prove no part of the animal is off limits.

WINNERS, continued

➻ | DANTE | Opened January 2010 Chef and owner Dante Boccuzzi invested more than $1 million to transform this turn-of-the-century Third Fed-

eral Savings & Loan into a trendy dining destination. An exclusive table for four, which books out weeks in advance, now resides in the bank’s vault. “It was 1.5-inch steel all the way around then 18 inches of concrete on the sides and top,” Boccuzzi says. “It took over a week of jack hammering to put in ventilation.” Boccuzzi retained ornate 18-foot ceilings and added carpeting, leather seating, and a warm palette of oranges and yellows. Stark lighting gave way to a hand-blown glass chandelier by the Glass Bubble Project in Ohio City. The basement will open this spring as Ginko — Japanese for “bank” — a Dante-owned sushi bar. 2247 Professor Ave., Cleveland, 216-274-1200, restaurantdante.us

➻ | ROCKEFELLER’S | Opened February 2011Built in 1930 to house the Cleveland Trust Co., this sprawling space features stunning architecture: high stone

arches, a wood-inlaid ceiling, stained-glass windows and parquet-and-stone flooring. “I didn’t really do anything,” says owner Michael Adams. “The beauty of the space went untouched,” save a fresh coat of paint. He brought in uphol-stered furniture in warm reds and golds, lacquered wood tables and foliage. The engraved wood counter where bank customers once signed deposit slips is now Rockefeller’s hostess station, and its 4,000-pound vault is a kitchen and prep area. 3099 Mayfield Road, Cleveland Heights, 216-321-0477, rockefellers-restaurant.com

➻ | CROP BISTRO | Reopening late summer 2011Crop king Steve Schimoler will unite his restaurant, product development operation and a retail food mar-

ketplace in the 16,000-square-foot former United Trust Bank building. The bank’s flagship in the 1920s, the space boasts 32-foot ceilings, stone arches and a 1920s-era Glenn Shaw wall mural. “We brought the room back to its original grandeur,” Schimoler says of his $1.5 million renovation. His design changes were simple, adding a bar and kitchen that replicate the look of teller booths, dramatic lighting and a color palette that complements the space’s green marble as well as indigo and gold detail work. The bank’s massive vault is now a 100-seat private dining room. 2537 Lorain Ave., Cleveland, 216-696-2767, cropbistro.com

Greenhouse Tavern’s roasted pig’s head tastes like barbecue pork belly.

Dante


CRUISING INFood trucks busted onto the Cleveland food scene in 2010, and it looks like this year will bring a full-scale invasion. Loans and grants from the city have helped an armada of trucks rev their engines. Here are five to follow through the dog days of summer.

| STREAT MOBILE BISTRO |Chef and owner Izzy Schachner also runs the cafeteria at the U.S. Federal Courthouse downtown, so he’s a pro at cooking for groups. The truck gives him the freedom to source locally and recycle. You’ll find sea-sonal, bistro-style comfort food such as a pork belly sandwich with spicy peanut butter and a buffalo chicken mac-and-cheese. Follow:

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CM. When did you first get food from a truck and think, Wow, I could do that?A. 2009, New York City. I was working at [Spotted Pig], a Mi-chelin-star restaurant. I was eat-ing at taco trucks all the time. And it kind of became a bet [among] me and the rest of the cooks: Who could do a truck first? They were all like, “Dude, we could make the best trucks in the world!” I decided to do it.

CM. What was the point where you realized, Oh, yeah, this is catching on?A. Probably when the city con-tacted us to help write code

and figure out how they could make this legal for other people. We hit 1,000 fans on Facebook. Every news place in Cleveland wanted to do a story on us. With lunches, we were up to an hour wait for people at the truck. We were like, “This is kinda working!”

CM. How often are you using what you learned at Scottsdale Le Cordon Bleu?A. Culinary school is kind of a waste of time. You learn every-thing on the job. A lot of chefs in Cleveland never went to culi-nary school. They just put their head down and learned how

to cook from other chefs they admired. They give you three hours to make one dish at cu-linary school. Well, I have three hours to serve 300 people out on the street.

CM. What’s it take to make a food truck work? A. You gotta be real active. You can’t just have good food. A lot of people come to the truck to

see us in action and see my sis-ter’s smiling face and to see me acting like a crazy person. It’s part of the show.

CM. Do you help other people start food trucks?A. I do. I was in their boat a year ago and wish someone was able to say, “Listen, don’t forget about this, this and this. The fire department’s going to shut

Momocho ( ) For a guy who has no local rival when it comes to imaginative Mexican fare, chef Eric Williams refuses to let his menu stand still. A hip but not hip-ster vibe adds to the fun, and the guacamole lives up to the hype. Order: Achiote-spiced shrimp ($16) 1835 Fulton Road, Cleveland, 216-694-2122, momocho.com

Moxie Chef Jonathan Bennett’s commitment to making everything from scratch (from butter to burrata) always impresses, and his revamped menu reflects how people eat now (small, medium and large plates). Order: 12-hour veal roast ($23.50) 3355 Richmond Road, Beachwood, 216-831-5599, moxietherestaurant.com Parallax We can’t ignore the quiet success of the Tremont spot where chef Zack Bruell shows off how simple Asian-inspired dishes and fresh fish can yield bold

results. Order: Grilled salmon ($19) with Latin-style creamed corn and South American pepper sauce 2179 W. 11th St., Cleveland, 216-583-9999, parallaxtremont.com Pier W ( ) At a place all about seafood, it’s imperative to have a chef like Regan Reik, who can make even humble fish elegant. The dramatic views of Lake Erie and the downtown skyline don’t hurt either. Order: Pistachio almond crusted tilapia with lavender honey butter ($21) 12700 Lake Ave., Lakewood, 216-228-2250, selectrestaurants.com Players on Madison Restaurateur Gary Lucarelli’s landmark spot still packs them in with chef Tony Romano’s contemporary cuisine and Players’ signature custom and specialty pizzas and pastas. Order: Pollo pesto pizza ($16) 14253 Madison Ave., Lakewood, 216-226-5200, playersonmadison.com

HELLO, MOTOFROM CHINA’S NIGHT MARKETS to the hawker centers of Malaysia, eastern Asian coun-tries mastered street food long ago. Perhaps that’s why grabbing a bite from Umami Moto tastes so right. Jae Stulock and Sandy Madachik’s food truck drove onto the burgeoning scene of travel-ing cuisine in November. As chef, Stulock studied Thailand’s street food culture while conceiving the truck. There, pad thai is a pillar of the streets, and here, it’s become Stulock’s signature dish. But that’s no reason to skip the rest of the Southeast Asian fusion menu, including chicken curry ($5) with thick potato cubes and carrot slices over rice. True to Vietnamese cuisine, which favors fresh herbs, cilantro adds flavor to the mild sauce for a comforting and light dish. As a snack, the skewer of golf-ball-size meatballs ($3) gets a welcome kick from Jae’s sweet and spicy sauce. Although the American-size price of $1 a ball is hard to swallow, we’re not deterred. After all, until there’s some kind of meat on a stick, it’s just not street food. And Umami Moto does Asian street food proud. umamimototruck.com

On a RollDim and Den Sum founder Chris Hodgson hit the food truck fast lane last summer, paving the way for others to follow in 2011.

Chris Hodgson, a caffeine-wiry, scruffy-chinned 25-year-old, answers questions with quick, darting humor. That speed fits his achievement. In less than a year, the Shaker Heights native has become the driving force of Cleveland’s hottest dining trend: food on the move.

Dim and Den Sum ( ), Hodgson’s food truck, appeared on city streets in June, sparking a media craze and online lunch buzz. He’s already inspired so many fellow Cleveland food-truckers, they’ve spawned monthly group meet-ups. Recently, the motor-mouthed Hodgson slowed down long enough to explain his truck’s name — “dim sum” means “treasures of the heart,” not Chinese dumplings, while the rest is a play on words (“and then some,” get it?) — his cuisine (“comfort with an Asian flair”) and his plans to start a restaurant that’ll actu-ally stand still.

you down! I don’t care if you’re good with the health department, you’ve got pro-pane!” I’ve got a buddy who leases trucks. I’ve helped three other guys get contracts and start the leasing process.

CM. What problems have you run into?A. We’ve been waiting a year for the legislation. We have a permit for selling food in Ward 3, [but it excludes downtown]. Brick and mor-tar cafes and hot dog ven-dors are putting up a fuss. The city is dragging their feet.

CM. How will your standing restaurant be different?A. I’m going upscale with it. We’re doing a wood-burning oven restaurant. It’ll be food similar to Spotted Pig: very rustic, with an Italian, Medi-terranean feel, focusing on wood-burning pizzas. Ol-ives, olive oil, lot of lemons, lot of citrus. I want all my friends to eat what I cook. So I’m not going to charge any-one over $15 for anything.

CM. Where will it be?A. Hopefully, Lakewood. I got a local team building my tables from the old Geauga Lake Big Dipper. We bought all the wood from that.

CM. What’s new on the menu this spring? A. Always something new. We only keep one thing the same, the PBLT [pulled pork, bacon, lettuce and tomato]. Other than that, every single week, our menu changes.

CM. What surprised you with its popularity?A. Foie gras Tater Tots. French black truffle Tater Tots. Tater Tots sell like a motherf---er. We’ve been shut down before because we ran out of Tater Tots. dimanddensum.com

| FOOD TRUCKS | Find: With a catch-them-if-you-can attitude, these rolling

restaurants set up for a few hours at a time (mostly for lunch and late-night snacking).

Follow: You better be hip to the social media scene. Only a few trucks have their own

websites. Feast: Fill up with treats far from greasy street meat and for less than a 10 spot.

Others to follow: TRAVELING TREATS BY CAKES PLUS Specializes in gourmet desserts, namely ultimate brownies, strawberry cheesecake and a walnut mocha torte. Follow: PRANZO FORNO WOOD FIRED PIZZA More mobile pizza oven cart than truck, expect fresh, wood-fired, hand-tossed pizzas. Follow:

| JIBARO |Elvis Serrano named his truck after the working-class mountain people of Puerto Rico. He serves Caribbean cuisine with American tie-ins, such as potato balls, marinated bananas and seviche. “They’re all Hispanic meals with a twist,” says truck man-ager, Lorna McLain. “We have our typical Puerto Rican dishes and a Caribbean influence.” Follow:

| SETI’S POLISH BOYS |Owner Seti Martinez has been serv-ing polish boys and fries since 2001. “When you look at the barbecue restaurants that sell polish boys, to me it seemed like it wasn’t a prior-ity,” says Martinez, who pulled his truck into Michael Symon’s back-yard one day last summer. “So I figured I was going to do it more justice.” Follow:

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1 HAPPY DOG :: Neighborhood bar meets hot dog joint with 50 toppings for your dog and an eclectic mix of live music. Open since 2009, chef Eric Williams serves up 1,000-plus dogs a week.

Inspiration: The simmering sauce used in Williams’ grandmother’s mini-meatball appetizer inspired Marcella’s Grape Jelly and Chili Sauce topping. Wildest Topping: When someone suggested serving des-sert, Williams put Froot Loops on the menu. “It actually works,” he says, though the sweet cereal has since been replaced with candy sprinkles. His Fave Combo: Creole remoulade, bacon-spiked Southern greens, smoked Gouda and a fried egg. 5801 Detroit Ave., Cleveland, 216-651-9474, happydogcleveland.com

2 FLIPSIDE :: Burgers are hot right now, but Flipside’s Shawn Monday thinks his have an edge. He only uses Ohio-raised, grass-fed beef in his 10 burger varieties. Unusual Combo: Green Eggs and

Ham Burger — fried egg, wilted spinach, crispy Parmesan, basil mayo and prosciutto Craziest Request: “Guys who want to stack another burger on top. They’re 7 ounces already.” On the Side: It takes three days to make Flipside’s french fries. They’re salt-brined, boiled, low-temp fried, then flash-fried before serving. 49 Village Way, Hudson, 330-655-3547, flipsidehudson.com

3 PALOOKAVILLE CHILI :: It’s chili “made correctly,” says artist and first-time restaurateur Ian P.E. That means using cubed beef (not ground meat) and 15 chili pepper varieties. Hot Button: “It’s not

real chili [other restaurants] are serving up. It’s a Midwestern bastardization of Southwest chili.” Unique Combo: Chili Cheese Steak — chili served on a sourdough hoagie roll with cheddar or feta cheese and green onions. Chili Flop: “I tried a shrimp chili, but it didn’t have enough fat.” 3900 Lorain Ave., Cleve-land, 216-961-4810, palookavillechili.com

4 CHOP IT SALAD CO. :: It may be a food court joint, but Chop It offers your choice of four lettuce varieties, 25 dressings, seven cheeses, and 55 veggies and other toppings tossed by a “personal chop-

per.” Didn’t Fly: “We tried hearts of palm,” says owner Joe Joltin. “One person asked if he could try it. He came back and said, ‘Wow, that’s disgusting.’ ” Craziest Request: “One guy asks for half lettuce and every single vegetable we have.” Joltin’s Favorite: Spring mix, romaine, goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, dried cranberries and candied pecans with black cherry balsamic dressing. Southpark Center, 440-238-6027; Great Northern Mall, 440-777-0864, chopitsaladco.com

5 B SPOT :: Technically the “B” is for burgers, brats, bologna and beers, but B Spot’s known for its 15 varieties of burgers, all conceived by the one-and-only Michael Symon. Why Burgers? “It’s

people re-embracing comfort food and those classics becoming cool,” says B-Spot general manager Greg MacLaren. Unique Combo: The Symon Says — a burger with bologna, coleslaw, American cheese, “and what we call whip sauce, a mixture of Miracle Whip and yellow mustard.” Burger Flop: The Jersey Boy, a burger with pork roll, “which is somewhere between baloney and Spam. It lasted about a week.” Eton Chagrin Boulevard, 28699 Chagrin Blvd., Woodmere, 216-292-5567, bspotburgers.com

HOW COULD THERE BE JUST 2,000 TURKS in Northeast Ohio and a 300 percent increase in Turk-ish restaurants in the past 12 months? Credit Yashar Yildirim and his pioneering Anatolia Cafe ( ), open since 2007 in Cleveland Heights. All three newcomers have ties to Yildirim and his restaurant, and each draws from Turkey’s regional cuisines, incorporating lamb, yogurt and lots of veggies.

Best Local Microbrew1:: Great Lakes Brewing Co.2:: Rocky River Brewing Co.3:: The Beer Engine

Best Gastropub1:: Deagan’s Kitchen & Bar2:: Tremont Tap House

Best Place for Family Dining1:: Yours Truly2:: Joe’s Deli

Best Place for Family Dining (chain)1:: First Watch

Best Sunday Brunch1:: Pier W2:: Lucky’s Café

Best Sunday Brunch (chain)1:: First Watch

Best Date Spot1:: Lola Bistro (tie)1:: Lolita (tie)

Best Date Spot (chain)1:: Melting Pot

Best Sports Bar/Restaurant1:: Winking Lizard Tavern2:: Panini’s Bar & Grill

Best People Watching1:: Lola Bistro (tie)1:: Melt Bar & Grilled (tie)2:: Metro Bar & Kitchen

Best Outdoor Dining1:: Three Birds Restaurant2:: Luxe Kitchen & Lounge

Best Plate Presentation1:: Lola Bistro2:: Wild Mango3:: Dante

Best Service1:: Deagan’s Kitchen & Bar2:: Lola Bistro (tie)2:: Melt Bar & Grilled (tie)

Best Service (chain)1:: First Watch

Best View1:: Pier W2:: Jekyll’s Kitchen 3:: Ponte Vecchio

Best Deli1:: Corky and Lenny’s2:: Joe’s Deli3:: Jack’s Deli

Best Pastry Shop1:: Corbo’s Dolceria2:: Presti’s Bakery & Cafe3:: Blackbird Baking Co.

Best Place to Buy Bread1:: Breadsmith2:: On the Rise Artisan Breads3:: Blackbird Baking Co.

Best Place to Buy Bread (chain)1:: Panera Bread

Best Cheese Selection1:: Heinen’s2:: West Side Market

Best Cheese Selection (chain)1:: Whole Foods Market

Best Wine Store1:: Rozi’s Wine House2:: Minotti’s Wine & Spirits3:: Heinen’s

Reason No. 1: FRESH INGREDIENTS Real butter, ripe fruit and off-the-griddle bacon

are just some of the fresh ingredients used in the more than 50 rotating flavors at LaBella Cupcakes. “People love our cassata cupcake because we use real straw-berries instead of a preserve,” says Laura Williams, who co-owns the shop with her husband, Michael. And she insists using real butter in their buttercream frosting gives them a unique taste, too. 15208 Madison Ave., Lakewood, 216-226-3400, labellacupcakes.com

What is your favorite food trend this year?“A lot of restaurants and places around here are scaling down, making food a little simpler and making more comfort foods. Some people get a little too carried away with making stuff too complex and too confusing; just [make] simple, regular food that people like to eat.” — Rachel Spieth, Three Birds Restaurant

WINNERS, continued|||||||||||||||| state of the plate ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

Call it the Melt phenomenon. Customers go to single-dish-themed spots for the novelty, says Matt Fish of Melt ( ), but that’s not enough. “It goes beyond the whole nichey thing,” he says. “The food quality has to be dead-on, creative enough to keep people coming back.” Let us introduce you to the local specialists.

ONE-DISH WONDERS

THE TURKISH TABLE

Take the Cake One would think our fascination with cupcakes would have passed by now. Not so. While Main Street Cupcakes and A Cookie and A Cupcake keep churning out single-serving favorites, here are three new reasons the trend isn't over.

Reason No. 2: UNUSUAL COMBOSIn addition to 15 staff picks, Cleveland Cupcake

Co. owner Megan Jenny creates five to 10 new flavors each season. Take spring’s gorgonzola cheesecake cup-cake: Vanilla bean cake is married with earthy cheese and topped with homemade fig preserve and dark chocolate. “We go for pretty cupcakes,” she says. “But it has to taste delicious. It’s fun to go to the market and see what flavors I have to play with.” 330-714-9692, clevelandcupcakecompany.com

Reason No. 3: IT’S JUST NOT DESSERTWake up your taste buds with the Rise and

Shine cupcake from A Piece of Cake Gourmet Cup-cakes. The French toast cake, maple cream frosting and crumbled bacon combination is a popular morn-ing treat, says owner Miya Woods, who bakes around 25 different flavors from her home-based bakery. “I have companies order dozens of these for morning meetings,” she says. “I even eat cupcakes for break-fast.” 216-570-5971, pieceofcakeohio.com

Dervish’s Turkish-style pizza is topped with veggies and lamb.

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Opened June 2010The Connection: Owners Mehm-et and Ashley Candan are fam-ily friends of Yildirim. The Difference: “We cater to-ward the family,” says Ashley, with Wednesday kids-eat-free nights, an in-house bakery and a menu geared toward cross-re-gional Turkish cuisine. Order: Lahmacun ($10.95), a thin-crust Turkish pizza topped with vegetables and lamb. 35840 Chester Road, Avon, 440-937-0733, dervishgrill.com

➻ | ALATURKA TURKISH CUISINE | Opened January 2011

The Connection: It opened this year as Anatolia’s West Side sis-ter spot.The Difference: “People asked, ‘Why don’t you come to the West Side?’ ” manager Ilhan Oralas says of Yildirim’s deci-sion to open Alaturka. The menu duplicates Anatolia Ca-fe’s with a focus on central and eastern Turkish cuisine.Order: Homemade Turk-ish pide bread. 1917 W. 25th St., Cleveland, 216-298-9001, alaturka25.com

➻ | ISTANBUL GRILL | Opened September 2010

The Connection: Sonmez Boz-kurt was Anatolia’s original chef.The Difference: “The main dif-ference here is the chef,” says owner Cumhur Sasmaz of Boz-kurt. While Bozkurt brought over many of Anatolia’s central and eastern Turkish favorites, he added new offerings such as burgers and vegan dishes.Order: The Istanbul Burger ($9) with ground lamb and Turkish spices. 2505 Professor Ave., Cleveland, 216-298-4450, grillistanbul.com


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| DRESSING DOWN | Menu: A greater focus on share plates of familiar-sounding

dishes with touches of high-end ingredients Missing: White tablecloths (though you’ll still

see linen napkins) The Bill: Foodies on a budget love these spots because many entrees are

less than $20. Open Up: Each spot offers a clear view into the kitchen bustle.

Thyme Chef and owner John Kolar makes his mark with bold flavors and reinvented condiments: ginger wasabi aioli for a tuna slider, espresso barbecue sauce with a hangar steak, and the tomato marmalade that jazzes up a piece of halibut. Order: Grilled hangar steak ($21) 716 N. Court St., Medina, 330-764-4114, thymetherestaurant.com Saffron Patch ( ) On the upscale side of ethnic cuisine, this favorite proves that curry doesn't have to overpower, showing the wide range of savory flavors Indian cuisine offers. Order: Murgh malai tikka ($14) 20600 Chagrin Blvd., Shaker Heights, 216-295-0400, thesaffronpatch.com

Salmon Dave’s Call us crazy for favoring this Rocky River spot over its seafood sister downtown, but we can't ignore the Pacific Rim influence or gold rush

saloon vibe. Order: Great Lakes walleye with hazelnut crust ($23) 19015 Old Lake Road, Rocky River, 440-331-2739, hrcleveland.com Sergio’s Sarava ( )Chef Sergio Abramof’s Shaker Square spot is an authentic take on his native South American culture. The flavors are exotic but not off-putting, and Abramof’s “street plate” selection will make you always want to dine here tapas-style. Order: Tamale cakes ($6.95) 13225 Shaker Square, Cleveland, 216-295-1200, sergioscleveland.com

Three Birds ( ) Chef Rachel Spieth cooks with equal parts imagination and hyper-seasonal ingredients at this contemporary West Side spot. Located in Lakewood’s historic Bonne Bell property, the place shines in summer with courtyard dining. Order: Seared foie gras ($15) 18515 Detroit Ave., Lakewood, 216-221-3500, 3birdsrestaurant.com

BEFORE: Inn at Turner’s Mill Built in 1852, the Inn at Turner’s Mill reflected the building’s rich history, with homey fireplaces, rustic walls, antiques and traditional American fare. Before closing in 2007, it was a go-to spot for formal events, entertaining clients and romantic dinners, with a more lively downstairs tavern.

AFTER: Rosewood Grill “We built on that second personality [the tavern] had,” says George Schindler of Hospitality Restau-rants, which opened Rosewood Grill on the Inn’s ground floor in January 2010. “To the people in Hudson, what the tavern represented was the type of atmosphere we had in mind.” A renovation ex-panded the tavern’s size, adding sleek leather seating and polished woods to the existing space and rustic rough-hewn tables and unpolished granite counters to the new space. “We made the new space look as lived-in as possible,” says Schindler, “and the old space look as polished as a 157-year-old building can be.” 36 E. Streetsboro St., Hudson, 330-656-2100

BEFORE: Baricelli Inn Housed in an 1896 mansion, the Baricelli Inn attracted regional and national attention for the classic dishes coming out of chef Paul Minnillo’s kitchen. Before closing last July, it had developed a reputation for be-ing expensive (though briefly did drop its prices to adjust to the poor economy) and had never added a bar or updated its mid-‘80s decor of aqua, purple and salmon hues.

AFTER: Washington Place Bistro“There was nothing wrong with the Baricelli, but the world around them changed,” says Scott Kuhn, who reopened the Little Italy space as Washington Place Bistro in December. Kuhn overhauled the decor, adding modern lighting, cherry and earth-toned furniture and neu-tral wall colors. Such changes provided a much-needed up-date to the Baricelli Inn’s tired

decor but also “made it warm and inviting … approachable for someone from 25 to 65,” Kuhn says. He didn’t change the existing floor plan, but Kuhn added an open kitch-en “and a humongous bar,” he says. “The bar is a place for energy. It’s totally illuminated, … so it glows.” 2203 Cornell Road, Cleveland, 216-791-6500, washingtonplacelittleitaly.com

m arlin Kaplan closed his opulent One Walnut last year, refocusing his efforts on spots that offer experiences similar to the relaxed Luxe. At Roseangel, typical tacos get dressier, and at Dragonfly in Ohio City, Kaplan simultane-

ously relaxes fancy dishes and dresses up casual foods. “It’s a casual menu in a very hip setting with fine dining ingredients served in a casual way,” he says.

➻ Why Go Casual? “There’s definitely been a movement away from the white tablecloth,” Kaplan says. So it’s been necessary to make things a little more ac-

cessible from a cost perspective. But informal dining doesn’t mean taking away choice ingredients. “You don’t have to compromise the quality of the dish,” he says. “It’s a question of entertaining the diner and giving them something they didn’t expect.”

➻ Simple Upgrade: Meatballs may be at the lower end of cuisine. But Kaplan, who uses pork shoulder instead of veal, elevates them as a fancy skewer. “Pork shoulder

is a lesser cut, but it’s used creatively,” he says. The ground meat is seasoned with five spices to give it more flavor; skewered on lemon grass spears; and served with Bibb let-tuce, radishes and cucumber. “It totally changes how you perceive a meatball,” he says.

➻ Fresh Fish: Kaplan uses black bass in his seafood-based take on beef carpaccio. Shaved ultra thin, the bass is dressed with lime and jalapenos — a lot of acidity

that actually cooks the fish. “This is a dish you would have seen in a fine dining restau-rant, just with a lesser type of ingredient,” Kaplan explains. 1865 W. 25th St., Cleveland, 216-696-7774, dragonflycleveland.com

RELAX AND REFRESH

➻ Fair Treatment: Expect ingredients to be prepped just as they would at

a white-tablecloth spot. Monday slowly cooks the duck in its own fat for four hours, which gives the meat of his nuggets an extra layer of flavor. “Confiting is something that came about from people preserving their meats. It’s almost like a poor man’s food,” Monday says. “It’s one of those traits you learn in fine dining, so why not still do it?”

➻ Tiny Touches: “We can’t afford flown in truffles from France and Italy,” says

Monday, explaining how he can work in high-end ingredients while still keeping the price down. “We use truffle pate that still has great flavor.” He’s also strategic about deploying the truffle flavor. You’ll see truffles hiding in the aioli that comes with the thrice-fried pomme frites or in truffle honey dressing on salad.

➻ Dressed Down: “The typical warm spinach salad has poached eggs on

it, so we wanted to play on that,” Monday says. “And I love an egg that runs over the salad and almost adds to the dressing.” His version of the fancy dish with double ap-plewood smoked bacon, crispy mushrooms and truffle honey dressing gets a casual top-per from a soft poached egg that’s been breaded and fried. 49 Village Way, Hudson, 330-342-3667, onereddoorhudson.com

➻ Why Go Casual: “I’ve been to a lot of these unbelievable restaurants, and

I take away from it that it’s not really a res-taurant; it’s more of an experience,” Monday says. “We want to be approachable and just have fun with it. It’s easy for me to write the dishes in an environment like this. I look at every dish and say, ‘I want to eat that.’ ”

➻ McTwist: To be truly approachable, food must be recognizable. So Mon-

day starts with a dish you’ll find in most fast food joints: chicken nuggets. To give it a finer flavor, he subs duck confit for chicken. Forget ketchup or mustard. Mon-day pairs his crispy nuggets with curry aioli and preserved lemon.

at his new Hudson spot One Red Door, Shawn Monday marries familiar comfort fare with a gourmet stroke. The result is dishes instantly recogniz-able in name (like pierogies) but with added touches that make them more than run-of-the-mill (filled with roasted mushrooms and leeks). “It’s not white tablecloth; it’s casual,” Monday says. “The atmosphere means having

fun dishes like that. It has to be approachable, but we want to make it gourmet.”

FAMILIAR FOOD

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Chicken is replaced with duck confit in Shawn Monday’s fancy nuggets.

Marlin Kaplan uses pork shoulder rather than veal in his dressed-up take on meatballs.

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Documents

State of the Plate