BAR SYMON
32858 Walker Rd., Avon Lake
440.933.5652, barsymon.squarespace.com
We could not have been happier with an appetizer of roasted bone
marrow ($8), a dish that admittedly sounds less than appealing. Split
lengthwise for easy scooping, the long bones cradle a lush and beefy
pudding that is spread on toasts and topped with herbs and pickled
onion. Timid guests can ignore the fibula in favor of addictive chicken
wings ($7). Slow-braised for juiciness, then flash-fried for crispness,
the double-cooked wings arrive bearing a mahogany-colored crust.
Much of the menu is built around a wood-fired grill, which
tastefully chars everything from burgers and steak to fish and
meatloaf. Nightly specials come from a rotating spit mounted above the
grill. Not surprisingly, there is no shortage of pork. Heading up the
kitchen is Matthew Harlan, the former chef of Lolita.
No table should pass up an order of the grilled fresh sausages.
Available individually ($6/$7) or as part of the Big Board ($17 for
three), boldly flavored varieties like lamb with mint, pork and fennel,
and veal bratwurst are presented with toasted bread, pickled veggies
and a trio of mustards (including Stadium). Everybody, it seems, is
doing sliders — but nobody is doing them like this. Luscious
shreds of duck confit ($6) are tucked into a wee soft bun with
cilantro, carrot and spicy mayo. These gems should be sold by the
bucket.
FAT HEAD’S BREWERY AND SALOON
24581 Lorain Rd., North Olmsted
440.801.1001, fatheadscleveland.com
Built on large round buns imported from a Pittsburgh bakery,
[Headwiches] arrive garnished with olive “eyes” and a steak-knife
“nose.” The Full Cleveland ($10.95) is an ungainly arrangement of
kielbasa, bratwurst, sauerkraut, cheese, 1,000 Island and Stadium
Mustard. Similarly endowed, the cheese steak ($9.95) features quality
sliced beef, sweet and hot peppers, cheese and mayo. All sandwiches
come with the house’s killer thick-cut potato chips.
MI PUEBLO MERCADO AND TAQUERIA
12207 Lorain Ave. & 11611 Euclid Ave.
216.671.6661, mipueblorestaurantsgrocery.com
Mexican home cooks flock to the market [at the West Side location]
for its extensive selection of tortillas, tostadas, chiles and spices.
Coolers overflow with fresh cheeses, sausages, peppers and hard-to-find
produce like tamarind, guava and cactus. A butcher counter provides the
special cuts of beef and pork that are required to whip up staples like
carne asada and carnitas. Shoppers can also pick up Mexican fruit
juices, beer and freshly fried pork rinds.
If you’d like to experience what a real taco tastes like, walk next
door to the taqueria. Unlike what we have grown accustomed to, these
gems are sparsely filled and judiciously topped. Fillings include zesty
chorizo, tender chicken, braised pork and simmered beef tongue ($1.65
each). The flavorful meats are spooned onto a pair of warm, soft corn
tortillas and dressed with a smattering of onion and cilantro. Diners
add their own fresh lime, pico de gallo and tomatillo salsa.
“Here, everybody eats their tacos with cheese, tomato, lettuce and
sour cream,” says Ortega. “That’s just not right. Ours come as close as
possible to being home.”
If you fancy all those fixings, skip the tacos in favor of a torta
($4.50). These Mexican-style sandwiches come on a soft bun and are
loaded with meat, veggies, avocado, beans and cheese. The filling
choices are the same as those served in the tacos.
LA BOCA
5800 Detroit Ave.
216.961.5800, labocabarrio.com
It would be a challenge to find a better steak sandwich ($9.50) than
the one served here. Thick, juicy and tender chunks of marinated beef
are tossed with sautéed mushrooms and onions, blanketed in
melted havarti and packed into a rosemary-studded bun. All this
sandwich lacks is the vinegary kick of the promised chimichurri sauce.
An expertly grilled and sliced flank steak ($15) is topped with peppers
and onions and sided by fluffy herbed rice. Juicy white-meat chicken
($13) is carved thin and sauced with a tropical mango glaze. The
poultry is paired with a well-seasoned quinoa and orzo salad.
GREENHOUSE TAVERN
2038 E. 4th St.,
216.443.0511, thegreenhousetavern.com
I’ve eaten more chicken wings ($11) than I care to admit, but damned
if I’ve ever tasted them like this. Crisp, salty, juicy and tossed with
garlic and peppers, the duck-fat-fried wings are anything but
pedestrian.
With Greenhouse, Sawyer promised to do for French-inspired fare what
he did for Italian at the wildly popular Bar Cento — namely,
reinterpret the cuisine through the use of local, seasonal and
sustainable ingredients. Through that lens, a hackneyed goat-cheese
salad becomes a salad ($11) made not with goat’s-milk cheese but with
Ohio goat meat. A bundle of lush, earthy goat confit (its “baa” subdued
by the braise) is paired with a springy herb salad of mint, cilantro
and watercress.
The only real “twist” in the quintessentially French steak frites
($19) is the well-trimmed flank of Ohio beef in the center of the
plate. The expertly grilled steak is lean, flavorful and tender, making
it a delicious foil for Sawyer’s inexplicably crisp fries. On its own,
the fine-grained steak tartare ($9) seems to be lacking the requisite
salty kick. But when spread on thin toasts and topped with the onion
and cornichon relish, the dish nears perfection.
VIENG’S ASIAN BISTRO
139 Crocker Park Blvd., Westlake
440.871.2888
Vieng’s Korean sizzling steak ($17) is a delightfully effortless
adaptation of the interactive Korean meal bulgogi. A blistering-hot
platter takes the place of the traditional table-top hotplate, searing
all the meat in one smoky blast. What’s left (apart from the splatter)
is lightly charred and surprisingly tender beef in a faintly sweet,
garlicky sauce. This and most dishes come with a covered dish of
steamed rice.
QUINCE RESTAURANT
8074 Columbia Rd., Olmsted Falls
440.427.8100, quince-restaurant.com
Looking for a relatively light lunch one afternoon, I ordered the
pork schnitzel ($9) from the menu’s “Between Bread” section, expecting
a sandwich. What arrived was a tower of food that could have served as
a last meal. I am not exaggerating when I say that the stack was a
half-foot tall, comprising alternating strata of potato pancakes, pork
schnitzel, artichoke hearts and roasted garlic. The whole shebang was
drizzled with a buttery lemon-caper sauce. Garnishes included airy
gaufrettes, grainy mustard, pesto and fried basil leaves.
This article appears in Sep 30 – Oct 6, 2009.
