You used to eat...
A steak at Ferris Steak House, which, let's face it, was usually pretty dry. The improbably placed high-end diner on Detroit Road in Cleveland's Cudell neighborhood is now in Rocky River, but the memories live on.
Now you eat...
A steak at Red, the Steakhouse on E. 4th St. downtown. Pricey pricey pricey steak for sale here, but what our food editor calls the best meat in town. Diners get reliably delicious, dependable and decadent steak.
You used to eat...
A hot dog from a vendor near the courthouse.
Now you eat...A hot dog with fruit loops and brie at the Happy Dog with tots cooked in vegetarian cooking oil.
You used to eat...
Mac and cheese at Cheddar's, the short-lived Mac n' Cheese place on Detroit Road in Detroit-Shoreway.
Now you eat...
Mac and cheese almost anywhere, including the at the fabulous Standard on East 185th Street.
You used to eat...
Skinny fries at Steak and Shake.
Now you eat...Really thick fries from a cornucopia at Bar Cento, complete with all the rosemary and aioli you can possibly imagine.
You used to eat...
Subway, because it was there.
Now you eat...
Great, affordable sandwiches at Cleveland Pickle and Bogtrotters.
You used to eat...
Breakfast at IHOP at 2 in the morning, just for the hell of it.
Now you eat...
Breakfast at IHOP at 2 in the morning, just for the hell of it, and then delicious flap jacks at Jack Flaps in Ohio City.
You used to eat...
A scone or something from Starbucks and call it breakfast before work downtown.
Now you eat...
A full, lavish breakfast from Hot Spot on Carnegie.
You used to eat...
Chicken and waffles as they were popping onto every trendy menu in town.
Now you eat...
Chicken a la king at the Katz Club Diner, where it warms your heart and cockles.
You used to eat...
Cheap pizza at Mama Santa's.
Now you eat...
Cheap pizza at Mama Santa's (always have, always will), but you also get wood-fired brilliance at Vero in Cleveland Heights.
You used to eat...
At Swingos and grab the tableside caesar and enjoy the full circus-like presentation of fine dining.
Now you eat...
At L'Albatros, or Fahrenheit, or Lola's, or Dante, or any number of healthy fine-dining establishments that dot Northeast Ohio.
You used to eat...
Delicious, cheap but plain Mexican food from any number of places with similar names. Beans, rice, yada yada yada.
Now you eat...
At Momocho's or El Carnicero and bask in mod-mex.
You used to eat...
Chinese takeout.
Now you eat...
A hot pot at Szechuan Garden (if you're feeling adventurous and gastrointestinally secure) or a Pad Thai variant at Map of Thailand.
You used to eat...
Taco Tuesday at dive bars with some extra ground beef and cheddar cheese in the kitchen.
Now you eat...
Tacos from Barrio in Tremont (or Lakewood) or the Kent emigre Taco Tontos (now in Lakewood).
You used to eat...
Lots of corn and questionably spiced chicken at Machu Piccu, the short-lived Peruvian place downtown.
Now you eat...
An arepa at Barroco in Lakewood or downtown, with four of the most delicious sauces this side of the Panama Canal.
You used to eat...
A delicious, expensive bratwurst at Jacob's Field.
Now you eat..
A mediocre, cheaper bratwurst at Progressive Field.
You used to eat...
As many dishes concocted by Michael Symon as humanly possible (without mortgaging your house).
Now you eat...
As many dishes concocted by Michael Symon as humanly possible, made from a Michael Symon cookbook in your own personal kitchen.
