Feature

The Best Things We Ate in Cleveland in 2022

By Douglas Trattner

DINING OUT MADE A FULL-THROATED RETURN to Cleveland in 2022, with exciting new openings all over town. It was a satisfying year to write about food, filled with memorable experiences and dishes that made a lasting impression. These are a few of my favorites.

P me St p Steak at JoJo’s Bar

After Gamekeeper’s Tavern gave way to Bull and Bird, and Bull and Bird transitioned to Jojo’s Bar, Chagrin Falls finally landed the restaurant it deserves. Rick Doody treats guests to an impeccably remodeled interior, attentive but unhurried service, and food that exceeds expectations. The setting makes everything taste better, including the prime strip. This well-marbled beauty arrives charred on the outside, mid-rare within, and paired with crispy onion straws. Tack on orders of creamy horseradish or bearnaise.

Cornmeal F es at Martha on the Fly

In 2022, Martha on the Fly graduated from a weekend popup to a sticks-and-bricks venture, transforming a nondescript Tremont storefront into a shiny micro-diner. Martha dishes out killer breakfast sandwiches and hearty lunch hoagies, but it was the heavenscented cornmeal fries that bowled me over. A crispy exterior gives way to a creamy polenta-like core. The corny fingers come with a side of the house Sunshine Sauce for dipping but fork over a couple bucks for the indulgent black pepper gravy.

Burger Box at Cordelia

Lola was a tough act to follow, but the crew at Caordelia on East 4th has more than risen to the occasion. In the kitchen, chef Vinnie Cimino reminds diners that eating out can still be daring and daelicious with items like fish toast, popcorn chicken livers and whole fried chicken. The Burger Box, Cordelia’s take on the smash burger, is a four-slider pull-apart affair that features the customary beef, pickles and special sauce, but it’s the epic griddle-melted cheese sakirt that tips the scales.

Basque Cheesecake at Sophie la Gourmande

Even in bakery-blessed Cleveland Heights, Sophie la Gourmande made a splash. A quick glance at the display cases proves that this beautiful stranger is aiming at a different target. Colorful, intricate and flawlessly executed French pastries sit alongside savory Danishes, melt-in-your-mouth croissants, lemon-poppy coffee cakes and ropey Jerusalem bagels. Don’t miss Sophie’s ethereal Basque cheesecakes, which are crustless, characteristically dark on top, and dense but creamy within.

Big Breakfa at e Spot on Lakeshore

The Spot in Mentor is a gastro-diner that melds the come-as-you-are comforts of a neighborhood hash house with a gently elevated menu grounded by local ingredients and chef-driven technique. Reservations make it a breeze to slide in for weekend brunch, where a full bar and occasional live music await. The Big Breakfast is a meat- and carb-lover’s feast, combining three eggs, a choice of biscuit, waffle or short stack, crispy hash browns and a choice of meats that includes local Serbian cevapi.

Chicken and Wa les at Juneberry Table

Juneberry Table is a showcase for chef Karen Small’s unfussy style of cooking. In this sun-splashed Ohio City diner, breakfast and lunch plates star humble Appalachian ingredients like buckwheat, sorghum, cornmeal, fruit preserves, fermented veggies and cured meats. In the exemplary chicken and waffles, local chicken is picklebrined, dredged in panko and fried to the perfect chestnut brown before joining the Ohio cornmeal waffles. To dress it up, there’s Ohio maple syrup and earthy-sweet sorghum butter.

Goat Mandi at Damas Eatery

Yaseen Allaham fled war-torn Syria, made his way through Jordan, and settled in Northeast Ohio, where he and his family opened Damas Eatery. Thanks to this quiet westside restaurant, the local Syrian community has a place to go for comforting, traditional and often

celebratory dishes that taste of home. In the soul-satisfying goat mandi, mellow, sweet and tender bone-in meat is arranged on a bed of fluffy, seasoned rice. Be sure to ask for a side of the spicy pepper puree.

Jerk Chicken at Gar and Mar

When the Campus Grille in Berea closed, Garry and Nadette Lawson swooped in to open a place of their own. Born and raised in Jamaica, “Gar” and “Mar” set about making the foods of their native home, going so far as to build a traditional Jamaicanstyle drumpan behind the restaurant on which to cook foods. Emanating from that grill is exceptional jerk chicken. Marinated, spice-rubbed and grilled to a chestnut brown, the meat is firm, slightly smokey from the

Paneer at Amba

Diners are ripped from their comfort zones the moment they cross the threshold of Amba in Ohio City. From the shadowy, lounge-like interior to the menu of Indianinspired foods, this edgy eatery encourages culinary exploration. While one could toss a dart at the menu and come up roses, the paneer stands out for its beauty and depth of flavor. Arranged like jewels on fine ceramic, honey-colored cubes of cheese are dotted with mustard seeds and arranged in creamy dal.

Any Slice at City Slice Pizze a

City Slice Pizzeria is the closest thing Cleveland has to an authentic New York slice shop. This bustling westside storefront offers a ready selection of gigantic 40-inch pies. Massive slices are reheated to order in the brick oven until they’re blistering hot and crisp. The thin, chewy crust is soft enough to fold, which prevents flopping, but sturdy enough to support the toppings. A thin but even layer of salty lowmoisture mozzarella barely covers the mildly seasoned red sauce.

Aunt Gay at Tommy’s

Earlier this year, Tommy’s Restaurant on Coventry celebrated its 50th birthday, surviving three fires, 9/11, the Great Recession and Covid. Swept up in the anniversary hoopla, I revisited some of my favorite dishes at one of Cleveland’s most enduring and endearing institutions. Founder Tommy Fello was a vegetarian foods pioneer, selling dishes like hummus, baba ganoush and falafel before Nate’s Deli and Aladdin’s. For meateaters, there is the comforting Aunt Gay filled with lamb, beef, onion, cheese, veggies and sesame sauce. Everything Bagel at Nubagel

There is always room for another great bagel, as evidenced by the lines at this new Cleveland Heights bakery. Israeli emigrant Josh Admon keeps things blissfully straightforward, offering plain, sesame, poppy, everything and spicy everything bagels that are hand-rolled, boiled and baked. Bagels can be purchased individually, by the dozen, or as cream cheese schmears with various flavors and add-ons.

Buy/Sell/Hold

e Cleveland dining trends we love, hate, and want more of

FOR A DECADE NOW, WE’VE been looking back at year’s end to examine the trends – good, bad and debatable – that have taken root on the local dining scene. Previous years have seen the upswell of “Disposable Everything” and the blessed decline of Mason jar glassware and sheet pan plates. We’ve prayed for more great barbecue and lamented the proliferation of seafood-in-a-bag joints. Without further ado.

Buy: A Real New York Slice

Last year was a zero-sum game for New York-style slice lovers in Cleveland. On the one hand, we lost 40-year-old legend Vincenza’s Pizza downtown. On the other, we gained City Slice Pizzeria, which is selling immense and immensely delicious pizza by the slice on the west side. While Cleveland has a small handful of solid New York-style pizzerias, we have precious few slice shops.

Buy: Blowing the Budget on Design

If, like us, you were growing bored of the spare, clean, monochromatic restaurant design that dominated the marketplace the last few years — we’re looking at you, white subway tile — 2022 arrived like a technicolor dream. At places like Jaja, Cordelia, Bartleby, Amba, Filter, Bright Side, Juneberry and Edda Coffee, guests are immersed in a visually appealing and intentional environment that sets the mood.

Hold: Smash Burgers

with an egg on it, a peculiar trend mentioned in the very column. These days, every burger is actually two burgers, smashed thin as doilies and topped with cheese, pickles, lettuce and special sauce. It’s not that we don’t love smash burgers, it’s that we value variety a little bit more.

Buy: Cajun/Creole

There was no better crawfish etouffee north of Lake Pontchartrain than the brew dished up at Battiste & Dupree Cajun Grill in South Euclid. Sadly, we lost that peculiar gem in 2022 and what’s left in its wake is a sparsely populated field that leaves diners wanting more. If we can have 100 taco joints, surely we can muster a few places that make killer gumbo, shrimp Creole, jambalaya, barbecue shrimp, etouffee and all the other deeply flavorful foods of that cuisine.

Hold: Breakfa Bonanza

Covid ushered in an entirely new way of working for many people, one that tolerates remote working and increased flexibility. Coinciding with this new framework is an upswell of gourmet breakfast places that cater to those folks. We have been absolutely digging places like Juneberry Table, Cleveland Breakfast Club, Sleepy Rooster, Martha on the Fly and The Spot on Lakeshore.

Buy: Breakfa /Brunch Reservations

As much as we love dining at the aforementioned breakfast places, not to mention our favorite bustling diners, we loathe uncertainty. Getting up and out on weekends is hard enough, but when you toss in the likelihood of a long wait on the other end it approaches unbearable. Some higher-end brunch places accept reservations, a trend we’d love to see more widely adopted.

Buy: Food Halls

Food Halls have a permanent spot on these yearly wish lists because, well, Cleveland sucks when it comes to food halls. The one dedicated food hall we had flamed out after a couple years, leaving the wonderful but lonely Market Hall at Van Aken District. We are eagerly awaiting the arrival of a new Asiatown food hall from restaurateur Sheng Long Yu, but the lack of other options is depressing.

By Douglas Trattner

Hold: Bake es

It’s been a glorious year for carb and sweets lovers. Over the past 12 months or so we’ve watched ambitious and homespun bakeshops open their doors, instantly improving the neighborhoods around them. Floressa Café added a spark to Clark-Fulton, Sophie la Gourmande gave Cleveland Heights a tasty boost, and Larchmere got the perfect corner bakery in Honey Birch. Soon, Lakewood will welcome Gray House Pies and U.K. Pies.

Hold: Small Plates

Small plates have made an enduring presence on this list for a decade. It’s been a long-fought battle but Clevelanders, at long last, appear to have embraced the trend. Some of the toughest tables to nab in town are at joints like Amba, Zhug, Salt, Bar Oni, Last Page and The Pompadour, places that traffic in small plates. Recently, Umami in Chagrin Falls converted to the small-plate focused Reserve and others are following suit. Take a bow, Cleveland.

Buy: N/A Bevvies

number of reasons, such as being pregnant, taking medication, accepting the DD role, in recovery or simply sitting this round out. Fortunately, today’s N/A options go well beyond O’Douls, water or soft drinks. Many Cleveland bars and restaurants have begun to offer greattasting low-alcohol or N/A beers and cocktails. Hopefully, more will follow. The bad news: Condado Tacos plans to open 100 restaurants by 2026. The good news: They’re not all bound for Cleveland. If you haven’t noticed, there’s been a proliferation of taco restaurants in Northeast Ohio with names too numerous to list here. Many offer fantastic products. Others do not. If you believe that Cleveland needs any more taco joints, you are firmly in the minority.

Hold (Dearly): Cleveland Classics

In 2022, we went out of our way to highlight some neighborhood restaurants that have stood the test of time. Titled “Cleveland Classics,” the ongoing series chronicled visits to Le Petit Triangle, Big Al’s Diner, Scotti’s Italian Eatery, Marie’s and the chicken houses of Barberton. If there’s one thing we learned in recent years, it’s that no restaurant is safe from disappearing, so visit your favorites while you still can.

What Happened to Late-Night Dining in Cleveland?

e city’s always gone to bed a little earlier than mo , but closing time keeps moving up

IN 2000, A DINER COULD

stumble out of a Tremont bar or gallery well after midnight and have his or her pick of prime places to eat. Maybe you wanted to post up at Lola for a dozen oysters and a lobster club sandwich. Across the street, Mojo would still be slinging flavorful small plates like Thai beef salads with zippy red curry. If you were in the mood for an even hipper vibe, you would head over to Lava Lounge for some calamari and cavatelli with a side of DJ-spun vinyl.

For modern-day diners in search of late-night food that isn’t a burger, pizza or gyro, the options have all but dried up. Sure, there’s the all-night diner, but even those are vanishing faster than the coral reefs.

What the hell happened to late-night dining, you might be wondering. Depending on who you ask, the phenomenon is a casualty of shifting demographics, increased restaurant competition and a labor pool that still hasn’t recovered from Covid.

Ricardo Sandoval recalls those golden years with glee. As the owner of Fat Cats and Lava Lounge, he would regularly host diners clear up until 2 a.m. most evenings, often doing his best business in those wee hours of the day.

“In my case, all the guys from Lola basically subsidized Lava Lounge for me,” he explains. “When they were finished with their shift, they would pile into that place and drink everything we had and eat everything on the menu.”

Tremont in the early aughts was filled with artists, musicians and service industry workers, precisely the sort of people who prefer rowdy late nights over clear-eyed mornings. As more and more of those residents were edged out of the neighborhood, Sandoval argues, the slower and slower his late-night business became.

“The whole demographic is changing,” he says. “There was a major demand for late-night dining, especially among artists and service people. But the people who used to live in this neighborhood got pushed out by families and professionals.”

Few industry vets boast more first-hand experience than Randy Kelly and Linda Syrek. Before opening ABC and XYZ Taverns, the couple worked together at the Parkview Nite Club when that joint was balls to the wall right up until close every single night of the week.

“Back when we were at the Parkview, the bands wouldn’t even start until 10 p.m. and people would order full meals until 2 a.m. seven days a week,” Kelly recalls.

It was a trend the couple would rekindle a few years later in Ohio City, when that neighborhood was really taking off as a drinking and dining destination.

“At ABC, we were seven days a week until two in the morning, with the kitchen, and it was always worth it,” says Kelly. “Sometimes, that last hour in the kitchen was our busiest hour all weekend.”

But as more and more restaurants open, the pie of late-night business gets carved into thinner and thinner slices until the economics no longer works out in the owner’s favor. ABC still serves food until 1 a.m., but the days of operation have been whittled down to five per week.

“We pay our staff well and offer them benefits, but it’s a big financial commitment,” Kelly adds. “If the demand was there, no doubt we would stay open until 2, at least on weekends.”

For a provider of late-night food to even stand a chance of succeeding, the operator needs either to be in the business of selling booze or be in close proximity to others who do.

“That’s how we started our concept, by doing this outside of the bars from 11 p.m. until 3 in the morning,” says Natalie Bata, who along with partner Keene Cockburn runs Cocky’s Bagels.

Camped outside Around the Corner bar in Lakewood, Bata and Cockburn made their living off the bellies of tipsy bargoers, who would grab a filling bagel sandwich or two on their way home. But even a business plan as seemingly watertight as that one has its flaws, says Bata.

“The demand is at 2 a.m., but not until,” she explains. “We would sit idle from midnight until after the bars closed. People would rather keep drinking for as long as they can and then drunkenly stumble upon us before hopping in their Uber.”

Bata and Cockburn parlayed the money they earned from the food truck into a brick-and-mortar shop in North Olmsted. This year, the team expanded once again with a second Cocky’s Bagels in the Flats. But this time, instead of subsisting on the post-bar crowd, Cocky’s is the bar. Originally, the aim was to revive the 3 a.m. last call that started it all but staffing challenges have put those plans on the backburner for now, says Bata.

In addition to upending the hospitality industry on the labor side, Covid has undeniably affected the way consumers interact with restaurants, say owners.

“Two years of Covid has changed people’s habits on the customer side,” Kelly argues. “They start earlier, end earlier and hang out at home more often. Happy hour is huge, but coming in to eat at 8, 9 or 10 p.m. is just not there.”

Sandoval has been in this business long enough to still believe that if you build it, they will come. But he doesn’t see the same level of interest and commitment from chef-owners that existed in the gutsy late-`90s and early aughts.

“If you want to succeed at latenight dining you need to have the product and the service,” Sandoval says. “If you have good food and service, you’ll be busy because the people in this business are still starved to go out to those places. It seems easy, but that’s the hardest part of it. But I don’t think the desire is there.”

By Douglas Trattner

dtrattner@clevescene.com t@dougtrattner