My early Cleveland awareness came from Howard the Duck movie, and I quote, “Hey, if I had some place to go I certainly wouldn’t be in Cleve-Land.” (Thank you, George Lucas!) From the more recent 30 Rock TV series I learned that NYC women all look like models in “The Cleve” (Thank you, Tina Fey!) Now, what with all these distortions to a perfectly normal name? The legend has it that a local newspaper lost an “a” from [General Moses] Cleaveland’s last name to fit it into a masthead back in the day… Today, there’s a visitors bureau’s new slogan, “Discover the Unexpected Side of Cle+” So, on my recent trip to C-Town I was ready to make some discoveries, and the unexpected side of Cleveland turned out to be rather spectacular.
The Cleveland Museum of Art (http://www.clevelandart.org/) presents its enormous even on an international scale permanent collection admission-free. Both buildings of the Museum – Beaux-Arts 1916 and Marcel Breuer’s 1971 are included in an ongoing renovation and expansion project to better accommodate its riches. While a full exploration would take more than one day, I enjoyed Rodin sculpture gallery in a glass-walled modern section; a good number of Post-Impressionist paintings, and Picasso’s masterpieces from his Blue and Rose Periods.Cleveland Botanical Garden (http://www.cbgarden.org/) is located nearby in the same University Circle neighborhood. Among its many wonders there is Glasshouse with Madagascar and Costa Rica exhibits, hosting not only plants of these biodiverse regions, but also butterflies, birds, and other fauna.
There are several theatres, filled out every night, in beautifully restored historic buildings of Playhouse Square (http://www.playhousesquare.org/).
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum (http://www.rockhall.org/) on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland provides a full-immersion experience into the iconic world of popular music genre with a massive collection of records, sheet music, instruments, costumes, press and photo archives, interactive programs, film, video, and concert series.
Firmly putting Cleveland on a culinary map is a surprising number of excellent restaurants. From a classic no-frills breakfast at The Ritz-Carlton’s (http://www.ritzcarlton.com/) Muse (eggs, cereal, muffins, OJ, fresh berries, coffee) to Lucky’s Café’s fanciful Rueben sandwich with house-cooked beef, house-pickled sauerkraut and house-made Thousand Island dressing on house-baked bread, and vanilla bean buttermilk waffles with rhubarb compote, honeyed whipped cream and caramel sauce – there are too many choices to consider them all.
(Don’t miss Lucky’s in artsy Tremont though: http://www.luckyscafe.com/).
The ultimate brunch destination can be found at Fire Food and Drink (http://www.firefoodanddrink.com/) in historic Shaker Heights neighborhood. Chef-owner Doug Katz operates his wood-fire ovens, pours Hollandaise sauce over mushroom eggs Benedict, and greets his regulars all at the same time, and with great ease. While I was devouring Doug’s crispy fried chicken livers (just like my grandma’s – long ago) I’ve learned that he presides over Cleveland’s Independents – restaurateurs who unite to support local farmers and each other in a concerted effort to promote their trade.
At Light Bistro in Ohio City (http://www.lightbistro.com/) you can choose from 160 great wines from all over the world, and pair them with house-baked parmesan baguette, Valdeon cheese and almonds- stuffed bacon-wrapped dates or chicken paillard.
Dinner at Chinato (http://www.chinatocleveland.com/) on East Fourth Street (entertainment district) can surprise and delight you with beef tongue topped with beets and greens, delicately fried skate wing alla Milanese, and real Italian desserts, like airy and creamy tiramisu, or miniature connoli.
A neighboring The Greenhouse Tavern (http://www.thegreenhousetavern.com/) is a rather large and well-oiled operation, and the first certified green restaurant in Ohio. Acclaimed chef-owner Jonathon Sawyer brings a whole beast from the city market and diligently uses every part of it in his cuisine; ferments his own vinegars, and relentlessly follows his own commitment to recycling and green living. The Tavern’s specials and favorites are many. Among them – veal gravy fries with mozzarella curd; crispy chicken wings with jalapeno, garlic, and lemon juice; pork skins with parsley, and absolutely amazing Erie walleye in light tomato broth.
Rigatoni with woodear mushrooms come in a festival of tastes with pancetta, corn, and roasted red peppers, and my favorite beef tartar is served with 2-minute egg, red jalapeno, Dijon, and cornichons.
No matter how full you might be, never leave Greenhouse Tavern without Jeni’s ice cream. From cherry with Belgian beer to salt water caramel the flavors are varied, and nothing short of divine.
I couldn’t leave The Cleve without a visit to the mother load of all culinary advancements here – West Side Market (http://www.westsidemarket.com/) in Ohio City neighborhood. The largest market in the country, it was built in 1912 with indoor and outdoor areas, overflowing with farm-fresh fruit, vegetables, meat and dairy; freshly baked breads, and ethnic foods. Its 180 booths contain everything from Lake Erie fish to Hungarian sausage and French pastries.On the eve of my departure, my friend and colleague Sarah Jaquay, who writes for The Wine Buzz, took me on a delightful side trip to Lake County wineries. I admit, as a California Wine Country regular, I was rather ironic at first. However, the beauty of natural settings, and especially the unadulterated quality of Ohio wines made me ashamed of my own arrogance.
Pinot Noir grown from Dijon clones is a specialty of St. Joseph Vineyards (http://www.stjosephvineyard.com/) owned and operated by Art and Doreen Pietrzyk. Tight-clustered and delicate grapes that grow on hills are hand-picked and sorted once in the field, and then again when they come in boxes. The Pietrzyks limit their tonnage per acre to secure richer nutrient content in a smaller crop. They also grow sauv blanc, char, pinot gris, shiraz and merlot, and produce the most delicious German-style semi-dry Vidal blanc, and ice wine made from frozen-on-the-vine grapes, icy and sugary with concentrated juice.
South River Vineyard (http://www.southrivervineyard.com/) is located in a salvaged 1892 building formerly of a Methodist-Episcopal church – cathedral ceiling, colored glass windows, pews, and all. It’s a successful enterprise of first generation winemakers Gene and Heather Sigel whose best wines come from the vineyards on premises overlooking the Grand River Canyon. The spouses implement their vision of a destination winery not only with their wines, but also with recent additions of an outdoor fireplace, a wine cave, and a Greek-style pavilion with stunning sunset views.
South River’s best seller is sweet reserve Riesling, but after a thorough tasting I couldn’t identify any of their wines that would not be superb. Rich dry reds have site-relevant names like Exodus (excellent 100% merlot), Trinity (a blend of cab franc, pinot noir, and a versatile hybrid chambourcin), and Karma (cab sauv, cab franc, and merlot). Sweet wines are called Creation and Temptation.
Dear Sarah organized our good-bye dinner at a historic Brennan’s Fish House in Grand River (http://www.brennansfishhouse.com/) – the best place to try Lake Erie famous walleye and yellow perch. The shallowest and warmest of all the Great Lakes, Erie supplies both tasty fish in abundance.Next morning, when I was checking out from a hospitable Doubletree Hotel Cleveland Downtown/Lakeside (http://www.clevelanddowntownlakeside.doubletree.com/) to catch my early flight back to SFO, a smiley clerk at the registration desk asked me, “What, no time for breakfast?” and put a couple of warm from the oven oatmeal-chocolate chip cookies into my hand. More information to plan you Cleveland visit at: http://www.positivelycleveland.com/.
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