Antiquing in Lakewood - Vintage Faire Antiques

The thing about Vintage Faire Antiques is that the lady there is very very friendly. She told me some things about some of the items; and my friend brought me in because she remembered the kindness of this shopkeeper.

The items are all very lovely and beautifully laid out. It's easy to walk between this store and the others nearby; the Lakewood Antique Mall and Rose and Sons.

Melt Bar and Grilled - Lakewood

The original location of Melt is on Detroit Avenue in Lakewood, and it got so popular that they built one on the East side as well.

Let me warn you: it's always busy. Go here for innovation and creativity, not gourmet-ness. The decor is interesting, and I love their menu/branding art. This restaurant is recieving national attention and while most people are just ga-ga over it, there are some who walk in with great expectations and leave without them having been met.

Anyways, my friend and I got our sandwich to go, took it to the park and split it. It was plenty of food for both of us. The Monte Cristo is DELICIOUS! The fries are just OK. You can check out the full menu here.

Phnom Penh - Cambodian / Khmer Food in Ohio City

 

This first picture here is of the Na Ting, which is an appetizer you have to get. My friend and I split it and it was absolutely delicious. You get little squares of fried, crisped rice and this savory soup mixture to go on top. 

The menu is a small novel, so there's an awful lot of choices in what to get.  The flavors in the dishes were very complex, each of them like a unique symphony of tastes all going together!

The iced coffee was also very strong and very good. I would definitely go back!

Note well: They don't accept credit cards (Although I hear a rumor that they secretly do; the minimum is $15 so be sure to bring enough cash!) 

They are located right next to the West Side Market so you can just park in the market parking lot, go out to eat, and then shop at the market afterwards!

Ohio City Burrito

My friend and I wandered into Ohio City Burrito yesterday for the first time. The burritos were really good (much better than Chipotle, and it's supportive of a local business too!)... they also had Jarritos pineapple soda, which was really sweet and delicious (although it goes flat rather fast)...

The murals on the wall and the decor on the tables were pretty amazing and the atmosphere was cozy. Definitely a good place up on  West 25... their menu and more are here. I really enjoyed the skull theme too!

Reddstone Restaurant Cleveland - Battery Park

  On Saturday we went to the Reddstone (1261 W. 76 St.) for a quick lunch.

  There's a lot to say about this place. The french fries come topped with delicious rosemary and taste like they're fried in duck fat.

    The biggest item of conversation was the orange soup. It was a cold, creamy, spicy orange soup with onions and nuts. I didn't like it, but my foodie friend did.

    The price was expensive but the food and service and atmosphere were well worth it. Here's a link to their menu.

Sweet Melissa's - Rocky River

  Sweet Melissa's in Rocky River has a reputation as a healthy, organic, upscale food place. The decor is full of clean modern lines, the water carafes are laser etched with the restaurant logo, and the cakes are really good.

   I was there with a bachelorette party. Xander is an awesome server- he was friendly, quick and got the orders correct of a whole table full of excited ladies.

   The blueberry margaritas were very good.... and VERY strong. They have LOTS of vegetarian options and even vegan options.   

Oriental Palace Buffet

Located on the West Side at 3366 Warren Rd, this buffet is eerily similar to my favorite China Buffet on the East Side in Mayfield. It is your typical China Buffet fare; most importantly at these restaurants, the food is fresh and not left out too long. I'd say this is the West Side version of my favorite Chinese buffet.

At this one in particular I see a lot of people eating alone. I usually want to ask them if they'd like any company, but I'm too shy.

The kicker about this place is the ceiling: it's painted and lit to look like the sky. Very lovely decor!

Sweet Moses Soda Fountain and Treat Shop

Nestled in between the galleries and boutiques at Gordon Square, Sweet Moses is a new treat bar. On a Saturday night after an opening at Wall Eye Gallery, the place was hopping. There was quite a wait in line and the place was packed with people until they closed.

They recently opened on March 26. Getting ice cream there is quite an experience: it's pricey, but the sundaes are artistic and beautiful. They're even served with a pretzel, and we were given popcorn at our table. And yay, local business!

The minuses, though:
- Took too darn long.
- Too darn expensive.

Here's a link to their menu.

How to Get to the Balcony at the West Side Market (A Photo Tutorial)

Despite the large numbers of people at the West Side Market, no one really seems to go up to the balcony. On a Saturday you might find one or two random hipsters up there, but on a weekday it's a lonely place. Perhaps it's because the balcony entrance isn't well marked; perhaps it's because people who like fresh food also have a fear of heights.

 

Either way, the balcony is a lovely place to sit and dig into those fresh plums you've just bought. When I had an internship in the flats one summer, I would walk up to the West Side Market for lunch and sit up here with my headphones blasting Broken Social Scene and contemplate the busy people scurrying below.

  So, step one: find "Classic Seafood", right underneath the balcony. Face the balcony. Walk to the left hand corner where the coffee shop and the crepe shop are.

Next step, find this door.  It's between the seafood place and the coffee place. Then turn another left and you'll see this door:

Go in. Go up the stairs. The door to the balcony should be propped open, on your right. Enjoy!

The West Side Market: Cleveland's First Stop for Foodies

 The West Side Market is the premier tourist attraction for those who are delighted by produce, amused by fresh meat, curious about imported jellies and jams, and attracted to fresh breads.

Their hours are Monday and Wednesday 7am-4pm; Fri-Sat 7am-6pm. Find it at the corner of Lorain and West 25th St. There IS parking for the West Side Market: find the designated lot on Lorain between the Market itself and the bridge. If you end up crossing the bridge into downtown, you've gone too far.

  

Once in the market, find everything from crepes to fresh meat to spices and herbs. The fruits and vegetables are located in an arcade around the outside of the market.

          This is just an introductory post; I took lots more pictures. Just like you can't get through the West Side Market in a day, you can't fully blog the West Side Market in a day.

Common Grounds: A 24 Hour Place for Hipsters

This is the dive bar of coffee shops. And I am blogging from there right now! I'm the one with lots of eyeliner.

Oh wait, that describes pretty much every girl here.

A 24 hour joint with free wifi (that gets pretty slow when the juggalos start downloading terabytes of pr0wn). The coffee isn't the cheapest, but the specialty drinks are good. With names like "Dirty Girl Scout" and  "The Warchief", they're good, if you can afford them. However, a two buck cup of tea and a pack of playing cards does make for a cheap night out.

Most of the clientele here doesn't really have money, though. There are games of spades and poker that go through the night. Things start to slow down around 4 or 5 am.

When I was in college I used to come here to write papers and pull all-nighters. Later on I came here when I was lonely at night and had nowhere else to go. It's really the only place in Cleveland where you can do that and end up playing spades till 5 AM with a bunch of strippers, juggalos, hustlers, and hipsters.

There's a 24 hour drug store across the street, too, conveniently. They seem to market accordingly to the crowd that hangs around this place: selling plenty of junk food, poker sets, playing cards...

Down the street, at W. 150th St. there's a 24 hour Taco Bell and McDonalds.

Please note: on Google Businesses this place was once known as "Common Grounds Coffee Bar and Homeless Shelter". It is not really a homeless shelter, although you will find plenty of kids here who simply have no place to go.

If you're looking for a quiet, high-class, Starbucks-esque coffee experience.... go somewhere else. You can find them at 17104 Lorain Ave, Cleveland, OH 44111 in the Kamms Corners neighborhood. That's the far west side, maybe 20 minutes out of downtown on the Freeway.

The Big Egg Restaurant - West Side of Cleveland, on Detroit

Perhaps one of the cheapest restaurants in Cleveland, The Big Egg has a reputation as a seedy late night spot. The lovely interior does not live up to this reputation: it's actually quite nice. It's located near 52nd street and Detroit on Cleveland's West Side.

They're open 24 hours but only on Fridays and Saturdays. Sundays they close at 8; every other day of the week they close at 9.

I got the Chicken Parm dinner and it came with soup and ice cream for dessert. It was delicious, unassuming, and totally un-gourmet.  My friend got the salmon burger and cleaned her plate. The diet coke flowed. Refills came and came. Aretha Franklin played in the background.

There were a couple of lovely families dining there on the Sunday night we went... none of the rumors of 600 lb waitresses or rowdy drunks proved to be true. The food, however, was glorious cheap diner food.