Michele & Jim's Restaurant Reviews

(Text of recently-added reviews looks like this.)

Greater Cleveland/Akron Area

Casa D'Angelo
9385 Mentor Ave., Mentor, Ohio
440-974-1914
Casa D'Angelo

This inconspicuous little place is worth looking for. The menu is surprisingly varied; prodigious quantities of classic Italian fare is prepared from family recipes and served scaldingly hot. The food is very good, aside from an unfortunate tendency to overcook the pasta (even though their web site offers "made to your exact specifications," it is nearly impossible to get pasta prepared al dente). Daily specials are better values and just enough different to be worth varying from the menu. Service is excellent; they even remember preferences for regular customers. Oh, and the ENTIRE restaurant is non-smoking--very nice!

Dino's III Restaurant & Lounge
East 305th St., Willowick, Ohio

This restaurant serves the best Fettuccini Alfredo around. We'd like to talk about more dishes, but every time we went there the place was filled with so much cigarette smoke, we haven't been back . They serve meals to go, but it's not the same ...al dente loses its body when you schlep the food home in those little containers. A real shame.

Don Pablo's Mexican Kitchen
145 Montrose West Ave., Akron, Ohio
216-666-0239, fax 216-665-1241

"The Real Enchilada"--here you will find delicious, freshly prepared food served piping hot and tasty. Strictly home-made fresh, you are greeted with crispy, light warm-from-the-oven chips and spicy, fresh-chopped salsa. Thirsty? The bar is open, serving a nice variety of beers, wines, mixed drinks and tempting "special" drinks, frozen and refreshing.

The "party" atmosphere is uplifting; quaint wood-and-old-signs decor, high open ceilings, ceramic tiles, massive wooden booths, and festive music set the mood for a fun and tasty experience.

The food is plentiful and reasonably priced. Each dish is individually prepared and has its own distinctive taste. Sizzling platters under the fajitas are really sizzling--hot enough to caramelize the succulent onion slices and soften the fresh red and green peppers before you heap them onto the freshly-made (you can watch the cook pass them through the machine and cook on the open grill as you enter the restaurant!) soft flour tortillas and add the shredded lettuce, chopped tomato, two cheeses and sour cream. Quite a feast! Outstanding taco salads, tasty soups, and fresh-tasting guacamole are a few of the staples available on the extensive menu. Various combination platters are available to satisfy any appetite. For the health-conscious diner, heart-healthy (low-fat) choices are clearly marked on the menu. Grilled chicken parilla is excellent. We could go on and on, but you should go ... to Don Pablo's!

The Hoagie Shop
1440 Mentor Ave., Painesville, Ohio
352-5353

This unassuming little storefront eatery serves the closest thing to a genuine-from-Philadelphia Philly Steak Hoagie that you'll get this side of the Liberty Bell. Don't be scared off by the garage-sale table and chairs--the hoagies are terrific! Cold hoagies also are served (they can be ordered heated) and are made with freshly-sliced (really!) coldcuts of unusually good quality, including genuine Prosciutto and ...well, you get the idea. Each sandwich is built fresh to your order, and the many available toppings include the sweetest sweet peppers you'll ever eat. For fans of TastyKakes (you know who you are), they're sold here on an "as-on-hand" basis. Try washing it all down with a Birch Beer, Sarsaparilla, or Old Fashioned Cream to drink and you're all set.

Hundred Flowers Chinese Restaurant
28898 Lakeshore Blvd., Willowick, Ohio
440-943-0850 or 440-943-0904

Once again under new management, this very good Chinese restaurant still has very good food--but it's obvious that there is a new chef in the kitchen. The former "crispy shrimp with walnuts," now "honey walnuts," still is terrific. Generous portions of lightly battered fried shrimp or chicken are served over a bed of chilled shredded lettuce, topped with a unique sweet sauce and crunchy honey-toasted walnuts. Lemon chicken still is lemon chicken, with a new sauce that is a bit darker and less lemony, but still tasty. Happy Family, Delightful Wonton, Chicken with Cashew Nuts, Pineapple Chicken ...all are tasty, too. Spicy dishes, although not a personal favorite, are available here, too.

Kluck's Restaurant
21313 West 117th St, Cleveland, Ohio
216-226-9765
Kluck's Restaurant

Longo's Pizza
Euclid Ave. (Rte 20) at Rte. 91 in Willoughby, Ohio

This little place has very good pasta dinners (we haven't tried their pizza) and claims to be non-smoking, but on a "to go" order we returned some garlic bread that had cigarette ashes on it, and at the restaurant the smoke smell is so bad near the beverage machine that it's obvious the staff is indulging back in the kitchen ...real appetizing. We don't go there anymore.

Mama Primozz Pizza
34659 Vine St., Eastlake, Ohio
216-951-9773

This small business gets extra points for being a "real" non-smoking restaurant ...there is no smoking inside the building, including dining room, kitchen and rest rooms. Quite a relief.

The reasonably-priced menu offers a few ordinary pasta dishes and soups, some pretty good salads, calzones, submarines, daily lunchbox specials,  and a very very good (the best available locally) freshly-made pizza. When we say "fresh" we mean that the homemade-from-scratch, hand-stretched dough is mixed up, raised and baked within a day. The pizza sauce, while not exactly the same every time, ranges in taste from "good" to "excellent." Not a bad range to be in.

Outback Steakhouse
The Greens Shopping Center
Lyndhurst, Ohio

Not a cheap place to eat, but an excellent one. Don't fear the fat content--just skip the (admittedly delicious, but fat-and-calorie-laden) fancy appetizers and go right for the crisp salad, fresh-from-the-oven multigrain bread, and truly outstanding steak. This is the only restaurant in the area where your steak will be served exactly as you order it--medium well will not be overcooked, medium rare will have a warm center, and both styles will be served to the table at the same time. That's quite a trick. Juicy steaks are served hot, on cold plates (no sitting on warming shelves here!). They offer liquor, wines, and a nice selection of beers. Soft drinks and brewed iced tea are refilled before they are empty--no searching for servers.

Pizzazz Ristorante
839 S.O.M. Center Road, Mayfield Village, Ohio
216-461-2233

Where else can you go for reasonably-priced homemade-style pasta with authentic Italian tomato sauce? ...And excellent fresh, made-to-order pizza, salads, calzones, submarines, sandwiches, full liquor service, wines, soft drinks (including a flavorful, crystal-clear brewed iced tea) ... This is a very good place to eat! Its parking lot is smaller than tiny, and the restaurant itself does not seat many--you may have to sign in and wait for a table. But the wait won't be long, and it will be worth your time.

Hint: if you like spinach salads, don't order one as a side dish--it's a meal by itself. The always-fresh and clean spinach is served in a deep bowl,  topped with mushrooms and shredded provolone--be sure to get it  with their delicious, unique warm pepperoni house dressing. Dine with a friend, split a spinach salad and a pizza or a  pasta entree a la carte ...even including a half carafe of wine and a tip, two can have a feast for under $20. That's not the only surprise when you pay up, though ...bring cash or a check; they don't take plastic!

Red Hot & Blue
Memphis Pit Bar-B-Que 
2855 W. Market St., Fairlawn Ohio
330-865-6666, Fax 330-865-6400

Here you find the "best bar-b-que you'll ever have in a building that hasn't already been condemned." This place was a real find (courtesy of Del's Folks) where the food actually lives up to the great atmosphere. A bluesy decor is enhanced by background music (available on tape) that blues and jazz fans will recognize as coming from true greats, and some nights feature live performances from current  artists. The food is genuine, too ...and very good. Note to northerners: if you're not accustomed to eating "real" smoked ribs, it can be disconcerting to be served pink pork (it's safe, really! ...and tasty if you can move beyond its appearance). Ribs come wet--glazed with "Mojo Mild sauce" or dry--rubbed with their "secret blend of dry spices." Try them both ways; you can order yours half-and-half to compare (we did not dare to risk the "Hoochie Coochie hot sauce"). Red Hot & Blue Nachos are a knockout appetizer--if you can't decide between the chicken or pork toppings, order half-and-half here, too: delish! Smokehouse Chili will send diners with tender palates running for a fire extinguisher, but it has a truly excellent flavor; RH&B is missing a good bet if they don't enter it in this year's chili cookoff. Beef brisket sandwich must be tasted to be believed. Pulled Pig and Pulled Chicken sandwiches are a delight, with the meat's unique texture enhanced by a delicate smoke flavor, and perfectly complemented by the slightly spicy sauce. Portions are generous (with the exception of small baked potatoes, on which "loaded" means sprinkled hints of toppings), and sides are superb. If you don't order potato salad anymore, you must try it here: it's as if your grandmom showed them how to make her best homemade recipe...and then they improved it. The "famous bar-b-que baked beans" are just different enough to make you smile. The cole slaw, which in most restaurants just kind of takes up space, is truly excellent ..."comes with" many menu items, but is good enough to order separately if not. If you have a few minutes to spare, fill out the comment card; but do yourself a favor and really read it--the categories are a hoot!
      NOTE: We've lost this restaurant; it closed and that's a darn' shame--it was a favorite, and its absence leaves a great big blank space for really good BBQ.

Skyline Chili
The Greens Shopping Center
Lyndhurst, Ohio

Who says you have to go to Cincinnati for Cincinnati-style chili? If you've never had it, you must try it. If you have had it and didn't know where to get it this far north, go to this hidden treasure spot in Lyndhurst. As far as we can tell, this is the only Cincinnati-style chili to be had for many miles.

For the uninitiated: this is not a Tex-Mex kind of chili. Don't expect anything like Wendy's here. The chili is closer to a Mediterranean than a Southern taste. It's not chunky; closer in texture to a thick sauce than a crumbly burger. It's served over a bed of firm spaghetti, and topped with your choice of beans, onions, and/or a mountain of shredded Cheddar cheese. You've got to try it. Once you're hooked, you'll find yourself making a special trip here at lunch or for a quick bite for dinner. Enjoy!

Wallaby's Grille and Brewpub
Westlake, Ohio

We visited this newly-established Aussie restaurant and pub on a whim one Saturday afternoon, having seen a sign for it while on the freeway (Rte. 90, westbound). What a pleasant surprise! They are a member of a chain just starting out in this area (rumor is that one will be in the Flats soon) and you can expect delicious food and some very tasty private label micro brews (a la Great Lakes Brewery, etc.).

The only problem we had was choosing something from the varied menu--we saw at least four items each that were tempting. We settled on a lamb stew served in a sourdough-style bread bowl, and a prime rib sandwich. They were great. The accompanying salads were available with a unique mandarin-orange-something dressing that was exceedingly tasty. During weekday sports events, they serve bargain-priced mussels appetizers in the lounge, and there are various special events/deals and souvenirs that you can check out for yourself. This is definitely a "will go back, and you should, too" place.

Bojangles Chicken
Along the Interstates in GA, NC & SC

The fried chicked was greasy, the cole slaw was in some kind of vinegar sweet/sour dressing, and the indigestion was hours long. Enough said.

The Claim Company
Oakbrook Mall, Oakbrook, Illinois

Go here for good, plentiful food and superb, friendly service. We used to have a bit of fun counting the seconds an empty plate was allowed to sit on our table--we could not get past three seconds! A tad pricey for the simple menu, but all the food is well-prepared and tastes wonderful. What they call a salad buffet is definitely a multi-course meal, with more variety than you can possibly need. But save room for very good entrees and, if you're really ambitious, some fabulous desserts (well, maybe in a separate visit!). On a hot summer day you can't beat a Claim Kicker for crisp refreshment, and there's no shortage of other specialty drinks to keep you happy.

When in the Chicago area, stop in here for a fun meal, and give yourself a bit of time to wander the stores in the beautifully landscaped two-story outdoor mall--Nieman Marcus, I Magnin, Nordstrum's to name a select few--you certainly can find a thing or two to pique your shopper's interest!

Ippolitto's
Several locations (we were in Gwinnett) Georgia

This little place hiding in an ordinary-looking strip shopping center about half-an-hour's drive from downtown Atlanta was a real surprise. The truly excellent, New-York style Italian cuisine is as tasty as it is bountiful. Modest  salads are the only "ordinary" food you'll get here. They are served with homemade, fresh-baked rolls brushed with olive oil and liberally dusted with parsley and a truly outstanding Locatelli-type spaghetti cheese. They could be a meal in themselves, but resist overindulging in them ...the entrees arrive in serving-bowl sized portions and are great. Linguine was all but hidden under the hefty portion of tender, tasty clams in white sauce, Fettucine Alfredo was so tasty it was a crime to leave some, but we were guilty--no leftovers while out of town!

Surprising for this geographic area (smoking is considered darn-near patriotic), the dining room is entirely "non-." There is a small bar area where the usual drinks, wines and beers are served. This place is popular--you may wait a bit for a table during prime dinner hours. If you're anywhere nearby, skip lunch and bring a healthy appetite here. You will be happy.
 

Sunnyside Restaurant
850 N. Hanover Street
Carlisle, PA 17013
717-243-5712

This modest-looking restaurant fools you--it looks small outside, but has plenty of seating in many rooms inside. We're not sure how a really good Greek restaurant ended up in this small Pennsylvania town, but the food is very good! Classic lamb shanks in a Mediterranean sauce and the French onion soup were excellent. Chicken Parmesan was very good and pasta, while a bit overdone, was very tasty. As a side dish, onion rings were surprisingly good--done to perfection, with just the right amount of crispy breading. If you're having a birthday in your party, feel free to order a birthday cake--ours was very good, with some of the best frosting we've had since Hough Bakery closed (that's a local Cleveland reference; if you're not from here, don't worry about it--just believe that this is a compliment).  The service is competent and friendly, too--they didn't even get snippy when our party of 8 turned out to be 5 (oops!). We are in Carlisle every year, and keep going back to this restaurant.