Author Archives: Michelle V

crop

November 27, 2011

To me, the food is only part of the experience when dining out. The other driving factor is the atmosphere, both in terms of the overall decor and the vibe a place gives off. When a restaurant scores in all areas, well, those are usually the places we frequent on a pretty consistent basis (Umami [...]

Posted in Crop Bistro, Steve Schimoler | Tagged , , , | Comments (3)

thankful. and full.

November 21, 2011

I’m not afraid of cooking. Give me a recipe and I’ll try anything. The kitchen is my favorite room. But Thanksgiving, well, that’s not just cooking. That’s the meal – the meal that nearly everyone claims as their favorite. The one that they wait all year for, and if it stinks, you have to wait [...]

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the underdog

November 19, 2011

What a clever little name. Happy Dog just got a whole lot happier. In the basement of everyone’s favorite neighborhood bar and hot dog destination is a new hangout, The Underdog, a 40-seat bar and game room. The Underdog will feature a full bar, three classic pinball games, shuffle board, 48 classic arcade games plus [...]

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’tis the season to give (away… pasta & ale)

November 17, 2011

Here’s an early holiday present, two actually, from Cleveland Foodie to you. Up for grabs, your chance to win one of the following: ****November 28 at Noodlecat, another pop-up – this time with chef Jeff Michaud of Osteria and Amis in Philadelphia. He’s creating a six-course pasta dinner which you can view here (apparently Jeff [...]

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pura vida

November 13, 2011

In just a couple more weeks, I’ll be once again joining the downtown lunch crowd. And I know where I’ll be a regular. I met one of my favorite lunch companions the other week to check out the recently opened Pura Vida on Euclid, right down from Noodlecat (another place I’m eager to check out); [...]

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healthy eats from c2

November 9, 2011

C2 is the new Mediterranean-themed healthy-focused restaurant at the InterContinental  Hotel. They have just announced new weekday happy hours featuring chef Vincent Cachot’s selection of healthy, cultural cuisine; plus wine, cocktail and beer specials. C2’s happy hours run Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., with specialty drink selections and complimentary snacks from the [...]

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steppin’ out with my baby

November 5, 2011

Though it feels like a lifetime ago now, I use to work as a bartender and server at the old Club Isabella. Though short-lived, it was a fun gig. You couldn’t beat all that jazz. Well, the live jazz is now (sadly) gone as is the restaurant itself. Well, sorta. The physical location that I [...]

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moving on

November 2, 2011

My first job was cleaning women’s golf shoes. Yeah, you can imagine how satisfying that was. I was 15. From there I graduated onto greener pastures – retail at Alexander’s Flowers where I worked at the old Solon shop then the headquarters on and off for five years. This job is the reason why even [...]

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a meal to remember

October 31, 2011

My grandma passed away last July with her final weeks spent in hospice. During that time, my family would gather in her room nearly every  night to have dinner  together. Either one of us would make something special we knew she liked  or we’d pick something up. It didn’t matter. All that mattered was that [...]

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q&a with bridget thibeault of luna bakery

October 29, 2011

The first time we stopped in Luna Bakery was for Sunday breakfast a few months ago. It was a picture-perfect August morning in Cleveland Heights (at Cedar-Fairmount) and people were out. The small patio in front was lined with bikers and strollers and inside the tiny café was equally as packed with people hovering for [...]

Posted in Chef Interviews, Luna Bakery | Tagged , , | Comments (1)