ByScene Staffon Wed, Dec 23, 2020 at 12:00 pm
In terms of the local dining scene, 2020 commenced with a bang. Those first heady months were illuminated with stellar meals at places like Alea, Zhug, Hola and Mojo, bold restaurants that portended a welcome shift from the fast-casual tsunami and towards creative independence. But alas, Covid threw a gigantic spanner in the works, stopping progress in its tracks. Silver linings abound, however, in the form of plucky upstarts like Proof, Home Bistro, Half Moon Bakery and Leavened, businesses that managed to bloom during the darkest of days.
By Douglas Trattner
Tags:
- Best Food Cleveland 2020,
- Best Restaurants Cleveland 2020
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Spam Musubi at Dang Good Foods
13735 Madison Ave., Lakewood
Daniel Ang progressed from a food truck of the same name to a brick-and-mortar restaurant in Lakewood only slightly roomier. There, he lovingly prepares a small roster of dishes culled from his childhood in Singapore, where he devoured foods rooted in Chinese, Indian and Malay traditions. When you visit, do try the curry noodle soup and braised pork belly rice, but if you want to experience Spam in its highest form, tack on an order of the musubi. Slices of the sweet-salty canned ham are sauteed, painted with teriyaki, sandwiched between steamed rice and bundled up in a tidy seaweed wrapper.
Photo via Dang Good Foods/Facebook
Curried Lamb and Apricot Hummus at Zhug
12413 Cedar Rd., Cleveland Heights
At Doug Katzs dreamy Middle Eastern meeting place, hummus is used as a backdrop for various dishes, but none managed to captivate diners including this one like the curried lamb. The interplay of warmly spiced braised lamb set against the silky, nutty spread is straight culinary witchcraft. Scoop that magic up with bits of plush clay bread, top it with the namesake electric-green zhug, and youll be placed under a perpetual spell.
Photo by Doug Trattner
Grilled Pork Chop atAlea
2912 Church Ave., Cleveland
For a demonstration on the transformative powers of real-fire cooking, reserve a table at tiny Alea in Ohio City. In place of the typical back bar of booze bottles sits a wood-burning cooking suite that fills the room with the irresistible charm of a backwoods chalet. Chef-owner Athan Zarnas leans on wood as though its a spice, imbuing a corpulent heritage-breed pork chop with an intoxicating scent while branding the exterior with a seductive char. The juicy-pink chop is nestled into a pool of silky celery root puree and garnished with mouthwatering roasted grapes.
Photo by Doug Trattner
Brisket Tacos at ProofBar-BQ
2258 Professor Ave., Cleveland
Few restaurants had to endure more hardships to reach opening day than Proof, the barbecue joint that shares the same Tremont building as Visible Voice Books and Crust Pizza. From the untimely passing of its consulting chef to months of Covid delays, the persevering business finally debuted in May. From a trusty Southern Pride emerge wood-smoked brisket, pulled pork, pork belly and chicken. That 14-hour brisket gets folded into tortillas to become some of the tastiest Texas-style tacos in town.
Photo courtesy of Proof
Bulgogi and Spaetzle at Home Bistro
12022 Mayfield Rd., Cleveland
At first blush, a dish called bulgogi and spaetzle sounds like a convoluted mash-up dreamt up by a stoner in the import aisle. But this concoction, crafted by chef-owner Victor Morenz at Home Bistro in Little Italy, fires on all cylinders. Thin-sliced beef is tossed with tender dumplings, coating them in that sweet/savory bulgogi sauce. Bright pops of punchy kimchi light up every other bite, while a sunny, runny fried egg enriches it all.
Photo by Doug Trattner
Birria Tacos at Hola Tacos
12102 Madison Ave., Lakewood, 12718 Larchmere Blvd., Cleveland and 3941 Erie St., Willoughby
When Juan Vergara announced his plans to unveil a new taco shop, the disingenuous groans reverberated across the land. But those complaints quickly quieted after he rolled up the windows of his "L.A.-style taco stand in the Birdtown neighborhood of Lakewood. Hola, now with additional locations, succeeds thanks to stellar meats like wood-fired carne asada and spit-roasted al pastor. But its the birria tacos starring slow-braised beef that weaken the knees. The tacos are seared on the griddle in rich broth and paired with hot consommé for dipping.
Photo via Hola Tacos/Facebook
Empanadas atHalf Moon Bakery
3460 West 25th St., Cleveland
From a small Puerto Rican bakery in the shadow of MetroHealth come some of the crispiest, most delicious empanadas around. The bakery is run by Gerson Velasquez and Lyz Otero, who have worked in some of Clevelands loftiest restaurant kitchens. The result is a selection of flaky Argentinian empanadas and corn-scented Columbian empanadas, all stuffed with savory fillings like seasoned ground beef, shredded chicken or mixed veggies. The zippy aji, a spicy green chutney, is indispensable.
Photo by Emanuel Wallace
Spicy Salami Pizza at Citizen Pie Roman Café
2057 East 4th St., Cleveland
As with tacos, burgers and barbecue, most folks think theres nothing new under the sun to discover. But discovery is precisely what awaits at Roman Café, the new E. Fourth Street pizzeria from Citizen Pie impresario Vytauras Sasnauskas. From all outward appearances, the rectangular slices look like standard-issue Sicilian, but this is Roman-style pizza, which translates to light, airy and crackly-crisp crusts crowned with a rainbow of meat and veggie toppings. The grab-and-go process is well suited to the current dining environment, but also the inevitable return of harried lunch breaks.
Photo by Doug Trattner
Tonkotsu Ramen at Issho Ni
34302 Euclid Ave., Willoughby
Thanks to social media, I was persuaded to travel to Willoughby in search of ramen. What I encountered when I landed was some of the best bowls in Northeast Ohio. The Japanese eatery offers a wide array of sushi, hibachi and stir-fries, but the ramen options are exemplary. Choices include a classic pork tonkotsu, kuro ramen with squid ink, Hokkaido-style yellow ramen, soy-based shoyu ramen and broth-less mazemen ramen. The tonkotsu arrives characteristically milky, with a rich, savory broth made from long-simmering bones. In the bowl are bouncy noodles, thick wheels of chashu, tender braised pork belly and a soft-cooked egg. Order it as spicy as you dare.
Photo by Emanuel Wallace
Fahsa at Yemen Gate
11901 Lorain Rd., Cleveland
Sometimes comfort arrives in the most unexpected of places. Upon arriving at Yemen Gate on Clevelands west side, I was immersed in the sights, smells and sounds of a faraway land. The aromas of fresh-baked bread, exotic spices, savory stews and grilled meats hung in the air. While we enjoyed slow-braised lamb haneeth, orange-hued chicken mandi and charcoal-grilled chicken all served atop buttery long-grained rice it was the cauldron of bubbling fahsa that will lure me back. The heavenly spiced lamb stew is served with rashoush, a tire-size flat bread that arrives blistered and puffy from the hot tannour oven.
Photo by Doug Trattner
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