Vento la Trattoria and Wine Bar--Bay Village, OH [$$$]

This week was Shannon’s choice, and she chose Vento La Trattoria in the Cleveland suburb, Bay Village. After driving around in attempts to find a place to eat the day prior to our lunch, Shannon happened upon this place by happy accident.  Set back from the road across from Huntington Beach, Vento is perched upon the Metro Parks and adjacent to Bay Arts Holiday Shop.

We arrived just after 12:30 and didn’t leave until after 5.  To emphasize, we were here from mid-light until they had to light the candles for the dinner crowd.  We were promptly seated by our awesome waiter, Tino, who thoughtfully sat us at the “coolest table” (his own words.)  He brought us food and wine menus, which were hard to concentrate on due to the intoxicating smells and beautiful holiday décor (you will see….).

Tino later told us the building was an old train station built during the Civil war in 1861.  The wood is all original and was moved from Dover Center road.  Behind the restaurant is a red caboose, a gift from the Bay Arts society.

We soon concentrated on the wine menus and food menus, respectively.
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Grace:

I have always been a sucker for a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon, but today I chose the Malbec with enticing plum and pomegranate flavors to accompany my dish.  Since Shannon had told me 24 hours before where she wanted to go, I had looked up the Vento menu at my job. I was definitely leaning toward the wild mushroom pizza, but my second choice was the truffle sacchetti pasta. Going with my original instincts, I ordered the mushroom pizza and oh…my…Lord, was it good.

There were four medium sized pieces, of which I ate three. The pizza comprised of wild mushrooms, provolone, mozzarella, garlic and truffle oil. Being in the holiday spirit this week, I decided to splurge on something for myself…which was a $15 pizza. The pizza went really well with the Malbec. The wheat dough was from Breadsmith in Lakewood, and the complimentary bread that came to our table was also from there. It was all so fantastic! From Tino’s amazing service, to the fabulous and rustic Italian décor, this place was phenomenal! I am so glad Shannon chose this place, because I’ve always wanted to go and had always heard great things about it. We even came back to blog here after we shopped around a little and had one more glass of wine. If I could sum up this lunch trip in one word, I would have to say “Fantastico!”

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Shannon:

Jumping for joy to arrive, Grace and I sauntered into Vento with little inclination of how gratified we would be at this establishment.  We decided last night we would also be ordering wine with lunch, since that seemed necessary being at a very wine-oriented Italian restaurant.  I perused the white wine list and landed on the Coda di Volpe, which was described to have hints of pineapple, white peach and licorice.  Tino told me it was a fantastic choice, so when he brought me my glass I was not surprised that it was indeed delightful.

Upon deciding my main dish, Tino told me he was also a vegetarian, and that the Truffle Sacchetti Pasta was “crazy.”  I swiftly decided upon this pasta.  In the meantime Tino brought complimentary breads and balsamic butter which was utterly fantastic in every way.  I unabashedly ate that entire basket, excluding the one piece Grace chose.

My pasta arrived with a heavenly aroma that I almost forgot to take a picture before digging in.  The Truffle Sacchetti Pasta consisted of wild mushrooms, roasted eggplant, sun-dried tomatoes, and truffle oil.  This was just as amazing as it sounds, if not better.  It was the perfect amount, because pasta always makes me so full.  I finished off the breads with sopping up the leftover truffle oil.  It was fantastic.

This place is my new favorite place.  Whenever I discover somewhere new, it mystifies me for the longest time.  I just know when I’m at work tomorrow I’m going to be thinking of the twinkling lights hanging in Vento.  I think I would live there if I could.  Please go there, if you like to be kind to both your eyes and your stomach.

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Festive archway!

Amazing chandelier

Bar area

More seating and decorations

Coda di Volpe (left) and Malbec (right)

Fresh bread with fabulous butter

Shannon's Truffle Sacchetti Pasta

Grace's Wild Mushroom Pizza

Outside Vento with Caboose

Caboose!

Patio and front door of Vento

Really awesome candles with natural wax spillage!

Candles again! (They need a ladder to light them!)

Same window--this shows how long we were there! :)

Bar area again (we even saw a shift change!...)

Shannon, Tino, and Grace!

Outside Vento (They have a lot of heaters if you want to sit outside/smoke!)

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Hopefully you will be visiting Vento soon, and we especially hope you go on a day that Tino works!  Although it is pricier than other places we have blogged about, we recommend it for date nights, friends nights, an after-work drink, what have you! Just go, go, go! We will absolutely be coming back—probably in the summer when we can sit outside and hear Lake Erie across the way. 

Joe's Deli & Restaurant-- Rocky River, OH [$$]

This week we dined at Joe's in Rocky River. We didn't quite fit into the regular crowd age group, however, knowing it had recently been under construction to be expanded, the place looked great! Even with the expansion, we still had to wait about ten minutes to be seated. After being shown to our table, we noticed that the menu only had about two vegetarian entree choices for Shannon. But, no matter! Both ordered delightful lunches.
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Grace:
I have been going to Joe's since I was about two years old. I always loved how there was a cloth checker board at a table in the waiting area, but now it is no more. Despite this disappointment, at least Shannon and I didn't have to wait around for the entirety of a checkers game to be seated. The newly constructed restaurant is much more modern and simple than the old building was, seeing as the old one had green carpeting with pink seating. Eek. Having previously tasted the chicken salad years before, I basically already knew what I was going to choose. I opted for wheat bread, and was also pretty disappointed that my sandwich used to come with chips but again...is no more. If I would have known that, I would have ordered a side. When the lonely sandwich came, the chicken salad was placed in the center of the wheat bread in a perfectly round circle, like scooped ice cream. The lettuce is always very fresh and I especially loved the pickle on the side! Despite the differences I saw, I will continue to come back to Joe's for the rest of the time I'm in Cleveland. But obviously I'll just have to play checkers on my new iPhone while waiting.
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Shannon:
I was quite taken by the entire appetizers menu, it being mainly vegetarian options.  However my hunger was too big for an appetizer.  Sadly none of the soups were vegetarian.  Today is soup weather.  (Most days are for me.)  The two obvious items for me were either a veggie melt sandwich or a portabella mushroom burger.  I read and reread the descriptions of each to familiarize myself with their differences.  The biggest deciding factor was the portabella burger's inclusion of a pickle.  (My love of pickles is both new and intoxicating.)  So I ordered this, which also came with fries.  When it arrived it already wasn't staying together.  The mushroom was stacked with a roasted red pepper, melted mozzarella, two tomato slice, a large lettuce leaf, with a side of mayo.  I wisely cut the sandwich in half, since between bites I had to reassemble several times.  The portabella mushroom was marinated in garlic and olive oil, and it was certainly delicious.  The fries came in a spiral cone on the side, and were just the right amount of crispy.  And the pickle was as enjoyable as I suspected it would be (and was gone in seconds).  I was quite full by the end of my meal, I nearly finished all of my sandwich.  Towards the end the contents really didn't want to stay together no matter how much effort I put into it, so I focused more on the fries.  This was a very nice place.  I hadn't ever been to Joe's before, so I don't know how the decor compares prior to expansion.  I would certainly go back for some of those appetizers and that veggie melt sandwich.  I would also have liked to play checkers, but alas.
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Waiting area/Dessert case

Chicken salad sandwich

Fries in spiral cone holder

Portabella burger

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Joe's is fairly priced and clearly very popular.  It's a great place to go for any deli sandwich or for more elaborate dinner items.  However, not a place for vegetarian soup-lovers or people who want to eat out on Sundays.  Otherwise, it's a meal worth having!

Barroco (Madison Avenue--Lakewood, OH) [$$]

Note: Based on complaints/comments, we are trying to incorporate more first person accounts alongside the complex tense situation we've had.  We are too attached to this odd combination of third and first person already to completely part ways.  We tried some things to rid our blog of inconsistencies, but as of yet we haven't found something that works as well for us.  Please let us know if adding our separate accounts makes things any less confusing.  As cowriters, we want to write our entries together, as opposed to having entirely separate accounts of the same place.  Thank you for reading!

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Shannon's choice this week: Barroco! After coincidentally parking on the same side street, we walked up to and into a whimsically artistic eating-wonderland.  We were instructed to sit anywhere and proceeded to look over the very colorful menus.  Our waitress suggested we try the Arepas (ah-ray-pas).  Barroco's Arepas were named Northeast Ohio's best sandwich by Food Network and Cleveland's best by Cleveland Magazine.  Eyeing the arepas prior to her suggestion, we were definite in our decisions.  Grace chose the Buffalo Chicken Arepas with fries and Shannon originally ordered the Veggie Arepas with the black bean soup.  Shannon realized she needed to specify that she was a vegetarian because when the plate arrived she noticed there were some pieces of chicken among the vegetables.  She brought the plate to the counter and apologized for not specifying.  The cook was more than happy to remake the arepas, this time adding pineapple.  With our food, our waitress brought a rack of five different salsas/sauces to try.  Unfortunately we kept forgetting which sauces were which, but what we can remember included a cilantro sauce, a garlic sauce, a pineapple salsa, and one we decided was best described as ketchupy-mayo (which was delicious).  The fifth was a spicy one that neither of us tried due to sensitive palates. While waiting, Grace started on her meal and Shannon greatly enjoyed her soup.

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Grace:

As stated before, I ordered the Buffalo Chicken Arepas and a side of fries. Since Shannon's arepas had to be remade, I started picking at my fries and told Shannon to feel free to chip away at them with me since there was a heaping pile of them. The fries had a sort of Cajun seasoning, and were crispy and golden. After a while, I conjured up some courage and dipped my fries in the ketchupy-mayo sauce. I think the sauce also had some spice to it, but was also sweet at the same time. The Buffalo Chicken Arepas was fabulous! The white-corn pocket tortilla was full of diced chicken, mozzarella, tomato, and lettuce. The spork I was given was not very useful, so I had to ask for a knife and fork. I wish the tomatoes and lettuce were shredded so the arepas was easier to pick up and the contents of the pocket were involved in each bite. Overall, I loved the atmosphere and being an art history major, I loved the eclectic art on the walls! 

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Shannon: 

Waiting for the rest of my food, I ate my black bean soup.  The soup was topped with cilantro and white rice, which went deliciously with slight but not overwhelming kick to the soup. Upon second arrival, my arepas looked divine!  The mix of peppers, mushrooms, onions, corn, tomato and pineapple were positively spilling out onto the place.  Following Grace's lead, I began to eat the contents that would not stay in the pocket.  Trying to be adventurous, I put some of the cilantro, garlic, and pineapple salsas on my plate to taste.  Each of them were delicious but my favorites were the pineapple and garlic, which paired wonderfully together!  I attempted several times to pick up the whole arepas but found I needed to eat more of the contents before successfully doing so.  Adding to the difficulty of this task, I uncovered two tomato slices which made the contents even harder to manage.  Eventually though I finished the arepas sandwich style.  The mozzarella was really tucked into the bottom of the pocket, which was a nice surprise, but would have been tasty with the rest of the vegetables.  I highly suggest getting the Veggie Arepas with pineapple.  You can also add jalapeno, which I skipped, as I'm not crazy about spicy things.  Barroco has a beautiful and mystifying atmosphere.  The walls are covered in art and the back room is positively magical with its thousands of string lights.

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Mystifying back room!

Buffalo Chicken Arepas

Counter area

First Veggie Arepas

Remade Veggie Arepas with Pineapple

Sauce container art, how cool is that?

Actual sauces

Eclectic and cool!

Fellow restaurant-goers

This place absolutely has a really neat vibe, and we enjoyed our lunches.  We'll come back for a lunch sometime, but it may not be on our regular lunch circuit.  

Latitude 41° North--Gordon Square (Detroit Ave., Cleveland) [$$]

This week, our destination was unplanned. All we knew was that we'd be heading to Gordon Square and the West 65th area. After walking (in the bitter cold, mind you) and passing a few unopened restaurants, we arrived at quite a gem called Latitude 41° North. There were no signs, so we walked to the counter towards the back. Clearly looking clueless, we were asked if we were first-timers, and were then told we order at the counter and then they bring the food out when it's done.  So we sat for a few minutes to mull over the menus. While we were deciding, we noticed the maps lacquered onto each of the tables. 'Twas a nice cartographic touch! We both were eyeing the portabella sandwich, but we didn't want to critique the same thing, so Shannon (being a vegetarian) ended up with that victory. Shannon ordered the tomato bisque with the Portabella Et. Al and Grace ordered the Rotisserie Roasted Chicken Salad sandwich with a side House Chopped salad. We took our menus, orders, and appetites back to the counter. After ordering and paying, we sat back down, our taste buds anticipating joy.

After about ten minutes, our food arrived and our mouths dropped. The fiesta-ware plates were holding behemoth sandwiches with knives sticking through them. We sliced them in half (Grace was better) and Shannon's was steaming so much that she ended up eating the whole thing with a fork and a knife. 

Let it be known that Grace did NOT have any form of avocado today! Her chicken salad sandwich was, quite honestly, one of the best she's ever had. The bread, we learned later, was "herbed" pizza dough. It reminded Grace of a mix between pita bread and a pretzel. The chicken salad was a combination of chicken, mayo, and celery and was topped with tomatoes and a blend of cheeses. Grace ate all of her sandwich before she even touched her salad (of course) but she's glad she ate the entire sandwich because it was better than the salad. Since Grace hates raw onion, her salad was a combination of iceberg lettuce, tomato, cheddar cheese, and egg (although the menu says that bacon should be there, too) with a balsamic vinaigrette dressing. 

Shannon, feeling slightly guilty that she ordered what Grace originally wanted, was immediately less remorseful upon first tasting her sandwich.  The pizza dough was stuffed with portabella and button mushrooms, caramelized balsamic onions, a mozzarella/provolone cheese mix, shredded lettuce and diced tomato.  As said above, the sandwich was HOT!  This proved eating it as a sandwich difficult, but Shannon persevered.  Shannon's tomato bisque was very thick and therefore very filling.  The bisque was topped with croutons and bleu cheese crumbles (which, had she known, Shannon would have had them hold).  The sandwich was so good that even though Shannon adores soup, she slightly ignored the side dish because she was rapidly filling up.  Towards the end she didn't think she'd finish the last couple of sandwich bites, but she made it after all.  If she hadn't had dinner last night she may have finished the soup too.

Table map!

Counter area of Latitude 41° North

Shannon's portabella sandwich and tomato bisque

Sitting area

Grace's chicken salad sandwich and chopped house salad

Outside Latitude 41° North

Today's lunch was as delightful as it was unplanned. We will definitely bring our friends here soon. Our advice to you, blogosphere: if you're really hungry and looking to spend $10, GO HERE!

Burntwood Tavern--Rocky River, OH [$$]

Grace's turn to pick the spot for this week, so off to the Burntwood Tavern we went!  The style was rustic meets English pub.  There was wood everywhere!  The bar had a shiny metal-plated look to it and the light covers were splintered barrels.  All around there were other hanging lights, bottle glass windows, and various seating placement options.  We were seated at a high table near the bar.  (Though next time Shannon wants to sit in a booth under the barrel lights.)  The whole place smelled deliciously of beer, cheese, bread, and wood.

After ordering water and browsing our menus, Shannon landed on the Veggie Burger, which was a variation of a black bean burger.  Grace decided upon the combo of half of the Fish Sandwich and a Caesar salad (of course.)  Our wait was brief, and our plates arrived.

Shannon's burger was placed on a toasted bun with tomato and smoked tomato aioli.  Shannon's choice of cheese was Swiss, which paired wonderfully with the black bean and wild rice mixture of the patty.  Shannon tacked on fifty extra cents for a side of sweet potato fries, which were simply fantastic.  Though the burger patty didn't quite stay together while she ate, it was delicious both on and off the bun.  Shannon did, however, run out of her limited ketchup supply and unfortunately had to wait a while before anyone came around so she could ask for more.  Her suggestion is, if you are a lover of ketchup, ask for two off the bat.  Otherwise her meal was great.

Grace's fish sandwich was extraordinary and she didn't put it down once. She often has this problem--only starting on the next part of the meal when the first part is gone. The fish (tilapia) was breaded to perfection and came with shredded lettuce and a side of jalapeno-tartar sauce. The fish came on a very fluffy hoagie bun. When her last bite was finished, her fork made its way to the Caesar salad which was, as yet, untouched. The croutons in Burntwood Tavern's Caesar salad were comprised of caraway-seeded rye bread cubes. The size of both parts of the meal combo were a great value! :)

Burntwood Tavern bar area

Fish Sandwich & Caesar salad combo

Veggie Burger and sweet potato fries

Although Grace has been to Burntwood Tavern prior to this luncheon, she will gladly come back to sit in a booth with Shannon.

Sweet Melissa's--Rocky River, OH [$$]

Last week, we went to Sweet Melissa's in Rocky River.  While waiting to be seated we admired the elaborate reflective gold ceiling and the fancy lighting.  We commented on the place's popularity, being two of about fifty plus other people (women) stopping in for lunch that day.  Though quite crowded, we were promptly seated and served with finesse.  Upon being seated, we noticed the customized glass water jugs, which with frosted letters spelled "Sweet Melissa's" down the front.  We thought this was a very nice touch.

Since Shannon's palate is slightly limited as a vegetarian, this menu was aptly mapped out with asterisks marking the vegetarian and vegan territories.  Grace, who usually can't pass up a beef dish, opted instead for "Roger's Shrimp Tacos."  Shannon, following suit, ordered "Tim's Veggie Tacos."  Each of us ordered a side to start since we were very hungry.  Grace ordered her fan favorite, a grilled Caesar salad.  Shannon ordered a cup of Veggie stew.  Shannon cannot pass up a vegetarian soup.

Although it didn't have croutons, which Grace thought was customary for a Caesar salad, she was surprised to find the romaine lettuce charred and, well, literally grilled. This was a new concept to her. She really liked it and thought it was very innovative. The dressing was lemony and the dish was overall very satisfactory. :)

Shannon's stew came in an adorable teacup, with a seasoned and toasted slice of bread on the saucer.  The stew was a hearty blend including tomatoes, beans, and chick peas, in a thick spicy-sweet broth.  Shannon, as a die-hard soup-lover, quite enjoyed this stew.  The cup was the perfect amount for a such a filling soup.

Now for taco time! We each received three tacos, which reminded us of another West Side restaurant, Deagan's in Lakewood, which also has both vegetarian and shrimp tacos. This did not hinder our opinion of Sweet Melissa's in the slightest. Upon first bite, we were both delighted by our choices. The shrimp tacos definitely had a kick to them. Mingled among the soft taco were charred tomatoes and seemingly exotic lettuce, though the menu did not specify beyond "lettuce."  The shrimp tasted of cayenne pepper, and Grace's sinuses were certainly cleared by the end of her meal.  The taco also featured guacamole.  Grace, as an avid avocado enthusiast (who often even asks for extra) was delighted by this accoutrement.  Shannon's tacos were also found to be quite zesty.  The fried tofu, guacamole and pico was divine and paired perfectly with the sour cream which tamed the spice considerably.  Shannon was disappointed that one taco shell was split in half and made cutlery necessary, and the taco head tilt needless.  The taste was still impeccable!

Roger's Shrimp Tacos

Grilled Caesar Salad and Veggie Stew

Tim's Veggie Tacos

Awesome water jug!

In the end, Grace said "Good choice Shannon!" for picking this first spot to have lunch.  The menu featured so many other items that sounded delicious, so we'll be back for seconds!

Idea!

Well, they started off as two young Cleveland girls in the same poetry class, but today they are...still young, even closer friends, and both in a post-grad slump. Needless to say (but they'll say it anyway), they are both working part-time jobs for which they are beyond qualified. Shannon works at a bookstore and Grace works at a smoothie joint. Since Shannon's boyfriend lives in the same city as Grace does, they decided to get together for lunch a few months ago. Now, it seems it is a weekly thing and the only thing for which their wallets are being used! They've been trying out some of the Cleveland area's hippest places together and finally decided to share their affinity for food with the blogosphere. Here, Shannon and Grace will post pictures of the food they eat and some tidbits/opinions about the places they go. Enjoy...and "Bon Appétit!"