Again venturing down town for our dining experience, we parked in a lot across from the Galleria and entered through the east doors. Both of us commented on how long it had been since last stepping inside. We mentioned that it had been enough time that neither of us could really tell if most of the shops inside were the same or not, however the food court appeared very familiar to both of us. After walking around the whole lower level looking for Cafe Sausalito, we located it on the second level, bummed we could not sit outside in the sun. Ascending the narrowest escalator we had ever seen, we were soon walking into the modernly decorated restaurant and being seated.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Grace:
Writing this about three weeks after the fact, I believe I
had found Sweetwater’s Café Sausalito on Urbanspoon after typing “Restaurants
in Downtown Cleveland” into the Google search bar. Many reviews said Café Sausalito was in
The Galleria, which is a shopping mall I haven’t visited in more than a decade,
so I hurriedly checked their website for the full menu. There seemed to be a
lot of tasty options for both carnivores and herbivores alike, so it didn’t take much
to convince myself that this would be a good pick.
After finding a parking spot in a garage, we saw two
policemen on horseback during our walk over to The Galleria. That was exciting, and
something you don’t quite see every day! We walked into the mall and started
walking all around trying to find Café Sausolito since there weren’t many signs
directing us to it. We finally found it on the second floor after going up the
escalator we had already passed. I was overwhelmed by the combined size of the
restaurant and bar! I had also noticed there was a flyer promoting tango
lessons, and I had told Shannon that it would be fun to bring our boys and
participate in that sometime! The décor was pretty simple, except for the windows
that I kept looking at! They were really interesting and had little slits in
the middle of them, which made it come off broken, but cool! Since Café Sausalito
has another indoor seating area on the opposite side of said windows, the slits
in the windows were a cool touch and they really created a sense of unity
within the space.
We were pretty hungry that day, so like the time we shared
an order of deviled eggs at Hodges, we decided to share an order of Cheddar
Cheese and Potato Pierogies at Café Sausalito! The pierogies were topped with carmelized onions and leeks, in a cilantro cream sauce. They were scrumptious
and they were the best part of the whole experience, if I do say so myself! Then
again, I am Polish, so that isn’t shocking at all. I then ordered a burger with
a not-so-subtle hint of garlic mixed into it. Since all I would eat when I was
little were burgers, I would have to say that Café Sausalito’s burger was
interesting, but definitely not on my Top Ten list. The fries were a bit bland.
Our waiter was very pleasant, but had brought me my burger, asked if I wanted
mayonnaise, and when I had said yes, he then took my burger back to the kitchen
for whatever reason. My food got cold pretty fast, so I ended up eating only half
of my burger, but the pierogies also might have had something to do with that.
Over all, I enjoyed my dining experience at Café Sausalito! My
mom told me later that I had been there when I was little, but I really don’t
remember. I will come back to Café Sausalito, but I think I will order
something completely different (like the Sweetwater Salad or the Mix and Match
combo)…and then hopefully whisk away the calories with a little tango!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shannon:
Being several years since I've visited the Galleria, I was curious to see if I recognized the current shops. My last visit was during a field trip in high school, as the Galleria's food court was our stop for lunch. I was very glad to be revisiting the location to indulge in much finer food. After parking in a garage I later found out was directly across from my uncle's apartment building, we entered the sunny interior and located our destination. Both of us were initially disappointed that we did not have the option to be dining outside in the gloriously warm spring day, the restaurant being located in the middle of the second floor. Once we walked inside to the hostess station, I noticed the restaurant was split into a darker interior and a brighter faux-terrace of sorts, which was lit by the sun streaming through the glass framework of the Galleria. I briefly thought to ask the hostess to seat us in the brighter section of the restaurant, however I thought since we would be inside either way, we might as well soak up the decor and artwork on the inside.
Having already looked at the online menu, Grace and I discussed splitting an appetizer of cheddar and potato pierogies. Once we were seated, our waiter brought us a basket of bread and after we asked how many pierogies come in the appetizer, we placed an order for one first. The creamy cilantro sauce the pierogies were tossed in was the basis of my desire, and I was not disappointed at all. The menu said they were also accompanied by caramelized onions and fried leeks, however, it did not appear any leeks were in our batch. This was totally fine though because the four cheesy pierogies that we split were gone in minutes. Soon after this, our waiter returned to take our entree orders. Despite just gobbling down pasta as an appetizer, I ordered the Black Bean Raviolis for my lunch. There were only a handful of vegetarian options for me, and having ordered many vegetarian burger varieties in the past, I wanted to try something different. I had never had black bean ravioli, so it sounded like the perfect decision.
As we waited for our food, we discussed the decor. Grace noticed the windows looking out onto the terrace area, which were artistically paint-splattered and broken. I mentioned that perhaps since they knew no tempestuous weather would be sprayed through the windows, since they were overlooking a still enclosed area, they decided to give them some flare. Our food arrived a bit later, and placed in front of me was a big white bowl of creamy, cheesy pasta. There were six or so fair sized raviolis on the bottom of the bowl, surrounded by roasted tomatoes and grilled red onions. The sauce was creamy mushroom, which was buttery and deliciously submerged all the ingredients. The raviolis were full of a black bean and what I believe was ricotta cheese mixture. Each bite was so hearty and delicious, with the creamy sumptuous sauce and crisp tomatoes to offset the heavier components. By the time I was nearing my maximum fullness, I began to just eat the vegetables, having concentrated heavily on the pasta until that point. At the end, I was left with a little more than half of one ravioli, which our waiter chuckled upon taking it away. Grace also commented on being so full that she could not even finish her whole plate. Cafe Sausalito definitely knows how to satisfy hunger!
Sweetwater's Cafe Sausalito was a great lunch experience. They have great sized helpings that will certainly fill you up. We will definitely be heading back to the Galleria to try out Winks Local Bar and Grille!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Outside Cafe Sausalito
Just inside Cafe Sausalito
Bar and wall art
"Inside" seating
Window seats
Bread basket
Cheddar and Potato pierogies with Cilantro cream sauce (sorry we started on them before snapping a picture!)
Grace's Cheeseburger and fries
Shannon's Black Bean and Cheese Ravioli
"Outside" seating
More seating
Artistic window
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cafe Sausalito was a fun place for lunch, and can also be rented out for parties and weddings. This would be a great lunch alternative for anyone working down town to grab something much more substantial for their mid-day meal.
