Light Bistro--Ohio City, Cleveland (Bridge Ave.) [$$$]

Light Bistro brought us once again to Ohio City, so we parked on a side street and marveled at the amazing houses on the walk to the restaurant.  Once inside we were greeted and seated by a friendly wait staff that always checked up on us throughout our meal.  Mulling our options over a delicious looking menu, we soon pinpointed what we would be enjoying, and our adventure was on its way.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Grace:

After finding a spot to park for Light Bistro, we walked around the same streets we had walked when going to Hecks Café. After looking at Light Bistro’s menu online earlier this morning, I already had a good idea of what I was going to order: the Light “Boxed” Lunch which was comprised of a soup, salad, and a sandwich! However, in case the soup of the day had meat that wasn’t fish meat, I knew I had to wait and see. We were promptly seated and told of the day’s specials. My ears were delighted to hear of the soup of the day: a shrimp and corn chowder.

I remarked on how great the restaurant smelt as we studied the menu a little more. I actually did go through with my original plan. I was thinking the crab cake sandwich would be an acceptable choice for my sandwich portion of the three part meal, but the waiter said the crab cake and the tilapia wrap were not allowed to be included in the Light “Boxed” Lunch. I’m assuming it is because the crab cake wouldn’t fit in the three-sectioned rectangular box-plate. I ordered the shrimp and corn chowder, a Caesar salad, and a grilled cheese. When our food came, my jaw dropped at my meal’s presentation. It was so cool! I was thinking the chowder would have come to the table separately, but all three parts of my meal were presented to me at once.

I started with the shrimp and corn chowder because that is what I was most excited for, and it was so hot that I went over to my grilled cheese sandwich, two compartments down. The chowder comprised of corn, shrimp, celery, and potatoes, all in a creamy base. The grilled cheese sandwich consisted of three cheeses: American, provolone, and parmesan. The bread was whole wheat, with ripples from the grill, like a panini. I thought the cheeses blended together very well, although I do have to say I prefer the grilled cheese I had at 87 West. The Caesar salad was a delectable mixture of romaine lettuce, roasted garlic Caesar dressing, brioche, and tomato preserves. I had never seen tomato preserves on top of a Caesar salad before, but I spread it around and savored every bite. It was almost like a tomato chutney and had traces of cinnamon.

I left Light Bistro SO satisfied, and I will definitely be back to try some of the awesome-sounding cocktails. From the simple décor, to the complimentary brown bag of baguette pieces with the aesthetic butter presentation, to the freshly baked chocolate chip cookie that Shannon and I shared—I found Light Bistro pleasing to all senses. I cannot wait to return!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shannon:

I originally chose Light Bistro as a back up when Grace and I were deciding if we wanted to visit the West Side Market Café on a Market day.  Having browsed their menu a few weeks back, I kept it in mind for the next time I chose our lunch location.  When I looked up the directions, I found it was a block away from Heck’s Café, so when we were parking, I found the same street I parked on for our Heck’s visit.  We walked to the bistro exclaiming about the beautiful old houses along the way.  Happily reaching the restaurant and escaping the biting wind, we were seated next to a window overlooking the street we just came from.  Light Bistro was full of dark woods and brick walls.  There were attractive paintings hanging that were for sale.  Heavy curtains tied up in bronze colored beads were covering the side windows, and the booths were lined by boxes of assumedly fake, but shocking green grass that brightened up the earth-toned atmosphere.

Merely glancing at the menu reminded me of what I wished to order the first time I checked out the menu online, the Fried Green Tomato BLT, without the bacon.  The sandwich came with a choice of a side, however I requested both the pomme frites and the cole slaw.  Between ordering and receiving our food, we were brought a paper bag of a sliced little baguette and butter that fit snugly in what appeared to be a candleholder.  Before applying the butter to our bread, we marveled at how perfectly it was held in the little glass container.  We each had two little slices, and saved the rest of our hunger for our food.  During the wait I excused myself to use the restroom, which I was amazed to see had a wooden chest of rolled up terry cloth towels attached to the wall against the sink.  I was so surprised to see this fancy accommodation and grew excited to wash my hands.  After using my towel, I tossed in into the designated towel basket, and headed back to the table.

Soon our food arrived, and we were both wowed that the “boxed” lunch Grace ordered actually came in a box.  My sandwich and cole slaw were on one plate, and my shoestring fries came on another.  After snapping pictures, we eagerly dug in.  I sampled a few of the thin fries, which were salted and peppered to perfection.  Getting to my sandwich, I took a bite from the corner of the whole wheat bread’s seed covered crust.  I closed my eyes and let the explosion of flavor wash over me.  It had been a while since I last had fried green tomatoes.  My sister occasionally makes them, a favorite of hers since they share the title of her favorite movie.  These were crisply breaded and paired with bibb lettuce and garlic aioli, which was buttery and added the perfect amount of zest.  The bread was toasted and crunchy, and I cannot imagine how anything could have made this sandwich any more heavenly than it was as I devoured it.  The cole slaw was made entirely of white cabbage and was dressed in an overpowering vinegary dressing, which was unfortunately a bit too much for my taste buds.  I focused my all on the sandwich and occasionally ate a few fries, ultimately taking most of them home with me.  Towards the end of our meal, our waiter brought us a warm and gooey chocolate chip cookie to split.  We were both so full we did not even want to walk back to the car!

Light Bistro was delightful, though neither of us would consider our lunch a light lunch, with how full we were upon leaving!  I will definitely be making my way back to Light Bistro in the future.  There were a few cocktails I’d like to try, and that sandwich was far too delicious to only have one time.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Outside Light Bistro

Bar area

Corner seating

Seating area

Cool window and booth

Wine selection

Paintings

Awesome towel chest

Fancy waters

Bread and butter

Ketchup and soup spoon

"Boxed" Lunch

Fried Green Tomato LT and fries and cole slaw

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Light Bistro was an amazing dining experience that will be repeated by us for sure.  Their wine selection looks impressive, perhaps stop in for a glass, and let us know what you think!