First Food Crawl

So after all the food talk my friend Hannah Williams and I have all the time, we decided we needed to create an evening dedicated to food.  A night where we did not just eat a 4 course meal at one place but rather stop at several different restaurants and eat a course at each.  This is our Food Crawl!

We choose our first three restaurants to be Luxe, near Battery Park, Bier Market and The Flying Fig, both in Ohio City.  (I say First, because we have already began discussing our next crawl.)

We got an early start, we got to Luxe right around 6pm.  We sat in their outdoor garden area, which has a small bar and a quite fenced in garden like environment. 

Maire Semmens, Hannah Williams and I.  We have all been here several times, so we made this our first stop, prepared to order and be in and out. This is an awesome place.  The food is superior.  I ended up having my birthday party here last year and the staff were outstanding to me and all my guests.  I would refer this place to anyone and return over and over again. 

Maire knew she wanted her potato gnocchi with brasied short ribs, which she has had every time and seems to be her favorite dish.  The gnoochi melted in my mouth, it was the best I have had.

Hannah had the salad on special which had prosciutto, eggs and chives on a bed of greens with a honey mustard vinaigrette.

I had pan fried brussel sprouts with garlic in a soy sauce, so very good!!!

We shared a trio of fries, which consisted of garlic and rosemary pomme frittes, eggplant fries and sweet potato fries, alongside two mayo like dips, which were not a stand out, but the fries were a perfect side dish or app!

I also must point out one of my favorite drinks, the Simplicty which is a basil pinneapple martini made with margarita mix.  It tastes so fresh and pairs well with anything!

When we finished, the weather was still very nice so we decided to make a stop at the Garage Bar for a drink at their outdoor bar before we headed to our next course.  The Garage Bar is in Ohio City, a nice mix of people, a place we have been to before and a perfect place to have a few drinks no matter what the occasion.   

We walked across the street to the Bier Market, where Hannah Williams was craving her sunnyside up pizza.

Sunnyside Pizza, with prosciutto and eggs.

I had the Oliva pizza.  topped with a olive tapenade and cheese.  It was very good.  The pizza I had last time was the arugula pizza with pine nuts, that pizza was fantastic, but I needed to be the one trying something different this evening.  I was happy with my choice none the less. 

If you have never been here, it is a must.  They have about 8-10 pizzas all between like $8-$12.  The crust is thin and crunchy on the ends and everything in the middle no matter what you choose is bound to be an awesome choice.  You can also look forward to the extensive beer list, sure to please everyones taste buds.

We spent most of the dinner rush hours here, relaxing and taking our time.  We had outdoor seating right on the main steet of Ohio City, where we people watched and enjoyed the unbelievable evening weather Cleveland presented to us.

When it was time to leave we walked right around the corner to The Flying Fig.  A place Hannah Williams and I have talked about time and time again and finally made the time to check it out.  This restaurant is directly across from The Great Lakes Brewery for those of you who have been over here.

When we arrived the crowds were dying down.  Patrons were enjoying the end of their meals.  We were also, just not at the same place of course.  We did bring in our to go boxes carrying our yummy pizzas, which we thought could be perceived as disrespectful, but we spent enough money there I think, to feel otherwise.  But, this would be a good topic for another blog.  Is this something you would or would not do?  Do you feel it is ok to bring your to go box into a following restaurant? 

Anyways, we looked over the menu several times, myself, hoping that I would reveal more than the two options on the menu that I could eat. 

These two options were a burrata cheese appetizer and a polenta entree.  Since the polenta appetizer was priced higher than most fish entrees I have ever had, I decided against that right away. 

So I ended up with the burrata cheese appetizer with an olive tapenade, watercress and crostini bread.  It reminded me of a make your self bruschetta like dish.  I must say, I had my doubts but the cheese was creamy and fresh, the olive tapenade was perfect and all components together meshed so well and almost melted in my mouth.  A perfect appetizer at a resonable price.

Hannah found so many things on the menu it made it hard for her to choose just one, so she started with a bacon and egg quiche, which was unlike any quiche I have ever tasted.  She was nice enough to remove a peice of bacon to let me try how amazing this dish was.

Looking at this days later, I realize this picture does nothing for the quality of this meal.  :(

Lastly, Hannah ordered dessert.  I wanted to but the option I had they were out of.  I was not successful at this place, but this rarely happens, so I did not leave dissatisfied.

She ordered the peach cobler special with a pepper biscuit and fresh mint ice cream.

(This was the best dessert I have tasted so far in my food experiences)

In conclusion, the first crawl was a success.  We started with places that we have been before and ended with a newbee.  We ate some stellar food, had some interesting conversations and saw some eyebrow rasing things while people watching on the streets of Ohio City.  I very much anticipate our next crawl.  We have thrown around the idea of hitting up Treamont next time.  Anyone that would love to join, you know how to find me and we would love to have you!!!