Westside Market | Cleveland

I've been gushing about Cleveland for a solid month now and still there is more! 

The group was given a lot of time early one morning to spend at the historic Westside Market. I could not have been happier to explore all the food stalls, perusing and snapping photographs at my leisure. If you can believe it, what you see here is just a small depiction of the 100 or so family run vendor stalls selling everything from meat, breads, dairy and seafood to nuts, spices, olive oils, perogies and pastries. There's even a Parisian street style creperie Crêpes de Luxe where I purchased a savory ham, egg and gruyere crêpe. Located conveniently next to it is a gourmet coffee roaster stall City Roast Coffee where a frothy cappuccino was in order. With my breakfast treats I ventured upstairs to hang out on the balcony overlooking the grand yellow brick and white subway tiled space, the morning sunlight streaming through the high windows. I also managed to take home some phenomenal homemade pastas from the Ohio City Pasta stall - pappardelle and two fettuccine: rye and lemon pepper. (Our luxury bus had a built in cooler and our hotel rooms were equipped with a full fridge! The pasta was still fantastic by the time I got it home to Boston.) If I lived in Cleveland, I'd be grocery shopping here regularly.

Westside Market is the cities oldest continually operating public market, opened in 1912 to serve the growing immigrant population. 100+ years later they continue to offer a friendly, culturally diverse shopping experience.

Hours: Mon & Wed: 7am-4pm / Fri & Sat: 7am-6pm

Westside Market

Ohio City

1979 W 25th St,

Cleveland, Ohio 44113

The Greenhouse Tavern | CLE

"For us, Cleveland is at the beginning of its glory and we love a good Renaissance."

Chef / owner Jonathan Sawyer, a passionate Clevelander who moved back to his beloved hometown from NYC in 2007. In 2009 he opened The Greenhouse Tavern in what is now the hip and bustling East 4th Street dining district. 

".....at a time when everyone thought we were nuts. Cleveland was getting killed by the economy and our friends in the bigger cities thought we were secretly drunk. We knew something they didn't. We knew that the spirit of Cleveland was back and bigger than ever. We took the risk on Cleveland." 

This year, Sawyer took home The James Beard Award for BEST CHEF: GREAT LAKES!

This was our last night in the CLE and we went out with a bang. As we made our way through a majority of this innovative menu, there were some hits and some misses. 

The crispy chicken wings confit with roasted jalapeno, lemon juice, scallion and garlic were a hit all around. Later on though, the chef sends out a bucket of Tabasco chicken and it's game on. This is the chicken you want to be eating for sure. It's crispy, juicy and fall off the bone ridiculously good fried chicken. 

The animal style frites with bacon, fried eggs, whole grain mustard, mozz curd and brown gravy and the fried brussels sprouts with maple aioli, lemon, fresh mint and raw onion were my favorites. The crispy sprouts have outstanding flavor and the frites are basically a glorified poutine. These are the dishes I simply can not stop eating.

Those of us who drank cocktails found them lackluster. They don't have a bar menu online, and I can't recall all the ingredients - there was one featuring Aperol that barely has any trace, and mine (pictured) had me searching for the bourbon. Local brews seem to be the best bet, a can of New Cleveland Palesner - a part pale ale, part pilsner gets the job done. 

As far as entrees go, the pig head comes coated in bbq sauce with a raw vegetable salad, brioche buns, lime and lettuce. I struggled with this one! It was prepared well but the meat being particularly fatty, I wasn't crazy about it. Others however, devoured it. I had really high hopes for my house made black pepper bucatini with Ohio beef jerky, pecorino and grated farm egg bottarga. The hollow pasta noodles were cooked to a satisfying al dente but they got lost in the heavy beef jerky sauce. The dish was lacking balance, the sauce was simply too smoky. The Smoked Pork Tonkotsu Syle Ramen with white cabbage, scallion and crispy pork chashu didn't actually look like a ramen noodle soup. One dining companion cleans her plate while another barely touches it, remarking, "it's not ramen." Overall, the appetizers nail it while the entrees leave us wanting. 

The buttered popcorn pot de crème with caramel and sea salt is smooth and creamy with bold flavors, ending our meal on a high note!

The Greenhouse Tavern
Gateway District / E 4th St
2038 East Fourth Street 
Cleveland, OH 44115 

Urban Farmer | Cleveland

Just when I think the Cleveland food scene can't possibly impress any more, Urban Farmer swoops in and serves us a phenomenal brunch in a luxe farmhouse setting. The commanding space features bold and contemporary meets rustic-chic accents. From an ostrich feather lamp and wraparound cowhide booths to pickled vegetable jars for days and weathered oil portraits, the mash up of décor seamlessly blends. They take immense pride in their commitment to organic and locally sourced Midwest ingredients (I feel like everywhere we eat in Cleveland has this down, though). A billboard collage above the open kitchen displays bright photographs of fresh produce, local farms and ranches. 

Located at The Westin Cleveland Downtown, Urban Farmer is a modern steakhouse by evening, however, I guarantee we did it right; I wouldn't hesitate to scope them out for brunch. I want to order the entire menu. Here is a sample of what the group feasted on: 

Brioche French Toast | blueberry preserves, hazelnut butter, Vermont Maple Syrup (P.S. the Golden Waffle says it comes with Ohio Maple Syrup - I'm digging the nod to VT in this dish.)
Farm Eggs | any style, crispy breakfast potato, house made English muffin (so good), choice of fennel sausage, bacon, ham or chicken cherry sausage

Red Flannel Hash | corned beef, fingerling potatoes, beets, ramps, poached eggs, toast (outstanding)

Urban Farmer Cleveland

Downtown - Civic Center District

777 St. Clair Avenue

Cleveland, OH 44114

The Cleveland Museum of Art

The world-renowned collections at The Cleveland Museum of Art were really impressive. The first thing to check out is ArtLens directly to your left at the entrance. The revolutionary interactive space blends art and technology; among it the largest multi-touch micro-tile screen in the US. It is a 40 foot collection wall which displays over 4,000 images of objects from the permanent collection. I was amazed at what they have going on here - you won't find anything like this at another museum.

Touring the galleries was a major highlight of my time in Cleveland. I only wish we had more time to explore on our own, as I left with just a taste of what the vast exhibits had to offer. Our guide was very niche focused; and I'm more the museum-goer that likes to wander at my own pace, as opposed to listening or lingering (for too long) about what someone else deems important. Our leisurely lunch at Provenance was a nice time, although not the most memorable meal of the trip for me. The local cheese plate was lovely, the clam chowder was disappointing (a tough New England critic, still I expected a little more of a briny flavor profile) and my bowl of mussels were good, standard. (I know a lot of the crew really enjoyed their lunch, though!) Essentially what I am saying is that I was so enthralled by the art and exhibit spaces this museum has to offer, I want to go back, and spend less time at lunch. 

The museum is FREE! (Although some exhibits may required you to purchase a ticket)

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Provenance Restaurant 

University Circle

11150 East Boulevard

Cleveland, OH 44106