Cleveland Critics

I reviewed Phoenix almost 6 months ago. In January, it was definitely chilly. Now, it’s sweltering. Still, little has changed.

The atmosphere of quiet and lively industry remains the same. Everyone is working away. There’s a meeting going on in the corner. And the two guys behind the counter (different people then before) are still trying to trick each other (they suggested that I try oregano tea!).   

Trouble Will Find Me is an album about love and loss, depression and addiction  It cover both filial, familial, and romantic love. Every song is a hymn to relationships, a meditation on love and what it can drive us to do. 

Favorite Song: track 2, "Demons", the first single released from Trouble Will Find Me. "Demons"  leads the listener through dark dreamscapes filled with childhood memories, fraught with unexplored possibilities  Undercurrents of despair and hope come to the forefront here.  Why does the narrator keep throwing away opportunities to "stay[ing] down with his [my] demons"? Favorite stanza: "when I think of you in the city/ the thought of you among the sights/ I get this sudden, sinking feeling/ of a man about to fly." 

I'll be posting my review of Trouble Will Find Me by The National, nominated for best alternative album, in a few minutes. 

Sorry about the wait,

Tommy's in Coventry Village is a sit-down restaurant with food and drinks such as sandwiches, hotdogs, and milkshakes. I had a THC (Turkey, Ham and Cheese Sandwich). In addition to the T, H, and C, there was also lettuce and tomatoes. It is a little fancier than your typical hotdog and sandwich restaurant, as it has a formal area with tables and chairs and a waiter or waitress serves your food. It was busy on our visit, but our food was still made fast.

My sandwich was a more unique combination of flavors. Turkey and ham are not often in the same sandwich, but they were good together. The cheese was flavorful, but it was a little more than I would have wanted. My main dislike was that I thought the food was a little too greasy for me. I also thought the sliced turkey did not have as much flavor as it could have had. The atmosphere was nice, as it had many paintings and other pieces of art. The server came to our table a few times to take away our dishes, make sure we had everything we needed, etc.

Our experience was fine, though not extraordinary. Tommy’s is a nice lunch place which is a little more formal than fast food. They have unique varieties of foods. Their food was better than I expected because it had some tasty and higher quality ingredients. Tommy’s is a nice place if you want to have a quick meal with unique versions of common American food.

Food: 6/10

Service: 6/10

Overall: 6/10

From top to bottom: West 25th street station; riding on the Red Line. 

Ohio City Burrito is a refreshingly different yet still familiar mexican experience. It's a burrito bar in the style of Chipotle, but it goes above and beyond just that. In terms of food, Ohio City Burrito isn't necessarily better than your average burrito bar, but it is just a bit different than the norm. On the food front, OCB allows you to build not only burritos and burrito bowls but a plate of nachos as well, meaning you can create the perfect side dish for you and your other burrito-eating friends or keep them all to yourself. The meat is shredded, flavorful, and saucy, which gives it a different feel than normal burritos. All the ingredients, I found, were tasty and of high quality, and the burritos were quite filling.

The atmosphere was what one expects of a Mexican restaurant, with orange walls adorned with stereotypical Day-of-the-Dead-style paintings. It felt reasonably authentic, but the best part about it was its calmness compared to places like Chipotle, whose slick modern design and long lines create a panicky, rushed feeling. Building off that, the service is friendly and certainly not rushed (which isn't to say it's slow, it's just the right pace, I'd say).

Scores:

Food: 8/10

Service: 8/10

Atmosphere: 7/10

Michelle’s Bakery is a stand in the West Side Market. It has a variety of desserts from doughnuts to snuggals in addition different breads. I had a bear claw (the pastry kind) and part of a snuggal. The bear claw was the thickest bear claw I ever remember seeing. On the edges it was slightly crunchy, though the inside was softer. I thought the crunchiness made it enjoyable. I could taste the almonds in the filling. The snuggal was a pastry filled with cream cheese. The pastry was flaky, and its flavor was sweet with the slightly sweet taste of its cream cheese. They both tasted as if they were baked recently.

The atmosphere was enjoyable, and there were also other bakeries, meat stands, and a variety of other stands in the market, so if you want to shop for other foods in the same trip, you can do that. You can buy your dessert or bread and take it home or eat it there. The service was overall good. We were only at the bakery for a few minutes because we did not need to stay there after we received our food. Most people would not stay there long either. The woman who worked there told us about the different desserts and gave us the pastries for which we asked. She did well on describing the different pastries and telling us what we might enjoy. I had a positive experience there because the desserts and the service together were great.

Food: 7/10

Service: 6/10

Overall: 7/10

Frank has already written one. Read it here: http://clevelandcritics.tumblr.com/post/74065551644/mchg-frank-grandwizard-og-levin

Cleveland - kind of - is known for having a pretty good food scene. That being said, one of the more popular restaurants in the Cleveland Heights / Shaker Heights is Tommy's. It's one of the biggest spots in Tremont. I've been going to Tommy's from a young age, so I have very fond memories there, but it's objectively not that great of a place.

Tommy's has a huge variety of food, which is probably why it has such a good reputation. I think people who don't enjoy Tommy's figure they ordered the wrong thing, but take it from someone who has ordered a large variety of their food, that's not the case. Tommy's just isn't that fantastic. Tommy's is famous for its shakes, which I've never understood. How can one shake be better than another? It's just ice cream and milk, how on earth could it not be good? There's nothing particularly interesting about Tommy's milkshakes, and the flavors are pretty typical.

As far as the environment of the place, it's pretty nice. I really enjoy hanging out there. The waiters are friendly, and the building itself is roomy and inviting. I can't complain about the experience in general, but when the vast majority of Clevelanders suggest Tommy's as the must-visit restaurant of our city, I expected better than a mediocre BLT. Coventry is a great area, and Tommy's is an iconic spot in that area, so maybe people confuse the great area as a great restaurant. Those people are mistaken.

Service: 8/10

Food: 6/10

Atmosphere: 7/10

There are some days in Cleveland so cold that they could freeze the fires of hell. Luckily there are coffee shops like the Phoenix Cafe in Coventry to warm our blood in the dead of winter. And for all of you caffeine drinkers out there, the Phoenix Cafe will definitely satisfy your taste for coffee. 

The interior of the Phoenix Cafe is bright and open, with high ceilings and ample natural light. The furniture is modern and plush with tones of dark wood and orange. During my visit most of the chairs were taken up by young patrons who were hard at work on their laptops (Phoenix Cafe offers free WiFi) 

The service at the Phoenix Cafe is next to none. Not only were the employees friendly and willing to take my order, but they were also willing to go the extra mile to ensure that my stay was enjoyable. For example I ordered a plain bagel and stood waiting at the counter for a few seconds when the cashier offered to bring the bagel right to my table. This is the kind of service that makes a customer feel appreciated. 

The coffee is decent. It goes down smooth and is pleasantly warm, but not too hot. I have had much better coffee in my lifetime (Rising Star), but the coffee at Phoenix Cafe is definitely above average.

Overall, I would recommend Phoenix Cafe to anybody in Coventry. While it may not be the best cup of coffee you will ever have in your life, you will enjoy your time in the Phoenix Cafe. 

Service - 9/10

Food - 7/10

Atmosphere - 7/10