Cleveland, Ohio - Melt, Di Bella's Subs, Tower City, and A Christmas Story

 Last November, I was given a free night at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Cleveland, through a promotion from the Horseshoe Casino.  My hometown is about 40 minutes away, and since I hadn't been to Cleveland in a few years, and  I thought I'd check it out.

The casino and hotel are both located in Tower City Center - a building that was formerly a train station, but has since been converted into a retail experience of shops, restaurants, and hotels - right in downtown Cleveland, and within walking distance to Progressive Field and Quicken Loans Arena.   

So, before I say anything else, The Ritz-Carlton is a great hotel.  Offering all the amenities one could ever hope for, the Ritz lived up to it's name.  The pool and gym were just the tip of the iceberg. 

It was also nice to know that, since the hotel was connected to Tower City, I could go shopping, or over to the casino without going outside.  I'll add that this was in November, and November is a month when it should be illegal to be outside in Cleveland.

The casino has a small food court featuring local Cleveland favorites, like Corky and Lenny's, a local Jewish deli .  Celebrity chef Michael Symon has a smaller version of his local burger joint favorite, The B Spot. 

After all the hype surrounding The B spot, I was really excited to try it.  I ordered a vanilla bean apple pie bacon shake, and a burger with grilled bologna on it.  I disappointed.  Maybe it's because it's not the full-scale restaurant, but I thought the portions were way too small, considering the prices, and the food just wasn't very good.  My burger was the size of a McDonald's cheeseburger, and the shake made me feel sick.  I wouldn't recommend it.  Anyways, the next morning I got up, and drove around town.  I'd forgotten how impressive some of the architecture is - like this bridge:

Remember the movie, "A Christmas Story"?  Well, if you're ever in Cleveland, you can visit the actual home it was filmed in, complete with the leg lamp in the window:

Of course, I happened to show up the day it was closed, but I hear it's decorated exactly like it was in the movie.  Next time, Cleveland.  Next time...

There's a new local hotspot in and around Cleveland called "Melt".  Featured on "Man vs. Food", they're famous for thick, homemade bread, and variations on oversized grilled cheese sandwiches.  There are 4 locations in and around the Cleveland area.  I went to the Independence location.  The décor is a combination of "unabashed love letter to Cleveland" and "holiday decorations scattered around the attic":

 

 

Despite the long line, we were seated in a few minutes.  The staff was very friendly.  Since the combination of a burger and a grilled cheese sounded good, I ordered the breakfast burger, with an 8oz patty, fried egg, bacon and American cheese.  All dishes come with a pile of hand-cut fries and a side of slightly sweet, vinegar-based slaw:

Since the burger was so filling, I didn't even get to the fries.  But, the burger won me over.  The bread was perfectly grilled, the patty cooked just right, and the combination of egg and ham gave it a nice flavor.  After eating one of these sandwiches, you won't want to eat for the rest of the day.  I thought the prices were very reasonable (about $9.00 - $12.50 per sandwich).  I cant recommend this place enough.

One more place that opened near Independence:  Di Bella's Subs.  They have multiple locations from New York to Indiana, and they seem to be expanding quickly.  Their claim is to make the best sub sandwich ever.  To their credit, it's a very good sandwich on fresh-baked bread, at a reasonable price.

The interior looks like an Italian restaurant from the 1930's, with dark booths, and pictures of old celebrities on the walls.  It was a nice touch:

I had the "Old-fashioned" (turkey, ham, and salami) on white.  The meats were sliced in front of me, and there were plenty of toppings available.  I'd definitely order it again.  I also ordered one of their homemade chocolate chip cookies, and thought it was a nice way to end the meal.

I liked Di Bella's, and would definitely go back, but it wasn't the best sub I've had.  That honor goes to a little place in Ocean City, Maryland.  I'll get there soon enough, but first, let's head down south...

San Diego, California - Project Pie

At work today, a co-worker asked me if I wanted to go to Project Pie.  I'd never heard of it.  If you haven't heard of it, and you like pizza, read on...

Project Pie is located in the Hillcrest neighborhood.  There are no shortage of great places to eat in Hillcrest, so if you want to stay in business, you need to stand out.  As for what makes this place unique, think pizza at Chipotle.  Well, not exactly, but take the Chipotle model of personalizing your own item, and that's Project Pie.  It's essentially a (not-too-thin) thin-crust pizza that you design yourself.  But, before I get ahead of myself, here's a look inside:

 I didn't take a picture of the entire inside, but there are plenty of tables to sit at, and the walls are decorated with humorous and inspirational quotes.  Enough about the décor, let's talk about the food.

Project Pie offers 2 options:  1) ordering a pizza off the menu, or 2) building your own.  A basic cheese pizza is $6.00, and anything else is $7.50.  The pizza is 12".

So, you order your pizza, and fresh dough is stretched out.  Then the staff starts loading up on the toppings.  Extra pepperoni?  No problem.  Just a little pineapple?  You got it.  as much - or as little - of any topping(s) as you want for $7.50.  You could get mushrooms only, or one with every topping on the menu (and there are many), and the price is still $7.50...

After you've got everything you want on it, two minutes in the brick oven, and you're good to go.  Here's mine (pepperoni, meatball, and sausage - the #2):

 

 

I thought it was excellent!  The crust wasn't cracker-thin, and it was chewy on the inside.  It was also a little black on the bottom, since this is an actual pizza oven, fire and all.  It's cut into four giant slices.  I'd say depending on how hungry you are, you could probably split one with someone, and fill up.  If you're starving, be selfish, and order one for yourself...

 

I'm also happy to say the soda machine (with free refills) offered Boylan's natural cane sodas.  I haven't had Boylan's since I lived on the east coast.  It seems to be a regional favorite in the New York / New Jersey areas.  The cola, birch beer, and grape sodas are my recommendations.  Soda and pizza set me back $9.00.

Finally, I ordered a dessert pizza ($4.50) with nutella and banana to take back to the office.  I gave most of it away to co-workers, but the half-slice I had was good.  Basically, it was a chewy crepe.  My only complaint was that I wish they'd put a little more nutella on it.  I guess I could have asked for it, and would next time.  Peanut butter was also an option, as was cinnamon and sugar...   

In conclusion, I really enjoyed it, and the prices are great!  Try this place now!