Sunday, April 28, 2013

This Week's Counter: Michael's Diner (Shaker Square)


We went down to Shaker Square this weekend, and stopped in at Michael's Diner.  Michael's is located in the RTA Rapid Transit station on the Square.  It's a fairly small place, narrow and long, with big windows looking out on the tracks, so you can see the trains go by.  This place is your classic old-school, greasy spoon type of diner.  No frills, typical diner menu -- lots of frying going on!  And a few shady characters coming in and out, not surprising for that part of town.  Seems like it's owned by a Russian family -- hostess, waitresses, manager and cooks all were Russian, and you could tell it was a family operation.  When sitting at the counter, the cook is working just a few feet away and you can see everything.  Despite being busy, there were plenty of seats at the counter. We could spread out and read the paper and watch the place run. Staff was very friendly, and service was attentive. Cam got chicken and fries since it was noon -- huge plate, maybe the biggest we've seen -- and thought it was great. Ted had his usual breakfast -- they make some good coffee here. All around, the food was excellent.  We liked this place -- we'll be back!

Cam says: "Liked the old-time diner atmosphere.  Best chicken I've ever had!  Very comfortable counter. Have to give this one a perfect 5 frying pans!"


Ted says: "A very fun, real diner experience.  Pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food and the service -- excellent value for the money ($15 for the two of us).  Hard to find any faults -- I also have to go with 5 frying pans."

Sunday, April 21, 2013

This Week's Counter: Fresh Start, Chagrin Falls

Today we visited the Fresh Start Diner in Chagrin Falls. Located right on Main St. in the center of the village, Fresh Start has the feel of an old-style, small town restaurant. It was busy, but not overly crowded - there was plenty of space at the counter. This place has great service - seemed like there were as many waitresses as tables! Friendly too - the owner was chatting with many customers. The counter was spacious - lots of room for reading the paper while eating. The menu is pretty extensive - lots of flavors of pancakes and waffles, which you don't see too often. Since it was late morning, Cam went for chicken fingers and fries. Ted stuck with his usual breakfast - eggs, toast, potatoes and coffee. We thought the food was great - very tasty and prepared as we had ordered it.



Cam says: "Flavorful chicken, at a great place to eat. I give this counter 4 frying pans."


Ted says: "I liked this place. Good food, service and atmosphere. The only flaw was the quality of the coffee - kind of weak.  I'm going to rate this counter 4 frying pans."

Sunday, April 7, 2013

This Week's Counter: YT Beachwood

This morning we stopped in at Yours Truly Restaurant in Beachwood, the oldest of the several locations in the YT chain. It's so small that we didn't think we'd find seats at the counter, but after a couple minutes wait, two opened up for us. This place was chaotic! Very crowded with loads of people waiting for one of the 10 or so small tables (good luck getting a seat without a wait). While the crowds were a bit distracting, it gave the place a sense of energy. From the usual excellent YT menu we both ordered breakfast - a waffle with whipped cream and bacon for Cam, and eggs, hash browns and toast for Ted. The food was good, although the service was a little off (not as attentive and accurate as other YT locations we've visited).




Cam says: "The food was great! The restaurant was too cramped. I give this counter 4 pans."

Ted says: "A little too hectic for me, too many people in such a small space. Meal was good, although a little disappointed in the service, food not cooked exactly as I ordered it. I give this counter a rating of 3 pans."

Friday, April 5, 2013

Welcome To 'Eat At The Counter'!

We're Ted and Cam, a father and son from Cleveland, Ohio. We like eating at the counter in restaurants. There's something fun, relaxing, and social about sharing some food, chatting with the wait staff and other patrons, and watching the operation of the restaurant - you usually don't have the same experience sitting at a regular table. The counter is cool!

We recently got into the habit of Saturday morning breakfast at the counter of various restaurants here in town. Each time, we started talking about what we liked and didn't like about that counter. Thus, the idea for this blog was born!

We plan to regularly post about our experiences dining at various counters, make recommendations about the best ones to visit and rate each new one we try. We're thinking of a rating system based on scores of 1 (poor) to 5 (outstanding) frying pans -- like this:

Maybe we'll get more detailed with our ratings as we go. We'll see how it works and what feedback we get.

So this is our first post, just to introduce ourselves and our idea. Follow along as we write about our counter visits. And feel free to send your recommendations on counters we should try - we're interested in going places we haven't been before.  Let us know where you like to go.  Happy eating!