A special counter visit this week, very unlike all the others. Today we went to Katz's in Cleveland Heights. Chef Doug Katz, famous for his other restaurants around Cleveland, opened this diner inside a 1949 diner car that had been located in Pennsylvania. The amazing chrome, glass and mirror interior has been restored, making it a real treat to see. The counter is dark wood, very large, and has comfortable cushioned seats. Katz combines the beautiful decor with high-quality food and service -- this is light-years away from your typical diner. Not that we cared, but we were a bit out of place reading the paper!
The menu has usual breakfast dishes, classic diner food for lunch and dinner, and some unusual choices for dessert (like homemade twinkies and ho-hos -- the only diner we know that has a pastry chef). We were there late morning, and since Cam didn't find chicken fingers on the menu, we both had breakfast. For Ted, eggs, home fries, toast and coffee. Home fries were very large chunks and were excellent. And they serve Rising Star coffee, an excellent brand. Cam went with a waffle and bacon, both outstanding. And we left with a twinkie to take home. All around, an outstanding meal -- we highly recommend it!
Cam says: "Awesome 80's diner atmosphere, with comfortable counter and lots of space. Best bacon I've ever had. This one gets a perfect 5 frying pans."
This weekend we were lazy. Rather than drive somewhere new (and possibly far), we went just down the road to Yours Truly in Chagrin Falls. We sort of consider this our "home" counter -- being that it's so close and we've been here many time. Regardless, it's never boring and a trip into Chagrin on a nice day is always fun -- lots of things to see (this time lots of dogs due to some dog-related event in the park, and the falls were pretty heavy due to recent rain). We were earlier than usual, so the place was fairly quiet -- counter half full but we got two seats together (which at this place are really close together -- not the most spacious). Ted had one of the summer specials, which was basically his usual plus fresh fruit. Cam had French toast for a change and bacon as usual. Excellent YT food quality as always, with the small exception of Ted's potatoes not arriving very well done as ordered. It was nice to be back here and we enjoyed a relaxed breakfast, talking and reading the newspaper.
Cam says: "Sort of a cramped place, but really good French toast and nice service. I give this counter 4 frying pans."
Ted says: "You can always count on YT for quality. Would have been a perfect 5 except they were off on the potatoes. Otherwise really good. A strong 4 frying pans."
On the excellent recommendation of our good friend Greg Murray, we made a trip to the near West side last Saturday for breakfast at Grumpy's Cafe in Tremont. We really loved this place! It's in a really cool area of the city and is a very popular place not just for breakfast but at any time. Unlike almost all the other counters we've checked out, Grumpy's is more of a traditional restaurant than it is a diner. For example, the decor is very un-diner-like -- nicely decorated, plants, great photography on the walls (and it's for sale). Just a really nice atmosphere.
When we got there mid-morning, there were loads of people waiting outside for tables. Fortunately, we went inside and only waited about 5 minutes before 2 seats opened up at the small counter. Since it was still fairly early, Cam wanted breakfast -- chocolate chip pancakes with whipped cream, and a side of bacon. No surprise, Ted had eggs, toast and home fries -- at Grumpy's, the home fries are made with cajun seasoning, very good and very spicy. We agreed that everything about the food was excellent. Maybe the only negative, which probably is what caused us both to deny a full five-pan rating here, was that the service wasn't all that great. Friendly enough, but not too attentive -- tough to get the servers' attention for additional requests, more coffee or whatever. Certainly this was due to how busy the place was, but still -- they could do better. That was a little frustrating, but overall it was still very good.
Cam says: "Delicious chocolate chip pancakes with whipped cream! Service wasn't great but the food was. Liked the atmosphere at this counter. I give it 4 frying pans."
Ted says: "Excellent food -- really enjoyed the cajun home fries since they are kind of unusual and I like spicy. Great atmosphere inside and the patio for nice weather must be very nice. Just the service keeps me from rating this one a perfect 5."
Last Tuesday we visited Fresh Start Diner in Twinsburg. Before going there though, we had a great round of golf at Brandywine Golf Club down in Peninsula. Beautiful early morning -- sunny and cool, and not too many people on the course. Cam had 2 pars (his recent lessons and golf camp clearly paying off) and Ted had 3 pars (despite not having played in probably a couple years). The course is very scenic, down in the Cuyahoga River valley. We had a great time!
We got to Fresh Start mid-morning, and being a weekday the place was nearly empty. We grabbed 2 seats at the counter. A couple of older ladies were running the place, and we struck up a conversation with them - the topic of the day was how our local paper, the Plain Dealer, was cutting back to 4 days a week in printed form starting Aug 5th. Fortunately, they will still print and deliver on Saturday and Sunday, so we'll be able to read the paper at the counter -- it's a key part of the experience!
This Fresh Start is more of less a duplicate of the Chagrin Falls location -- similar menu, decor and atmosphere. Since it was closer to lunch time than we usually go, Cam went for the chicken fingers and fries, while Ted had his usual breakfast -- including the famous Fresh Start home fries which are always excellent. We thought about the 14" pancake filled with ice cream, whipped cream, and chocolate syrup -- only for a second. Cam says the chicken was very good but the fries not so much. Since we had the place nearly to ourselves, service was great and we had a very relaxing meal. We highly recommend Fresh Start -- you won't be disappointed. At the Twinsburg location, tell your waitress you want to leave a tip for the cooks!
Cam says: "Great chicken -- very juicy. Service was great, the people were really friendly. Fries were just OK. A comfortable counter. I give this one 4 frying pans."
Ted says: "A good meal all around -- quality of food (although coffee could be a bit better), service and atmosphere. I also rate this counter 4 frying pans."
