This Week's Counter: The FortyNiner

One of a set of new counters we've identified, the FortyNiner is located in the North Broadway / Slavic Village neighborhood at Broadway and Pershing.  We stopped in on a late Saturday morning while on the way, with Bradley joining us, to do some Jeep-related shopping over on Brookpark Rd. 

 

Both the neighborhood and this place specifically look somewhat run down -- the FortyNiner currently has some boarded up windows and missing glass in the outside front door; we weren't sure if it was vandalized or if they are in the process of renovating.  Inside is like a trip back to 40+ years ago -- a very small place with maybe 10 tables and a large counter. The counter has several of those old jukeboxes mounted along it.  Everything (walls, seats, counter, kitchen) also looks 40 years old -- pretty beaten up, cracked and broken.  This place doesn't see a lot of maintenance investment.

 

It was pretty quiet when we got there, and we had our choice of seats at the counter. Servers were friendly enough, although not overly attentive. We quickly had drinks and looked over the menu.  The FortyNiner does breakfast and lunch -- open until 2PM each day. We all had breakfast -- Eggs, bacon, potatoes and toast for Cam, same for Ted (plus coffee) and Bradley had biscuits and sausage gravy. 

 

While the place probably isn't the most organized and clean we've seen, the food arrived fairly fast and was impressively hot and fresh.  No surprise, the potatoes could have been more crisp, but everything was pretty tasty.  Coffee, however, was a significant weak spot, "weak" being the key word.  For what we got (and it was only $22 total), it was decent value.

 

While the food was solid, the condition of the place is somewhat of a turnoff. But, if you are looking to go very low-end and experience a somewhat lost part of Cleveland, this could be the place for you!

 

 

 

Cam says: "Way below average appearance (and presumably, sanitation). Average service to come along with it. Slightly above average food. I'll give it 4 frying pans."

Ted says: "Really happy with the quality of the food, but unfortunately poor coffee and rundown interior are detractors. 5 pans."

 

 

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This Week's Counter: Irv's Sandwich Shop

We had visited Irv's in Cleveland Heights once before, but couldn't get seats at the counter -- so this was our 2nd attempt.  It's located in narrow space among a strip of stores on Taylor Rd.  Very unassuming, this looking from both inside and outside like a classic greasy spoon place.  A couple of tables and a fairly long counter fronting the cooking area where a single guy does all the work.

No problem with counter space this time, on a fairly quite Wednesday morning, even though it was between Christmas and New Years.  We ordered from the white boards up on the wall (no menus here), and got some drinks while we waited for the food.  Service was pretty prompt but not particularly friendly or attentive.  And the decor and cleanliness of the place left a lot to be desired.  But that's what Irv's is - the most basic of diners.

Surprisingly, the food totally made up for all the other shortcomings.  Bacon and egg sandwich with fries for Cam, and an western omelet and potatoes for Ted.  Everything was very fresh, hot and cooked perfectly -- one of the best counters we've done in terms of food quality.

Go for the food, not the atmosphere or the people.  It's high quality for a low price, and perfect for a great breakfast.  

                   

Cam says: "Great food, but not much atmosphere and subpar service. I give it 6 frying pans."

Ted says: "This is exactly my kind of place. Food was outstanding, and it's comfortable despite not being much to look at.  A very solid 6 frying pans, all driven by the food, not the service.."

This Week's Counter: Tommy's!

Can't believe we never thought of going to Tommy's, on Coventry in Cleveland Heights, before!  We've been there many times for lunch and dinner, but never breakfast.  We were there with some friends for dinner a few weeks ago an realized they have a small counter.  So Friday morning we went (a day off for Ted for his birthday and no school due to a teacher's day for Cam).

Lunch and dinner at Tommy's is usually crazy -- big crowds and long waits.  But getting there mid-morning on a weekday was perfect -- the place was quiet and we had the counter to ourselves.  Plenty of space and service was highly attentive.

Ted had his usual -- called the "breakfast special", like it is in most every diner -- eggs, toast and hash browns.  The portions were huge and the potatos (the main indicator of a quality breakfast) were pretty good.  Coffee was just OK -- nothing special.  Cam had a waffle and bacon -- he proclaimed the waffle to be the best he ever had!  He also finished the meal with a root beer milkshake to go.

Highly recommend Tommy's to anyone looking for a good and filling breakfast on the East side -- and I think we've never had anything but super-friendly and excellent service there.  You can also enjoy the eclectic mix of shops along Coventry Rd when you're done.  

   

Cam says: "Best waffle ever! Bacon was not up to par -- which means it can't get 5 pans. Comfortable counter and good service!"

                                          

Ted says: "Good stuff -- not cheap, but very large portions and decent quality.  Coffee could be better -- maybe the only drawback.  Go here! " 

                                         

This Week's Counter: The Katz Club Diner

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."

                                         

Ted says: "Very unusual diner experience -- didn't expect it but very pleasantly surprised. You can't beat the quality of the food, combined with the atmosphere. Go here!  Perfect 5 from me too."