Julian's

Place:  Julian’s

Web-site: Not available

Location:  314 Pioneer Street, Akron, Ohio Google Maps

Quick Blurb:

Clam Chowder & Bread Pudding – be sure to visit on a Friday so you can have the opportunity of tasting this excellent combination. This hole-in-the-wall restaurant is as down to earth as you can get. If you live in the area, you’ve got to give Julian’s a try. 

Review:

Appearance:

As I said – a hole in the wall. Upon entering, it’s a small restaurant with booths on either side and then tables down the middle. My guess would be about 6 or 7 booths on each side – to give you an idea of depth. The kitchen is then located in the back and that’s all there is to it. 

Staff:

Each and every time we’ve been, I have never had a complaint about the staff. The waitresses are so friendly and pleasant to speak with. Even on our first trip we struck up a conversation and had a joke or two go back and forth. 

Meal:

Entrée:

We’ve been there only on Friday’s as that is the day we go out to lunch from work. We noticed early on that Clam Chowder was on their specialty menu – clam chowder it is. Believe me, there are a ton of clams in each bowl of chowder you order. It isn’t a couple of clams masked by loads of potato. Rather the opposite.  With a nice side of oyster crackers and some Louisiana hot sauce to sprinkle on, there isn’t much more satisfaction you can get from a meal less than $4. Oh and it does fill you up. I am very hesitant in order clam chowder anywhere, but the fact that it is homemade, right there by the chef, I took the chance and have never been proven wrong. It is delicious!

Desserts:

Ok, if you do make it over to Julian’s, please, do me a favour and order the bread pudding. If you get nothing to eat, just order the bread pudding. Another homemade masterpiece – I don’t think I’ve had bread pudding as good as this anywhere. The beauty of it all, the inclusion of rum…makes a nice Friday lunch treat before returning to work….

Drinks:

I’ve only ever had the soft drinks. I tended to stay away from water because it had a bit of a taste to it, and I’m picky about tap water – I don’t want it to taste like anything.

Prices:

Chowder, bread pudding and a soda = less than $10 with a tip included. You can't beat that really. A quality, homemade meal for under $10 with tip. It’s a steal!

Overall Experience:

I have had some other items on the menu before venturing into the chowder and they were ok. Not great, nothing spectacular, but decent. That said, I haven’t had anything else but the clam chowder since ordering it the first time. 

The staff is great. As I said, friendly, polite, a sense of humor and down to earth. It’s fun to go to Julian’s – you get a solid meal for a great price and you feel welcomed. Places like this are hard to come by nowadays. Go on a Friday and give the chowder and bread pudding combo a try!

Lola

Place:  Lola

Web-site: http://www.lolabistro.com/

Location:  2058 East 4^th Street, Cleveland, OH Google Maps

Quick Blurb:

One of the best restaurants I have been too. It was exciting to see a menu with dishes that you don’t typically find in Ohio. Great atmosphere and excellent service. The only thing keeping me from going again and again is the price. Don’t get me wrong though, it’s worth it!

Review:

Appearance:

While located on East 4^th, it is more of a side street. No cars can drive through the area and there are a few other restaurants around. Nothing stands out too much from the outside, but once in, the décor is wonderful:  Dim lighting, nice long bar to the side, tables situated on two levels and a lower level “party room” and restroom area.

Staff:

We were greeted promptly and politely at the door. We knew we were early for our 8:15 reservations (we arrived at 7:45) and were prepared to have a drink at the bar in the mean time. Instead, they had our table ready and we were seated promptly.

Our server was polite, patient and willing to help out in anyway. Being our first time in the restaurant, he provided us with the recommendations of the masses and then also his own. We started off with a drink and were never pressed to make decisions. We felt comfortable taking our time and this is something I value when dining out.

Meal:

Appetizer:

My wife went for the popular Beef Cheek Perogies, with wild mushrooms and horseradish crème fraiche. I did manage a taste and, while not being a perogie fan (of the actual outside dough), they were delicious. The beef cheek was tender and tasty. I never had horseradish crème fraiche, but I would like to see more of it.

I went for the Crispy Veal Sweatbreads, with fresh chickpeas, pearl onions, bacon and capers. I haven’t seen sweatbreads on the menu in Ohio and was excited to have them. I had never seen a fresh chickpea before and was shocked to see it was green and had a nutty flavour – very different than the canned chickpeas you are used to – SO much better! The applewood bacon was in pieces and cooked well and the addition of capers just topped off the meal for me. I am quite the fan of capers! I would have a hard time not ordering this again the next time we go, if they have it on the menu still. The night we arrived it was brand new to the menu.

Entrée:

My wife got the Scallops with butternut squash, Brussels sprouts, blood orange, bacon and cilantro. Perfectly seared on both sides, the scallops were sweet and tasty! The dish looked beautiful with the orange of the butternut squash, the green of the sprouts and the red blood oranges. The combination of ingredients was full of flavor but also light on the stomach. My wife was a big fan of the scallops and said she’d be hard pressed to order them somewhere else and enjoy them as much!

I went for the Rib Eye with smoked blue cheese and wild mushrooms. This was one of the most flavorful steaks I’ve had. The mushrooms were extremely good and complimented the hearty steak nicely. The blue cheese was a little too subtle and I didn’t taste much of it – but when I did, I enjoyed it a lot.

Desserts:

My wife went with the “Mint Chocolate Chip”:  Peppermint fudge cake, chocolate chip mousse, and spearmint syrup. The taste of peppermint and spearmint was a welcomed change from the typical minty flavor you get everywhere. The fudge and mousse were rich, but not overbearing.

I went with the Mango Parfait:  mango, lime, cashew, cilantro, and Paulina’s banana bread. What an intense dish. The mango was ripe and sweet. The banana bread consisted of slices of banana with carmalized brown sugar on top – similar to a crème brulee. Talk about being unique.

Drinks:

Martini served perfectly – strait up with a twist.

We each had a glass of the Ben Glaetzer shiraz – lighter body than other shiraz’s we’ve had, but just as intense with flavours of cherry and pepper. Mighty tastey.

I had a second with the steak and my wife went with the Sancerre. You don’t seee Sancerre’s on the menu often. She typically goes with Sauvingon Blanc, but I steered her towards the Sancerre. She was very happy with the choice. Light and fruity, but not sweet. It had an aroma that would keep you just smelling over and over again.

The coffee was nice. I take mine black and it wasn’t very strong, but not watery either – a nice mix.

Prices:

It isn’t cheap. The rib eye was the most expensive at $35. Everything else seemed reasonable for the quality. There aren’t many places you can get a combination of ingredients like these. I love how different it was. The dishes stood out on the menu and on the plate. That’s worth the extra cost to me.

Overall Experience:

A terrific restaurant that I think everyone should try at some point. As I just said, the unique combination of ingredients makes it a fun meal. One thing that I would like to point out when going out for two people – there are a few tables that are situated rather close to one another. We were lucky and had our own table next to a wall. I do not like being seated at a two-person table with another couple within two feet of us. I don’t know how we lucked out, but we did and it made a difference – we felt isolated even though we were in the middle of a restaurant.

You’ve got to give this a go if you’re a fan of eating great food!

Coming Up: Lola

Going to Lola tonight! I've heard many positive remarks from people who have been there, so I'm very eager to get there.

Reservations are at 8:15 - time to get ready!