[ by Taylor Patterson and Kelly Petryszyn ]
Follow your hunger to new foodie destinations. Find flaming cheese in Greektown, throwback Tiki cocktails, Ohio maple syrup and more just a short drive away. Plus, we map out quick bites along your route.
P I T T S B U R G H
photo by Taylor Blocksom
1. Sultry F&B
When chefs Melissa Barth and Brian Forrester moved from Phoenix to Pittsburgh, they were surprised to discover quirky food trends they hadn’t encountered before. That included fries on salads (what?!) and tables of homemade cookies at weddings. The latter trend especially intrigued the couple, so they set out to class up traditional buckeyes — peanut butter and powdered sugar cookies dipped in chocolate — when they opened Sultry F&B in Pittsburgh’s Smallman Galley food hall last summer.
“I made it into a fully composed dessert — a peanut butter mousse and dark chocolate ganache dribbled over top. It was a homage to that cookie table,” says Barth of her Buckeye Bomb version ($7).
The Culinary Institute of America graduate divulges she’s a science nerd about baking, explaining that she has to whip the peanut butter and cream at a precise speed to keep the mousse airy.
“You’re incorporating air [bubbles] into peanut butter molecules,” Barth says. “You can’t do it too quickly because you’ll burst them.”
To emulate a buckeye, she freezes the mousse in a round mold and carefully pours on ganache, leaving a peanut butter eye. The plate is garnished with streusel crumble aside caramelized banana pastry cream and macerated berries that cut the richness.
They might be the new chefs in town, but their culinary treat has won over locals. “They took that first bite — it’s creamy and light,” Barth says. “A lot of people were pleasantly surprised.”
photo provided by Gaucho Parilla
2. Gaucho Parilla: There’s consistently a line out the door, but locals attest it’s worth the wait. Many come for the Asado platter ($55) with toast, chimichurri and five cuts of steak — flank, strip, sirloin, filet, rib-eye — wood-fired on an Argentinian grill. Bring your crew — it’s a whopping 25 ounces of delectable smoky meat. 146 Sixth St. this spring, Pittsburgh
photo provided by Penn Avenue Fish Co.
3. Penn Avenue Fish Co.: Fishmongers use a soup spoon to carefully scape the fattiest part of the tuna off the bone for their Crazy Tuna rolls ($12.99). “The closer to the bone the tastier the meat,” says Owner Henry Dewey. Crispy shrimp tempura, caviar, avocado and a Sriracha-based sauce complete one of the freshest tuna rolls around. 2208 Penn Ave., Pittsburgh
While You’re There: Get lost in the culinary maze of ethnic markets, street vendors and specialty shops along Penn Avenue. Make sure to grab nutty Ossau-Iraty French sheep’s milk cheese from Pennsylvania Macaroni Co. 2010 Penn Ave., Pittsburgh
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Levi Ely
photo provided by Schmidt’s
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Ashley Mercer
photo provided by Schmidt’s
1. Schmidt’s Sausage Haus
When you take a bite of Schmidt’s nationally renowned sausages, you’re tasting Columbus’ history — a city where German immigrants and descendants once comprised a third of the population. Among them was J. Fred Schmidt, who opened a meat-packing plant in 1886. His family carried on his name by opening Schmidt’s Sausage Haus in Columbus’ German Village in 1967. Today, a fifth generation of Schmidts runs the restaurant and still use recipes from the meat-packing days.
“It’s not just the food that
tells the Schmidt’s story, it’s the history and consistency,” says Chief Operating Officer Carla Epler.
Try Schimdt’s award-winning Bahama Mama sausage made of pork and beef stuffed in an Old World natural casing and seasoned with red pepper flakes and mustard seed for a spicy zip. It’s hickory smoked for 2 1/2 hours to bring out a sweet, bacon-like flavor.
Order it as a platter ($13), with the sausage on a split-top bun, accompanied by hot kraut, applesauce and warm German potato salad. “The nice bite of vinegar in potato salad gives a great pop to the sausage,” says Epler.
The building tells a story from the past too — it was home to a livery stable, and the booths resemble wooden stalls. The walls are lined with artifacts, like George Schmidt’s fair ribbons and gloves from former pro boxer Buster Douglas.
“Schmidt’s is a living, breathing thing,” Epler says. “It’s not just a restaurant, it’s home.”
240 E. Kossuth St., Columbus, 614-444-6808, schmidthaus.com
photo provided by Wunderbar
2. Wunderbar: While the bar opened in March 2019, the historic building it’s in has been a gathering spot for 150 years and still has nostalgic charm. Order its signature Frankfort Old-Fashioned ($10), made with Overproof bourbon, sweet maple syrup, walnut and spicy bitters. Head to the Pierogi Mountain food counter inside to get your fix of the Polish comfort food, too. 739 S. Third St., Columbus
photo provided by Bethany Masters
3. Pistacia Vera: This cafe’s classic French pastries will make you feel like an aristocrat. The Chocolate Pistachio Feuilletine ($7) layers pistachio and chocolate mousse on a caramelized white chocolate crust with a green pistachio glaze for a taste that’s as complex as its preparation. “Pistachio brings a buttery and rich flavor, and chocolate tops it off with another layer of richness,” says Cafe Manager AJ Schultz. 541 S. Third St., Columbus
While You’re There: Visit a bookworm’s dream, the Book Loft. Pre-Civil War-era buildings are now home to a 32-room bargain shop — you can spend hours digging for buried literary gems. 631 S. Third St., Columbus
D E T R O I T
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photo provided by Gloden Fleece
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Michelle Gerard Michelle Gerard | michellegerard
1. Golden Fleece
When people first order the flaming cheese at Golden Fleece, they often expect a flicker. But when a server brings out the saganaki ($8), it more closely resembles a blaze — and it’s often taller than your head.
“People get scared when they’re not expecting. First-timers are funny,” says Co-owner Spero Dionysopoulos.
The flame is a playful flourish American Greektown restaurants add to liven up the traditional Greek fried cheese dish. Golden Fleece starts the fire with vodka, not brandy like some others use, so there’s no residual taste. Since it’s the oldest restaurant in Detroit’s Greektown and the owners are second-generation Greek Americans, showcasing the kasseri cheese imported from Greece is important.
“You’re lighting the alcohol and it burns out. You’re keeping the integrity of the cheese,” Dionysopoulos says. A splash of lemon complements saltiness and helps extinguish the flame, leaving a gooey breaded cheese to spread on crusty Greek bread or house-made pita.
“The perfect saganaki has a little crust on the outside, it stretches,” he adds.
Ordering saganaki has become a must-do experience for generations of locals and a way to introduce newcomers to what Greektown is all about.
“Just like saganaki, Greektown is fun,” Dionysopoulos says. “When you light it, you say, ‘Opa!’ — that means cheers. It’s representative of Greektown — people are always happy here.”
525 Monroe St., Detroit, 313-962-7093, goldenfleece-detroit.com
photo provided by Al-Ameer Restaurant
2. Al-ameer Restaurant: Taste authentic Middle Eastern cuisine at Al-Ameer Restaurant started by Lebanese immigrants. The winner of the James Beard America’s Classic award earns praise for its stuffed lamb served over cinnamon rice ($17.95). Marinated baby lamb from Al-Ameer’s halal butcher becomes tender and juicy after roasting for almost five hours. “It’s very delicate,” says General Manager Hassan Hashem. 12710 W. Warren Ave., Dearborn
photo provided by Cheat Treats Cafe
3. Cheat Treats Cafe: Indulge in guilty pleasures with slightly less guilt. The foot-tall Fred Flinstone Freakshake ($12) cuts back with a Stevia milkshake packed with cotton candy, a Rice Krispies treat, M&M’s, rock candy and a signature low-fat, high-protein cheesecake without added sugars or butter. “As soon as we bring them out, their eyes light up,” says Owner Ali Hasem. “They don’t know where to start.” 5838 Schaefer Road, Dearborn
While You’re There: Off of the neon-lit Monroe Street, find Greektown Casino, baklava at Astoria Pastry Shop and ouzo at Bakaliko Greek market, set to open this month from the Golden Fleece owners.
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photo by Kelly Petryszyn
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thisiscleveland.com
Porco Lounge & Tiki Room
Tiki bars began as an escape from difficult World War II-era life in America. More than 80 years later, our issues are different but Porco Lounge & Tiki Room Owner Stefan Was attests the need for escapism remains.
“We’re looking for a way to get away,” Was says. “At a venue like ours, you can go on vacation.”
Porco uses ‘30s recipes to transport patrons to a time when cocktails were pure before processed mixers and concentrated juices.
“We’re historians,” he says. “We try to make the most honest, sincerest cocktails. We put so much effort into our house-made syrups and fresh-squeezed juices.”
Porco gives the classic Painkiller, made with fresh pineapple, orange and creamy coconut, an upgrade with Cruzan Black Strap Rum in its Painkiller Level 2 version ($11). The Jamaican rum’s approachable chocolatey coffee notes have made it Porco’s No. 1 seller. “It’s almost like a milkshake,” Was says.
Tiki goes beyond what’s slid across the bar — it’s about music, service, decor, atmosphere. Was considers himself a curator of Porco’s Tiki memorabilia ranging from a Princess Kaiulani outrigger canoe to pufferfish lamps from Cleveland’s 70s-era Kon Tiki bar. To really turn back the clock, there aren’t TVs and reggae surf DJs only spin vinyl.
“It harkens back to what our ancestors experienced — I’ve got umbrellas stuck in my hair, I’ve got swizzle sticks in my hand,” he says. “Just like it was back in the day.”
2527 W. 25th St.,
Cleveland, 216-802-9222, porcolounge.com
photo by Tylar Sutton
Ball Ball Waffle
As a kid growing up in Hong Kong, Aldous Lau followed the call of the man behind the bubble waffle cart. The street vendor would shout as his confections finished on the charcoal burner and kids came running.
“Almost every little boy, little girl in Hong Kong — they have the memory of the bubble waffle,” says Lau, a Cleveland transplant.
Now Lau and his wife serve the nostalgic treat at Ball Ball Waffle, which they opened in Cleveland’s AsiaTown last year. Find plain bubble waffles along with playful twists like cheese filled or Oreo chocolate. The matcha mochi ($7) reimagines traditional ingredients by mixing imported Japanese matcha powder into egg batter and filling each bubble with mochi rice cakes from Taiwan.
“The mochi is very chewy. It’s lots of sweet, and you can taste a little bitter matcha,” Lau says. “Matcha tea is very popular in Asia.”
After griddling it, the warm mochi softens inside the waffle, and the outside gets blow-dried to crisp its edges, adding more intriguing layers. It’s topped with powdered sugar and condensed milk, but you can select add-ons like vanilla ice cream ($1 extra) and chocolate syrup, or order Hong Kong-style milk tea ($3-$4) to complete the experience.
Skip the fork and knife and instead eat it like you’re roaming Hong Kong, by tearing off one bubble at a time. The flavors may be unorthodox but it still makes Lau feel like a kid again.
“It feels like back to Hong Kong,” he says.
Asia Plaza, 2999 Payne Ave., Suite 126, Cleveland, 216-282-3834, facebook.com/ballballwaffle
