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[huck1974]

@the-gipper said:

For a genuine Cleveland experience go the the Old Harbor Inn on the west side of The Flats. You'll see everyone there from dock workers to boatsmen to men in suits, bikers, to hot chicks.

For true "Fine Dining" I believe places such as Lola's and Lolita's are in current favor, owned by renowned Chef Michael Simon. I believe they are downtown. I cannot afford to go there, but maybe you can.

Didn't mean to come across that way. When I save up and go on a trip, I like to do it right.

[Tim Couch Pulls Out]

What's this "Melt" place I saw on the Food Network?

[hoorta]

@ballpeen said:

Places I like:

Best bar with a great restaurant to boot....Johnny's....old school bar and restaurant....real bartenders, a 50's feel.

I have been to all and know you will like any of them. They all have my seal of approval.....and all have web sites you can check out.

You talking the Johnny's Downtown, or the one on Fulton? Haven't been to the Downtown place, but the original on Fulton is outstanding. They even let me bring my own vino in, which saves a ton on the bar bill. Anyone from out of town would never believe looking at the outside that a 4 Star restaurant resides within.

& Let's get the damn labor dispute settled, so we can plan on St. Elmo's in Indy.

[Vagitron]

@tim-couch-pulls-out said:

What's this "Melt" place I saw on the Food Network?

Supposedly pretty solid. I've never been.

[ballpeen]

@hoorta said:

You talking the Johnny's Downtown, or the one on Fulton? Haven't been to the Downtown place, but the original on Fulton is outstanding. They even let me bring my own vino in, which saves a ton on the bar bill. Anyone from out of town would never believe looking at the outside that a 4 Star restaurant resides within.

& Let's get the damn labor dispute settled, so we can plan on St. Elmo's in Indy.

Downtown.

I am going to have to pass on the Indy trip. The Gators host the Vols on the 17th and I think I am going to head south for that game.

[ballpeen]

@huck1974 said:

You guys are great!

We are coming the weekend of September 23rd for the Browns Dolphins game. My seats are 109 row 2. I want to experience every NFL city and stadium before I die. Thanks for all your suggestions. Every big city has a lot to offer and good people (Jets fans aside). Looking forward to meeting some more new friends.

The guys on this site host tailgate parties. You can find the info on the front page. All are welcome.

They do the cooking and all you do is drop a few bucks in the can and enjoy the company of good Browns fans.....no hassles....well, maybe a little good natured ribbing.

Join us.

[huck1974]

@ballpeen said:

The guys on this site host tailgate parties. You can find the info on the front page. All are welcome.

They do the cooking and all you do is drop a few bucks in the can and enjoy the company of good Browns fans.....no hassles....well, maybe a little good natured ribbing.

Join us.

Thank you. I will absolutely take you up on that.

[huck1974]

mikeyP72 said:

A little outdated but this vid should help you out

Here is the original, part 1 so you can see the whole series.

ENJOY and ENJOY Cleveland!

Dude, I just watched those. That good stuff right there. I needed that.

[The Gipper]

@ballpeen said:

Places I like:

Seafood....Blue Point.....a bit further west....maybe a $25 cab fare, Pier W.

Brazilian Steakhouse....Brasa Grille

Italian....Osteria

Steaks....Cleveland Chop House and Brewery, Mortons, John Q's

Spanish....Mallorca (Don't confuse with Mexican.....a great place)

Cajun....Fat Fish Blue

Best bar with a great restaurant to boot....Johnny's....old school bar and restaurant....real bartenders, a 50's feel.

I have been to all and know you will like any of them. They all have my seal of approval.....and all have web sites you can check out.

I think you can take Ballpeen's reccomendations to the bank.

[The Gipper]

@ballpeen said:

Downtown.

I am going to have to pass on the Indy trip. The Gators host the Vols on the 17th and I think I am going to head south for that game.

Have you been to the Johnny's on Fulton peen? I believe it is the superior venue.

[The Gipper]

@ballpeen said:

The guys on this site host tailgate parties. You can find the info on the front page. All are welcome.

They do the cooking and all you do is drop a few bucks in the can and enjoy the company of good Browns fans.....no hassles....well, maybe a little good natured ribbing.

Join us.

Maybe Roach and Stan will have a "Fish Fry" for the tailgate in honor of playing the Dolphins that day.

[huck1974]

@the-gipper said:

Maybe Roach and Stan will have a "Fish Fry" for the tailgate in honor of playing the Dolphins that day.

Excellent! I love a good fish fry. Its the typical thing when playing the Dolphins. Why? I don't know. Dolphins are not fish. Nothing beats a good fish fry though. Both teams have been mired in suckyness for years, but we keep going to the games. It must the the beer that does it to us and the hope that some day before we pass, our team will have its day. If fish is on the menu, I could bring a cooler full from the ozarks. I'm driving in from Missouri.

Looking forward to it

[Kosar_For_President]

@hoorta said:

You talking the Johnny's Downtown, or the one on Fulton? Haven't been to the Downtown place, but the original on Fulton is outstanding. They even let me bring my own vino in, which saves a ton on the bar bill. Anyone from out of town would never believe looking at the outside that a 4 Star restaurant resides within.

& Let's get the damn labor dispute settled, so we can plan on St. Elmo's in Indy.

Johnny's (both of them) sucks balls. The most overpriced shit in Cleveland. My friends own Sokolowski's, best food in my books. Swenson's makes me horny. If you want upscale, Bricco by the Playhouse Theatre is kick ass.

[ballpeen]

@the-gipper said:

Maybe Roach and Stan will have a "Fish Fry" for the tailgate in honor of playing the Dolphins that day.

Disposing of hot grease isn't as easy as dumping some coals and dumping some water on them.

They already work pretty hard setting these things up.

[The Gipper]

@ballpeen said:

Disposing of hot grease isn't as easy as dumping some coals and dumping some water on them.

They already work pretty hard setting these things up.

For sure. It was really just a concept post anyway. Or maybe they can grill some mahi mahi?

(or have fish tacos)

[ballpeen]

Oh, I know.

I like the tailgate thing myself.

For old times sake I may do the Muni for one game and set up and cook something up....my New Orleans BBQ Shrimp might be legendary.

[roach]

@huck1974 said:

Excellent! I love a good fish fry. Its the typical thing when playing the Dolphins. Why? I don't know. Dolphins are not fish. Nothing beats a good fish fry though. Both teams have been mired in suckyness for years, but we keep going to the games. It must the the beer that does it to us and the hope that some day before we pass, our team will have its day. If fish is on the menu, I could bring a cooler full from the ozarks. I'm driving in from Missouri.

Looking forward to it

Sorry. We won't have a fish fry. In all of our years in doing this we've had one fish fry. It was a flop. The fish was great (Lake Erie perch donated by a few fellow tailgaters), but many people are kinda fickle about fish and seafood in general. It was a lot of work that was enjoyed by less than we hoped.

[The Gipper]

@roach said:

Sorry. We won't have a fish fry. In all of our years in doing this we've had one fish fry. It was a flop. The fish was great (Lake Erie perch donated by a few fellow tailgaters), but many people are kinda fickle about fish and seafood in general. It was a lot of work that was enjoyed by less than we hoped.

No worries mate. Maybe we can just find a Dolphin and burn it in effigy and call that our "fish fry".

[The Gipper]

On the other hand, there may be sufficient "flamers" amongst Dolphins fans.

Anyone have a problem with having the fun loving "trash talk" get kick started already?

[hoorta]

@kosar_for_president said:

Johnny's (both of them) sucks balls. The most overpriced shit in Cleveland. My friends own Sokolowski's, best food in my books. Swenson's makes me horny. If you want upscale, Bricco by the Playhouse Theatre is kick ass.

Whoa there guy. I hate to pull out my Restaurant Reviewer card, but having dined at my share of 4 and 5 star establishments around the country, think I have a pretty good feel for how high is up in the fine dining world. I was a regular at Cincinnati's Maisonette- the longest running 5 Star on the Mobil Travel guide (and the only 5 Star in Ohio) until they folded a few years back. IMHO Swenson's and Sokolowski's wouldn't be any critic's list of "fine dining" by a long shot. Burgers? Really? My local hang out here in Dayton, The Pine Club still hand trims their meat on premises, so their "hamburger" is aged ground NY strip, ribeye and fillet. Next time you're in Swenson's ask them if they can make a similar claim. Good Polish food? FWIW, I'm 1\2 Polish, so kielbasi and pierogis, followed up by a kolachki dessert isn't exactly my idea of fine dining. Hey, you want to talk ethnic, the Balaton serves up the best Hungarian food in town. OTOH, Johnny's can hold up with virtually any Four Star place in the country- they get a "fail" only when compared to places like Bern's Steakhouse in Tampa, they of the 2,000+ bottle wine list- the biggest in the world. "Overpriced" goes with the territory of fine dining, sad to say. LOL, you'd have to take out a second mortgage to do a week of fine dining in New York City if you want to talk overpriced.