Category Archives: restaurant

{Apr 24, 2013}
  fat cats

The other night I had the pleasure of having a great night out with some of our best friends. It was a spontaneous evening date, nothing on the calendar for months in advance but the big question was where we should go?

After a few failed try’s for reservations we all agreed that the oldie but a very goodie would be our dinner destination for the evening. One of Tremont’s coolest places to eat Fat Cat’s was way better that any of us remembered.

We had a 7:30 reservation and when we showed up it was jam packed. We enjoyed some great cocktails, insane tater tots with tomatoe jam, korean barbeque ribs, mussels and lumpia (filipino egg rolls.) The food was great, the service was outstanding and the company was even better.

I have to admit, I often forget about Fat Cat’s but not anymore, back on my top go-to places for a great dinner with friends.  If you haven’t been there in awhile go grab a drink but make sure you have a reservation because unlike me, a lot of Clevelanders haven’t forgot what a gem of a restaurant it is.

Fat Cats, 2061 West 10th Street, Cleveland, OH 44113

Posted on April 24, 2013 by charity
Posted in food, restaurant, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

{Mar 14, 2013}
  St Patrick’s fun!

It’s almost time! Just few more days until we all drink the green beer, dress in our finest tweed, enjoy the perfect soda bread & butter, do a jig or two, and enjoy a years worth of bagpipe tunes. It’s almost St Patricks Day people!!!

The famous Cleveland St Patricks Day Parade is this Sunday, kicks of at 2pm beginning on East 18th and Superior and continues the fun looping around town. The weather report looks good so far, at least it should be dry. The Boys from County Hell will be performing at House of Blues, Flannery’s AND The Harp. There will be plenty of corn beef served at some of our city’s traditional hot spots including Slyman’s, Corky & Lenny’s and Nate’s Deli and even the not so traditional eateries like Hodge’s (the perfect outdoor hot spot!) or Market Garden Brewery on 25th.

So you got your parade, your music, your corn beef so besides reminding everyone to take the RTA downtown I guess my last little wise words would be don’t forget to wear your green or you might get pinched!

(The image is from the Official Parade fb page by ©2012 Buckeye Photography, Inc)

Posted on March 14, 2013 by charity
Posted in event, events, holiday, holidays, outdoor, outdoors, outside, parade, restaurant, seasonal | 1 Comment

{Mar 7, 2013}
  Thai elephant

Looking for some awesome thai food on the westside? Well, look no more because Thai Elephant has come to Kamm’s Corner. We went the other day for lunch and I gotta say, it was a really yummy. All of the herbs and ingredients that went into my little happy bowl of soup and perfectly pan fried egg roll were fresh and flavorful. The lunch deals were affordable and quick, I can’t wait to go back for dinner some evening soon. Check it out when you can, call for take out, support this local gem.

Posted on March 7, 2013 by charity
Posted in food, new, restaurant | 4 Comments

{Mar 5, 2013}
  Luna Bakery = love

Morning CLE. The other morning I had a the opportunity to have a pre-work breakfast at this bakery that only existed in my wildest dreams. It was tiny, filled with light and tucked away in the corner of a thriving neighborhood. Upon entering  the scent of butter wafts through the air like a spring perfume. The pretty bakery creations are displayed on the counters, the coffee is perking and the friendly staff wait to serve you a morning meal with a smile. Luna Bakery was not in my dreams but instead on Fairmount Boulevard in Cleveland Heights.

MORE! →

Posted on March 5, 2013 by charity
Posted in bakery, breakfast, brunch, explore, food, french, restaurant, Uncategorized | Tagged | 3 Comments

{Feb 27, 2013}
  Restaurant Week treat!

So here we are pretty deep into our Cleveland winter weather. The novelty of boots and sweaters is starting to wear off and the thrill of open toe sandals is looming on the horizon. The food that I craved in October like hearty warm stews and casseroles are loosing their flavor and salads, fish taco’s and anything grilled is starting to sound good.

Know what else sounds good? Downtown Cleveland Alliance Restaurant Week. Now I know it kicked off last week (February 22nd) but it runs until Sunday (March 3rd) so you still have time to a get a reservation for lunch or dinner out this week/weekend. Tonight I am going to explore a new place I’ve never been with a friend I haven’t seen in a bit. I can’t wait for a slightly spring-forward menu paired with a glass of mid-week wine and some great girlie chat to round out this otherwise busy Wednesday.

Go ahead Cleveland, get out there and treat yourself to a bit of mid-week fun. After these last few days of cold windy rain, we all deserve it.

Posted on February 27, 2013 by charity
Posted in deal, deals, event, events, explore, food, local, restaurant, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

{Feb 19, 2013}
  Minh-Anh

Morning CLE. Did everyone have a nice long weekend? It was a beautiful sunny day yesterday, complete with a shiny new market and lots of happy vendors and shoppers. Did you get a chance to swing in? If not, add it to this weeks “to do” list for sure.

Have you ever been to Minh-Anh on Detroit Ave (around 54th)? It truly is some really great Vietnamese. On a recent snow day we went and I got crab ragoon and some tasty pho, complete with crispy egg roll and a diet coke…made for the perfect winter day lunch.

If you are ever looking for a great lunch hot spot, you’ve got to check it out. It’s such a Cleveland gem.  (plus look how cute the three ladies on the cover of the menu are, what’s not to love!)

Posted on February 19, 2013 by charity
Posted in adventure, food, restaurant | 2 Comments

{Jan 30, 2013}
  Guest Post // Zach Christy

Hey CLE, “boy” do I have a treat for you today! I don’t know if you remember or not but at the beginning of this year I put out to the universe a few goals for this blog and today I’d like to officially kick off the new i heart cleveland “man friend” series!

Not that I don’t write about things for both women AND men, but sometimes my sparkly, cupcake-filled, fashion-minded me overtakes and it’s always good to included a view from the other team…so here we go…

Today I’d like to introduce you to a friend of a friend (and now my friend too) Mr. Zach Christy. Zach seems to have his hands in some wildly creative projects around town and so when I approached him about his favorite hots spots  he really gave me lots of “to-do’s” to add to my own personal list. I know you will all be pleasantly surprised by some of his favorite foodie hot spots and I don’t know about you but after you finish reading his wise words, if you want to call me for tacos and guac…I totally have a craving.

Thanks so much Zach for kicking off this series! Cheers to a great year of spicy Mexican, antiquing adventures and more creative play. To follow Zach and see some of his work check out his vimeo site here! Take it away Zach…

“I moved to Cleveland in 2009. I moved here for a job and really didn’t think I would be staying for too long.  I met a girl and we dated for a little bit, but that’s beside the point.

Almost. 

We shared a mutual appreciation; let’s call it love,  for Mexican food.  Pretty early into our dating life we decided that we were going to try and go to every Mexican restaurant within the greater Cleveland area.  And, I am pretty sure we managed to get to most.  All of this is beside the point, other than the fact that it really allowed me to discover some of the great places that Cleveland has to offer that I would have never found.  It doesn’t hurt that my dad and I also deal antiques on the side. So, the willingness to go into places off the beaten path has been built into my nature from the start.

MORE! →

Posted on January 30, 2013 by charity
Posted in adventure, antiques, celebrate, design, explore, friend, man friend, restaurant, retail, shop, shopping | Leave a comment

{Jan 25, 2013}
  Winter weekend


Happy Friday CLEV-kids! It’s been the conversation topic of the week…”It’s so cold outside!” Perhaps some of you saw this picture I took yesterday through instagram (@charity216) while lunching at my favorite lunch spot; Pier W but for those of you who didn’t I had to share. The sun was out and we had a window spot which is the best seat in the house. The entire meal I was mesmerized by the flaky chunks of ice and snow that glistened on the lake. The shores of Lake Erie looked like Antarctica glaciers…I wish there were little penguins waddling down Edgewater Beach this time of year…wouldn’t that be so cute? I digress…

Anyhow, I know I’ve said it before but just a reminder on how great Pier W is for a lunch meet up, free parking, lots of sunshine, an amazing view of the city and oh, for all your resolution diet’s…the South Beach Salad is the best! Happy Friday and stay warm friends.

Posted on January 25, 2013 by charity
Posted in amazing, outdoor, outdoors, outside, restaurant | Tagged | Leave a comment

{Jan 21, 2013}
  a yummy giveaway

Happy Monday, happy inauguration & happy MLK day to all! If you have the day off, enjoy it all bundled up on your couch with a cup of cocoa, a warm fire (or electric blanket,) a stack of redbox flicks and pinterest! 

If you must get up and get to work (like moi) well then…I have a giveaway to lift your spirits and your awaken your italian food appetite. Piada has arrived in Northeast Ohio and I have a $25 gift card to fill your tummy.

Piada is like the Italian version of Chipotle. As a guest you have the choice of  pizza, pasta and salad where YOU pick you the toppings. Plus they have Peroni beer & cannoli sweets to add to any dinner.

This new Piada is located in South Euclid at 13947 Cedar Road…and you can order online ahead of time and pick it up, or eat in the newly designer italian styled cafe.

To win this $25 gift card tweet me (@iheartclev)  ”Sono Affamato! I want to win the $25 gift card from @iheartclev & @mypiada” Winner will be drawn at random on Friday the 25th. Good luck!

Posted on January 21, 2013 by charity
Posted in explore, food, restaurant | Tagged | 2 Comments

{Jan 11, 2013}
  Lizardville

Happy Friday everyone. What the heck is all this rain all about? Shouldn’t this be the pretty white fluffy stuff instead? Not to worry, I hear the snow will come back next week for a visit. Plus, if you want to think positively about it, it’s sorta nice to wash away all the dirty snow and be able to start fresh. Bust out your wellies and fluffy umbrellas, it’s gonna be a wet weekend.

Switching gears, have you ever been to “Lizardville?” I went for the first time last weekend. Trying to discover a few new places in this new year. Since I enjoy an afternoon  at Winking Lizard, I was curious what their “specialty” spot was all about.

Lizardville is a beer store offering over 600 different bottled beers from around the world. It is also a whiskey bar featuring over 170 whiskeys …they supposedly have the largest selection of whiskeys in Ohio.

We had mini sirloin & chicken burgers which were tasty and of course enjoyed a whiskey cocktail as well. The atmosphere was cozy, including lounge and traditional dining seating. I would for sure go back to try our some of the other cocktails but I have to say my “Ginger Cookie” was super yummy (Bulleit bourbon t & ginger beer) and I just might get another!

Cheers to weekend of cocktails, of home improvement, of spending times with friends celebrating birthdays and of course…the Golden Globes!

Posted on January 11, 2013 by charity
Posted in beer, food, restaurant, Uncategorized | Tagged | 1 Comment