Restaurant Reviews

If you happen to pass perfectly, then don’t bother reading these restaurant reviews. But if, like most of us, you need assurance that subtle or perhaps larger imperfections in your presentation will be ignored and your business welcomed then read on. Since I’ve been there and lived to tell about it, you can too. These places will guarantee that you can be all dressed up and always have somewhere to go. Old reviews of places now closed are kept at the bottom of the list...just in case people want to know of past culinary adventures.

This list is a little shallow, since I've been going just about anywhere anyhow.

–Diane Sofia Frank

Marcals

6786 Pearl Rd.,
Middleburg Heights

Phone 440-885-5510.

In recent months, Sheila has eaten several times at a nice little restaurant on Pearl Road in Middleburg Heights called Marcals. Prices are reasonable, the food ranges from pleasant to good and the "wait" people, generally female, read me as male and treat me as female. After dinner, it's only a few steps to Marcal's piano bar where the piano man is surprisingly talented. His one-man presentation is augmented by tons of electric componentry, but it seems to work in a personal kind of way.

You'll find the Marcals display ad in the Cleveland Yellow Pages with seafood specialties, prime or choice steaks and veal dishes being advertised. I can attest to the veal; tender and tasty.

The neighborhood is perfectly safe, unlike some of the downtown places I've frequented. This is a place to take your wife, for dinner and dancing as well, fellas. Although not a five star establishment the comfort level at Marcals is easily five stars.

Snickers Eatery & Drinkery

1261 W 76th St, Cleveland, OH

Phone: (216) 631-7555

Moved to 49th and Detroit-
Former Location of Bela's Four Seasons

You’ve got the perfect dress. You’ve got the perfect company. You’re ready to celebrate and break the budget a little (or more). How about a place you need no excuses to go to? Yes, the food at Snickers is that good. And I’m going to be even better. I won’t tell the details of how scrumptious everything I’ve had there is, from the poached hearts of romaine salad, to the various exotic appetizers, main courses of fish and chicken (they’ve got beef, lamb and pork too for the guys) and desserts to make you regret that you pulled those laces so tight, like the Pears Helene sprinkled with fresh roasted hazelnuts and accompanied by a pear/hazelnut sorbet. I won’t tell you, Okay? Just go and don’t tell me what you wore, where you got it, how much it cost, how it made you feel and how divine you looked in it. Just tell me that you loved the food too.

Food has not been reviewed since move.

The Wine Room

2317 Lee Road

Cleveland Heights, OH 44118

(216) 932-3170

Now there are a lot of bars you can go to. I won’t mention them (sniff). But if you want to sample some wines, savor some good appetizers, hear a little music in a diverse crowd that isn’t a smoky, noisy, video porn flick showing drag bar then the Wine Room might be your after AO meeting destination. Tucked away inconspicuously in Cleveland Heights, it isn’t a place where you won’t get a glance, but you won’t get more than a second look either. The lighting is flatteringly dark.

Cafe Istanbul

Easton Towne Center

Cafe Instanbul Review on Web

From the North:

Take 71 South to 270 South/East.
Exit at Easton (Exit 33). You will be traveling on Easton Way.
The Town Center is on your right after the next traffic light.

Recommended by TG Therapist Merâl Crane, who assures me she has talked to management. Merâl is originally from Turkey and thinks fhe food is good too.

Angel Falls Coffee Company

792 West Market, Akron Ohio

Mon. ~ Thu. 7am ~ 10pm

Fri. ~ Sat. 7am ~ Midnight

Sun. 9am ~ 10pm

www.angelfallscoffee.com

There’s no Angel Falls in Akron, just a coffee shop named after them. The shop features coffees from Venezuela where the falls are located. It also features objet d’art, paintings, whimsical décor and an open door for you. Frequented by U of Akron students, this coffee house is also a favorite haunt of members of the Akron Pride center. After the official meetings end, members will decamp to Angel Falls. Not being a coffee drinker myself I can’t rate the coffee. Their Chai is fine, and the pastry’s are quite good. The décor is what really makes the place. Instead of booths and tables, arms chairs and sofa’s dominate the setting, contributing to a cozy feeling that you are having a quiet moment with friends in someone’s living room. You can keep to yourself, or meet people. That’s up to you.

Out on Main

122 East Main St Columbus, Ohio 43215

Phone: (614) 224.9520

CLOSED

Ok, they’ve got a Website. The décor fulfills every cliché you’ve heard about interior decorators. It is elegant, clean and modern. The walls are lined with shrines to modern and past Gay icons. And yes, there’s disco music, but it wasn’t overwhelming. If I hadn’t been alone, I could have had a conversation as the party of librarians across the room managed to do easily. But the food? Let’s just say someone’s reach exceeded his grasp. The duck confit crepe was undersalted, and had a egg based wrapper rather than flour. The ingredients just didn’t come together (like my makeup, but that’s another story). I love hearts of palm, and make a few salads with that rare tropical ingredient myself. So perhaps I set myself up for disappointment. What I got was an ordinary vinaigrette salad with a spear of palm heart slapped on top of it. No adjustment was made to celebrate the flavor of the key ingredient. The cajun prawns I ordered came with red jacket potatoes and peppered green beans. The prawns were a bit on the dry side and the seasoning didn’t penetrate very far into the meat. My favorite part of the meal? The bread. The olive oil seasoned with basil and parmesan cheese was truly tasty, and I could easily have dipped the well made bread into it all night. Oh, and keep in mind that the lighting is on the bright side when you put on your makeup.

Out on Main closed to a change of life plans of the owners. It will be missed .

Harmony Bar and Grill

3359 Fulton Road

Cleveland, OH

http://www.clevescene.com/issues/2000-12-07/nd2.html

(216)-398-5052

CLOSED

Here’s the scoop. Even though the tender but crisp green beans in the soup prove that homemade still means something here, haute cuisine this is not. Homey food for a little more than you’d like to pay. So what’s the attraction? The Saturday Night Sing Along with Bob Navis. Sure, showtunes are YAGC (yet another gay cliché), but c’mon, isn’t there a little ham in you just dying to really sing, not just lip synch? You can bring your own music. I did, and Navis read it cold. In fact he did better than I did, me coming down with middle-of-the-song-stage-jitters and losing my place. I promise, Ma, I’ll do better next time.