Waaaay back in 2011 I blogged about my love of Moscow Mules. This was well before nearly every restaurant in Cleveland started serving up my absolute favorite drink of all time. I figured I should revisit my list and see if my former faves still make the cut and/or if any new restaurants deserve to be on the list.
In no particular order - Best Places to Get a Moscow Mule in Cleveland:
1. Hodge's - Downtown Cleveland (tots and mules...delicious)
2. District - Playhouse Square (new to the game but offers up a great mule)
3. Dante - Tremont (possibly my fave - love the ambiance at the bar)
4. Lava Lounge - Tremont (drank 5 too many of these on my birthday - oops!)
5. Felice - Shaker Square area (featured on the daily and late night happy hour menus!)
6. Deagan's - Lakewood (don't steal their copper mugs, ok?)
7. Washington Place Bistro - Little Italy (feel fancy pants when drinking a mule out on their patio)
8. Velvet Tango Room (perhaps the priciest in town - drink yours in the back room)
9. Market Garden (solid, as long as the bartender doesn't argue with you about how to make the drink)
I'd like to make this a top 10 list, but...I can't think of a 10th place to get a good Moscow Mule. (there are a couple watering holes around town that are intentionally NOT on this list)
And while I'm griping about the quality of Moscow Mules, would it kill more restaurants on the east side of town to offer up my favorite drink? Get with the program, east side watering holes!
If you're a fan of Moscow Mules, where do you go to get yourself a quality drink?
Vegetarian and vegan living, dining, and drinking in greater Cleveland, OH.
Showing posts with label Hodge's. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hodge's. Show all posts
Monday, July 15, 2013
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Review: Excellent Vegetarian Eats at Hodge's
I've been hesitant to write a review of Hodge's for a couple reasons. 1. I was drinking a bit when I was there and took crappy pictures of my food. and 2. I don't think I'm a good enough writer to put how excellent this meal was into words.
I eat out. A lot. I'm not wowed all that easily. In fact, I can be a pretty tough critic. But I really can't think one one thing I didn't like about Hodge's. I made a reservation for 4 using OpenTable (why every restaurant isn't on OpenTable, I don't know - I don't want to have to call to reserve a table) and although we arrived about 15 minutes early on a Friday night, we were immediately seated in the upstairs section of the restaurant. (it was cool to get to look down at the whole restaurant) Within about a minute of sitting down we were brought water. Right after that, our server came over to get our drink orders. My boyfriend and I each got a Moscow mule, because, well, if I see a Moscow mule on a menu, I have to try it. Our friend got a PBR in a can because it's not all that often that you see PBR on the menu in a "nicer" place. Our waitress explained that we would be receiving fresh cornbread and an amuse of tater tots. Being the squeamish vegetarian that I am, I asked if the tots and cornbread were safe to eat. I expected the blank look that I normally get when I ask servers questions like this, but she didn't skip a beat. She told me the cornbread was safe and that the tots normally come with bacon but she could leave that off. She also told me that I should consider the 5 veg plate because it's a great vegetarian entree. I was really impressed by that. Considering that Hodge's had been open for less than a month when I was there, I didn't expect my server to be that on top of her game. Kudos to Hodge's for being focused on good service right out of the gate.
My drink arrived shortly after I ordered it and it was great. Not all bartenders can make a good Moscow mule, sadly. But this one was really good. My friend's PBR can was totally dented up, which we thought was funny, if not intentional. The cornbread and tots arrived right before our server took our order. I'm running like a fiend these days, so I ordered a salad and the 5 veg plate. My boyfriend and our friends ordered a corn dog appetizer to share. I've obviously never eaten a real corn dog, but I thought it was kind of inventive for Hodge's to offer a trio of corndogs - made of various meats, including lobster. (although the meat eaters at my table said that the app was ok but not great - but for the novelty factor it was worth ordering)
My salad arrived promptly, too, and it was good. I enjoyed a huge hunk of the sugary sweet cornbread with it. Heck, I could have eaten the whole pan myself it was that good. But if you're not into sweet cornbread, you might not like it. Tots helped to put Dim and Den Sum on the map, so they were obviously really good, too.
I eat out. A lot. I'm not wowed all that easily. In fact, I can be a pretty tough critic. But I really can't think one one thing I didn't like about Hodge's. I made a reservation for 4 using OpenTable (why every restaurant isn't on OpenTable, I don't know - I don't want to have to call to reserve a table) and although we arrived about 15 minutes early on a Friday night, we were immediately seated in the upstairs section of the restaurant. (it was cool to get to look down at the whole restaurant) Within about a minute of sitting down we were brought water. Right after that, our server came over to get our drink orders. My boyfriend and I each got a Moscow mule, because, well, if I see a Moscow mule on a menu, I have to try it. Our friend got a PBR in a can because it's not all that often that you see PBR on the menu in a "nicer" place. Our waitress explained that we would be receiving fresh cornbread and an amuse of tater tots. Being the squeamish vegetarian that I am, I asked if the tots and cornbread were safe to eat. I expected the blank look that I normally get when I ask servers questions like this, but she didn't skip a beat. She told me the cornbread was safe and that the tots normally come with bacon but she could leave that off. She also told me that I should consider the 5 veg plate because it's a great vegetarian entree. I was really impressed by that. Considering that Hodge's had been open for less than a month when I was there, I didn't expect my server to be that on top of her game. Kudos to Hodge's for being focused on good service right out of the gate.
My drink arrived shortly after I ordered it and it was great. Not all bartenders can make a good Moscow mule, sadly. But this one was really good. My friend's PBR can was totally dented up, which we thought was funny, if not intentional. The cornbread and tots arrived right before our server took our order. I'm running like a fiend these days, so I ordered a salad and the 5 veg plate. My boyfriend and our friends ordered a corn dog appetizer to share. I've obviously never eaten a real corn dog, but I thought it was kind of inventive for Hodge's to offer a trio of corndogs - made of various meats, including lobster. (although the meat eaters at my table said that the app was ok but not great - but for the novelty factor it was worth ordering)
My salad arrived promptly, too, and it was good. I enjoyed a huge hunk of the sugary sweet cornbread with it. Heck, I could have eaten the whole pan myself it was that good. But if you're not into sweet cornbread, you might not like it. Tots helped to put Dim and Den Sum on the map, so they were obviously really good, too.
 |
| The bill comes in this envelope. Clever. |
But now onto the highlight of the meal. The 5 veg plate. How awesome can a plate of vegetables be, you ask? At Hodge's, it's amazing. I've eaten many a vegetable plate in my day, but nothing compares to what they serve up. Like I said, I had a couple Moscow mules that evening, so don't test me on the components of the dish (I actually think there were more than 5 vegetables), but there was potato, the best Brussels sprouts I've ever eaten, peas, carrots, and...damn, I'm not sure what that last vegetable was. Parsnip, maybe? But who cares what it was. Every vegetable on that plate was fresh, flavorful, and filling! Normally you eat a veg plate and think about how you're going to be starving in an hour, but this entree wasn't like that at all. Someone put some great thought into creating a vegetarian entree that tastes good and is filling.
I was too busy scarfing down my food to notice was everyone else was eating. My boyfriend had some sort of deconstructed chicken something. One of my friends had scallops and kept commenting on how she never would have put the components of the dish together and couldn't believe how good it tasted. Can't remember what her husband had, but he also really enjoyed it.
I was completely satisfied at the end of my meal. I think we all were, actually. Service throughout the meal was on point and our meals couldn't have been any better. I've been a fan of Chef Hodge's since the early days of Dim and Den Sum (and even more so after The Great Food Truck Race - we don't need sports heroes in Cleveland when we have superstar chefs like him), and I'm really happy that he has been able to open such an amazing restaurant in Cleveland. I haven't been this excited about a meal or a restaurant in a long time and really can't wait to go back. I'd love to check out the patio.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)