In Search of Cleveland's Best Moscow Mule - 2013 Edition

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?

Restaurant Review: Vegan Night at Washington Place Bistro

I ended up at Washington Place Bistro's inaugural vegan night accidentally last week.  I'd been at a Yelp event that had really light bites and rather than spending an hour in the car arguing about where to go afterwards (which is generally how any food related decisions are made in my life), I made the managerial decision to go to Washington Place Bistro.  Through the wonders of technology, I was able to make a last minute reservation for 9:00 pm using my Open Table app on my iPhone.

Despite the fact that we were late (have you driven down Euclid Avenue lately?  how many lights are there exactly?!) we were seated without a fuss and had an incredibly attentive (but not in an overbearing way) server.

I ordered what I think is the best drink at Washington Place Bistro - a Moscow mule, and my boyfriend ordered...something?  Beer, maybe.  But I was much more intent on drinking my delicious drink than anything else. 

New Vegan and Vegetarian Night at Washington Place Bistro

Not dead, dear readers, just busy.  I could bore you with stories of attempting to find edible vegan food in Charlotte and eating some of the best vegan meals of my life in Chicago, but if you're from Cleveland like I am, that might just make you sad that vegan and vegetarian options are still sometimes a little limited in the CLE. (but at least we have Charlotte beat!)

But...I just got word that Washington Place Bistro is going to start holding a vegan and vegetarian night every Thursday starting November 10.  In addition to their regular menu, they'll offer a vegan and/or vegetarian appetizer, entree, and dessert.  Fantastic news, right?  Especially since most of the other popular vegan and vegetarian nights are on the west side. 

I won't be in town to try out any of the vegan or vegetarian grub at Washington Place Bistro until after Thanksgiving, but I encourage everyone in the vegan and vegetarian community in Cleveland to stop by if you can.  Let's show mainstream restaurants that vegan and vegetarian options are in demand.