Fine dining in Cleveland
 

I am planning a trip to Cleveland in January.
I will be meeting some important clients from Europe and I would like to select a couple nice restaurants to impress them. Fine dining with wonderful food and maybe located in downtown. Any suggestions ?

Maybe Johnny's Downtown or John Q's.

Check www.cleveland.com for restaurant reviews.

Deborah
Thanks for the suggestion, are
Johnny's Downtown and John Q's the "Top of the line" for food/location and service in the city ?

Johnny's is expensive, John Q's moderate. My sister who lives in the Cleveland area also suggests Blue Point Grille.

check www.cleveland.com and read the reviews for these places.

i'm originally from cleveland, live in nyc for past 8 years. i have been to blue pointe, i don't think it is great - i have never been to johnny's downtown but my parents and some friends go there all the time and love it. The food there is NY prices, which is not typical in cleveland.
here is a review...
http://www.cleveland.com/dining/revi...sf?1927?1927_1

also, there is a restaurant in the ritz-carlton downtown that is supposidly very good.

A couple of other suggestions would be Mallorca's in the warehouse district downtown, or Pier W in Lakewood, just west of downtown.

Do you have a food preference?

It will be c-o-l-d in January !

Wow. I haven't been to Cleveland for about 35 years, but I used to love going up to Pier W when I was teaching school in Willard, Ohio (god forbid!). You mean that place is still there and still good?

Yes, Pier W is still there, but it's in Lakewood, not downtown.

My other sister suggests One Walnut if anyone wants to chime in about that place.

One of my favorite things to do when traveling is to eat out. I travel a lot and that said, three of my favorite restaurants are in Cleveland. All of them are basically in the same area, Ohio City and Licoln Park, and are right across the river from downtown on the West side. Both of these areas were just rejuvinated and the old brick buildings, and streets, along with huge trees and twinkle lights make them really nice places to stroll.

My first restaurant choice is Fat Cats. I can't say enough about the food and even with a constantly changing menu I've never had a bad bite. The fare is American but with nice twists. They make an apple cheddar tart that I keep looking for in restaurants closer to home! Plus, this restaurant gives you great views of the downtown skyline from every seat.

The second restaurant is around the corner from Fat Cats. It's called Lola's. Very hip but quite enough for conversation. The macaroni and cheese here has been elevated to haute cuisine. The cocktails are also my favorite in the city.

My third favorite is called Parkers, in Ohio City. This is much more conservative. Think truffles and really good steak. The food here is excellent but it's the least of my favorites because it is a little too refined.

Downtown has some Ok restaurants but most of them are either business lunch places or more places for beautiful twenty-somethings to drink a lot. They are fun to go to but the liquor and loud music are more focussed on than the food. If that's what you're looking for then Majorca is probably the best.

One more tip. If you are looking for a really cool, but grown up bar then you should look into the Velvet Tango Room. It's also in the Lincoln Park vicinity. It's the first floor of an old shot gun house that is done up like an old speak easy. They don't even have a sign. They do have a very cool 1930's bar, velvet lounge chairs and piano playing.

Have fun and bring a warm coat because it will be freezing!

Several nice Italian restaurants in "Little Italy", Try Battuto.
It's ten miles east of downtown, but worth the trip. Close to Severance Hall. Home of the world famous Cleveland Orchestra. Dinner and the Orchestra should cinch most any deal.
clevelandorchestra.com

Thanks to everyone for the great suggestions.
Knowing my guests I think I need to stay more on the conservative/elegant/fine dining side.
Most the time they think they have a better food in Europe, so usually I like to impress them with wonderful setting and service.
How about Lockkeepers, Barricelli Inn and One Walnut ? Among these 3 where will I find nicer ambiance and service ? Or any other fine dining options ?

Of all the above mentioned restaurants, The Barricelli Inn is the best for 'fine' dining, IMO. Its totally upscale and yet somehow relaxed, in its Victorian Home setting. For us, its a special occasion restaurant. DH and I celebrated 20 years last summer; with desserts, two cocktails each, our bill came to $180. Worth EVERY penny.

However, it is NOT downtown. Its closer to Severance Hall, so DO try to see the world famous Cleveland Orchestra if they're in town.

Hubby just walked in and said Blue Pointe Grille would be a better business setting. BOTH have impecable service and extraordinary food. Blue Pointe is also pricey, but worth it. You're also within 10 minutes of the Cleveland Orchestra's Severance Hall, or check out some of the classy clubs nearby in the Warehouse District.

Either way, you can't go wrong. Enjoy Cleveland!

I heard that Sans Souci in the Renaissance Hotel at Tower City downtown is good. It serves Mediterranean food -- from the southern regions of France, Spain, Italy, etc.

I also second Lola in the Tremont neighborhood and Parker's in Ohio City.

I know that Tremont is one of the "hip" neighborhoods in Cleveland, so maybe the downtown places would be better suited for clients?

I, too, wholeheartedly recommend Mallorca. Very attentive wait staff, wonderful selection of food, generous portions, elegant. While the menu only lists a handful of offerings, their daily specials more than make up for the limited selections. I think Blue Pointe is good, but I prefer Mallorca. My brother, who's from Chicago and is a "foodie" was very impressed when we took him there for dinner last year. If you'd like to read some reviews of Cleveland restaurants try digitalcity.com/cleveland/dining.