Visiting Cleveland, where should we eat??

PeachesKFG

Hi all! I am from Connecticut so I usually only post on the CT boards, but I will be visiting Cleveland in July and I figured I would come here for some advice. My fiance is a musician and he has always wanted to visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, so as a surprise wedding gift, I'm taking him on a quick 3-day trip to Cleveland to see the R&R Hall of Fame and check out some of the restaurants/shopping in the city. (We aren't taking a honeymoon right after the wedding - we are actually taking our honeymoon in the fall....so I figure this would be like a mini-honeymoon and a cool wedding gift, all in one!)

I am totally unfamiliar with the Cleveland area! We're staying at the Ritz Carlton, which I believe is attached to a large shopping center? (I must sound like such a tourist..) I was planning on making reservations for dinner one night at the House of Blues. For our second night, I wanted to find a more upscale/fancy restaurant for dinner. I noticed the Morton's Steakhouse in the Tower Center - is it good? (I've never been to a Morton's). Any other suggestions? We won't be renting a car so we need places that are within walking distance or easy to take a cab to. FI is a big meat and potatoes guy, so ideally we will want a steakhouse or upscale american restaurant. Any suggestions would be much appreciated!

Thanks in advance!!! Can't wait to visit Cleveland

lmskowronski

I hope you love cleveland! In my opinion the best part of this town is the food scene. There are so many local places that serve AWESOME food. If you have a morning to spare I highly recommend the west side market. It is an absolute culinary experience. Bring cash and go hungry. They arent open every day though, and dont bother going on monday even though they say they are open, most stands are closed.

PeachesKFG

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_ohio-cleveland_visiting-cleveland-where-should-we-eat?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:110Discussion:b6f598ea-d420-4863-b0b6-4cac17c9defdPost:9714d31d-13b9-4df7-b83e-468c64047810">Re:Visiting Cleveland, where should we eat??</a>:
[QUOTE]I hope you love cleveland! <strong>In my opinion the best part of this town is the food scene.</strong> There are so many local places that serve AWESOME food. If you have a morning to spare I highly recommend the west side market. It is an absolute culinary experience. Bring cash and go hungry. They arent open every day though, and dont bother going on monday even though they say they are open, most stands are closed.
Posted by lmskowronski[/QUOTE]

Good to know, we are total foodies! And after I'm done with this "wedding diet" I cannot wait to go back to my old junk food ways! :) We will be in Cleveland from Sunday-Wednesday so maybe we'll check out the west side market on Tues or Wed morning...thanks!

Shocker929

My vote is for Ohio City which is about 5-10 drive from the Ritz. While in Ohio City, hit up Mamocho which is a Mod Mexican place which was featured on DDD on Food Network channel. Lola or the B-Spot are a few votes of mine. Hope this helps. Enjoy your visit here to Cleveland!

oh1tmb

Westside Market is so much fun! They are open mon, wed, fri, sat- def go wednesday! check out Czuchraj Meats- their jerky is amazing!! beef, turkey, chicken- you name it! Grandma Freda Cupcakes are the bomb... K & K bakery has phenom apple fritters... Ohio City Pasta has a variety of amazing raviolis- lobster ravioli, smoked mozz ravioli, asaparagus and mascarpone,  even pumpkin! you guys would def have a blast there! Bring a large bag for goodies and cash as some vendors only take cash!

[Deleted User]

Definitely Lola or BSPot, Michael Symon is the best!! If you're in the mood for a laid back, super delicious lunch, try Melt. http://meltbarandgrilled.com/

[Deleted User]

PS-If you're going to be staying near Tower City, you can take the RTA rapid most other places. You can get an all day pass for $5 (I think) and save a lot of money.

PeachesKFG

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_ohio-cleveland_visiting-cleveland-where-should-we-eat?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:110Discussion:b6f598ea-d420-4863-b0b6-4cac17c9defdPost:25f37ae0-3e18-44ee-b943-14c5a708311b">Re: Visiting Cleveland, where should we eat??</a>:
[QUOTE]PS-If you're going to be staying near Tower City, you can take the RTA rapid most other places. You can get an all day pass for $5 (I think) and save a lot of money.
Posted by blackorchid712[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the tips! I noticed Melt on one of the lists of Cleveland restaurants that I looked at...and it looks amazing!!! I think it was on Diners Drive Ins and Dives? It looks like it is about 20-25 minutes away from our hotel so I think RTA would be the best bet to get there...we are staying at the Ritz Carlton and, if I did my research correctly, I believe that is in/near Tower City. Thanks for letting me know about the day pass! I was really hoping we could get to Melt even though it's not in walking distance, and it looks like we can. I'm already craving something overly-cheesy :)

rayro211

Oh man... DEFINITELY go to Melt.  It's sooooooooo goooodddd!

Megaphone2752

Definitely the Melt! Mama Santos in Little Italy is also great!