The second and final chapter of my Ohio food blogging…this time detailing visits to two awesome Cleveland institutions: Sokolowski’s and Mr. Hero!
Upon arriving in Cleveland, Sophia and I immediately sought out a Mr. Hero. It isn’t exactly an Ohio-only place, as it’s a chain and can be found all over the US, however we do NOT have one in or around South Carolina, so it was a must-stop. Sophia swore by what seems to be their “house specialty: the Romanburger. The Romanburger is actually more Roman (see: decadent) than a burger, but don’t let your diet stop you! What you get is a hoagie roll filled with fried salami, bologna, provolone cheese, a burger patty, lettuce, onion, tomato, and sub oil. Absolutely fan-fucking-tastic, if you ask me! Add a side of “waffies” to that (those are waffle fries, like Chick-Fil-A has) with some seriously fattening cheese dip in a cup, and it’s a little caloric pile of heaven on your plate.
Mr. Hero on the web
After endowing ourselves with the powerful aura of Mr. Hero, we did some thrift shopping and I found a rad little toy keyboard and a retro jacket that looks sorta like something John Saxon might have worn in Enter The Dragon. From there it was off to Bent Crayon to meet Messrs. Warren and Sean from the funky I, Absentee label. The four of us had a hard time finding anything in Bent Crayon (though I managed to locate a Demonbag 7″ from the trusty V/Vm Test label!), so we spent some time hanging out at Arabica, the nextdoor coffee shop, where I enjoyed a Rice Crispies-treat and an Italian caramel soda. There was a performance of Macbeth going on somewhere in town, and for some reason their promo poster for it was totally overblown! I can’t quite explain it but we laughed our asses off over what is probably the most action-packed scene that this theater company WISHES was in Macbeth!
Closing the night, we said goodbye to Warren and Sean and headed to Sokolowski’s, Cleveland’s legendary Polish cafeteria-style restaurant. As soon as you walk in the place, you’re inundated with loads of family-related stuff, and you suddenly realize that you are basically eating inside the oversized dining room of a kind Polish family. We saw this place on Tony Bourdain’s show “No Reservations” a while back, and vowed to go, and man was it worth seeking out! You get in the line, get dessert first (I went for a fat piece of pecan pie with whipped cream on top) and make your way down to get your drinks and entree. By the time we were seated, I had a salisbury steak, mashed potatoes with gravy and two pierogies in front of me, with an ice cold home-bottled strawberry soda. I know, I know, that’s way too much starch for a single plate, and even the staff looked at me when I asked for potatoes AND pierogies, but what the hell. How often am I here, right? Sophia ended up with the entree-version of the pierogies and sides of sauerkraut and cooked vegetables, with a home-bottled diet root beer and a mammoth slice of carrot cake. We also got two plates to the salad bar, which we never even used after filling up on the main entrees. All in all, Sokolowski’s is a no-bullshit, no-frills family place with a bar full of locals, a healthy American disregard for calorie-counting and a solid handle on some seriously traditional Polish cooking. Standing in line, I spoke to people who, like myself, had traveled from other states to enjoy this place, and if that kind of universal happiness isn’t what good food is all about, you’re out of your mind. A perfect trip!
Sokolowski’s on the web
