SOHO Kitchen & Bar

What a difference a block makes!

Last week we had a disappointing meal at Dragonfly on West 25^th Street. A few days later and a simple block away, SOHO Kitchen and Bar, the new sister on the street showed us that this exciting culinary avenue is the place to go for interesting new foods.

SOHO is a warm friendly place with an environment to match. The menu is filled with favorites, but when the dishes arrive, you might be surprised by a twist. Michele started with a Bacon & (deviled) Egg Salad. The egg center was creamy and just like mom used to make, but Mom never placed them in a bed of greens. The salad was a nice blend of Bibb lettuce, avocado, corn and spicy vinaigrette. Jeff enjoyed the Crawfish Fritters on spicy, crisp slaw. The complementary biscuits were delicious and disappeared almost as quickly as they arrived.

For dinner we experienced a real switch. Michele ordered one of Jeff’s favs, the Chicken and Waffles and Jeff had the Shrimp and Grits, something that Michele wanted to try, were it not for the concern over the spicy sauce (that turned out to be a false-alarm.) The chicken was perfectly fried and the delightful waffle was fluffy and flavorful. Jeff looked on with envy…for only a moment because the prawns on his dish were the right blend of soft and crisp, the grits packed with subtle scents and the asparagus and mushroom topping perfect. We could not have selected more wisely, except Michele now is dying to try the Smothered Pork Chops and Jeff is waiting for the Blackened Mahi. How about that for yet another switch! If there was any question, yes, we will be back and likely VERY soon.

The entire reason we started this Blog is because Cleveland is rich with restaurant options for good, well prepared and fairly priced handmade food by Clevelanders who love what they are doing. The West 25^th Street neighborhood is almost a microcosm of the entire city. Flying Fig, the Grande dame of the neighborhood still makes remarkable food. Bar Cento, despite the exit of Jonathan Sawyer, remains a vibrant option. Newbie Market Garden Brewery and the relocated Crop are near perfect and within walking distance of this new gem, SOHO. All of these places prove our point.Cleveland is a great place to eat.SOHO now joins this illustrious rank.

Save your money, buy good food!

http://www.sohocleveland.com/ 1889 W 25^th Street Cleveland, OH 44113 216-298-9090