Oh Cleveland Chop you have earned a special place in my heart after tonight's dining experience! It started the moment I walked in. I was greeted by the biggest, friendliest smile ever. It was a smile that understood that I took the time to venture downtown, pay for parking, and walk a 1/4 mile in the snow just to patronize this establishment. The smile said 'I Thank You for choosing us!' Sigh... Off to a great start!
I made my way over to meet my friend and was greeted by yet another big smile who asked me would I like to order anything. I perused the happy hours selections and settled on the libation known as Veranda. My Veranda arrived in a her delicious, pink glory and from the first taste I knew that this would be the beginning of a beautiful relationship!
My friend and I made our way over to our reserved table. It's Restaurant Week in Downtown Cleveland so there is a pre-fixe menu to choose from for $30. At the table we were greeted warmly by our server Dori! It seems she's been around Cleveland Chop for eons as she mentions that she's given it her 'best years'. Lol. Humor from your server is a plus I must say. Dori goes over the menu and we both select the market salad to start, the blackened scallops and shrimp with cheddar grits for the entrée, and the cheesecake with raspberry drizzle. Excitement!! (Say this with a French accent).
Dori brings over a nice warm skillet of cornbread with honey butter dolloped on top. I love corn bread. I especially love corn bread with corn IN it. And I darn near die over corn bread with corn in it topped with honey butter! The pearly gates of heaven have smiled on me!
Dori returns with the market salad and asks if we were in a rush. No not at all my Sweet Girl. We're here to hang. Dori says she'll stagger putting our courses in so we have time to leisurely dine. I love this woman. Our market salad had soo many components to it. Grapes and grape tomatoes. Slivered almonds and pear. Crumbled Gouda and English cucumbers. The light vinaigrette becomes more full bodied as you take bite after bite.
After requesting another skillet of corn bread, Dori arrives with our entrées. Beautifully plated sit the shrimp and scallops. Nestled in the middle is a frothy looking portion of cheddar grits complemented with a fresh tomato sauce. The first bite was taken and it was time for Mouthgasm 2015 to begin. This is not a dish to scarf down. You savor it. You love it. You wish you could marry the chef after it. It was divine!
All along our server Dori has checked on us to make sure all is well. She's even offered to take our photos for us as she notices the several selfies that are being taken. She's a peach.
After we finish our entrées, Dori arrives with desert. Cheesecake drizzled with raspberry. Note...If you don't care for raspberry, the kitchen will whip you up any topping that you desire. Now that's SERVICE!
After desert my friend and I laze around and enjoy the calm, yet lively atmosphere. The steady banter of patrons immersed with the sounds of cool jazz. It's just a lovely evening at Cleveland Chop.
Overall the dining experience was TOPS! Cleveland Chop represents CLE well. We give you all thumbs and 2 tongues up! Keep up the great work! We'll definitely be back!
Risa S.