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| - I was visiting Cleveland with my girlfriend. We scanned Yelp for a few restaurants in the city and decided to try Stonetown. She never had "soul" food so I thought it would be fun to try something different. She ordered a lobster quesadilla and I ordered a blackened catfish with grits. I tasted the quesadilla which tasted good but the true highlight of the dinner adventure was the catfish. The waiter brought two filets on a bed of grits. The presentation was not particularly amazing because the filets where placed on top of each other like a cross (personally, I would have chosen to put them side by side - seriously, presentation is important). Aside from the presentation, however, the taste of the catfish was delicate. The fish was well cooked, pan seared and truly flavorful. I am not a huge fan of grits. Yet, the grits was amazing because it was soft, creamy and tasty. Along with the catfish I got ice tea which I found sweet and very good. At the end of the night I chose to try the apple cobbler. After a few bites, my girlfriend agreed, I realized that the dessert was not to my liking because it tastes either old and/or somewhat acidic (it's not clear to me if the apple cobbler should really taste like that and my feeling is that the answer is no).
The ambient and the interior design of the restaurant are great. There is a bar area and nice country-style tables. There are also several televisions so you can watch the local Cleveland Indians if you can't go to the stadium. The restaurant stays open until late at night, something that other restaurants in the area do not do.
All in all I give Stonetown 4 stars. I would have given 5 stars but I can only give 4 for two reasons. The first one is that I felt as if the server was a little reserved which can make customers uncomfortable (not me though). After telling him that I liked the catfish I was able to break the ice and he was suddenly more smiley. The second was due to the apple cobbler which really disappointed me. Hopefully, the manager and the cook will read my review and use my feedback for improvement.
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