| rev:text
| - I will preface this review by stating that I have not been to this restaurant for a few years. For about a year, I used to travel back and forth between Toronto and Cleveland Heights. During that time - each and every time - I made sure that Hunan Coventry was the restaurant I had to revisit. Why? Overall, it is, quite simply, the best Chinese food restaurant that I have ever had the pleasure of dining at or getting take-out from.
About the food: Perhaps my two favourite dishes for flavour are the Hunan shrimp (shrimp stir-fried with minced onion in a spicy tomato red chili sauce) and the Szechwan eggplant (stir-fried with water chestnuts and carrots in a spicy garlic sauce). Having said that, others that I have tried and thoroughly enjoyed are the Szechwan string beans, vegetable fried rice, hot & sour soup, and wonton soup. Furthermore, the amount of shrimp served with the "shrimp with broccoli (Mandarin)," has to be seen to be believed (in Toronto, you would certainly never ever get such portions, even in Chinatown).
As I said, I made it a point to eat at or at least get take-out from Hunan Coventry every time I visited the area. If I ate in the restaurant, I found the servers to be attentive, but not obtrusive, and the restaurant and washrooms to be very clean. Also, if I instead chose to have take-out, the young lady at the counter was always pleasant and organized, and my order was always fresh, hot, and accurate.
Furthermore, the owner at the time that I used to visit seemed to always be present and overlooking the establishment in order to make sure that certain standards were met, and that things ran smoothly and to the customer's satisfaction. Having said that, I have since read that ownership has changed and standards have fallen (I don't know whether this is true or not; but, somehow I doubt it). So, I cannot really comment on this as I will need to see if that is the case myself. Certainly, I am more than willing to investigate the next time I am ever in the area.
On a side note: for those who are visiting Cleveland from out of town, Cleveland Heights is a region outside of the core, and is a very pleasant and relatively safe area with some grand houses and interesting brownstones. Hunan Coventry is located in this area.
Coventry itself reminds me of The Annex in Toronto, as does Shaker Square (where there's a good repertoire theatre, not unlike The Bloor Cinema). Meanwhile, University Circle makes for a pleasant stroll, and Little Italy has some wonderful eating establishments as well.
A good time to visit is during Cleveland's Feast of the Assumption, held each year in mid-August in the city's Little Italy neighborhood. It's a four-day street fair that celebrates the Catholic Day of Assumption (August 15) with rides, great food (awesome Italian meatballs), live music, a procession, and it's lots of fun.
So, next time your in the area, make sure you go in August, see the celebration above, take in Case Western University's campus grounds and museums, check out The Rock 'N' Roll Hall of Fame, enjoy some of the residential architecture in the area, and be sure to dine at "Hunan Coventry" for some awesome Chinese food.
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