Larchmere Tavern

13051 Larchmere Blvd
Cleveland, OH 44120

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(216) 721-1111

The Larchmere Tavern has been around for years now. In fact the last time I went was six years ago, and I can't really remember what dishes I enjoyed or didn't. Well, we gave it a try the other night. There were six of us, and we wanted to go some where we haven't all been yet.
Big Mistake.
Not only did we spend a ridiculous amount of money on such ( I want to say slop, but I feel that is too harsh, so we will go with) dishes, the service was ridiculous as well. I don't have a problem with spending money on good food, but that is the difference, GOOD FOOD. I wished I had spoke up and suggested after the three appetizers that we pay the bill and move on, but I didn't so we endured the uninspired fare that we were served.
Now, before I continue the company was wonderful and the occasion was fabulous, it is just unfortunate that this place gets away with serving this sub par fare. Maybe this is what some people like, maybe this is what people are into, so be it.
I only took one pic of the meal. I was trying not to focus on the food, but on my companions and the wine that I seemed to be drinking just a bit faster than the rest. And speaking of the wine, we started with a bottle that four of us were drinking. We finished it, so we ordered another of the same bottle at the same time we ordered our entrees.
We were served the salad course, no wine.
The salads were cleared, still no wine.
Not only were our wine glasses empty, so too were our water glasses. The place had maybe three other tables, with what I could see, at least, three individuals taking care of the room. Hmmm. So I asked the gentleman taking care of us for another bottle of wine, when he exclaimed, "oh, yea! The wine." We all forget things, I understand, that is just fine, but so far this isn't going well for the old Larchmere Tavern.
The appetizers we ordered were the Calamari, the Chicken Taco "Stackers", and the Roquefort Cheese Fritters with Granny Smith Apple Puree. Needless to say I was not impressed in the least. The "Stackers" were some taco mix on chicken with what tasted like cinnamon. The Calamari; I just don't know what was going on there. The Cheese Fritters with a "puree", were so doughy, and the "puree" was chunks of apples that obviously had been sitting in the hot kitchen for some time.
Ridiculous.
Here we go with the entrees: I ordered the Chicken Paprikash. There is nothing like a good Paprikash, and let me say this presentation was nothing near to a GOOD Paprikash. First of all there were both green and red peppers in the sauce, the sauce was thick and the spaetzle were obviously pan fried so they were chewy and brown on one side. Two of my companions ordered the Beef Short Ribs of which I tasted. The Mashed Potatoes that were served, were piped onto the plate and had the consistency of wet sand paper. The sauce on the ribs was gooey and reminiscent of a canned demi glace.
It is unbelievable that people actually come to dine here and apparently continue to come back, because they have been there forever. If that is what people are into, go for it, but I have no reason to return. Thanks but no thanks.

Vine and Bean Cafe

12706 Larchmere Blvd.
Cleveland, OH
216-707-3333
www.vineandbeancafe.com

The owners of Lucky's Cafe in Tremont have opened up a new cafe in the Larchmere district and I finally got a chance to go check them out the other weekend. Vine and Bean Cafe has taken over the old Cafe Limbo house and serves up the same delectable menu items as Lucky's. They day I visited there were two individuals working the front counter and serving the outside patio that had two other tables seated when we arrived. They have not been open too long so they are still ironing out the details of staff and hours. They seemed to be a bit disorganized as whom was doing what, i.e. menus/delivering food/drinks, etc. That is one of the good details about Lucky's in Tremont, you order at the front counter and then someone brings the food to the table. Nice and easy, there is no question of traditional table service, but at Vine and Bean, there was definitely some confusion of table service or no table service. I am just fine without the traditional, but they need to decide which works best for them and just go with it.
We ordered cappuccinos which were delicious. I opted for the Lemon Waffles with honey whipped cream and a Blueberry Compote. The waffles had a great Lemon flavor, but I wasn't all that impressed with the texture of the waffles. You can't go wrong with Honey Whipped Cream and I am not usually a huge fan of the Blueberry, but the compote was delicious. The blueberries lent a perfect tartness that paired well with the sweet cream.
My companion ordered an egg, ham, and cheese croissant sandwich. He seemed very pleased with his selection, and said it was exactly what he was looking for.
The space of the new Vine and Bean Cafe is very comfortable and the outside patio is a great place to relax on a late morning or early afternoon. I look forward to sipping a glass of wine on their patio, as they advertise live music sometime in the future.
Vine and Bean Cafe is definitely a place I will return to if not for the delicious cappuccino, for the beautiful surroundings and relaxed atmosphere.