As my vacation continues, Kristian takes over the blog for the day. He's one of my favorite bloggers and I'm so happy to introduce you to him if you aren't already a fan. In spite of his fit and trim physique, this guy loves to eat and has really good taste! He's going to show off another Lorain county gem - Oberlin.
Hi everyone!
My name is Kristian Campana of the blogs
Ohio Festivals and Adventures of a Trapped 300 Pound Man
Please check them out!
Established in 1833, the city of Oberlin is known for its long history, as well as...
Today, I have the extreme pleasure of guest-posting for Eat*Drink*Cleveland in a post I would like to title...
Eat*Drink*Oberlin
...its cool college buildings...
...a cooler college president (Marvin Krislov).
...and the super cool squirrels...
...that you could find in Tappan Square
But if you were to explore downtown...
...you would see more than just Oberlin college T-shirts
...and a unique market/bakery...
...you would find some great restaurants.
At first, at the suggestion of my lovely wife (who LOVES Oberlin and everything it entails), I was going to list all the downtown restaurants and give you a summary of each.
I even started to do this.
But then, I realized that I simply don't eat at some restaurants, have recent (like yesterday!) bad experiences from others, or simply aren't very enthusiastic about what some offer - so I've decided not to even talk about them...
...sorry, babe.
Instead, I'm only going to tell you the ones I really like for whatever reason...
...because these restaurants should be special if you're coming in from out of town to eat there!
Here's a map to reference as we go through them. Enjoy!
1.) The Feve Pronounced "fehv," the Feve used to be a coffee shop in the Lupitos space south of here many many years ago. Now, it has a full bar, a fantastic ever-changing brunch usually intertwined with holidays or events, and very delicious food.
One of my favorite sandwiches is the Smoked Salmon BLT...
...behold its sandwich perfection.
Along with deli sandwiches, specialty burgers, and wings, the Feve is known for their tater tots and the numerous dipping sauces that compliment them.
2.) Lorenzo's In all the years I had lived in nearby Lorain, I never ate at Lorenzo's. I blame this mostly on just not being a big pizza eater. But ever since I first ate there last summer, I've eaten there many times! Not only do they have delicious pizzas with toppings that include fried eggplant, but they have some great looking entrees...
...and tasty sandwiches.
Most importantly, they honor quality. One time, my wife and I got a pizza that was slightly overcooked around the edges. We never said anything because it was still delicious. Still, the kitchen made us a new one to take home because they weren't satisfied with it. That said - Lorenzo's rocks! And you can also buy a bag of dough to take with you if you want to try your hand at pizza-making in your own home.
3.) Black River Cafe The fancier of the restaurants mentioned in this post, although there's a playful charm in the restaurant's collection of salt and pepper shakers. Now equipped with a full bar, the Black River Cafe is a great place for steak, pan fried trout, risotto, seared scallops and daily specials. Although much better this year, the service can sometimes be slow. Keep that in mind if in a rush.
4.) Fresh Start
So I just realized that there are two other locations of this restaurant (Twinsburg, Chagrin Falls), so it might not necessarily be where you decide to go if from out of town.
Still, they have some great breakfasts, earlier hours and diner-type entrees and sandwiches, so I'll leave it on the list.
5.) Cowhaus Creamery The ice cream here is made in nearby Elyria from organic cream and local ingredients whenever possible. It took me a bit to warm up to Cowhaus at first because I didn't feel their initial flavors were strong enough. But as they began exploring more and getting bolder, they really got my attention.
...this is a ginger mango sorbet (on left) and pineapple jalapeno ice cream with hot pepper powder (on right). Really tasty! They also make cones on order (for a bit extra).
So there you have it...my Oberlin list. Please come out and try some restaurants for yourself.
5.) Cowhaus Creamery The ice cream here is made in nearby Elyria from organic cream and local ingredients whenever possible. It took me a bit to warm up to Cowhaus at first because I didn't feel their initial flavors were strong enough. But as they began exploring more and getting bolder, they really got my attention.
For example...
...this is a ginger mango sorbet (on left) and pineapple jalapeno ice cream with hot pepper powder (on right). Really tasty! They also make cones on order (for a bit extra).
So there you have it...my Oberlin list. Please come out and try some restaurants for yourself.
