Bistro 185 - Fun dining on 185th Street, Cleveland

Reviews

Free Times Dining
Volume 13, Issue 50, Published April 5th, 2006
Comfort Food, Matching Prices – Bistro 185 takes the glorious middle road
By Douglas Trattner

photo of chicken schnitzel entree
SATISFYING AT LUNCH OR DINNER Chicken schnitzel combines crunchy and juicy.
Photo by Anastasia Pantsios

In the midst of a recent dinner rush at Bistro 185, the husband-and-wife owners unexpectedly found themselves without a dishwasher. As dirty dishes began piling up in back, news of the misfortune filtered through the small dining room. One dining couple grabbed the attention of owner Marc Levine and said, "We know you guys are in the weeds back there, and we want to help." They stood, mid-meal, and marched to the kitchen to address the problem.

Bistro 185 is that kind of place.

Though it has only been in existence for two months, this eminently comfortable tavern feels as though it has been a part of the North Collinwood fabric for decades. Much of that goodwill, no doubt, was inherited from the previous tenants of the building, John and Beth Christie, who for eight years ran John Christie's Tavern. But assuming the torch admirably, Marc and Ruth Levine have been immediately embraced by the community.

In addition to their magnanimous spirit, the Levines have been welcomed largely because of the food they serve and the prices at which they serve it. Neighbors have thanked them for "not being another wing-and-beer joint," while others appreciated them for not being too upscale – with prices to match. No, Bistro 185 takes the glorious middle road, offering hearty made-from-scratch comfort dishes at blue-collar prices.

Fans of Ruth's Market House Grille, the Bistro's successful-but-brief progenitor, know that chef Ruth Levine is doing very little to help trim Cleveland's collective waistline. "Portion Size 101" is evidently one class Levine skipped in hospitality school. But size, as we so often hear, isn't everything. Fortunately, the food is both palatable and plentiful.

A core menu of items is augmented with daily-changing specials. Most entrees are priced between $13 and $15 and include a starch and veg. And while ordering an appetizer is downright foolish in light of the entree size, I couldn't resist an appetizer of frog legs ($7.50). Somewhere between fish and fowl, the succulent little drumsticks are sauteed in copious amounts of garlic butter and speckled with fresh parsley. The meat is sucked easily from the bones.

Handcut and French-fry thick, the fried calamari ($7.50) is unlike most served elsewhere. The lightly breaded strips are meaty and substantial without being chewy. If you prefer your squid thin and crunchy, you might want to swim away from this starter. It is served with a tropical mango salsa and a mustardy remoulade.

For the chicken schnitzel ($12.50), a chicken breast is beaten flounder-flat, breaded and pan-fried. The chicken has a satisfying crunch on the outside while remaining juicy within. Replacing a hum-drum heap of mashed potatoes, four potato pierogies, topped with caramelized onions, hit the spot and then some. The schnitzel also appears on the lunch menu in the form of a sandwich ($8.50), served with fries and slaw.

A wide and deep bowl of corn chowder ($4), presented with a basket of still-warm asiago bread, might have been a light meal elsewhere, but here it was just the lead-in to a lengthy repast. The chowder, pleasantly spicy and thick with corn, potato and bacon, was followed by an order of sautÅ½ed trout ($14.50). This plentiful plate arrived with shrimp and sliced scallops literally tumbling off the summit of a trophy-size fish. A lemon-butter sauce flavored both the fish and a bed of rice pilaf.

A preposterously abundant portion of calves liver and onions ($12.50) requires a boundless appetite to see through to completion. Three slices of pan-fried liver are showered in sautÅ½ed onions and sided by smooth mashed potatoes. The four strips of bacon that garnish the dish, one has to admit, are simply gilding the lily, even if they are thin-sliced. Even the asparagus receive a tempura treatment, though, if requested, the kitchen will serve them simply steamed.

The bar is as cozy and cheerful as always, thanks in no small part to a bartender inherited from John Christie's. About a dozen beers are on tap and some 20 wines by the glass. Beers fetch $3.50 a pint and most wines cost $8 a glass, about a buck too much if you ask me. Within a couple weeks, a pared-down bar menu will feed bar patrons late into the weekend night.

John Christie's Tavern's vintage bowling machine was removed to make room for two deuces. This move proved quite prescient on a recent Friday night when customers streamed in for the weekly fish fry ($9.50). Utilizing every booth, table and barstool, Bistro 185 seats 75. Considering the friends, neighbors and fans of the Levines who showed up for dinner, the restaurant could have used a few more seats – say, 185.

The Plain Dealer
Bistro's homemade comfort food exceptionally close to perfection
Friday, August 25, 2006
By Wilma Salisbury

"Everything is homemade. Everything is good. But everything is not perfect."

This is the mantra of an honest server at Bistro 185, and it's also a nutshell review of the restaurant.

Formerly the John Christie Tavern, the North Collinwood bistro was purchased and renamed in February by chef Ruth Levine and her husband, Marc. Like Ruth's Market House Grille, the couple's former establishment in Wickliffe, the casual neighborhood spot serves old-fashioned comfort foods and flavorful dishes with global accents.

The standing dinner menu lists only a handful of starters, salads and entrees. But at least a dozen specials are added daily. The lunch menu is limited to soup, sandwiches and salads.

After sampling several specials and standards, we had only two minor complaints: subpar black olives and an overdose of balsamic vinaigrette on a green salad. Everything else was perfectly prepared.

Appetizers -- glazed chicken pot stickers with sweet sesame soy dipping sauce ($8.50) and tender frog legs sauteed in garlicky lemon butter ($7.50) -- set the tone for a delicious prepared-to-order dinner on a night when overly loud live jazz made conversation impossible. The pot stickers bore a family resemblance to the potato pierogi served with a delicious entree of crisp, golden-brown chicken schnitzel ($13.50). Even more flavorful was tender sauteed calf's liver with soft onions, thick bacon, plain mashers and gravy ($13.50).

On a Friday, the daily soup was thick and hearty New England clam chowder deftly seasoned with fresh herbs ($4). The lunch special ($9.50) was a large portion of mild batter-dipped haddock with a side of rich mac-and-cheese, a signature at the former Ruthie and Moe's (Ruthie Helman is the bistro's day chef).

Recommended for meat-eaters is a classic Philly steak sandwich with zingy slaw ($7.95). Although house fries were included in the price, a side of sweet potato fries cost another dollar – a detail we did not learn until the bill was presented. Also extra, and worth the price, was a platter of sweet and crunchy onion rings ($4.50).

Fabulous desserts ($5.50), made off the premises by a superb home cook, include elegant Key lime pie with pucker power, crustless chocolate mocha cheesecake and coconut chantilly cake with fresh strawberries.

The quality of these sweets is worthy of a fine-dining restaurant, and the housemade dishes, too, exceed expectations. What a delightful surprise to discover such good food in the unpretentious environment of an old neighborhood tavern.

East 185th Street is just where Mark and Ruth Levine want to be. In February, the couple opened Bistro 185 at 991 E. 185th St. (the former site of John Christie's), after doing an extensive search for just the right neighborhood. We looked for about a year, Mark Levine said. We looked in our neighborhood (Pepper Pike), Beachwood, Shaker Heights. We liked the ethnic feel to this area. Ruth Levine envisions East 185th Street becoming the new Tremont, the near west side section of Cleveland that has become a favorite spot of young professionals and those seeking to get in touch with the homey Cleveland of their youth.

For 20 years, the Levines have operated Ruth Levine Events, a catering business, and, for a year, had a restaurant on Lakeland Boulevard in Wickliffe. One day, Cindy Barber of the Northeast Shores Development Corp. happpened to walk into their Wickliffe eatery. The Levines were looking for another location, and someone had told them to contact Barber about finding one. (Barber) told us they (Northeast Shores) were looking for a chef-driven restaurant to help revitalize the area. We started working with them, and this property came available.

Built in 1954 as Fritz's Tavern, the stand-alone building offered everything the Levines wanted. We took over Feb. 6, a Thursday, and opened on Monday, Ruth said, recalling their excitement to get started on East 185th. We had two goals – we wanted to have a great bar, and we wanted a great restaurant.

Each day Ruth makes up a new lunch and dinner menu. The Levines believe in going the extra mile so, for example, a recent weekday lunch menu contained prepared-to-order salads not found on most menus. One is a nut crusted goat cheese salad on a bed of field greens.

We buy (ingredients) in small quantities, so it's always fresh, Ruth said. We have one or two fresh fish every day – trout, walleye, salmon. Other favorites include chicken marsala, briskets with fresh mashers, and chicken paprikash. We have comfort foods that our moms used to make, but you don't see much now. People are loving it, Ruth said. Then there are the foods such as skate fish - a manta ray coming soon to the bistro – that most people never have seen or eaten.

The bar sells wines at $7 and $9 per glass; inexpensive but fine wines (Vouvray); and more expensive wines (Patz & Hall, at $48 per bottle). The Levines said the bar is catching on. It's fun for me to walk out (from the kitchen), when I have time, and see a roomful of people really enjoying themselves, Ruth said.

The Levines operate their catering business from Bistro 185, which means an expansion of the kitchen is in the offing. In addition, they've spruced up the patio.

The ambiance of the bistro is further enhanced by live jazz and a late-night menu offered from 10 p.m. to midnight Thursday-Saturday. The Levines operate under the theory that you're only as good as the last meal you've served. The Bistro is doing well, attracting customers regularly from Moreland Hills, Pepper Pike and Shaker Heights, as well as locally. In Cleveland, Ruth said, when a new place opens, everyone goes there for a while, then they move on. My goal is to keep people coming here because this is where we're staying.

Into food? They've got your number at Bistro 185
The Sun Courier
January 3, 2007
Scoop du Jour by Barbara Collier

At the suggestion of several friends, I visited Bistro 185, just north of the Lakeland Freeway on Cleveland's East 185th Street. The newly christened Bistro went under the names of Uncle John's and John Christie's for the last nine years, but its prior claim to fame was as the popular neighborhood Fritz's. Under the ownership of Ruth and late husband Fritz Hribar, Fritz's was a friendly watering hole, as well as the place for Friday fish fries in northeastern Cleveland.

Now, Marc and Ruth Levine have taken over the restaurant, leaving the basic dark oak interior as is but completely changing the menu. "We pretty much cleaned it up, adding some pendant lights and a few funky posters," Ruth says, then laughingly adding, "but getting rid of all those terrible beer signs."

Ruth is no stranger to the food world. For more than 20 years, she ran her Ruth Levine Events as a catering enterprise. The Levines then owned Market House Grill before opening Bistro 185.

She said their goal is to offer good food at reasonable prices with great service. Some of Bistro 185 daily specials are favorites of former customers that were too popular to ignore.

At the end of each day, staff members gather to discuss what was successful and how to fine-tune what was served. "It's a team affair," Ruth Levine said. "We listen to each other in looking for ways to offer customers what they want."

The staff includes line chef Melvin Wiley, who cooks with Levine in evenings, Ruthie Helman, Levine's friend since high school. Helman was the hard-working owner of the tremendously popular Ruthie and Mo's Diner once on Prospect Avenue.

Delicious soups are made from scratch. The chunky beef barley ($2.50 cup) was thick as a stew, loaded with fork-tender beef and mushrooms.

One of the day's specials was a pair of slow roasted pork shanks, topped with spicy raspberry chipotle sauce ($9.50). The shanks were trimmed and so tender as to fall off the bone, their meaty flavor was enhanced by the delightful sauce. A side of great sweet potato fries accompanied made a perfect match.

The turkey Reuben ($9) was a bit meager compared to others around the city. The off-the-bone turkey slices were thick and tender, topped with cole slaw and sandwiched between grilled rye. It's served with crispy home fries.

The Bistro 185 Salad ($7.50) is a favorite and no wonder. A sizable amount of field greens is covered with candied pecans, sundried cranberries and crumbled blue cheese, then tossed with the house balsamic vinaigrette. Add grilled chicken for $2.50.

The kitchen turns out tuna salad similiar to what my grandmother used to make. Albacore tuna (unheard of in Grandma's day) is mixed with hard-cooked egg, red onion and mayo. Taste it in a tuna melt or their regular tuna salad sandwich with sprouts, Jack cheese, lettuce and tomato. All sandwiches come with house fries and coleslaw.

On the dinner menu, the seafood options are the favorite choices. Customers love the tender lobster ravioli ($19.50), served with seared day-boat plump scallops and shrimp, then finished with creamy lobster sauce.

Wild Canadian walleye fillets ($18) are sauteed with wild rice pilaf, then served with house tempura vegetables.

When the occasional ruby red trout ($18.50) finds its way onto the menu, it sells out quickly. The sweet, boneless trout is sauteed and served almondine-style, beside sweet potato mashers.

Besides the pork shanks, lamb shanks ($17.50) also are popular. They, too, are slow-roasted, seasoned with rosemary with fresh mint sauce. Homemade mashers and house tempura vegetables also come with the entree.

To the staff's surprise, the bison strip steak ($22.50) has caught on and very popular. A 12-ounce steak is grilled to your specification, then served with sauteed shiitake mushrooms, tempura asparagus and potato.

The price of the Kobe burger ($11.50) is a bargain compared to what's charged at other restaurants. The 8-ounce burger is served with bacon and Cheddar cheese, tomato and field greens. Sweet potato fries come on the side.

Always check out the daily specials. Most of their special comfort foods are found under that category.

Bistro 185 at 991 E. 185th, only a minute from the Interstate 90 exit. Reservations suggested on weekends by calling (216) 481-9635.

Several 'Cheers' for magnificent Bistro 185
The News Herald
January 5, 2007
By Sydney Wade

East Side neighborhood spot makes you feel at home, dazzles your taste buds
Ratings (of five): Food: 4-1/2 • Atmosphere: 5 • Service: 4

When my husband suggested dinner at Bistro 185, I was intrigued.

Bistro means a small bar/tavern or a small restaurant serving wine. Geared up for what I thought might be typical Wednesday-night neighborhood-tavern food, we headed toward East 185th Street.

In a word: Wow!

First, the ambiance reminded me of the TV show "Cheers." Bistro 185 clearly is "a place where everyone knows your name" – or, if they don't, they soon will. Friendly, relaxed neighborhood residents intermingled with those of us who drove a few miles to get there.

Add to that a great waitress named Carla (much younger and taller than the one from Cheers), plus fabulous food, and I knew how great a neighborhood bistro could be.

The menu describes the appeal of Bistro 185 as "Imaginative upscale bistro food in a congenial atmosphere," and that perfectly defines exactly the experience at the establishment.

The restaurant, which seats about 80, including the bar, is divided down the middle, with a solid cherry bar – complete with the rich patina of years gone by – and high top tables on one side, standard restaurant seating on the other. Candles on every table, a great mix of people and an atmosphere of "We're glad you're here" set the tone for the evening.

We felt lucky to be seated on the bar side. Seated at a high top, we found an imbedded checkerboard in our tabletop, so of course we asked Carla if they had checkers to use. She smiled and said, "No, because then no one would ever leave!"

Bistro 185 offers a wide selection of draft, bottled domestic and imported beers. Everything from Miller Light to Dortmunder Gold to Peroni is available.

Martinis are also on the menu – 13 of them. Looking around the room the night we were there, I could see a couple of basil-infused martinis (Kettle One, pineapple juice and a basil-infused syrup), one classic cosmopolitan (Skyy, cranberry juice, triple sec and lime) and a classic (vodka and dry vermouth).

With an extensive wine list, there is something for everyone in that area, too. The lists are dated, and the week we were there Bistro 185 offered 21 reds, priced between $6 and $10 a glass, although three selections were only available by the bottle. With 17 whites on the list, priced from $6 and $8 per glass (three by the bottle only), it was easy to find the perfect wine to complement the meal at hand.

We began our Bistro 185 adventure with cocktails. I had a glass of Toasted Head Chardonnay ($8), while my husband enjoyed an Old Granddad Manhattan ($8.50). Both met our expectations.

Owners Ruth and Marc Levine opened Bistro 185 in February in the old John Christie's Tavern space at 991 E. 185th St. Ruth mans the kitchen throughout the night, but is often seen walking through the restaurant. Marc sails in and out of the kitchen and the dining areas, making sure the guests are well taken care of, and lends a helping hand wherever needed.

The menu, printed daily, offered eight assorted starters and 18 different entrees.

Starters included the soup of the day (matzoh ball) at $4.50/bowl, gravlax with potato pancakes ($8.50), and a warm mushroom salad ($8.50). But when we asked Carla what her favorite was, she said the chicken pot stickers with sesame soy dipping sauce ($8.50). I ordered the pot stickers and was delighted when they arrived warm and properly prepared with a wonderful dipping sauce.

My husband ordered the Asian jumbo crab cakes (*.75) and kept telling me to taste them because they were among the best he has ever had. I took a forkful and found he was not exaggerating. A mango and peach salsa garnished with a rose-shaped pickled ginger ribbon was served with the crab cakes.

Deciding what to have for dinner was no easy task. Carla told us that at Bistro 185 they pride themselves on making just about everything from scratch.

So with 16 different entrees from which to choose, how to decide? Most expensive on the menu is the 12-ounce organic bison strip steak ($24.50), followed by the lobster ravioli with scallops and shrimp in a lobster cream sauce ($19.50). Other choices included roasted lamb shanks ($17.50), sauteed calves liver ($13.50), ricotta-stuffed eggplant ($14.50) and a Kobe beef burger with bacon and cheddar and sweet potato fries ($11.50).

I decided on the chicken schnitzel with potato pierogi ($13.50), while my husband enjoyed medallions of pork tenderloin and sweet potato mashers ($17.50).

The chicken dish arrived garnished with tempura asparagus and julienned sweet potato sticks. It was plated beautifully and was delicious. when ordering, I had asked Carla if the pierogi was good, she looked me squarely in the eye and asked, "Have you ever met a pierogi you didn't like?" Once again, she was right. The potato pierogis, complete with cooked onions and butter, were a wonderful accompaniment to the moist and tender chicken.

The pork dish arrived with a generous portion of pork, finished with a creamy horseradish and grainy mustard sauce. And then there were those sweet potato mashers, which were wonderful. And try as hard as we could, we could not clean our plates and asked for a container so we could enjoy the meal again at home.

You would think if one were too full to clean his or her plate that dessert would be out of the question. not so for us at Bistro 185! The dessert cooler was just over my shoulder and we kept eyeing its contents during our dinner. Choosing dessert was difficult, partially because they were all priced the same at $5.50, but also because of the selection: New York cheesecake with raspberry topping, cream cheese iced carrot cake, traditional apple pie, and a flourless almond raspberry chocolate torte. My husband had the last piece of Key lime pie, and I enjoyed the chocolate chip mocha cheesecake. The servings were huge, and we loved every bite.

But dinner at the bistro is only part of the story. My husband has enjoyed Bistro 185's ambiance and food at lunchtime many times because it is a short ride from downtown. Interesting to note the daytime chef is Ruth Helman of Ruthie and Moe's Diner fame. And yes, she brought with her the recipe for her special clam chowder (available only on Friday).

Daily lunch specials are priced from $9.50 and offer a wide delicious assortment of palate-pleasing dishes. Every Monday it is slow-roasted pork shanks with a spicy raspberry chipotle sauce and sweet potato fries. But if roast beef brisket makes your heart sing, be sure to be there on Wednesday when they serve it with mashers and gravy. Other daily specials are chicken paprikash and dumplings (Tuesday), turkey and mashers (Thursday) and a traditional fish fry with mac and cheese (Friday).

Sandwiches are also available for lunch. There are 19 different selections, all served with fries and slaw and priced from $6.50 to $9.50. Ten burgers are on the menu, all of which are half-pounders and made from fresh certified Angus beef. And just like the sandwiches, all burger come with fries and slaw. Completing this extensive lunch menu are seven chicken dishes and 10 other menu items, not including the soups that change daily.

Will we go to Bistro 185 again? In a heartbeat. The place made us feel like we were part of the neighborhood. It's a place, to borrow more from the "Cheers" theme, "Where they're always glad you came." Bistro 185 was a great experience.

And the next time we go, we ARE bringing our own checkers, because we never want to leave.