Heidi and I dined at Venetzia last night and had a lovely time. We didn't think there was an ambiance (or price) problem. The style is very much in keeping with NYc-type storefront restaurants (without the NYc prices).
The food was delicious and we split a chocolate mousse - which was probably the most wonderful mousse that I have had in years. The presentation was so good that all of the diners around us asked us about it. (Can't talk - eating.)
I think this is a little gem; a grown-up's place that joins a handful of such restaurants.
Had we more time, we would have happily lingered over coffee.
So, welcome Moha Orchid, thank you for landing in Lakewood and I hope you have a long-lived and enjoyable stay here.
Venezia needs diners
Moderator: Jim O'Bryan
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Kenneth Warren
- Posts: 489
- Joined: Sat Mar 26, 2005 7:17 pm
I've had lunch there several times, alone, with Chef Geoff, and another time invited to join a table of friends. It's a wonderful spot for a business lunch.
My tastes are simple. I've had the pizza with fresh basil, the pizza with pepperoni. I'd say the sauce and the cheese are the best in the Wood. I prefer the crust a bit darker and will ask for my pizza prepared to that degree the next time.
I had the bowl of spaghetti, with meat sauce, and I will say it's the best bowl of spaghetti available among the restaurants in the Wood.
I have to concur with DL the chocolate mousse was the best I've had.
Coca Cola in the can is available - another aspect I like.
I can understand the need to budget especially while raising a family. I can appreciate the hope that affordable quality family restaurants will enhance life in the Wood.
So for someone in a tight budget situation, I'd say Venezia, with it's fantastic desserts, is a place to splurge, say on a birthday. Now, when I have to take the family out for Italian on a birthday, I can and will adamantly refuse to go to Carabarra's. Going to Venezia rather than Carabarra's, I will save a few bucks in the process. Our choices are relative to the comparables in mind. One can drop close to eight bucks for a tuna sub and soft drink at Subway. I bet one can get a bean burrito and soda at Taco Bell for a deuce.
For those with the means to afford a midscale expenditure, the quality is there at Venezia.
Kenneth Warren
My tastes are simple. I've had the pizza with fresh basil, the pizza with pepperoni. I'd say the sauce and the cheese are the best in the Wood. I prefer the crust a bit darker and will ask for my pizza prepared to that degree the next time.
I had the bowl of spaghetti, with meat sauce, and I will say it's the best bowl of spaghetti available among the restaurants in the Wood.
I have to concur with DL the chocolate mousse was the best I've had.
Coca Cola in the can is available - another aspect I like.
I can understand the need to budget especially while raising a family. I can appreciate the hope that affordable quality family restaurants will enhance life in the Wood.
So for someone in a tight budget situation, I'd say Venezia, with it's fantastic desserts, is a place to splurge, say on a birthday. Now, when I have to take the family out for Italian on a birthday, I can and will adamantly refuse to go to Carabarra's. Going to Venezia rather than Carabarra's, I will save a few bucks in the process. Our choices are relative to the comparables in mind. One can drop close to eight bucks for a tuna sub and soft drink at Subway. I bet one can get a bean burrito and soda at Taco Bell for a deuce.
For those with the means to afford a midscale expenditure, the quality is there at Venezia.
Kenneth Warren
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DougHuntingdon
- Posts: 527
- Joined: Tue Feb 07, 2006 10:29 pm
I have not tried Venezia yet and don't know the exact prices, so my comments may not be applicable to Venezia.
Generally speaking, though, I am intrigued how some places try to pass themselves off as fine dining, yet their seating is not only open but cramped. That is one thing I don't get about the new Indian place. I walk in there, and it's like sardines, and I'm not talking about their seafood selection. Unless I am only paying $5/person at a fast food joint, I at least expect some more space, even if the silverware is heavy, even if the side of carrots are chopped into triangle shapes, even if the menu is made out of lacey paper, even if the cloth napkins are as clean as a whistle, and even if the chef honored Lakewood with his presence after flying directly on his own private jet from prestigious New York City, Venice, Paris, London, or Rome.
While it may be tough to make money in the restaurant business even if one allegedly knows what he/she is doing, some failures are no surprise. At least 3 months before a certain restaurant closed on Detroit (earlier this year, I believe) they did not have any take out menus a day I walked in or even a week later. How hard is it to push the print button or go to Kinkos in Rocky River? Another restaurant that shall remain unnamed in the Clifton/Lake/Edgewater area was out of chicken the last time I went in there, yet chicken made up a large portion of their menu. No, they do not keep live chickens in the basement, if that is what you are thinking. The time previous to that, the owner was doing some short order cooking and walking around the dining area in his droopy drawers. I am talking about the hip hop style of intentionally wearing your pants too low. This guy was not overweight and did not look like a stereotypical plumber.
Someone mentioned something about Swingos' mid 1970s theme. That is another place I don't "get." The most rewarding part is looking at the old interesting pictures of patrons when they used to have a place in downtown Cleveland. These pictures are located on the wall near the restrooms and include Nick Mileti and Frank Sinatra. Don't ask me how Avril Lavigne got on there. If you want to try it out, though, for the first time, let me suggest Wednesday evenings when appetizers are half price, or Thursdays when mussels are on sale.
I gave 3 birds three thumbs down on my first visit, but to be fair, that was at least a couple years ago. I should try it again. They have valet parking (or at least did then), but I took the self-parking option with my bicycle.
Despite some complaints I have mentioned here, Lakewood does have a pretty good selection of restaurants of all types. Angelos is a great sitdown pizza joint. I have had varied experiences at Pacers, mostly good, and at times they have some great specials for the majority of us who are not made of money, like cheap wings or else a nice steak with shrimp for $9.99 or something like that. Players is on the high end but had a good atmosphere last time I was there.
I believe honest restaurant reviews are often in short supply. Some magazines give all their top awards to the big advertisers. Other papers entice restaurants to advertise with glowing reviews or semi-dubious awards ("best place to eat on a Monday after getting dumped via text by your girlfriend"). The Observation Deck is probably better than those other choices, but even on here you have to wonder sometimes if the poster is dating the restaurant manager. Maybe part of the problem of negative restaurant reviews in the media is the fear of lawsuits? A place I would like to try some day is Melt, but it has been packed every time I have been past so far, and like I said, I don't like being a sardine hehe.
Doug
Generally speaking, though, I am intrigued how some places try to pass themselves off as fine dining, yet their seating is not only open but cramped. That is one thing I don't get about the new Indian place. I walk in there, and it's like sardines, and I'm not talking about their seafood selection. Unless I am only paying $5/person at a fast food joint, I at least expect some more space, even if the silverware is heavy, even if the side of carrots are chopped into triangle shapes, even if the menu is made out of lacey paper, even if the cloth napkins are as clean as a whistle, and even if the chef honored Lakewood with his presence after flying directly on his own private jet from prestigious New York City, Venice, Paris, London, or Rome.
While it may be tough to make money in the restaurant business even if one allegedly knows what he/she is doing, some failures are no surprise. At least 3 months before a certain restaurant closed on Detroit (earlier this year, I believe) they did not have any take out menus a day I walked in or even a week later. How hard is it to push the print button or go to Kinkos in Rocky River? Another restaurant that shall remain unnamed in the Clifton/Lake/Edgewater area was out of chicken the last time I went in there, yet chicken made up a large portion of their menu. No, they do not keep live chickens in the basement, if that is what you are thinking. The time previous to that, the owner was doing some short order cooking and walking around the dining area in his droopy drawers. I am talking about the hip hop style of intentionally wearing your pants too low. This guy was not overweight and did not look like a stereotypical plumber.
Someone mentioned something about Swingos' mid 1970s theme. That is another place I don't "get." The most rewarding part is looking at the old interesting pictures of patrons when they used to have a place in downtown Cleveland. These pictures are located on the wall near the restrooms and include Nick Mileti and Frank Sinatra. Don't ask me how Avril Lavigne got on there. If you want to try it out, though, for the first time, let me suggest Wednesday evenings when appetizers are half price, or Thursdays when mussels are on sale.
I gave 3 birds three thumbs down on my first visit, but to be fair, that was at least a couple years ago. I should try it again. They have valet parking (or at least did then), but I took the self-parking option with my bicycle.
Despite some complaints I have mentioned here, Lakewood does have a pretty good selection of restaurants of all types. Angelos is a great sitdown pizza joint. I have had varied experiences at Pacers, mostly good, and at times they have some great specials for the majority of us who are not made of money, like cheap wings or else a nice steak with shrimp for $9.99 or something like that. Players is on the high end but had a good atmosphere last time I was there.
I believe honest restaurant reviews are often in short supply. Some magazines give all their top awards to the big advertisers. Other papers entice restaurants to advertise with glowing reviews or semi-dubious awards ("best place to eat on a Monday after getting dumped via text by your girlfriend"). The Observation Deck is probably better than those other choices, but even on here you have to wonder sometimes if the poster is dating the restaurant manager. Maybe part of the problem of negative restaurant reviews in the media is the fear of lawsuits? A place I would like to try some day is Melt, but it has been packed every time I have been past so far, and like I said, I don't like being a sardine hehe.
Doug
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Kenneth Warren
- Posts: 489
- Joined: Sat Mar 26, 2005 7:17 pm
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Charyn Compeau
- Posts: 324
- Joined: Wed Aug 23, 2006 3:11 pm
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DougHuntingdon
- Posts: 527
- Joined: Tue Feb 07, 2006 10:29 pm
Ken
Good point, of course, but I don't think it is asking too much to not have all the people surrounding your table potentially coughing directly on you or backing their chair into your table every time they get out!
Perhaps some businesses are just trying a little too hard to maximize their revenue within a limited amount of space. Perhaps we could have more rooftop dining to help satisfy the diners and the business people who run the restaurants? I know a lot of places in and around Lakewood have downstairs restrooms, which is understandable, given the density. I wasn't asking for a nice courtyard (although 3 birds has that) or separate parking lot.
Doug
Good point, of course, but I don't think it is asking too much to not have all the people surrounding your table potentially coughing directly on you or backing their chair into your table every time they get out!
Perhaps some businesses are just trying a little too hard to maximize their revenue within a limited amount of space. Perhaps we could have more rooftop dining to help satisfy the diners and the business people who run the restaurants? I know a lot of places in and around Lakewood have downstairs restrooms, which is understandable, given the density. I wasn't asking for a nice courtyard (although 3 birds has that) or separate parking lot.
Doug
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David Bargetzi
- Posts: 21
- Joined: Wed Jan 25, 2006 3:18 pm
- Location: Lakewood, OH
- Contact:
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Ruth Sholtis-Furyes
- Posts: 21
- Joined: Mon Apr 25, 2005 5:39 pm
- Location: Lakewood, OH
- Contact:
We ate there a few weeks ago. Our take was the food was ok, but the price high when you factor in the quality of the service and overall ambiance. Our dinner took over an hour to get to our table. They wait staff didn't seem to know what they were doing. It took them over 15 minutes to return with our bottle of wine we brought.
The two dishes I tasted were nothing special for both being over $15.00. That coupled with the seriously inept staff doesn't make for us going back anytime soon.
Sadly, to make it in Lakewood where there is a lot of competition especially in Italian...Venezia is going to have to be spot on with pricing and service.
The two dishes I tasted were nothing special for both being over $15.00. That coupled with the seriously inept staff doesn't make for us going back anytime soon.
Sadly, to make it in Lakewood where there is a lot of competition especially in Italian...Venezia is going to have to be spot on with pricing and service.
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Edward Favre
- Posts: 381
- Joined: Thu Aug 25, 2005 6:46 pm
Venezia
We had an 8pm. reservation Saturday night (12/2/06). The salad came around 9pm. and after several excuses about being understaffed.
At 9:45pm., we were told our order was next. At 10:15pm., we were told it would take ten more minutes. We asked for bread and got two slices of toast for four people.
We walked out at 10:40pm. The place was full and they did not turn over a table all the time we were there. While we were talking to other customers, we learned that the 5:30 and 6pm. reservations were still there when we arrived.
They lost a lot of business and turned off a lot of potential customers. If the place fails, they have nobody to blame but themselves.
At 9:45pm., we were told our order was next. At 10:15pm., we were told it would take ten more minutes. We asked for bread and got two slices of toast for four people.
We walked out at 10:40pm. The place was full and they did not turn over a table all the time we were there. While we were talking to other customers, we learned that the 5:30 and 6pm. reservations were still there when we arrived.
They lost a lot of business and turned off a lot of potential customers. If the place fails, they have nobody to blame but themselves.
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Kenneth Warren
- Posts: 489
- Joined: Sat Mar 26, 2005 7:17 pm
Ed:
I am sorry you had a bad experience.
I missed Kiwanis today and actually had a lunch at Venezia. I was out in an hour. I asked for a "well done" pepperoni pizza. It was very, very good. The other times there I found the dough undercooked.
Today, I could see that the process was slow going for a couple at another table.
The waitress did tell me they are looking for more help and want people to be happy while they wait.
I hope they get it together, because I want Venezia to be my only stop for pizza in Lakewood.
Kenneth Warren
I am sorry you had a bad experience.
I missed Kiwanis today and actually had a lunch at Venezia. I was out in an hour. I asked for a "well done" pepperoni pizza. It was very, very good. The other times there I found the dough undercooked.
Today, I could see that the process was slow going for a couple at another table.
The waitress did tell me they are looking for more help and want people to be happy while they wait.
I hope they get it together, because I want Venezia to be my only stop for pizza in Lakewood.
Kenneth Warren
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Dan Slife
- Posts: 99
- Joined: Mon Mar 28, 2005 5:58 am
- Location: Lakewood, Ohio
It seems that Venezia, if the service issue is true, has unknowingly created an excellent psy-op.
Drive by any thurs-saturday evening and the place is packed. I've talked to several Woodies who attempted to make reservations and were turned away. All agreed that this was an excellent sign: thriving business and excellent food. This makes for good vapor-ware.
...Until Ed posted, I thought they were rockin!
I hope they can pull it off.
Drive by any thurs-saturday evening and the place is packed. I've talked to several Woodies who attempted to make reservations and were turned away. All agreed that this was an excellent sign: thriving business and excellent food. This makes for good vapor-ware.
...Until Ed posted, I thought they were rockin!
I hope they can pull it off.
Dan Slife
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dl meckes
- Posts: 1475
- Joined: Mon Mar 07, 2005 6:29 pm
- Location: Lakewood
Dan-
Back in the day in San Francisco & Berkeley, "no-one" patronized a place if there wasn't a line down the block.
If there's a wait, it must be great.
The only thing that was worth a wait (to me) was Edy's ice cream. I haven't bought it since the company was sold.
Back in the day in San Francisco & Berkeley, "no-one" patronized a place if there wasn't a line down the block.
If there's a wait, it must be great.
The only thing that was worth a wait (to me) was Edy's ice cream. I haven't bought it since the company was sold.
“One of they key problems today is that politics is such a disgrace. Good people don’t go into government.”- 45
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ryan costa
- Posts: 2486
- Joined: Fri Jan 06, 2006 10:31 pm
indian restaurants
Authentic Indian restaurants have to be very cramped, because that is how things are in India.