Behind the Scenes: Dining Editor Dillon Stewart on May's Best Restaurants Issue

Don’t worry Cleveland, we’ve got your dinner plans figured out. In this month’s Best Restaurants cover story (page 56), we dish on some of our favorite places to eat. Here, we catch up with Cleveland Magazine dining editor Dillon Stewart about putting the package together. 

Q. What’s your favorite part of the package? 
A. The research! In the past six months, I’ve probably eaten at 50 to 100 different restaurants, from stalwarts to newbies. That means hundreds of dishes and cocktails, hundreds of great moments with locals and about a dozen pounds. 

Q. How is Cleveland eating now?   
A. Enthusiastically. Even during the winter months, despite the tales of everyone’s newfound pandemic love of cooking, diners have returned to restaurants in droves. This year, pizza felt exciting with Cent’s and Etalian; sushi established itself with the addition of Goma, Sora and Bar Oni starting up a sushi program; and Cleveland’s AsiaTown is still one of the best places to eat in the country.

Q. What’s your favorite part of Cleveland’s food scene? 
A. It’s such a tight-knit community. The people behind these restaurants are dreamers who truly believe good food can make this city better.

Q. If you opened a restaurant, what kind would it be? Bonus points if you have a name.
A. Dill’s Deli. Every sandwich served with a side of our house-made ranch and a tall boy Miller High Life. Semi-soft bread (like the baguette in Superior Pho's banh mi), hand-carved meats (house-cured if the FDA would let me) and outdoor dining with a stage for local live music.