The Must-Eat List: The Standard

Map Quest

Our Eastern European taste buds know how spaetzle should taste. But our Cleveland curiosity has led us to explore new territory for the classic at the Standard. When the kitchen was overloaded with too much ricotta, chef Marty Pond had an idea. "I threw it in the spaetzle batter," he says. "We worked out the rest of the ingredients from there." The soft, dumpling-like egg noodles get a nice sear on high heat before getting mixed with bacon, simmered leeks, peas, grilled chicken and smoky blue cheese for a hearty comfort dish ($12 half, $21 full). "You don't want them to be too runny or gummy," Pond says. The technique works year-round with a variety of seasonal ingredients. "Noodles are very versatile, so it allows us to be able to try new things and do whatever we want with it," Pond says. "I don't know a place that has anything like this." 779 E. 185th St., Cleveland, 216-531-9643, thestandardcleveland.com