Cultural Cuisine: My favorite Filipino spot is Tita Flora’s in Independence. I knew them before they even opened up that restaurant. I had fried rice and their lumpia. They are the nicest people. There’s also this spot, the Rush Inn in Lakewood, that’s Irish. It’s a good late night place. The burgers and wings are good. They’ve been around a long time, maintain good quality and are always consistent.
Local Ingredients: My favorite spot for local produce is Red Basket Farm in Kinsman, Ohio. They’re great. They’re just an awesome couple, Amy and Floyd Davis. I met Floyd at the Tremont Farmers Market, and he had the best produce in the world. I get curly kale, tomatoes, acorn squash, eggplant, all that kind of stuff from there. And then [I go to] Tyler’s Farm for greens in Oberlin, hydroponically grown. This time of the year, if you can’t get ground greens, his stuff is just fantastic.
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Dining Out: I love LJ Shanghai downtown. They've got the best soup dumplings around, and I love the tripe there with chili oil. I love the flavor. The soup dumplings are out of this world. Then there’s my friends at Superior Pho. Their pho is off the charts. Clarity in the stock and huge flavor is so emblematic of their place. I also like going to Flour.
Pizza: I like Citizen’s Pie and Il Rione, they’re just great pizza places, I like their approach to pizza. And then I like Romito’s pizza in Independence. Their pizza I get more than anywhere else. It’s a thicker crust and it's cooked in the pan in the brick oven.
Golf Grounds: For my favorite golf course, I would say the Metroparks. I loved it when the City of Cleveland sold Seneca Golf Course to the Metroparks. And so in that time, I could basically golf there forever; everybody knew me, and they just let me go. So I would say probably Seneca or Sleepy Hollow Golf Course in Brecksville are my favorite. Although, I always like the mom-and-pop courses, as well.
Coffee Time: Rising Star Coffee Roasters, I love those guys. The owners are fantastic; I see them all the time. I usually do French press, so I get the Illuminator Blend there.
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