Chef Matthew Mytro’s passion for cooking and serving first sparked in his family kitchen. “I had two little brothers that I would cook for at home,” he says. Now, he spends his days preparing pizza and pasta, but when he's not in his East Side Italian kitchen, here are his favorite haunts.
Family-friendly spot: We go to a place called Mizu Sushi in Parma. It’s probably our favorite place to go to as a family — myself, my kids and my wife. It’s like this hidden gem. The sushi is so good. Probably one of the best in the city.
Latin Food: I have to say La Plaza Supermarket and Taqueria in Cleveland reminds me of Texas a little bit with the tacos. Their tacos are pretty traditional, because you can get beef tongue and pork stomach, just things that you don’t see normally in Cleveland. It’s very authentic and really good.
Favorite new spot: My favorite new spots are Zhug in Cleveland Heights and Amba in Ohio City. I'm obsessed with Doug Katz’s restaurants. The food is just full of flavor — bright, spicy and acidic. As a chef, you know, we kind of get inspired by other chefs, and he’s one who’s just put out really good food. Every time I go to his restaurants I’m just always amazed at how tasty everything is.
Chefs Who Inspire Him: Eric Williams, Doug Katz, Dante Boccuzzi and Rocco Whalen, how they’ve been able to have multiple restaurants. Rocco’s even got a restaurant in Charlotte, North Carolina. He’s just such a personality. He carries himself really well. He takes care of his staff, he’s well respected in the industry. That, to me, goes a long way other than just creativity. Eric is the same way. It’s a hard industry, so you look up to your peers. You see what they do, and you want to mold yourself like them.
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