You Love: Burger King’s Whopper
So Try: Brasa Grill, where the flame broiling doesn’t stop at beef. The $35 prix-fixe dinner offers a dozen or more varieties of meat. We recently sampled everything from bacon- wrapped filet and Brazilian pork sausage to flank steak, beef short ribs and filet mignon. 1300 W. Ninth St., Cleveland, (216) 575-0699
Bottom Line: Yes, Virginia, there’s something meatier than the Triple Whopper. Its name is Brasa.
So Try: Boulevard Blue’s bar menu slider trio. Where White Castle is as all-American as it gets (first burger chain and all), Blue takes you from the U.S. to Asia and Latin America in one fell swoop. You won’t find pickle or onions on the American burger here, but you will get bacon and cheddar. The Asian slider is topped with ginger coleslaw; the Latin slider features avocado, cilantro and sour cream. 12718 Larchmere Blvd., Cleveland, (216) 721-5500
Bottom Line: American burgers are great, but we love the light (but still burger-yummy) flavor of the Latin popper.
So Try: Momocho’s menu items are high-end and more than fill your border urges. Taco Bell recently introduced the steak grilled taquito, and Momocho has its own miniwraps in 12 varieties. Each comes with the same delicious salsa verde and one of a few variations on chipotle, jalepeno or habanero salsa. Try the juicy machaca taquitos: coffee and ancho-braised beef brisket with guac as the side. 1835 Fulton Road, Cleveland, (216) 694-2122
Bottom Line: We’ll take Momocho’s fresh creations over Taco Bell’s prefab food any day.
So Try: Move beyond basic Idaho with the 21st century sweet potato craze. Many restaurants do them well, but no one gets us closer to McDonald's nirvana than The Diner on Clifton. The first thing you notice is how light they are- the fluffiness defies the dark orange outer shell and invites you to have just one more. And one more. And one more. Sound familiar? 11637 Clifton Blvd., Cleveland, (216) 694-2122
Bottom Line: We're not saying these fries will make you forget Mickey D's, but they'll remind you why you love them in the first place.