August 2021

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Featured Articles

Cleveland Taco Guide: Cleveland's 30 Best Taco Dishes

There's a taco revolution in Cleveland. From Mexican classics to overstuffed options, modern American to even vegan and vegetarian tacos, there's more than enough of these handheld beauties to go around. Plus, our favorite salsas and when to use corn or flour tortillas.

Food + Drink

3 Cleveland Watermelon Recipes You'll Love

The South Side's Natasha Pogrebinsky, 111 Bistro's Anthony Scolaro and The Pompadour's Rusty James Phillips use the juicy summer fruit to create delicious dishes.

Best Things We Ate This Month: Heart Of Gold, Butcher And The Brewer, Mashiso Asian Grille And Teriyaki Express

The editors of Cleveland Magazine share the best local dishes they ate this month.

Cleveland Field Kitchen's Nomad Dinners Offer A Unique Destination Dining Experience

The five-course meal hosted at outdoor venues such as farms and fields highlights ingredients from local farmers.

Cleveland Taco Guide: 7 Taco Terms To Know

Tacos are one of the most popular foods in the country — and for good reason. With so many different types of tacos out there, here's our guide of what to know before you go looking for your new favorite taco.

Cleveland Taco Guide: Avo Modern Mexican's Fried Avocado Tacos Are A Love Letter To Mexican Street Tacos

The fruit's neutral flavor lets the other elements shine in this house-made treat at the Ohio City Taqueria.

Cleveland Taco Guide: Barra Tacos' Lobster Roll Tacos Combine The Tastes Of Both Coasts

This Sandusky taco spot's combination of juicy lobster pieces and Mexican spices will turn your taste buds on their head — in a good way.

Cleveland Taco Guide: Barrio's Camorone Agrietado Tacos Heat Things Up

One of Barrio's El Jefe selections, the camorone agrietado tacos, featuring poached shrimp, are built for summer with a spicy kick and a refreshing finish.

Cleveland Taco Guide: Best Damn Tacos' Chimichurri Bay Scallop Tacos Are Untraditional But Tasty

A peppery chimichurri adds zest to this seafood-based taco at the North Olmsted spot.

Cleveland Taco Guide: Bomba Taco & Bar's Andy Himmel Is Building A Taco Empire

The owner, who first got into tacos by adding tacos to Paladar Latin Kitchen's menu as a fun option, now owns Bomba Tacos & Bar.

Cleveland Taco Guide: Bomba Taco & Bar's Smokin' Brussels Brings Together A Unique Flavor Combo

Despite only being on the menu for less than four months, the Smokin' Brussels taco has already become one of Bomba's biggest sellers.

Cleveland Taco Guide: Camino's Beer Chicken Tacos Are Both Tangy And Crunchy

One of seven original tacos at the Warehouse District spot, beer-marinated chicken sits on a house-made corn tortilla.

Cleveland Taco Guide: Cilantro Taqueria's Lengua Tacos Are Simple And Authentic

With beef tongue that's cooked for three hours, this taco is the perfect mixture of lengua, cilantro, onion and salsa.

Cleveland Taco Guide: Cleveland's 30 Best Taco Dishes

Cleveland Taco Guide: Condado Taco's Plain Jane Tacos Are Far From Boring

The regional chain uses simple ingredients to create a new flavor experience with this chicken-based taco.

Cleveland Taco Guide: Corn Or Flour? Our Guide For Picking The Best Tortilla

The choice between a corn and flour tortilla shouldn't be an afterthought — it makes or breaks your taco.

Cleveland Taco Guide: El Senor's Pork Stomach Tacos Are Deep-Fried Mexican Classics

This Painesville taco is a crunchy and chewy representation of authentic street food.

Cleveland Taco Guide: El Taco Macho's Poblano Tacos Are The Result Of An Overnight Process

The authentically Mexican recipe is pulled directly from owner Ricardo Leon's friend's taco cart.

Cleveland Taco Guide: Foodhisattva's Bangkok Tacos Are A Local Vegan Standout

For the past decade, owner Joshua Sias has been obsessed with creating the perfect taco recipe. He very well might have done it with the Bangkok tacos.

Cleveland Taco Guide: Hola Tacos' Beef Birria Taco Is A Twist On A Mexican Staple

Owner Juan Vergara's beef birria taco is his take on the classic, which is a Mexican staple at events such as birthdays, weddings and holiday gatherings.

Cleveland Taco Guide: Hola Tacos' Juan Vergara Is Creating A Memorable Taco Experience

The ever-expanding Latin- and Los Angeles-inspired restaurant group, which started in 2019, features a menu filled with unique and flavorful dishes.

Cleveland Taco Guide: La Casita Taqueria's Marcos Campos Brings The Mexican Street Food Experience To Painesville

Since opening his restaurant in 2009, the owner is the place for locals looking for tacos, quesadillas, tortas and more in Painesville.

Cleveland Taco Guide: La Fiesta Mexican Restaurant's Al Pastor And Pineapple Queso Tacos Make The Case For Fruity Tacos

Pineapple on pizza is so last year. With La Fiesta's al pastor and pineapple queso tacos, you'll never think about pineapple the same again.

Cleveland Taco Guide: La Plaza Supermarket's Adrian Ortega Lets His Authentic Tacos And Salsa Shine

The Lakewood restaurant and supermarket is the place to go for delicious, authentic tacos filled with barbacoa, lengua and more.

Cleveland Taco Guide: La Plaza Supermarket's Vegan Nopal Tacos Nod To Adrian Ortega's Childhood

Growing up, the owner couldn't get enough of his mother's cactus recipes — so much so he made the "prickly pear" the main ingredient of his vegan tacos.

Cleveland Taco Guide: Mamacita's Baja Beer Tacos Are A Love Letter To The Pacfic Coast's Food Scene

After being born and raised in California, Mamacita's owner Monica Hally brings out her background in West Coast flavor in the Baja beer tacos.

Cleveland Taco Guide: Momocho Chef And Owner Eric Williams Brings Integrity To Experimentation

The owner of the Ohio City spot has built his restaurant around trying to capture the flavor of Mexico in a way Clevelanders will like.

Cleveland Taco Guide: Momocho's Machaca Taquitos Are Beefy Bundles Of Joy

With a recipe that's been unchanged since 2006, the Ohio City restaurant's machaca taquitos are a Cleveland staple.

Cleveland Taco Guide: Nomz's Banh Mi Tacos Shine On The Its Expansive Menu

Originally a sandwich, owner Samuel Lavictoire decided to try his banh mi recipe as a taco. Spoiler alert: it worked.

Cleveland Taco Guide: Nuevo Modern Mexican And Tequila's Hongos Tacos Unite Vegans And Carnivores

With a flavorful maitake mushroom base and a vegan queso, this multicultural dish is the perfect meatless taco.

Cleveland Taco Guide: Senor Tequila's Chorizo Tacos Gives Taste Buds A Treat

The Senor Tequila team uses patience and precision when adding spice and flavor to the meat.

Cleveland Taco Guide: Smokin Q's BBQ and Beer House's Polish Tacos Combine Texas Barbecue And A CLE Favorite

With red cabbage and French fries piled high on top of a base of jalapeno hot-link sausages, this taco combines the best of Polish and Mexican cuisines.

Cleveland Taco Guide: Southside Diner's Breakfast Tacos Wake You Up Right

Head chef and owner John-Paul Farah's breakfast tacos are stuffed to the brim with all your favorite breakfast tastes.

Cleveland Taco Guide: Taco Tontos' Black Bean And Sweet Potato Taco Is An Instant Hit

After starting out as a burrito, Taco Tontos' chefs turned the recipe into a two-layer taco — which has since turned into a menu mainstay.

Cleveland Taco Guide: Taco Vago's El Marinero Tacos Features Tender Crab Meat

Combined with sweet mango salsa, lettuce and shredded cheese, this fresh seafood taco is perfect for a beach day.

Cleveland Taco Guide: Tacologist's Teriyaki Tacos Is The Result Of Creative Chemistry

Pineapple, cilantro and Sriracha work perfectly with teriyaki-marinated grilled chicken in this Japanese and Mexican mashup.

Cleveland Taco Guide: Tapatia's Taqueria's Carnitas Tacos Are Inspired By Owner Jesus Medina's Hometown

The carnitas at this Cleveland spot are cooked with Modelo Negra beer, orange juice, Mexican Coca-Cola and a pinch of tequila.

Cleveland Taco Guide: The South Side's Short Rib Tacos Are A Multi-Day Korean Barbecue Masterpiece

The team at this Tremont restaurant take a French approach to preparing the taco, with each one taking four days to prepare to ensure the meat is as soft and tender as possible.

Cleveland Taco Guide: Three Cleveland Salsas You'll Love

Local salsas from Willy's Fresh Salsa, Sidekicks Salsa and Gourmet Firehouse Salsa are the perfect complement for any taco.

Cleveland Taco Guide: Zocalo Tequileria's Beyond Tacos Are The Vegan Tacos Of Your Dreams

With ground Beyond Meat, veggies and a zingy chimichurri sauce, this vegan taco eats like a full meal.

Cleveland Taco Guide: Blue Habanero's Huitlacoche Tacos Gives Gourmands A Delicacy

The Ohio City restaurant's owner Rafael Ayala brings huitlacoche, sometimes called "a Mexican truffle," to Cleveland.

Cleveland Taco Guide: La Casita Taqueria's Shredded Rib Birria Tacos A Must-Try

With taco shells flavored from juice from the meat, these tacos in Painesville give each patron a fresh and unique experience.

Five Cleveland Clam Dishes To Try This Summer

From Chatty Pizzeria's clam pizza to Michael Genuine Food & Drink's middleneck appetizers, here's our list of the unique mollusk dishes you need to try.

Tost Sandwich Cafe Offers Americanized Euro Deli Vibes

With packed sandwiches and a variety of grab-and-go options, Tost is the perfect spot for diners looking for a change of scenery.

Treehouse Provisions Brings A Bonfire Aesthetic To West Park

The new carryout and drive-thru restaurant's campfire sticky buns are nostalgic and sweet.

In the CLE

1953: Dog Owners Prepare For The Chagrin Valley Kennel Club Dog Show

With less than a month until the dog show, members of the Chagrin Valley Hunt Club prepared their English foxhounds for competition.

American Greetings Partners With Roc Nation For Fun, Celebrity E-Cards

The local greeting card company and the entertainment leader are collaborating on Celebrity SmashUps, personalized e-cards.

Cleveland Heights Girl Scout Receives Award For Saving Friend

Nine-year-old Brownie Scout Elizabeth Costanzo was given the Girl Scout Medal of Honor after saving a family friend.

Editor's Note: Tacos Have Become A Cleveland Staple

Editor Kim Schneider shares how tacos helped expand her culinary outlook.

Essay: How Revisiting Family Heirlooms Brings About New Meaning

One writer is on a mission to put her grandmother's favorite saucepan to use.

RTA's NEXTGEN Redesign Expands Connectivity

Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority CEO and general manager India Birdsong hopes RTA's NEXTGEN redesign streamlines commutes, improves accessibility and expands reach.

With The Delta Variant Looming, The Pandemic May Leave Music Venues Reeling For Years

As part of the Save Our Stages Act, nearly $100 million has flowed into Northeast's theaters and entertainment venues. Still, many local venues say it'll take five years or more to recover from the affects of the pandemic shutdown.

Entertainment

Acclaimed Cleveland Artist Michelangelo Lovelace Leaves Behind Impactful Legacy

With art that depicted everything from drawings of people he met to vibrant cityscapes, the painter depicted the pulse of Cleveland in his work.

Arts In August Festival Brings Theater And Dance Performances To Tremont

A performance from the Cleveland Public Theatre’s Student Theatre Enrichment Program kicks off this year's Arts in August festival, a monthlong celebration of the arts.

Loganberry Books Hosts Monthlong Author Alley Book Fair

A free annual book fair designed to reflect Ohio's literary landscape, Author Alley has events spread across four weekends.

Strongsville Resident Ryan Drost Publishes "Stealth Hammer" Comic

The self-published comic features a fantasy world filled with high-tech gadgetry and witches.

The Ohio Shakespeare Festival Performs A Midsummer Night's Dream At Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens

With its 20th anniversary celebration on the horizon, the Ohio Shakespeare Festival pulls out all the stops for this year's performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream.

At Home

A Clevelander's Guide To A More Sustainable Home

Rachel Regula, owner of Little Spark Refill Shop in Rocky River, gives us tips for getting into a green routine at home. Plus, how to get into composting.

Painting 101: Tips For A Seamless Job

From sanding to cleanup, Jason Santee, owner of VertexPro in Mentor, gives us three tips for tackling your next paint job.

This North Ridgeville Home Embraces Color And Fun

With a playful design and eclectic art, this home by Ashleigh Clark Interior Design Group is full of youthful touches.

Style

Picasszos Earrings Are A Personalized Painting For Your Ears

Madonna Prowell's jewelry line features bright, colorful designs created by the Cleveland artist.

Education

Local Schools And Organizations Are Working To Establish A Culture Of Diversity In STEM

Whether it's Hakwen's internship program or the Cleveland Metroparks hands-on STEM programs, area schools and organizations are doing their part to foster a culture of diversity in STEM.

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