ELIZABITES

I was already pretty full when I hit up the original location of Taylor’s Refresher in Napa. But just the mere thought of garlic butter and parsley french fries was enough to spark my appetite. The place looks like an updated 1950s-style drive-in with a perpetual line of hungry winery-visitors looking to nosh on amazingly juicy burgers, fries (they have sweet potato and chili cheese too), and thick Double Rainbow gourmet ice cream milkshakes in flavors like strawberry, white pistachio and blueberry. They also have half a dozen beers on tap from Napa Smith wheat to Anderson Valley Boont Amber Ale served in corn plastic cups, and plenty of vino by the glass, bottle and half-bottle. The Napa Valley location has been there since 1949, but other locations have opened in San Francisco and Napa’s Oxbow market. Chicago next? Please? 644 1st Street, Napa Valley, Calif. 707.224.6900

Garlic butter and parsley fries with a toasted egg bun burger slathered in a secret sauce

Communal tables come with napkin dispensers and hungry guests waiting for their orders.

I used to think English muffins were perfectly round, small, slightly stale, pre-cut disks dusted with dry corn meal that always end up stacked in their flimsy package in the center aisle display at the grocery store. But at The Model Bakery, smack dab on St. Helena’s, Calif.’s Main Street, the fresh-baked English muffins are hand-made and formed from ciabatta dough and griddled with cornmeal. Soft, slightly sweet, chewy and warm, they hardly needed the apricot jam that came with them. Everything else at Model, (which has been in downtown St. Helena for 80 years) looked amazing, from the cookies, pastries, cakes and endless stacks of breads baked with organic bread flours in original brick ovens from the 1920s, to the dried cranberry and golden raisin granola that may rival Milk & Honey’s. 1357 Main Street, St. Helena, Calif., 707.963.8192.

Ok, just one more quick, cold-weather Cleveland bite before I move onto Napa and San Francisco, where we filled up on great wine, killer coffee, housemade English muffins and biodynamic vegetables (who are we kidding, it took a pit stop at Northern California drive-in style burger joint, Taylor’s Refresher to properly fill up). But before we get to that, Iron Chef Michael Symon’s Lola restaurant in the Tremont area may be one of Cleveland’s best, with a hearty seasonal menu that includes a beef cheek pierogi with wild mushrooms and horseradish crème fraîche that’s worth making the trip out again. The dimly lit dining room was full of great energy, especially at the open kitchen where diners can belly up to a glowing onyx bar. 2058 E. 4th Street, Cleveland, Ohio, 216.621.5652

The kitchen bar at Lola

Haloumi and melon with mints, almonds and scallions

18-Oz Rib-eye with potatoes Lyonnaise and salsa verde

Root beer float with vanilla ice cream, root beer granite and sablee cookie

The West Side Market

Wandering through Cleveland’s historic West Side Market, I came across everything from meat pies to beet pasta. Butchers and bakers nestle up to pierogi stands, confectionaries (chocolate-covered Twinkies anyone?) and homemade, local products throughout the cool multi-building space, which has operated as a public market since 1840.

Fresh pasta from Ohio City Pasta

Ganache on the go

For work, play and a chance to extend my Red Velvet Cupcake report beyond Chicago, I’m traveling quite a bit this week and won’t have as much time to post as usual. But keep checking back as I will be blogging when I can about my cross-country eating adventures, from Cleveland’s best restaurants (Cleveland! Who knew?) to Napa and San Francisco. The Ohio report (almost as exciting as Tuesday night’s Ohio report) comes first, including the historic West Side Market (where I noshed on some damn good teriyaki turkey jerky) and Iron Chef Michael Symon’s Lola restaurant. Tasty tidbits from the West Coast to follow.