One of the most exciting recent food developments in the Cleveland area is the plethora of new Yemeni cafes popping up in the city and suburbs. Apparently the growth of Yemeni cafes is a trend throughout the US, and not just in Northeast Ohio. Yemen is considered to be the home of the coffee trade, so it is perhaps unsurprising that the country boasts a vibrant cafe culture, which has also come to the US in recent years. Two new Yemeni cafes in the Cleveland Area include Shibam Coffee (26745 Brookpark Ext, North Olmsted, OH 44070) and Qawah House (25102 Brookpark Rd #146, North Olmsted, OH 44070). Both of these locations appear to be part of mini-chains with locations throughout the US.
Of course, the delicious and strong coffee and tea, elegant surroundings, and late operating hours are the main draws to these Yemeni cafes. However, another major attraction is a new-to-us dessert: “honeycomb” cake/bread, more properly known as Khaliat Nahal / Nahl. Khaliat Nahal (which literally means “bee’s hive/beehive” in Arabic) is a classic Yemeni dessert that seems to be on offer at all of these cafes, often alongside crepes, cookies, or milk cakes (another Middle Eastern specialty based on the Latin American tres leches cake). Khaliat Nahal is a leavened bread with a cream cheese filling, topped with honey and sesame and/or nigella seeds. It is formed from pull-apart pieces of dough shaped in a round honeycomb-like pattern (which reminds us of a more-organized monkey bread). There is something extremely visually-satisfying about this geometric bread, and we like that you can sometimes customize how sweet you want it to by adding your own honey topping. If you are feeling ambitious you can even make your own honeycomb bread at home! Check out these recipes from Strawberry in the Desert and Every Little Crumb. For now, I think we will look forward to getting this sweet bread at our local Yemeni cafes as a special treat.
Along with pizza, you can get a small selection of wine and beer, and interesting 
We love the southeast Asian food in Cleveland (looking at you 
LJ Shanghai is located in AsiaTown, in a small, unassuming storefront. The inside is modern and bright, and you will know you are in the right place when you are greeted by the little dumpling mascots on the front window. The menu is at LJ Shanghai is relatively small, and we appreciate the curation because we are easily overwhelmed by long menus. Each menu item also has an included photo, which proved to be super helpful. You can start out with lighter bites like the the steamed pork buns ($5) or the garlic and cucumber. There are also hearty entrees like steamed chicken ($15) Braised duck with soy sauce ($10) and sweet and sour ribs ($10).
Dyngus Day, celebrated every year on Easter Monday, is something of a
One of our favorite things in Cleveland is the surprising proliferation of quality Southeast Asian food. We have tried over a dozen Thai places in the area, but we keep coming back to Cleveland stalwart Banana Blossom (2800 Clinton Ave, Cleveland, OH) – it is our favorite, consistently solid spot for Thai classics in the city. Banana Blossom has been holding down an unassuming corner in the Ohio City neighborhood for a while, before it was the artsy, bustling neighborhood it is today. Banana Blossom is bigger on the inside than you might think, with a peaceful ambiance.
It seems like every day, a new restaurant is opening in Cleveland, news we are always glad to hear. Recently, Cleveland added a second Ethiopian restaurant to its burgeoning dining scene, 
We have had a lot of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food in our day, and to be honest, a lot of it tends to run together. So we are always glad to happen upon spots that serve more regional dishes beyond the ubiquitous kebabs and hummus. At an unassuming strip mall in Avon, we found a hidden Turkish gem doing just that: Istanbul Grill (35840 Chester Rd., Avon, OH). One thing that sets Istanbul Grill apart is that it serves some slightly more unusual (and authentic) Turkish dishes you won’t see elsewhere. For example you can get kebabs over diced bread, a serving style that is common in Turkey, but I haven’t really seen much in the US. They also serve Lahmacun ($13.49) on Sundays – a Turkish pizza-style flatbread topped with ground lamb. 
The cheese plate at Cleveland’s French stalwart L’Albatros (11401 Bellflower Rd.) is the best one we have ever tried. Usually, when you order a cheese plate at a restaurant, you get a small plate of pre-selected cheeses. Maybe at better restaurants you choose from 10 or so cheeses off of a list. One of the most disappointing things about cheese plates is either that they have repetitive, common cheeses, or the servers have no idea how to direct you to the right cheese selection. However, at L’Albatros, nothing is left to chance, and the staff goes above and beyond to help you get the right selections. You can get the cheese plate for either lunch or dinner, and you can select either 3 ($11), 5($14) or 7 ($17) cheeses. There are no pre-set selections, and the cheesemonger comes over to your table with a giant tray of dozens of cheeses, and you can talk about what you want, and even have samples! Check out at the amount of cheese to choose from (plus there were even more that didn’t fit into the frame).
Along one side of the restaurant, there is a bakery case with all sorts of Chinese, Hong Kongese, and Taiwanese pastries, in both sweet and savory varieties – all you do is pick up a tray, and start using the tongs to pick out which items you want (most priced under $2). We tried the red bean bun, the Char Siu Bao (BBQ pork bun) and the egg tarts, and all were quite good (and super cheap). Other varieties of buns and pastries included 
We are 
Eating The World 