and great milkshakes! They have locations in Beachwood, Mayfield, Mentor, and Chagrin Falls.

If you want great milkshakes (and lively atmosphere, plenty of veg/vegan/non-veg options), go to Tommy's (Coventry). It's a great place to get good food for under $15 a person.

Siam Cafe (across the street from Bo Loong) is also very good (although it is not open until 2-3 AM on the weekends).

I usually don't mind Aladdin's (many locations, including Cleveland Heights) for a quick bite, either.

Being a yankee in Alabama, I'm pretty corned beef-deprived so I used to enjoy Corky & Lenny's. That was before the food poisoning last year. Gawd, don't you hate getting sick away from home?

I do like the pizza place around the side of the same shopping plaza, DeGaetanos is the name, I think.

Thanks for the heads up on Yours Truly. I drive past it monthly and have meant to stop and try it. Maybe tonight!

I think Charley's Crab is my favorite in Beachwood, but tried Mitchells in the Eton Center and liked that too.

I can't afford a Giovannis dinner on my expense report but am still hoping someone will take me there or to Moxie.

I can't think of what pizza place you are referring to. But hands-down the best pizza in Cleveland is at Geraci's in University Heights - just south of Cedar Road on Warnesville.

At the moment, Pizza isn't on the list of things I can eat. I will try Geraci's when I've lost another 15#.

DeGaetanos (I think one sign identifies it as Village Pizza) is on the right side of the plaza where Corky & Lenny's is located on Chagrin, around the corner. It's pretty invisible from Chagrin. I used to order a large with meatballs and green peppers, eat half for dinner and the leftovers for breakfast. Mmmmmm.

make sure you bring Cash. And Old man Geraci is a jerk... but the food is good.

Neither of which would make a complete meal without the Notso Fries, with extra sour cream of course. If you go to the one in Mayfield Village, make sure to say hi to my favorite server -- Kerry -- for me!

OK, this place does not sound like a dieters paradise, but I've been good all week so I'm gonna try it tonight - the one in Mayfield. I'll send your regards to Kerry if she's working. Will she know you as "bankingconsultant on Flyertalk" ?

I haven't seen Mr. Geraci up there in two years. I'm not sure if he has passed away, or just in failing health. He was a curmudgeon, though. Mrs. Geraci, however is a sweetie, and I still see her up there on weekends.

Also, good tip on bringing cash (or check). Like most here, I like to earn miles with my cc, but trust me - this place is worth paying cash for!

As a east sider growing up I certainly miss the pepparoni pizza from Geraci's. In fact, my parents regularly tote some to my new home on the west side.

There are a multitude of great dining options here in Cleveland, with most of my favorites being in Little Italy, Tremont and Ohio with a smattering in the suburbs.

Some ideas:

Gusto! in Little Italy for amazing italian
Mama Santo's in Little Italy for cheap italian and pizza

Tremont:

Lolita
Paralax
Fahrenheit
Southside

Ohio City:

Great Lakes Brewing Co.
Flying Fig
Johnny Mango
Fulton Avenue Cafe

Lakewood:

3 Birds
Player's

She should be able to figure out who it is. If she can't, then I should tell my parents to check whether that A in Logic on her Mount Union transcript looks like it's drawn in by hand.

Let us know if you felt it was worthy of blowing a diet! Living an hour+ away from Cleveland, I don't get to any of their locations as often as I'd like, and that's probably a good thing since I find it rather easy to go off the diet there.

Sorry, no Kerry last night. Tess, Peggy, Alysia (bore a physical semblance to the manager - her daughter maybe?) and one other.

I didn't completely blow the diet. I ordered a pita burger and a side of spinach & onions. Drank decaf. I sat next to the cash register and shared the counter with a row of hearty eaters - big young guys with huge appetites. One guy bragged about having eaten 4 burgers on a previous visit. I enjoyed their meals (especially the chili and notso fries) vicariously.

Impressions: Tiny place, maybe 6 tables and room for 10 at the counter. I thought 4 servers were overkill until I saw the carryout business. Excellent service - you can tell servers are "permanent" because their names are embroidered on their shirts. Good selection on the menu, including unique items like spinach and onions cooked in lemon juice and notso fries with sour cream. The restaurant seems to have a greek heritage? I thought I had made a mistake sitting next to the register until an attractive woman had to wait 10 minutes there for her order and it turned out her standards were sufficiently low enough to converse with me while she waited. The burger: tastes homemade. I would have enjoyed more seasoning but the grilled onions were a treat. The pita was too thin to hold all the contents so I ate it with a fork and knife and looked like a pansy (I was the only guy in there wearing a necktie too). I'll definitely come back next month for another try. Maybe I can afford to blow the diet a little more by then.

you must've gone to the one on Chagrin (next to Giovanni's), rather than to the one in Mayfield Village. That is by far their smallest location. It has a lot of charm to it though.

Congrats on keeping your diet!

Ah! I am not familiar enough with the area to know where the heck I am most of the time. Yes, it was the one on Chagrin. Too many little towns, not enough signage. Maybe I'll look for the Mayfield Village location next month since it's bigger. That way, maybe I'll find Kerry.