I thought that the food was good(I got the pumpkin-crusted trout), however for the amount I payed I would’ve liked a larger quantity. I was still kind of hungry when we left.
Michael W.
Place rating: 4 Cleveland, OH
Top notch with well educated staff. I like everything about this place. We were able to try appetizers of escargot and asparagus, along with well prepared duck and vegetarian entrees. Service was way above average, as was the food quality. Not bad for a large group on New Year’s Eve. Please don’t judge me for going out on New Year’s Eve to a restaurant in Playhouse Square. I was in the business for years and restaurants of the highest caliber can often miss the mark on nights like these. C&H opened their menu to the public and seemed to easily withstand the tourists. It helps to have the quality and staff levels, but the concept is equally well played. This might be a 5 star check in soon, but I hesitate only because I have been here just once and it was NYE. I did not love the German Chocolate Cheesecake. A pastry chef would kick this up a star as well, all due respect if they have one, but evidence of this was clearly lacking. It appears they are purchased from outside or simply unremarkable. The best choice having been the assorted sorbets.
Laurie G.
Place rating: 1 Mentor-on-the-Lake, OH
Visited this restaurant by chance after the theater. We had rushed from work to our show and were starving by the time it was over. The whole experience was really awful. The staff was lethargic and acted like a bunch of zombies. I understand that it was late, but when working a later shift you still have to provide upbeat service. The food was really lack luster at best and the overall atmosphere was that of a morgue. We were one of two couples in the area where we were seated and when they left the place was silent and the servers disappeared. It was borderline creepy. Never again.
Amy S.
Place rating: 3 Columbus, OH
This review is purely based on dessert, since that’s all I went for late on a Saturday night after being at the Playhouse. I shared the apple crostata and the meringues. The apple crostata was pretty good but didn’t knock my socks off. The phyllo crust was delicious, but lacked apples and was instead overpowered by the many raisins/craisins. It was served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top, which was yummy. The meringue was explained as «space ice cream»(accurate I guess but never though of describing meringues like that!) — I was describe more as a meringue ice cream sandwich. It was good but nothing special about the meringue… I scraped the delicious salty caramel ice cream off and ate it all instead! I think $ 7 is a bit steep to charge for a small scoop of my favorite Cleveland ice cream that I could pay half the price for a scoop twice a big a short distance away;) Dessert wasn’t a win for me, but the menu looks great and I look forward to returning to try it out for dinner one night! Service, on the other hand, was perfect and that’s what really counts.
Serena S.
Place rating: 2 Cleveland, OH
I hate to do this, but after visiting a second time, I don’t know that I can rave about this place anymore… We didn’t get our drinks until after our dinner came. We saw another server take our drinks to another table, and after our dinner came, they remade ours. They did remove them from the bill, and were apologetic, but one of the managers came over to apologize and informed us that they were comping the drinks, and strangely said«we don’t like to do this, but we will» well, I don’t like to drink my ‘before meal martini’ after my dinner arrives, but I did. I couldn’t even order wine with my meal because I still had a martini to finish, so I guess we all do things we don’t want to do, We didn’t complain, and yes, they should have come over and they should pay for them, but he made us feel bad about it, when it wasn’t our mistake… I thought they were snobby when we came in, too. I wasn’t impressed, and they changed the menu, and that was a bit of a let down too. My husband’s chicken was delicious, but my boar wasn’t anything special. If I come back, I’ll sit at the bar.
Melody T.
Place rating: 3 Miami Shores, FL
Not very impressed with this restaurant… We heard so much and was really excited to try it out on our special date night out. We could only get reservations at 4pm for dinner so we thought wow, it must a fantastic place! First off, before we could order anything, the bread served was not warm and we found a strand of hair in the olive oil… Big uh-oh. Next, we ordered escargots as an appetizer. The escargots were bland and portion was smaller than expected. The servers came asking for our orders 5 – 6 times before we were ready and we felt like we were being rushed to get out so they could prepare our table for the next diner. Valet parking costs $ 10, be warned! Also another warning: Restaurant week 3 course meal menu is extremely limited, not a good representative of what this restaurant has to offer
John B.
Place rating: 5 Cleveland, OH
Jeannene and I always get here once during each theater season because the food’s always fantastic but we got a little nervous last Saturday when we sat down and they said they had just instituted their fall menu –literally less than an hour earlier. Did the staff have time to work the bugs out?(ouch, in appropriate reference, sorry). And when we ordered our cocktails the waiter had to take a quick look at my menu to see exactly what I ordered. But from then on it was smooth sailing. The drinks had an autumn quality to them as my rye drink included a nice smokey honey to it. And for appetizers we split the seafood dumplings with cabbage and lobster sauce($ 11). The appetizer was served in a way that I had only seen done at Lola’s — instead of serving it in the usual dish and then letting us split it up on our side plates, we were each given a composed dish with half the amount of food. Very thoughtful! And the food was very unctuous with light bites of seafood in a sauce surprisingly full of spice. For one of the very rare times, I did not get seafood for the main course at a Zack Bruell restaurant — instead going with the beef shoulder that was very tender over a sweet potato mash($ 23). The hearty meal had a vinegary kale to go with it and a watercress pesto. The perfect rustic dinner for fall. Jeannene had a $ 24 Boar Bourguignon(Hey, I only had to check 3 times to make sure I spelled it right… no, I wasn’t talking about«boar») I loved the taste she gave me – it evoked the same heartiness as my dish — but she thought the sauce at the bottom of the bowl was too salty. For dessert we split a nice cheesecake — again we were each give our own composed dish of half portions. And again we loved it as it was just a nice light bite after a big meal and with various sweet notes.
Julie F.
Place rating: 4 Cleveland, OH
I have enjoyed Cowell & Hubbard for lunch many times. The food is always fantastic — no questions there! The services has been hit or miss, with a strong lean towards hit, but still you set expectations, right!!! I like the changing menu, with some standard fare, because I know I’m always going to get something in season, fresh, and tasty! Note — I haven’t tried Cowell & Hubbard for happy hour or dinner. I need to add that to the list.
Charlie B.
Place rating: 4 Birmingham, AL
Cowell & Hubbard is one of those places you can’t go all the time, but sometimes you want to splurge. My friend and I were having a nice night out on the town, going to see the Opera, so we decided to class up our dinner as well and go all out. We arrived pretty early, but the wait staff was already prepared. They immediately knew that we were going to the Opera right after, a little touch that did not go unnoticed. They seated us and took our wine order and proceeded to give us bread and olive oil(plates that never were empty). We got the beef marrow and salad as starters. While I didn’t try the salad, the beef marrow was delicious and had just a touch of orange zest in it that truly made the dish. For my entrée, I had the skate wing over quinoa. That quinoa was, and I am not exaggerating, the best quinoa I have ever eaten. It was red quinoa, a variety that I don’t believe I’ve ever eaten, tossed with diced vegetables and it was so buttery and delicious. The skate was flaky and crispy, truly decadent. There are only two negative things I could say about all of this: with everything I had that night, it may have been too rich(however, I blame that more on myself than anything else) and my friend may have outdone me. She got the braised lamb shoulder with sweet potato mash and with the first bite, you immediately felt at home. It reminded her of so many wonderful memories and that lamb shoulder alone sparked some great conversation. For dessert, we had a beautiful chocolate cake and coffee. It was sublime to say the least. The décor of the restaurant was nice, however it was a little gloomy. When I went to the bathroom in the middle of the meal, I had to walk back along a corridor which was very dark, seeing as it was both dusk and they hadn’t turned on the overhead lights. However, that is so minimal to the entire experience, I was not affected at all. The wait staff was very attentive and I don’t remember once having to look around for our waitress. All in all, it was an experience that I hope to repeat should I ever find myself in Cleveland again.
Nancy K.
Place rating: 3 Cleveland, OH
Really not that great. I was expecting as better experience at a Zack Bruell restaurant. We ordered the chicken wings: bland. Beef shoulder: bland. My bf ordered the cod which was the only thing that was mildly tasty as was the sweet potato mash. But none of it was worth what we paid.
Wilma D.
Place rating: 3 Washington, DC
Two words: SALADBINGE. Now, I know that may not be the sexiest combination of words that can be thrown at a restaurant, but before you go, «ugg, let’s scroll past this dieting freak», hear me out. Cleveland, and the Midwest in general, is not known for being kind to green things you can’t fry. Leafy things are normally served with a sneer out here, or served on the side of something meaty and manly as a wilting afterthought. But there is an upside to the redonkulously huge menu here, and that is a long list of interesting and different salads, plated in substantial portions and whisked out to you quickly. And the salads are darn good. So after sampling most of the menu and going, «ehhh, hit or miss», I’ve nestled into the welcoming bosom of their salad section. I occasionally come here when I need to remind myself leaves are edible again. As a bit of a sidebar, I have a bone to pick with Zack Bruell. Out of all the chefs who could conceivably brand themselves, Zack is a head-scratcher, because he seems to have no signature cooking style. Dude, get a style, ANY style, and stick to it. Please. Because your giant schizophrenic menus give me a headache and wonder what’s the worth of a celebrity chef when there’s no one signature flavor or dish. The menu at Cowell and Hubbard is the worst offender. Most Chinese takeout places would look at this menu and go, «okay, you don’t need to have a billion specials». When I first was handed the menu here I assumed it was the wine list, because it was so long. And there’s Asian dishes, French dishes, Italian dishes; you name it it’s probably on there. The drawback to this is that meals lack consistency and never feel like something the chef is dying to cook, instead feel like dishes by paint-by-number, that also lack authenticity. I will commend the cooks, for how massive the tome you can order from, a large percentage of the food is darn tasty. But if I’m paying this much for food I want a point of view coming from the kitchen. Also, this generic-ness bubbles over into the design of the restaurant. While Cowell and Hubbard is a handsome large space, it feels a bit bland, like the interior of a wine bar in an airport terminal. So what’s a gal to do with a menu that is so morbidly obese it needs a gastric bypass STAT? Well, take advantage of the fact that instead of one compulsory salad, this place has eight. I’ve shamelessly sidled up to the bar here and ordered five salads, and they come speeding out, to be stacked in front of me like green jewels. And the salads are everything you want in a salad: more than just leaves to substantiate the plate, zesty zippy dressings, perfect salting and or lemon juice pops, and large sizes to fill you up. Current menu offerings include the julienne apple, carrot and radish salad with blue cheese, creamy horseradish and walnuts($ 9)(fresh, pretty and crunchy). There’s a frisee and pork croquette salad with smoked paprika aioli($ 9)(take on a classic French salad, porkis the star here and done well). Also there’s a quinoa salad with arugula, peppers, squash and raspberry vinaigrette($ 8)(a tad bit boring but very virtuous tasting). Also you can choose a beet salad with feta and white balsalmic($ 11)(a classic for a reason). My two current favorites are the caramelized fennel and arugula salad with goat cheese, marconna almonds and raspberry vinaigrette($ 10) and the artichoke salad with frisee, radicchio and caper berries($ 10). There’s even more salads, but I think you get the point. As for, you know, the rest of the menu, it can be hit and miss. I’ve had a braised rabbit pasta with homemade noodles that was tasty. I’ve also had fish that tasted old, and paired poorly with some sour cabbage slaw. I’ve had a dessert of a strawberry napoleon with caramelized pastry sheets, vanilla cream and balsamic glaze. While pretty to photograph, it was awkward to eat(the layers shattered and went everywhere when attacked with a fork). Why, ultimately, is this my salad joint? For Cleveland, this place gives you some of the most variety you can get in one place, ups the salad flavors to new and interesting heights, and whisks the salads out especially fast. As for a fine dining romantic meal, you can have far better elsewhere downtown, but Cowell and Hubbard is inoffensive.
Margaret V.
Place rating: 3 Canton, MI
Cowell & Hubbard is a very nice restaurant right in the heart of Playhouse Square… The ambiance is upscale. I made a reservation for a Friday night at 7:30, and it was pretty empty. The menu has a variety of seafood and chicken dishes as well as pastas and vegan meals. I started with a bowl of the cream of wild mushroom soup. It was dotted with olive oil. While it wasn’t the best cream of wild mushroom soup I’ve had(that title goes to ZIngerman’s Road House in Ann Arbor), it was good, warm, filling and hit the spot on a cold, rainy night. In addition, they brought out complimentary bread with olive oil and had little bowls of Himalayan sea salt to put in the oil It was delicious! For my entrée, I ended up getting the chicken thighs. Like others have mentioned, they are kind of an upscale take on fried chicken. While the taste was very good, I found them difficult to eat. They were served on a bed of celery root purée. It was kind of like chicken on top of a rich soup. I thought it would have been more decorative than an actual bowl of liquid. It wasn’t what I was expecting. I didn’t care for the taste of the purée. It was very sweet. Kind of tasted like apple cider… I could only eat half as I was still full from the wild mushroom soup. Prices were a little on the high side, but the amount of food you received for the money is adequate. Service was fantastic. They had a full bar and a very nice dessert option that looked delightful. It’s worth a stop if you are in the Playhouse Square area.
Roxanne O.
Place rating: 4 Lyndhurst, OH
After a Unilocal event, my fiancé and I decided to stop in for a drink and a quick bite to eat. Well actually, we stopped in for a drink, but the bartender was so nice and sold us on the late night menu that we decided to stay for a little while longer.(I realized that I was being upsold, but she was so nice about it that I didn’t even mind) I was very happy to see that the vegan seitan stuffed cabbage was on the late night menu. Unlike the dinner portion, you only get one stuffed cabbage, but that makes it perfect for a late dinner or an even better late night snack. I thought it was a really good little meal after having a Moscow Mule or two. My fiancé had a pizza that he thought was just ok, but he really enjoyed a couple cocktails made my our nice bartender. This is definitely a great place to stop for a late night drink and some grub after a show or if you happen to be in the area. Especially if you’re looking for some vegan options.
Christy C.
Place rating: 4 Ohio City, Cleveland, OH
Came here on a Friday night, we had reservations for 7:30pm. It wasn’t very busy when we got there, but filled up as the night went on. After we were sat, someone immediately took our drink orders and we were provided with unlimited bread throughout the evening. Someone walks around and fills your bread plate as needed. With olive oil and a small bowl of pink salt. We started off with dirty martinis, one vodka and one gin. Both made very well. For appetizer we had the Seafood Dumplings(tiny little dumplings in a lobster sauce with pickled cabbage $ 11). We ordered one appetizer and they split it up into two dishes, which was probably a good thing because this was so delicious I probably would have eaten the entire thing myself, not sharing with my boyfriend. The lobster sauce reminded me of a lobster bisque, it was very rich, so splitting it in two was perfect size. For dinner we ordered the Spicy Bouillabaisse(clams, mussels, calamari, scallops and cod $ 26) and the Seafood Risotto(scallops, shrimp, calamari and chorizo $ 22). Both dishes were really delicious. The seafood — a lot of it– was perfectly cooked in both dishes. The bouillabaisse had so much flavor, you couldn’t help but take all that bread and sop up the yummy broth. Even after you knew you had already ate too much. Same with the risotto, so many perfectly cooked flavors in this dish. For desert we ordered the Butterscotch Crème Caramel($ 7). This was almost like a custard or crème brûlée. It was by far the best part of the meal, so delectable. We shared one, but could have easily eaten one all by myself(even after a full meal and appetizer). It was just that good. The food portions are decent sized, neither one of us could eat all of our food in one setting. That’s okay though because it meant I could relive this delicious dinner the next day. The service was great. Everyone was really nice and attentive. Overall the price(approx $ 90 –not including tip) wasn’t too bad considering how much we ate, we expected it to be higher. I am so glad I was finally able to try this place, it has been on my to do list for quite some time. I will definitely be coming back here again… soon!
Natalie P.
Place rating: 4 Cleveland, OH
The Zack Bruell restaurants are split pretty evenly in my mind: I love Parallax and L’Albatros, but Chinato and Table 45 fall pretty flat. Cowell & Hubbard walks the midline. I’ve been here twice(once on Valentine’s Day and once on a random Friday night). Both times the service has been outstanding! I love how friendly and attentive everyone is, regardless if its one of the busiest nights of the year or just any other Friday night. On my recent visit, I tried the following: — Shrimp and lobster bisque: This soup is HEAAVVY… and not entirely in a good way. It’s certainly flavorful and fun with corn and potatoes adding nice texture to the creamy soup, but it’s just WAAYTOO heavy and full to be a good appetizer. I felt like I’d instantaneously coated my blood vessels with plaque and signed up for a pant size increase! — Seafood dumplings: Best dumpling I’ve ever had! You must order this! You can never go wrong with a dish that has pickled veggies in it… I wish I could pickle everything in sight ARHGH! — Spicy Bouillabaisse: I ordered this because I saw a lady at the next table eating it. Boy I wish I had paid more attention to the fact that she really wasn’t eating much of it at all! This dish was SOSALTY. I’ve never been subjected to such an assault on my senses! Same comments about coating blood vessels apply here(see shrimp and lobster bisque). I took most of this home as leftovers and had to add some heavy cream to cut down the saltiness and add back some creamy flavor(ignore comment about blood vessels… the heavy cream was necessary in this instance!) — Rabbit Gnocchi: My beau ordered this and it was fantastic! The gnocchi were deliciously cheesy and creamy and the rabbit had a similar presentation and flavor profile to pulled pork. The rabbit was a little on the salty side, but the gnocchi cut the sodium high pretty well. *Tip: BYOB like all the Zack Bruell restaurants(except for Table 45).
Karin G.
Place rating: 3 Columbus, OH
Don’t even think about coming here for dinner on a Friday night if you don’t have a reservation! Unless you’re ok to sit at the bar, because that’s all that will be available. We were fine to sit at the bar, as it was our mistake that we didn’t make a reservation, but changed our plans from full dinner to appetizers and drinks. We took advantage of the happy hour specials, which were… ok. Not sure what their house wine is, but I wasn’t blown away. The chardonnay was too sweet and sour at the same time — weird, huh? The husband had the Great Lakes Christmas Ale, which was fabulous! Probably the highlight of our little meal. The pizza was pretty good — I think it was a margarita type? Husband had the mushroom sandwich, which sadly was not a winner for us. Cute place, though.
Mandy L.
Place rating: 4 Kent, OH
I found myself dining at Cowell & Hubbard shortly after reading Brett Easton Ellis’ American Psycho which might explain why I could not help but think it just the type of place one might find Patrick Bateman sipping J&B on the rocks(should it be transplanted to Manhattan, of course). Perhaps it was the ambient lighting, the cozy but close-quarters seating which allows for easy inspection of what everyone is wearing, or the presence of fresh cilantro in each of the dishes I ordered. Maybe it was our server, whose appearance was remarkably similar to Marcus Halberstram’s, inquiring whether we were dining prior to a show and providing us with great service throughout the meal. Unlike Bateman, Cowell & Hubbard transcends the superficial with deliciously nuanced cuisine and a pleasant experience in a modern setting. The shrimp and lobster bisque was rich, creamy, and flavorful with a lovely presentation. The braised lamb shoulder with sweet potato mash and rosemary au jus was good but did not quite have the ‘punch’ I was expecting from an entrée in a fine dining establishment. I could not detect the influence of rosemary and the sweet potato actually stole the meal from the roasted lamb but all-in-all the entrée was very good. My cocktail, tasting of grapefruit, was absolutely divine — I’m wracking my brain for the name of it but it simply is not there. Whether you are merely an abstraction or an actual human entity I can recommend Cowell & Hubbard as a very nice fine dining experience. Call or use Open Table for dinner reservations; it’s not quite as difficult to get into as Dorsia but well worth the forethought.
Evan F.
Place rating: 4 Strongsville, OH
Right in the Playhouse Square Theatre district, the place is going to kill it! Another fine Zack Bruell spot featuring modern French cuisine in a historic space. My wife and I went before a recent CPH show, during Cleveland Independent Restaurant week. We decided to stick with the Prix Fixe menu available, so we could sample a number of different dishes(our favorite way to eat!). Our starter course consisted of a wonderful salad and a hearty /rustic tomato soup. Both had a lovely presentation and the flavors were unique and delicious. On to the main courses! Wife chose the blackened cod fillet and I chose the glazed pork tenderloin. Again, beautiful and artful presentations of the dishes with flavors to match. Cod was blackened perfectly set atop vegetables with a surrounding sauce. My pork was grilled to a medium rare with a smokey sauce drizzled on top. served on top of wilted greens. Finally, dessert… she chose the raspberry torte and I selected the hazelnut cheesecake. The torte was cobbler-like with a crisp crust and tart berries and served ala mode style. My cheesecake had the look of a flan with a delicous graham cracker crust. The meal was fantastic, service attentive and the server quite knowledgeable about every dish and even the building and its history. Will most definitely consider for future before-Playhouse meals.
VJ V.
Place rating: 5 Cleveland, OH
Located in Cleveland’s historic(and newly redecorated) theater district, this is one of my favorite restaurants in Cleveland. Here’s the drill: book an evening show in playhouse square along with reservations for this foodie marvel, leave car with the valet, and simultaneously solve parking, dinner and an easy way out of the district. Do specify to the server that you are watching a show so they are aware. I also recommend a good 1.5−2hours to show up at this place before the show. This is a great place to bring a group. It is one of Zack Bruell’s restaurants that feature new-american dishes with a heavy French influence as opposed to the more traditional-leaning french served in L’Albatross(another favorite). There might be some mild Asian fusion going on, but not to the extent Table 45 does it. I recommend a close look at the cocktail menu, and for everything else, think pork, of which THE dish for me is crispy pork shank, served on a bed of collard greens, on an acidic reduction to balance things out. Much like that pig face of Greenhouse Tavern, you might need(a) that cocktail or a shot of schnapps to help melt the thing in your stomach, LOL and(b) a person to share it with. If you don’t want to kill your arteries, they do excel in the fish department. Enjoy your dinner, cocktail and the show!
Amy Y.
Place rating: 5 Manhattan, NY
Came back here for bf’s 26th birthday. Omg. Loved it. Like all the Zack Bruell restaurants, they let you bring wine, so I was pretty happy wining during dinner. Service again was attentive, although really slow. Wasn’t in a rush, so it didn’t bother me too much. Appetizers: — Seafood dumplings(this came as a recommendation from our waitress); normally we wouldn’t order this as bf is not a big seafood fan, but we were both so so so glad that we got this. I would come back just for this. SO flavorful. I loved the sourness from the sauerkraut on the bottom of the dish. Love love love this. — Crispy pork stack(again); not as much flavor as I was expecting, but still decent — maybe because it was after I ate the seafood dumplings. Entrees: — Crispy pork shank; LOVE this dish too. This was amazing. The crispy skin on the outside with just a big of fat in every bite. The flavor was amazing. I would come back just for this as well. — Veal with risotto; this was not as good as the crispy pork shank. Less flavorful. Meat was really tender though. Probably would not get this again. Dessert: Chocolate mousse; good, chocolatey. Why 5 stars? The seafood dumplings and crispy pork shank alone makes me forget about the other dishes. Would love to come back to try happy hour next time.