Ponte Vecchio Ristorante - The Flats, Cleveland
Copyright Crain's Cleveland Business on the web
Although it’s not a simple place to find, the view from downtown’s Ponte Vecchio Ristorante simply is breathtaking.
Perched atop the old Superior Viaduct on the West Bank of the Flats, Ponte Vecchio feels like a little floating oasis among the hardscrabble landscape of the industrial Flats below and downtown beyond.
Ponte Vecchio, which means “old bridge,” made a name for itself and its contemporary Italian cuisine under Marco Rossi, who left the restaurant in February.
New general manager Deborah Marino Smith strives to point out that “the chef and the staff remain the same. We have the best food in town and those guys (chefs Wyatt Grace and James Hatcher) are the heart and soul of this place.”
However, for a restaurant known for its incredible view, patio dining was sorely lacking. Outdoor seating hastily was added last year, although Ms. Smith says the space was underused. It’s one aspect of the restaurant she’s hoping to change.
This season, Ms. Smith added bright flower boxes and elegant canopies that protect the 10 outdoor tables from the bright sun. An acoustic guitarist plays the patio weekend evenings from 7 to 10.
The top of the old Superior Viaduct is one of the lovelier spots in the city.
Trolley car tracks from bygone days run along the brick-paved top of the old bridge and an elegant wrought iron fence around its edge is a perfect complement to the iron bridges in clear view: Detroit-Superior to the south and Main Street and Flats draw bridges to the north.
With a tip of the hat to an old Cleveland landmark, it’s a great place to feel like you’re on the top of the town.
Hours: Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Monday through Thursday, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 5 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. 2100 Superior Viaduct, Cleveland, 216-556-8200.
AOL City Guide, City's Best Italian Restaurant in Cleveland - 2006
"Dazzling beauty" and "Cleveland's industrial flats" are not phrases often found together, but a glance at Cleveland's glittery bridges and feisty river from the viewpoint of Ponte Vechio could make any diner giddy. To first-timers, the Superior Viaduct is notoriously difficult to find, but it's worth the trip, especially if you pair your excursion to Ponte Vecchio with a visit to the Spaces Art Gallery, which makes for a pretty cosmopolitan evening for a Midwestern red state. Besides the luxe decor, Ponte Vechio wows visitors with an Italian menu loaded with classics -- with a twist. (Try the veal chop with port wine, strawberry and black peppercorns, for instance.) Pasta is plentiful as well -- Taglierinia alla Tiffany has classic ingredients such as tomato basil and parmesan. Or, get a little more adventurous with the linguine; it's got a winning quartet of shellfish, tomato, raisin and pine nuts. -- Marie Andrusewicz (Photo: Marie Andrusewicz)
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PONTE VECCHIO RISTORANTE ITALIANO - 2100 Superior Viaduct, Cleveland
Place the city at your lover's feet at a restaurant that offers the area's best panorama of downtown lights. Go on a weeknight if you want to hear those sweet nothings.
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A Bridge to Italy, Cleveland Magazine, March 2005 (Excerpted)
By Greg McLaren
editorial@clevelandmagazine.com
Ever since I spent a spring torturing (oops, I mean tutoring; the words are so similar) schoolchildren on a guided Cuyahoga River boat tour with an hourlong narrative of my own creation, I've been fascinated by the many bridges of Cleveland. So, when I heard that a new Italian restaurant had opened atop the remains of the Old Superior Viaduct ˜ which was in use from Dec. 12, 1878 until October 1918, cost $1,574,921.32 to build, originally spanned 3,211 feet and was made from local Berea sandstone ... oh, those poor kids ˜ I absolutely had to go.
While I hardly consider myself a skilled prognosticator when it comes to betting on outcomes (I've resolved that from now on, the term "Final Four" will only describe what's left the morning after buying a 12-pack), I am officially predicting that Ponte Vecchio (Italian for "Old Bridge") is a lock for any and all dining awards for Best View.
Technically, the restaurant is on the fifth floor of a building next to the bridge. You gain access by driving pretty much to the end of the viaduct and, once inside, nothing but giant windows separates you from what may be the best vista of downtown offered by any dining room in Cleveland. Factor in the display case full of antipasti; ample, artfully arranged bins of Italy's finest wines; the sleek, curvy design of the room's lines; exposed brick walls; and the trendy lighting, and Ponte Vecchio is, like its view, pretty darned sexy.
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Given the restaurant's simple, yet exceptional Mediterranean cuisine; its vast array of wonderful, light Italian wines; and the fabulous location, we'll surely be back once the snow stops flying. Did we mention the view?
Ponte Vecchio, 2100 Superior Viaduct, Suite 520, Cleveland, (216) 556-8200.
Hours: Mon-Thu 5 - 10 p.m., Fri and Sat 5 - 10:30 p.m.
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Ponte Well Taken
Ponte Vecchio offers stunning views, doting service, and food worth fighting over (Excerpted)
BY ELAINE T. CICORA
elaine.cicora@clevescene.com
Visitors find that Ponte Vecchio has more going for it than European charisma. Consider, for example, the singular setting, on the western end of what remains of the historic Superior Viaduct Bridge. An engineering marvel when it was built in 1878 (Ponte Vecchio means "old bridge"), the truncated span now ends somewhere above the western banks of the Cuyahoga River, yielding knockout views of the downtown skyline, the Flats, and both the Main Avenue and Veterans Memorial bridges.
Inside, the restaurant may be small, with only about 75 seats, but it takes advantage of its uniquely urbane perspective, with a spare, contemporary decor that gives way to walls of windows overlooking the cityscape. It's not an exaggeration to say that, at least for the moment, this is one of the most sophisticated-looking salons in the city, its sharp-edged surfaces sheathed in white marble, pink-and-black granite, and lustrous cherry wood, all played against vintage red brick and high black ceilings with exposed ductwork. Thanks to the multilevel layout, nearly every seat in the open, airy, roughly V-shaped room has a spectacular view; and, come warm weather, we suspect that a table on the planned outdoor patio will be one of the hottest seats in town.
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Take, for instance, his "timbale" of scampi, avocado, and tomato — a misnomer, incidentally, that makes what is actually a scintillating salad sound dull and pasty. Yet tossed in a sheer but substantial dressing of French mustard and lemon, and corralled inside paper-thin ribbons of vertically sliced carrot, the neatly diced ingredients tasted pure, fresh, and vibrant. A pouf of alfalfa sprouts on top and a garnish of slim-cut sun-dried tomato, and the lush little starter was as vivacious in appearance as it was in taste.
While the flavors of a classic antipasto platter tread a more traditional path, with the usual cured and ripe olives, pepperoncini, roasted red-pepper slabs, sliced salami, and leaves of dusky prosciutto, the dish got an upscale nudge from the addition of thinly sliced veal in tuna sauce, a whole anchovy filet, and a baton of perfectly trimmed artichoke heart. Add thick slices of chewy crusted bread from the Stone Oven, dipped into a saucer of fine, grassy olive oil, and a bottle of red from the all-Italian wine list, and the sense of rustic luxe is nearly transformative.
(Speaking of luxury, if the occasion demands and the budget allows, you could hardly do better than a bottle of the huge, soft, ripe-fruit-filled Amarone della Valpolicella Classico '97, "Le Bessole," from Igino Accordini's Italian estate. If the $110 price tag is just too much, though, consider a $14 glass of Amarone della Valpolicella Bennati, instead; a generous pour in a French crystal goblet, and life can still seem mighty fine.)
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Freshly made spinach gnocchi, tossed with thyme and sliced portobellos, are so ethereal, they threaten to float right up off the plate, and fights have started over more trifling matters than who will score the last of the al dente asparagus-filled ravioli, in a sauce of diced lamb and tomato, seasoned with a touch of mint. Some of the lamb cubes were slightly chewy, but the flavor — deep, pleasantly gamy, yet vaguely sweet -- was a sensation.
Similarly, twin pork-loin medallions could have spent a shorter time in the sauté pan, but the unctuously rounded sauce of marsala, truffle oil, and diced and caramelized apples that surrounded them more than made up for that. No such problem with a well-seasoned rack of New Zealand lamb, though: Embraced in a thyme-scented crust and roasted to a juicy medium-rare, the three thick chops could not have been more tender and moist.
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One night's thick filet of opalescent halibut practically hovered above a bit of fruity cabernet reduction; and unusual sides -- this night, a bundle of roasted asparagus wrapped in prosciutto, a little flan of mashed sweet potatoes and ricotta, and a roasted, sliced white potato -- augmented and amplified the halibut's delicacy. Better still, a Saturday-evening special of salmon and red snapper, layered with dill and lemon, wrapped in a translucent pastry laminate, and finished with a whisper of white-wine sauce, was almost shocking in its simple perfection. (Unfortunately, neither of these dishes has a berth on the new cold-weather menu, due out momentarily. However, a new offering -- poached grouper in spicy tomato sauce with garlic croutons -- sounds equally promising.)
When dessert time arrives, it’s understandable that diners might have trouble choosing between temptations like the trembling, diminutive pyramid of panna cotta, or a dense, silken crème brûlée. Our advice, though, is to hold out for the tiramisu, the kitchen's unique deconstruction of the Italian classic that will find you dipping crisp ladyfingers into a little pot of liqueur-laced espresso, then twirling them through a thick fog of sweetened mascarpone. All our DIY projects should be half so delicious.
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clevescene.com | originally published: December 22, 2004
Details
Ponte Vecchio
216-556-8200. 5 to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday
Where: 2100 Superior Viaduct, Suite 520
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Turns out to be a nice hall, sound check goes quickly and we’re off back to the hotel. Spend an hour warming up my voice, as it’s a little tired today.