More Fun Playing With Great Diner Fare at Kalie's

I am overdue for an update on Kalie's Family Restaurant, 4446 Mayfield Road, South Euclid Ohio [(216) 382-4490]. I have enjoyed several delicious lunches since my last Kalie's post in October 2008.

Lunch 11/6/08:


Cheeseburger Soup

House-made and delicious! So satisfying that Bruce at this for his lunch.


Goulash Soup

This had a nice spice level and rich flavor.




Mediterranean Salad w/Gyro Meat

My lunch - wonderful!





Lunch 1/26/09:


Freshly made Beef with Pasta Soup

I love their homemade soups!




Cheeseburger

Bruce's entree. Burgers come with your choice of fries or soup - today, Bruce took the soup!




BLT

Kalie's makes the most wonderful BLT.





Lunch 3/3/09 (Square Root Day - think about it!)


Cheeseburger with Fries




Chicken Paprikash

This bowl of Chicken Paprikash gave me the best, most lip-smacking enjoyment of anything I've had at Kalie's. Yes, I've had their Paprikash before and yes, it was good. But this bowl was over the top.



Huge chunks of exquisitely tender chicken. Generous heat and pepper flavor from no fewer than four species of chile. Silky gravy loaded with flavor. And a generous application of Hot Hungarian Paprika. This bowl was comfort food perfection.



Dimitri, the owner, explained that they made it two ways this time - spicy and not. Because the genius to this dish isn't in the paprika (which could be added by the diner) so much as the flavors the peppers cooked into it - and you can't add that at the table!

So, if winter shows it's nasty face again in Cleveland - find out when Kalie's will next be featuring the Chicken Paprikash and get yourself a bowl to play with. You will not be disappointed!

More Fun Playing With Lunch At Kalie's

This post is somewhat overdue, but surgery will do that!

About a week before my date with the arthroscope, I accompanied several office-mates to Kalie's Restaurant in South Euclid for lunch. As we perused out menus, I couldn't resist zooming in on this artfully stuffed tomato being served on a nearby table:



Choices this day were tough - I recall a special that sounded good. But I really wanted to try the Corned Beef & Cabbage Soup, so I ordered a burger. Burgers come with diners' choice of soup or fries.


Corned Beef & Cabbage Soup





I really liked this soup! I hope they serve it often during the winter!

As a nearby table emptied, one of the occupants greeted a couple of my law partners - and recommended the BLT sandwich. Bruce decided to try it, with a side order of fries:



Anna and Jamie each opted for the Sloppy Joe special, which I already photographed and posted about here.


Finally - my burger:





The burger was moist and tasty, and most important - cooked from scratch to order. Another wonderful lunch at Kalie's, one of my preferred food playgrounds!

Fun Playing With Chicken Paprikash at Kalie's Family Restaurant

I've said before that the friendly folks at Kalie's Family Restaurant treat you like family. They'll even keep a "call" list to let you know when a particular special is to be served! During a recent visit, Bernie mentioned that he loves chicken paprikash, and the server said we had to try theirs. The secret recipe, she claimed, is from the cook's grandmother, and it can't be beat.

Well, last Monday we got a call that the Chicken Paprikash was up, so we trundled over to 4446 Mayfield Road, South Euclid Ohio [(216) 382-4490] to give it a try.

The daily special offers so much food, it's really more geared to dinner than lunch. Still, at a very reasonable $8.99 - what's not to like? The meal began with choice of house-made soup: split pea with ham or beef vegetable. We opted for the latter.



This concoction oozed beefy flavor, though wasn't much actual beef in it. This was fine, however, because it allowed the fresh vegetables to shine through.





That broth did not come from a commercial base or frozen package. Yum.

The same could be said for the salad, which also accompanied the meal. Though very simple - the iceberg lettuce had that "off the head" quality and texture - no triple wash with bleach for these greens!



Finally - the main course.



The roasted red peppers lent a deep sweetness to the dish, which wasn't very spicy to start with. As the server explained, they always keep things palatable for the masses. I suggested to Dimitri that they serve a little hot Hungarian pepper on the side; he said I should have asked for it.


Ummm - Sour Cream Gravy!

Definitely not kosher - but most delicious.



Did I mention that I really liked this dish? We all had fun playing with Kalie's paprikash!

Fun Playing With Kalie's Diner Food

I love a good diner. Growing up on Long Island, and going to school in NYC, it seemed that there were diners everywhere, serving freshly made, inexpensive, tasty food. The diner is a little harder to come by here in Cleveland, and they are almost never the art deco, stand-alone places that I grew up with.

My current favorite is Kalie's Family Restaurant, 4446 Mayfield Road, South Euclid Ohio (216) 382-4490. They are open 7 days for breakfast and lunch, and they make most things from scratch. The last time I lunched there, I didn't have my camera, but yesterday, I was prepared!

They offer a choice of 4 or 5 open-face lunch specials for $6.99, including roast beef, tuna salad, sloppy joe, and I'm blanking on the others. The special includes a side of potato salad and a cup of soup. I opted for the Sloppy Joe Special.

Since I've been nursing a sore throat the last couple of days, Chicken Soup sounded good to me. But Creamy Chicken?


Creamy Chicken Soup



This was just what the doctor ordered! Not too creamy or heavy, with fresh chicken and vegetables.


Sloppy Joe

I'm not a big Sloppy Joe eater - my mom's ground beef rotation consisted of meat loaf, meatballs, and hamburgers, so this dish has never had great appeal. But when our server said it was the cook's grandma's recipe - well - we had to try it!





I really liked this - not too salty (so you know it was not from a can), fresh spices that I couldn't exactly place - but I knew I liked them! Just enough tomato and a little caramelization - yum!


Potato Salad

The potato salad is made from scratch. It contains bits of corn, pepper, green beans, red onion and a dusting of orange zest. Unusual - yet most delicious.


Sloppy Joe Sandwich with Side of Home Fries

Bernie offered me a taste of his potatoes - which were made from scratch also, and had just a touch of seasoning. Delicious.


Gyro Sandwich



What's wrong with this picture? They forgot the tomatoes! No problem - a plate came to the table immediately when this was brought to our server's attention. Arkansas tomatoes from the farmers' market (they had stopped buying food service tomatoes due to the Salmonella scare). Another yum, accompanied by very attentive and pleasant service.

I should also note that the last time I ate in (and also the last time I took out), I enjoyed their tuna salad. Made from scratch and not a food service package, the tuna salad does not have celery - and since I hate raw celery, this makes me happy. I even like the sweet relish (I know, it has pickle) that they do put into it.

Kalie's is highly recommended for fun playing with diner food on the East Side of Cleveland!