Cleveland Eats: Samosky's Homestyle Pizzeria, Inc. - Valley City, Ohio.

I might just have found a pizza place I like more than Romeo's. Sadly, it's a long way from where I live, in the middle of Medina County, Ohio.

If you've ever visited Valley City, you've probably either been driving through it (which takes about a minute) or visiting it for the Frog Jumping thing that they do each summer.

But in the middle of the town (village... it's really a nice hamlet, to be honest) is a really good pizza joint. They have won the same World Pizza Championship that Romeo's has won, and it's really no wonder. Their pizzas are very similar.

I ate a couple of slices of their Meaty Pizza, and sampled their cheese fries (called Chicken Coup Fries). I also had a couple of bites from their house burger.

The burger was alright, but I left it unfinished - mostly because I knew that the cheese fries and pizza were the reason I was there.

The cheese fries are good - very good. I should have probably been eating them first, though, because as the cheese cools, the fries get unmanageable - a common issue, of course. Still, they were a good experience and highly recommended.

The small Meaty Pizza? I've managed to eat about a quarter of it. So much meat, so little room in my stomach. I think they get their meatballs from the same place as Romeo's, they tasted very familiar. With pepperoni, bacon and ham on there too, though. I was quickly overwhelmed.

So, I'm impressed with Samosky's. They are a bit of a hike to get to if you're not in or near Medina, but worth a trip out some sunny afternoon. They also have ice cream and some attractive looking baked goods in there too. A little bit of everything in a beautiful little village.

http://samoskyspizza.com/index.htm

Cleveland Eats: DiBella's Subs - update

Recently, the DiBella's in Solon has started "baking" their hot sandwiches, instead of merely running the meat and cheese under a grill. I'm not entirely sure I'm a fan of this new process, for two main reasons. First, the way the lettuce and tomatoes taste (and their consistency) is considerably different after they've been baked. While the extra sweetness might appeal to some people, I can't say I like it. I may have to stop getting both of those toppings on the subs in order to continue eating there. Second, the sandwiches are now blisteringly hot when they are served - the the extent that they can't realistically be eaten for a few minutes. While this probably suits those customers who are heading back to the office to eat their food, for those of us who like to unwind with a magazine while sitting in the lunchy atmosphere of the place, simply staring at the sandwich for five minutes feels... wrong?

I'm thinking about subtracting a point from DiBella's for this new baking process - if only because it's not an option for hot sandwiches, it's the only way they are making them now. Had they maintained their previous method alongside the baking, there would obviously be no issues.

Still... as expensive and as dangerous as their sandwiches are, they remain some of the best subs in the area.

Have you tried their new baked subs? What do you think?

Cleveland Eats Report - How is the economy impacting your eating habits?

With money tight and the economy taking a long time to recover, our eating habits are changing. Various reports indicate that people are eating out less often, which makes a lot of sense, but how are you impacted? If you do still eat out at a restaurant, are you noticing any changes in the quality of food served, or in the service provided? Are you eating fast food more, or less often?

I used to quite enjoy Speedway's cheeseburgers. They were inexpensive (2 for $3) and while not exactly nutritional they were a cheap and reasonable alternative to fast food sandwiches. However, about eight or nine months ago, something changed. I bought two one day and was disgusted by the taste and smell and noticed that even the texture of the meat had changed. Clearly, Speedway had decided to provide a cheaper version of their cheesebuger and I've had very few since.

I also suspect that some Subways are doing the same thing, being slightly less generous with their toppings in light of a tighter budget. In their case, I have some sympathy for the individual store owners, as the $5 Footlong promotion must be eating directly into their profits.

Have you seen any evidence of eateries taking short cuts because of the economy?