For millenniums, the search for the quaint café straight out of
a Hollywood movie set has plagued Hipsters. Countless escapades and pilgrimages
have commenced in the sheer hope that a trendy café will emerge from the ruins
and into the hands of trendsetters in the Greater Cleveland area. There has
been no such luck of the perfect café…till now.
Through a tremendous recommendation by our own Sage, we had the
pleasant experience of going to Lucky’s Café, a cozy little spot right in the
up and coming town of Tremont. On the brisk Sunday afternoon, Sage, Poppy, and
I (Thyme), leisurely walked into the establishment sometime around 1. The lunch
rush was cooling down, but we still were experiencing the last bit of customers
who were trying to squeeze in a late brunch, which included us. However, we
didn’t have to wait long, about 8 minutes and we were sat at a table outside,
in a charming picnic-style seating.
While the breeze might have made us wish we brought another
layer or two, we were being distracted by the amiable setting we had been
seated into. While the scenery isn’t the setting for your next business
meeting, it felt like you were sitting in the middle of a garden, which in
fact, resided to the right of our table. It was a very trendy/earthy setting.
Kind of like the place that made you want to throw on a beanie, your tightest
pair of skinny jeans, and read poetry while saving animals (and astonishingly
enough, they had a plethora of vegan/vegetarian options).
As we sang to the birds flying around us, we were greeted by a
waitress who genuinely seemed like she wanted to serve us. In fact, all the
staff seemed more than pleased with their jobs. They wanted to be there, they
wanted to serve us and make sure we were happy customers, enjoying a unique
experience. It was refreshing to have a waitress who didn’t seem to be using
her job as an audition for the part of Eeyore in Winnie the Pooh. It was more
like being at a friend’s house and they just wanted to make sure you were
comfortable. Honestly, it was one of the best parts of the experience…but
nothing could beat the food.
Due to the chill of a September afternoon that gave my body
goosebumps, I decided to start off the meal with one of the specials: the
Butternut Squash soup. Not only was the piping hot soup enough to warm me up,
it was a mixture of tantalizing flavors that made my taste buds wish I had
ordered a bowl of it. That was enough to hold me over until the main course
arrived. Another special, the eggplant parmesan was decadent, rich, and felt
like ol’ grammy had taken it right out of the oven. As Poppy said, “I hate
eggplant and honestly, I wish I would have ordered this.” It was that good.
Even in my state of pure exhaustion, I overcame the urge to not eat any more
and cleaned the dish dry. While I wasn’t able to taste everything on the
special’s menu, my advice would be to go for anything that graced the page. You
won’t be left upset.
Poppy decided to try their breakfast option, taking on The
Shipwreck. It consisted of a number of things, ranging from eggs and
vegetables, to sausage and mushroom. Almost like the perfect omelet, it was a
blend of everything you could want in a breakfast meal. While I’m not much one
for breakfast foods, I enjoyed it in all of its early food delights, and would
certainly order it again if I went back to this restaurant earlier. Plus a
seasonal Latte sent my tastebuds dancing from warmth and enjoyment.
Also catering to the breakfast side of the menu,
Sage decided to order the waffles with a blueberry glaze and lemon sauce,
topped with whip cream and almonds. If anything, you could say Jesus had
prepared this meal in the kitchen himself. Our taste buds couldn’t decide
whether it was a breakfast meal or a dessert or if it was even food. Sheer
perfection was the least we can say about this meal. The flavors complimented
each other so well; you would swear they were doing the tango on your tongue.
Sage commented, “Each part of the dish brought a different flavor. The
blueberry compote was slightly sweet and acidic which contrasted the sourness
of the lemon sauce. Top it off with sweet honey infused whipping cream, you’ve
got a roller coaster ride on your tongue.” Sage also ordered a smoothie, which
tasted as if the fruit was freshly picked from their own gardens.
We really did wish we could have ordered some type of pastry from their delicious-looking array of bakery items, yet our stomachs begged us to not intake anymore food. It pained us, but we did admit one more morsel would have caused us to put on our fat-pants.
Our advice to Lucky’s Café is, really, keep doing what you’re
doing. Honestly, it was one of the better meal experiences we have shared
together for a while. The setting was charming and cozy, straight from the set
of a T.V. show. The food was marvelous, so decadent that it was even featured
on Food Network. The staff was so hospitable, you felt like you have been
friends with them for years. The only disappointing part of the restaurant is
the fact that they only serve breakfast and lunch. If it were possible, we
would make the 15 minute drive over to Tremont for every meal. Overall, it’s
one of the best restaurants we’ve been to in an extremely long time and without
hesitation, we would go back there in a second, right after we put on our fat
pants.
Service: #5.0
Food: #5.0
Atmosphere: #4.7
Overall: #4.9
