It so happens to be my parents-in-law’s 40th anniversary, and so we (my parents-in-law, my sister-in-law, my parents, my wife and I) went for a romantic dinner at Pier W, a gorgeous restaurant jutting out over lake Erie with three sides of glass walls. Gorgeous at night, with downtown Cleveland glowing in the distance, perfect for groups and romantic tete-a-tetes.
And I should mention at this point that all pictures in this post minus one (can you spot the bad one?) are courtesy of my sister-in-law, who both owns a camera I lust after and knows how to use it, unlike me.
The decor was a nice modern mix in whites and blues with some fish art and a neon bar, which looked all the better once the sun had gone down. Pier W has won many an award, most recently “Best of Cleveland 2012 / Best Restaurant for Romance & Best Seafood from Scene Magazine”. And it deserved it. Courteous, attentive service, a great atmosphere not too hushed to be afraid to laugh and not too boisterous to feel like you are not private with those at your table, and wonderful dishes.
We started off with calamaris and crab cakes, and let me tell you, the crab cakes just about melted on your tongue. Some of the best I’ve ever had, and everyone at our table was delighted. At this point in time my father-in-law presented my mother-in-law with a diamond pendant, there were many toasts and lots of love. Aww.
I should also mention that my mother-in-law is one of the biggest baseball fans I know, and since she was born and bred in Massachusetts, the Red Sox are everywhere. I learned about baseball (don’t laugh, we don’t have it in Germany and my only contact were those horrible Charlie Sheen movies!) watching the 2004 “breaking of the Curse” on DVD. I am, I profess, a Red Sox fan, spiting the Cleveland Indians a little. Now, you may or may not know that Johnny Damon broke the collective Red Sox heart when he left the Sox after the Curse was broken and went to the *GASP* Yankees of all places. My mother-in-law’s heart broke along with that of my sister-in-law. Many years later, Johnny Damon joined the Cleveland Indians, just a few weeks ago. Guess who sat down at the table next to ours? Yes. The only way to make the night more perfect would have been a big sparkly bow on his faux-hawk.
The night degraded in averted stares, fake posing of the anniversary couple so we could snap some pictures (we are pretty sure he was on to us), swooning giggles and my sister-in-law “calling dibs”. Excellent. The food distracted us only a little.
My sister-in-law had crab-stuffed shrimp on mashed potatoes with asparagus. I tried a shrimp, pretty delicious!
In my family, the running joke is that my mother is out to drive ducks into extinction when at a restaurant. If this is true, my wife’s aspiration must be similar in regard to salmon. Behold, cedar-planked salmon. Served with a side of rosemary potatoes and asparagus. You know you are jealous.
And yes, I may be driving tuna into extinction. Gorgeous ahi tuna, seared just a tad, with a miso reduction, pea-shoot spring rolls and glutinous rice. A dream on a plate. Also, our waitress squealed in delight when I ordered my tuna rare and praised me for “knowing how to eat tuna”. My father, who taught me everything, smiled on proudly.
For the finishing coup, we ordered a warm chocolate truffle cake with vanilla bean ice cream and salted caramel sauce. The restaurant added an adorable little congratulatory chocolate banner, and we were all somewhere 5 feat above the ground in ecstasy.
The bottom line? If 50 bucks per head without wine do not scare you, this is the perfect place for a romantic seafood dinner (and they do have steaks, too). Plus, you might just meet your baseball heartthrob! Pier W is definitely worth a visit.
P.S.: I’ll be back in a week, my commencement is on Sunday, and my parents are whisking my doctoral self away to Niagara Falls for a week.
Do you have a favorite romantic restaurant? Ever run into celebrities?
