Mitchell's Fish Market - Never fails to please!

I know there are so many restaurants to choose from in Cleveland, and there is by no means a shortage of great places to eat - but with all aspects combined; great food, great service and ambiance, one of MY favorite go to places has and still is Mitchell's Fish Market.  I have been to this restaurant, once every other month for the past 4 years.  And to tell you the truth, each time they pretty much live up to my expectations.  My folks who were visiting from overseas; wanted to eat here again since they too have had a great experience each time they came and so I decided that since I eat there so often, it was due time I official do a review of ONE of my favorite places to eat.

We arrived at the restaurant, a little earlier than expected; but after giving them a call, and letting know about my early arrival, they were more than happy to seat me and my folks right away.  The hostess was very friendly and very accommodating. In fact, I think the overall service throughout the night; be it the wait staff, the food busser or the manager on duty were all done VERY well, very professional and very comfortably.  I was extremely satisfied, as everyone did they best to ensure not only great service, but strove to do their best to make everything we wanted happen.

Lets jump right into the food; as that without doubt the main reason I come here so often.  Once seated, we were immediately served water and our drink orders were taken; in addition there was no time wasted in providing us with the bread service while we took our time to look over the menu.  Now the bread itself was a sourdough loaf served with pretty standard whipped butter.  I wouldn't say it was anything to write home about, but it was a solid bread service.  WARM sourdough bread; crusty on the outside; soft and slightly chewy inside; and nice and toasty.  The butter was whipped and light; and easy to spread on the bread.  Its the small attention to details that I like - the fact that its simple bread done well.  Nothing special; but done well.

We ordered two appetizers to share between me and my parents.  First, we ordered our go-to appetizer at Fish Market which was the Kung Pao Calamari.  As always, it came out fresh, hot, crispy and very tasty.  A generous portion of calamari was lightly battered in a nice coating; and fried to perfection.  With a drizzle of lemon, and dip in the provided Kung Pao sauce on the side, they were throughly enjoyed.  The seasoning in the batter lended itself very well to the overall taste of the seafood which was very fresh.  The hint of spiciness accompanied by the pepper seasoning really brought out the flavor without overpowering the calamari's taste, in addition, the dish remained crispy and didn't get soggy at all which was a big plus.  Overall, very well done.

Both my parents and I wanted some more finger food before we got into the entrees and decided to order in addition to the calamari, some dip.  We chose the spinach and artichoke dip.  It came out piping hot, with a nice "crusty" topping with baked flat bread on the side.  The dip itself was very nice, very fresh ingredients, and tasty.  I wouldn't say it was ground-breaking, but it was a good dip; with a nice blend of flavors from the artichoke and creaminess; a decent dip - great finger food to start the meal with and share with the rest of the table as you chat for a bit before dinner, while enjoying a nice drink.

Next, I started off the main course of my meal with a nice hot cup of lobster bisque.  I love lobster bisque, but its hard to find a good quality cup now-a-days.  The lobster bisque here was great!  A good serving size, not too much; but enough for tasting without compromising your main course.  If you wanted more, you can opt for the bowl of soup.  The lobster bisque was very flavorful and full of lobster taste.  The soup wasn't overly creamy but thick enough to hold its own.  Again, it was very much enjoyed and done well.

And finally, my main course.  I chose the tuna - done rare and chose to have it done in their "simply grilled style".  Lets start with the freshness of the fish.  I have to say, this was FRESH.  I have had fish from all spectrum of freshness; and this tuna steak was very fresh.  The outside was grilled well; and the inside still rare and pink, just the way i like it.  A drizzle of butter was noticed on top which really gave the fish a nice tasty overall completeness.  It wasn't overly seasoned; in fact done just right to allow you to enjoy the freshness of the fish itself.  The portion size was very good and with a squeeze of lemon; this was and still remains one of my favorite standby dishes to get from them.

Finally, to end this great dinner; we shared their crazy big sharksfin pie.  A huge slice of ice cream pie with an oreo crust.  Nothing CRAZY per say, but a very nice dessert; and great for sharing around the table as the size of this slice of pie is humongous. 

Overall, I really enjoyed my experience.  Mitchell's has never let me down, in terms of both food and service.  They do their best to make our visit enjoyable, and the food is fresh, tasty and worth the value.  Definately recommended to all who want great food/great service!

Overall: 4.50 out of 5 stars.

Mitchell's Fish Market
28601 Chagrin Blvd
Woodmere, OH 44122
 (216) 765-3474
www.mitchellsfishmarket.com/