Vine and Bean

Just What the Doctor(s) Ordered
James Tarbox, MD & Lowell Chang, MD

Vine & Bean Café
12706 Larchmere Blvd
Cleveland, OH
216-707-3333

Wednesday - 11am to 8pm
Thursdays - 11am to 8pm
Fridays - 11am to 10pm Live Music!
Saturday - 9am to 10pm Live Music!
Sunday - 9am to 4pm

Heather Haviland's Lucky Brunch
Saturday and Sunday 10am to 2pm

You may have remembered a review we did last fall on Lucky’s Café over in Tremont. I can still remember the macaroni and cheese with bacon and the Angus hamburger with a fried egg like it was yesterday. So when I heard that Heather Haviland was opening a café over near my neck of the woods, I couldn’t wait to dine in, and I have on multiple occasions.

So where to begin? If you get a chance, they have an awesome brunch on weekends. This includes the aforementioned baked mac & cheese, you have to remind them about the bacon. There are also some vanilla bean waffles topped with roasted peaches, honey whipped cream and striped with house-made caramel sauce. I’ve had the gingerbread waffles here and they were some of the best I’ve ever had, I’m sure the vanilla would be par excellence as well. Michelle and I were too full to try the Shipwreck which is a concoction of eggs, hash brown, bacon, cheddar, and veggies, but with those ingredients how can you go wrong.

Two things that Vine & Bean prides itself on are utilizing local ingredients and having a plethora of vegetarian options for those of that persuasion. The Shipwreck can magically turn into a Canoewreck with curried tofu instead of bacon.

Other dishes I have tried include the Egg pie… or is it another name for quiche? It included black forest ham, local (there’s that word again) bacon, Swiss and green onion. This was as good as any quiche that I’ve ever head. Nice, soft fluffy egg with a tasty mixture of ingredients. Now if I just had a farm to go maintain. This dish was served with banana bread and honey fruit salad.

I also tried a meatloaf special one day. This dish had a nice peppery flavor with less tomato sauce influence, and a delicious au gratin in the form of a triangle. These potatoes tasted really good in the accompanying smoky gravy.

If you happen to venture to Vine & Bean on a weekday, you still have options for hot paninis, breakfast sandwiches, chopped salads, and a very nice beer selection (of which I have yet to try). On a final note, the restaurant is located in a renovated house with many styles of chairs and tables to sit at, a nice alternative atmosphere.


Scale of 0 to 5
0: “A writer is like a bean plant - he has his little day, and then gets stringy.” EB White
5: "Fill every beaker up, my men, pour forth the cheering wine: there's life and strength in every drop, thanksgiving to the vine!" Albert Gorton Greene

Food & Drink: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 4.5 (can be a little slow if busy, otherwise very friendly and helpful with suggestions)
Bang for the buck: 3 (a little expensive, but for the quality of food and use of local products, you definitely get what you pay for)
TOTAL: 17.5/20

- Dr. Tarbox

Dr. Chang’s two cents:

This is another good establishment from the folks who brought you Lucky’s Café. Food is fresh and flavorful. I personally have only tried the lunch items, but hope to try their brunch menu at some point. Be sure to check out some of the pastries also.

Food & Drink: 5
Atmosphere: 5 (What you expect from a typical café)
Service: 3.5 (Only two wait staff at most, so the busier they are, the slower the service. A cashier during one of my visits had trouble with their math.)
Bang for the Buck: 3 (Costs a little more than the usual café style foods)
TOTAL: 16.5/20

If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or ideas for restaurants to visit, please e-mail us at: tarboxj@ccf.org and changl@ccf.org. Thank you.