Moxie

Arguably Cleveland's finest restaurant, Moxie has rarely been off the media's radar screen. Exactly one year after Moxie opened, December 1997, it was named one of the best new restaurants in America by Esquire magazine's food writer, John Mariani. Mariani: "The hot new Moxie has picked up on the style of restaurants in downtown New York with a little of New Orleans thrown in. I could certainly have come right from SoHo or TriBeCa or the French Qurater. Portions are gargantuan." Seven years later the editors of Gourmet magazine pieced together their list of the best places to eat in America. No surprise they selected Moxie as one of them. Gourmet: "Chef Jonathon Bennett's food is restrained and elegant...No effort appears too great for Bennett, who actually produces his own cheeses, distills extract from vanilla beans and vodka, and keeps a sour-apple starter well-fed just to make croutons for one salad.""