50 Things to Eat and Drink in Cleveland - Spicy Bloody Mary @ Gasoline Alley

So the Plain Dealer, yes the Cleveland Newspaper, did a great story a few weeks back on the top 50

 things to eat and drink in Cleveland.  I know I know, some of you may be thinking, what is there to eat and drink in Cleveland, but Cleveland really is becoming a city full of great restaurants, opened by great chefs. We have our own Michael Symon, Iron Chef and host of the Chew who owns Lola, Lolita and my personal favorite, the B Spot. There is the Greenhouse Tavern and Noodlecat, owned by Jonathan Sawyer a competitor on Iron Chef.  There are great restaurants that focus on locally sourced ingredients like Crop which has re-opened in Ohio City, and we have great Gastro pubs like Deagons in Lakewook and Tremont Tap House. Then of course there are the great bars, Prosperity Social Club and Velvet Tango Room, but I digress because this could go on for a while. But back to the original reason for writing this, the article got me thinking... in all of my spare time I should go around and try all of these great things in Cleveland. I am going to frank, it is not going to happen, I won’t try them all, but I will do my best. I am also hoping to share of my favorites that did not make the list and hopefully get you to explore all the great food that Cleveland has to offer.

Spicy Bloody Mary – Gasoline Alley

So Gasoline Alley is a bit of a hidden gem, ok dive, in Bath Ohio, yes home of Lebron James, but please don’t hold that against this great joint. They have great Reuben sandwiches that stand a good 8 inches tall, full of house made corned beef and of course, the pizzas, full of fresh ingredients and layers of perfectly melted mozzarella cheese. Now this is a place we go to a couple times a month, you know a staple, but I never had one of their, now famous, spicy bloody mary’s, and after having one, I have no clue why it took me so long. There is the perfect amount of spice, horseradish and pepper, maybe a splash of Tobasco, but what makes it really special is the amount of “stuff” they put in it… Celery, olives, pickle, cucumber, tomatoes, and yes, a piece of shrimp cocktail;, it is practically a salad in a glass, a delicious salad in a glass. If you don’t believe me, check it out for yourself, you won’t be upset, and while you are there make sure to try one of their gigantic sandwiches, and just so you don’t forget, the Reuben is the best!