This Cleveland Chef Is Making the Midwest Cool Again
"Early in my meal I hit a moment when I reached across the table for a dollop of fried chicken rillettes to smear on a buttery fried saltine or dragged my fork through a plate of Lamburger Helper, and as I leaned over the table I felt the focus on food and friends that defines the place — if chef and co‑owner Vinnie Cimino is nearby, he might hug you right back. Opened in 2022 by Cimino and Andrew Watts, Cordelia is an unabashed homage to Cleveland and the Midwest: the space reuses and upcycles pieces like a bowling lane refashioned into a kitchen counter, more than 100 vintage‑framed photos of the city on the walls, and an old‑school neon sign that reinforces the retro appeal. Hospitality here is what Cimino calls “Midwest Nice,” with cooks dropping dad jokes, staff greeting guests like old friends, and a real emphasis on community and celebrating local farmers and purveyors. The food riffs on Midwestern and Eastern European traditions while nodding to Southeast, Central, and Middle Eastern influences: jammy eggs topped with ajvar, locally sourced smoked trout, and a communal dozen snacks program that includes standout items such as the burger box — a smash burger on pull‑apart rolls with a crispy cheese skirt made from local smoked cheddar and luminous Kool‑Aid pickles made from Kirby cucumbers — an overdressed salad with Akron‑style white French dressing, and an elevated Cincinnati chili dip with Wagyu beef, smoked cheddar, and house‑pickled onions and peppers. More inventive plates include the Galley Boy tartare lashed with olive mayo and topped with romesco and a smoked cheddar frico, squash‑sticker sausage‑stuffed squash blossom pot stickers in spicy chaoshou sauce, a relish tray with jammy eggs with spicy ajvar and furikake, mortadella and olives, and housemade farmer cheese with za’atar and honey‑fermented garlic, English pea toast with whipped ricotta and chicken‑egg bottarga, corned lamb shanks braised and pan‑seared then blanketed in fermented mustard sauce, and tender bone‑in pork belly braised in smoked chicken stock and finished with sarsaparilla beurre blanc. Cimino says they initially called everything “modern grandma,” and that sense of honoring heritage, people, and the food — a moral imperative to celebrate the work behind the ingredients — is what makes Cordelia feel both homey and thoughtful." - Chandra Ram
