Luxe Kitchen & Lounge

Last weekend James and I decided to try Luxe Kitchen & Lounge. It’s located on Cleveland’s westside. We’ve driven past it plenty of times but never stopped. Well we decided to change that last weekend.

When we walked in we were greeted by a friendly young woman and promptly escorted to a high-top table near the front window. Since it is a lounge, it’s pretty dark inside. Looking around, it’s not setup as a typical restaurant. It has cool random ropes and cords hanging from the front windows that gives it a hint of hippy.

The menu is pretty diverse for it to only be a page long. Chicken, pasta, pizza, salad are all on the entree menu. What I liked about the menu is that it wasn’t alienating. Vegan, vegetarian, carnivore, dairy free, lover of cheese, whatever you dietary preference, they had something for you. Also in speaking to our waiter who was a very nice gentleman he let us know that most items on the menu could be changed to fit whatever dietary needs.

For our appetizer we got hand cut fries that were AWESOME! They were crispy, seasoned really well, and thick cut. They come with a house aioli sauce but I couldn’t try any since it contained dairy, so I just requested ketchup. I also got a drink called The Bloom that was delicious!

For the main course I went with the crispy braised bone-in chicken thighs (it was only one thigh). The chicken thigh was served atop a bed of smashed carrot-parsnip-potatoes and topped with fried swiss chard and maple syrup. I was unsure what to expect. Separately all the items were good. The chicken fell right off the bone, the chards were sweet and yummy, and the smashed potatoes were decent. However, all together the flavors were out of this world. The crunchy char from the chicken, the sweetness of the maple syrup mixed with the chard and smashed carrots-parsnips-potato, GOD! It reminded me of a healthier version of soul food. I’m not sure who the chef was that night but I would like to send my compliments to the chef.

James went with the roasted butternut squash salad. Which was comprised of mixed greens, candied nuts, Gorgonzola, pears, pickled red onions, thyme, and white balsamic vinaigrette. It was a very pretty salad but you know, it’s salad. How spectacular could it be right?

James was nice enough to share a fork full of his salad with me and it was BOMB! The thing that set this salad apart from any old normal mixed green salad was the dressing! No doubt about it. All the elements worked well together, the candied nuts, butternut  squash, pears, and pickled red onions. Once the flavors of the salad dressing settled on you taste buds you realized that this was not any old dressing. I believe that it’s made in house and again my compliments to whomever makes the dressing. It was quite possibly the best dressing I’ve ever had.

The prices are slightly high but if you are looking for a new place to grab some grub I highly, HIGHLY recommend Luxe Kitchen & Lounge.