Red Chimney

6501 Fleet Ave
Cleveland, OH 44105
(216) 441-0053

by Beau Cadiyo

You know, back in my day when I was growin' up in California, we used to call people like Alaska Representative Don Young "racist."  Well, "racist," "fascist" or maybe we'd call 'em "Nazis."  "White Supremacists" was a term that also came up occasionally.  At lunch, there was a group of them that sat way off to one side of the gym; they wore jeans and suspenders and bomber jackets, no matter how hot it was, and the guys shaved their heads.  They were always really nice to me because they thought I was white, too.  When they were outside of school, people who knew them - blacks, sometimes, but oftentimes the Mexicans that went to school with us - would call them "racists" to their face, which they'd sneer at.  Once, one of the white supremacists was at a punk rock show and got in a shoving match with a black guy, who proceeded to beat him to the ground and stomp on his goddamned racist ribs.  It was all the talk at school that Monday; how the racist got beat up by a black guy.

Later, I heard that the white supremacist was at a community college.  The last thing he heard before he woke up in the hospital was, "Hey white boy."  So I guess "white boy" was another term people used.  I didn't, though.

There's a reason that people are running away from the Republican party en masse.  It's a big tent, sure, but under that tent are people like Alaska Representative Don Young, and Todd Akin, and the other people under that tent seem to be clapping for them mighty loudly.

I was pleasantly surprised by Red Chimney; I'd been meaning to go there for a while, but just kept forgetting.  It's owned by an incredibly friendly Greek man with a thick accent.  In a different era, he'd be sitting behind the counter, chain smoking cigarettes and watching the waitresses as they shuttle back and forth with plates; now, though, he can't smoke inside and he treats the staff as if they were his family (which, of course, they might be).  We asked him where a local bar was at which we could get a drink, and he had no idea; it was endearing, as when I looked at my phone, there were clearly five bars in close proximity to his restaurant.

That sort of clean living is respectable.

Red Chimney is cheap - I think my patty melt with fries was about six dollars.  The patties were clearly hand-formed - irregular edges and shapes were the clear giveaway - and the bread was fried in butter.  The fries were crisp, and the waitress quickly accommodated my request for mayo, indicating that she was cosmopolitan.  They thanked us profusely while we were paying; it was nice to be in a place where they seem to appreciate your custom.  Then we left.

Tremont Tap House

2572 Scranton Rd
Cleveland, OH 44113
(216) 298-4451
http://www.tremonttaphouse.com/

by Beau Cadiyo

I do not take this lightly, or mean to sound as if I do.  We must do whatever we can to avoid casualties to our soldiers and innocent civilians in Asia.

However, I can't help but think that if Kim Jong Un actually decides to strike, it would give us an excellent reason to destroy another despotic regime and liberate the people of North Korea from their benighted state.  China wouldn't be able to tell us not to defend ourselves; they might ask for limits on our advance, like they did sixty years ago, but they would not be able to go in front of the world and argue that the US, or South Korea, or Japan, should not defend ourselves or themselves.

I'm also proud of the level of Hagel's response - he's clearly saying that we're not going to do whatever it takes to placate the North Koreans, but that if they decide to act, we will react, swiftly and strongly and completely.  Contrast this to pretty much every other president who has bent over, forward or backward, to do whatever it takes to appease these monstrous regimes.  At this point, I think that there are advantages to confrontation that far outweigh the disadvantages - and, if there is to be a confrontation, it is better that it occur before they have nuclear weapons than after;

If it be now, ’tis not to come. If it be not to come, it will be now. If it be not now, yet it will come—the readiness is all. Since no man of aught he leaves knows, what is ’t to leave betimes? Let be.

Also, the burger at the Tremont Taphouse is one of the best in the city.  As soon as I tipped it up, angling it for the bite, I know that it was actually medium-rare; beef juice, both red and brownish-clear, dribbled out while Frank Schauer gawked, open-mouthed, and said, "Wow.  That...that is actually medium rare."  The lettuce was crisp, the tomato red and juicy, the onions slightly pungent and the bun toasted perfectly.  The happy hour is truly a deal.  No wonder people were standing to wait for a table or a spot at the bar at 7 p.m. on a Tuesday.  Get there early, get a spot and eat.  You will not regret it.