C L E V E L A N D
1 of 2
photo by Kelly Petryszyn
2 of 2
thisiscleveland.com
Porco Lounge & Tiki Room
Tiki bars began as an escape from difficult World War II-era life in America. More than 80 years later, our issues are different but Porco Lounge & Tiki Room Owner Stefan Was attests the need for escapism remains.
“We’re looking for a way to get away,” Was says. “At a venue like ours, you can go on vacation.”
Porco uses ‘30s recipes to transport patrons to a time when cocktails were pure before processed mixers and concentrated juices.
“We’re historians,” he says. “We try to make the most honest, sincerest cocktails. We put so much effort into our house-made syrups and fresh-squeezed juices.”
Porco gives the classic Painkiller, made with fresh pineapple, orange and creamy coconut, an upgrade with Cruzan Black Strap Rum in its Painkiller Level 2 version ($11). The Jamaican rum’s approachable chocolatey coffee notes have made it Porco’s No. 1 seller. “It’s almost like a milkshake,” Was says.
Tiki goes beyond what’s slid across the bar — it’s about music, service, decor, atmosphere. Was considers himself a curator of Porco’s Tiki memorabilia ranging from a Princess Kaiulani outrigger canoe to pufferfish lamps from Cleveland’s 70s-era Kon Tiki bar. To really turn back the clock, there aren’t TVs and reggae surf DJs only spin vinyl.
“It harkens back to what our ancestors experienced — I’ve got umbrellas stuck in my hair, I’ve got swizzle sticks in my hand,” he says. “Just like it was back in the day.”
2527 W. 25th St.,
Cleveland, 216-802-9222, porcolounge.com
photo by Tylar Sutton
Ball Ball Waffle
As a kid growing up in Hong Kong, Aldous Lau followed the call of the man behind the bubble waffle cart. The street vendor would shout as his confections finished on the charcoal burner and kids came running.
“Almost every little boy, little girl in Hong Kong — they have the memory of the bubble waffle,” says Lau, a Cleveland transplant.
Now Lau and his wife serve the nostalgic treat at Ball Ball Waffle, which they opened in Cleveland’s AsiaTown last year. Find plain bubble waffles along with playful twists like cheese filled or Oreo chocolate. The matcha mochi ($7) reimagines traditional ingredients by mixing imported Japanese matcha powder into egg batter and filling each bubble with mochi rice cakes from Taiwan.
“The mochi is very chewy. It’s lots of sweet, and you can taste a little bitter matcha,” Lau says. “Matcha tea is very popular in Asia.”
After griddling it, the warm mochi softens inside the waffle, and the outside gets blow-dried to crisp its edges, adding more intriguing layers. It’s topped with powdered sugar and condensed milk, but you can select add-ons like vanilla ice cream ($1 extra) and chocolate syrup, or order Hong Kong-style milk tea ($3-$4) to complete the experience.
Skip the fork and knife and instead eat it like you’re roaming Hong Kong, by tearing off one bubble at a time. The flavors may be unorthodox but it still makes Lau feel like a kid again.
“It feels like back to Hong Kong,” he says.
Asia Plaza, 2999 Payne Ave., Suite 126, Cleveland, 216-282-3834, facebook.com/ballballwaffle
