chinato-lowres.jpg
Chinato rolls out an Antipasti and Salumi Plate -- a wide-ranging mix of cheese, meats and vegetables that can feed two.
(John Petkovic/The Plain Dealer)
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Italian cuisine is almost universally loved and yet it's often written off as commonplace. We can debate why that is – or, well, we can just hit Chinato for Happy Hour...
OK, let's do the latter.
HAPPY HOUR
Chinato
2079 East Fourth St., Cleveland
216-298-9080; chinatocleveland.com
Happy Hour: 4:30-6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m.-close Monday-Saturday
Happy rating: Four out of five olives.
Chinato rolls out some of the most liberal hours in Happyland. Perfect for a visit downtown to check out the Christmas displays, a Cavs game or an after-game stop.
The East Fourth Eatery is close to perfect in other ways. Happy Hour offers a low-cost trip to the Italian kitchen of chef Zack Bruell's mind. It might not exactly seem that way when you notice the price tag of the Antipasti and Salumi Plate, $10. But the board is a wide-ranging mix of cheese, meats and vegetables that can feed two.
It also compliments the Grilled Vegetable Salad, a unique small plate that comes with farro and ricotta ($6). The gnocchi – that old-time fave you rarely see in Happyland -- makes for a unique diversion ($8), in no small part because it's tasty and zesty without being heavy.
Hard to believe that gnocchi is so hard to find. But that's not my problem – because this place defies conventional thinking.