The recently opened Cleveland-Heath restaurant and bar, located on Main Street, is an exceptional addition to the new and improved Edwardsville dining scene.

Walking through the wooden doors of the newly remodeled Bohm Building, you notice the chic and modern style of the restaurant. The atmosphere is relaxed and amicable, complimented by the elegance and simplicity of furnishing and table setting.

Skipping appetizers, I went straight towards the main entrees. The selection doesn’t really conform to the normal restaurants of Edwardsville, which most of which offer cheeseburgers and sandwiches.

I went with the pulled pork sandwich and fries. Its appearance was pretty ordinary, but the food itself was not. The Companion Bakery pretzel bun stood up against the tender and juicy pork, which was dressed with an ailoi that had a bit of a kick. The freshly hand-cut potato and sweet potato fries helped control the spiciness of the sandwich.

The sandwich was very filling, don’t get me wrong, but I can eat a lot of food so I decided to try the street tacos next.

I thought that a small restaurant like Cleveland-Heath couldn’t have such a wide variety of food that all met my expectations, but I was wrong. The tacos were surprisingly good.

The tacos were soft shell flour, filled abundantly with pieces of chicken. Unlike most chicken tacos, which are filled with that unappealing stringy chicken or the awkward chunks of mystery meat, the chicken was cut in long, thick grilled pieces. To my disbelief, the tacos, as well as the pulled pork, stood up to my expectations.

To finish off my delectable meal, I grabbed a dessert menu to see if there was anything worth trying. Something caught my eye automatically: bread pudding. Personally, I’m a fan of chocolate anything, but I went out on a limb and tried it instead. The plate came out, and it was the size of my entrée; a slice of bread pudding was an understatement. This thing could have fed a family of four. It was really good, though. It wasn’t very sweet itself, but the chocolate drizzled on top made up for it. It was the kind of dessert that you knew didn’t come from a box, and it definitely changed my opinion of bread pudding.

Cleveland-Heath is definitely a must-try Edwardsville eatery. It may be a little pricey for the average high school student, but the taste is worth the cost. But next time you and your parents are looking for a place to grab a quick bite or you want to take someone special out on a date, try Cleveland-Heath.