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For Cleveland, the past few decades have not been the best of times. With the departure of the manufacturing industry, a declining population, and a stagnant technology and service sector, Cleveland currently ranks 220 in economic strength for major American cities. Akron, its sister city, is not far behind at 219. Dickensian though it may sound, my recent arrival into the American rust belt from New York has been much more gourmet than grotesque. I will never be a Drew Carey fan, but as I’ve been pleasantly surprised to find out, Cleveland does have the capacity to, in fact, rock.

Since arriving, I’ve been doing my part to help the fledgling Cleveland economy by spending my money on truly tasty food and drink. Should you ever find yourself in the town that brought you Rock n’ Roll, a racist baseball mascot, LeBron James, and the lake that caught on fire, I’d recommend looking into these exceptional bars and restaurants. The only thing Victorian about them is their prices.

Sunday evening I arrived just in time to make it to Lolita’s happy hour. You might recognize Lolita’s chef, Michael Symon, from the Food Network, and I was pleased to find out that Symon’s money was precisely where my mouth was. In this bustling Tremont spot, the happy hour runs every day at the bar from 4-7 and has $2 beer and $5 cocktail specials. I started the evening off with an appropriately local Great Lakes Brewery Dortmunder Gold, a smooth compliment to the savory and creamy rosemary and ricotta cheese dip and freshly baked flat bread starter. At the bar, I watched two brave chefs throw hand-tossed dough into a wood-burning stove, which also serves to make delightful gourmet pizzas.

Appetizer devoured, I embarked on my second happy hour item, a Kobe beef burger with aged cheddar cheese, bacon, and fried egg on a toasted English muffin. Pricing this at a mere $5, considering a Burger King Whopper is just a couple of dollars less, almost devalues the artfulness of Symon’s creation. With the English muffin sopping up any juice that doesn’t get in your mouth, Symon is clearly after not just flavor, but also function. The sharpness of the cheddar was offset by the tender Kobe beef, and the crispy bacon and gooey egg complicated the texture and gave it a signature Midwestern edge. It’s still more dainty than dagwood, and I managed to have room both in my stomach and wallet to sample the hearty homemade mac n’ cheese, also a modest $5. Kraft and Velveeta, it is not. Symon’s recipe calls for fresh cream, rosemary, roasted chicken breast, and wide macaroni noodles, all baked in the still-firing wood oven. I wish I could say that I was transported back to the comforts of home, but my mother never put anything on the table this delicious. Like the burger, Symon has taken a familiar classic and elevated it to a higher culinary standard than most achieve on their measly gas stoves. I’d like to believe all it takes is that wood-burning oven, but it’s probably Symon’s Midas touch that turns everything he touches into delicious.