Cleveland may have lost LeBron James but its reputation as a culinary destination is only gaining momentum.

Voted as one of “Food and Wine” magazine’s 2010 Best New Chefs, Chef Jonathon Swayer’s the Greenhouse Tavern, located on East Fourth Street in downtown Cleveland, offers delectable dishes in a certified sustainable setting. From the antique cedar barn wood flooring to the chic light fixtures made from recycled bicycle rims, the “green” atmosphere perfectly accentuates the innovative seasonal and local menu.

Of all the menu choices, the best deal is the Four Course Chef’s Tasting Menu for a reasonable $39, which allows diners to choose one first course, one second course, one entrée and either a hearty side or a dessert from the menu. Consider sharing. The tasting menu could easily feed two.

The “firsts” menu ($3-$7) offers smaller sized appetizers, which could be interpreted as amuse bouches, such as house-made cheeses, breads and pork pate. “Seconds” showcases the popular Crispy Chicken Wing Confit ($11) and the highly recommended Hand Ground Beef Tartare Frites ($12), served with a two-minute egg, house made mustard, mayo, and fries.

Chef Swayer is known for his Dry Aged Ohio Beef Burger on the “thirds” menu, but the print menu brags the Half Roasted Chicken in Brioche Bread is the “best chicken in Cleveland,” and I must concur. Juicy, tender, and savory, this dish is a “must order.”

Without a doubt, though, the star of the Greenhouse Tavern isn’t the water-saving technologies; it’s the Gravy Frites. These glorious fries fried in duck fat are topped with rich brown gravy and salty mozzarella cheese curd. Food Network’s Iron Chef Michael Symon names these fries his guilty pleasure on the television show “The Best Thing I Ever Ate.” Decadent and divine, the Gravy Frites left me in a food coma and unsure I’d be able to eat anything the next day.

But I’m always hungry. The next day I headed to another locally-minded restaurant, Lucky’s Café in the Tremont neighborhood in Cleveland.

With intimate seating and art-covered walls that were highlighted on Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” Lucky’s Café is known for its fresh, seasonal breakfasts, lunches and brunches.

Chef Heather Haviland uses all local ingredients–some of which even come from the Café’s garden–to create fruit breads, omelettes and waffles.

But Food Network’s Guy Fieri had it right when he proclaimed his love for the Lucky Rueben ($11). All the ingredients–from the corned beef to the rye bread to the sauerkraut to the Thousand Island dressing–are house made.

As someone who finds sauerkraut too overwhelming and overpowering, Chef Haviland’s sweetly compliments the tang in the corned beef. Diner Jeannie Kidera called it “magical.” This is a sandwich I will crave, one that I will drive to Cleveland and back in one day to be able to devour it again.

If a culinary adventure is on your horizon, check out all that Cleveland has to offer. It’s an emerging food lover’s Mecca.