Taste, Lee Road’s newest restaurant addition in Cleveland Heights, has masterfully revamped the former Wine Room space as a swanky bar and dining area that serves fresh French fusion dishes.

When it comes to cravings for Chinese cuisine, I admit Hunan Coventry has been my go-to stop in the Heights. But, this summer I heard lots of buzz about Sun Luck Garden’s beloved owner, Annie Chiu, when a Who’s Who list of Cleveland chefs hosted a benefit in her honor since she had to close the restaurant for a few months after emergency open-heart surgery.

Lucinda Stevens’ culinary challenge is her husband Carl Goldstein, a vegetarian. Former high school sweethearts back in Flint, Michigan, Carl and Lucinda reconnected in Ann Arbor 20 years ago, married and moved to Cleveland Heights a year-and-a-half ago. “When I first visited Cleveland Heights, I immediately fell in love with the urban character, friendly people, small businesses, landscaping and cultural offerings. Ann Arbor was getting too pretentious,” says Stevens.