About Ruth and Marc Levine

We have been in the food business for more than 20 years, specializing in upscale custom designed catering. In 2006, we turned our passion for food into Bistro 185, a bistro-style restaurant in Cleveland, Ohio, incorporating many of our popular entrees and appetizers.

Bistro 185 has been a tremendous success, with food lovers throughout the Greater Cleveland area enjoying our combination of ethnic favorites with a twist and multicultural cuisine that emphasizes local produce (we even have our own rooftop garden!).

This blog is a continuation of a special promotion we conducted in the summer of 2009. Inspired by the book and movie Julie & Julia, starting August 3 and ending October 3, we featured one or more classic dishes from Julia Child’s extensive French repertoire on our dinner menu each night. And, just like Julie Powell, we blogged here about our experiences in preparing each dish — and the experiences of our patrons in tasting them: a “once-in-a-lifetime culinary experience.”

On October 4, 2009, our blog devoted to the project, “Julie & Julia & Ruth & Marc,” became “The Bistro 185 Blog.” Unlike many restaurants, which feature extensive regular dinner menus and only a few daily specials, Bistro 185 prides itself on offering the reverse. We offer a small regular menu featuring time-tested patrons’ favorites and a larger menu featuring daily specials driven by the season, patron interest and our chefs’ whim. On the blog, we’ll list our nightly dinner specials at the Bistro so that you can check in and see what’s cooking before you stop by. We’ll also keep you up to date on our special dinners and future promotions, and discuss some of our ideas on cuisine and the restaurant business.

If your mouth should start to water just reading about our specials, we hope you’ll satisfy your urge to taste them for yourself! We also hope you’ll enjoy reading about our philosophy of food, and perhaps share some of your thoughts with us.