This list of restaurants makes no pretensions to being either complete or authoritative. I have classified these very roughly as `Inexpensive,' `Moderate,' `Moderately Expensive,' or `Expensive.' The ones marked with asterisks are (in my not particularly well-informed opinion) worth taking note of.

IN THE HOTEL:

*Sans Souci, 216-696-5600 (off the hotel lobby). Continental (mostly French). One of the best in town. Expensive.

Brasserie, on the first floor (i.e., the floor below the lobby). The hotel's less-expensive restaurant. There is a breakfast buffet.

TOWER CITY (next door to the hotel): The Avenue at Tower City is a shopping mall accessible by walkway from the hotel lobby. Its food court (`Team Diner') includes a large array of the usual fast food places, and there are instances of familiar universals: Fuddruckers, Hard Rock Cafe, Houlihan's, etc. There are also some upscale restaurants, including:

Century, 216-902-5255, 1515 W. Third St. (In the Ritz Carlton hotel, in Tower City). Specializes in seafood. Moderately expensive.

Morton's of Chicago-The Steakhouse, 216-621-6200, 1600 W. 2nd St. (and in Tower City). Steak house. Expensive.

WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE: There is an abundance of restaurants either on Public Square or within a few blocks of the hotel; I've listed only a fraction of them below. The downtown area includes the Warehouse District (northwest of Public Square, bounded by W. 3rd and W. 10th Streets, Superior Avenue, and Front Street) and the Gateway District to the southeast (including Gund Arena and Jacobs Field).

*Blue Point Grille, 216-875-7827, 700 West St. Clair (Warehouse District) Seafood, said to be among the best in town. Expensive.

Ciao Cucina, 216-621-8777, 1515 Euclid Ave. Italian. Moderately expensive.

Cleveland ChopHouse, 216-623-0909, 824 W. Saint Clair (Warehouse District) Local steakhouse. Moderate.

Circo/Zibibo, 216-575-0699, 1300 West Ninth Street (Warehouse District). Trendy Italian. Expensive.

Fat Fish Blue, 216-441-7040, 21 Prospect. Cajun and Creole food, live music most nights. Moderately expensive.

Flannery's Pub & Restaurant, 216-781-7782, 323 Prospect. Irish food and live Celtic entertainment.

*Frank & Pauly's, 216-575-1000, 200 Public Square. Old-fashioned big-city Italian, food served family style (a bargain for the hungry). Moderate.

*Greek Isles, 216-861-1919, 500 West St. Clair (Warehouse District). Greek cuisine, fresh seafood. Moderately expensive.

Hornblower's Barge & Grill, 216-363-1151, 1151 N Marginal Rd. Seafood, on a barge on Lake Erie. Moderate.

Hyde Park Grille, 216-344-2444, 123 Prospect Ave NW. Steak House. Expensive.

*John Q's Steakhouse, 216-861-0900, 55 Public Square. What the name says. Reservation advised. Moderately expensive.

*Johnny's Downtown, 216-623-0055, 1406 West 6th St. Continental eclectic. Among the best in town. Reservation advised. Expensive.

Key West Cafe, 216-566-0606, 1301 East 9th St. (Warehouse District). Seafood.

*Mallorca, 216-687-9494,1390 W. Ninth St. (Warehouse District). Spanish and Portuguese cuisine. Expensive.

*Metropolitan Cafe, 1352 W. 6th St, 216-241-1300 (Warehouse District). Trendy Italian. Reservation advised. Expensive.

Piccolo Mondo, 216-241-1300, 1352 West Sixth Street (Warehouse District). Italian, Spanish, Southwestern.

Redfish Cajun Bar & Grill, 216-566-8100, 2217 E Ninth St. New Orleans, seafood. Moderately expensive.

Santa Fe Cafe, 216-241-6911, 75 Public Sq. Southwestern

*Slyman's Deli, 216-621-3760, 3106 Saint Clair Ave NE (1.5 miles east). Inexpensive.

Second Street Diner, 216-861-1270, 2123 E 2nd St. (go down Ontario to High St., left 1 block to 2nd). Inexpensive.

Sushi 86, 216-621-8686, 144 Euclid Ave. Sushi bar. Inexpensive.

Sushi Rock, 216-623-1212, 1276 W 6th St. Trendy Japanese. Moderately expensive.

THE FLATS (1-2 miles southwest, on the Cuyahoga River): The Flats is populated by a great many bar & grill chains and a number of brew pubs, as well as a few good restaurants.

Great Lakes Brewing Company, 216-771-4404, 2516 Market Ave. Brewpub/pub fare.

Shooters on the Water, 216-861-6900, 1148 Main Ave. Seafood, steaks. Moderately expensive.

The Watermark, 216-241-1600, 1250 Old River Road. Seafood. Moderately expensive.

OHIO CITY (West across the Cuyahoga, 1-2 miles):

Johnny Mango Juice Bar & World Cafe, 216-575-1919, 3120 Bridge Ave. Vegetarian. Inexpensive.

Nate's Deli, 216-696-7529, 1923 West 25th Street. Middle Eastern. Inexpensive

*Parker's Restaurant, 216-771-7130, 2801 Bridge Avenue. French (and I recommend this one). Reservation advised. Moderately expensive.

*Traci's Restaurant, 216-771-4744, 2800 Clinton Ave. Italian. Moderate.

TREMONT (2 miles south):

*Kosta's, 216-622-0011, 2179 West 11th Street. Eclectic and trendy. Has very strong adherents. Moderately expensive.

Fat Cats, 216-579-0200, 2061 W 10th St. Italian. Moderately expensive.

*Lola Bistro & Wine Bar, 216-771-5652, 900 Literary Rd. Characterized to me as "High-end comfort food". Moderately Expensive.

Mojo, 216-592-6656, 2221 Professor St. Eclectic and trendy. Expensive.

BROADWAY/SLAVIC VILLAGE (2-4 miles south):

Ewa's Family Restaurant, 216-441-7040, 4069 East 71st Street. Polish cuisine. Inexpensive.

John's Cafe, 216-641-3671, 3658 East 52nd Street. Slovak food, roast duck and roast pork. Moderate.

BROOKLYN (2 miles southwest):

Agostino's Ristorante, 216-741-6522, 4218 Ridge Road. Italian. Moderately expensive.

*Johnny's on Fulton, 216-281-0055, 3164 Fulton Rd. Italian, mostly. A local legend. Expensive

UNIVERSITY CIRCLE (4-5 miles east). University Circle, the area around Case Western Reserve University, is the location of many cultural sites, including Severance Hall, the Cleveland Museum of Art, and a number of other museums and theaters. Take a bus, or take the RTA Red Line to University Circle. CircleLink (free shuttle through the area) runs from the RTA station during the daytime hours.

Club Isabella, 216-229-1177, 2025 University Hospital Dr. Italian. Moderately expensive.

The Citrus Restaurant, 216-707-4300, 8800 Euclid Avenue (in the Intercontinental Hotel). Contemporary Mediterranean. Moderately expensive.

Falafel Cafe, 11365 Euclid Avenue. Middle Eastern. Inexpensive

Sergio's in University Circle, 216-231-1234, 1903 Ford Dr. Brazilian.

That Place on Bellflower, 216-231-4469, 11401 Bellflower Rd. Mostly Continental. Moderate

The Severance, 216-231-7373, 11001 Euclid Avenue (in Severance Hall). Only open before concerts, but a reasonable choice if you're going to one.

*University Circle Arabica Coffeehouse, 216-791-0300, 11300 Juniper Road. One of a chain of coffee houses.

Uptowne Grille, 216-229-9711, 11312 Euclid Avenue American, French, Spanish, Italian, and Moroccan; live jazz. Moderately expensive.

LITTLE ITALY (just east of University Circle of University Circle area) There are many Italian restaurants in this region; I've listed only few, and there's no reason to believe I have all the best ones. To reach this area, take the RTA Red Line to University Circle or Euclid.

*Baricelli Inn, 216-791-6500, 2203 Cornell Road. Italian, in a small hotel. Expensive

Guarino's, 216-382-9995, 12309 Mayfield Road. Italian, and old. Moderate.

*Mama Santa Restaurant & Pizzeria, 216-231-9567, 12305 Mayfield Rd Italian. Longtime local favorite for an inexpensive meal. Inexpensive (I said that).

*Porcelli's Ristorante, 216-791-9900, 12022 Mayfield Road. Italian. Moderately expensive.

Trattoria Roman Gardens, 216-421-2700, 12207 Mayfield Road. Italian. Moderate.

INDIAN RESTAURANTS, various locations:

Maharaja, 440-461-3737, 5156 Wilson Mills Rd. (Richmond Heights, 13 miles east). Northern Indian. Moderately expensive.

Cafe Tandoor, 216-371-8500, 2096 South Taylor Road (Cleveland Heights, 8 miles east). Moderately expensive.

CHINESE AND SOUTHEAST ASIAN, various locations:

*Bo Loong, 216-391-3113, 3922 St. Clair Ave. (2 miles northeast). Chinese. Moderate.

*Li Wah, 216-696-6556, 2999 Payne Ave (in Asia Plaza, 1.6 miles east). Chinese. Moderate.

Hunan Coventry, 216-371-0777, 1800 Coventry Rd. (Coventry, 7 miles east). Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese as well as Szechuan). Moderate.

*Minh Anh Restaurant & Market, 216-961-9671, 5428 Detroit Rd. (Detroit-Shoreway, 2 miles west). Vietnamese. Inexpensive.

*Phnom Penh Restaurant, 216-251-0210, 13124 Lorain Ave (6 miles west). Vietnamese and Cambodian. Moderate

ELSEWHERE (various restaurants, all within 12 miles or so):

Aladdin's Eatery East Side, 216-932-4333, 12447 Cedar Rd. (7 miles east). Middle Eastern. Moderate.

Ali Baba, 216-251-2040, 12021 Lorain Rd. (6 miles west). Vegetarian. Moderately expensive.

*Le Bistro du Beaujolais, 440-871-7880, 24481 Detroit Road (Westlake, 13 miles west). Perhaps the best French restaurant in town. Expensive.

Empress Taytu Ethiopian Restaurant, 216-391-9400, 6125 St. Clair Ave. (3 miles northeast). Ethiopian cuisine. Moderate.

Luchita's, 216-252-1169, 3456 W. 117th St. (6.5 miles west). Mexican. Moderate.

*The Mad Greek. 216-421-3333, 2466 Fairmont Blvd. (about 7 miles east). Greek and Indian (sic). Moderately expensive.

*Pier W, 216-228-2250, 12700 Lake Ave. (Lakewood, 6 miles west). Seafood, lakeside

Players on Madison, 216-226-5200, 14523 Madison Ave. (Lakewood, 6 miles west). Italian, trendy. Moderately expensive.

*Tommy's, 216-321-7757, 1824 Coventry Rd. (6 miles east). Sandwiches, pizza, salads, hamburgers, falafel, escarole & potato pie, lots of vegetarian dishes. Moderate or inexpensive.