Quick Bite: Lunch at the Hodge Podge Truck!

After I slept in a bit too much this morning, Jeff asked if I'd want to head out to the North Union Farmer's Market at Shaker to look around and grab something to eat. I noticed that Dim and Den Sum posted:

Curry duck frites tomorrow and oh so much more at shaker square farmers market 8am-12pm

Later on in the afternoon, I got a message from Jeff mentioning the very same frites. When I woke up this morning, I was more than happy to seek them out, and I was glad that I did. Once we ordered (Duck Frites and the Surf and Turf Tacos) I headed out to look for a beverage. The trucks aren't allowed to sell drinks (Can someone please explain why?) and Dewey's normal post, selling lemonade was nowhere to be found. I ended up walking to Dave's to get a soda.

As I walked behind the Hodge Podge truck, all I could smell was scallops. Seared, briny, ocean-y smelling scallops. Yum. I couldn't wait.

When I returned from Dave's, I found Jeff already sitting on the grass beneath a shady tree nearby. I could smell the curry on the fries from 10 feet away, and it was amazing. We put a little bit of Sriracha on the fries but didn't augment the tacos in any way. Starting with the fries - they were perfectly cooked, wonderfully crisp and salty with the aroma of curry. The curry flavor wasn't too strong, but I liked it. The curry was definitely there, but I noticed and adored the aroma as we ate them. These were some of the best fries I've ever had, and that's saying something... Considering my undying love for the fries at Bar Cento and Sasa Matsu!

The tacos were very messy - so I opted to eat mine with a fork. It was great watching Jeff eat the other one as I'm sure it was meant to be eaten! The scallops were cooked perfectly, and the meat was incredibly tender. I am also a lover of anything and everything that has to do with Kimchi - so that was an added bonus!

Can't wait to visit the Hodge Podge truck again soon, and you should definitely check them out!

A Girl About Central America

Ardent spirits sent from heaven,
Whoa! You batter me and thrill me
Knock me to my knees and kill me
I don't care! It's you I'm drinking.

The above are translated lyrics from a song they sing in Costa Rica called "De la Caña se Hace El guaro" which loosely translates to "From the cane, they make the moonshine". The name "Guaro" came from Costa Rica, and was adopted by the rest of Central America and the South. Colombia calls it Aguardiente. Sometimes guaro is referred to as a "soft vodka" because it has a lower alcohol content than vodka. In Costa Rica, the government nationalized its manufacture in an effort to quell the clandestine production of liquor. The "Fabrica Nacional de Licores" (National Liquor Factory) was founded for this reason, and currently produces the only legal brand, Cacique Guaro. (via Wikipedia)

Jeff and I booked a 10-day tour of Costa Rica for our honeymoon. We ended up booking it through AAA, but the agency that ran the tour was Trafalgar. I will start this entry out by saying that I am NOT posting this with any endorsement/compensation coming from any of the companies I happen to mention.

There were far too many great things that we did/saw for me to chronicle here, but my main point of this particular entry is to share with all of you how absolutely awesome it was to take a tour like this. We jokingly wondered if we'd get stuck on a bus with 50 people too old or infirmed to want to do much more than while away the days in a rocking chair overlooking the ocean. What actually happened, is that we saw many aspects of Costa Rica, experienced local food, culture and activities, AND made about 50 new friends of all ages.


We went rafting with all sorts of people in Sarapiqui!


We slept close to an active volcano, in Arenal.


We ate rice and beans (gallo pinto) a LOT.


We got to play in the ocean.

If you're curious about the rest of our photos, check out my Flickr page as well as Jeff's.
We experienced Costa Rica the way I think everyone should - we saw the city, the countryside, the hot and humid rainforests, and the cool and misty mountains. Taking a tour like we did was ideal - we did not have to plan anything and were only responsible for a few meals on our own. Tamarindo (pictured above) was the only time we were on our own, with no guides at all, and we did just fine.

And we also drank guaro. Interestingly enough the label on the Cacique Guaro tells you to destroy the label immediately after drinking - presumably so someone doesn't fill up the bottle with the illegal kind of guaro and sell it under the guise of the legit stuff. It essentially is moonshine. Cheap in Costa Rica, you can order this stuff online for 7 times the price if you're missing it that much. It's like driving to KY for Everclear, but less interesting/intoxicating.

The food in Costa Rica was simple. Strangely enough, I had the best pineapple and ham pizza while I was there. I also had a nice roasted sweet potato and plantain soup that I am itching to re-create. Gallo pinto was everywhere of course, and I admittedly was a little tired of it by week's end. I would informally like to issue a challenge to any of the Cleveland food trucks to do their own take on gallo pinto - it'd be cool to see what some of them could do with this everyday Costa Rican dish... It turns out you can even buy gallo pinto at Wendy's in Costa Rica.

If you're curious, check out Trafalgar's site for 2012's itinerary - the main difference between this one and the one we did, was that ours had a two day extension in Tamarindo sans tour guides. And if you're seriously considering this tour (which I highly suggest you do) then please ask for Daniel as a tour guide - and try to plan your trip when he's working it. It was his humor and personality that helped make the trip so memorable.

And with that, things are returning to normal in our household. Cleveland is actually hotter and more humid than Costa Rica was, but we were getting a little homesick anyway. I start a new job (in a new career field, thank god) pretty soon - I've been bored out of my mind lately staying at home so much. We did get to see The Decemberists a couple of days ago, head over to my husband's blog to read about that!

Pura Vida!

Pearl Diving in NE Ohio: A Trip to Barroco Grill in Lakewood

Johann Sebastian Bach was one of the most influential composers in the Baroque period. He played an integral part in the use of counterpoint in music of the era, which means that he made two or more different melodies/themes/rhythms work together. I mention this because the Baroque period took its name from the Portuguese word "barroco" which means "misshapen pearl". We set out on Saturday to find out if Lakewood's new Barroco Grill is a precious pearl that will accompany many of Cleveland's other precious culinary gems!

Barroco Grill specializes in arepas. An arepa is a bread made of corn originating from the northeast of Venezuela. Arepas are a staple of Colombian street food, the pillowy pockets of bread often being stuffed with veggies, cheese and/or meat. Barroco stuffs theirs with steak, chicken, pork, chorizo or ham, with veggies such as mushrooms, onions and peppers and cheese. They also offer fries (both potato and those made of arepas) as well as hamburgers and sandwiches not made with an arepa for the bread.

My husband got a chorizo arepa ($6), stuffed with mozzarella cheese, onions and the compulsory chorizo. I loved the texture of the arepa, and the chorizo had a bit of spice to it. I got a Hawaiian sandwich ($8), with ham, pineapple, lettuce, tomato and mozzarella cheese. Our server did not know the type of bread with the sandwich, or even where it came from but it was amazing. The sandwich was nearly twice the size of the arepa - so it could easily be shared between two people. The sandwich was sweet tasting, and had both fresh pineapple and a pineapple sauce. I would have loved a little heat to this sandwich, and will ask for chorizo instead of ham if I have that particular sandwich again. Both sandwiches had good flavor, and make me excited to try some of the other ones they offer (They have a Cubano that sounded like it would be very good).

The arepa fries looked just like regular fries, to the point that I wondered at first if we'd been given the wrong item. They were crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, but didn't have much flavor to them by themselves. The five sauces Barroco offers came in handy, for this reason! The sauces were explained as being chimichurri, garlic, pineapple, ranchero, and spicy peanut. The pineapple, chimichurri and garlic were the stars, to me. The ranchero almost tasted like plain ketchup, and the spicy peanut had absolutely nothing to do with peanuts. We both tasted the "spicy peanut" and remarked that it simply tasted like buffalo (hot wing) sauce.

My wish would be to see a Colombian-style beverage on the menu (salpicón de frutas, perhaps?) someday, but their standard offerings of soda (non and diet) are just fine.

The restaurant was packed, which means that word is getting out! The small space really does feel like you've been whisked away to another place. There are 8-9 tables as well as three stools for counter service. There is local art all over the walls that is for sale, its styles seemed appropriate for the space.

Overall, I'd say that Barroco Grill is pretty good, amazing if you take into account that they opened fairly recently and may be going through some occasional mis-steps. I'll definitely be back - I want to try the cheesy corn, which Metromix says is amazing!

Have you been to Barroco yet? Tell me about your experience. If you haven't been there yet, you should definitely go. There's something for everyone!

To Consume and Be Consumed...

Considering this is a food blog, I don't really like to bring up much of my non-food life on it. My non-food life has been mostly about my upcoming wedding, and I find that nobody likes to hear about wedding minutia except... Other brides. So instead of dishing about how many loops are in my multi-tiered French bustle (it is just oh-so-LOVERLY by the way), I've mostly kept to myself in my spare time, and that means not really writing as much as I'd like.

I have been out and about in good ol' CLE however, and have had some culinary adventures along the way. The weather seems to have inconsistently gotten warmer, and April showers have brought May showers... But I've managed to get out and visit the Shaker Square Farmer's Market a couple of times.

On one visit, I discovered Blaze Gourmet. Their booth at the market is not to be missed. Dressed to the nines with flavorful hot sauces and salsas, there were many samples to be had. I tried the Dirty Taco Hot Sauce ($6.95 on the website) and the Mango Hot Sauce ($8.95). Both had a lot of flavor and didn't punch you in the mouth with vinegar and flavorless heat. The sauces have heat, but also a depth of character I can't say I've found in any other hot sauces I've tried. We ended up buying a Raspberry Chipotle salsa on the first trip, and the mango sauce on another. Both were well worth it (the salsa has been vanquished) and will undoubtedly purchased again.

More recently, the mango sauce ended up in an enchilada casserole that contained chicken, pineapple, black beans, cheese, and some of the wonderful ginger-tinged mango hot sauce from Blaze. The flavor profile was unique, and the meal will be made again. It was an incredibly easy dish that doesn't actually have a recipe - I had pineapple from the West Side Market left over from the previous weekend, and figured it might work in the enchiladas. I was correct! I had learned from a restaurant in Columbus that pineapple works VERY well in certain Mexican dishes.

I've also been to the West Side Market recently, to pick up things for an Italian submarine sandwich at my very favorite deli stand - Nonno Joe's. We usually pick up some sopressata, genoa salami, and some kind of shaved ham, and their prices are incredibly reasonable. The owners are always pleasant and kind, and that also keeps me coming back.

While waiting for our deli order, I spotted some margherita pepperoni in the case. It was a hard, dry-cured pepperoni that immediately piqued my curiosity. I wondered if it would curl and crisp up when sliced thinly on a pizza, and it totally does! The pepperoni is salty, but perfectly so. If you're used to the pre-sliced, softer pepperonis - this may be a little shock to your system. We use a pizza stone when baking, and buy the cheese and dough at Whole Foods. Lately I've been using the San Marzano tomato puree for sauce, with nothing else in it. Frankly, it doesn't need it. If I were to augment it in any way, I'd add some tomato paste to thicken it a bit.

Since this portion of the blog has an Italian flavor, I'd like to also show my love for the Murray Hill Neighborhood Market, on Murray Hill and Paul Rd. in Little Italy. The market has a bit of your day-to-day needs, but also has some exotic teas, oils and vinegars. I haven't sampled anything from the deli yet, but plan to as soon as the weather decides to clear up on a semi-permanent basis. They have a rotisserie, and seem to cook chicken and standing rib roasts. They also have freshly baked bread, soups, and pastries. The store owners and staff are amazingly friendly people who are genuinely passionate about their business, your satisfaction, and the beautiful neighborhood it is in. If you're in the neighborhood, you should definitely stop by. As if you needed any additional incentive, they also carry Jeni's ice cream if you're not up for the trip to Chagrin Falls. I bet a pint of her Cherry Lambic sorbet would be just the thing for a sunny afternoon on the swings in Brush Park.

There are a lot of things on my horizon, one of them being the most significant event in my life (to date). There are also some new restaurant reviews, one of them hopefully posting sometime next week (Grovewood Tavern). There are also a lot of places I plan on visiting for the first time in the near future (Lolita and Table 45 to name a couple) and I'll be sure to tell you about them all!

This weekend is the Hessler Street Fair. Jeff and I didn't get to go last year because it was the weekend that he broke his hip, but I managed to get him some of the wonderful lemonade that always seems to be there. Even if drum circles and damning "the man" aren't your sort of thing, it's a great place for awesome street food, people-watching, and free hugs.

As if you didn't have enough to do already, there's also the Old Brooklyn Pedal for Prizes. Seeing as the Hessler Street Fair is all weekend, I'm sure time can be made for both. Pedal for Prizes is a great way to see Old Brooklyn and possibly win some really awesome prizes (check out the website, go go go!).

As a parting thought, I will tell you one more thing: Snowville Creamery's chocolate milk is AWESOME.

Dinner by Design Event Review (Part II): Getting Inked At Dinner

In my last post, I left you with a review of Adam Bostwick's intermezzo - a BRILLIANT lime gelatin wedge. Now, anyone who knows me will tell you that I'm no stranger to getting inked... But thanks to Chef Ellis Cooley and Emerging Chefs, last Wednesday was the first time it's ever happened during dinner.

Course Four

Course four was titled "Black and White" and was comprised of bay scallops, farro, and squid ink. Before my full-on foray into the foodie world, squid ink was something I only saw on Iron Chef Japan - and even then it was something I was half intrigued, and half horrified about. Chef Cooley's scallops were sweet and cooked magnificently - they had a buttery, pillowy texture. The farro was toothsome and almost fun to eat, while the squid ink provided an indescribable (but pleasant!) briny-ness. I really liked this one and felt the portion was just right.

Course Five

By the fifth course I was blissed out on the wine pairings, while visions of spiced lime jellies wiggled in my head. Still, we carried on! This was a lamb loin with a cipollini soubise (a soubise is a thickened, bearnaise-style sauce made with onions and cream, sometimes potato), a spice brittle and fava beans. The soubise was my favorite part of this dish, to be honest! I could have eaten that with some mashed yukons and collapsed into a carb-induced coma. The brittle was also very good, and the lamb had a lot of great flavor. The loin seemed a little tough to me, but it was worth the extra effort in my opinion. It was cooked perfectly. I was not crazy about the fava beans, but that had nothing to do with Chef Cooley's take on them - I am just not a fan of favas. The favas added a strident, earthy and bitter flavor to the dish, which was complimentary to the rest of the plate.

Course Six

Would you eat a bacon cookie? Of course you would, especially if it was made by Amp 150's Chef Ellis Cooley. The sixth and final course is what I affectionately refer to as the pièce de résistance, a dessert so busy it almost needs a traffic cop. While we're on the topic of law enforcement, this was also so fun and decadent, it should be illegal (only not really). I ate this in an "around the world" style, trying to come back to everything more than once. Starting at the bottom right and moving clockwise, we have:

- A dark chocolate truffle with sour apple. This was a very simple treat, but lovely. The sour apple balanced perfectly with the chocolate. I tried my best to make this three bites.

- Dehydrated honey. This was honey, nothing more. The flavor once again evoked nostalgic memories, this time of being six, shoulder-tied sundresses and freckled shoulders in the summer breeze. I really loved this.

- Chocolate pannacotta with "fizzy" and a bacon cookie. The "fizzy" was a powder that reminded me of the Ramune soda flavored hard candies I used to buy at an Asian grocery in Columbus. The idea was to make the flavor like that of an egg cream. The bacon cookie was spectacular, I found myself wishing for another one. The flavor of this cookie would make Michael Symon blush, it was so good. It went perfectly with the pannacotta.

- Beet jelly with citric acid (To make it tart, like a Sour Patch Kid). This was really good, and initially hard to believe it was made of beet. After the second bite I could tell. I liked this, though it was very sour!!

- The middle was a chocolate foam, which was nice but not my favorite. It seemed to be the most subdued of all of the aspects of this dessert, but I believe this was probably the idea. It was nice to come back to, especially after the sour jelly!

The Dinner by Design event was truly a night never to be forgotten. The music was fantastic (I really loved the remix of "Home" by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros) and the atmosphere was charged with the curiosity and enthusiasm of of other foodies like myself. It was great to be a part of a group who may never meet again, but were for one night, kindred spirits in the name of good food.

Thank you for reading!

When Life Gives You Limes, You Cleanse Your Palate With Them (Part 1 of 2)

Emerging Chefs has hosted several events in Cleveland that feature many of Cleveland's greatest culinary marvels who expand the minds of the attendees and push the boundaries of creativity and innovation to create spectacular edibles. This is my review of their most recent event, Dinner by Design. I will be posting this in two parts.

My upcoming wedding has taken a lot of free time (and my sanity), so Dinner by Design was my first EC event. As Jeff and I rode the elevator to the top floor of what used to be the Tyler Elevator Company, neither of us really knew what to expect. Walking down the hallway, it felt like I was walking towards a room full of presents and all I wanted to do was find out what they were!

The dining area was transformed from a raw space in the historic building to something truly wonderful to behold - and the sights got even better as the sun went down, thanks to Rock The House and Event Source. Before long, it was time for two of Cleveland's culinary innovators to reclaim the transformed space and elevate the palates of about 100 lucky Clevelanders to a whole new level.

Adam Bostwick's Amuse consisted of bocconcini, tomato "leather", chorizo oil, spring pea paper/paste and micro arugula and mozzarella cheese. Accompanying the Amuse was a champagne cocktail made with lavender elixir and fresh lavender.

Amuse by Chef Adam Bostwick

The Amuse seemed like a playful take on a caprese salad. The tomato leather had a bold flavor, lending a bit of acidity and saltiness to the bocconcini. The portion size was quite generous (more than one bite, easily). I could see this being a small plate at a Mediterranean tapas restaurant.

Chef Ellis Cooley of Amp 150 Cleveland

Course One

Chef Ellis Cooley came out to greet the crowd and explain his first offering, a yellowtail and hamachi "crudo" with an apple/dill puree and celery juice "roe". Sesame was listed as a component on the menu, but it was quite subtle and went unnoticed by me. The fish was rolled and sliced thinly, and had a wonderful flavor. The dill/apple puree had a grassy flavor that I was extremely fond of. The "roe" appears on the plate with a dewy, green color. Its flavor reminded me of a rainstorm, cool and earthy. Both accompaniments complimented the raw fish, heart and soul.

Course Two

Our second course was a torchon (a method of cooking by which the foie is placed in a towel and poached - "torchon" is also French for towel!) of foie gras with ice and snow. The ice was a jelly made with ice wine and the "snow" was a powder made with the fat from the foie gras. This was accompanied by micro greens and a brioche funnel cake. The components were all great, but the magic happened when you put them all on the fork at once. Doing this resulted in a flavor that I can best describe as a savory ice cream cone, and that was a wonderful thing.

Course Three

The third course was a visually striking square bowl of pea and coconut soup with marshmallow (yes, marshmallow!) and carrot. This course was served just at sunset, hence the darker picture. When the sun went down, the room totally transformed.

View from my table

Reflection from the skylight

The soup was velvety in texture, and the accent of carrot puree added a subtle bitterness, while the marshmallow contributed some sweetness. Unfortunately, this is the only course I didn't finish. Halfway through the bowl, a man at my table asked everyone, "Does this taste burnt to you?". Perhaps it was the power of suggestion, but I did notice a scorched aftertaste. Intended or not, it was off-putting to me and once the marshmallow was gone, I stopped eating. I really want to give this course a second chance, perhaps in my own kitchen. The concept and design of the soup were both phenomenal.

Intermezzo by Chef Adam Bostwick

The intermezzo was one of the most inventive and brilliant things I've ever eaten. As the servers brought this out, I could only spy from a distance what appeared to be a slice of lime. I thought it was plausible, to cleanse your palate with a lime, but I had secretly hoped I didn't have to! It turns out the lime was actually a lime flavored agar agar gel in an actual lime peel. It was accented with agave nectar and jalapeño. This was meant to mimic a tequila shot. With the wine pairings, we definitely didn't need any more booze!

The initial flavor was lime with the pure, green flavor of a jalapeño pepper. Seconds later, the heat kicked in and put a slow, gentle burn in the back of your throat. This was a fantastic palate cleanser. Jeff remarked that he'd buy this if it was sold in stores (in a cup) or in a restaurant. I would agree with that!

This concludes the first part of my review. I've been so involved with wedding related activities (my shower and bachelorette parties were this past weekend) that I've had little time to write. I will post the second half of this review on Wednesday!

I was invited as a guest of Emerging Chefs to this event. The views and opinions in this post are my own.

Tuesday Night Recipe: Cuckoo for Cocoa-Rubbed Carnitas!

I joked to someone on Twitter that I'm trying to space out my blogs about L'Albatros because it seems like I post about them a lot. Maybe when I go to Lolita in a bit, that'll give me something to talk about that doesn't involve my love for what Chef Bruell does with a Bearnaise sauce and some frites. I digress.

I normally train after work for at least an hour, so it's nice to be able to rely on our slow-cooker at times. You could easily do this in the oven if you want, just be sure you're home to watch it or trust your oven!

You can eyeball a lot of this stuff, and adjust spices to taste or number of servings.

Cocoa-Rubbed Carnitas

3-4 pounds of pork shoulder, or "country style" ribs
1/4 c cocoa powder
3 T. cumin
1 T. smoked sea salt (regular is fine)
1 t. black pepper
1 T. chili powder
1 bay leaf
3 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
1/2 sweet onion, sliced (optional)
Chicken broth/stock (enough to go up about 1" in the pan/pot). Water is okay.
1 lime cut up for garnish/finishing

Mix the spices together and rub over the shoulder roast or ribs. Place the meat in a slow cooker or dutch oven with a little olive oil and cooking liquid (water or broth). Toss in a bay leaf and three cloves of chopped garlic (Penzey's dehydrated garlic works well too. Smother the meat with onions (if you want). Put the slow cooker on low and cover. If you're doing this in the oven, cover the pot you're using and keep at a low temperature, around 250-300 degrees.

Using the oven requires a little more attention, and I don't have an exact cooking time. The last time I did this one in the oven I just cooked it for several hours until the house smelled amazing and the meat was falling apart. It's nice in a slow cooker because it requires zero maintenance.

When you're ready to serve, you can choose to remove the onions if you used them. There's also nothing wrong with keeping them in. If your roast has bones, be sure to remove them all before serving (do this while you're shredding the pork). Finish the carnitas with a quick squirt of lime juice. You can do this all at once or when you're just about to eat them. With an average sized roast, you will definitely have leftovers if you're only serving two or three people.

You can eat the carnitas in several ways. I personally had it on tortillas with Greek yogurt (in lieu of sour cream). You can put them on nachos, or just eat the carnitas by itself with some beans and rice on the side. If you're feeling particularly fancy, you can make some mole sauce to go with it. The recipe I used (below) makes enough mole to feed a small army, so you can half this recipe or just save it in your freezer for another festive night.

Mole

4 1/2 cups chicken broth
4 T. olive oil
1 c. finely chopped onion
3 T. chopped garlic
1 t. dried oregano (Ironically Greek works better than Mexican)
1 t. ground cumin
1/4 t. ground cinnamon
4 T. chili powder
3 T. all-purpose flour
2 T. honey

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over med.
2. Reduce the heat.
3. Add onion, garlic, oregano, cumin and cinnamon.
4. Cover and cook until onion is almost tender, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.
5. Mix in chili powder and flour, stir for 3 minutes.
6. Gradually whisk in chicken broth.
7. Increase heat to medium-high.
8. Boil until reduced, about 35 minutes, stirring occasionally.
9. Remove from heat.
10. Whisk in cocoa powder and honey; season with salt and pepper, if desired.

You can substitute your favorite dark chocolate (2 oz.) for the cocoa powder. I would not suggest milk chocolate. If you want, you can also add a couple of tablespoons of your favorite fruit preserves to give this a different taste.