Doing Cleveland Right

Long after the cards and flowers of Valentine’s Day were gone and forgotten, Cleveland Chef Michael Symon wrote a love letter of his own – expressing his undying love and commitment to the city that many of us know and love – Cleveland.

Chef Symon fondly recalls his childhood around Cleveland with his Grandparents, and even about his teenage years where he spent hiding from Cleveland in the suburbs – in the “wide world of vanilla” and the regret he inevitably felt upon leaving. It was then that he truly began to appreciate the many flavors of Cleveland.

If you haven’t headed over to Huffington Post to read Symon’s letter in its entirety, it’s worth the read whether you live here, or are simply a curious bystander.

I mentioned the letter to a friend of mine living in Columbus who, when quoting Symon’s last paragraph said “Cleveland is like a woman you’d date for who she is, not what she looks like.”. While I can see how someone who has never been to Cleveland could make that sort of jibe about a place they’ve never been, I had to disagree. While the city does have a lot to offer in music, food, culture and small businesses, and yes…Sports – Cleveland IS beautiful.

When Chef Symon’s letter first appeared on Huffington Post, there were only a few comments. One commenter stated that he was very annoyed with Symon’s restaurant, Melt.

“But anyone that goes to Melt, waits an hour to eat, and then realizes the best thing about that place is the beer selection, will agree with me.”

Many readers were quick to defend Symon and sing the praises of his actual restaurants (for those not in the know, Melt Bar and Grilled is headed by Matt Fish, and is WAY more than grilled cheese).

Another commenter said, “cleveland sucks! Can't wait to get out!” to which I quipped,

You’re doing it wrong.

I have a hard time believing that anyone living in, or visiting Cleveland could be so repulsed that they felt compelled to leave post haste if they could only have the chance to take in some of the many things that are completely amazing here. I wonder, has that guy ever had the duck fat fries at Bar Cento? Has he ever been to an Alley Cat Friday or Record Store Day at Music Saves? Did he ever consider going on a ride with Cleveland Critical Mass? Probably not. I simply cannot believe for a second that the commenters above are even trying to enjoy any of these things - or anything else Cleveland has to offer.

How do you “do Cleveland right”?

A look back on something COMPLETELY new...

Back in the days when I was a fan of Def Leppard and Firehouse – among other bands whose least menacing addiction was probably Aqua Net, the prized trophy  from one of the concerts would have been a drum stick, or a guitar pick (if you were so lucky as to be within throwing distance). At the more “indie” shows and smaller venues, the Hipster “Holy Grail” seemed to be the band’s setlist – I have a few of those myself, including the one from the farewell show of A Northern Chorus.

I was sitting at home about a week ago, just reading over some news articles when I noticed that one of the tabs in my browser was flashing. I looked up and it said that I had a message from Zack Bruell, and I found that very peculiar. Bewilderment quickly turned into elation when I read that I was one of the four winners of the “Blast From The Past” dinner at Table45!

The dinner was held on Tuesday, April 24^th at the Chef’s Table in the kitchen of Table 45. It featured menu items from as far back as 2007. All entrees were paired with wine. My husband and I met with six others (the other three winners and their guests) in the glass-enclosed seating area and marveled over the kitchen before the first course began. Regrettably, I had forgotten to bring my camera – but I can tell you that the kitchen at Table 45 is compact, efficient and linear. The kitchen was pristine and bright, a far cry from the kitchens I worked in many years ago, when the phrase “mise en place” would have gotten you a gezundheit or a strange look from the BOH staff.

For the duration of the evening we had a host that was dedicated to our table, and were in constant communication with the Chef. Before we started dinner, we were served some of the House Naan bread with different dipping sauces. Table 45’s kitchen features a Tandoor oven, which is ideal for making numerous dishes but works very well with Naan. Cooked on the side of the oven, the bread ends up crisp and slightly charred on the outside, but soft and chewy on the inside.

Before long, the first course came out.

Course One (2011)

Grilled Hearts of Romaine Salad with Shaved Red Onion, Parmesan Cheese, and Smoked Paprika Vin

The salad, a lightly grilled wedge of romaine, was simplistic and thanks to its short time spent on the grill, needed little to no seasoning. Many of us agreed that the smokiness of the grilled lettuce was complimentary to the other flavors. My husband and I have also vowed to try grilling romaine hearts at home!

Course Two (2010)

Vegetarian Lasagna with Red Pepper Coulis

There were a couple of fascinating aspects to this lasagna, the first being that it contained absolutely no pasta. Secondly, there was no tomato to speak of in the sauce. I’m not normally a vegetable type of person (something I am trying to change) and might have turned my nose up at a lasagna made completely of vegetables – save for a little cheese baked in as a binder – had it not been made so perfectly. The coulis was innovative and added a little bit of heat and zest to the dish, something that might have been harder to do with a tomato based sauce.

Course Three (2009)

Rice Paper Wrapped Crab Cake with Carrot-Daikon Salad

The crab cake drifted away from the traditionally heavy, cornmeal based cake that you’d find. The cake itself was light, and borrowed some Thai flavors. The remoulade had a little heat, and the spring roll wrapping made the cake slightly crispy.

I’ll break from the menu descriptions here just to comment that one of the most delightful things about the dishes I experienced was that they were all “true” flavors – and what I mean by that is that everything tasted exactly like what it was, without any excessive seasoning and no attempt to mask the true flavor of the meat or veggie we were tasting. It was one of the most wonderful things about the evening!

Course Four (2008)

Thai Coconut Broth wth Shrimp, Scallops, and Fried Rice Vermicelli

I voted for this entrée when I entered the contest, and it was undoubtedly my favorite. The very moment that the eight of us tucked our spoons into the slight spicy, velvety coconut broth – a hush fell over the room. There was nothing to say for a moment, because it was just that perfect. In addition to the shrimp and scallop, we were also treated to a mussel (the best I’ve ever eaten – perfectly cooked and smooth) and a small clam. I would have this dish – even the broth by itself – again and again without ever becoming tired of it.

Course Five (2007)

Rack of Lamb with Indian Mint Sauce, Mashed Yellow Lentils and Tomato/Cucumber Salad

The lamb was placed atop a pillowy portion of the mashed lentils, which were actually very spicy. I’d also like to add that at this point, I had begun to “hit the wall” in terms of how much I could manage to eat.  The lamb was lightly spiced, and the accompanying  raita-like sauce helped to calm the heat of the lentils, as did the tomato and cucumber salad. I loved this dish, but wished that the lentils would have been a little creamier. I was also getting pretty full!!

After the final entrée course, I think that Chef sensed that people were a little full, and we had a short pause to reminisce over the dishes we had just tried. It really was a great group of people, with all but two of us being bloggers/Tweeters of some sort.

Sixth Course (2009)

Apple Galette with Minted Crème Anglaise

The galette was enormous yet very light, and the accompanying sauce tasted like a classed-up thin mint. The flavors went very well together, and our host snuck in a SIXTH wine pairing!

Contented and slightly tipsy, we took our leave after another bit of good conversation. The Chef’s Table at Table 45 is available for booking and is listed on their website as a two-hour, multiple course experience. This was my third time at a Chef’s Table (first at Table 45) and was just as memorable, if not more so because of the direct contact with the Chef.  Speaking of which, during one of our exchanges I mentioned using smoked sea salt, and let him know about the Bonfire salt at Urban Herbs. I tend use smoked sea salt (and only the salt) when seasoning steaks for the grill. This produces a completely awesome steak that requires no additional sauces or seasoning.

At the end of the dinner, the Chef came in with a small container of a charcoal-smoked salt that he uses in cooking. To me, this was the foodie version of scoring the drummer’s stick or the band’s setlist. I don’t know exactly when I’ll use the salt, but I know that I’ll remember the amazing food that we had that night!

I will also disclaim that while I attended this dinner as the result of winning a contest, I am not writing this blog under any responsibility or urge by Table 45. My opinions and evaluations are my own.

Chowing Down in C-Town!

My husband suggested heading to the C-Town Chowdown tonight for dinner. I have to admit I was reluctant at first, considering how packed the 2011 Winter Chowdown was! When we pulled into the parking lot of The Agora, I wondered if it was going on at all. I learned that Umami Moto's brick-and-mortar venture, The Hipp - was hosting patrons inside their new restaurant space (which was an EXCELLENT idea... It's super cold outside!).

We had a choice of Umami Moto, Zydeco, StrEat Mobile, Sweet! Mobile Cupcakery and Seti's Polish Boys. One of the benefits to going with friends and or/loved ones, is that you get the chance to try out more things. The only truck we did not sample tonight was StrEat. Next time!

Here's a quick review of the things we tried tonight:

Zydeco: Hush puppies. For only $2 you could get a total of six, bite sized. My only prior experience with hush puppies was about 20 years ago at a place that rhymes with Don Juan Wilbur's. Yum! Zydeco's hush puppies were simple and what I'd expect them to be. They didn't take any artistic liberties, and that's good in this case.

Umami Moto: Banh Mi and Sweet Potato Tots. I really liked the sandwich quite a bit. UM has the great gift of offering up fresh and straightforward food. Their Banh Mi is served with pulled pork, jalapeño, cilantro, and daikon/carrot pickles. I could eat the pickled veggies forever, and the bread and other accouterments were fantastic. It had great flavor and was the perfect size.

The tots were also very good, and reminded me of French Toast (I know that sounds odd, but I do not see this as a bad thing - Hello, curried French Toast anyone? I may have to try that). They came with a curry aioli that I wish there had been a bit more of. We got a huge portion, perfect for sharing.

Seti's: While it's not a "first date" kind of food in my book, Seti's served up one of the most flavorful hot dogs I've ever had. The Polish Boy we got was covered with fries, barbecue sauce, cheese, slaw, and chili. It was indescribably messy, but that's the way it should be. While this one was technically Jeff's - I had a few bites and was wishing for my own Polish Boy - and a not-full stomach!!

On the way out, we stopped at Sweet! and picked up a Red Velvet and also a Buckeye cupcake. We waited until we got home to try them, and they were great! Sweet! has several flavors to choose from, at only $2.50 a piece - with better deals when you buy in bulk (6 or 12)! Totally worth it.

The C-Town Chowdown is going on until 10pm tonight (3/3) so if you're out and about and a little hungry, go for it! If you're not out and about, get going - I promise you it's worth the trip!

There's A Lot Going On

Through many of my adult years, I'd get to December 31st and pine for a better tomorrow to follow the mediocre yesterdays. The 2011-2012 transition was one I spent with friends in a cottage on the shores of Lake Erie in Ontario. Instead of hoping for a better 2012, I remember just hoping that 2012 would be as good as 2o11 was.

2011 wasn't a perfect year, but as it went on it definitely got better. I got married last year, and went to Costa Rica for our honeymoon. A few weeks later, we spent a week in the Adirondacks. A couple of months later, we went to Albany and witnessed history in the making when our Aunt legally married her long-time partner. It was a very good year.

While in Canada, we visited a restaurant that boasted Mexican, Indian, Thai, Japanese, and other types of cuisine. The food was not bad by any definition, but I personally felt that some of the dishes seemed to lack depth, especially the vegetarian ones. A burrito that my friend had could have easily had beans or tofu or more vegetables, but only had sweet potato and salsa. I had an udon dish that was great in concept, but was very salty. I remarked how it almost tasted like it had been seasoned with a packet of extremely salty ramen seasoning. I wondered if by taking on so many cuisines, the restaurant lacked focus. I've been to "fusion" restaurants, but nothing like the place we went in Ontario. Has anyone seen a restaurant take on so many cuisines and do it well? I'd love to hear your comments!

Here's to 2012!

A River Full of Fire

For those not in the know, Cleveland might be known as "that place where the lake caught fire" or even more recently as the most miserable city . To them I say, don't knock us until you've tried us.

There is however, a river in Cleveland that is full of fire from time to time. Just like our city, it might not be much to look at from the outside to the untrained eye. If you didn't have a reason to do so, you might pass it by without a second glance.

Mekong River in Cleveland Heights offers diners a wide selection of Cambodian and Thai dishes, ranging from mild and sweet, to a those that provide a lip-tingling burn. Their "heat index" ranges from Level 1 all the way up to 15 - a level many of the servers there have told me is usually enjoyed by staff, or their regular Cambodian and Thai customers. On my last visit the server reminded me that heat can always be added on, but cannot be taken out!

Both the exterior and interior of the restaurant are sparse, with little more than a few neon signs on the outside, and only a few paintings and plants on the inside. I've learned through experience however that a pretty restaurant (and even pretty food) do not always equal good food. Seating is abundant, both in the main dining area and around the bar - where there's almost always a Thai or Cambodian television show playing.

Mekong River offers a full bar, as well as beer and wine. The bubble tea is not to be missed, with its thick and slushy texture that differs from the thin, milky bubble teas you find elsewhere. They also offer Jasmine tea as well as black iced tea. I tried the Jasmine tea on this visit and was not impressed - mostly because the hair product I love from Lush Cosmetics contains Jasmine. They were far too similar for me.

We order the Tom Kha Kai (red) soup every time we go. The slightly spicy, coconut milk and galangal infused broth is luxurious. The soup also contains chicken, button mushrooms and cilantro. One bowl is usually split between my husband and I, but the serving size is certainly not overwhelming if you wanted one all to yourself.

My husband's favorite dish is their Cambodian Curry, which contains beef, yams, green peppers, potatoes, and onions, cooked in a curry sauce. He normally orders it with a heat level of 3 (remember, out of 15) which is plenty spicy for the both of us.

I ordered the Tangerine Tilapia, which was a generously sized tilapia filet that had been lightly breaded and fried. The breading was so crisp and light with no trace of oil. It was topped with a sweet tangerine ginger sauce, which I spiced up to a level 2 (it was not intended to be spicy at all(. It came with a small side of steamed broccoli and whole tangerine slices. The flavor combinations were phenomenal, and there was enough to spare. We always take home leftovers. It's not unusual to see diners eating family-style - it might even be the ideal way to experience Mekong River's food when dining with a group of several people. The menu is so vast that you can eat there several times and not even make a dent in the selections they offer.

There are many vegetarian/vegan options - and I'm sure that most meat dishes could be made vegetarian with a request to your server. If you still happen to be hungry after your soup, tea and entree - there are always a few dessert selections, including a housemade coconut ice cream and sticky rice cake with mango.

Mekong River is our traditional stop the night before my husband heads off to a neuroscience conference that takes place annually. It is truly a hidden gem that you cannot judge based on appearance alone.

When It Rains, It Pours...

And when it snows, you eat ice cream.

At least, that seemed to be the modus operandi of many people on Lee Road tonight. Tonight we had dinner at Mekong River, but I'm going to leave that for another post. After dinner, we headed over to Sweetie Fry - which isn't very far from the Cedar-Lee Theater. We'd driven past the storefront a few times, and had seen a Sweetie Fry cart in Coventry during the summer, so it was time to stop in.

Sweetie Fry was busier than I thought an ice cream shop would be on a frigid night in Cleveland. There were two families seated in the dining area, and another couple who had just left before we ordered. Sweetie Fry serves up ice cream made on site (you can actually watch them making it) and if you're not quite in the mood for something cold, they've also got fries of the potato, sweet potato, and funnel cake variety.

There were samples of the funnel cake fries on the counter, which we gladly sampled. These too, were made on site and so soft and yummy that I took a second sample. They also had a cup full of their salted caramel sauce for tasting, complete with sample spoons (no fingers, naturally). I should have dipped the funnel cake fry in the caramel, but didn't.

Sweetie Fry had several flavors on hand (Mango Sorbet, Goat Cheese with Honey and Pecans and a Strawberry Sour Cream, to name a few) so it was very hard to decide what to get. My husband got the Peanut Butter and Fudge (not surprised, personally) and I had initially asked for the Butter Pecan. The man at the counter thought they were out, when another employee said "We made some just last night!" which was nice to hear. Even though they had fresh Butter Pecan, I went with the Vanilla Bean and some of the salted caramel sauce. I was offered a "Sweetie Scoop" - which is a small, two-bite sized scoop they will put on top of your regular sized ($3.35) scoop. The Sweetie Scoop is free, and ended up being a fantastic way to try something else - and to see what I was missing!

My husband's ice cream was very rich, and very good. The slightly gritty texture reminded me that yes, I was definitely eating ice cream made with actual peanut butter and not something pretending to be such. The peanut butter was also a bit salty, but complimentary to the other flavors in the scoop. The fudge was dark and slightly bitter. If you're expecting the equivalent of a Reese's Cup, prepare to be disappointed. The flavor is more of a jazzed up, exciting version.

The vanilla was smooth and genuinely flavored as well. Flecks of vanilla bean dotted the scoop, which swam in a little pool of thin, salted caramel sauce. The little scoop of Butter Pecan was amazing as well. The abundant pecans went very well with the classically flavored ice cream.

Since we had just eaten dinner, we did not get to sample the non-dessert fries. The Parmesan-Truffle fries caught my eye... Maybe I'll have those next time, when it's too cold for ice cream.

Going on a Date with Felice

The first day of Autumn may have been last week, but I watched the seasons change firsthand last night, at Felice Urban Cafe.

A server at the beloved Michangelo's was the one to suggest the restaurant a couple months back. We looked at the menu online and immediately knew we had to pay them a visit. It was one of the top choices for my birthday dinner, but we ended up doing Siam Cafe with friends, family-style. On that note, Li-Wah may have Cleveland's best dim sum, but nobody holds a candle to Siam Cafe's authentic Chinese offerings for dinner.

My husband and I both worked all day yesterday, and thought that the cold, blustery evening that followed was a perfect time to go on a date (read: not cook). We had selected Felice a few days prior, and had made a reservation for 7:30. I'm glad we did, because they were packed! When we drove up to the restaurant, which is situated in a large, brightly painted house on Larchmere - I was already impressed. There's an art installation on the corner made of vinyl siding, and the house itself was brightly lit with red lights in the patio windows. It felt like we were going to someone's house, in a way! The structure is impressive, and Felice makes wonderful use of the space. We were promptly greeted in the foyer and told that they had a very special table for us. "That's great!" I thought to myself, wondering if they said that to everyone who came in. It didn't seem possible for there to be a bad seat in the house. The host took us past every table and ventured into the kitchen area. My pulse started to quicken a bit. I wondered, were we going to be seated at the Chef's table? As we were guided into a booth nestled in the wall, decorated with a small chandelier I knew it was true - we were sitting at the Chef's table.

"Did you plan this?" I asked my husband, thinking he'd asked for the special table. He insisted that he didn't. I became slightly giddy, and still didn't fully believe him. If I weren't already married, I would have been expecting a ring box to appear from his pocket at some point in the evening!

The host returned with water and menus. Another surprise of the evening was an additional menu that you don't actually see on the website. It contained several other starters and entrees. Their wine, beer and cocktail list was extensive. I settled on a Summer Sangria, even though the wind outside almost seemed to intently proclaim that Winter was around the corner. It was a white sangria, with house-made cherry vodka, brandy, fresh grapefruit and a Sauvignon Blanc. It was amazing, and was enjoyed right down to the vodka-soaked cherry at the end. I ate nearly all of the ice cubes after the drink was gone, you could still taste the boozy goodness. A pitcher of this sangria would be great company for a table full of friends.

We ordered a mixed greens salad and some chorizo and potato empanadas to start, but were surprised with a treat from the kitchen before they arrived. Since we were at the Chef's Table, we each received a small plate with a potato pancake, grape jam, smoked salmon, chevre, preserved lemon and crispy sage. Getting everything on one forkful was a slight challenged, but the amuse was splendid. At first glance, I wondered where the jam was. I had thought that little cherry tomatoes had found their way to our plates until I tasted one. They were whole grapes! This isn't something you'll find in a store, believe me. You could genuinely taste every component in its purest form. Together, they were magical.

Our salad (shared) and empanadas arrived a little later. The salad was made of various greens, and decorated with button-like smoked almonds, granny smith apples, and Manchego cheese. I'm not sure what the dressing ingredients were, but there was a perfect amount coating the lettuces. Once again, the individual ingredients were allowed to shine through, but went well together. There were four empanadas on the plate, small enough for two or three bites each. If you had a lot of other things going on, it would be fine for a party of four. We each took two of the flaky, buttery pastries filled with chorizo and potato for ourselves, and dipped them in the (once again) house-made tomato jam. The jam was slightly spicy and had great flavor.

For dinner, I ordered the Steak Frites from their regular menu. My husband ordered a Duck entree from the special menu, with orange sauce, greens, and potato pancakes.

The steak was cooked medium-rare and was placed on a wonderfully peppery jus with melted onions and black pepper. There was a light and lemony aioli on top of the frites - and a small side of 4 or 5 asparagus spears. The meat was perfectly seared and crisp on the outside, but wonderfully (and truly, might I add) cooked medium-rare. I briefly thought about requesting the tomato jam for the frites, but that would have been a textbook example of 'gilding the lily' which I ended up doing later in the evening anyway. More on that later!

Jeff's duck came out a little overdone, but he was not the one to point it out. Our server was very up front, and said that she'd be glad to take it back if it was not cooked as he requested. She promised to come back in a moment to see how he felt. After a taste he did decide it was a little overdone, and requested it to be re-done. We were both immediately impressed that the issue (which quickly became a non-issue) was handled so professionally and honestly. The new dish with medium-rare duck came out quickly and perfectly. It was obvious that the cooks and staff at Felice really cared about their food, and that it meant a lot for the diners to enjoy as they intended. Our love for this restaurant was quickly growing. The duck breast was tender and seared beautifully, and the orange sauce was lovely. It had wondeful flavor but did not steal away any dynamic of the duck's natural flavor. We'd already had the potato pancakes at the start, but did not mind a re-visit of the crisp cakes, which did not have the salmon this time. (Gilding. Lily.)

Already completely enamored with the food, drinks, and the surroundings (seriously, sitting at the Chef's table was so great), we decided to get dessert. I had eyed the pumpkin bread pudding earlier in the evening, so I decided on that. We'd normally split a dessert, but my husband isn't normally a fan of pumpkin - so he opted for an apple cobbler with ice cream. His came with ice cream, and I became jealous. A new rule is that I will not have ice cream in the house, but can enjoy it while out to dinner, or traveling (Jeni's time!). They had no problem adding it to my bread pudding. This is where I gilded the lily. The bread pudding comes with whipped cream, which they put on the side (it would normally be on top) - the whipped cream was spiced with cinnamon and cardamom, at the very least. We noticed the cardamom immediately, as it was very prominent. A large scoop of vanilla bean ice cream sat awkwardly atop a generous square of bread pudding. With the whipped cream being as awesome as it was, there was absolutely no need for the ice cream. Though my husband isn't normally a pumpkin fan, he conceded that my dessert was really good. He remarked that it "tasted like Fall" and he was right - it tasted exactly like Fall. I'm considering a reasonable facsimile for our Thanksgiving dinner.

Our server suggested that we exit from the back, so that we could see their outdoor patio and bar. While it was too cold to sit out there last night, I can definitely see us going there in the summer. Before we left, we also looked at their happy hour menu. Several menu items are $6 or less. Felice also has a special on Wednesdays where you can get any appetizer, entree, and dessert for $22. We're very glad we went to Felice last night, but Wednesday might be a good time to experiment if you've never been!

Our date was a night we'll truly remember for years to come. If you're looking for a romantic spot for dinner, I would definitely suggest you give Felice a try. If you're down with the hustle and bustle of the kitchen (which was a living machine, let me tell you), you should ask to reserve the Chef's table. We were seated there at random, and felt extremely lucky. It made quite an impression on us both! Our only regret was not bringing a camera. If you want to see pictures of some great food and read another review of Felice, check out fellow Cleveland blogger Cleveland Food and Brews review!

Happy Autumn and happy eating!