Mia Bella Start to Summer

I am about a week into my summer break and thus far it has been going pretty darn good.  I’ve done some outdoorsy stuff: went birding/paddleboarding/rock climbing, explored Cleveland and bought a bike!

My parents were able to come up for a day to tell me about their Italian adventures (oh yeah, my parents have become international adventurers who always take a trip right at the end of my school year and then say “oh we wish you could come with us”)

We had a super early dinner at Mia Bella, which I have never gone to before (somehow).  website/menu

So disclaimer, I love me some carbs, and pasta is delicious. I don’t often seek out Italian restaurants because I feel like pasta isn’t that hard to cook/make taste great compared to other cuisines. (yes there is a difference between mediocre and great pasta, but when I go out I usually want something more outside the box).

Mia Bella is rather pretty. Simple and exactly what you expect from an establishment in Little Italy (although, to be honest, cleaner than most on the street). Our server, Michael, was amazing. His knowledge and passion for food were so obvious I was immediately pleased with my restaurant selection. He talked to us for a while and had answers to every question.

My parents know the drill by this point: We are going to all order different entrees, do not touch them until I take a photo and we should probably get an appetizer as well. We did not take Michael’s advice on the appetizer who suggested the spicy shrimp (my mother doesn’t do spice and I don’t love shrimp). We got the special, which was a crab bruschetta ($12).  Was it terrible? Absolutely not. It was tasty, but it wasn’t all that phenomenal and it didn’t really taste very Italian. Probably should have gone with the recommendation.  I didn’t take a photo but the fresh bread with herb butter was a great way to being my carbathon.

While we ate my parents when through their Italy trip photos (they had a great time). My mother actually gets photos printed and I took a pic of this one that is rather glossy- hence why it looks like my dad is wearing a trendy European jacket with glitter. Also, I have NEVER seen my mother in a hat or sunglasses. Ever. But she goes to Europe once and all of sudden she’s Carmen Sandiego?!?

This photo wasn’t supposed to be here….. but before dinner, we went to Lakeview Cemetary. I love the Garfield tomb, but I may be more impressed with the lovely Chapel. It’s smaller but the Tiffany window and detailed mosaic are simply breathtaking.

I took Michael’s recommendation for my entree and am SO glad for it.  This somewhat spicy cheese tortellini ($19) with a creamy tomato sauce and peas was sheer perfection. I understand why it was a “Taste of Italy Award” winner. Although I don’t actually know fully what that designation means, it is completely deserved. The Sauce. THE SAUCE. SOOOOO satisfying.  Since I was told that the dish was on the spicy side I did ask for it to be a little milder since my body tends to hate super spicy things,  Peas are such a good addition to pasta. Really. Go get this dish. It is hard for me to be super excited about pasta and this meal was a pleasant departure from my norm.

This was a dish that I was so happy to have some to take home and was already thinking about coming back for another occasion in the future. My father, who may be hard to please with food than I am, said it was better than any pasta dish they had in Italy.  Also, the bowls are big. These are very generous portions.

My mother ordered a “side” of mushroom risotto ($10). It was creamy and came out piping hot to the point where she couldn’t eat it for some time.  It did spark a family debate on how al dente rice should be in a risotto (I for one thought this was perfect). It was good and I suspect she was given more of an entree size.

My father got the carbonara.

Fettuccine Carbonara

18.95

Prosciutto, Scallion, Pecorino Romano, White Truffle Oil, Cream

The pasta itself was perfect in texture and taste. I wanted more of everything else. More of the egginess, more onion, and meatiness. It tasted like a really good fettuccine alfredo, I guess I just wanted more carbonara-ness.  Carbonara is often a go-to pasta choice for me, and I typically expect to be overwhelmed by flavor other than the cheese sauce (am I wrong in thinking that peas should have been in this dish? Maybe it’s not a prerequisite but I do think it is a nice addition).

After dinner, we went to Presti’s across the street. My parents attacked the cake and pastry so quickly I did not have the opportunity to take any photos “Here take a picture of the back part of the cake… or the fork?”

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I went to Toronto for a long weekend and ate my way through the city. I also biked through it a lot so it probably evens out the fact that I had 2 dinners one night. 

Randy and I kept wanting to try a trendy Ramen place. We finally did and were super impressed. The waitress highly recommended the gyoza. I don’t know if I can say this without sounding hyperbolic. THESE DUMPLINGS. THE SAUCE. MMMMNMM. Honestly, it was just that good that obnoxious capitalization is required.

Also in Canada, I tried some rolled ice cream (because I am a sucker for social media food fads…this one was more enjoyable than the SUSHIRRITO!). It kinda reminded me of a hybridization of hibachi and Coldstone (for those of you who didn’t know, I worked at a Coldstone while in high school). It was good and a fun show. I got one made with coconut milk and pineapples, which was super refreshing. Blake got one with nuts and maple, which was inarguably more Canadian.  It took about 20 minutes for us to get out ice cream (we were the only 2 in the store since they had just opened) I could imagine it would be a little chaotic if you were a big group or it was busy, but the process is fun to watch.

Soo, it is no secret I love brunch and waffles. This magical place existed in Canada. It was everything I wanted I Heart Waffles to be (I ( didn’t ) heart Waffles  if you never read one of the very few truly negative posts I’ve ever written.)

For the next few weeks, my watercolor animals are on display at the Pheonix Coffee on Lee Road in Cleveland Heights. I’m pretty proud of them and they are for $ale…

Moving beyond my Avocado toast…

Before I start I wanted to point out this article: Millennials are killings chain restaurants like Buffalo Wild Wings and Applebees

Now I find nothing wrong with the food at a chain restaurant, but I completely agree with the idea that a casual chain restaurant is just not that appealing and cool to me. For a few more dollars (or sometimes less) I can go to a local place, get a unique/seasonal/creative meal that is part of the Cleveland culture.  I like to go into work and talk about Japanese fondue, Asian fusion, or some hole-in-the-wall with great brunch… nobody talks at length about their fantastic meal at Applebees. With that in mind, I tried 2 places that are a little outside my norm/ seem to be appealing to less of the millennial crowd.

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I realize, based on where I live and who I interact with, that I to get more excited about trendy downtown places above anything that might exist in the suburbs.  Online lists love to include some of these places, to which I normally scoff “psh, is  Willoughby even a real place?”

Cork and Cleaver Social Kitchen is in Broadview Heights and I have seen it mentioned on many lists, so Laura and I decided to try it out (translation: guess who ventured to Broadview Heights for the first time?).

My first reaction was, honestly, “wait, where is it?”. I wasn’t picturing it in a strip mall and my phone was a little confusing in directing me.

My second thought, upon entering was “did my Mom decorate this place?”

I realize that sounds like some sort of insult, but my mother has a nice design aesthetic. However, it does have a very specific viewpoint. If I hired my mom to design a wine-bar restaurant named Cork and Cleaver, she would take the idea of wine barrels and corks and RUN with it (maybe she did decorate this place, since she also loves golds and dark woods).  Sidenote: they do have  a pretty well-designed website Cork and Cleaver Social Kitchen

There was nothing at all objectionable about the decor, most of it was very nice. I felt it was literal, and a little too much. Somebody had a large gift card to Tuesday Mornings that they excitedly used.  That was a little much, I apologize. The fact is, that I am not the intended audience of Cork and Cleaver. Everything about this place  (the ambiance, the menu, the portions) was designed to appeal to the more suburban, slightly older clientele- and I would say it is successful. 

Over the years my diet has changed and I hover around being a more vegetarian… I love vegetables and my body doesn’t handle meat-intensive meals all that well.  Cork and Cleaver SC is well named. Aside from having a lot of wine (and viticultural themed furnishings) they MOST DEFINITELY focus on meat. Aside from the main courses, that are mostly just meats, even the Brussels sprouts have bacon on them and the fries are served with sausage gravy.  For a starter, we got the Chicken wings ($10)Confit wings, roasted garlic five-spice rub, soy pickled vegetables, orange, honey. These were big, and more like heavily breaded pieces of fried chicken than the dainty wings, I am more accustomed to being served.  The spice with the honey and citrus was perfect and the little veggies were tasty. They were very heavy and satisfying.

I am going to be truthful. I love pasta but I often feel like pasta is put on a menu as a crowd-pleasing afterthought.  I ordered the gnocchi because I wanted something that wasn’t just meat (although it came with a heaping of lamb).  But this was a surprisingly complex and original dish.   This dish was essentially a deconstructed gyro pasta.  The word “deconstructed” has fallen out of favor,  but it had the lamb, the tzatziki, and cucumber. (fun fact, it took me 12 attempts to spell “tzatziki” before spell check even knew what I was trying to write).

Who knew my go-to Italian dish would marry so well with the classic Greek staple?  The dish tasted good but was so rich and heavy that trying to eat half of it was unrealistic.

Laura and I both love a good scallop. And again, C&C did not disappoint with the portion. However, it was the hash/risotto that really stole the show. It sounds pessimistic to say that the best part of the scallop dish wasn’t the scallop, but I don’t discriminate and I get annoyed when there hasn’t been any effort in the whole presentation/taste of the dish.   Laura and I were very pleased with it.

After all that food we were unable to attempt dessert (spoiler alert, the dessert menu also had some deliciously heavy offerings). With the check, we were given a few bite-size rice-crispy treats that had Lemon in them. It was very dark by the time they arrived and did not look nearly notable as they were. Lemon makes everything better and these little bites were a delightful end to the meal.

Overall: I feel a little conflicted. The food was good. The portions were very generous. The service was friendly (although I go back and forth on how I feel about the staff wearing t-shirts). I was pleasantly surprised by the flavors and there was nothing *wrong* with the experience. Perhaps I am just so accustomed to the trendy-millennial-urban places that I don’t know how to enjoy a place like this. I was notably annoyed at the lack of vegetarian offerings and the design definitely did not feel hip and trendy (but the prices were the same as at an upscale city place. A few times Laura and I just said something along the lines of “my Mother would LOVE this place” and it’s very true.  It was good, but not what I was expecting, and maybe if I was more of wine person I would have loved it.

Unrelated, my brain always conflates this restaurant with Butcher and Brewer downtown.  Let’s open more alliterative named places: P

 

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Cleveland has a lot of great restaurants. For some reason, most are not offered on Sunday afternoons. My cousin Cynthia and I were seeing a show downtown and I struggled to find a place that was near the theater and open.  I settled on Cibreo (as it is literally across the street and I knew we might have to rush to the play). It is part of the Driftwood Group, which has some pretty impressive restaurants in its arsenal I felt it was time to cross this one off my list.

Walking in, I was immediately impressed/surprised by the Tuscan inspired stonework and ambiance. A ton of waiters scurried around and the high ceilings were adorned with exposed beams. It felt like an Olive Garden on steroids (but the stonework was real). Coming from a mile or so away, I was much earlier than Cynthia.  It gave me time to peruse the (rather brief) menu and try to avoid eating all the impressive bread basket.

 

Every detail of this place was very well planned to curate that specific “Italian restaurant feel”.

Cibreo translates to a rustic stew, which is something that I didn’t really see on the menu.

For the most part, every item was pretty expected which nothing that really jumped out at me as an “oh I’ve never seen this before/this will be a gastronomic adventure”.  Cynthia ordered the Shrimp Fra Diavolo Calabrian chiles + San Marzano tomato + oregano + pinot grigio | bucatini 23.99.

I ordered the Scallops tomato-basil risotto + garlic bread crumb + herb oil + gremolata $31.49.

These dishes were executed well. They satisfied the expectation of what we had in our head. I felt my risotto could have used a little more salt as well as something to add a little more texture.  Our waiter was amazingly attentive and knew we had a show time so they got our meals out in a quick manner.  I feel like my father would have ordered the short ribs and been tremendously impressed.

Was it good? yes. Am I excited to go back? not particularly. both of these places seemed to appeal to a customer with different expectations than someone like me.  Cork and Cleaver surprised me with some unique twists in the menu items and everything at Cibreo was executed and presented in a lovely, but predictable, way. So, am I just displeased that places which set out to appease a different diner base did just that?  I enjoyed these meals and the locations certainly weren’t boring.

 

Well, it’s summer now and I have a LIST of places I’m excited to try.  As always, let me know if you want to tag along (buy me lunch??) or have a suggestion.

 

Oh! I didn’t get any pictures but Fat Cats in Tremont has a brunch. Go to it.

Ethiopian. Citizen Pie and Noodles from an Ice Cream Place.

As the name suggests, this is kinda a random update (which I somehow lost and had to rewrite).

 

If I asked you to name some Asian cuisines or European ones, it would be easy to rattle off a bunch and be able to explain the differences. Africa is a huge place, but with the exception of Ethiopian and Morrocan, there doesn’t seem to be much culinary representation.  I have only been to two Ethiopian places before this venture so my experience is rather limited and I am in *no* way pretending to speak on its authenticity.

I tried Zoma on Lee in Cleveland Hts after numerous Cleveland.com/Scene posts mentioned it opening. I like the flavors and was excited to try a place that wasn’t the location off E. 55, just for comparison.  I guess I need to preface, for anyone not familiar, that the food was MUCH better than it was photogenic.  Also, I am super pleased that I remembered the word for Injera 😛

When I’ve eaten at Empress Taytu I’ve always been impressed with how my waiter has been a knowledgeable, Ethiopian person. Also, it is dark and intimate inside. This makes selecting food and the whole experience seem so immersive and authentic. My waiter at Zoma was a tall white guy (who did know about the food but it feels a little more manufactured). I am sure the kitchens were staffed with equally knowledgeable people.

The atmosphere was nice, colorful but kind of simple. A TV broadcast a screensaver like a slideshow for no reason. There was the Tree area for the ceremony but the well-lit rectangular tables with plastic on them gave it a slight cafeteria feel.

I ordered a trio of vegetarian offerings, (16$ which were a little soupier than I expected. This was a big portion and I really liked the yellow beans.  The lentil and red beans were pretty good. The injera was fluffy and I did not know it was gluten free (for those of you who care about that).  There was a fair amount of spice, in a satisfying but not hot way.  I was able to make it into some sort of burrito for lunch the next day from the leftovers which did not reheat as terribly as I imagined. 

Ryan got the lamb tibs (19$). I tried it and was rather impressed. It was well seasoned and tasty. This was the first Ethiopian meat dish I had that wasn’t disappointing.

Overall, I will go back. I want to try new dishes and eating without utensils is a fun change from the norm. I really like the Cedar-Lee area and this is a nice additional to an already diverse array of dining options.  The ambiance was alright but not outstanding.  I do want to see the coffee ceremony at some point.

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I have been wanting to try Citizen Pie (Pizza for the People) for aWHILE now.  I rarely go over to that area, but was seeing JD Eicher at the Beachland Ballroom and found this the perfect opportunity to try some pizza that seems like a social movement.  The inside is small and cozy. It has a very nice feel. The concept is very fast made pizzas made to order (in about 90 seconds). It is kinda like a Pizza Fire, but really quality ingredients, better dough and a million times less corporate feeling.

Steven and I went to check it out before the concert. We sat at the bar and asked for a recommendation.  We said we wanted white over red and were told to get the

AMERICANO
Mozzarella, Pistachio Cream, Italian Sausage, Green & Red Onion, Calabrian Chile … 15

It was great. I didn’t explicitly taste the pistachio but there was a nice creaminess to it that was pleasant. The sausage and chile gave it a nice kick. I could have just eaten the crust though, it was rather great.

All of you should know that I DESPISE bottle water for its environmental ramifications. So I asked for a tap. I was told they don’t have it. This confused me. They have wine on tap but not water? How do they do the dishes? Do they throw out or take all their utensils home every day? Boxed water is a better alternative to bottled.

It is cool to seem them take a ball of dough and in less than 3 minutes transform it into a wonderful, high-end pizza. This pizza was pretty beautiful, and I do like the fresh from the wood fire taste. The crust was great.  My only issue is that the price was fine (15$) but it wasn’t quite enough for 2 people to split, but I wouldn’t have wanted a whole one to myself (also 30$ for 2 people to get pizza seems a little outrageous).

The have a sign on the door that says “out of dough” (also a meter on their website that tracks the amount left). This reassures how fresh and made to order everything is, which is great. I love the logo and the concept and will go back whenever I find myself over in the area.

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I love icecream (specifically going and getting icecream wth friends) with a passion. Masons Creamery in Ohio City is a fun and kind of hipstery place that offers an every changing selection of unique flavors.  SO the idea of going to an ice cream place for food seems a little counterintuitive for me.  I have heard of the weekend pop-up Ramen for awhile (generally on Facebook).  When I learned that this was the last for the season I felt I HAD to go.  They offer an option of pork or veggie for 12$ each.  The broth and accoutremonts come seperately, and everything is to-go. I got the veggie and Dan the pork.  It was a slightly chilly morning and we got there about 40 minutes before they opened. We were probably 18th in line, but as it got closer to the time, the line got MUCH longer.

I noticed that there were a large number of Asian people in line,  (and hipsters, and a few seemingly Asian Hipsters) which reassured me to the authenticity, and trendiness, of the food.

“This is the best Ramen I’ve had in Cleveland” Dan (who is Asain, but not really a hipster).

The mushroom broth was crazy good.  It came with a variety of mushrooms as well, and some fried tofu. The egg was  absolutely perfect and it was a great size meal. I generally don’t like getting food as a carry-out, but they were able to make the presentation nice for when I opened it up at home on the sofa.  It did need to be reheated a bit, but again it was a chilly day.  I apologize that I’m posting such a glowing review knowing that it won’t be available again for months.

*If the people responsible for these magical noodles are reading this, or anyone has the ability to reach them* can this be a thing on some Friday or Saturday evenings in the summer?!?! I know I would be game for late night ramen and ice cream on a warm summer’s eve.

I tried to post the panoramic video showing the long line of people waiting for the ramen.

Parker’s with the Parents

So this meal was a get together with my parents for my mother’s bday and my 29B birthday, despite being over a month belated.

My parents came up for a fun Sunday that included a quick jaunt through the west-side market. We tried the jerky that was labeled as on of Michael Symon’s Best Thing I Ever Ate, and it was good for jerky I guess, but I’ve eaten much better things.  We then went to the Rock Hall, where we learned that pretty much any musician can be featured. Taylor Swift and Eminem are pretty obviously not Rock artists, right? We then hit up 16 Bit barcade and played some games. If you go on a Sunday afternoon you will find lots of adults with their parents playing the nostalgic machines. If you have never gone, and you partake in adult beverages, they have a cocktail called the Bill Nye which is rye whiskey based and served in a beaker, and others named after cultural figures from the 90s like Hulk Hogan, Ice T, and Winnie Cooper. My mother, who is not exactly a video-game aficionado (I don’t even remember her ever touching our N64) is a savant at Centipede. #HighScoreJeanne

For dinner, I was really torn on where to go. I like to go to new places, but I also want to show my parents cool places that are different from what they can get back home.  I wanted to do something downtown because I originally wanted to get dessert on E. 4th. I was told to try Parker’s. Since my initial reaction was “what’s Parker’s?” I had to look into it. At the moment they do not have a working website, but it is in the recently refurbished  Schofield Hotel on Euclid, across from Heinen’s/ the 9.

I looked at some reviews and they all said pretty much the same things, praising the food but being a little critical of the sound level. We were going for a pretty early dinner on a Sunday so I was not too concerned about noise.

When we entered I was immediately impressed with the simple, art-deco style interior. It was modern without looking like every other Edison-bulb and reclaimed wood filled industrial restaurant. I loved the light-up Guardians of Transportation, despite the fact they were nearly impossible to photograph. When we arrived there were few people dining, but a pretty large group in the central lounge area. All the hard surfaces and high ceilings did contribute to a lot of sound bouncing around. They need more fabric/heavier curtains or something because I can imagine on a Friday night it is pretty crazy.

Lots of Cleveland photos and artwork. I particularly liked mirrored subway tiles and ceramic floor.  The overall space is very simple and elegant.

The menu features a fair variety of options (however I personally do not like the over-sized, flimsy paper menu when dining somewhere that has $30+ entrees).  Recently, I have been pretty healthy and eating vegetarian/vegan for a majority of my meals. This menu was not really in line with that at all, as there doesn’t seem to be any main dishes that are vegan. I am okay with this since it was a celebratory meal but later on I did not feel like moving much as my body was shocked by all the meat and cream I had consumed 😛

I got the Cauliflower soup to start. $9.  Curry and cauliflower is a combination that will never fail to satisfy. The tarragon was a nice twist and the crab meat added a new flavor. I really enjoyed this, especially dipping the fresh multi-grain bread in it. It was reminiscent of Aloo Gobi, one of my favorite Indian dishes. Even my parents, who for some reason, fail to see how glorious curry is, remarked at the complexity of flavors in this soup. This was creamy, super satisfying dish… and a first look at the large portion sizes of this establishment

The waiter, who was incredibly nice and helpful, strongly encouraged me to order the fried pork chop. I was a little weary since “fried” and “pork” are both words I have been avoiding. It was a good suggestion. The cheese curds and blackeyed peas in the gravy were VERY good.  Also, the portion was borderline comical. It was a huge piece of meat. I ate all I could before passing it off to my parents.  All the portions were very generous, which is nice because sometimes when I take my parents to more upscale Cleveland places we are served tiny little tastes (and then I get to hear alllll about how every restaurant in Youngstown has 7 dollar meals that come with multiple sides).

My dad selected the monkfish, which was actually an item I was looking at. This was a good choice, environmentally. (steps up onto my environmental soapbox… seafood has some issues since some species are unsustainable harvested and others carry risks of mercury, it’s important to be knowledgeable…  Monkfish Fish Watch. ) Monkfish has similarities to lobster. I get the comparison but don’t particularly love lobster, so this dish wasn’t my favorite. The flavor was mild. I did really enjoy how the lemony champagne sauce mixed with the potato croquet that the fish was served on.  The dish wasn’t bad by any means but it did not wow me.

My mother ordered the Chicken pot pie. Now, in the past, I have been very disappointed with reinvented/deconstructed versions of this dish. Sometimes when chefs try to make a comfort food into something upscale it loses the qualities that make it wonderful.

When this came out I was a little confused by the lack of color/vegetables. I really like carrots and peas and this dish seemed to lack both.  However, this dish was amazing. In reality, it was more like a Biscuits and sausage gravy with delicious herbaceous chicken. The leeks and mushrooms just added to the flavor of the gravy. It was soo good. The chicken meat was perfect and not just bland chicken. I made sure there some left over to take home for lunch the next day 🙂

Overall-If you like upscale ingredients, creamy sauces, and big portions, this restaurant will not disappoint.   If you want an intimate/ quiet atmosphere with vegan choices this will not be the best option.  Our waiter was very friendly and the manager (?)  came over many times. Both were very passionate and knowledgeable about the food. I am not sure why this restaurant that opened last summer flew under my radar, but I am very glad I finally tried it.

I did make an OpenTable reservation where I noted we were celebrating my mother’s birthday. It’s not that I was requesting a free dessert or something.  But you only turn 44 once. Or twenty times in this case.  They did use my Opentable information to call me later (my dad left his sunglasses) which was very courteous.

The hotel is rather beautiful and has this neat indoor fire pit with nooks to sit in.

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From my weekly Barroco trip. Dan got one of the desserts. It was pretty and messy. You can get an alcoholic version as well. It led me to the realization that all gummy worms should be served with strawberry sauce on them. Probably enough for 3 people, especially after a very hearty Colombian meal.

Vegan creme brûlée?

This is mostly a photo update. I am sorry dear, dear readers (all 4 of you) for my lack of updates.  I have been eating, but I have not been dining out as much and school and things started getting a little crazy. I’ve been working out a ton so I’m trying not to eat a billion calories every day.  Additionally,  I had a pretty crazy medical thing that was a little persistent that led me to eat kinda bland food for a while. I’m better now.  And ready to review.

Yesterday I went to the Clifton Wine and Martini Bar. I had been here before and enjoyed the food. I went with Nathan and Gustavo because they revealed to me that there is an ENTIRE MENU (not one of those papers with 5 options, but a whole actual menu) of vegan options. I didn’t know this existed. They had apps, small plates, entrees, and desserts. The words “Vegan Creme Brulee” were very confusing to me. How do you make something that is eggs, cream, and sugar without two of the ingredients? Well, chickpeas are the answer. I was worried that it would taste like chocolate hummus. It did not. It was pretty tasty and they still had the burnt sugar topping.  The texture was more like a bread pudding but it was a good vegan dessert.

Not huge, but a good serving and very dense (6$). 

Gustavo got the jambalaya. To be honest, we all ate so fast that I didn’t taste it or get much feedback, but he has ordered this menu item before and it was one that the waitress highly recommended. 

Nathan and I both got the vegan tofu lasagna. It had a lot of tomatoes and spinach with basil. I don’t know if it was reminiscent of lasagna per se, more like manicotti actually, but I really liked it.  The tomato sauce was sweet but it made the tofu seem more exciting.

These were the chili fries and they. were. amazing. I loved how thick and spiraling the potatoes were. Mango and guacamole with the black beans and faux meat crumble made for a tasty version that was super satisfying without being greasy.  I will totally get these again.

 

Can we all take a moment to celebrate the beauty of this salad from Forage? They have a vegan night on Wednesdays.

I don’t think I’ve posted this on here, but I started a wonderful ritual (that is pretty much a direct contradiction to my long-standing policy of going to new places and trying new things).  I go to Barroco every Saturday afternoon. With a different friend. I  Always get the  Changua de platano (Columbian Pho) with a side of sweet maduros. 8$.  The waitress doesn’t even bother asking me what I want anymore and I like that I get greeted with a hug. If you have not been to Barroco and celebrated the joy of an arepa, you are missing out.  Also, I have gone enough times that I am running out of friends to accompany me, so let me know if you want to come! Since this has an egg and avocado I can justify it as a brunch item, also they have alcohol and a Huevos Rancheros arepa. I love this place. The atmosphere. The employees. The docor. The sauces…

Dim sum birthday dinner. Not my birthday. (Yes, I recently turned 30 but I don’t want to talk about it).  This was at Siam Cafe. IT was very good but I was confused why the chicken had a friend face as well.

I realize I have had this picture of the pot de creme at Momocho on my phone for a LONG time, mostly because I want to go back and enjoy it again.  

Admire this pizza from Masthead Brewing Co. This new place downtown is kinda like a non-German Haufbrau House. And what I mean by that is that it focuses on beer, has large communal tables, is downtown, and has surprisingly good food. I could not decide what pizza to try so I asked which was the favorite of the bartender (there are no waiters, you order at the bar and they give you a pager). This was the mortadella with a pistachio pesto, ricotta, and parmesan. It was pretty spectacular and I would never think to put pistachio on a pizza.  It was pretty big for a 12$ bar pizza. Besides pizza, the menu is pretty limited, but everything we tried was great.

 

I promise a real review soon. 🙂

Trying to be Bold.

So confession time… I feel like I know a fair amount about food (including the agricultural science behind it) and I go to restaurants enough that I feel comfortable critiquing menu layout and font choice.

That being said, I really don’t know how menus are set up. I mean I know the chef/owner pick out dishes, but how does a unique dish at one restaurant end up at another?* (more on this later)

I went to Bold! with Haley, she was in town for the Food Show at the IX center. She went with her mother and I was a little jealous 😛

I picked it because I saw it on OpenTable and I know she probably hasn’t been to the Flats very much since she moved out of Ohio a few years ago. That being said, I had a few preconceived ideas or expectations.

It had a classy feel, a little hotel-ish, but not in a bad way. The lamps had strips of chain-mail (chainmale? I just realized I have never actually written that word).  The restaurant is New-American and feels appropriately fancy and comfortable.   Reading up on them, they try really hard to source products from sustainable sources,  I don’t know much about the Greener Fields Together Certification but I will look into it. 

Haley doesn’t drink at all, and I barely do. But we bother were impressed by the bar’s liquor display.

The current menu: Here

I was super impressed with the waiter’s knowledge of food. He was rattling off very detailed descriptions … as he was describing things I had a little moment of “hey, I know what all the words he saying mean…I guess the years of watching food competitions shows and paychecks spent eating out have paid off”.

CHARRED STREET CORN cotija cheese, chile crema, cilantro. $10

Okay, these items seemed unique to both Haley and me so it was a no-brainer.  The crema and cheese combined to taste/have the consistency a little like nacho cheese. It was pleasant and enjoyable and I like that we are doing different things with corn. The charred taste added to the overall dish, and the presentation is as elegant as ears of corn covered in cheese can possibly be.

If I ran a restaurant I would always include some floss with corn that is served on the cob, as the uncomfortable casual/subtle teeth picking is often my biggest issue with eating it.  Also, we got 3 half-ears of corn.  Not that I necessarily wanted more, but it just would make more sense for either 1 or 2 ears worth of corn, not 1.5.  It felt a litttttle pricey but I liked it.

 

Haley got the burger. Which is unusual for her, but she was excited about all the components.

OHIO BEEF BURGER house bacon, sharp cheddar, wild arugula, pickled red onion, cilantro mayonnaise, brioche bun, BOLD Pommes frites, pickles $16

Can you just take a second to look at how humongous that bacon is? I moved the knife into the frame for a point of reference.

She liked it, but had the issue that I think is rather common with these large gourmet burgers… they can be tricky to eat in a way that is graceful, lets you taste all the ingredients and doesn’t completely destroy the burger.  The fries were very good, especially with the cilantro sauce. I ordered the quail. Mostly because the menu description reminded me of one of my all time dishes in Cleveland (the quail at Bodega on Coventry in Cleveland Heights).

Imagine my surprise when it came and IT WAS EXACTLY THE SAME DISH.  The quail was stuffed with ham and cheese and basking in the most decadently creamy truffled corn.  The plating and even the little micro-greens on top were identical.

Now I was curious that perhaps Bold and Bodega are culinary cousins of sorts, so I asked the waiter what restaurants Bold is affiliated with (turns out it is a fair number, but bodega was not on the list). So did a chef from one place go somewhere else and pitch the same dish? I am curious and would love to understand.  ooooor did someone from this place go to Bodega and really like the dish and just try to recreate it…. that would be a Bold move… hehe

That all being said, this is a fun dish and I really enjoy it.  The small bird is crispy, and eating the meat off the little drumsticks is kind of whimsical.  The corn is soooo good (okay, I realize my meal was mostly corn).  I know truffle oil is something that every restaurant now uses exhaustively, it adds such a wonderful aromatic quality to this dish that it is just as satisfying to smell as it is to taste.  Although Bodega does give you warm rolls that I like to dip in the creamy truffle sauce, and I was tempted to ask for a bread of sorts… but I didn’t need to add more carbs to this meal. Perhaps just a straw to suck up the sauce 😛

Overall: I liked Bold. It is classy inside and the menu features local ingredients and a wide array of options. I would like to go back and try some other dishes (I would like to be hungry enough to try one of their signature plates).  I feel like this would be a good place to go for a larger family/business function because it’s more than a steak house but has lots of classics, but also some very traditional offerings for those people who get afraid of menu items that are atypical.

So many restaurants in Cleveland… and winter is coming. Not in a Game of Thrones way, but in an “it’s cold outside and there are fewer activities to do so I guess we can just go out to eat allll the time” way.

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I need to put a special shout-out to my Aunt Lynn, although she doesn’t operate a restaurant, she makes awesome food, including a wonderful maple-roasted squash soup with smoked paprika. I know it is somewhat of a tease since none of you can try it unless you infiltrate my family around the holidays (we are a big group, it might not be that hard).

Salt+

So is it called Salt Plus A Restaurant?  Salt Positive?  hmmm

Nathan, Gustavo and I tried it out on a Friday night.

Note: I am only going to refer to these type of restaurants as “small plate places” from now on. Due to my strong Youngstownian accent whenever I say “Tapas place”… people inadvertently hear “topless place” which definitely not reflective of the Cleveland food scene, or my restaurant preferences.

The inside was nice. Dark but nice. Lots of deep grey/blues, leather and stained glass.  It felt like a restoration hardware.   I tried lightening this photo a bit and it makes the metal studs on the upholstering look like movie-theater lights.

I’m not posting the menu, I just wanted to highlight the fun quote at the bottom.

We perused the drink menu, lots of old timey cocktails named after historic and awesome women. Most of them had vermouth in them which I am really not a fan of.

The full menu can be seen here. If you know anything about me, you know the duck item immediately excited me.

The menu was appealing, every dish was very much a ‘chef’s dish’ having multiple components and often a unique sauce.  I did my usual approach of simply asking  I should order.

The sweet potato bravas with a smoked pepper aioli.  $6

I had to look up “bravas”… according to the Wikipedia, its “potatoes that are cut into irregular shapes of about 2 centimeters, fried and served with a sauce or aioli”… now you know.

That being said, they were good. The sauce was flavorful. Gustavo said they were tasty, but not the most amazing potatoes ever. I agree.

(I tried to do the thing where I had someone hold another phone up to light up the food. It doesn’t work terribly but looked awkward to do and the photo looks like there is a filter on it.

Nathan ordered a special, which was a roasted acorn squash with a ( crap, I forgot to write down exactly what kind of) sauce.

The sauce was excellent and really made the dish. However I was wondering, why was the portion so small? Squash aren’t exactly an expensive piece of produce this time of year…

The chickpea fritters with a sweet chili glaze. Very satisfying, but wish they were bigger. Similar to a samosa. 

I took the suggestions of our waitress. and got the smoked sturgeon with tabiko,  french onion mascarpone, pickles and bagel chips.

I didn’t realize it would be cold, which I am never a huge of chilled fish. Sturgeon doesn’t have the most distinct flavor, and the onion mascarpone did, so it kind of masked it a bit. The pickles were very sweet and not very “pickly” which I really liked. It was a fun play on bagels and lox, and  there was a lot textually going on in this dish.

I really liked the plating, it was playful and let me make my little bagels in whatever way I wanted.  Is tabiko ( the small black fish roe) supposed to taste like anything? It just adds a little crunch to me.

For some reason, every time I hear sturgeon my mnemonic device from my undergraduate vertebrate zoology class comes back. “Sturgeon sounds like surgeon. after a surgery you are achey (aci)…sturgeons belong to the family acipenseridae” .  yes, roll your eyes at my dorkiness.

Roasted Duck. confit. Sweet potatoes and ricotta dumplings.

The duck was tender and tasted like the perfect hybridization of turkey and bacon. Still greasy like duck always is, but not in a gross way.  The sweet potatoes were practically confetti-sized and the tiny pieces were strange to try to pick up with a fork and too small (sweet potato tic-tacs?).

The ricotta dumplings were soft and savory. I was expecting a gnocchi but they were gooey and delicious and almost were like little bits of cheesy mashed potatoes.  Pillowy and perfect.

I would go back to Salt to get this dish again. . . although I’d want to go with other people who really like the duck because it was actually a really sizable portion and it would be good to share/ typically I don’t eat a lot of greasy meat.  For 12 dollars this was a tremendously good deal and a great dish.  Other items also looked appealing.

They take the saying “fall off the bone” tender very very seriously.

Overall. I liked the meal. The dishes were all very creative and composed. The atmosphere was perfect, the staff was eclectic and knowledgeable. The prices were surprisingly low/ some of the portions were pretty generous for upscale small plates.

The place is well named, not that the food was salty, but everything seemed appropriately seasoned. Nathan, a vegan, was satisfied (although a lot of the vegetable items had cheese on them).

I obviously am biased towards restaurants that celebrate the artistry of food, caring about using specific arrangements and plating in a way that is appealing.  The food is well crafted, slightly sophisticated  and comfortable/appealing, exactly the ambiance created inside.

I love Cleveland. I like when our sports do well/people agree with me regarding this city’s level of awesomeness.

Ushabu (finally!)

To say I’ve been excited for this place to open is an understatement (and yes, I  was there within 48 hours of the opening).  The sign has been up for almost 2 years and I have been wondering what exactly Japanese fondue consists of since that time.  Granted in the last 2 years I never bothered googling that, I wanted to be surprised.

Ushabu is technically a shabu-shabu style restaurant (which translates to “swish-swish”, because you are supposed to take the super thin slices of meat through the hot broth very quickly).  It is in Tremont and a fun experiential dining adventure (think Melting Pot but more Asian and less caloric).

 The place is rather small, we sat at the bar which also has the places to insert the broth. At the 6 tables and bar, the place can only seat about 30 or so. It’s essentially one hallway, I imagine in the winter it might be a little chilly when someone enters.  Also, it takes a while to eat so I imagine a reservation will be vital. Also, the booths look like they can hold 4 (maybe 6) so if you have a bigger group than that it might be tricky.

The place is so new they don’t have a liquor license yet, but are allowing BYOB for the time being.

The small plates all looked intriguing. And since these are the only really prepared food, I felt I wanted to try something… especially since the proud and anxious chef kept coming out.  As some of you may know, there are a few words that call out to me on a menu, and when a dish has the words “scallops” “quail egg” and “pork belly” I’m probably going to order it. It was described to me as a “little play on surf and turf” $9.

It was tasty but small plate is a fair title.  I liked the playful plating, but as you can see from the chopstick, there was not much to this dish. It was very tasty. I loved the scallop with the citrus. My favorite part was imagining the chef frying the tiny quail egg.

 

Dan ordered the clams. It had Uni foam, edible sand and things that looked like seaweed and beach grasses ($10). This is one of those kinda silly but fun concept dishes that if someone made it on a cooking show the judges would either love or tear apart for being gimmicky. I had questions for the chef. Uni foam has about 85 steps to make apparently, and edible sand is essentially panko crumbs, anchovies, and fat (so deliciously unhealthy buttery carbs) and is delicious. This dish was awesome and afterward, you have a nice little zen-sand garden to play with.

Now onto the actually shabu-ing.  We both ordered the chicken-ginger broth (there is also a vegan seaweed one and spicy miso which I might try next time since I found it good but in need of some more seasoning).  At the front of the restaurant is a very large meat slicer. They bring you your bowl of noodles and veggies and suggest you put those in first. The pictures I am showing you are of Dan’s  (we got the same thing but I had the lamb, $20, and he got the beef, $23, but to be honest when you cooked them in the broth and dipped in one of the 3 sauces, they tasted pretty similar).

This is a fun meal. Also, lots of veggies that are in a pretty healthy broth. It was filling and a great challenge to my chopstick skills. Picking up the udon noodles after the broth and trying to tip them in a sauce before eating them was a challenge for me.  I definitely was not very dainty when slurping, maybe not a good choice for a first date. I want to go back and try more of the small plates, also as winter approaches a nice soup always sounds fantastic.

there is a veggie option that comes with more tofu so it can be vegan-friendly. The mushrooms and daikon were some of my favorite parts of the meal anyway.

The interior is simple, but kind of expected at this point (The industrial look with exposed brick, light-colored wood and Edison bulbs).

We got dessert as well ($3) the matcha ice cream and yuzu sorbet. These are made by Mason’s Creamery in Ohio City. The ice cream was much better than the sorbet, which reminded me of lemon Italian ice that was in the freezer too long.

Labor Day: Rebol and Brown Sugar

You’ll know that TownHall is one of my favorite Cleveland places to eat. It’s fun, affordable, vegan-friendly and everything is delicious. When I heard that the same people were opening up a new location in the newly remade Public Square I was psyched. (Fun fact, I can’t say the word ‘psyched” without sounding like a 90’s TV character in my head). Rebol is bright colored and trying really hard to create a cool vibe (and in my opinion, it is succeeding).   The place is pretty small and is nestled right up against the fountain. They make good use of the outside space with games to play as well, although the giant snails tend to get more attention. Rebol’s website

Abe in 3D glasses? Awesome.

 

The scientist side of me questions if GMOs are really the enemy…. Without human-based  selection, (you know genetic modification),  since the dawn of agriculture all apples would be bitter and the size of golf balls and corn would be a small grass.but I digress. But we can debate that another day. I’m just glad they are being aware of what ingredients they use. 

I don’t particularly care if my water is RO, but this level of conscientiousness about what is in what we consume makes my heart flutter. Also, I really love the small, pellet “hospital” ice.

I don’t really drink soda, but my love of Cleveland start-ups made me curious. Mixing the orange blossom and grapefruit was a citrus heavy treat. Read about Old City Soda.

Dan got the Bulgogi steak ($8.50).  It had a papaya salad and a “herb salad”….which I think is a little lofty for “a lot of pieces of cilantro”.

The plating was practical (and in a biodegradable tray!) but still made everything seem very enticing. 

I did my typical “what should I order”. I was told right away to get the pulled pork without the jalapenos. I don’t particularly love jalapenos (but I LOVE how Siri says it when I ask to go to El Jalapenos on 115th. Jah-Lop-en-Ohs) so I took his advice.  It came with sticky rice and a claw that were delightful. The crispy wonton cracker was alright. The bbq sauce (that the menu calls a soda bbq) was pretty awesome. It was sweet and worked with everything…it had hints of Asian bbq sauce and I realllly liked the complexity of it.  It was only 7.50 and super satisfying.  I’d go back for it. 

Overall:

I had a fast lunch on Public Square, with obviously quality ingredients and rather cheap…and I ate it all with a smile, so I have no complaints.  The portions were very substantial and the prices weren’t high. The menu wasn’t too big but for what they are going for I think it was appropriate (also I’m sure the small menu allows for quicker service, we did not have to wait that long…Dan’s smoothie took much longer than the food). I didn’t realize they were an actual bar with alcohol until I was leaving.

Their website is we are rebol.com (but to me it looks like wear  erebol.com)… just my strange observation.

After eating we wandered around downtown, went to Insomnia Cookies (which I learned deliver warm, fresh, but slightly too expensive cookies TO MY HOME! #dangerous).

The Airshow was going on and it was neat to see the Blue Angels from in between the different buildings. 

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I took a day trip to Niagara and had a great time. I ate at a lovely restaurant with a great view. I took 4 pictures the whole time I was there. One was the view, 2 of the falls and one of this roasted beet salad. 

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Nathan, Gustavo and myself tried Brown Sugar Thai in Lakewood. This was the day after all of us died trying to keep up at a friend’s Zumba class (don’t laugh, it was insane cardio).  This place has been on my radar, partially because the name always sounds like a terrible strip club and I modestly giggle to myself every time I drive by.

I have wanted to go to this place for awhile, and Thai tends to be an easy way to satisfy all of the food accommodations we need. It was rather  dark inside so I did not get any interior shots. It was nice inside, if a little generic. The waitstaff was phenomenally attentive, at times waiting for me to take a sip of water so it could be diligently filled.

I like Thai food, but I am pretty generic, probably because I like Pad Thai so much and it serves as a basis for comparison. It was rather dark so I did not get any good photos of the interior. I ordered Fu-ki plum wine. The menu warned of it being sweet and almondy. It was (think melting jolly ranchers and putting in almond extract… it wasn’t terrible but hard to drink quickly).

I always order this soup at Thai places. I know it’s just coconut milk, lime juice, mushrooms and chicken…but it is so satisfying I always smile while thinking “why don’t I just make this for myself?”.

I did branch outside my norm a bit. I got scallop pad Thai (ooooohhhh).

I love pad Thai noodles and scallops are one of my favorite seafood items.

However, I realized I like both of them because of the texture. The texture that the both have. The SAME texture. I liked eating the scallops but with the noodles, they kind of got lost.  Overall it was very good but I kept wishing there was chicken in it.  I always love the carrot roses.

Nathan got the Tofu String Beans. The name doesn’t really seem to coincide with the above picture. I’m glad that I eat enough meals with friends that they feel so comfortable letting me sample everything. This was awesome. Spicy and somehow creamy. This was not a vegan dish that is a poor substitute for meat…this was a vegan dish that was rather superior to its meaty competition.  Tofu is rarely something that makes me happy, I feel like it is a general “blah” ingredient, but it was great. The beans were great. The sauce was epic. I want to go get this, soon…who is coming with?

Overall:

the portions were very large. The service was fantastic and I want to go back. Not so innovative but if you want good Thai you will not be disappointed.

Summer wrap up: Burgatory and the Blue Door

(totally didn’t want this to be the first photo…oh well. I went and visited the zoo. I was working there when this little s’lion came and she was so tiny).  This has nothing to do with eating Cleveland. #noPinnipeds4lunch?

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After moving to the new place in Tremont it was necessary to take a trip to roommate IKEA in Pittsburgh to buy some necessities. There is a local chain in the area called BURGATORY. I liked this for many reasons, mostly because the branding/decor/marketing where all great. I tried to take pictures and none did it justice. Their website.

(I also loved it because the menu items made me think of Bob’s burgers).Burgers of the day 😀

You can also order a la carte, like Barrio, Happy Dog, well everywhere in Cleveland…

The Meat your maker burger. I love the devil prongs. I guess other burgers come with onion ring halos.  Dry aged Wagu beef… it was good. SUUUUPER unhealthy but good. Field greens are so much better on a sandwich than plain ol’ lettuce. Aged Gruyere? Yesssss please.

Other options that stood out where the fiddy-fiddy which is half burger meat half BACON. They also have a selection of alcoholic heavenly shakes. This place does not feel hole-in-the-wall-esque at all, or at all up-scale. But it was an awesome burger, despite wanting to lay down afterward.

Oh, I saw Paul McCartney. It was pretty awesome. The lights and pyro stuff were by far the most impressive of any concert I had witnessed.   It was amazing to see a living legend who can still perform as a world-class musician.

How many people can fit in the Q for a concert? (take that number and minus 2 and that’s the number of white people there). 

This might not look so impressive but this is an amazing dish from El Carnicero in Lakewood. Mexican food never photographs as well as it should, but trust me this is awesome…AND it’s vegetarian.  Coconut curried cauliflower tamales with raisins and almonds  $12.50.

I was sooo pleased with this dish I think I told 15 people about it within 2 days. It was usually paired with a follow up from the other person “Oh, are you a vegetarian?” You know I’m not but, I typically just said that I had the wild boar nachos as an appetizer, which was very good…but this dish was so noteworthy that I had to take a picture  and talk about it even though I was not planning on blogging about it.

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If you are like me (and I know you all are), you spend a good portion of your life looking at the online lists of best brunches in the Greater Cleveland area.  I have heard about The Blue Door Cafe in Cuyahoga fall soo many times and have tried to go, but they have somewhat inconvenient hours/days.   *Note this is not the same place as One Red Door in Hudson, which I also ate at this summer but accidentally deleted the photos. 

There is nothing super modern about the decor, and honestly, the blue door is the only notable thing on the outside. I was a little confused because I was expecting it to be more like the cafes that typically get recommended… artsy and a little pretentious. 

Any thoughts I had were immediately replaced with “ooooh look at the size of those beautiful pastries!!”

This was the marzipan filled almond croissant.  For five dollars I got a pastry that was roughly the size of a football. It was so flaky and perfect.  The strip of marzipan at the bottom was just a bonus to an already perfect treat. 

I went with Jim. As my coworker he sees me eat the most boring of school lunches (I eat pretty mundane and repetitive lunches)I’m not sure if he was ready for how excited I get about menu items. He ordered the Croque Madame. $9.  They serve these rather huge items on even bigger plates. 

Jim also got a side of bacon. Look at how much beautiful bacon they serve!  It was at least AS good as the farm fresh bacon we cooked in the science lab over a burner…

I ordered the Monte Cristo Crepe. So, as much as I love crepes, they are by definition rather thin. I was worried it wouldn’t be substantial. I was silly to fret. This felt like 9 crepes all folded in on itself. So many layers and the ham was just as thin. It was sweet and savory and phenomenal and filling (apparently dining with an English teacher makes my grammar less gooder).  sigh.

Overall: go to these places. Burgatory is fun and filling. Blue Door did not disappoint (figure out when they are open and go). I had a great summer  but I am glad my intense online class is over. Part of me is glad that I am back in school, and I hope my Enviro students embrace my eating of Cleveland as much as last years bunch who may have had this as their homepage (I got an email from one of last year’s students asking for restaurant recommendations…which is actually much more flattering and easier than college recommendations.