Cleveland Food and Brews

Cleveland Indians Opening Day 2013

2013-04-01T09:12:00.000-04:00

With the Indians home opener coming up on April 8th, I wanted to take this opportunity to share some of my favorite food and brew places around the Jake! Yes, I still call it the Jake even though it is technically "Progressive Field."

Here are six of my favorite places to get a tasty bite to eat and a refreshing craft beer before the game!

Greenhouse Tavern--My snack of choice before heading to the game has to be the frites! The good news is they come in three different ways. First, the standard Pommes Frites have raw garlic, rosemary & garlic aioli. If you want to step it up a notch they also have the Gravy Frites. These are pommes frites with mozzarella cheese curd and brown gravy. For the ultimate experience they also have the Animal Frites. These pommes frites come topped with bacon, two fried eggs, whole grain mustard, mozzarella cheese curd and brown gravy. To wash all that down, don't worry, Greenhouse Tavern has plenty of craft beer. They always have two drafts that they brewed in collaboration with Victory Brewing on tap, plus and plenty of bottled and canned craft beer favorites.

The Winking Lizard--My personal favorite from the menu at the Winking Lizard is the Buffalo Chicken Wrap. This wrap comes with slices of chicken breast covered in the Winking Lizards hot sauce and rolled up in soft tortilla with lettuce, tomato, cheddar cheese. The Winking Lizard is one of the best places to get a quality craft beer anywhere in Cleveland. For the most up to date list of what is on tap, check out the monthly placemat which lists every draft beer they have on tap. (Rotating Draft selections change monthly.)

Winks Bar and Grille--Wink's is a new Winking Lizard concept that opened in late 2012. Here you'll find a craft beer list that is Ohio heavy, with 33 different brews on tap. They also have a wonderful Beer Cheese Dip that hits the spot before watching the Tribe! The Beer Cheese Dip is a spicy hop cheese dip that is made with a local IPA, spicy seasonings, and red pepper. It is finished with aged white cheddar and cream cheese and is served with garlic crostinis.

Noodle Cat--If you are looking for some tasty Japanese-American food look no further. My favorite food choice would have to be the Steam Buns. With so many choices it is hard to pick just one flavor, but don't worry, you can mix and match! Beer wise, Noodle Cat does a nice job carrying various cans and drafts. You'll want to check out the menu before hand to see what they have.

Great Lakes Brewing--The best part about going to Great Lakes Brewing before a Tribe game is they will shuttle you to and from the game. The shuttle is only $1 per person and runs continuously runs 45 minutes before and after the game, except on Sunday's. (Offer is only valid with additional Brewpub, Bar and/or Gift Shop purchase). While you are there get an order of the fish and chips, which is Alaskan cod fried in Edmund Fitzgerald Porter batter with a side of pub fries. Beer wise, be sure to check out what they have on tap as pub only exclusives, you don't want to miss these!

Tremont Tap House--This one is not within walking distance, but the great food and huge draft beer selection make this worth the 5-10 minute drive! I love the Buttermilk Blue Cheese and Applewood Smoked Bacon Burger paired with any of the fresh hoppy IPAs they have on tap.

No matter where you decide to go and eat and drink before an Indians game, remember to always be safe and GO TRIBE!!!

Chinato in Downtown Cleveland

2013-01-07T07:02:00.000-05:00

With some free time over the last few days of our Winter Break, my wife and I decided to finally have dinner at a restaurant we have both been dying to eat at, Chinato. With the click of a button the night before, we had a 6pm reservation set up thanks Open Table. When we arrived, we were kindly greeted and seated immediately.

Food
After looking over the menu offerings we were a little bit overwhelmed on what to order, everything sounded so good. To start, we decided to share a small portion of the gnocchi with tomato, basil, toasted garlic, butter and Parmesan Simply put, the gnocchi was some of the best gnocchi we have ever tried. The texture was light, yet it still had the density in which you expect in gnocchi. Top that with some basil, toasted garlic, and fresh Parmesan and you have yourself a perfect dish. When I go back there is a good chance I'll get the larger portion they offer as my entree.

For an entree, my wife went with the chicken legs “saltimbocca” style. The chicken legs were deboned and then stuffed with prosciutto and cheese. The chicken was cooked perfectly, but the prosciutto used was extra fatty and took away from the overall flavor of the dish. The polenta was smooth and creamy, while the kale added a nice spicy contrast.

For my entree I went with sea scallops sauteed with peperoncini, escarole, and garlic oil roasted potatoes. I really enjoyed everything about my dish. The scallops were cooked perfectly with just a hint of the spicy peperoncini present. The escarole was sauteed with lemon and bits of peperoncini flakes. Finally, the potatoes were simply amazing. Soft, tender, and full of flavor were the three very large garlic roasted potatoes.

Drinks

I can tell you that from looking over the drink menu, even a craft beer lover will be pleased with the selection. Dogfish Head, Bells, and Great Lakes all were on the tap list, in addition to a decent selection of craft bottles. Prices ranged from $5-9 per pint, and per bottle. Of course if you are looking for wine, Chinato has a very extensive wine list that can range in price from $10 a glass to over $100 a bottle.

Service and Atmosphere

The service throughout the night was prompt, informative and friendly, everything you would expect at a restaurant the caliber of Chinato. The menu is a little overwhelming to read but our server explained and answered any questions we had beautifully. Chinato also has a wonderful vibe to it. We both found the interior of the restaurant to feel very homey, but still very modern.

With tasty food, a good drink list, and great service we would highly recommend dinner at Chinato!

Sunday Supper: Flank Steak Carnitas

2012-11-27T07:05:00.000-05:00

Recently my wife mentioned going back to Momocho where we had a great meal about a year ago. That got me thinking, why not try to make something Momocho like at home? We had all day Sunday to cook, so why not utilize the slow cooker too. Here is what we came up with: A take on Carnitas, which are traditionally made with Pork, but instead we used Flank Steak.

The Ingredients:
1.5 lb Flank Steak
1 yellow onion finely chopped
1 green pepper finely chopped
1 red pepper finely chopped
1 jalapeno finely chopped with seeds mostly removed
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (use more if you like spicy!)
1 tsp fresh ground sea salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
A package of fresh corn tortillas
1 avocado
Fresh chopped cilantro
1 lime

Directions:

Mix the chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, sea salt, and black pepper in a small bowl. Then rub your spice mix all over your flank steak. Then, place the steak at the bottom of the crock pot. Cover the steak with the chopped onions, bell peppers, and jalapeno pepper. Turn heat on LOW and cook for 8 hours. Don't try to rush this by using high for a shorter amount of time, all good things come to those who wait! After 8 hours, shred the meat with a fork. It should be incredibly easy to shred. You can feel free to eat it right away, or leave the shredded meat in the pot for another 30 minutes if you'd like. To serve, heat your corn tortillas in a skillet on the stove. Then, spoon some carnitas on a tortilla and top with avocado, chopped cilantro and a squeeze of lime.

I have to say this was a winning recipe. The meat alone was amazing, but paired with rich avocado and a bit of lime, they were outstanding. I didn't want to stop eating them! If you like this style of food I highly suggest you try this recipe As a note, be sure to get good quality tortillas because the meat will be very juicy, and will easily soak through lesser tortillas. Also, the 1.5lb steak would be enough to serve 3-4 people without having left overs. Since it was just the two of us, we used our left overs the next day in a salad topped with avocado, chopped cilantro and a squeeze of lime, which was also very tasty! Cheers!

Biga Wood Fired Pizzeria in Kirtland

2012-11-14T07:01:00.002-05:00

Neither my wife or I particularly enjoy cooking on a Friday evening so, we decided to finally make our way out to Kirtland to visit Biga Wood Fired Pizzeria. What intrigued me most about Biga was their style of pizza. To give you a little more background here is what Biga has to say: "Biga Wood Fired Pizzeria specializes in the authentic Naples-style ("Napoletana") pizza pie prepared and cooked just as it was 168 years ago in a wood-fired hearth oven at over 900° F. Our mission is to provide our guests authentic Napoletana pizza, house-made seasonal tasting dishes, fresh salads, and unique desserts using only the finest fresh ingredients, cooked using time-honored traditions and served in a warm, inviting atmosphere."

As we walked in at 6:00 pm on a Friday evening we walked into a half full restaurant. The only problem was that we were told those tables were reserved and we couldn't get seated until 7:45 pm! One of the owners came up to the front of the small restaurant and asked how we were doing. I said we didn't have a reservation and she immediately jumped into action and moved a few tables to make room for us. The customer service was already off to a great start. That being said, be sure to secure a reservation because from what we heard, Biga is pretty busy all of the time!

Food

To start our meal we decided to split one of the special salads for the evening. It consisted of pickled carrots, pickled onions, pistachios, beets, blue cheese and a light vinaigrette. As you can see in the picture, the salad portion was gigantic, clearly enough for two people who plan to eat pizza too! We loved everything about this salad, especially the balance of the light dressing and equal amounts of ingredients to go with the great amount of lettuce. I really liked how they incorporated two different kinds of beets in the salad because they each gave a different textural element to go along with the crunchy pistachios and the soft carrots and onions.

Pizza wise you have your work cut out for you making a choice of what to eat! They had 13 different pizzas on the menu, all of which sounded fantastic. We compromised on the Sweet Sausage Pizza, $15. It came topped with freshly crafted-in-house sweet sausage, locally grown oregano, tomato, and fresh mozzarella cheese. The crust on this pie was cooked to perfection. The crispy, but not overcooked crust held up wonderfully to the ingredients on top. Speaking of those ingredients, the sweet sausage was also outstanding. Every bite that we had with it was well balanced and delicious. The light spread of sauce and the incorporation of the fresh mozzarella didn't overpower the flavor of the crust or the sausage. If we had one small complaint about this tasty pizza, we both were looking for a bit more seasoning with sea salt. If you didn't get a bite of sausage and/or mozzarella, the presence of seasoning was somewhat lacking.

Something we didn't know until the end of our meal is that Biga has one heck of a dessert offering! If you like fresh homemade cakes and pies (who doesn't?), save some room because what we saw was big and looked delicious!

Drinks

Biga is a BYOB establishment, so your wine and beer choices are unlimited. Just know they do charge a $2.00 glass fee.

Atmosphere and Service

Biga is a very small restaurant with a cozy but vibrant atmosphere. From every seat in the house you have a view of kitchen and the wood fire stove. From start to finish, we had wonderful service. The owner, who seated us and then said a friendly goodbye, should be commended. Keeping customers happy should be the #1 goal of the front of the house, and she clearly understands that! Our waitress was also very friendly and helpful when we had some questions about the specials and pizzas. Overall, we have to give Biga a thumbs up. We will surely be back with a few craft beers and to try a few more pizzas.

Sunday Supper: Peanut Butter Cup Coffee Porter Braised Short Ribs

2012-11-12T06:59:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago, my wife and I attended the Willoughby Brewing Company Cask Ale Night during Cleveland Beer Week. Before we left, we snagged a growler (64oz) of a very special version of the ever popular Peanut Butter Cup Coffee Porter. This version was cask conditioned with the addition of cocoa nibs! The cask condition version of the beer was outstanding, and instantly gave me an idea. Cask condition ales are not really meant to go home in a growler with you to drink, but we figured we could still use this amazing beer to braise some short ribs. The cost for a growler of Willoughby Brewing Company beer ranges from $13-16 if you own a growler and only $3 more if you need to buy a new growler. In this post today, I'll share what I did and how it tasted, Cheers!

Ingredients:

2 lbs bone-in short ribs
Kosher salt and/or fresh ground sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper
2 Tablespoons olive oil
3 whole cloves of garlic
1 large yellow onions, sliced in 1/2″ thick half rings
4 carrot, chopped into 1/2″ pieces (You can use more or less depending on how much you love carrots
24oz of Peanut Butter Cup Coffee Porter from Willoughby Brewing
½ cup beef stock
1 rosemary sprig
2 bay leaves

Season ribs at least 24 hours in advance with salt and pepper, then refrigerate until you are ready to start.

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Pour the olive oil into a dutch oven. Heat over medium-high heat. Brown short ribs, Cook for 3-4 minutes per side until nicely browned. Set the ribs off to the side on a plate and then return the pan to medium heat. Add in the onions, garlic and carrots and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the onions are just softened and beginning to caramelize. This took about 4-6 minutes.

Add the beer into the pot and bring to a boil. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, scrape the bottom of the pot to dislodge any remaining food aka, the good stuff. Pour in the beef stock and bring liquid to a boil again (this shouldn't take long). Reduce heat to a simmer and place ribs in the pot. Pour any juices released from the ribs that remain on the plate into the pot. Toss in the rosemary sprig and bay leaf between the short ribs. Check the liquid level of the pot to make sure the ribs are all mostly submerged in the liquid. If necessary, add more beer but you should still be able to see the tops!!

Put on the lip and place your pot in the oven and cook maintaining a simmer for about 3 to 3 1/2 hours or until ribs are fork tender. The slower you cook them the better! While braising, gently turn the ribs with tongs, as not to tear up the meat, every 45-60 minutes until done.

When the ribs have finished braising, carefully remove the meat and vegetables from the pot. Tilt the dutch oven to the side to gather juices in one end and skim off as much surface fat as possible with a big spoon. Either in the dutch oven or a saucepan, reduce the remaining liquid by simmering strongly for 10-15 minutes. Reduced sauce should be syrupy. Taste sauce and season with salt and pepper if necessary.

Once you have your sauce, feel free to dig in and enjoy by spreading the sauce on and around the ribs and vegetables. Also, don’t forget your glass of Peanut Butter Coffee Porter to go with your meal, you should have 20oz left out of your growler!

First, the good. The meat and vegetables were super tender and packed with flavor. You could definitely taste the roasty porter backbone. The reduction, although it took 20 minutes, was worth every second. The peanut butter coffee flavor came back to life and really completed the dish. Do not skip this step, but a word of advice is you really only need about 6oz of the liquid to get a good reduction. If you would try to reduce all of the remaining liquid you would be waiting about an hour! Now, the not so good. The rosemary really overpowered everything. 1 rosemary sprig was too much, and if I had to do it again I would use way less, or probably even none at all. All of the other flavors in the dish worked so well together the rosemary actually seemed out of place. Although the rosemary was a misstep, the dish was a home run and we look forward to making it again. For my next attempt I might even go sweeter, with some maple syrup and/or even some brown sugar. I think these ingredients would complement any porter or stout you use to braise with.

Well, I hope you enjoyed reading about this dish as much as I liked cooking and eating it! I encourage you to try making it with Willoughby Brewing's Peanut Butter Cup Coffee Porter or even their regular Gutterpup Porter, but really any porter or stout will do. If you end up making this dish, post a comment on here and let me know what you thought, Cheers!

Chops Grille and Tap House in Geneva

2012-10-01T07:03:00.003-04:00

Recently, my wife and I met two of our good friends for dinner at Chops Grille and Tap House in Geneva. We picked this restaurant because it was halfway between where we live and where our friends live in Erie, PA. If you look at the menu online, you will see that they have a very large menu with all different types of food, but from what my friend and I heard Chops is known for their good BBQ.

Food
To start our meal our table was served a basket of rolls along with creamy butter and cinnamon butter. We all agreed that we could have eaten a basket of bread each with the cinnamon butter, it was delicious.

Our meals also each came with a house salad. The Italian dressing that I got was underwhelming in terms of flavor and tasted mostly of white vinegar. Thank goodness my wife shared some of her balsamic dressing with me, it was much better in terms of flavor and consistency.

For entrees, both my friend and I picked the Smoked Beef Brisket. The menu described it as "Tender smoked brisket of beef served with a light Carolina BBQ sauce." For my side I opted for a sweet potato. As soon as our plates arrived my friend and I both commented on how thin, and sloppy, the brisket was sliced, and the fact that it just didn't look that appetizing. Looks are one thing, but in the end it is always how the food tastes that really matters. I wish I had some good news to say about the flavor of our dish, but both my friend and I agreed that we were not fans for several reasons. First, the brisket was sliced way too thin and was very fatty. I'm all for loving fat, but this was just too much. Second, there was entirely too much BBQ sauce on the brisket. The overly sweet sauce totally over powered the dish and made it impossible to even taste what should have been the star of the dish, the brisket. If there was one positive on my plate it was the sweet potato with the delicious cinnamon butter! .

As disappointed as I was with my dinner, my wife had a very different experience with hers. She ordered a Top Sirloin steak cooked to a medium temperature. What she got was a perfectly cooked and seasoned steak that tasted amazing. The green beans were also cooked and seasoned perfectly. Needless to say, I was kicking myself that I didn't order her dish. The steak was a very good size and she shared some of it with me. If we went back to Chops, I would order this steak over and over again.

Drinks

The drink menu at Chops does offer a few craft beer choices in addition to having what you would normally find (Bud, Miller, Coors). There were two Dogfish beers on tap, 60min IPA and Punkin. We all selected Punkin which was very fresh and tasted great. They also had Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Coors Batch 19, Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale, and Great Lakes Dortmunder on tap. I wouldn't call this Tap House a craft beer bar by any means, but I was happy they at least offered some craft options.

Service and Atmosphere

The restaurant had two main areas, a sports bar area, and a dining room area. The sports bar area was very loud and we had to almost scream to talk to each other. I'm glad we just got one drink there while we waited for our table. Dinner in that area just would not have been fun, unless we wanted to watch some sort of sporting event together. The dining room area was much quieter and made for a nice dinner experience. Our waitress was very friendly and made sure my wife's steak was cooked properly. (She mentioned that she checked the temperature right before she brought it out to us.) I'd had to say our service for the night was good.

Overall, it is hard for me to really judge Chops. On one had my entree was simply not enjoyable, yet my wife's steak was excellent. The waitress clearly made an effort to make sure my wife's dish was excellent, did she do the same for mine, or is that just how they do brisket at Chops? I guess I'll have to head back to Chops for dinner again to see...

Sunday Supper: Spaghetti Squash and Kale

2012-09-05T06:47:00.000-04:00

This Sunday Supper was cooked and written by my lovely wife, Enjoy!!

Sunday suppers have seemed to disappear since last fall, but I promise you we have still been eating! Wedding planning took over most of our time and creativity in the kitchen. Tonight I was looking to make spaghetti squash as a healthier alternative to pasta. The meal came together as I looked into our fridge for ingredients I could incorporate with the spaghetti squash. I am always looking for different ways to cook kale so I thought, why not try to add this? As the meal came together, I thought this would be a good dish to share! Here are the ingredients I used:

1 seeded spaghetti squash
1 cup sliced onion
2 cloves minced garlic
1/3 cup of chicken stock
2 cups chopped kale
1 cup of grape tomatoes
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp fresh chopped basil
1 tsp of salt (or to taste)
1 tsp of pepper (or to taste)
1/8 cup parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and seed the squash. Spread melted butter and 1 clove of diced garlic on the inside of the spaghetti squash. Bake squash rind side up for about 30 minutes. While squash is baking, sauté 1 tablespoon of olive oil, chicken stock, salt, pepper and sliced onions. Once the onions become soft, add garlic. Add chopped kale, sliced grape tomatoes, and chopped basil to the onions. Use a fork to scrape and scoop out the spaghetti squash. Add the squash to the sauté pan. Add remaining olive oil, salt, and pepper to taste and mix. Finish off with parmesan cheese.

Modifications- if you do not like garlic heavy meals, you can exclude the garlic on the squash or add the garlic earlier when sautéing the onion to let the flavor fade more. I also think adding salt and pepper on the spaghetti squash before baking it would add more flavor.

Harvest Kitchen and Lounge in Solon

2012-08-23T07:21:00.000-04:00

This past weekend we took our good friends Jenna and Andrew out to celebrate their wedding since we kinda were in Hawaii during their wedding! I picked Harvest Kitchen and Lounge because I've wanted to go there for quite some time now and this was the perfect opportunity to try it out.

Food
Our waiter went over the menu with us and pointed out some of his favorite dishes. There were so many choices that caught our attention, it was hard to pick. I opted for the special fish of the day, which was a crab crusted Alaskan halibut. I ordered it with spicy braised greens and of course some duck fat fries and garlic aioli. I was not disappointed at all with anything on my plate. The piping hot fish was cooked perfectly and the crispy crab crust added just enough texture and flavor without taking anything away from the fish. The braised greens were just mildly spicy, but that is a good thing since the fish did come with a curry based sauce that had some real kick to it. The garlic aioli that came with the fries was outstanding and it was hard to not finish every last fry! I was a big fan of my dish, and so was our friend Jenna who also ordered the same dish. If you see this on the menu again, I would highly recommend it.

My wife ordered the hanger steak with duck fat roasted fingerling potatoes and salsa verde. The steak was cooked to medium as she had ordered it, but since it was presliced by the time her dish had arrived at our table the plate was hotter than the actual steak. The steak was not cold, but we both agreed it was lukewarm at best. Fortunately, this was not a deal breaker because the seasoning on the steak and the flavor was great. The salsa verde that came with it really had a well-balanced kick to it and did not overpower any other flavors on the dish. The potatoes were simply delicious with the savory and slightly crispiness the duck fat added. I would order this dish again, but simply would ask that my steak be left unsliced.

Our friend Andrew ordered the grilled ribeye. When he was finished, his plate did the speaking for him...it was empty! The steak was cooked just as he had ordered it. Thanks to his kindness, I can tell you that it tasted amazing. The overall temperature of the steak was also much warmer than the hanger steak as well.

Drinks
Harvest offers a large wine list and a fully stocked bar. What we all appreciated most about the drink menu was the large selection of craft beer. They had around 40 different bottles and 4 draft selections which included a 3Floyds handle and a Jolly Pumpkin handle. For only $8 you can get a flight of all four draft brews and the 4oz pours were much closer to 6oz which made the deal even better. I was very pleased to find a very fresh keg of 3Floyds Dreadnaught on tap, something not too common around Cleveland. Cheers to Harvest for putting some very good craft beer on the menu to go with some very good food!

Atmosphere and Service
Harvest is a warm and inviting place that makes you feel very comfortable. I feel like I could walk in and have a beer at the bar, take my wife out for a fancy date night, or even head out to the patio for some small plates with friends. Either way, Harvest really has done well with the space! Our service for the night was excellent. Our waiter was knowledgeable about the menu, and was quick to move from table to table.

Overall
Good food + great beer list + inviting atmosphere + friendly service = we will be back for dinner again!

Cleveland Indians Ticket Giveaway

2012-05-22T18:01:00.004-04:00

I’m going a little off of my food and drink theme with this post, but I promise to tie food and drink into it at the end!

I've been an Indians fan for all 32 years of my life. I watch them on TV as much as possible and I might just be the biggest Tom Hamilton fan ever!! I also try to attend a handful of Indians game each year. So after Chris Perez’s recent comments on booing, fan attendance, and being "unhappy" I started to think.

First, should fans boo if a player or team is not playing up to expectations? Hell Yes!!! As a paying fans we have the right to boo and cheer, especially considering how much money they players are making to play a game! Personally, I try to be positive when I attend games, but on occasion I’ve thrown out a boo at a hometown player or manager. I don’t care that Chris commented about this, in fact I love his passion for winning and hope it sparks the team and the city positively! Honestly, we all want the same thing…A competitive and winning team!!

Second, I do agree with Chris’s comments on fan attendance. We all need to get down to more games, myself included! It saddens me to see so many empty seats each night, especially when teams like the Pirates and Orioles are drawing larger numbers than us! It doesn't cost an arm and a leg to get in these days, especially the upper deck and bleachers, but I am sad to say that I have not yet been down to the “Jake” this season. (For the record I'm well aware of the name change to Progressive Field, but to me, it will always be The Jake!) Now not being there in person yet in 2012 doesn't mean I have not been watching or listening to almost every single game. It really has been a matter of my personal schedule keeping me from heading down. That is all about to change this summer because I already have tickets for at least 7 games, and I’m sure we will get down to even more games than that.

Finally, I love supporting the Tribe as much as possible, so to help with the cause I’m going to give away five of my BP scratch off tickets which are good for 2 tickets to select Tribe games. This is my way of trying to get the stadium just a little more packed for a winning summer of baseball here in Cleveland! To be entered to win the giveaway just follow the directions below.

And the winner is....Comment #20 by Crystal as selected by Random.org.

There are 3 ways to Enter The Giveaway

1. Leave one comment on this post telling me where your favorite place to eat and drink is outside of the “Jake”.

2. Share this post on Facebook by posting this link: http://hops.me/53y1

Then come back here and post a comment with your Facebook link. You can only do this once, and it counts as one entry.

3. Share this on Twitter:

I want to win 2 tickets to a #Cleveland @Indians Game from @CleFoodandBrews: http://hops.me/53y1 #GoTribe #Windians #BatMagic
Then come back here and post a comment with your Twitter link. This will count as one entry. You can do this every single day. Just make sure to leave a comment each time you tweet!

Rules:

--You have until Monday, May 28th, 2012 at 9:00pm EST to enter.

--The winner will be picked at random using Random.org.
--Only comments with links left on this post will count. If you tweet, facebook or enter in any other way be sure to leave a comment here telling me you did it with the link to that post.
--You must leave a SEPARATE comment for each Entry, otherwise your entry will only count once.

--Winner has 24 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

Disclosure: I am doing this giveaway because I love the Cleveland Indians. The BP Fill-Up Cards are my own.

Emerging Chefs Garden Party Recap

2012-04-24T07:07:00.000-04:00

It has been a few months since we last attended an Emerging Chefs event. When we heard that Chef Jeff Jarrett was on board for Garden Party, we knew we didn't want to miss this event.

Our dinner started with shaved lonzino, which is dry-cured pork loin, and some pork rillette fennel mustard mortadella. This assortment was shared with the whole table and was actually prepared by Chef Melissa Khoury who will be doing the upcoming May Emerging Chefs event.

The first official course of the night was Spring Pea Soup. This came topped with ramp creme fraiche, lemon oil, and pea tendrils. The freshness of the peas used to make this soup was immediately apparent. The soup was lightly seasoned, which was perfect because the combination of the peas, creme fraiche, and amazing lemon oil was a crowd favorite!

The second course of the evening was Mushroom Mousse. It came with a tart cherry compote, micro fennel, and grilled bread The mushroom taste in the mousse was actually pretty light. The sweetness from the compote was a great complement to the earthy mushroom flavor. The best combination was to spread a bit of the mousse on the bread and top it with a few of the cherries. I don't care for mushrooms, but I really enjoyed this dish.

Our third course for the evening was Goat Cheese Gnocchi. The goat cheese used to make the gnocchi came from Lake Erie Creamery. There was also pork belly croutons, asparagus, drunk fig jam (figs soaked in red wine and then pureed), and pepper-crest. The goat cheese gnocchi was good, but a little too dense and the flavor of the goat cheese really didn't come through as much as we would have thought. The pork belly was very tasty and a bit on the smokey side. The fresh asparagus and greens were a nice addition that helped to lighten up the dish a bit.

Our fourth course was Sous-vide lamb loin was paired with farro, fresh peas, cauliflower puree, and a bit of truffle oil. The lamb was absolutely perfect in terms of temperature, texture, and seasoning. I've never eaten farro before, but after tonight I'll be actively seeking it out. The farro, pea, and cauliflower puree was simply amazing. It was creamy with a hint of sweetness from the peas, and the farro added a great texture. This was my favorite course of the night!

Our fifth and final course was the dessert round. For dessert we had baked apple barley pudding, with a cinnamon tuile, and Snowville creamery anglaise. This desert was simply delectable. The use of the barley added so much texture to the baked apples and cinnamon. The entire table sort of went silent while we all cleaned our bowls of this wonderful dessert!

The decor for this event was different from other Emerging Chefs events. The AMP150 vibe was the main focus of the event. The Garden Party theme was very apparent in each course but did not shine through with the venue. Another slight change from the usual Emerging Chefs events was the courses were not paired with cocktails but the price of the tickets remained the same as previous events with drink pairings. Overall, Chef Jarrett and his crew did a great job preparing fresh garden style food. We all loved how he took time to go around to each and every table to discuss the dishes.

The next Emerging Chefs event, Snout to Tail, will be taking place on May 24th and will feature Melissa Khoury of Washington Place Bistro and Inn.

Get your tickets today at: http://hops.me/52i9

Disclosure: A single Media Pass was provided for me. My fiancee's ticket was paid for with our own funds. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% our own.

Spring Fabulous Food Show Info and Giveaway

2012-04-14T11:37:00.001-04:00

Let the backyard barbeque battles begin! The first edition of the Spring Fabulous Food Show pays homage to the masters of the flame April 28 & 29, 2012, at the I-X Center in Cleveland, Ohio. Tickets are on sale now for the best celebrity grillers in the business, from Fabulous Food Show favorite Bobby Flay to first time appearances by Emeril Lagasse, “Barbeque Bible” grilling authority Steven Raichlen, and Weber Grills’ Jamie Purviance!

Spring Fabulous Food Show Tickets on Sale Ticket prices:

One-day Admission ticket: $25 (advanced) online at www.fabulousfoodshow.com, or $30.00 onsite and online April 28-29, 2012, at the I-X Center. Each ticket includes admission to exhibits and seating to see one of your favorite celebrity chefs, and also allows patrons to see other celebrity chefs on the day of the visit -- on a firstcome, first-served basis.
Event Hours: Saturday, April 28 — 10:00 AM - 8:00 PM and Sunday, April 29 — 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM

Giveaway

Ready for some good news? I've been given two general admission tickets to give away to one lucky reader. To enter the giveaway simply read the directions below!

And the winner is...Random.or has picked comment 24 from Stephanie!

There are 3 ways to Enter The Giveaway

1. Leave one comment on this post telling me which chef you are most excited to see.

2. Share this post on Facebook by posting this link: http://hops.me/4rat

Then come back here and post a comment with your Facebook link. You can only do this once, and it counts as one entry.

3. Share this on Twitter:

I want to win 2 tickets to the @FabFoodShow from the @CleFoodandBrews Giveaway: http://hops.me/4rat
The come back here and post a comment with your Twitter link. This will count as one entry. You can do this every single day. Just make sure to leave a comment each time you tweet!

Rules:

--You have until Friday, April 20th, 2012 at 9:00pm EST to enter.

--Winner has 24 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

Hodge's Cleveland Preview

2012-03-29T12:30:00.002-04:00

My fiancee and I were invited to Hodge's Cleveland for a sneak peak at a few dishes last night. I quickly wanted to share them with you so you'll have a better idea of what to expect when you walk in the doors. Outside of the food, the decor at Hodge's is wonderful. If you have ever met Chris at one of his food trucks the restaurant fits his personality perfectly. The outside patio will seat over 100 people and will be a real treat before heading to some Indians games. There is also a hodgepodge selection of brews with something for everyone.

Every table at Hodge's will be treated to a small bite to start their evening. Tonight we sampled two of those selections. First we had Baked Potato Tater Tots served with bacon bits and a sour cream and chive dip.

Next we were served a Corn Bread in a cast iron skillet (do not touch, it is very hot!) It was paired with whipped bourbon maple butter.

For our first taste of the menu items we had Tuna Poppers. These bite sized poppers consisted of a crispy rice cake topped with Ahi tuna and ponzu.

Next we tried Chris's take on Pork and Beans. This was a piece of house braised bacon with pressure cooked pine nuts. It was served with red cabbage and parsley.

For our third tasting we tried the Certified Angus Beef Hanger Steak. The steak itself was marinated overnight in balsamic and once cooked, topped with a fresh salsa verde that was made with numerous green herbs including mint. The steak came with tomato creamed heirloom beans and crispy fried potato shards.

Next we had "Peas and Carrots". This came with a seared lemon scallop topped with a piece of grapefruit. It was served with smashed peas, a pea soubise, a cumin chef's garden carrot and a touch of cilantro.

The final treat for the night was the Fried Apple Pie. Chris told us his inspiration for this none other than McDonald's apple pies we all had as kids. The fried apple pie bites were topped with cinnamon and sugar and then served with a swipe of bourbon caramel.

We are looking forward to heading back to Hodge's Cleveland for dinner one evening and a full review of our experience. In the meantime, I hope this preview gives you an idea of what Chef Hodge has up his sleeve. Cheers!

Stamper’s Grill Pub in Fairview Park

2012-03-29T10:35:00.001-04:00

A special thanks to my good friend Gretchen for this guest review of Stamper's Grill Pub in Fairview Park. Recently, her and her husband Steve decided to visit Stampers and she offered to do a guest review. I graciously accepted and she did a stellar job covering all of the details of their meal!

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Within the past year, Stamper’s has undergone an image transformation. While the bar looks the same both inside and out, the menu, beer list, and music scene have all had a face lift. When a few friends of ours recently visited and spoke highly of the “new” Stamper’s, my husband, Steve, and I decided that we should check it out for ourselves. We were most excited to view the new beer menu as Stamper’s claims to be moving into the craft beer direction, even adding the words “craft and belgian beer” to its new sign and website.

Food
The extensive menu of bar food that Stamper’s used to have has been replaced by a sleeker one-page menu. You can choose from bar snacks, small plates, salads, gourmet burgers, sandwiches, fatbread pizzas (no that is not a spelling error), entrees, cheese, and desserts. There is also a Specials board as you enter.

For some reason, I was in the mood for a fish fry. Every year at this time, I have to sample at least one fish fry from an establishment where I have never ordered one before. I don’t normally eat fried food, but the delicious aroma and crunchy breading always beckon to me in the spring. Fortunately, almost every restaurant has a fish fry special during lent. When I saw fried fish skewers on the Specials board, I was in my glory. Stamper’s offers great Happy Hour Specials, which almost made me order the sliders, as they are half off during Happy Hour, but I simply couldn’t pass up on the fish.

Steve ordered the Grind of the Week burger, which was made of chorizo, a favorite of his. I, of course, ordered the fish skewers, and assuming that they would be small, I also ordered half of the goat cheese salad. Steve and I had just finished completing our tax refund, which may have made us extra hungry, because we also ordered the soft pretzels as an appetizer.

The pretzels weren’t anything special. I feel as if I could have had almost the same quality from the frozen box of Super Pretzels that I used to microwave as a kid. The two redeeming qualities of the pretzels were the sweet and spicy mustard sauce and the lingering softness that the pretzels retained. The ones I microwaved always seemed to get chewy and hard after a few minutes. The smoked cheddar stout sauce was flavorless.

My salad was shockingly bland. Goat cheese is my favorite food. I love it for its funkiness and biting flavor. This goat cheese just didn't have that. The balsamic vinagrette also tended towards the flavorless side. The saving grace of this salad were the candied walnuts and the dried cranberries.

The fish skewers were huge. I was not prepared for this. I’m not sure why I assumed that this was a smaller portion, so it is only my own fault that I didn't ask the server how many pieces were in a skewer order. At first bite, the skewers were everything I had hoped for when craving a fish fry. The breading was crunchy, the fish was flaky and moist, and the tartar sauce was incredible. I’m not sure what exactly went into the tartar sauce, but I would have to guess that jalapenos were present. There was the perfect amount of kick to go along with the thick, creaminess of the sauce. However, when I tasted the fish skewers without adding tartar sauce, there simply was no flavor. The texture was spot on and, to be honest, I’d rather have crunchy flavorless fish skewers than soggy flavorful ones. As the skewers sat for a while (I was eating my salad), they unfortunately, became grease bombs. I couldn't continue to pick them up and pry them off of their skewers, as my fingers kept slipping.

Steve’s burger was also a redeeming food item from our visit. The chorizo was spicy enough for someone who likes things a bit hot, and may have been too hot for people with a sensitive palate. Steve likes his food to have major kick, so it wasn't quite spicy enough for him, however, that isn’t necessarily a surprise as restaurants have to cater to all of their clientele. While he ordered his burger medium-rare, and it was borderline medium-well, it was still moist and juicy. The only real problem with his burger was the bacon on top. The picture doesn't do it justice, but some pieces were crispy and others had bulbous sections of inedible fat that had to be removed prior to consumption.

The french fries reminded me of fair fries and I could have picked at them all day. They weren't crispy, which I usually prefer, but they had the wonderfully fresh potatoey taste that trumped all need for crispiness. Stamper’s chef attempted to fancify the fries by adding sprigs of rosemary. However, at least on this visit, there was no rosemary aroma or flavor to be found.

I would recommend ordering a burger. It was definitely the best bite on the table. Plus there is the added bonus of french fries as a side.

Drinks
The draught list had 24 beers available, plus the always popular domestics like Bud Light. Whoever planned the menu attempted to consider that not every visitor would have craft beer knowledge. Therefore, they set up the menu in a few interesting ways. First, the beers were listed in order of darkness. Beer closer to the top of the menu was lighter and those near the bottom were dark. There was also an advisory about head, and that certain glasses may not be filled all of the way to compensate for a thick head on the beer. One of the major problems with setting up a menu this way is that the color of a beer doesn't always mean it will have a particular flavor. For example, currently on Stamper’s menu is Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale. This beer is near the bottom of the menu because of its color. However, this is a hoppy beer that is similar in flavor to an IPA, which are often light in color. If the beer drinker is expecting to get a thick, dark stout, such as those beers that surround the Self-Righteous, they will be in for a surprise, and potentially not a good one.

There are these little symbols all over the menu. And while Steve and I believe that we figured them out, there is no map key for us to be sure. We assume that the little airplanes mean that you can purchase the beer in a flight for the lower dollar amount listed to the right. We assume that the little wine glass means that the beer will taste a bit like a wine, as it was pictured next to a lambic. We are not sure what the boot symbols mean. We are kind of hoping that they mean the beer will be served in a boot, but honestly don’t know and didn't ask.

I ordered a Columbus IPA, which is one of my favorite summer beers. I realize that it isn't summer yet, but the weather was exceptional and people were eating on the patio. Steve ordered a Great Divide Oak-Aged Yeti Stout. Both beers were priced reasonably. The size of the pour was also clearly displayed on the menu so that we knew exactly what we were getting prior to ordering it.
As a craft beer snob of sorts, I appreciate that Stamper’s is trying. They have done a nice job of moving away from all domestic beers. Some of the beers on their list may be a bit common, but others are not. Overall, their beer menu would be a good option for craft beer snobs and those just getting their feet into the craft beer waters.

Atmosphere and Service
We were greeted immediately upon entering the restaurant by the hostess who also became our server. She was extremely friendly and had great knowledge of the food side of the menu. Not once did she appear at our table without a smile on her face and I could overhear her talking to other tables with the same positive persona. The only real snafu was that even though we ordered an appetizer and two dinners, she brought out the pretzels, salad, and fish skewers all at the same time and the burger didn't arrive for another 5 minutes or so. This could have been more of a problem if I wasn't eating with my husband, but we are past the point of waiting for each other to eat, which is good since the longer my fish skewers sat, the greasier they became. Our waitress checked back on us multiple times and empty dishes never sat at our table for long. Either our server swung by and removed them or the owner did. There was a rather long wait to bring our check, however, the place was packed and most likely a bit understaffed for a crowded Wednesday night. We do not fault our server at all for this delay.

The atmosphere at Stamper’s has not changed much since its upgrades. The interior is still decorated the same and there are dark areas in the back and by the bar. What has changed though is that people must no longer feel that this is just a bar anymore. (I've always felt the word “grill” is a distinguishing word for people to bring children inside.) Patrons of all ages were in the dining area. From a family with two small children to another family of high school aged children, everyone was welcome.

Overall, The word “pub” is not a descriptor that I would use for Stamper’s. Pub makes me think of one of two things: either a dark bar that only serves food that can be cooked in a deep fryer, or a gastropub where the food and beer are equally outstanding. Neither of which applies to Stamper’s. I would classify it as somewhere in the middle. Stamper’s is a nice place to grab a beer with friends and eat a juicy burger at the same time.

Burntwood Tavern in Rocky River

2012-03-22T07:15:00.000-04:00

Back in November of 2010 my fiancée and I tried the newly opened Burntwood Tavern in Chagrin Falls. Recently, a new Burntwood Tavern opened in Rocky River, so we ventured over to the Westside to see what this Burntwood had to offer.

Food
My fiancée ordered the Asiago Crusted Chicken ($16). It was served with crispy potatoes and wilted spinach, then topped with fire roasted marinated tomatoes. The crust on the chicken was light and crispy while the inside remained juicy and tender. The asiago however didn’t really come through in the flavor like my fiancée would have hoped. The crispy potatoes were really unique. These smashed and pan fried potatoes were really crispy on the outside and perfectly soft on the inside. We both though this was the perfect starch side for this style of dish. Finally, the spinach that was cooked in a lemon vinaigrette was absolutely delectable. Even though the asiago flavor was minimal at best, this dish was still excellent and we would recommend it.

I ordered the Prosciutto Wrapped Scallops ($24). The 3 medium sized scallops were grouped together and then collectively wrapped in prosciutto. They were then seared & served on a bed of roasted root vegetables and finished with basil oil. When I ordered this dish I expected each scallop to be wrapped in its own piece of prosciutto, so when it came out as a cluster wrap I was somewhat surprised. This wasn't a major issue because the scallops were all cooked perfectly and the amount of prosciutto wrapped around the bunch ended up being just enough to get a piece with every bite of scallop. I personally love scallops wrapped in prosciutto or bacon because of the way the fat from the meat plays on the soft delicate flavor of the scallop. The root vegetables helped to add texture and even more flavor to the dish. These vegetables had a wonderful roasted, almost smokey flavor that really was enjoyable. The dish also came with just a few sweet potatoes chips that were excellent. I wish there would have been a handful of the chips on the dish because were so tasty and added another layer of crunch to the dish. I do think the portion size was a little on the small side though for the price. Overall, I was very pleased with the flavors on this dish and would recommend it to any seafood lover.

Drinks
The drink menu at Burntwood offers everything. Wine lovers will enjoy a fairly extensive and reasonably priced wine list. Cocktail and mixed drink fans will find a pretty unique and hand crafted cocktail list as well. Finally, the craft beer fan will be happy because the Rocky River Burntwood location has nearly 20 taps, plus a nice bottle list. My choice of beverage for the evening was a Brew Kettle 4Cs, while my fiancée decided to go with a nice glass of the house red wine.

Atmosphere and Service

When you walk in the restaurant you quickly notice that there is a large wrap around bar with a large dining area just on the other side of it. The entire restaurant makes great use of the space. Natural brick and recycled wood are everywhere and really make the restaurant a warm and inviting place to eat. We sat out in the patio area which was completely enclosed in glass for the winter. The roaring fireplace just behind us made a great backdrop for our dinner. Our service for the evening was very good too. Our waitress was knowledgeable about the menu and was more than willing to find the answers to all the questions we had. Our food came out quickly, and both dishes were fresh out of the kitchen and clearly did not sit for very long. Overall, we were impressed by the new Rocky River Burntwood Tavern. I would recommend it to both east and west side residents!

Noodlecat in Downtown Cleveland

2012-03-12T06:56:00.001-04:00

Recently, we decided to take advantage of Downtown Cleveland Restaurant week by visiting Noodle Cat for dinner for the first time. I’ve attended a few special dinner events there, but we have never actually gone and eaten off the regular menu. During restaurant week Noodlecat was offering one Goyza, any two bowls of noodles, and one desert for only $30. This deal was too good to pass up!

Food
The Goyza we were offered was a seafood variety. We mentioned that my fiancée doesn’t care for seafood so our waiter offered to check if they had another variety they could substitute. Within a few seconds he was back and offered us the pork Goyza, which made us both very happy. This crispy take on a Japanese dumpling were very flavorful and were amplified by the peanut based dipping sauce. We both enjoyed this very tasty starter.

For my fiancée’s noodle dish, she picked the College Ramen ($9). This came with poached chicken, shiro chicken broth, corn, peas, chive, scallions, & chicken salt. The first comment she made was about how this really did bring her back to her college days at Bowling Green. The flavors in the dish were all well balanced and the poached chicken was very tender. The corn and peas added a little sweetness to the dish. The noodles themselves were cooked perfectly and were delicious.

My noodle dish was the “Roscoe's” Fried Chicken and Ramen (Priced at $13 with two pieces of chicken). I ordered this dish because I was very curious as to how they would prepare the fried chicken after reading the description. It came with two pieces of fried chicken that were coated in panko breadcrumbs, butter, hot sauce, and maple syrup. The noodles came with kale & fried chicken broth. I’ll start by saying the noodles, greens and the fried chicken broth were outstanding. I loved how “slurpilicious” this dish was. It not only had flavor, but it was very fun to eat! The fried chicken however was on a totally other level. The ultra crispy skin was both packed with heat and sweet notes that simply were amazing! After biting through the skin, I found chicken that was perfectly cooked and very moist. This dish for me was a homerun and I really look forward to getting it again.

After these two courses we were both pretty full, but we couldn't pass up on the olive oil cake desert. The cake was light and moist with a subtle orange flavor. A nice ending to a very filling meal.

Drinks
Noodlecat offers Happy Hour every day of the week! It was still Happy Hour when we arrived. The happy hour prices on drinks is a great deal. They only have 4 draft beers, but they are all of good craft quality. I had a Dogfish Head 60min IPA, but they also had the Victory Greenhouse Tavern Lager, Sapporo, and a 4th draft that slipped my mind! In addition to these drafts they carried at least a dozen different canned beers and a dozen different bottled versions too. If you are in the mood to share a brew, they also offer 22oz and 750mL bottles. For how small of a restaurant Noodlecat is, I give them props for offering a very respectable craft beer selection. Of course it wouldn’t be officially a noodle house if they didn’t offer some Sake! I’m not an expert in the Sake department, but from the looks of the extensive list I’m sure you can find something that will suit your needs!

Atmosphere and Service
Noodlecat is a fun place to eat. The décor features many pieces of recycled metal and lumber which looks kind of rustic, but it also has a modern feel as well. The service for the night was excellent. We were clearly ahead of the dinner rush, because the restaurant was not really busy. That being said our service for the early evening dinner was excellent. Our waiter was quick, prompt, and very knowledgeable about the menu. Being knowledgeable about the menu was very helpful for us because we don’t eat at many Japanese restaurants.

Overall our first official dining experience at Noodlecat was a success. We loved the food, my beer was tasty, and the service was excellent. We look forward to going back to Noodlecat, especially once Cleveland Indians Baseball season starts! Go Tribe!

Sunday Supper: Orecchiette with Chicken, Caramelized Onions, and Blue Cheese

2012-03-06T07:20:00.000-05:00

For this installment of Sunday Supper the recipe once again came from our Food and Wine Cookbook and was called Orecchiette with Chicken, Caramelized Onions, and Blue Cheese. We choose this particular recipe because we both were in the mood for pasta, and the combination of chicken and blue cheese really grabbed our interest.

Ingredients we used:

1 tablespoon butter
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, quartered and cut into thin slices
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, crumbled
1 clove minced garlic
1/2 pound orecchiette pasta
3 ounces crumbled blue cheese (1/2 cup)

Directions:
1. In a large nonstick frying pan, melt the butter with 2 tablespoons of oil over moderately high heat. Add the onions and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and cook, stirring frequently, until well browned, about 25 minutes. Remove.

2. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pan and reduce the heat to moderate. Season the chicken with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and 1/8 teaspoon of the pepper and add to the pan along with the rosemary. Cook the chicken until brown, about 5 minutes. Turn and cook until almost done, about 3 minutes longer. Add the garlic. Cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Cover the pan, remove from the heat, and let steam for 5 minutes. Cut the chicken into 1/4-inch slices.

3. Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the orecchiette until just done, about 15 minutes. Reserve about 1/4 cup of the pasta water. Drain the pasta and toss with 2 tablespoons of the pasta water, the onions, the chicken with pan juices, the blue cheese, and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. If the pasta seems dry, add more of the reserved pasta water.

Just the smell of the caramelizing onions is reason enough to make this dish. That being said, the taste did not disappoint. The sweetness from the caramelized onions was a perfect balance for the saltiness of the blue cheese. The amount the recipe called for really did strike a perfect 50/50 balance. This balance of salty vs. sweet also really helped the rosemary to remain noticeable, but not overpowering. Finally, the chicken picked up just enough of the garlic and rosemary flavor to also add more depth to the dish. This is another dish from our Food and Wine cookbook that we will be cooking again, just next time for friends and family because it was so good! Cheers!

Dinner in the Dark and Cleveland Chefs for Chardon Charity Events

2012-03-04T10:15:00.000-05:00

There are two events happening simultaneously on Monday, March 19th that I wanted to help spread the word about. The first is the Dinner in the Dark event at Amp150, and the second is the Chefs for Chardon event at Flour. The events will feature some of the areas finest culinary minds and they will be donating the proceeds from both events to the Chardon Community. Below, I'll list some information about each event.

Cleveland Chefs for Chardon at Flour from 5-8 pm
Over 15 chefs will offer tastings in a station-style format. Tickets are $75 and can be purchased by clicking HERE.

There will also be a silent auction for a dinner for 10 guests at a location of the winner’s choosing prepared by Iron Chef Michael Symon!!

Some of the participating chefs include:
Rocco Whalen, Matthew Anderson, Lauren Bozich, Marianne Carroll, Matt Myers, Dante Boccuzzi, Brit-Marie, Brian Doyle, Marlin Kaplan, Douglas Katz, Michael Longo, Matt Mathlage, Paul Minnillo, Matt Mytro, Fabio Salerno, Ricardo Sandoval, Karen Small, Wendy Thompson, Michael Tolosa, Eric Williams, and Brandt Evans!

Dinner in the Dark at Amp150 from 6:30-10pm
This event will also feature over 15 chefs and offer tastings in a station-style format. Tickets for this event are $81.57 and can be purchased by clicking HERE.

Some of the participating chefs include:
Chris Hodgson, Mike Nowak, Cory Hess, Anna Harouvis, Jeff Jarrett, Kimberly McCune Gibson, Eric Wells, Brian Okin and Adam Bostwick just to name a few!

Sunday Supper - Roasted Chicken with Bourbon Maple Pepper Glaze and Sweet Potatoes

2012-02-24T07:10:00.000-05:00

This Sunday we decided to invite a few friends over for dinner. Our plan was to roast a whole chicken and when we saw the recipe in our Food and Wine cookbook that called for both bourbon and pure maple syrup we had to try it out!

Ingredients:
2 pounds sweet potatoes peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoons fresh-ground black pepper
1 chicken (3 to 3 1/2 pounds)
1 tablespoon butter, cut into small pieces
6 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons bourbon
Directions:
1. Heat the oven to 425°. In a large roasting pan, toss the sweet potatoes with 1 tablespoon of the oil, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper. Push them to the edges of the pan, leaving a space in the center for the chicken.
2. Rub the cavity of the chicken with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and 1/8 teaspoon of the pepper. Twist the wings behind the back and tie the legs together. Put the chicken, breast-side up, in the center of the roasting pan. Coat the chicken with the remaining tablespoon oil, sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon of the pepper, and dot with the butter. Roast the chicken for 30 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the maple syrup, bourbon, and the remaining 3/4 teaspoon pepper. Remove the roasting pan from the oven and stir the potatoes. Brush the chicken with about 2 tablespoons of the glaze and drizzle the potatoes with about 1/2 tablespoon of the glaze. Return the pan to the oven and cook, stirring the potatoes and brushing the chicken with the remaining glaze 2 more times, until the chicken and potatoes are just done, about 30 minutes longer. Transfer the bird and potatoes to a plate and leave to rest in a warm spot for about 10 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, pour off the fat from the roasting pan. Add any accumulated juices from the chicken to the liquid in the pan. Serve the chicken with the pan juices and sweet potatoes.

Out of all of the Sunday Supper posts I have written up, this one might go down as my favorite! The chicken was moist and packed with a rich maple flavor. I would have liked the skin to be a bit crispier, which could have been helped by turning on the broiler for the last few minutes. The bourbon didn't come out as much in the chicken as it did in the sweet potatoes. Speaking of the sweet potatoes, I could have eaten the whole batch myself they were so good. If you are looking for a very fun and tasty recipe that was fairly easy to execute, I'd highly recommend this one!

Grizzly Peak Brewing Company in Ann Arbor, MI

2012-02-21T07:10:00.000-05:00

On our recent beercation to Ann Arbor, we had dinner at Grizzly Peak Brewing Company. We heard from many friends and even some local Ann Arbor folks that Grizzly Peak was one of the places we needed to visit. I was curious to see what this brewing company had to offer both in terms of both food and beer.

Food
My fiancee ordered the Grilled Steak Salad. This came with grilled hanger steak sliced over a salad of quinoa and mixed greens with manchego cheese, marcona almonds, roasted red beets and a side of basil pesto ranch dressing for $13.95. The steak was cooked to a perfect medium temperature and paired well with the quinoa and beets. The basil pesto ranch dressing was amazing. I am not even a fan of ranch dressing and I would have eaten an entire salad topped with this dressing. The only real criticism of this dish is that my fiancee wished there would have been more nuts and beets to help balance the meat and greens on the plate. That being said, she would highly recommend this dish for the salad/steak lover!

It took me all of ten seconds to make my dinner choice. When I looked at the menu and saw Hanger Steak with a red Thai Chili reduction, I knew I had to order it! The dish was also served with mashed potatoes and fresh sauteed Swiss chard and red onion for $18.95. The steak itself was cooked to a perfect medium. The combination of the steak and the red Thai Chili reduction created a perfect bite. I loved the rich, tender flavor of the steak. The reduction added a perfect balance of both sweet and spicy to everything on the plate. I even ended up dipping every bite of the well seasoned mashed potatoes in this reduction! Simply put, this dish was well proportioned, delicious and very reasonably priced. I'd order this dish again in a heartbeat.

After dining at Grizzly Peak we understand why so many people said we had to eat here. We were very happy with the food, and we gladly eat dinner here again!

Drinks
When we arrived, we had about a 20 minute wait before we were seated. We took this opportunity to order a sampler from the bar so I could see what Grizzly Peak had to offer. The sampler prices were very reasonable. Six four ounce samples were $6.95 and for every sample over six they only charged a dollar more.

From left to right we ordered the Pale Ale, Porter, Warm-Up Winter Ale, Irish Stout, Cask IPA, and the Cask Junicade Red Ale. Of these six the pale ale and the cask IPA were the most drinkable. Their flavors were light but well balanced. The porter and the cask stout were next, but really lacked body for the styles. Finally, the winter ale and the red ale were our least favorite. The winter ale had a very odd spice to it which really threw it out of balance. The red ale had a buttery note which was really off putting and we did not finish the sample. The beers at Grizzly Peak didn't wow either of us. I felt all of the beers were very "safe". Luckily they are owned by the same group that owns North Peak and Jolly Pumpkin, so they had a good selection of North Peak beers in bottles. I picked a bottle of the North Peak Dubious Black Chocolate Stout to drink with my dinner. This 5.5% abv. stout is light in alcohol, but not in body or flavor. This is one of the best session stouts you'll find anywhere, and is available here in Cleveland.

This was the best I could get with the lighting in the bar.

Atmosphere and Service

The atmosphere at Grizzly Peak is what you would expect at a very nice brewpub. Fun, friendly, and a little noisy thanks to the group of guys standing behind our table. Our server for the evening was very friendly and was open to giving suggestions about both food and beer. When I asked her what North Peak offerings they had, she didn't remember, but quickly found out and told me about each and every one in detail. We also liked that the brewery took the time to add recommended beers to each and every dish on the menu.

Overall

Grizzly Peak didn't wow us with their house-made beer, but they did with the food. The good news about the beer is that they carry a full line-up of North Peak beers which are usually very flavorful and very sessionable in terms of the abv. content. If you visit Ann Arbor, we would recommend stopping by Grizzly Peak for dinner and a sampler as we did. If you do, let us know your thoughts! Cheers!

Downtown Cleveland Restaurant Week February 27 - March 4, 2012

2012-02-18T13:23:00.000-05:00

Downtown Cleveland Restaurant Week kicks off on February 27 and goes through March 4 with more than 40 participating restaurants! Of the 40+ restaurants, each will offer $30 3-course menus for one or two diners, and a $15 lunch option at select restaurants.

A full list of participating restaurants with menus is available here.

New to Downtown Restaurant Week

Pura Vida by Brandt - Wholesome cuisine, craft cocktails, exceptional service in a one-of-a-kind Cleveland atmosphere

Taza – Lebanese grill with vegetarian, fish and meat lover appetizers and entrees inspired by traditional home-cooked meals

Prime Rib Steakhouse- Juicy, melt-in-your-mouth prime rib carved at your table to your specifications from gleaming silver carts

Pacer’s Ribhouse - Award-winning ribs

Noodlecat – A slurpalicious Japanese-American mash-up from Chef Jonathon Sawyer, inspired by Tokyo noodle worship and New York City noodle houses

“Restaurant Week Foodie Dream Package”

Interested in dining downtown for an entire year – for free? Restaurant Week diners will receive a small postcard with their meal at participating restaurants. A QR code on the back of the card will direct them to a form where they can enter to win a grand prize, including gift cards from participating downtown restaurants. Multiple other winners will be selected for special prizes.

Park and eat

During Restaurant Week, several downtown parking facilities will offer $2 parking to diners who show their special Restaurant Week parking voucher. The $2 parking special will be available to diners beginning at 5 p.m. each day during Restaurant Week.

The $2 parking voucher must be printed out prior to using it at participating lots. You can find the voucher here. To see participating parking lots and garages, click here to view the map.

Free Food Giveaway!

The kind folks at the Downtown Cleveland Alliance have offered up a $30 gift certificate to one lucky reader! The $30 gift certificate to Prime Rib Steakhouse that can be used anytime!

And the Winner is..... Comment #13 from @ohionewbie! Congrats and please email me your name and contact information at clevelandfoodandbrews at gmail. Cheers!

There are 3 ways to Enter The Giveaway

1. Leave one comment on this post telling me where you hope to eat during Downtown Cleveland Restaurant Week.

2. Share this post on Facebook by posting this link: http://hops.me/jsb

Then come back here and post a comment with your Facebook link. You can only do this once, and it counts as one entry.

3. Share this on Twitter: I want to win a $30 GC to Prime Rib Steakhouse from @CleFoodandBrews and @DowntownCLE: http://hops.me/jsb

Then come back here and post a comment with your Twitter link. This will count as one entry. You can do this every single day. Just make sure to leave a comment each time you tweet!

Rules:

--You have until Friday, February 24th, 2012 at 4:00pm EST to enter.

--Winner has 24 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.
--The winner will get their tickets via mail.
Disclosure: The DCA has provided a single $30 GC for this giveaway. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Momocho Mod Mex in Ohio City

2012-01-25T07:05:00.000-05:00

My fiancee wanted to go to Momocho for her birthday dinner. After reading all of the glowing reviews and even seeing them on Unique Eats, we just had to see what all the hype was about. It turned out that we met another couple for drinks before hand and asked them to join us for our meal! This would be our first time eating dinner at Momocho.

Food

We started our meal with the guacamole sampler. This gave us a chance to pick three different guacamole. From bottom to top in the picture below we picked the goat cheese with tomato chile and poblano peppers, the jicama with pineapple, chile habanero, and mint, and finally the garlic confit with bleu cheese, and chile verde. The goat cheese really stood out in contrast to the avacado. I enjoyed how each bite packed a punch. The sweet pineapple and jicama blend was my personal favorite because of the way it blended with the heat that came in late, and lingered on until the next bite. The bleu cheese had a lot of potential, but only a few bites actually got a bite of bleu cheese, the rest was just normal tasting guacamole.

We decided to try several different taquitos for our entrees. At the bottom of the picture we started with the pato, which was slow cooked duck confit with chile ancho and a pomegranate barbacoa. The duck was very moist and tender and the pomegranate sauce really had a nice balance of sweet to go along with the spiciness. This was my personal favorite of the four. Second from the bottom we had the machaca, which was coffee and ancho braised beef brisket with guacamole. Although the coffee didn't really come out, the flavor and the tenderness of the meat was outstanding. Third from the bottom we tried the special for the evening which was the mole beef. The beef was in a chocolate based sauce and the richness of the chocolate stood out. This was my fiance's favorite dish because the beef was even more tender than the braised beef brisket. Finally, the top dish in the picture was the carnitas, which was adobo braised pork with a honey-chipotle mojo. We were told this was one of the most popular dishes, and the flavors explained why. Simple, yet bold spices combined with tender and juicy pork.

To end our dinner some deep fried ice cream was brought to the table for the birthday girl! The presentation of this dish was very fun and the combination of flavor and texture of this dish were amazing. This really was a great way to end our fantastic dinner. I have to say that the hype that surrounds Momocho is well deserved because we would go back and order any of the taquitos again. Momocho offers bold flavors, perfectly cooked protein, and prices that are extremely reasonable considering the high quality of food!

Drinks
Momocho is known for their margaritas so we each decided to try what many consider their best, the cucumber margarita. All four of us felt the amount of sour mix used in the drink was just too much. We asked if it was possible to get it remade, but we were informed that it was already premixed, and would likely taste exactly the same. This was a slight disappointment because we have tried this drink at Momocho before, and this time it really fell flat. As far as beer goes Momocho offers your standard Mexican brews such as Corona and Dos Equis.

Atmosphere and Service
The room was dimly light and the environment is full of flair. The picture at the top of this review is just a glimpse at some of the artwork that is posted up all over the restaurant. Momocho's atmosphere definitely says fun, but also has a very relaxed feel to it which we very much enjoyed. Our server for the night was outstanding. Her service was everything you would want and expect at a restaurant. She was friendly, funny, knowledgeable, and very helpful when it came to questions about the menu and the food. With service and food like we had during this dinner experience it is no wonder so many people rave about Momocho!

Lee Anne Wong Pop Up at Noodle Cat January 21st Giveaway

2012-01-16T09:55:00.001-05:00

Lee Anne Wong's first trip to Noodle Cat for a Pop-Up dinner was a huge success. If you missed the first event, you won't want to miss her second trip back to Cleveland on January 21st at 6:30pm to celebrate the Lunar New Year. Lee Anne Wong is best known for her success on the first season of Bravo’s Top Chef, where she then went on to be the supervising culinary producer. She has competed on Iron Chef America and is the host of Unique Eats on the Cooking Channel. Lee Anne lives and works mostly in NYC, but enjoys traveling and cooking all over the world.

The dinner for this event will feature 5 courses for $69.
The Menu Includes:

Crispy Fish Salad w/ romaine, parmesan & lemon sesame dressing
Char Siu Pork Jiaozi w/ soy chili dipping sauce
Seamed Fish w/ sizzling oil, green onion, ginger & soy
Kung Pao Prawns w/ celery & rice salad
And much more!!

Tickets can be purchased at : http://www.eventbrite.com/event/2671429317/efblike

***And the winner is....Comment #35 by Jen who said...The Kung Pao Prawns sound amazing! Jen, please email me at clevelandfoodandbrews@gmail.com

Giveaway

Ready for some good news? I've been given two tickets to give away to one lucky reader. To enter the giveaway simply read the directions below!

There are 3 ways to Enter The Giveaway

1. Leave one comment on this post telling me which of the three posted courses you are most interested in trying.

2. Share this post on Facebook by posting this link: http://hops.me/bte

Then come back here and post a comment with your Facebook link. You can only do this once, and it counts as one entry.

3. Share this on Twitter:

I want to win 2 tickets to the @bricknmortar216 pop-up featuring @leeannewong! Check out the @CleFoodandBrews Giveaway: http://hops.me/bte
The come back here and post a comment with your Twitter link. This will count as one entry. You can do this every single day. Just make sure to leave a comment each time you tweet!

Rules:

--You have until Thursday, January 19th, 2012 at 9:00pm EST to enter.

--Winner has 24 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.
--The winner will get their tickets at the door when they arrive for the event.

Flour Rustic Italian Kitchen in Moreland Hills

2012-01-05T06:52:00.000-05:00

After being open now for several months and with new head Chef Matthew Mytro at the helm, we decided to check out Flour Restaurant in Moreland Hills.
Food
With so many menu choices, we decided to do dinner a little differently tonight. Flour offers you two choices in size for the past and entrees. Instead of getting a single full dish, we each decided to each get two halves, which would allow us to try more food.

My fiancee's first choice was the Local Greens salad. In addition to the fresh local greens it came topped with radish, carrots, tomato, baby cucumber and a roasted shallot vinaigrette. The baby cucumbers were perfect size for the salad and the salad dressing was very refreshing.

I picked one of the three specials for my first choice. It was black pepper papardelle, served with preserved tomatoes, quail confit, roasted parsnips, and a chestnut cream sauce. The pasta was cooked perfectly, and the richness from the chestnut cream sauce paired perfectly with the quail confit. I also loved how the tomatoes added a contrasting flavor of sweetness. The last tasting note that I took away from this dish was how the chestnuts were used two ways. Not only were they cooked down in the cream sauce, but they were also used in their raw state. I thought this was a smart use because it added a little more texture to the soft pasta and quail. I would order this dish again, and I'd probably order the full because it was so tasty. Finally, even the half size of this dish was pretty substantial because this style of pasta is very filling.

For my fiancee's second dish she ordered the half portion of the Pumpkin Risotto. This risotto came with roasted Ohio pumpkin, thyme, cinnamon, and clove. The pumpkin flavor was very mild but married well with the creaminess of the risotto. The risotto was garnished with roasted pumpkin seeds which added great texture.

For my second dish, I decided to try one of the wood fired pizzas. I love crispy wood fired Italian style pizza, so I picked the Romana. This pizza came with crushed tomato, garlic, kalamata olives, chili flakes, and anchovy oil. The first thing I always look at when I get a pizza like this is the crust. The outside part of this crust was cooked well, but the middle half under all of the toppings still could have used a bit more cooking because it was not crispy enough. (Edit: To clarify this statement, the center should be softer than the outside in this style of pizza, but the center still needed a few more additional minutes of cooking.) I enjoyed the contrast in flavors between the olives and the somewhat spicy chili flakes, but the anchovy oil didn't do much to add to the flavor. I also noticed that the sauce and tomatoes were so much in the background compared to the other flavors they were almost tasteless. This wasn't a bad pizza, but I was expecting an even, crispy crust with more well balanced flavors.

Overall, three out of the four dishes we ordered were very good. My fiancee had a good overall meal and I was extremely happy with my pasta dish. We will go back to Flour based on these three good dishes, and I will order another pizza to compare with this experience.

Drinks

Flour offers a full service bar with an extensive wine list. Wine by the glass starts at $7.00 and bottles start at $30. They also offered just a few craft beer options. When we visited there were four draft options available. Great Lakes Dortmunder and Christmas Ale were on tap along with Thirsty Dog Old LegHumper Porter and Labrador Lager. Outside of these choices they had a few standard Italian beers such as Moretti and Peroni.

Atmosphere and Service

The look of Flour is very modern and sort of a shock for a rustic Italian kitchen concept. It was not what I expected at all in terms of design, but it was a very inviting space. I really liked how the kitchen was an open concept for the customers to see. There was even seating that would allow almost a chefs table experience. Our service for the evening was average at best. Our waitress seemed to be just going through the motions and really didn't want to offer up any solid opinions even when we asked her. In fact, at one point when we asked her what some of the most popular dishes were she responded with "It is hard to say because we just opened 8 months ago." To me, in 8 months a restaurant and the servers have a very good idea what is popular, and she should have been able to offer up some information when we asked her. The food did come out in a very timely fashion, but it took her quite a while to check to see how our food was and if there were any problems. Overall, I'd expect a higher level of knowledge about the menu, and more willingness to offer suggestions at a restaurant like this. We'll likely go back because most of our food was good, and I'd like to see if our experience is the same or better than this time.

Willoughby Brewing Company Review #2

2011-12-12T18:41:00.002-05:00

Our last trip to Willoughby Brewing for dinner left a very good taste in our mouths. We recently went back for dinner because they had once again updated their menu with some very interesting items. Would this experience be as positive as our last?

Food
For my entrée, I decided to try the Magma Melt. This melt was comprised of a large burger topped with deep fried jalapenos, pepper jack cheese, lettuce, tomato, and house made magma sauce. I don’t know if you can tell from the picture but this melt was huge. The two pieces of bread were very fresh, and really stood up to the vast amount of ingredients inside. The burger itself was cooked to a perfect juicy medium, and the magma sauce added just enough kick when combined with the crunchy fried jalapenos. Speaking of the jalapenos, they not only added heat, but they also added excellent texture to each bite. The fries also provided extra crunch to the dish because they were crispy and well seasoned with salt. I was very pleased with this melt, and thought it was a great value for only $11.99. If you are going for a snack, 2 people could honestly split this dish.

My fiancee ordered the Chopped Cob Salad, $11.99. It came with romaine lettuce, grilled chicken, bacon, egg, cucumber, avocado, roasted tomatoes, and black olives. It was supposed to be tossed in a creamy Parmesan dressing, but she elected to get it on the side instead. She really enjoyed the generous amount of avocado but the roasted tomatoes were a touch too garlicky. The chicken was moist and well seasoned and every ingredient in the salad was very fresh.

Once again our food tasted good and was very reasonably priced. I'd rate our food this evening a 4.75/5.

Drinks
Willoughby Brewing continues to impress me with the quality of their beer. Tonight we both were drinking the Moonshadow IPA. What I like most about this beer is that it has a very nice balance of hops and bitterness. I always enjoy a hoppy beer but my fiancée, who is not a hophead, really enjoyed this brew as well. You have to appreciate a beer like this that can please a diverse group of palates. Outside of this IPA, the line up at Willoughby continues to shine and I’d highly recommend stopping in for a pint or two! If you like to enjoy a Willoughby Brewing Company Beer at home, they will fill any growler you bring in. You can sign up for the growler club and after 8 growler fill-ups you earn a free one!

Service
Once again, our server was friendly and prompt with drinks and food. She was knowledgeable about the menu and was open with her thoughts and opinions on the dishes we inquired about. The service we received tonight was equal to the service we had in the previous review. It is nice to see this consistency in the service. Overall, Tonight was another example of why I’ll say Willoughby Brewing is 100% back! The beer that is being brewed is better than ever, and the menu/food has now caught up in terms of quality and variety. If you have not made the trip to downtown Willoughby yet, now is the time to head out to Willoughby Brewing for a tasty food and brew combination.

Key Bank Rewards Week: Free Food Truck Grub and a Giveaway

2011-12-08T17:17:00.001-05:00

That is right, Key Bank is picking up your tab at local food trucks! All you have to do is follow the trucks on twitter to find out their location. When you show up Wednesday December 14th, Key Bank will pay for your food! This is all part of Key Bank's week long rewards event where they are offering different promotions around the great city of Cleveland! To see what else is going on this week just visit Key Rewards Week.

To make your life easy, I've linked the food trucks names below directly to their twitter handles! Happy Eating Cleveland! (As a side note, the number of free meals is limited so be sure to get there early!)

Participating food trucks include:

Sweet! The Mobile Cupcakery

Giveaway

In addition to this wonderful Key Bank Food Event, I've also been given a $25 Key Possibilities MasterCard Gift Card to give away to one lucky reader. You could use this to visit your favorite food truck anytime!

And the winner is comment #6 by Crystal!

There are 3 ways to Enter The Giveaway

1. Leave one comment on this post telling me which truck you would like to get free food from.

2. Share this post on Facebook by posting this link: http://hops.me/855

Then come back here and post a comment with your Facebook link. You can only do this once, and it counts as one entry.

3. Share this on Twitter:

Check out the $25 Key Possibilities MasterCard Giveaway that @CleFoodandBrews is doing at: http://hops.me/855 #KeyRewardsWeek
The come back here and post a comment with your Twitter link. This will count as one entry. You can do this every single day. Just make sure to leave a comment each time you tweet!

Rules:

--You have until Sunday December 18th, 2011 at 9:00am EST to enter.

--Winner has 24 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.
--The card will be mailed to the winner.
--Disclosure: I offered two $25 Key Possibilities MasterCard Gift Cards for helping to promote this Food Truck Event. (One for myself and one to giveaway.)