The establishment feels like a moderately upscale bar / restaurant with dark wooden beams and a stylish decor.  The ambience is informal, and we were among a number of groups with children.

Despite arriving before 5:30pm, we weren’t seated for a half hour.  The waiting area is small with few chairs, and we felt a bit cramped while standing. 

We were very comfortable once seated, though.  The booths are among the most comfortable in town, with thick, supportive uphostery.  Tables are set with a free basket of tasty, homemade potato chips, so any hunger pangs from waiting were immediately put at bay.

Jammy Buggars has an excellent list of draft and bottled beers, and I started with a Bourbon Barrel ale ($4.50).  Despite liking both bourbon and ale, this will be my last try on this beer, which is not smooth enough to fully evoke bourbon but too woody for beer.

For our appetizer we ordered the soft pretzel rolls ($7).  The pretzels themselves were perfectly airy but with a subtle bite on the outside.  The cheese dipping sauce was amazing, but the mustard and sweet cinnamon sauces were good, too.  We had no trouble quickly polishing these off, but next time we might request three crocks of the cheese.

Sarah ordered the Almost Downtown Chicken Hoagie ($10.25) for dinner.  The chicken was perfectly cooked and well-complimented by garlicky sauce and slab bacon.  The fries were also good, as was the bun.

I had the “Melted Amy” ($9.50), a focaccia sandwich with lots of vegetables–portabella, spinach, roasted pepper and onions–nicely complimented by garlicky boursin and provolone cheese.   While the sandwich was very tasty, I found it a bit bread-heavy and removed the top bun.  I was also filling up on a second beer, Victory’s Golden Monkey ($5.50).  My feelings on this high ABV Belgian have been middling in the bottle, but this draft version was outstanding, boozy and fruity with a bit of a hop kick on the tail end.

I had subbed the sweet potato fries ($1.50) for regular and was not disappointed.  They were mildly flavored with airy sweet potato under a cruchy exterior.

Jonathan had the kids’ macaroni and cheese ($5), which seemed to have the same cheese sauce that came with the pretzels.  He finished every bite.  We might try the adult mac and cheese in the future, which features andouille sausage, broccoli and tomatoes.

Our service was excellent.  Our waiter was friendly, knowledgeable and attentive.

“Jammy Buggars” is basically British slang for “lucky bastard.”   Based on the quality of the food and the reasonable prices, this is quite likely how you’ll feel after dining here.

My favorite was the Mango Sriracha Glaze.  The recipe calls for chicken thighs but was really good on breasts, and we used leftovers for wings.  The sauce took all of three minutes to make, and we didn’t add it until after cooking (although I did boil the sauce briefly to meld the flavors).  The combination of sweet mango, hot sriracha and rice vinegar was awesome.

Sarah was partial to the Peach Ginger Soy Glaze.  The recipe calls for peach jam and fresh ginger, but our jam was ginger peach, further simplifying an already easy recipe.  We used it on already cooked chicken the first time, but it was also good on the broiled wings as specified in the recipe.

I also brought along Soy and Blackberry Glaze (made after reading a post by Dine-O-Mite), which was still good after a little over a year.

I came up with one original recipe, a “margarita glazed swordfish” with a mixture of lime marmalade, tequila, triple sec, vinegar, and chili flakes, cooked briefly and then brushed on cooked swordfish.  I didn’t like this quite as much of the others, but part of the issue was the slightly overdone fish.  On the side are oven roasted vegetables: carrots, potatoes, zucchini, garlic and broccoli stalks, basically stuff hanging around in the fridge.  Sarah was not happy with the broccoli, but I found it an interesting addition.

The restaurant itself is plain, and the decor consists of the work of local artists (for sale) and plants.  Natural light abounds during the day.  The menu has not changed in decades — but this is a positive attribute.  Although known for being vegetarian, their menu does not exclude meat.  Some of the more popular items on the menu include milk shakes, french fries, toasted cheese (served on pita), salads with Louie dressing (a take on Thousand Island).

One of our favorites is the unusual pairing of hummus, toasted cheese and fresh vegetables.  Warm hummus with melted cheese sounds odd — but tastes really good.  Jonathan gave the dish the kid stamp of approval.  Our only minor complaint is that there should have been more pita bread to match the quantity of hummus.

On a recent visit Ben and I each tried something we haven’t had before from the menu.  I had a spinach pie with cheese, which was quite good.  I would definitely order it again.  It is meal sized, includes plenty of munster cheese and is pleasantly spiced.

Ben ordered the BLT, and added an egg.  The BLT is served on a pita like most of their other sandwiches.  It wasn’t quite as good as the other items we ordered–a bit light on the bacon–and might have been better with added cheese (but what isn’t?)

We skipped their excellent fries in order to experiment a bit, but we’ll definitely get them next time we visit.

Inspired by The Cage Free Tomato and Sarah’s idea of blogging on our cultural heritage, I home cured some salmon.

My dad’s side of the family is Jewish, and most breakfasts when we visited family in New York were lox, bagels and cream cheese.  I never understood this as a kid–fish for breakfast?–but I’ve gotten a taste for it as an adult.

I used farmed Atlantic salmon from Whole Foods (farmed seems safer for a raw preparation) and part of a 50 ml bottle of mezcal brought home from a recent vacation.  I basically followed this recipe, substituting mezcal for the Scotch.

The results were quite good, at least as good as most commercially bought lox or gravlax but a bit cheaper.  Despite the almost unpalatable smokiness of straight mezcal, there was very little smoke flavor in the finished dish.  That said, the recipe did only call for a little bit (1.5 t. for the 1/2 lb of salmon I used).

Next time I might try this recipe if I can summon the patience to repeatedly indoor smoke over tea leaves.

Sarah from Top Chef recently won one episode with her sausage stuffed cabbage.  It looked really good to me, so I decided to make it.

Sarah (from this blog, not Top Chef) typically dislikes stuffed cabbage, which is usually filled with a tomato beef sauce.  This recipe has no tomatoes but lots of vegetables.  In addition to the big cabbage leaves, the meat mixture also contains more cabbage and onions and is stuffed into kale.  Sarah really liked it, and even Jonathan enjoyed it.

The recipe we made is modified in a number of ways from the Top Chef recipe published here.  It uses less butter and less olive oil.  And, instead of two small heads of cabbage (green and Napa), we used the one large head we got from City Fresh.  It might be very good with Napa, though.  I wouldn’t suggest following the original recipe to the letter.  Bravo tends to be pretty sloppy with these, including not mentioning when the onions are sauteed, putting “spinach” in the name of a recipe that contains no spinach and never mentioning what to do with one of the sticks of butter.

Pork Sausage Stuffed Cabbage and Kale with Browned Butter

1 head green cabbage
1 bunch kale, preferably Tuscan, large leaves
8 ounces pork shoulder or ground pork
2 ounces smoked bacon
1 cup grated Parmesan
12 saltine crackers
1 egg
2 TB olive oil
1 stick butter, divided
kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
2 shallots, thinly sliced
1 sprig rosemary
1/2 medium onion, minced
8 year old balsamic, drizzle

1. Heat a large pot of water to a boil. Season with kosher salt.

2. Sauté onions in 2 TB butter.
3. Strip the large leaves from half of the green cabbage, then shred the remaining cabbage and add to onions.
4. Remove stems from kale leaves and cook in boiling water for 5 minutes, then cool in ice water. Repeat step for whole cabbage leaves, cook for 3 minutes.
5. With a meat grinder attachment for the kitchen aid, grind pork butt and bacon together. Season with salt (about 1 teaspoon) and pepper. If using ground pork, finely chop the bacon and add to ground pork.
6. Remove cooked shredded cabbage and onion from the sauté pan, reserve.
7. Add ground meat mixture to the pan and cook. Remove and add to shredded cabbage and onions..
8. In a food processor or coffee grinder, pulse the saltine crackers until smooth.
9. Place the cabbage/meat mixture in a bowl and mix in crackers. Add 1 egg and 1/2 cup grated parmesan. Season with salt and pepper.
10. Lay out blanched kale on a cutting board. Evenly distribute the filling mixture.
11. Roll kale up into cigar shape.
12. Lay out whole cabbage leaves.
13. Roll kale rolls into the cabbage. Lay rolls in a casserole dish and top with a few pats of butter. Bake for 25 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
14. Heat 2 TB olive oil in a small sauté pan over medium heat. Add shallots and fry on low until golden brown. Remove from oil
15. Heat remaining butter (about 5 TB) over medium heat until brown, remove.
16. Remove cabbage from oven, top with parmesan, shallots, rosemary sprig. Finish with brown butter and drizzle balsamic.

We crossed the river to visit Barroco Grill a few weeks ago and very much enjoyed it.

The establishment is at 129th and Madison in Lakewood and only seats around 20 people at most.  We were there during a large birthday party, so the three of us squeezed ourselves into a table meant for two.

The specialty of the house is arepas, a cross between a tortilla and crusty bread that is common in Colombia and Venezuela.  They are made of white corn masa and deep fried, with a thickness and toothsomeness that is very satisfying.

Sarah and I split the Chorizo Arepa ($9) and the Cheesy Corn ($8).  While the arepa was tasty, I wasn’t a fan of the combination of crumbly “bread” and crumbly chorizo (Sarah didn’t mind this).  I added a fried egg to the leftovers, though, which made  for a perfect sandwich.  This might be a good option on the menu.  What isn’t improved by a fried egg?

The Cheesy Corn, an non-traditional dish created by the owner, was unbelievably good.  A bowl of melted mozzarella cheese mixed with corn, chicken and bacon is served with arepa “chips.”  I could eat this on a daily basis. Jonathan really liked this as well.

Jonathan ordered the “Super Dog,” a hot dog topped with garlic sauce, ranchero sauce and pineapple.  The sweet and mildly spiced sauces paired perfectly with the hot dog and pineapple.  The flavor combination beats ketchup and mustard any day.

Our service was also very good.  We mistakenly knocked over a pop and the arepa–there wasn’t much room at our table–and our server brought us another one on the house three minutes later.  The establishment is also BYOB.  I didn’t do this as we were there for lunch, but it would be a great dinner option.

The owner told us that there will be a new location opening soon in the Warehouse District with a third planned  opening near Beachwood Mall.  We look forward to having a more nearby location so we can eat more arepas.

I was listening to NPR lately and heard Steve Inskeep interviewing Nigella Lawson about holiday recipes (which can be found here).  She discussed pumpkin goat cheese lasagna as a good, inexpensive main dish.  I had a City Fresh pumpkin around (and fresh sage out back still doing well despite the snow), so I thought I’d give it a try.

Because this was a Sunday dinner rather than a family gathering, I halved the recipe.  I also made homemade tomato sauce: sautee an onion in 3 TB olive oil for a few minutes; add a 28 oz. can of whole tomatoes, chopped, and some dried basil; cook for 10–15 minutes.  Lawson’s sauce recipe calls for a lot of salt, probably to add flavor to the unsalted noodles.  I didn’t measure it, but just added enough so that the sauce / water mixture tasted overseasoned but palatable.

I also made homemade lasagna noodles using about 7 oz. of flour and 4 oz. of eggs.  I tend to find Ruhlman’s 3:2 ratio (which would be 6 oz. flour to 4 oz. eggs) creates holey dough.

The dish turned out really well, and the pumpkin was present but not overpowering.  Even Jonathan ate it.  I would have been happy to serve this to guests for Christmas dinner along with a salad, although this might not have been a great idea for Sarah’s family as they are pretty dedicated carnivores.

I paired it with a Trader Joe’s boxed Shiraz, which was quite drinkable if not notable.  At 3 liters for $9, it would definitely make for an economical festive dinner.

(Mom’s passport pic)

I can remember my mom telling me that she would make this recipe for her family when she was 12.  I couldn’t imagine making this when I was 12.  At that age I could barely make toast.

The recipe is for rouladens.  When I was growing up my mom would make this on special occasions, and it was a favorite of mine.  I was brave and invited my parents over to share my preparation of this dish.  The final verdict among my family was that it was not as good as mom’s, but there were hardly any left overs so it was pretty good.  Even Jonathan enjoyed it — but his favorite is anything with mashed potatoes.  Ben actually liked my version better.  He’s not a fan of canned mushroom soup, an ingredient in the original.

A brief search of the web brings up a few recipes that are similar, with the basic ingredients being onions, bacon, pickles and mustard rolled up in a thin steak.

Do you have a dish your family prepares traditionally around the holidays?

Below is my version, a combination of my mom’s and a few recipes from the web:

Sarah’s Rouladens

• 2 lbs. thin sliced New York Strip Steak
• bacon (at least 3/4 lb.), chopped
• onions
• olive oil
• dill pickle spears
• mushrooms
• beef broth
• mustard
• thyme
• salt
• pepper

Fry bacon and and onions in olive oil.  Drain and set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Pound beef thin and season with salt and pepper.  Combine bacon / onion mixture with mushrooms and thyme.  Put a dill pickle spear in the middle of each steak and pile on mixture.  Roll up each rouladen around pickle mixture and seal with a toothpick.

In the same pan you used to fry the bacon, sear the rouladens on all sides until nicely browned.

Place rouldens in a roasting pan and add a couple cups of beef broth.  Cover with tin foil and cook at 375 degrees for one hour.

Serve with mashed potatoes, using the broth in the pan as gravy.

Here is my mom’s original recipe (she doesn’t use measurements):

Rouladens

• Flip steaks
• mustard of your choice
• bacon
• onions
• dill pickles
• mushrooms
• golden mushroom soup
• salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste.

Chop bacon, onions, dill pickles & mushrooms — separate into small bowls

Sprinkle salt, pepper and garlic powder on both sides of flip steaks, pound lightly on both sides.

Spread each steak on one side with mustard; in the center of each flip steak add some bacon, onions, mushrooms and dill pickles.

Make a packet of each steak, wrapping the flip steak around the ingredients, wrap string around it to seal the contents (I just use cotton sewing thread) don’t tie the string.

In a good size frying pan add some olive oil and brown all sides of the meat packets.

When all sides are browned remove the packets, take the string off and place seam side down in a baking dish. This ensures that the contents stay inside the packets.

Add the rest of the bacon, onions, pickles and mushrooms to the frying pan and saute until the onions are translucent.

Add the golden mushroom soup with out water and simmer for about 5 minutes.

Pour the entire mixture over the meat packets in the pan and bake in the oven at 375 degrees for about one hour.

Serve with mashed potatoes and use the golden mushroom stuff as a gravy.

For Thanksgiving we brought Rachel Ray’s Brussels Sprouts with Bacon with the addition of walnuts.  These were the best Brussels Sprouts I’d ever had.  The bacon and braising seemed to cover up any bitterness, and they were pretty popular.

Our cranberry apple relish was also good, but we were left with quite a bit.  We used all of it in muffins, though, which turned out really well, hearty from the whole grains and sweet / sour from the cranberries.

Roasted acorn and buttercup squash (from City Fresh) was another story.  Sarah and I really liked it, but pretty much no one else touched it, leaving us with a lot of leftovers.  However, I used it as a substitute for the carrots in Smoove B’s carrot chocolate chip muffins (adapted recipe below) and Jonathan I loved them.   (Sarah doesn’t like anything resembling pumpkin pie).

Acorn Squash and Chocolate Chip Muffins

(adapted from this recipe by the Onion’s Smoove B)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 2/3 cup chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup walnuts (optional)

• 2 large eggs
• 2/3 cup of sugar
• generous cup roasted acorn squash
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 5 TB. melted butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease muffin cups.  Combine first ten ingredients in a medium bowl, then combine next five ingredients in a medium bowl.  Combine mixtures, stirring just until mixed.  Divide between 12 muffin tins and bake for between 18–25 minutes, until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Makes 12 of the best winter squash muffins you will have ever eaten.

Winter Squash Risotto 

We also made risotto with buttercup squash, ancho peppers and fontina, which was a lot like a very flavorful macaroni and cheese.  The whole family enjoyed it.

(adapted from The Better homes and Gardens hot & spicy cookbook)

• 2 dried ancho (mild), chipotle (hot) or pasilla (hotter) peppers
• 1 1/2 cups cubed peeled buttercup, butternut or acorn squash
• 1 bunch green onions, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 TB. olive oil
• 1 cup Arborio rice
• 3 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• 1 cup shredded fontina or Muenster cheese (4 oz)
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 1/4 cup toasted pumpkin or squash seeds (optional)

Based on numerous visits, we have been very happy with Sweetie Fry.   The list of flavors contains most of the standards, but there is still an element of adventure to the offerings.

 
(the menu above is from a few weeks ago–they switch up flavors regularly)

Everything we’ve tried has been excellent.  The pumpkin pie was deep orange and strongly flavored with pumpkin and spice.  The chocolate raspberry is a perfect combination of rich chocolate and bittersweet jam.  The maple bacon is full of mapley sweetness and smokey bacon.  Even the mango sorbet has a rich texture rarely found in anything without cream.

Their ice cream has the flavor intensity of gelato with some of the creamy richness of traditional ice cream.  Whatever their base recipe is, they should definitely stick with it.

The space is inviting with lots of wood and a number of tables.  The staff and owner are also very friendly and welcome customers to try new flavors and samples.  They include an optional “Sweetie Scoop” with every order, a small scoop on top that allows you to try an additional flavor.

The fries are also outstanding.  They offer traditional, shoestring and waffle fries along with numerous sauces such as barbecue mayo and masala, all of which have been good.  The fries are crispy and clean tasting with no apparent oiliness.  They also offer “entree fries” including chili cheese, truffle Parmesan and Tabasco Gorgonzola.  We’ve gotten the waffle fries with freshly grated cheddar cheese, which tasted really good in near freezing weather.  I said that the fries were a cross between a fry and a potato chip.  Sarah, after eating more than she thought she should, said that they were more like a cross between food and drug.

If you live in the area, there’s no excuse for not giving Sweetie Fry a try, no matter what the season.