Cleveland Foodie

lola over pizza hut the second time around

Michelle V — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 13:48:00 +0000

In 1989, I was a 12-year-old 8th grader with very big hair (we’re talking at least a half can of Rave hairspray used to hold my bangs in place) and an obsession for French-cuffed acid washed jeans and New Kids on the Block. In the spring of that year, my sister took my mom’s station wagon (the SS Esther as we would call it) and took me and my friends to dinner at Pizza Hut followed by the New Kids concert at the old Coliseum.

Cut to 2008, 19 years later. I’m now 32, 30 weeks pregnant, no longer sport the wall of bangs or cuffed jeans, but somehow (and I’m actually a little embarrassed to admit this) found myself back at the New Kids concert with my friends – although this time, Lola was wisely chosen over Pizza Hut (and my sister didn’t need to drive).

Let’s just say I was more excited about the dinner and being with my friends than the actual concert. Although it was fun to be 12 again for a night, my music tastes have (thankfully) improved and I just felt silly being this preggers at a concert. Luckily, there’s never a bad time for dinner at Lola.

I love this restaurant. I actually enjoy it more now then I did at its original location. I’ve talked about the space numerous times in previous posts (even the bathroom!), but it really is one of the most beautifully designed restaurants around. And our meal and service were equally as impressive.

To start off, my one friend and I split the haloumi (Greek cheese) and melon appetizer with mint and almonds, and the heirloom tomato salad with arugula, frisee, basil and two mini blue cheese croguettes.

I especially enjoyed the haloumi and melon. The salty flavor and texture of this cheese paired wonderfully with the sweet watermelon. Sweet and salt – my favorite combination. Beautifully presented and incredibly enjoyable.

For my meal, I went with the braised short ribs with root vegetables and gremolata. Surprisingly, I often hear people say they are disappointed by the portion sizes at Lola. If that’s the case, clearly they haven’t had this dish because the portion size was rather impressive – even for someone who is pregnant.

Overall, the ribs were incredibly tender (no knife needed) and flavorful. The perfect fall meal. While I genuinely enjoyed each bite, I wouldn’t say they were my favorite (that distinction still goes to Crush in Seattle) but I would happily order again and again.

For dessert, we finished with the strawberry shortcake and a trio of cheeses. The small bite of the shortcake I had was wonderful, but for me, cheese will always win. A great selection put together by our server, which of course I can’t recall.

In general, I have to say I am really impressed with that whole area and need to get down more often. And very soon, there will be the addition of The Greenhouse Tavern and our friend’s coffee shop, two places that will undoubtedly do well and I know we’ll frequent often.

So was it the best concert I’ve ever been to? Not even close (that would be a tie between Pearl Jam and Paul McCartney). But as silly as I may have felt, I did have fun stepping back in time for a few hours and especially enjoyed our fabulous meal at Lola – which was definitely the highlight of the evening for me. That, and looking at all the 30-something women try and fit into their original concert tees from 1989!

attention all chefs

Michelle V — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 17:07:00 +0000

My friend Christina just sent me this story in USA Today about Seattle chefs leading culinary tours throughout the city. On each tour, the chef will accompany eager participants to the market to shop for the day’s ingredients, then back to the chef’s restaurant for a cooking demo.

If they were offering this tour when we were in Seattle last October, we totally would have signed up. We ate at Crush and of course visited Pike Place Market. Let’s just say we still talk about our fabulous experience and dinner at Crush.

Christina is right, Cleveland should totally offer similar tours. We have all the ingredients needed to make this happen, and it wouldn’t be difficult to execute. I’d happily be among the first to sign up. This would be wonderful for our city and another great way to showcase all the talent and delicious and inventive food that is right here.

weekend in seattle

Michelle V — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 18:49:00 +0000

I’m very loyal to Cleveland and happy living here. I’ve had many opportunities over the years to move elsewhere but have never once been tempted. That is, until this past weekend.

My husband and I have never been to Seattle and thought it would be fun to explore a new city. While I’m really not going anywhere, I could easily picture myself living in Seattle and am already thinking about our next visit. The weather was picture perfect for fall and the city itself is beautiful with all its natural beauty and surroundings. And perhaps my favorite thing was the intense smell of autumn leaves that hits you at every corner. Well, that and coffee.

To prep for the visit, I shared several e-mails with Nancy Leson, food critic for The Seattle Times, especially on where to eat. Between Nancy and a handful of other Seattle fans, we had a great itinerary for our trip.

Crush
This was our favorite meal and restaurant while visiting. We both had the braised short ribs – house specialty and Food & Wine favorite. Easily the best dish of its kind I’ve ever had. And my husband said it was definitely the best meal of his entire life (so much for my cooking). The atmosphere was right up our alley, too. An older home restored with simple yet very sophisticated decor. It was chaotic inside, but in a good way.

Salumi
Thanks to Dominic Cerino, we had lunch with Gina Batali, owner of Salumi and Mario’s sister. She was very generous with her time (gave us a tour), knowledge and of course, salami and cured meats. She gave us so many different selections to try I didn’t think I’d be able to eat the rest of the weekend. My favorites include the culatello (heart of prosciutto), mole salami, hot sopressata, fennel sausage, agrumi, lomo and guanciale. This little shop boasts quite the business. Even Michael Symon apparently gets some salumi from Gina. This was a fun experience and one that we will always remember. It’s not often you have the opportunity to sit down with someone like Gina, share a bottle of wine and try all sorts of salumi.

Le Pichet
Quaint little French cafe near Pike Place Market. Stopped in for some coffee, apple cake (for Jamie) and a trio of cheese (for me). I loved the feeling and warmth of this little restaurant. I could see something like it doing very well in Cleveland.

Lampreia
Gina Batali and the strangers that shared our table warned us about this place. They said the food was amazing, but the chef was a bit crazy, kind of like the soup nazi. We should have taken their suggestion and tried Harvest Vine or Tavolata instead. While the food was absolutely fantastic (soft shell crab wrapped in sliced apples for starters and butternut squash gnocchi for dinner) the overall vibe was like having dinner in a library. There was no noise – anywhere. Not even a plate clinking in the kitchen. It was as if everyone was afraid to make a subtle move or a noise above a whisper. And I swear the chef was starring at us from the partially opened kitchen. It was very serious and intense – just not our kind of place. But the food truly was delicious, especially the appetizer. Very creative and a unique pairing of flavors. And the presentation was second to none. I have never seen anything quite like this. Every single dish that came out of that kitchen was meticulously designed. The chef would get incredibly high scores on Iron Chef for presentation alone. But the delicious Italian food and beautiful presentation would not be enough to draw me back. I come from a very big Italian family. We don’t do quiet.

Madoka
Nancy said if you’re coming to Seattle, you need to take a ferry ride and suggested this place on Bainbridge Island. What a great suggestion – especially the ferry ride. Great views and really a must-do for visitors. While we really only saw one street on the island, it reminded me of a large, urban Chagrin Falls. And the pan-pacific restaurant was equally as good. I had the tuna spring roll and scallops with ginger-chili pesto and corn fritters. Both very good. Great decor, too.

Woodinville wineries
We spent Saturday afternoon checking out the Columbia and Chateau Ste Michele wineries. Very informative and overall fun experience. The grounds at Ste Michelle were stunning with the old mansion serving as a backdrop. Ideal place to get married – but apparently, they don’t do weddings.

Pike Place Market
This might have been my favorite activity in the city. We watched the guys throw fish and went to the first Starbucks and watched them make cheese at Beecher’s (best-grilled cheese ever).

There is so much to see, do, and try. If I lived there, I’d easily spend half my paycheck on all the fresh seafood and produce. Everywhere we ate it’s evident that the people truly believe in celebrating farm to fork.