ladies who lunch

September 14, 2011

I’ve always wondered about ladies who lunch. I have often joked that that’s who I’d like to come back as. Well, the past few months (thanks to maternity leave) that’s just what has become of me. Although something tells me the two aren’t exactly the same.

My afternoon partners in crime have been my two beautiful daughters, Natalie and Olivia. With Olivia still being carted everywhere in her car seat, this is typically the easy time to be out and about. And thankfully Natalie continues to be a pretty good diner, as long as we eat early (like as soon as the doors open), bring something to occupy her and don’t overstay our welcome.

We have fully taken advantage of having the summer “off.” When I had Natalie, it was the dead of winter so we were often stir crazy. Not so this time around. As soon as Olivia turned the ripe old age of two weeks, we fled the homestead. We called grandma, girlfriends, aunts and daddy to come meet us. We’d often hit up parks, museums, farmers’ markets and Target first, then lunch, which was often al fresco (why tempt fate – we dine outside when we can when the minis are in tow).

A favorite has been Flour. We have sat at the same corner table on their patio at least three times this summer. Natalie loves the pizza, the staff is great with her and mommy can’t get enough of their cob salad with roasted shallot dressing and cheese. However, Flour has made a little snob out of her. She now insists on olive oil (or dip as she affectionately calls it) when she has bread. Don’t  insult her with mere butter.

L’Albatros was another hit, not necessarily with the kids but with mom and dad. We haven’t been there in awhile so it was nice to head back – though I couldn’t take advantage of what I really love about this place: the wine and cheese. That will wait for a date night in our very near future. For Jamie’s birthday, we went to The Natural History Museum coupled with lunch. Jamie inhaled the burger while I had the frisee salad with poached egg, lardons and pork belly – a seriously large piece of pork belly. In fact, it was too much for me. A few bites were all I needed. We ordered the bianco pizza for Natalie with fontina and rosemary and devoured the grilled peaches with prosciutto and tomato salad that the chef sent out.

Other afternoon delights included Taza, Fountain, Umami (though you could put this one in a variety of categories – it’s my husband’s hands-down favorite restaurant and we spend a lot of family time there. They are great with kids and will make a special kid-approved stir-fry).

While being a lady who lunches has had its moments and created great memories with my girls, perhaps my favorite lunchtime excursions have been playdates with our friends over pizza pie, simple picnics in the park and Natalie helping me cook lunch in our own kitchen. She makes a mean peanut butter, yogurt and jelly sammy with a side of Cheerios.

By Michelle V | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (2)

market garden brewery in ohio city

September 3, 2011

Thanks to a recent viewing party for Hodge Podge that brought restaurant owners and fellow food trucks together to cheer on the home team, we found ourselves at the recently opened Market Garden Brewery for our inaugural visit.

It’s a brewery so I suspect you’d like to hear about the star of the most recent Ohio City opening. I won’t even attempt to try and muster some thoughts together as a hop head I am not. I’ll leave that job to my friend Kyle at Cleveland Hops. Though I did enjoy a Shoreway Cooler (and by enjoy I mean I could have guzzled four more if my kids weren’t with me). A delightful concoction of old school American Lager, housemade honey gin, lemon juice, lillet blanc and simple syrup. Fantastic.

What an impressive and surprisingly large space for the once poultry store. The decor and overall atmosphere was quite nice with plenty of warm, dark woods. The layout is conducive for the masses with a giant patio complete with killer views of the West Side Market, street seating, two large bars and several dining areas. Apparently there’s also rooftop plans in the works, too.

Another plus – bring on the minis because MGB is kid friendly! And if you are anti children eating out, never fear. Thanks to the high noise level, those little voices are easily muffled. We had our two girls with us and staff was quite accommodating. While there isn’t a kids’ menu, there are several items that would make the pickiest of diners happy (and if all else fails, opt for the delicious soft pretzel). The brewery has high chairs, too.

As for the food, the menu is courtesy of the talented chef Mike Nowak of Bar Cento, which is no surprise since MGB is owned by Sam McNulty.

If your impression of breweries is less than desirable when it comes to the food (perhaps that’s based on their neighbor – amazing beer, not so much for the grub), then you’re in for a surprise. Granted we have only been once and sampled just a few items, but we were quickly smitten. And the feedback I’ve heard from others confirms my thinking.

During our visit, we had the smoked pork tacos served on flour tortillas with salsa verde and queso plus the fried chicken sandwich with braised collard greens, bacon, gravy and tomato as well as the pretzel paired with mustard and garlic cheese. The sandwich was messy but quite tasty and hard to put down. The tacos, served in sets of three, were also quite enjoyable and could have only been a better dish if permitted to mix things up and combine a few of the taco offerings into one order (there are four different options).

The Market District has really come a long way since I was a kid. There’s lots of exciting activity and well-deserved recognition for the area. Of course there’s the historic Market which is hands-down the star and main attraction that’s now surrounded by a growing list of stores and restaurants, including one of my longtime favorites, Flying Fig and the soon-to-open Crop. This brewery seems to have found its place in one of Cleveland’s great neighborhoods.

By Michelle V | Posted in Market Garden Brewery | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments (3)

fountain in moreland hills: the good, the bad and the weird

August 24, 2011

Build it and apparently they do come. The long-standing vacant (or so it felt) newly constructed property in Moreland Hills where Hyde Park once stood is starting to fill up with tenants. Of course there’s Paul Minnillo’s Flour, which we have enjoyed numerous times since it opened this past spring, a salon and spa and now Fountain which opened a few months back.

Dubbed a European café and wine lounge, Fountain is trying to be a little something for everyone. Perhaps it’s trying to do too much. Only time will tell. It’s a full-service coffee house that also offers smoothies and protein shakes, a rather impressive menu offering breakfast through dinner, live music and finally a wine bar. Phew.

The good. The location for starters. At least for me – it’s close to home and I think a nice compliment for the area. I’d also put the food and coffee in this group, too. We’ve been for breakfast and lunch and enjoyed both, especially lunch. The breakfast menu is the smallest of the trio but satisfying nonetheless. I liked the cured salmon plate and Jamie liked his daily strata. But the highlight may have been the German brezel (the dough is shipped in from Europe). I didn’t find out what’s so special about the dough, but they are onto something because for a pretty basic offering, this one was pretty good. For lunch, I absolutely loved my tomato bufala salad with sundried tomato tapenade. Jamie’s croquet monsieur with a fried egg was a bit on the salty side but Natalie’s chicken crepe with corn sauce was spot on – and good enough to be served to any adult.

But perhaps the best feature of Fountain is just how family-friendly they are. There’s a special part of the restaurant designated just for families and a separate kids menu that doesn’t have any of the ho-hum friend standard kids’ fare. We’ve dined there as a family twice, for breakfast and lunch, and both were successful ventures.

The bad. Fountain offers a concierge service, which is just a fancy way of saying drive-thru minus the window. You pull to one of the designated spots any day between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. and they’ll come to you. In theory, this is good. Really good in fact, especially when you are toting small kids and are sleep deprived due to a newborn and find yourself in constant need of a caffeine refuel. Which is why I have taken advantage of this service at least half a dozen times. Unfortunately, on three of those occasions no one actually came out. Some might not think this is a big deal, but when you have little ones, getting in and out of car seats and carrying an infant car seat with you while trying to corral a toddler isn’t an enjoyable past time. On each occasion, I went in and questioned the service and twice spoke with the manager. Not in an attempt to be rude, but I feel if you have a problem with something, you should let the party know so they can correct it moving forward. Each time I received a less than enthusiastic apology and a look that seemed more annoyed that I’d even question them let alone complain. If you’re going to offer this service, then offer it. You have windows everywhere. Clearly you can see people sitting out there, especially when staff is just hanging out and not overly busy.

The weird. This one especially, like opinions in general, is clearly subjective. The overall décor and staff uniforms I just don’t get. The patio, which for the most part is a nice gathering spot, features a fountain. Rather expected, right? Except it’s way too big for the space. Oddly large in fact. I found the inside to be somewhat odd, too (except the immediate coffee area which is nicely done). There are just too many knick-knacks and things going on that just don’t seem to fit. And then there are the uniforms. The staff looks like they should be working in some bad corporate hotel. The last point is small, I know, but I can’t help but question what look they were going for on every visit.

By Michelle V | Posted in Fountain | Tagged , , | Comments (5)

making marinara magic

August 20, 2011

I will cook just about anything. That is, as long as I have a recipe to guide me. I am not one of those that can open my fridge or pantry and just whip up something tasty. The exception is marinara sauce. Or simply sauce as my family calls it (or Sunday gravy as many Italians will say).

Whatever we had to eat growing up, regardless of the main dish, you could almost guarantee my mom had a side of pasta with sauce. We’re Italian – it’s like water for us. And sauce was/is always homemade. There are no exceptions to this rule.

I learned how to make sauce from my mom and gram (my gram’s  sauce and meatballs will forever be my favorite). Ask 100 Italians how they make sauce and you’ll get 100 different recipes (and a lot of hand gestures). My family’s version is fairly simple: good-quality canned tomatoes (I prefer Cento), olive oil, garlic, salt, basil and a dash of sugar. It’s really pretty simple.

With the exception of all’amatriciana sauce, I’ve never made a tomato-based sauce from scratch. Until this summer thanks to the best crop of heirloom, plum and beefsteak tomatoes my garden has ever produced. Forget Sunday gravy – this past month it’s been Tuesday gravy, Thursday gravy…

Due to my overstock of tomatoes, I was  tempted to try something new and was intrigued by Cleveland native chef Andrew Carmellini’s recipe in his cookbook Urban Italian (Carmellini runs NYC’s Locanda Verde).

His version calls for adding an infused oil at the end. That’s it. Nothing else upfront (aside from the obvious).  I wasn’t familiar with this technique for sauce so I was eager to try. And since everything else I’ve made from his book was quite tasty, I was willing to experiment.

I might be breaking some Italian family code here, but I have to say, this might be my new go-to sauce. The taste is so fresh and satisfying. And each flavor is so prominent, which I didn’t think  would be coming from an oil. I haven’t tried this with canned tomatoes but plan to – and hope it’s just as enjoyable. It was also ridiculously easy to make, albeit messy. So easy that I can’t believe it has taken me this long to make sauce from scratch.

Andrew’s Sauce from Urban Italian

  • 12 ripe beefsteak tomatoes washed, cored & scored; or 10 cups good-quality Italian canned tomatoes, like San Marzano
  • 1 heaping tsp kosher salt
  • I head garlic
  • 1 ¼ cups extra-virgin olive oil (note: I didn’t use quite as much oil, found it to be too much the first time)
  • 1 packed cup basil leaves
  • 1 tsp red pepper flakes

Method:

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
  2. Wash and core the tomatoes, then cut an X in the bottom of each so the skin loosens as it cooks.
  3. Plunge the tomatoes in the boiling water for 30 – 60 seconds. They are ready to come out when the skin starts to shrink and wrinkle. Remove the tomatoes and plunge in ice water to stop cooking process.
  4. Once the tomatoes have cooled, pull the skin off.
  5. Cut the tomatoes in half. Squeeze out the seeds and juice and discard. He says this is a crucial step as to preserve the flavor and bring sauce to right consistency, you need to remove as much of the liquid as possible.
  6. Roughly chop each tomato.
  7. Place tomatoes in large pot and top with salt (I used a bit more then he suggested).
  8. Turn the heat to medium and cook down to a lazy bubble, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Takes 45 mins to 1 ¼ hours; 30 mins for canned. As the tomatoes cook, use a ladle to remove excess water (amount can be anywhere from a cup to a quart depending on how ripe the tomatoes are. Sauce should be tomatoes and liquid, but not tomatoes floating in liquid. Smash tomatoes with wooden spoon as they cook.
  9. In the meantime, cut the top of the garlic so that the skin stays on but top of cloves are exposed. Combine garlic, oil, basil and pepper flakes in a small pot and bring to a simmer. Oil is done when you hear basil leaves crack like Rice Krispies. Take mixure off and reserve.
  10. When sauce is reduced by half to two thirds and is thick but still bright red, strain the oil into the pot and stir to combine.
  11. Cook the sauce for about 10 mins at a lazy bubble. When the oil and tomatoes have completely emulsified and the sauce looks whole, turn off the heat and stir with a masher or hand blender on low.
  12. Good in fridge for 3 days or so or freeze.

 

By Michelle V | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Comments (2)

what you’re watching this weekend

August 13, 2011

Ok, two things you should watch this weekend: the Browns game on Saturday and The Great Food Truck Race on Sunday which premiers on The Food Network.

The first is obvious. Preseason, sure, but hey – The Browns are back! As for the latter, local chef and food truck ambassador Chris Hodgson is one of eight national contenders driving cross-country competing for the $100,000 grand prize. In fact, he’s the only chef from the Midwest. Very exciting for this 25-year-old energetic and driven chef.

If you’d like to cheer Hodgson on in the company of others, there’s a viewing party this Sunday at the Happy Dog. And be sure to read what celebrity chef and host Tyler Florence said about our own Hodgson in USA Today.

Good luck team Hodge Podge!

Full disclosure: I am helping Chris locally with his PR for the show (but I’d be spreading the word for him regardless – who wouldn’t?).

By Michelle V | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

cleveland’s perfect plate

August 10, 2011

Tough question, right? That’s what I thought at least when I was asked by the folks at Around Noon to discuss my perfect plate of Cleveland food with host Dee Perry along with Joe Crea and Doug Trattner.

I was quite excited to be asked to be part of this show. First, I’m a regular listener so it was fun to see it in action. Second, I have a lot of respect for Crea and Trattner – the true professionals, so it’s always a pleasure to spend time with them  chatting food and our great city.

Now back to the topic at hand. Granted this was hypothetical, but still a challenge nonetheless. There were so many things I left out that could easily make up my ideal plate of food. Like the crab and smoked trout chilaquiles at Momocho (paired with the cucumber margarita of course), or the mussel app at Sun Luck Garden, miso soup at Umami, pecan-crusted bacon at Vina and Bean or the fennel salad at Chinato. The list could change daily. Thankfully, we don’t actually have to pick and are spoiled with endless options. Oh – and if I could resurrect a dish, it would be the bucatini al’ amatriciana at Battuto. Or anything at Parker’s for that matter.

What’s on your plate? In case you missed it, here’s the story that aired on Monday. And thanks again to Dee and Dave for including me in this discussion.

By Michelle V | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

lopez and the return of michael herschman

August 6, 2011

Pre arrival of baby #2, I was trying just about everything to go into labor towards the end. Including old wives tale #24: Mexican food. This attempt took us to Lopez in Cleveland Heights, where the kitchen is now under the leadership of chef Michael Herschman.

Herschman is certainly no stranger to the area, or to Cleveland kitchens. He’s worked at his share through the years. And to this day, my favorite Herschman stint is when he owned Mojo (now Lago in Tremont). Oh how I still miss that restaurant. In my opinion, Herschman is one of our most talented chefs and worth the effort to keep tabs on his whereabouts. Which is the very reason why we went back to Lopez after a somewhat lengthy delay between visits.

And apparently we weren’t alone. The place was fairly packed for a Wednesday night. The highly coveted patio was filled, as was most of the bar and several tables inside. And shortly after being seated, we overheard nearby diners confirming our assumption as they talked about being excited that this chef was at Lopez.

Since it’s been awhile since I ate at Lopez, I’m not sure how much influence he’s had on the menu. But I do know there are at least a dozen-ish new items and we ordered a few of those. Including the watermelon and bacon salad with mint, brioche and pickled jalepeno vinaigrette and the smoked cigar app, crispy spring rolls stuffed with gooey gouda, charred corn and black beans. We also ordered the lobster tacos with house bacon and braised brisket enchiladas. And to top off our meal, a spicy beet chocolate truffle with strawberry preserve that the chef sent out.

Well, this dinner did not cause me to go into labor as originally intended. But it did leave quite the impression. Aside from the lobster tacos, which I found to be rather bland, we greatly enjoyed our meal. In fact, now that I’ve had the baby, I’m itching to go back for another helping of that salad and truffle dessert (seriously – bacon and watermelon might just be my new favorite pairing), but this time add a few mojitos. What a perfect summer night that would be!

By Michelle V | Posted in Lopez | Tagged , , | Comments (6)

momocho + happy dog news

July 28, 2011

Via chef Eric Williams, here’s some local happenings you may be interested in:

@ Happy Dog
Starting on Sunday, August 14th at 9 p.m., Happy Dog will host a viewing party for chef Chris Hodgson who is competing on The Food Network’s Next Great Food Truck Race. Both of Chris’ food trucks will be parked outside the HD for these nights.

On one of the first Sundays in August, premiering at 10 p.m. right after
Chris’ show, the Happy Dog will be featured on The Best Thing I Ever Ate
with Williams and Michael Symon.

Look for the return of the popular five-course beer dinners soon, but first, the HD is holding a three-course bacon and bourbon dinner in early September (either the 6th or 13th – will share once confirmed). The Pig and Swig event will feature a tasting of house specials featuring bacon paired with three
different bourbons.

And don’t forget about the polka happy hour, Monday night trivia and live music.

And last but not least, there’s some good stuff happening around Momocho but it’s just a bit too soon to share. Look for some scoop in the near future. Until then, head in and take advantage of my favorite summer cocktail – the cucumber margarita!

By Michelle V | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

august 5/6: vintage ohio

July 25, 2011

This post is sponsored by Vintage Ohio, August 5-6 at Lake Farmpark. If you plan to go, remember Cleveland Foodie readers get a special discount – $19 by using code CLFD2011. Get tickets by calling 800.227.6972 or visit here.

Twenty four wineries will  gather at one location, making this the largest gathering of wineries in Ohio. Vintage Ohio, now in its 17th year,  has become the model for 20+ other similar events from California and Washington state  to New York and Virginia with numerous festivals across the Midwest,  too.

Shop, sip, eat and learn right from the winemakers, including:

Breitenbach Wine Cellars – Dover
Buccia Vineyards – Conneaut
Buckeye Winery – Newark
Candlelight Winery – Garrettsville Debonne Vineyards – Madison
Emerine Estates – Jefferson
Ferrante Winery & Ristorante
Grand River Cellars – Madison
Grape and Granary – Akron
It’s Your Winery – Akron
John Christ Winery – Avon Lake
Klingshirn Winery – Avon Lake
Maize Valley Winery – Hartville
Marietta Wine Cellars – Marietta
Mastropietro Winery – Berlin Center
Old Firehouse Winery – Geneva-on-the-Lake
Old Mill Winery – Geneva
Paper Moon Vineyards – Vermilion
St Joseph Vineyard – Madison
The Winery at Spring Hill – Geneva
Valley Vineyards – Morrow
Vermilion Valley Vineyards – Wakeman
Vinoklet Winery – Cincinnati
Wyandotte Winery – Columbus

By Michelle V | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

venorsky, party of four

July 17, 2011

Dining out just got a whole lot more interesting.

On July 13, Jamie and myself, along with big sister Natalie, welcomed our second daughter to the world: Olivia Marie. Everyone is doing great and excited to finally be a foursome.

When we had Natalie, I heard from nearly everyone how much our lives would change and that we could kiss going out to eat (except to chains) goodbye. And as Natalie got older and became a very social toddler, we received the next wave of comments telling us that life really changes now and the ease of dining with a tiny baby restricted to a car seat is a thing of the past – to again say farewell to eating out to all our favorite local spots. And as we approached the birth of our second, the chatter once again picked up. Okay, now you really are going to be staying put and will not bother to dine out unless you have a sitter secured.

Maybe. Maybe things will be different. Maybe Olivia will be crazy fussy and we won’t be able to continue our family dinners out. Or maybe Olivia will follow in her big sister’s footsteps and learn to behave properly in public and share the same obsession with chefs and happily watch with content and amusement the hustle and bustle of a kitchen. And they will grow up and open up their own restaurant because of their upbringing (no pressure kids!).

I’m not sure what life will be like now, I’ve only been a mom of two for five days. But I know we’re going to try our best to continue the way we always have been – supporting local and exposing our kids to all the great things, food-wise and beyond, that Cleveland has to offer. With modifications of course: dine early, come prepared, make sure all goldfish and berries are accounted for when leaving and vacate quickly should things go south. Because like I’ve said before, our goal has always been to enjoy going out as a family and create memories together, not ruin anyone’s dining experience in the process.

But for now, were going to take it easy and enjoy our latest addition, so expect a slight delay in posts. Thankfully though, it’s summer – you shouldn’t be reading blogs anyway. You should be out soaking up every fantastic minute of summer in Cleveland!

Cheers


 

By Michelle V | Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (14)