But why wait till then to celebrate the longest day of the year (and the museum’s newest galleries)? From now until Saturday, Bruell is offering a 3-course, summer solstice menu for $30.

Menus:

Table 45: warm fig and arugula salad with champagne vinaigrette; Latin marinated hanger steak with boniato root mash, summer gremolata and plantain chips and ginger; and lemongrass panna cotta served with mango chutney and white sesame tuille.

Parallax, L’Albatros and Chinato: these 3-course menus will be created daily by the head chef.

Long live summer!

Night 1

For dinner, we all did the tasting. For $39, you get to pick anything you’d like from each of the sections. I started with the breakfast radishes, clams and foie gras, roasted tomatoes and Ohio lamb with wild ramps, yogurt lentils, lamb skin, cumin and Fresno chilies. I’d also like to be able to tell you what we drank – but I can’t. All I know is we went through numerous bottles of wine and I believe my brother-in-law created his own vodka tasting. All of which made for a very, very enjoyable night.

As anticipated, my dinner was simply incredible. Truly – this might have been my favorite GHT experience to date. The only dish I wasn’t crazy about was the roasted tomatoes. And I would have liked a little more space between each course, though given we had a few kids with us, this was probably a good thing. I even liked Natalie’s buttered noodles (yes, they have a kids’ menu now!). But the highlight was the lamb (though the clams are right up there). If you like lamb, you need to get to Greenhouse and try this dish. Now. Seriously – he changes the menu often so don’t take any chances on missing it. A few weeks ago while in San Francisco, I ate at Boulevard and ordered the lamb. I love lamb and felt that was the best dish of its kind I’ve ever tried. Well, they only held that title for 3 weeks. Truthfully, that was the most amazing lamb I’ve had and the lentils alone should be its own side.

The tasting at $39 is a great deal. The portions are big  and you get to pick whatever you want. It’s a great way to go.

(check out Amelia Sawyer showing Natalie the kitchen in action – she was mesmerized as she really does like to stare off into the kitchen when we take her out… fingers crossed for her future career)

Night 2 On Mother’s Day itself, Jamie took me to see Pearl Jam. I’ve been a huge PJ fan since I was 15 and have seen them live twice before. I can remember going to the library and borrowing Ten (still believe this is one of the best albums of all time), bringing it home and taping it because I spent all my babysitting money on something else. And I’d ride around in my mom’s station wagon listening to that tape over and over until I literally wore it out.

Clearly I’m not 15 anymore (and thankfully no longer driving around town in that wagon). And while I still consider myself a huge fan, I think my concert days are coming to an end. It really was a great show and the perfect present (though the 2003 show was better); I just don’t think I’m the concert type anymore. But I’m all for the dinners that precede concerts!

Pre show dinner was, you guessed it, back at The Greenhouse Tavern. For as much as I wanted the Ohio lamb dish again, I just wasn’t that hungry. Instead I had the clams, Ohio lamb ravioli and a side of lentils with lemon (not the same lentils as with the lamb – if only). The ravioli are small and only a handful comes per order, so this was the right amount of food. And just like the night before the clams were perfect (I agree with Kate Krader – one of the best dishes of the year, simply a smart pairing that pays off). The lentils and ravioli were just as good.

I clearly cannot get enough of Greenhouse.

Night 3 Last night we took some clients to dinner at Chinato followed by the Cavs game – my first game of the season (lucky me, huh?).

We all have off nights. Chefs have off nights. Athletes have off nights. No one is exempt from this rule. And I think last night was the perfect example of that.

I’m not going to toss in my two cents about the game. I think Clevelanders got an earful today from the sports media across the country to Twitter to the radio. We get it. But I will say this: I don’t think we’re cursed, I still think we’ll win the next two and LeBron will be here next season. But Cleveland teams sure make it hard to love them sometimes, don’t they? And there have been plenty of days when I swear I’m not going to raise my daughter to be a Cleveland fan. But what would be the fun in that?

I’ve been to Chinatoa few times now, but this was the first visit for the three ladies I was with. I will say this – they all loved their meal, from start to finish, and seemed really happy with my restaurant selection. And don’t get me wrong – my meal was good, too (fennel and olive salad, scallop crudo and braised beef). But it wasn’t great – except the crudo – what a fantastic start to the meal. I’ve written a few times about how much I love that fennel salad in particular. But last night it just wasn’t the same. I can’t put my finger on it, but something was off. The selection of braised beef was completely in response to the cold rainy weather. I love anything braised – but felt this dish was just ok. It wasn’t as flavorful or tender as I was hoping for.

Like I said, my meal wasn’t bad by any stretch, it just wasn’t as good as I know it could have been – because I think Chinato is an amazing restaurant and have been wowed there a few times already.  And my fellow diners were quite happy with their meal. Despite the off night, at least to me, it was still the highlight of the evening. The company and conversation were wonderful, service  friendly and honest (I love when servers are truthful about what they like and dislike) and the restaurant’s atmosphere in general is one of my favorites.

Bruell’s Seared Sea Scallops with Thai Curry

Add olive oil to sauté pan over high heat.  When smoking, place sea scallops in pan with butter.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cook for 30-40 seconds on each side until golden brown and caramelized.  Remove from the pan.  In the same pan, add curry paste, brown sugar, coconut milk and fish sauce.  Whisk together over high heat.  Finish with chopped cilantro.

Roasted Eggplant with Fresh Tomatoes, Feta and Mozzarella Cheese Pomegranate Reduction (adapted from Table 45’s current winter menu)

Ingredients

Eggplant

Method: In a bowl, toss the slices in olive oil, cumin, salt and pepper. Roast in a 375 degree oven until tender and cool in refrigerator. When ready to serve bring to temperature on the grill or oven.

Yogurt Sauce

Method: Add all the ingredients together and incorporate well; hold in refrigerator.

Pomegranate Reduction

Method: Place the pomegranate juice and vinegar in a small pot.  On medium to low heat reduce the mixture till little less than half.  Once reduce transfer reduction to another container and let cool.  The pomegranate Reduction should be thick where it can be slowly drizzled onto a plate.  If the mixture has been reduced too much you can always add more pomegranate juice until in thins up to where it can be drizzled.

Plating: Layer eggplant in the middle of the plate. Take sauce and drizzle along the outside of the eggplant. Garnish the top of the eggplant with feta cheese and tomato salad. Drizzle with pomegranate sauce.

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This post was sponsored by Heinen’s. When making these dishes at home, the wine experts have two recommendations:

• For the scallops: ZAZA, a  serious Rosé from Spain that could almost be called a light red.  Abundant berry flavors and surprisingly full body makes this a Rosé to get excited about.  ($9.99/bottle)
• For the eggplant: Alexander Valley New Gewurztraminer // Perhaps the best-value Gewurztraminer from CA. Perfumed aromas and pear and spice flavors make this organic-farmed wine great with Asian foods. ($8.99/bottle)

After meeting Farmer Lee Jones and learning about the Veggie U initiative, plus the fact that program was in jeopardy  locally due to lack of awareness and funds, I knew this was something we could try to help and something that would resonate well with you – my readers. Truthfully, I was hoping we’d be able to support a few classrooms (each classroom requires $200). But that didn’t happen. Instead, according to my contact at Veggie U, you guys saved the entire program in Cleveland, raising a total of $3,820 – with 100% of the donations going towards the kids! More importantly, that’s 84 Cleveland schools, 171 classrooms and 3,840 students that will participate and learn about eating healthy, sustainable agriculture and combating adolescent disease and juvenile diabetes starting March 1. Amazing. Absolutely amazing.

I cannot thank you all enough for your incredible generosity and taking the time to donate. It is greatly appreciated by so many, especially those 4^th graders and their teachers. You guys simply rock and have truly made a difference. Hopefully, this is something we can continue each year and impact future students.

I also realize we were able to raise more because so many helped to spread the word – via good ol’ fashioned word-of-mouth, tweets and Facebook. Thank you – just look at the difference it made. I especially want to thank many of our bloggers and media. We have a wonderful blogging community here and it’s one I’m very proud to be part of. It’s one that’s incredibly supportive, both of each other and of our city. A special thank you to I Heart Cleveland, Live to Cook at Home, Heidi Robb, Confessions of a Cohabitant, Chef’s Widow, Cleveland’s a Plum, A Girl About Cleveland, Local Food Service, Bite Buff, Cleveland at Heart, Great Lakes Design Collaborative, Garden, Grocery, Gadget Girl , Cooker Girl, Metromix and Michael Ruhlman.  And our local food reporters/editors Joe Crea and Debbi Snook at the Plain Dealer. They took an immediate interest in this effort and shared with readers.

Finally, we would not be having this conversation if it wasn’t for our chefs, restaurant and store owners. I shared the idea and almost everyone got on board and offered their support to make it even better. We all know this group is responsible for making us some seriously good eats. But they also have some seriously big hearts and are an incredibly supportive group. They made it interesting and because of their generosity, people donated even more (let’s face it – that was some prize any foodie would covet!). We started out with roughly $1,400 in restaurant gift cards, and after the initial post, additional restaurants contacted me wanting to participate for a total of nearly $2,000 in restaurant gift certificates! These awesome establishments include: Western Reserve Wine Tartine Momocho Lola The Greenhouse Tavern Heinen’s Blue Canyon The Flying Fig Fire Erie Island Coffee Fahrenheit Miles Farmers Market Jekyll’s Kitchen Moxie Touch Supper Club Parallax L’Albatros Chinato Crop Bistro North End Hyde Park AMP 150 Muse (The Ritz-Carlton) The Chocolate Bar Michaelangelo’s John Q’s Steakhouse Melange Bistro on Lincoln Park.

So who was the lucky winner? Congratulations to Suzie Martens. She was chosen via Random.org. You are going to be eating very, very well for quite some time and are the envy of a lot of Clevelanders (including me!).

We went a few weeks ago on behalf of Metromix and I’m still thinking about my meal (you need to try the fennel salad). Here’s part of the review, or get the full skinny here.

Food: The menu focuses on simple Italian and does not concentrate on one region. And there are choices—a lot of choices. Bruell describes Chinato as the Italian version of L’Albatros with touches of Parallax. There isn’t parmesan of any kind, but all scratch cooking. To develop the menu, Bruell spent 12 days in Italy eating at least four meals a day. “On the trip, the dishes were very rich and heavy. I don’t want to do that here, so it’s my take on that,” he explains.

The menu is sectioned into crudo, or cold starters (think Italian sushi), antipasti, salads, pastas (all available as a half or full order), entrées, pizza and contorni, or sides.

On our visit, we started with the yellowtail over pesto with tomatoes ($9), tomato and bread soup ($6), fennel, orange, olive and tomato salad with ricotta ($8), a half order of the ravioli stuffed with pork, veal, zucchini and porcini with butter and parmesan ($10) and the zuppa de pesce ($21).

First, we should state just what a difficult decision this was. Everything on the menu was quite tempting. Nonetheless, we made the right decision because all our dishes delighted us. The star of the meal was surprisingly not a main dish, but the fennel salad. This dish exceeded expectations and has been on our mind since. You need to start your meal with this spectacular salad..

The soup was also a nice start to the dinner. Completely blended, it wasn’t as filling as we were anticipating. If you’re looking for an even lighter start to the meal, the beautifully-presented yellowtail is a good choice. It’s fresh, flavorful and incredibly light (though we would have liked a few more tomatoes).

Speaking of light, we were expecting the ravioli to be on the richer and slightly heavier side as compared to our other courses. But this dish was anything but. It was fresh and almost delicate. And size-wise, the half portion is plenty, especially when pairing it with other courses.

Our main entrée, the zuppa de pesce, featured a wonderful sampling of fresh seafood, like plump scallops, calamari, mussels (though the clams were almost non-existent) in a slightly spicy tomato sauce that was begging to be soaked up by the crostini (our favorite part).

For dessert, we tried the razor-thin pineapple slices in simple syrup with vanilla bean gelato. A bit on the small side, it was refreshing nonetheless, and coupled with cappuccino, made for a good ending to dinner.

Libations: Nineteen of the country’s 20 regions are represented on the 200 bottle wine list that’s 70 percent Italian and offers a handful of hard-to-get wines (a couple are actually exclusive to Chinato only). General Manager Rob Rasmussen spent an extensive amount of time planning the wine list and training the staff on each offering. His approach to the wine list was to course out the wine, much like you would the food while dining in Italy.

For example, he explained that you may start off the meal with a prosecco then work into a red. They want patrons to sample and enjoy several of the wines, which is why the menu is reasonably priced (numerous bottle options in the $20-$30 range with several pours $10 or less). It’s also worth noting that Rasmussen based much of the list on the Gambero Rosso wine list, which publishes a book on each of Italy’s regions and producers and rates them between 1-3 (with 3 being the best). Many of this magazine’s picks for best wines can be found on the list, including Les Cretes, a 2006 chardonnay for $150 a bottle that received a 3 and was named the best wine in all of Italy. For a little less (at $9 a glass), his pour of choice for guests is the Italian white Orvieto Barbi from Umbria. It’s one wine he feels all guests should sample.

There are also several specialty Italian-inspired cocktails, like the Tuscan per or Chinato Stiletto, as well as beer available in bottles and on tap. According to assistant GM Shannon Bizga, a happy hour is in the works to highlight some of the specialty drinks.

Décor: Italian yes. Checkered tablecloths, no. Bruell feels like you should walk into a restaurant and feel like you’re escaping. With Chinato, he’s taking you to Florence, or someplace in Italy, but keeping it modern. He feels his architect summed it up best when he described the finished space like walking into sepia photograph circa 1920s or ’30s (which is evident from the giant panoramic mural of Florence that stretches across one wall of the main dining room).

Like Parallax and L’Albatros, the space is smart and perfectly designed. The long bar encourages patrons to eat and drink. There are large white columns in the dining room, an open kitchen and a large, eclectic chandelier that serves as the focal point.

Service: Our visit took place on the eve of opening night, yet one would never know. The restaurant ran like it’s been open for years. The staff walked around with silverware caddies eager to replace utensils, glasses were promptly refilled, staff was quick to recite the menu and offer suggestions and meals were appropriately spaced.

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Speaking of Bruell, he’s catering the VIP portion of this year’s Jump Back Ball, which benefits Playhouse  Square on February 27. Do you want to go? A VIP ticket gets you early entrance to the black-tie  pre-party, open bar, live entertainment, and of course Bruell’s cooking (plus demos) from each of his four restaurants. The theme for this year’s event, now in its 19th year, is Carnaval. I’ve never attended, but have always heard nothing but high praise and good things about it. It must be fun, considering close to 1,000 people attend each year and they almost always sell out. Want to go? Grab your party dress (or tux) and let me know your favorite thing about Playhouse Square (or on the flip side, something you’d like to see improved upon, a play you hope makes its way here, etc.). Just leave a comment with your thoughts by Thursday, February 4 (by 5 p.m.) and I will randomly pick a winner for the pair of tickets courtesy of PlayhouseSquare Partners. Good luck!

Bruell is confident Chinato will be ready to open in a few weeks, though one would never know by peaking through the temporary wooden doors. Through the insisting of others, he’s the latest restaurateur to open on Cleveland’s street du jour (apparently Bruell was presented with an opportunity this graduate of the Wharton School of Business knew he couldn’t refuse). “Life is all about timing,” he explains. “Opportunities don’t come around like this often, so you have to grab it and grow.” He adds that his continued growth is good for his staff because it provides them with tremendous opportunities, and he acknowledges that he has nothing short of an incredible staff.

When they opened L’Albatros earlier this year, they were already planning for Chinato

and staffed top-heavy on purpose, using that kitchen as a training grounds of sorts for the latest endeavor (head chef Andy Dombrowski and GM Rob Rasmussen are leaving L’Albatros for Chinato as well as Al Ives, sous chef from Parallax). “Already spending so much time together and knowing each other will greatly help us when we open,” Bruell adds. Because as he explains it, opening a restaurant is totally insane and these established working relationships and trust will help make it an easier and smoother process overall.

Apparently, Bruell is a sucker for the insanity. Whereas most chefs only open one or two restaurants in a lifetime, he’s on his 11^th (and claims this is it for this market). But he gets the process and admits he’s much more patient then he used to be. As a self-proclaimed adrenaline junkie, he knows the madness and high expectations that await him and appears eager to greet it head-on. “I don’t have the luxury of waiting; people will walk in on day one and want excellence right out of the gate. It’s not an easy task to satisfy right away, but people won’t give me a break because they know me.” Bruell adds that it usually takes him a few weeks to settle in and most new restaurants in general around six months.

To help develop the menu, Bruell spent 12 days in Italy, where he tried to eat at least four meals a day. “They don’t like you to eat like that there,” he joked. “If you don’t finish what’s on your plate – they freak out; it’s an insult to them.”

The menu will focus on simple Italian and not concentrate on one region. Chinato, he describes, will be the Italian version of L’Albatros with touches of Parallax. There won’t be parmesan of any kind, he shares, but all scratch cooking. “On the trip, the dishes were very rich and heavy. I don’t want to do that here, so it’s my take on that.”

The menu promises to be big. According to Bruell, you have to offer a lot of choices so people will come back. To develop the menu, he explained to his chefs what he wanted and together they came up with the dishes, dishes that aren’t overly bearing or heavy he shares. And then they cooked and cooked and cooked. “French cooking is very complicated,” he explained. “You’re always moving forward. True Italian is done very simple. Our challenge is to know when to stop – when to stop refining and stay true to the dish. I do simple. But true Italian is really simple. It sorta scares me. You can’t mask mistakes here – it’s simplistic food with great ingredients. It’s almost like modern art. What’s there is just beautiful. We’re not trying to make perfect food here, but food that is really good. And I think it will be.”

As for the prices? The food will be authentic, but that doesn’t mean expensive. Think L’Albatros in terms of range, which is very reasonably priced.

Italian yes. Checkered tablecloths, no. Bruell feels like you should walk into a restaurant and feel like you’re escaping. Where’s he taking you? “Florence, or someplace in Italy – but still a modern space.” He said that his architect, Ron Reed, explains that the finished product will be like walking into a sepia photograph circa 1920s or 30s.

The space itself is old and was never a used as a restaurant, so that provided some unique challenges – but also opportunity, like the giant columns that are present throughout the dining room. Like all Zack Bruell restaurants, the bar  is meant for eating and drinking. The dining room will feature banquette seating, open kitchen and beautiful old world Italian drapes over the windows that let in tons of natural light. There will also be a large chandelier that will serve as a focal point. Because as Zack shares, even in the shithole restaurants in Italy, every single one had a large, beautiful chandelier.

The dining room will seat 120 total, plus a prep kitchen and private dining room downstairs (and eventually a club) that will open at a later date. For now, Chinato will be open for dinner Monday through Saturday and eventually lunch service will be offered.

“I need to get that guy wearing an Indians jersey coming down fourth after the game inside and make them comfortable, that guy expecting spaghetti and meatballs. It’s a challenge and won’t be easy. But people know I’m not normal and I like that kinda challenge,” added Bruell as we walked back onto the street leaving his crew to bring the space to life.

Here’s a draft of some of the menu items (subject to change):

ANTIPASTI
Stuffed Potato/porcini mushrooms and fonduta

PASTAS
Spaghetti/mixed shellfish, broth of salt water, tomato and lobster roe
Garganelli/sweetsbreads, giblets, radicchio, butter, parmesan and breadcrumbs

ENTREES
Brick flattened chicken breast/panzenella salad with preserved lemon
Strip Steak ala Florentine/salt, pepper, evo and lemon
Sauteed Langoustine/pepperoncini, garlic oil and roasted vegetables

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New lunch and dinner menus at Parallax. Both menus will focus heavily on the cuisine of the Far East, including a lot of seafood options, from Japan, Korea, Vietnam and Thailand. Lunch options start at $8; $15 for dinner.  New lunch entrees include Japanese Fried Chicken with Napa slaw, hot rice and Japanese BBQ; Grilled Mahi with cilantro oil, Latin style creamed corn and South American pepper sauce; a Corn Fried Walleye Sandwich with sweet onion marmalade, Napa slaw and spicy mayo; and a Vietnamese Sub.   The dinner menu features entrees like Wasabi Pea Crusted Salmon with Ginger-Carrot Coulis and Edamame or Udon Noodles prepared “Japanese Carbonara” style.  Classic dishes receive an Asian twist like Grilled Hanger Steak with Vietnamese Pho and Steamed Mussels with Thai Sausage, Chiles and Lemongrass Broth or Bruell’s Monkfish “Osso Bucco,” flavored with Milanese Risotto and spiced with Ginger Orange Gremolata.

Speaking of Bruell, demo recently started for his latest endeavor, Chinato, on E 4th. At L’Albatros last week for dinner (”French Toast” and escargots for apps followed by the cassoulet and cheese – another outstanding meal), Brandon shared with us that while the team hopes to be open towards the end of the year, he feels January is more realistic. He also let us sample some Chinato wine, for which the Italian restaurant is named after. It’s a different wine – unlike anything I’ve ever tasted. In fact (and I know this comparison will make wine aficionados shudder – sorry), it sort of reminded me of Fire Water, perhaps more smell than taste. I didn’t care for it – but absolutely can not wait for this restaurant to open.

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There’s a new chef at Umami, Matthew Anderson, formerly of Sapore. In addition to some menu changes (though the restaurant’s theme will remain the same) this ultra tiny Chagrin Falls restaurant is once again back open for lunch.

I went last week with a coworker. I thought it was good – but not great. I really enjoyed my pumpkin coconut soup but thought the tuna with squash was overpowered in taste by too much charring. Nonetheless, I’m exited to see what becomes of the place and that it’s open for lunch. We’ll be back.

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Three Browns Sunday pre-game brunches left at Crop Bistro. Load up on brats, double-double lamb sliders, chipotle BBQ ribs, eggs and waffles and the macaroni and Amish cheddar topped with braised brisket. In addition, the Crop crew will be raffling off Browns-related books and on 12/27, meet Plain Dealer columnist Michael Heaton, son of beloved sports witer Chuck Heaton. The first 20 people to make reservations for the 12/27 and 1/3 brunch dates here will receive a FREE copy of Chuck’s book, Browns Scrapbook, on 12/27 and Scott Huler’s book, On Being Brown, on 1/3.

Brunch is served from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on these dates only (beer and wine available).