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!

“I will never forget when I was little I got this Fisher Price activity desk with magnetic letters, chalk, crayons, etc. with the flip top and cool storage places. Silly as it was, I used the shit out of that thing and would probably play with it today! But my favorites are still my family getting together at my folks and my mama’s latkes (my gram’s were great too!).”

Root Vegetable Latkes with Sweet Garlic Applesauce & Roasted Chili Crème Fraiche (yield 8 servings)

The Night Before: Make the crème fraiche. Combine 2 cups heavy cream with 2 Tbl. buttermilk and a pinch of kosher salt. Stir and store in we3ll sealed for 24 hours at room temperature.

After 24 hours, stir and store in refrigeration until use.

Preheat oven at 350F.

The Roasted Chilies : Split 4 red serrano, tabasco or fresh cayenne chilies and remove seeds and veil. Season lightly with kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper. Coast with blended olive Oil or soybean oil and make a “Hershey’s Kiss” around chilies with foil. Roast until peppers are tender. Remove, drain excess oil and finely mince with a sharp chef’s knife (where gloves!) or puree in a processor or blender. Cover and refrigerate.

The Sweet Garlic: In a small bake pan, combine 2 cups cleaned garlic cloves with 2 cups blended olive oil or soybean oil to cover garlic. Cover with foil and roast at 350 until garlic is golden and extremely tender. Remove and strain oil (reserve oil for dressings or aiolis). Reserve garlic for next day at room temperature covered.

The Next Day

Preheat oven at 350F

The Sweet Garlic Applesauce: Core and cut in half 14 Granny Smith apples. Coat with blended olive oil or soybean oil and roast on oiled sheet pan until skin lifts from flesh and flesh is soft (approx 25 minutes). When skins are releasing and flesh is tender, pinch away skins and discard. In a large bowl combine roasted apples, 2 Cups sweet garlic, 1 Tsp. Kosher salt, juice of 2 lemons, pinch of nutmeg and a pinch of freshly ground black pepper. Mash with a large spoon until ingredients are well incorporated; leave a bit chunky. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Cover and refrigerate.

Roasted Chili Crème Fraiche: In a medium bowl combine 2 cups crème fraiche, 2 Tbl. roasted chili puree (you can add more later if you want some kick). Season with kosher salt, pepper, juice of 1 lemon and 2 Tbl chopped cilantro.

The Root Vegetable Latkes

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and drain off excess liquid. In a large frying pan, coat pan ¼ Inch of soybean or peanut oil and heat. Form root vegetable mixture into small 3-4 inch flat pancakes and fry until golden on both sides and centers are tender. Continue until all pancakes are made and keep warm in oven (around 250F).

On a large platter, form a spiral of warm root vegetable latkes and place a small dollop of the sweet garlic applesauce in center of latke and a small dollop of roasted chili crème fraiche. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley and cilantro. Consume happily and open presents!

This holiday recipe was sponsored by Heinen’s. When making these wonderful latkes at home, Ed Thompkins suggests a 2007 Kaleidoscope . He says it’s an engaging white from Monterey County that seemingly goes with everything.  “This unique blend of Gewurztraminer, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Muscat and Riesling has produced a wine that takes versatility to an art form. From the heady perfumed aromas of peach blossoms and honey to flavors on the palate that show pear and tropical notes, to a finish that is fruity/crisp,  this wine will amaze you with just how many foods it can complement,” he adds.

Fennel & Potato Soup with Smoked Salmon Fritters

In large pot sauté in olive oil:

• 2 white onions, diced
• 1/2 head celery, diced
• 1 heads fennel, cored, diced
• 3# Yukon gold potatoes, diced
• 1/4 cup garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon fennel seed (toast over medium flame in saute pan until aromatic)

Deglaze pot with 2 cups white wine; cook out white wine. Add 1 1/2 gallons chicken stock. Season with kosher salt and black pepper. Bring to boil and simmer to reduce until vegetables are tender. Add 1 quart heavy cream and bring to boil; simmer. Puree with 1 bunch of flat parsley; sieve.

Smoked Salmon Fritter

In food processor, combine:

• 1/2# smoked salmon
• 1 egg
• ¼ tsp baking powder

Pulse to make a smooth pink paste. Scrape side with rubber spatula. Slowly drizzle in heavy cream to create a light pink mousse (about ½ cup). Test 1 small teaspoon sized quenelle in 325F frying oil (peanut or canola).

Presentation: Fry 3 quenelles of smoked salmon batter per serving. Place in center of soup and garnish with lemon olive oil or even a dollop of caviar.

This post was sponsored by Heinen’s. When making Herschman’s soup at home, Mark Chonko, the wine specialist for the Brecksville store recommends a sparkling wine or champagne because it would cut through some of the spice and enhance the salmon. His picks include Gerard Bertrand Cremant ($14.99) or Veuve Clicquot Brut ($56.99).

Our visit was on behalf of Metromix. Personally, I was thrilled to review this place. I’m a big Herschman fan and have been since he had Mojo’s back in the day. My only complaint is that he moves around too much. I like my chefs to stay put so I know where I can find them when I’m craving some of their specialties (like his famous calamari). But, it sounds like he’s ready to plant some roots and couldn’t be happier with the location, menu and focus of the restaurant. And from what I’ve sampled so far, I’m pretty happy too.

Here’s part of the review (full review here):

Veteran chef and true talent Michael Herschman eagerly returns to the kitchen with Menu6, bringing back some of his well-known dishes (all the way from his Mojo days), plus an entirely new array of flavor and creations.

Food: The number six is the restaurant’s foundation, as Herschman explains, and reflects how the menu came about. Specifically, the menu (including dessert and wine menus) is sectioned into six elements: raw, small hot and cold, green, water and feathers, land and sides.

Chef Herschman is focusing on market-driven dishes dictated by skill, seasonal ingredients, local whenever possible and lots of big, bold flavors. What you won’t find on his menu is comfort food of any kind—or chicken (though if you look really hard, you’ll see the chef caved slightly with Kentucky “foied” chicken as a small plate.).

On our visit, we started our meal by sharing the seafood salad with calamari, dayboat scallops plus shrimp in a sesame vinaigrette and wasabi creme fresh (under green; $11) and Thai beef with noodles in a red curry vin (under small hot, $6). Dinners included the crispy skin whitefish with red chili, miso broth, udon noodles, choy and lobster dumplings (under water and feathers, $19) and a 14-ounce Meyer Family Ranch ribeye with root vegetables and foie bordelaise (under land, $28.).

This dinner is why we like Michael Herschman so much and enthusiastically welcome him back. Our appetizers, which are generously sized and can easily be shared or serve as a small meal, were packed with flavor, quite fresh and beautifully presented. The Thai beef, with its sweet potato noodles (making it gluten-free) features a good amount of heat plus a mild sweetness to contrast it. The seafood salad, which varies day-to-day based on what’s fresh, is a must-try with its generous amounts of seafood and incredible freshness and flavor; we simply loved it.

Dinners continued to impress. If you’re a steak fan, your next dinner out should be right here for this 14-ounce ribeye. This marbled steak is packed and roasted in aromatic salt which cracks right off during the cooking process, leaving behind an incredibly juicy, tender and flavorful piece of meat.

The chef has a well-known Asian style and many of our selections spotlight his fondness for this cooking method. With a striking intense deep orange color, the crispy whitefish was beautifully presented. Our only complaint was with the two lobster dumplings that tasted a bit bland. Otherwise, we enjoyed it—especially the miso broth.

Under dessert, the six include chocolate, vanilla, fruit, coffee, sweet tooth, cheese. We bypassed the cheese and tempting banana pot stickers for the chocolate pot de crème ($8) with madeleines, truffles and ice cream.

Décor: The team did a rather extensive makeover from the previous restaurant and the result is a stylish space that matches the food-forward approach. It’s a good mix of cozy contemporary with the exposed brick wall that adds warmth and a mix of stainless steel and dark woods. Throughout the space, contemporary paintings done by Herschman’s mother, Sheila, don the walls. The kitchen overlooks the 80-seat open dining room and a good-sized bar with beautiful wine display just offsets the rest of the space. There’s also a private dining area that can be draped off.

Bottom line: While Herschman has definitely moved around over the years, there’s no question that he is one of the city’s most talented chefs. And with Menu6, it appears as though he’s found the ideal setting to showcase those talents and will no doubt make this one of the area’s most popular dining spots.

The former owner/chef of Mojo, a personal favorite of mine, is right around the corner from where he first started cooking in 1993. Herschman is the head chef at Menu6, the food-forward restaurant (as he describes it) which sits in the former Boulevard Blue space.

“We’re not a theme,” explains Herschman as he talks about his new digs, which also include the owners of Bodega on Coventry. “We’ll have a down-to-earth, killer feel that’s part of a great neighborhood. My neighborhood.”

Fans of Boulevard Blue won’t recognize the space. He shares the room is warm and deep with silver, black, chocolate and wood. Extremely contemporary and modern. There will even be a VIP area and a large communal chef’s table.

As for the name, the chef says they looked at the fundamentals of design and creativity and came up with Menu6. “Six is sexy and cool and is our foundation,” he said. “And then we broke up the menu into six elements, and thought – wow, this works.”

What are those six elements? For the menu, it’s: raw / hot, cold, small / green / water and feathers / land / sides, etc.

The dessert six: Chocolate, vanilla, fruit, coffee, sweet tooth, cheese. For wine, it’s bubbles / lighter, dryer, crisper whites / rounder exciting whites / lighter bodied reds / bigger structured, vivacious reds / medium bodied, juicier reds.

He adds that he’s focusing on market-driven dishes dictated by skill, seasonal ingredients, local whenever possible and lots of big, bold flavors. Finally he jokes, “There ain’t no comfort food here – or chicken. People don’t go out to eat for chicken.” Though he did add Kentucky “foied” chicken as a small plate.

Other dishes include:

• iced raw platter (assorted sashimi, crudo, oysters, clams, caviar) cocktail, old bayoli, pink mignonette, wasabi, caviar-crostini

• thai beef, potato noodle, red curry vin
• rare tuna & foie, uni butter, tangy radish, sticky rice fritters
• crispy skin whitefish, red chili miso broth, udon, choy, lobster dumplings
• duck, seared & roasted, scallion flatbread, soy glaze, winter salsa
• meyer family ranch 14 ounce ribeye, salt roast, root vegetable, foie bordelaise
• new zealand lamb rack, roasted, sweet potato chutney, mint salsa verde

If you’re like me, you’ll also be happy to know that his famous calamari, those sweet and sour bits of goodness, will be on the menu, too. He adds that there will be a nice mix of some old faves, but that they’ll really be pushing the envelope and just trying to have fun.

When does all this fun begin? Herschman said they are planning for a very soft opening first for the neighborhood hopefully around Valentine’s Day, and then open big. He explains that they want to grow into this and not rush it.

He may not want to rush it, but I can’t wait to check it out. Personally, I’m thrilled this talent is back in the kitchen. Mojo’s was my restaurant. I spent many nights at the bar and on that patio. Here’s hoping 6 has that same welcoming environment. And based on my chats with him, it sounds like it will.