Zack Bruell announces the official start of the 2011 Tour de Bruell.  To take part in the Tour, diners should simply visit any Zack Bruell restaurant - Parallax, Table 45, L’Albatros or Chinato – between Memorial Day and Labor Day and ask for their Tour de Bruell ticket.   Each time a participant purchases dinner at one of the restaurants, they earn a stamp on their ticket.  In order to complete the Tour, participants will have to get one stamp at each Zack Bruell restaurant.

All fans that complete the Tour de Bruell will receive a commemorative t-shirt, featuring the 2011  theme:  “Get Your Zack On.”  From those individuals, 10 semi-finalists and their guests will be randomly selected to enjoy a complimentary wine tasting dinner at Table 45, featuring cuisine by Bruell and champagne offerings by Moët & Chandon.  In addition, one grand prize winner will receive the custom, in-home, four-course dinner for eight, prepared by Bruell.

The Cleveland Museum of Art’s annual Summer Solstice Party, now in its third year, is just around the corner – Saturday, June 25^th. The event will feature all-night music, food, drinks and dancing to celebrate the long days and hot nights of summer us Clevelanders have been so patiently awaiting.  But why wait until the 25^th to enjoy?

Starting next week, each Zack Bruell restaurant will offer its own unique multi-course, prix fixe Summer Solstice menu for one week, to promote the Summer Solstice party.  Chinato kicks it off next week followed by L’Albatros.  Here’s the official menu schedule:

• Week of May 31 (Tues-Sat):  Chinato
• Week of June 6 (Mon-Sat):  L’Albatros
• Week of June 13 (Mon-Sat):  Parallax
• Week of June 19 (Sun-Sat):  Table 45 (Table 45 will offer pre-party dining for Summer Solstice Party 2011)
• The cost for these Summer Solstice Menus are $35 per person

Chinato’s menu:

• 1^st Course: Lamb sweetbreads with roasted tomato aioli
• 2^nd course: Pappardelle with zucchini, chickpeas, arugula mint and pecorino cheese
• 3^rd course: Fennel-dusted cod with bell pepper and fennel risotto and basil butter
• 4^th course: Lemon cheesecake

L’Albatros’ menu:

• 1^st Course: Salad of Garden and Local Greens with Charred Tomato Vinaigrette
• 2^nd Course: Braised Pork Belly & Tiger Shrimp with Lavender Pork Jus
• 3^rd Course : Strawberry Clafoutis

The actual event takes place on 6/25 at the museum starting at 6 p.m. and lasting until 2 a.m. General admission tickets are $125 for CMA members and includes hors d’oeuvres plus open bar from 6-8 p.m. From 7:30 p.m. until 2 a.m., general admission is $60 per person, $40 for CMA members, and free admission for CMA members at the Fellow level or higher and includes appetizers and cash bar. And from 10 p.m. until 2 a.m., advance tickets are $15 per person, $20 per person at the door and includes snacks and cash bar.

While I’m really hoping to attend this event, there’s a good chance I just may be in labor (though if I go, UH is just around the corner…). Unless you’re also nearing the end of your pregnancy and the notion of staying up until 10 p.m. is a foreign concept to you these days, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t go. It has quite the reputation of being one of the best summer parties in town! And thanks to the CMA and Zack Bruell, I have two tickets up for grabs to attend from 10 p.m. on. To be entered into the random drawing, just leave a comment to this post (sorry – to be fair, Facebook doesn’t count, but I do appreciate the conversation there!) telling me your favorite thing about Cleveland summers.

Good luck and happy summer! You have until June 8^th to enter.

Here’s a recap of our recent Bruell eats:

On Saturday, I got together with my oldest and dearest friends to celebrate two birthdays at Chinato. Our husbands were there too, though you wouldn’t have known it until we left (boys on one side, girls on the other). For two of the couples, this was their first trip.

The night did start off a little shaky. There were 8 of us and they sat us in a table clearly meant for 6. Sure, we could have all fit, but we would have been packed like in sardines and no one wants to go through a meal without being able to lift your arms. That’s not conducive for an enjoyable night out (and knowing we were an 8 top is why I made rezzies nearly 6 weeks out).

The management quickly saw this was an issue and changed our table. Problem (easily and swiftly) solved. Unfortunately, the somewhat shaky service did continue throughout the night. I get it was crowded and I get it was a Saturday night. But I have to imagine we’d be a good table to have: fun group, lots of food, lots of alcohol and we weren’t in a hurry to get someplace. But there were small things throughout the night that made us all feel like it was a bother to wait on us and that our server had much better things to be doing with his time (forgetting to bring things out, rolling eyes when asking for oil for bread, rather condescending overall, etc.).

But on to what really matters – the food! And as all of our previous visits, the food was stellar. We started off with fried artichokes, mussels, involtini and ribollita for the table. For my dinner, I had my favorite fennel salad (seriously, I can’t go there without ordering this) and a half order of the pappardelle with creamed cauliflower, pecorino and peperoncini (love how there is zero cream in this velvety sauce).

Everything was top notch and happily devoured by all. If you haven’t been, I recommend going soon. And despite the off service this night, we have enjoyed wonderful service on past visits.

For our 4^th wedding anniversary, we went to Parallax. Now this has long been a favorite of ours since he first opened. We love sitting out front during the summer, cocktails at the bar, and the main dining room, too. And they have some of my favorite sushi in town. But I have to say, this was my first trip to Parallax were I didn’t leave wowed and completely content.

I started with the yellowtail, jalapeno, mango chirashi with avocado sushi rice, followed by the beet salad and finally the udon noodles with rock shrimp & pork belly (miso black cod – as always – for Jamie).

I stand corrected. I was quite content and overly smitten with my entrée. Plenty of pork belly and shrimp swimming in mounds of noodles. I was happy. But not so much with my two starters. The beets weren’t cooked enough and the chirashi was just bland (which was surprising given its accompaniments).

But everyplace has off days and perhaps this was one of them. Because like I said, we’ve been big fans for years now and one experience like this won’t change that.

Finally, dinner with friends at L’Albatros. My favorite outing of the three (meal wise) because of two things: Brandon and cheese. Zack is truly lucky to have found Brandon and us Clevelanders are lucky Brandon chooses to call Cleveland home (side note: read more about how Brandon Chrostowski ended up here in Fresh Water). Service was excellent as was the food. And if you’re a fan of cheese, you simply can’t leave until you have let Brandon share some of his favorites with you.

While the cheese is always my favorite part of my L’Albatros experience, I did also greatly enjoy my oysters and braised leg of lamb. And the overall atmosphere is my favorite of all three.

Bread the goat cheese discs starting with flour, then egg wash and finally Panko.  Sautee lightly in walnut oil and place in 400 degree oven for four minutes or until slightly soft on the inside.

Walnut Vinaigrette:

Mix mustard and egg yolk in bowl and slowly whisk in oils.  Add a splash of vinegar to taste and season with salt and pepper.

Arrange the greens on plates.  Drizzle vinaigrette over the green and place the sautéed goat cheese on top.  Garnish with walnuts and dried cranberries.

This post was sponsored by Heinen’s. When making this salad at home, Glenn, the beer specialist for the University Heights store, recommends trying it with Hennepin Farmhouse Saison from Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown NY. He explains that this ale is light and bright enough to pair very well with the dressing.  The ale’s bright acidity and spice will compliment the flavors of the whole grain mustard while Hennepin’s lightly malted backbone matches very well with the breaded goat cheese. Finally, he adds that the earthy and yeasty flavor of this beer brings out the subtle flavor of the walnut oil.

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!

For as much as I enjoy cheese, whether at home or dining out (I prefer cheese at the end of my meal versus something sweet), I’ve never participated in a structured cheese tasting. That is until L’Albatros extended an invitation for a few bloggers to participate.

Now, if you’ve been to L’Albatros, I don’t have to tell you about the food and how truly wonderful it is. You know this (and if you don’t, you’re missing out). And if you’ve dined here, chances are you’ve met Brandon Chrostowski and have already been wowed by their impressive cheese selection (the best in Cleveland) and his extensive knowledge. Well, imagine an entire evening of this.

We participated in the Italian cheese and wine tasting last week. For two hours, a group of 50 or so listened to music, sampled light hors d’oeuvres, and were taken on a trip throughout the regions of Italy where we enjoyed wines and cheese hand selected by Brandon, a certified sommelier, fromager and trained chef — a triple threat (read more about Brandon here).

The eight cheeses we sampled include: La Tur, Casatica di Bufala, Salva Cremasco, Pecorino Sardo, Testun al Barolo, Monte Veronese Malga, Taleggio Bergamasco and Blu del Moncenisio – plus carefully selected wines to accompany each.

Brandon won us over after our first visit to L’Albatros shortly after they opened. And this tasting just amplified what I like best about him. He’s knowledgeable, but not in a pretentious way. And he’s a wonderful storyteller who genuinely enjoys passing on his learnings and sharing the back story of each cheese- where it comes from, interesting facts, etc. So each guest walks away with something other than a new favorite cheese.

My personal favorite cheese of the night was the very first course, La Tur. This incredibly creamy cheese comes from Piemonte. It might just be one of the best cheeses I’ve ever tried. I was also impressed with the Testun al Barolo, but I truthfully don’t know if it was the floral hints of this cheese I liked so much or the great lengths Brandon went to for us to try (one hard-to-pronounce volcano  kept his order in Italy, and the horrible weather down south, where the only cheese monger in the US he was able to locate resides, was also affected by Mother Nature).  I actually enjoyed each course, with the exception of the last one – mostly because I’m just not into bleu cheese.

The staff was quite generous with the portions – for both the wine and cheese. They regularly came around to top off the wine and offer more cheese (though trust me, no one needed it). Like I said, we were guests, but the cost of this tasting (and most of their tastings), is $50. And I can tell you that is an incredible deal given all that you experience during the two hours. At the end, you have the opportunity to buy any of the wines and/or cheeses (I bought the vin santo del chianti, castello sonnino, Montespertoli. I didn’t care for the blu cheese it was paired with, but surprisingly liked this dessert wine).

The only thing I would have liked with this pairing was perhaps some greens or even sorbet about half way through, just to break it up (it is a lot of cheese, even for me, and you need something to cut through it all). But truly, even without, this was an impressive tasting and I highly recommend experiencing first-hand.

Parallax

The next day, I took a client to another of Zack Bruell’s restaurants: Parallax in Tremont. I’ve been impressed with this restaurant since the day he opened it. It’s always spot on and one of the best restaurants in town. We sat outside and I took advantage of it being a Wednesday when they offer the full sushi menu: sashimi combo of yellowtail, white tuna and tuna, plus a cup of the leek soup. I’m a fan of nearly everything I’ve tried there, but the sushi is among my favorite in town. Always fresh, inventive and completely satisfying. Sushi is available for lunch at Parallax everyday, but only a limited offering – except on Wednesdays. The entire sushi menu is available for dinner each night.

I’ve seen the looks. I’ve heard the comments. We’ve felt the tension as we walk past your table and our party of three is seated next to you. You’re out for a nice evening and the last thing you want is some screaming kid about to ruin your night out. Or worse, we are seated in your section and you’re stuck waiting on us and left picking up the mess that our daughter will enthusiastically leave behind. Or so you think.

From the time Natalie was three weeks old, we’ve taken her out to dinner with us. She’s been everywhere, from Lola to Momocho to L’Albatros to Valentine’s dinner at Fahrenheit last week (Natalie loved Rocco’s short ribs) — she is well on her way to taking over this blog someday. We decided before she was born that we were going to incorporate her into our life and our routine as much as possible. And we believed the more we exposed her to early on, the better off we’d be in the long run. Granted we’ve only been parents for 14.5 months, but so far so good.

Sure, there are plenty of times when we get a sitter and dine sans toddler, but for the most part, we like keeping the band together. Our goal when dining out as a family is to have an enjoyable night out and maybe make a new memory; not to ruin your evening in the process. So when Natalie is with us, we plan ahead so that we can avoid being that family. We eat early (last week at Fahrenheit we made rezzies for 4 and were out by 4:45 before the rush), we ask for the check as soon as our food arrives (you never know when the meal could be to go), we have snacks handy (and when we leave we  make sure all goldfish are accounted for, it’s not a server’s job to clean up after our kid – I was a server once and am very consciousness of this) and always bring table toppers so she can be a neat little diner. And if Natalie should cry, and it’s one of those cries, we’re outta there in 60 seconds flat (we have an escape plan and to date have only had to execute it twice). Like I said, we do not and will not ruin anyone else’s meal.

I will say this though, most of the looks we’ve had have been from fellow customers, but once we’re well into our meal and they see  how well-behaved and happy-go-lucky our daughter is, and just how ridiculously cute her chubby cheeks are, people are won over. And for the most part, restaurants are extremely accommodating and welcoming. Parallax encouraged us to bring our daughter, the staff at Lola oohed and aahed, Greenhouse Tavern and Momocho are simply fantastic for families and when Natalie met Rocco Whalen, he looked at our daughter with a big smile and told her how excited he was to cook for her for the next 20 plus years. And we know he meant it.

Our daughter truly is a foodie in the making. Saying she loves food is an understatement. We have yet to find anything she won’t eat – from Indian to Thai to Mexican to Italian, she’s an equal opportunity eater. And boy can she put it away. Just this morning at Vine & Bean, she enjoyed a plate of waffles for breakfast and fruit (I was a mean mommy and refused to share my pecan-crusted bacon). And at B Spot, she ate half a Plain Jane burger and helped us finish a shake. But her favorite dish just might be short ribs of any kind (the kid’s got good taste). If we order them out or make at home, look out – she will throw down her bib and fight you for every last bite.

So if you’re part senior citizen like us and are eating out before 5 and see us coming, don’t worry – I guarantee you won’t even know we’re there. And if you’re a family with little ones and have been sticking to the chains when dining out as a family for fear of what might happen, give one of our many local places a shot. With a few modifications, you can have a great family night out – and a much better meal in the process (and pay just the same, sometimes less – hello Lolita, Bar Symon, GHT, Sunday Supper at Momocho just to name a few). And if your kids are older than mine, you may not even have to alter a thing. Happy eating!

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!).

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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).