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Three December Events

Stuart — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 04:24:43 +0000

Pear, pancetta salad at Sapore. Fantastic.

December 8, 2009 7 – 10pm : Beer Dinner at Buckeye Beer Engine

“Happy Holiday’s Beer Engine Fans. We wanted to remind everyone about our next beer dinner which is next Tuesday at 7:00pm. This will be a special beer dinner because of course it will feature many outstanding seasonal selections of holiday beers. Here is the list.

Rogue Santa’s Private Reserve served with Spicy Manhatten Clam Chowder.

Thirsty Dog’ Twelve Dogs of Christmas served with Hazelnut and Marscapone stuffed baked apple.

Left Hand Fade to Black 2009 served with Bison stew with Yams, Coriander, Turnips and sweet corn.

Troegs Mad Elf Holiday Ale served with Turkey stuffed with Cherries, Chocolate and Sage.

Dupont Avec Les Bons Voeux served with a cheese course and

Redstone Honey wine with Vanilla beans and Cinnamon sticks served with Ice Cream pie with Vanilla, Cinnamon and Honey ice creams.

Reserve your spot for this delicious selections of holiday beer and outstanding gourmet food. Reserve by phone 216-226-2337 or better yet stop in after fighting the crowds at the stores and get your reservation in person. We’re always happy to see you. Holiday Cheers for Beers, Mike”

Goat, herb salad from Greenhouse Tavern

December 6, 2009 6 – 9pm : Jean Lous Chave Dinner at Greenhouse Tavern

More spendy than most local dinner but lots of luxe ingredients. Foie gras salami and 45 day dry aged entrecote caught my eye.

almond cake at Sapore. One of the best desserts I've had in years.

December 17, 2009 6 – 9pm : Champagne, Sparkling and Prosecco Tasting at Sapore

Sapore is cementing its place as my favorite restaurant in the area. It was great under Chef Anderson and I’ve gone enough times to say that they’re still wonderful under new management. I recently went to my first Sapore wine dinner and from now on, theirs will be the dinners that I mark on calendars first.

Join us for a fabulous wine dinner event at Sapore Restaurant as we sample the finest wines & taste the exquisite dishes from Italy’s famous gourmet region of Sicily. Loretta will be your chef for the evening and winemaker Claudio Salvador will guide you through the tasting.
Menu: Tuna Carpaccio with Caponatina, Cheese Gnocchi with Porcini Mushroom Marsala Sauce, “Farsu Magro” Stuffed Beef Roll served with Mashed Potatoes, Cannoli Alla Siciliana, Biscotti delle Monache

A busy month at fire food and drink

Stuart — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 18:45:11 +0000

lamb sirloin and lamb ravioli at a past fire Wine Society dinner

fire food and drink has five events scheduled during the next five weeks.

October 26, 2009 6:30 � 9:30pm : Traditional Indian dinner at fire food and drink
October 28, 2009 6:30 � 9:30pm : Fire Wine Society Fall Dinner at fire food and drink
November 5, 2009 6:30 � 9:30pm : Heinen’s/WVIZ World Series of Wine at fire food and drink
November 11, 2009 6:30 � 9:30pm : Kokomo Wine Dinner at fire food and drink
Two items on this menu caught my eye:
sauteed sea scallops, housemade bacon, local mushrooms,brussel sprouts, cippolini onions and onion cream and
braised venison stew with creamy polenta,frisee, smashed raspberries and olive oil from the vineyard
November 18, 2009 6:30 � 9:30pm : Pig Out for Hunger at fire food and drink
No highlights from this menu. It looks great from top to bottom.

I’m not super excited about using Google’s Doc Viewer in my blog. It’s awesome for what it is, but what it is, at least in this case, is a solution to inappropriate use of PDFs. The viewer is relatively new, so I decided to use it this time as a public service. Now others can use it to partially mitigate the frustration of PDFs.

Please upgrade your browser

Dinners at Taste and the Culinary Vegetable Institute, Beer Week event at Moxie , fundraiser for Coit Farmers Market

Stuart — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:26:11 +0000

shrimp and noodles at Taste

October 20th, 2009 6:30pm : January 1st, 2004 Seafood wine dinner at Taste

FINE SEAFOOD AND WINE PAIRING DINNER
FEATURING TRIMBACH WINERY, ALSACE , FRANCE
WITH SPECIAL GUEST, ANNE TRIMBACH

5 courses 5 wines – $50.00 excludes tax & gratuity
6:30 P.M.
Reservations required!

· Oyster tartlet, béchamel brûlée
Pinot Blanc, ‘05

· Whitefish mousseline, red-onion chutney, frisee salad
Pinot Gris Réserve, ‘04

· Roasted salmon choucroute with mussels in cream sauce
Muscat Réserve, ‘ 02

· Trio of French Cheeses
Riesling, ‘06

· Tart apple compote on puff pastry, vanilla crème anglaise
Gewürztraminer, ‘04

October 24th, 2009 6:30pm : January 1st, 2004 Fall Harvest Earth to Table Dinner at Culinary Vegetable Institute

Appetizers
Mixed Chef’s Garden Salad with Baby Radishes, Marigold Petals,and Caramelized Shallots, in a Maple Pecan Vinaigrette

Roasted Beet Salad with Baby Arugula and Shaved Asiago Cheese

Three Grain and Goat Cheese Cake with Roasted Eggplant Ragout

Turnip and Leek Soup with Crème Fraiche and Memo Chives

Entrees
Smoked Chicken and Wild Mushroom Lasagna with Truffle Crème Sauce

Beef Brisket with Sweet Pepper Demi

Chef’s Garden Earth to Table Vegetables
Oven Roasted Tri-Color Cauliflower with Micro Caraway

Autumn Greens and Rainbow Chard with Applewood Smoked Bacon

Dauphinoise Potatoes with Horseradish

Desserts
Apple Fennel Crisp with Cinnamon Ice Cream

Caramel Crème Brulee with Candied Walnuts

$55 per person plus tax and gratuity
Reservations are required 419-499-7500

There are hundreds of events in Cleveland Beer Week. It’s very impressive for an inaugural event. Following are a couple that I noticed, but you can browse through them all on the Cleveland Beer Week website.

October 16th, 2009 7:00pm : January 1st, 2004 Fondue Beer Dinner at Moxie

Join Moxie The Restaurant for a 4-course dinner with beer selections from Merchant du Vin, including breads and meats paired with Lindemann’s Cuvee Renee, mushroom fondue with Ayinger Weizen-Bock, fondue with roasted shallots with Ayinger Octoberfest, domestic raclette with Rochefort 8, imported raclette with Samuel Smith’s India Ale, and chocolate fondue with Celebrator Double Bock. $45/person. For reservations call 216-831-5599.

October 19, 2009 6 � 9pm : Taste of Autumn at Coit Road Farmers Market

From a cleveland.com food forum post:

22171. A Taste of Autumn 2009
by HoundOfSpices, 10/13/09 16:46 ET
Help support the ECFMâ€™s efforts to preserve and re-develop the Coit Road Farmers Market by attending our fall fund raising dinner, â€œA Taste of Autumn 2009â€, a fall harvest buffet dinner featuring top area chefs, door prizes, silent auction, cash bar and awards presentation with music provided by The Coit Road Ramblers. The event will be held on Monday, October 19th from 6:00 â€“ 9:00 PM at the Beachland Ballroom 15711 Waterloo Road, Cleveland. Proceeds from the dinner will be used to help defray market operating expenses and provide support for several important local food assistance initiatives that the market sponsors.

Chefs we will feature include Eric Wells from SkyLarae’s, Brandt Evans from Blue Canyon Kitchen and Tavern, Dante Boccuzi from the soon to open Dante’s in Tremont, Brandon Kercher from The Grovewood, Ruth Levine from Bistro 185, Michael Lorah from Beachclub Bistro and more!

Tickets are $50 each and can be purchased at at www.coitmarket.org, www.beachlandballroom.com and at the Coit Rd. Farmers Market.

If you have any questions, feel free to call (216)531-3230 or email kevin@coitmarket.org.

We look forward to seeing you there!

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2009

FINE SEAFOOD AND WINE PAIRING DINNER
FEATURING TRIMBACH WINERY, ALSACE , FRANCE
WITH SPECIAL GUEST, ANNE TRIMBACH

5 courses 5 wines – $50.00 excludes tax & gratuity
6:30 P.M.
Reservations required!

· Oyster tartlet, béchamel brûlée
Pinot Blanc, ‘05

· Whitefish mousseline, red-onion chutney, frisee salad
Pinot Gris Réserve, ‘04

· Roasted salmon choucroute with mussels in cream sauce
Muscat Réserve, ‘ 02

· Trio of French Cheeses
Riesling, ‘06

· Tart apple compote on puff pastry, vanilla crème anglaise
Gewürztraminer, ‘04

Some Oktoberfestivities

Stuart — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 02:39:37 +0000

pork knuckle, a traditional German drinking food

September 25th : 26th, 2009 Oktoberfest Celebration at Great Lakes Brewing Company

It’s Oktoberfest time again! Festivities run Friday, September 25, 2009 starting at 4:00 PM through Saturday, September 26, 2009!

LIVE MUSIC:
* Friday Evening: Cleveland DSB German Brass Band (7:00 PM – 11:00 PM)
* Saturday Evening: The Joe Wendell Orchestra (6:00 PM – 11:00 PM)

SPECIALS INCLUDE:
* German Inspired Menu including: Wienerschnitzel, Sauerbraten, German Sausage and Franks, Fried Pickles, Dumplings, Cabbage and Pretzels!

* “Keep the Ceramic Stein” Special: new stein in 2009!

* GLBC Oktoberfest On Draft

Please note: reservations will not be accepted on or for these days.

Not so traditional but a national obsession since World War II. I assume currywurst will be well represented at Oktoberfest.

October 1st, 2009 Oktoberfest Beer Dinner at Bar Cento

Menu:

salad of belgian endive and mixed greens with juniper vinaigrette
mussel and clam soup with ohio potato
plum pierogi with smoked duck
lamb saurbraten with fall vegetables
mascarpone and white chocolate mousse with pumpkin sabayon

Oktoberfest special at Flying Fig

Locally raised organic brat, housemade chips, cabbage-apple slaw and Brooklyn beer all for $8.

Sep 15, 2009: Local Beer & Harvest Dinner at Grovewood Tavern

Stuart — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 16:22:52 +0000

Local Beer! Yum-yum. Drink 'em up.
"Buy local. Not a new concept but one that is not often practiced or understood. Especially given the American mindset in which we're entitled to get whatever we want, from wherever we want, whenever we want.

In the July/August 2003 issue of Utne, an article titled 'Funny Money' discusses the creation of local currencies to encourage local spending, but what caught our attention was when the author stated:

'Buying local helps keep your money circulating through your hometown: paying your neighbors' salaries, boosting local government revenues and so on. But when you fork over your cash to a national chain, your money gets whisked away in that night's deposit.'

So true. Apply this to beer consumption, and you'd most likely see more local beer scenes prosper and the chances of a giant national brand taking a foothold decrease. Buying local beer also promotes interest in the local brewing scene, both with consumers and business owners within the industry - bars, restaurants, package stores and whatnot. And, as a result, your chances of getting more fresh local beer on tap and on the shelves increases. Buy a mega-national brand and you merely strengthen its consumer reach, and support its mega-advertising campaigns and corporate lifestyle, but you take dollars, tap handles, shelf space and, potentially, jobs away from local breweries. And that's not cool."

From BeerAdvocate, August 2003

Our own beer goddess, Vicki Weisent, presents!

Beer......Course
Indigo Imp Blonde Bombshell (Cleveland, 6.2 ABV)......Grilled Flatbread with pears, blue chèvre and Dijon cream.
Imp beers are naturally carbonated, unfiltered, un-pasteurized, Real Ales. Blonde Bombshell is an American blonde ale with a smooth malty taste, moderate hop bitterness, and slightly fruity and nutty aftertaste.

Fat Heads Brewery Oktoberfest (North Olmsted, 5 ABV)......Squash Blossom & Chicken Saltimbocca, tempura'd yellow beans.
Fat Heads Brewery recently opened with much anticipation in Cleveland. Brewer Matt Cole spent more than a decade at Rocky River Brewing, and has been called "one of Ohio's best and most innovative beer makers." Formed in partnership with Pittsburgh's beloved Fat Heads local chain, the North Olmsted incarnation has met with rave reviews. Imported German Malts give this Fest Bier a deep copper color which is balanced by imported by German Noble Hops. This beer is smooth and highly drinkable.

The Brew Kettle Old 21 Imperial IPA (Strongsville, 9.5 ABV)...... Moroccan-Spiced Pork Chop, Ohio peach chutney.
The Brew Kettle opened its doors in the fall of 1995 as Ohio's First Brew-On-Premise Microbrewery. This double IPA is made with 11 additions of Simoc hop for 21 lbs. of hops total. Nice aroma of pine, citrus, toast, and sweet caramel malts. Pours a bright golden amber with a decent head and lacing. Nice sweetness - caramel with some citrus fruitiness. Some toasted malts as well. A resiny pine finish lingers for a while. Nice bitterness, the base malt seems perfect for the hop flavor as it is very harmonious and drinkable.

Buckeye Brewing Old Mammoth Stout (Lakewood, 6.5 ABV)......Coffee & Ancho-Braised Short Ribs, molasses-roasted baby acorn squash.
Rich roasted aroma. Lots of cocoa on the nose with a light hint of coffee and peat. As it warms a nice touch of molasses starts to come through. Smooth, molasses and cocoa roll across the tongue from the very onset; rich and creamy chocolate notes flood the palate and leave a long and lasting mark. On the finish, a silky smooth mouthfeel and good carbonation, and a moderate, lingering bitterness.

Cellar Rats Ratsberry Porter (Madison, 6 ABV)......Deep Dark Chocolate Cheesecake, fresh berries.
Cellar Rats Brewery, located within Debonné Vineyards, is fairly new on the micro-brew scene, however brings together a team with years of experience. Active trio Brian Burns (assistant wine maker & brewer), Tony Debevc (the younger), and Ed Trebets (chemist and wine maker) have been brewing small batches of brew since 2008. Ratsberry combines their signature, creamy, espresso-laced black plague porter with natural raspberry flavoring. A great combo of cascade hops, black malts and berry fruit.
Fellow food tourists, join us on our trip around the local beer block. I promise you won't be disappointed.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009
by reservation only
216-531-4900
20090915T183000

Local Beer & Harvest Dinner

Location: Grovewood [...]

New cupcakes at a new coffee house; Slovenian sausage festival; perch festival

Stuart — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 19:53:46 +0000

photo by keli shiny-penny, the baker. She says ,"Backyard Garden Cupcakes Made from fresh Zuchinni from Ryan and Julie’s Backyard Garden. These Zuchinni Pistachio and Spice Cupcakes are finished with cream cheese frosting and toasted pistachios."

The baker has a blog or you can follow her on twitter. The cupcakes are available at Willow Coffee House. Willow boasts fresh pastries daily but from what I can discern the cupcakes are delivered on Wednesdays. A cupcake seems like a perfect complement to a delicious Buckeye Beer Engine burger. Since the Engine doesn’t have a single sweet on the menu, I’ve been going to East Coast Custard. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it will be nice to have another option.

Some fried perch from Dante - probably not what you'll see at the perch fest. Dante, the waiting is killing me. Open up already!

September 11th : 13th, 2009 Lake County Perchfest at Fairport Harbor Lakefront Park

Eat some perch and then take a tour of the Fairport Harbor Lighthouse.

some polka music at the much more conveniently located Slavic Village Festival

September 12, 2009 1 � 8pm : Nationa Cleveland-Style Polka Hall of Fame Sausage Festival at Slovenska Pristava

The Slovenska Pristava is a moderate drive from Cleveland. It’s past Painsville. I’m still going to try to get to this event. A local butcher is the top google result for “slovenian sausage” and Slovenian style polka is so closely associated with Cleveland that “Cleveland-style polka” and “Slovenian-style polka” are used interchangeably in the United States. Obviously, this event celebrates an important and authentic part of Cleveland.

Kosher rib burn off; Oktoberfest; Geauga County Fair

Stuart — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 21:20:29 +0000

There’s a lot to do this weekend. Race fans should be particularly busy. Sausage fans, too.

beef rib, Caribbean style. Not from a past kosher rib burn off, but one can hope.

September 7, 2009 12 � 5pm : Kosher Rib Burn Off at Gross Schechter Day School

I’m not usually excited about burn offs and cook offs. Sure , much of the food will be good but there’s no way to tell in advance. Beef ribs are hard enough to find that I may be willing to take a chance with the the Gross Schechter rib burn off.

Photo by halcyonsnow

August 4th : 7th, 2009 Labor Day Oktoberfest at Berea County Fairgrounds

Everything you’d expect from Oktoberfest. Minus being in October. Plus wiener dog races.

Most fair food can be pretty unappealing but Oktoberfest should have at least a couple respectable restaurants selling food.

What wonderful fair foods await at the Geauga County Fair? The LA Fair leads by example. photo by elevated

September 3rd : 7th, 2009 Geauga County Fair at Geauga County Fairgrounds

I read cleveland.com so that you don’t have to:

See 4-H kids grooming pigs and cows and hoping for that blue ribbon. Century-old buildings house maple-sugar sculptures, pumpkins weighing hundreds of pounds, prize-winning pies, cookies and homemade fashions at this down-home celebration. Livestock competitions, a chicken-flying contest, apple-pie auctions, used-library-book sales, Amish high-wheel cart races, music, rides and grandstand shows offer good old-fashioned fun.

Almost all of those activities sound fun and they didn’t even mention one of the most interesting. Cleveland.com might not recognize a crowd-pleaser when they see one, but the official fair website knows what’s hot: baby racing.

bonus wiener dog photo by halcyonsnow

Beer dinners at Buckeye Beer Engine and Tremont Tap House; Budget menus at Moxie and Flying Fig

Stuart — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 14:58:34 +0000

beet salad at Moxie

September 1st, 2009 7pm : January 1st, 2004 Southern Tier Beer Dinner at Buckeye Beer Engine

The complete menu (PDF) has some notes about the beer pairings.

Baby spinach, fig, and goat cheese salad with orange honey dressing.
Paired with Southern Tier ‘Harvest Ale’ (5.7% ABV, Extra Special, Bitter)

Chinese five spice spare ribs.
Paired with Southern Tier ‘Hop Sun’ (4.5% ABV, Summer Wheat Beer)

Roasted corn and smoked duck enchi lada.
Paired with Southern Tier ‘Oak Aged Unearthly’ (11% ABV, Imperial India Pale Ale)

Cherry Sti lton tart with pomegranate syrup and walnuts.
Paired with Southern Tier ‘Cherry Saison’ (8% ABV, Imperial Oak Aged Cherry Ale)

Pumpkin and mascarpone stuffed agni lotti.
Paired with Southern Tier ‘Pumking’ (9% ABV, Imperial Pumpkin Ale)

Tiramisu.
Paired with Southern Tier ‘Mokah’ (11% ABV, Stout brewed with chocolate & coffee)

pan roasted chicken at Moxie

August 24th, 2009 7pm : January 1st, 2004 Flying Dog Beer Dinner at Tremont Tap House

Reservations required 216-298-4451 – $ 50.00 per person – Presented By: Chef Chris Ita

Course 1 Beer: Old Scratch Amber Lager
Duck Queso w/ ManchegoSweet Corn… Black Beans… Cumin Crème Fraiche

Course 2 Beer: Snake Dog IPA
Lobster WontonsTrio of Dipping Sauces

Course 3 Beer: Woody Creek White
Roasted Beet SaladSherry Vinaigrette

Course 4 Beer: Double Dog Pale Ale
Stuffed Veal ScaloppiniRoasted Tomatos & Spinach… Puttanesca Sauce

Course 5 Beer: Gonzo Imperial Porter
NY Strip SteakPancetta Risotto w/ Fontina… Veal Demi Glace

Course 6 Beer: Horn Dog Barley Wine
Cannolis SamplerMacerated strawberries… Blueberry Compote

honey panna cotta

Budget dinner menu at Moxie

The options are selections from the regular menu:

As a member of Cleveland Independents, Moxie invites you to GET YOUR LOCAL FIX a four-course menu including: 1st: potato gnocchi or steamed mussels & clams; 2nd: roasted beet salad or housemade mozzarella & heirloom tomato carozza; 3rd: Lake Erie walleye or pan roasted chicken; 4th: honey panna cotta, macerated peaches & basil. $39 per person (tax & gratuity not included)

: tempura beans at The Flying Fig

Budget dinner at The Flying Fig

Three courses for $3o every Tuesday.

Ukrainian festival; Wing crawl; fire food and drink

Stuart — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 17:40:08 +0000

Good pierogi from Happy Dog. I assume there will something similar at the St. Vladimir celebration.
August 29th, 2009 Ukrainian Festival at Saint Vladimir Cathedral

Last year, Parma designated a neighborhood Ukrainian Village and this year they renamed part of Marioncliffe Drive to St. Vladimir Drive. It coincides with the 85th anniversary of the founding of St. Vladimir Cathedral in its original Tremont location. The church and the neighborhood are celebrating with a weekend of observations and festivities. The food appears to be concentrated on August 29. August 29 should also see Ukrainian dancing, polka music and tours of the cathedral. (via)

fire roasts a mean beet. All three courses sound like perfect dishes to highlight fire's strengths.
A Special Menu at fire

fire recently introduced a three-course menu that highlights local products. Of course, they do as much as any area restaurant to highlight local products on their local menu, but all three courses look wonderful so I’m not going to ask any questions.

bowl of heirloom tomatoes
ricotta salata, sweet basil, extra virgin olive oil

tandoor roasted hanger steak
beet and raclette cheese gratin, baby vegetables

peach cobbler
vanilla ice cream, sage honey

I searched my flickr archive for "chicken wings" and got 31 results. I don't think that's enough. Too bad I think I'll have to miss this event.
August 22, 2009 1 � 7pm : Lakewood Wing Crawl

$15 gets you 66 wings – 6 at each of 11 participating restaurants: Around the Corner, Harry Buffalo, Geppetto’s/Johnny Malloy’s, Kenilworth, Mars Bar, Merry Arts, Put In Bay Lakewood, Pug Mahone’s, Riverwood Cafe, Rush Inn and Screaming Rooster

Dinners at Sapore, Culinary Vegetable Institute

Stuart — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 18:32:37 +0000

flank steak at Sapore. delicious radishes, too

August 13, 2009 6pm � Irresistible Foods & Wine of Spain at Sapore

It’s nice to see a dinner with some classic dishes. I don’t need every course to be specifically created for that meal. There are huge repertoires of delicious recipes from myriad cultures. Often these dishes evoke a sense of comfort that novel dishes don’t offer. I wish more wine dinners and restaurant menus featured straightforward classics. I’m looking forward to trying chicken croquettes, potato tortilla and paella.

August 22, 2009 6:30pm � Earth to Table Dinner at Culinary Vegetable Institute

And it’s nice to see a dinner with seafood pot pie and pound cake for dessert. So often, going to these events means concentrating on a parade of fussy food in elaborate presentations. Even though that can be delicious, it’s frustrating that more relaxed dinners with more casual food aren’t nearly as common.

Throw in a beautiful farm setting and some live jazz and you’ve got the makings of a wonderful evening.