Lamb tongue sandwich at Assad's Bakery

I’ve been back here since the tongue sandwich and I’ve been pleased with everything I’ve tried. Also, friendliest restaurant/market in Cleveland. Hands down. Most recently, I had the sojuk (I’ve [...]]]>

Brushetta at Jibaro

Lamb tongue sandwich at Assad's Bakery

I’ve been back here since the tongue sandwich and I’ve been pleased with everything I’ve tried. Also, friendliest restaurant/market in Cleveland. Hands down. Most recently, I had the sojuk (I’ve seen it spelled soud jouk elsewhere) and it was fantastic. Greasy, but in a good way.

jerk chicken at Pot Roast Ethnic Cuisine

That little “donut” isn’t fooling anyone. The sauce was tomato-based and sour, which felt out of place. It was also a little overwhelming. But the chicken itself had a wonderful flavor and that’s more than enough to make the whole meal a success. Also, I’m not saying the sauce was bad, just that it may not be for everyone.

shwarma from Arabian Village Market

You don’t really get much from a picture of a shawarma sandwich, do you? It was tasty. They seem to have a varying assortment of prepared foods held in steam trays. I ordered some lamb heart. I’m not sure if I should have asked to have it warmed. I’m not sure if a microwave would reheat lamb heart well. It was just a hair under the perfect temperature. But the flavors were great. You could tell that the spices were fresh.

Cookies at J Pistone

The cookies at Pistone are simply the best on the East Side.

flank steak at Bar Cento

I don’t remember whether this is still on the menu. If not, they probably have a flank steak or a hangar steak with a different set of sides. I still recommend it. It’s about time that they put duck breast back on the menu.

doner yogurt at Istanbul Grill

House made doner, House made yogurt. I’ve had several good meals here.

Moxie’s new menu change is more extensive than their previous, frequent menu changes. The new menu, set to debut on Monday, April 19th, represents a complete change in Moxie’s concept. Staff used the word “tapas” to describe the new concept. The menu de-emphasizes entrees [...]]]>

sweet and spicy baby pepper peperonato, toasty bread. delicious

Moxie’s new menu change is more extensive than their previous, frequent menu changes. The new menu, set to debut on Monday, April 19th, represents a complete change in Moxie’s concept. Staff used the word “tapas” to describe the new concept. The menu de-emphasizes entrees and organizes dishes into three categories by size. The intention is to give patrons more flexibility with options to have lighter meals or combine more tastes into their meals. Lower prices for their entrees extend that flexibility. Chef de Cuisine Anthony Hamilton said the new menu also reflects an industry trend towards simpler food.

In the run-up to the debut, they’re offering complimentary samples of some of their new menu items. I don’t know whether this promotion will last until the 19th or whether it will only running through this week. If you don’t catch the promotion, you should still definitely check out the new menu. I’m looking forward to it. Moxie is one of the best restaurants in Cleveland and the new, simple style is friendlier to someone who eats out frequently.

New Moxie Menu 2010

C-Town Eats reports on the opening of a new pizzeria in Little Italy: La Pizzeria. Their website promises the best pizza and gelato in Little Italy. C-Town Eats report doubles as a very favorable review, but also questions whether the area isn’t already saturated. Maybe, I’m not aware [...]]]>

Crostata's has some new competition

C-Town Eats reports on the opening of a new pizzeria in Little Italy: La Pizzeria. Their website promises the best pizza and gelato in Little Italy. C-Town Eats report doubles as a very favorable review, but also questions whether the area isn’t already saturated. Maybe, I’m not aware of the available options but I can’t think of too many. Anthony’s has gelato but I’ll certainly welcome a newcomer if the quality is better. Several shops in the area serve pizza, but the only real pizzeria in the area is Mama Santa’s, right? The bakeries serve cold slices. Do any of the restaurants serve pizza?

And speaking of Mama Santa’s, what’s the deal with Papa Santi’s? I spotted them recently in Woodmere, across the street from Whole Foods. The website doesn’t recognize any affiliation with Mama Santa’s but the names are clearly complementary. The menu promises sweets made fresh daily, so I’m definitely interest in this place.

Ceviche Bar is right next to Europa, which itself is relatively new. That space housed a Middle Eastern restaurant and a gastropub, but most people remember it as The Lion and the Lamb. Ceviche Bar has a dozen different types of ceviche [...]]]>

Awesome ceviche. Sorry, I can't tell you where to find it.

Ceviche Bar is right next to Europa, which itself is relatively new. That space housed a Middle Eastern restaurant and a gastropub, but most people remember it as The Lion and the Lamb. Ceviche Bar has a dozen different types of ceviche and a small selection of other light dishes. It’s open from 9pm until late, four days a week. They have a DJ every night. It’s an interesting concept for Cleveland and an interesting spot in Cleveland for that concept. To me, at least. That part of Cleveland is like a foreign country to me. Maybe it’s full of suave sophisticates eager to munch ceviche while nodding to the beat. Anyway, I wish them the best of luck because I’m looking forward to trying it out myself. I just wish they were open a little earlier.

I haven’t had a lot of ceviche but some of what I’ve had has been very good. On the other hand, I know  that between several different ceviche-loving countries, there are many different types of ceviche and I haven’t even begun to explore that diversity. I wouldn’t be qualified to judge whether any of these ceviches are authentic. It would be nice if some were but I’ll be happy in either case, as long as it tastes good and isn’t just an afterthought to the booze and music.

olive tapenade
red pepper fusion
pickled fruit
smoked duck
smoked eel
smoked sturgeon

asparagus prosciutto spirals
cheese skewers
cheese baked bread

panama – orange roughy, homemade pico de gallo
japaese – salmon, soy, mild white pepper and onion
costa rican – mahi mahi, red pepper, onion, garlic
mexican ceviche – red snapper, green pepper, pico de gallo
chilean ceviche – seabass, garlic, hot pepper, grapefruit
ecuadorian ceviche – tilapia, onion, hot pepper, orange
texan ceviche – halibut, tomato, onion, cilantro
guatamalan ceviche – cooked shrimp, tomato, onion, garlic, cilantro, popcorn garnish
shrimp ceviche – cooked shrimp, mustard, onion, hot pepper
ahi tuna – charred tomato, mango, avocado, cilantro, jalepneo, onion
scallop ceviche – onion, garlic, hot pepper, mango, tomato
vegetarian – avocado, red pepper, onion, cilantro, corn, mozzarella

excellent halibut ceviche at Luxe

The food at Europa was good. I had pelmini, fried with mushroom cream sauce. Pelmini? My waiter kept calling them ravioli. The meat filling was tasty and so was the cream sauce. And I had the house made gefilte fish which was delicate, perhaps a little too much so. My main complaint was that I ended up having a whole meal without a substantial portion of vegetables. It felt unbalanced, but the individual components were tasty enough.

“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 [...]]]>

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

]]> http://stuartspivack.com/blog/2009/12/03/three-december-events/feed/ 0 http://stuartspivack.com/blog/2009/11/03/a-new-steakhouse-in-the-boulevard-blue-space/ http://stuartspivack.com/blog/2009/11/03/a-new-steakhouse-in-the-boulevard-blue-space/#comments Tue, 03 Nov 2009 22:28:18 +0000 Stuart http://stuartspivack.com/blog/?p=2452 Good. Why so big? Seriously. Is there a reason? Why can't I have a 4oz piece of beef in a steakhouse?

According to new-to-me blog At The Pass, Boulevard Blue is closed:

Our sources tell us, to look for another restaurant to open in Boulevard Blue’s former location the near [...]]]>

Good. Why so big? Seriously. Is there a reason? Why can't I have a 4oz piece of beef in a steakhouse?

According to new-to-me blog At The Pass, Boulevard Blue is closed:

Our sources tell us, to look for another restaurant to open in Boulevard Blue’s former location the near future.

Mysterious.

It’s going to be a steakhouse. The restaurant is being developed by Said Ouaddaadaa, the owner of Bodega, with involvement from Demetrios Atheneos, Bodega’s chef. Demetrios was also involved in developing the menu and recipes for Darna. The project started out with a French bistro concept and I think that some of the Frenchiness will be retained in the steakhouse concept. I’m curious to see exactly how. They won’t be dry aging their beef but they will be offering Kobe (really?), prime and certified Angus steaks. I don’t know the name of the new restaurant but I think it will carryover some connection to “blue.” I don’t have any details about when it is expected to open.

I’m a fan of both Darna and Bodega so I’m intrigued by these developments. I do think that dry aging has a wonderful effect on flavor, so I’m also a little skeptical. I’m also very much put off by 20 oz steaks and bathtubs full of mashed potatoes. I don’t know for a fact that the new restaurant will follow the seemingly compulsory practice of serving food in those ridiculous portions, but I’m not optimistic.  We’ll see how often I end up eating a steak here. Regardless of the portions and the wet aging, I am expecting to find a lot to like at this place. As I said, the team has a proven track record.

Of course, the real news here for many people is its location and the old tenant. I don’t know what’s going to happen to Boulevard Blue’s Chef Steeber.

Asian Town Center was announced two years ago. It’s managed by the family that owns Asia Foods. I’m a [...]]]>

I've never had a banh mi that I didn't like. They get extra points for making the bun. But you have to remember to ask for the hot peppers which I thought was weird.

Asian Town Center was announced two years ago. It’s managed by the family that owns Asia Foods. I’m a fan of the small tea house/restaurant that they have in the back of their grocery store. I asked about progress on the Center as I always do on visits to the tea house, resigned to disappointment as I always am. So, I was surprised and very happy to hear that the Center will finally be opening very soon. According to early reports the building has four restaurant spaces in addition to a new market, but from what I can glean it will ultimately open with only the new market and one restaurant. They still seem determined to fill those other spaces with authentic Asian restaurants so I’m hopeful that this will turn into a gem of Cleveland’s food scene.

I've never had bun bo hue that I didn't like either. Asia Foods had good sausage in theirs, too. This is available in the "tea house." I'm not sure tea house items will appear in the new market so you'll have to check out the original location for this.

These are some of the things I do expect to see at the new market along with a variety of other Chinese bakery items. Also some steam table items like duck feet, squid, beef tendon. Of course, I don't really have any idea. Those are just some of the things they carry at the current market.

In the mean time, I couldn’t be more excited about the one tenant that is already set to open: The Crumb. I’ve been waiting to try Ismail Samad and Vanessa Robinson’s food for longer than I’ve been waiting for Asia Town Center to open. I ventured to Crust and Crumb’s industrial neighborhood location after reading a glowing review only to find them closed. According to the posted sign, they were open from 2-4am every Groundhog’s day. Then they closed entirely:

Bites

Crust and Crumbs, the impeccably fresh breakfast-and-lunch cafe located in a former security gatehouse, has closed — but only temporarily. Vanessa Robinson and Ismail Samad served their last meal at the 4700 Lakeside location on January 31, and hope to be up and running in their new space by June 1. “We’re hoping the move will make our operation more visible,” Robinson explained. “Plus, for a restaurant to really succeed, you need to be open weekends. We never were.”

This bit especially caught my eye:

During the downtime, each chef will be interning out of state, her in Italy, him at Aureole in New York. “We’ve been doing this for three years now,” Robinson added. “You cannot predict anything in this business, but we’ve learned that people are loyal to good food and service, and if they like a place, they will promote it for you.”

They’re obviously ambitious and dedicated.

I lost hope after many months of waiting and then I heard that they would be tenants in the already amazing Asia Town Center Project. Months later, as construction seemed to languish indefinitely, my hopes in that project faded as well. Then some hope. Then less hope. . .

They expect to have a rotating assortment f pastries and the rest of the menu has some interesting items. I know that a lot of people have different opinions about which restaurant in Cleveland has the best pastries but that’s really a trick question because there isn’t one.

According to Cleveland Independents, fire is going to start serving lunch on October 2. They’ll serve lunches on Fridays and Saturdays throughout the month and continue if there’s some interest.

I wasn’t a part of Cleveland’s clam bake culture. Cleveland Foodie offers a short list of restaurants [...]]]>

Polish boy. From Seti's.

Lunch at fire food and drink

According to Cleveland Independents, fire is going to start serving lunch on October 2. They’ll serve lunches on Fridays and Saturdays throughout the month and continue if there’s some interest.

I wasn’t a part of Cleveland’s clam bake culture. Cleveland Foodie offers a short list of restaurants serving clam bake dinners. To that, I would add Little Polish Diner. I’ve never been but I’ve been interested in checking it out for a while. Their clam bake my be what finally gets me in the door. Clam bakes will be available beginning October 5.

lemon yogurt with fresh blueberry. Fantastic.

Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream at Miles Farmers Market

I love Google Voice. Honestly, I think it’s very exciting. Their transcription needs some work.

I’ve got a growing collection of scraps of paper in my car with notes recording the names of restaurants that I pass. It should come as no surprise that writing while driving isn’t much better than texting while driving. This tip turns Google Voice into the perfect solution. I call my Google Voice number and dictate my note. The transcription appears in my Google Voice inbox. The transcriptions are uniformly horrible, but it doesn’t really matter because I can always listen to the message if I’m totally stumped.

I went to pick up some Jeni’s Ice Cream at Miles Farmers Market. On my way, I noticed a restaurant (American Tavern) that was advertising their clam bakes. Then I saw a sign  advertising Miles Farmers Market’s big annual clam bake. So, I recorded a note to myself:

Jeni's flavors available at Miles Farmers Market. Click to make it bigger. The partially obscured label says "backyard mint."

I left Miles Farmers Market with two pints of Thai Chile. I tried it when I got home and didn’t enjoy it nearly as much as the lemon blueberry yogurt I had at Greenhouse Tavern. Many of the other flavors also sound appealing. I’m particularly interested in the corn-blackberry.

Great Polish boy from Happy Dog

Polish boy at the new Mount Pleasant Vendors Market

Also while driving, I noticed a banner announcing the Mount Pleasant Vendors Market. What grabbed my eye was the promise of bbq. I returned to get some of the details from the sign and they were open when I got there. It’s a vendors market, not a farmers market. And there were only a small number of vendors. But they’re hoping to grow and offer some fresh fruits and vegetables. The promised bbq was there but I couldn’t try it since I was on my way to dinner. I may be back to check out the other food vendor. They have Polish boys and a menu of other hot dogs/sandwiches. Happy Dog’s Polish boy is particularly good, but I’ve never had a bad one.

The market is open Friday through Sunday from 9am-6pm and is near E 150th on Kinsman.

I tried reading the garbled transcription of my first voice mail back to Google Voice. I guess I shouldn’t have been so surprised that the transcription in this case was actually fairly accurate.

Great Lakes Brewing Company's Fatty Wagon

There’s always been a lot to like about the Great Lakes Brewing Company. They’ve pursued a lot of admirable environmental and civic initiatives and, of course, there’s the beer, but I never really heard people talking about how good [...]]]>

Great Lakes Brewing Company's Fatty Wagon

New Menu Items at Great Lakes Brewing

There’s always been a lot to like about the Great Lakes Brewing Company. They’ve pursued a lot of admirable environmental and civic initiatives and, of course, there’s the beer, but I never really heard people talking about how good the food tastes. They just announced some menu changes on twitter and I think it’s time to take a closer look at the food. It’s been a very long time since I’ve eaten there so I’m not sure how much of the menu is new, but several things caught my eye:

• house made salad dressings
• house made bbq sauce
• tomatoes, chiles and eggplants grown in their own garden
• local beef, pork and chicken
• lots of good, hearty food including ribs, pulled pork, fried cod, corned beef and plenty of sausage

Specifically, the chicken is Gerber’s. Gerber’s is responsible for the only chicken I’ve ever made at home that was worth eating. They’re also responsible for the best roasted chicken I’ve ever eaten (at Sapore) and the best fried chicken that I’ve ever eaten (at Sapore). And, their calamari comes with anchovy aioli. That may not mean much to some, but I’m a sucker for anything with anchovies.

picanha, linguica on the grill. photo by Alexandra Guerson

Churrasco Sundays at Sarava

The problem with churrasco in the United states is that it isn’t enough to have a grill, a vaguely Brazilian sauce and waiters prowling the dining room with meat on a stick. I think this hilarious essay about steak in Argentina makes my point. In Argentina, and I assume Brazil, more restaurants have access to a quality of meat that only a small number of American restaurants, usually upscale, bother to source.

I’m still intrigued by Sarava’s new churrasco style specials. You have a choice of picanha, short rib or chicken thighs. Short rib seems to be a magical cow part, resisting all efforts of Big Ag to breed the flavor out of all of our food. And I’m curious about the picanha cut, too. Sarava also offers a side of linguica and all of the entrees are served with rice and farofa.

Roasted pig (large) by vnoel

Some options for this coming July 4th: