Preview Of Palate Restaurant And Lounge

I generally make it my practice not to review newly opened or recently opened restaurants. Even with a seasoned chef, line cooks, and wait staff, every restaurant needs about a month or so to fine tune the experience so that it is more or less consistent for every guest. Unfortunately, by sticking to this rule, it doesn't give me the freedom to talk about new and promising restaurants that I think my readers might want to hear about and try for themselves.

Since rules are meant to be broken occasionally, today I decided to make an exception and attend a meal on the opening night of Palate Restaurant and Lounge. Headed by Chef Jeff Jarrett, formerly of North End Restaurant in Hudson, Ohio, I have been suitably impressed with his cuisine at other venues (such as Taste of Hudson 2010 and the first Dinner In The Dark) and I was eager to see what he and his team would put together with their very own place. Originally slated to open towards the beginning of December 2010, various permit delays pushed the actual opening date to the end of December instead.

Palate Restaurant and Lounge was located at 12214 Pearl Road, Strongsville, OH 44136 and can be reached at 440-238-8500. The restaurant was located in a small strip mall just off of Pearl Road and the easiest way to find them when driving down Pearl Road was to look for the cross street, Fall Water Road. Turn into the plaza at that intersection and follow the drive towards the back of the building. Parking was somewhat limited along the side of building, but there was a large lot behind the entire building which should supply ample parking.

Here was a shot of the front of the restaurant:


Tonight I decided to share my meal with three other friends, fellow food blogger Nancy, her husband Bob, and Flickr devotee Edsel. I want to reiterate that today's visit and subsequent write-up is a preview and not a typical review. While I went to the restaurant with the intent of paying for my food tonight (more on that at the end of the review), it would be unfair to any newly opened restaurant as well as to the reader to become too critical of the food and experience as it will ultimately get better and more consistent given a few more weeks. I plan on returning in several months for a more critical sampling of their menu.

[Ed. Note: The following pictures will look a little dark because the location of our table was in a VERY dark spot in the restaurant and I didn't use the flash on my camera (on purpose). I've actually lightened them slightly just to make them pop a little. I didn't want to over-lighten them because I wanted to give you a sense of what to expect when you go for a visit yourself.]

After being seated, we were handed Palate's brand new menu:


What I really liked about this menu (besides the fact that I could fit the entire thing into one photograph) was its elegant simplicity. I've seen so many restaurants who want to offer everything under the sun to their diners and the result is a menu that has no focus and no sense of identity. The other thing that surprised me was the sense of value the menu provided. All appetizers were between $5 and $8, salads between $4 and $7, and entrees between $13 and $20.

While we were honing in on our dining strategy tonight, fresh bread arrived at our table:


The bread was made in-house by the Sous Chef/Pastry Chef Lauren Stephenson. In addition to the fresh bread, softened butter was presented in two small ramekins:


The bread was warmed slightly, enough to allow the butter to gently melt right into the crumb. The bread also came in handy for getting that last bit of sauce or dressing off of the empty plates of food we would consume in the courses to come.

Since there were four of us dining tonight, we decided to split three of the appetizers. First off, we started with two of the Corn Flake Encrusted Crab Cakes:


These were priced per cake and we each ended up with half of a cake. The crab cakes came on a pool of apple butter and nestled on top of the cakes were small strands of candied hot pepper rings. I didn't manage to get any of the candied hot peppers until my very last bite, but when I did, wow was that ever good! One would think that hot peppers would overpower the delicate crab, but given Chef Jarrett's treatment, it remained as an accent flavor.

Our second appetizer was the Citrus-Cured Hamachi, Beets, Horseradish Cream, Pickled Red Onion dressed in a Lemon Basil Vinaigrette:


As with the crab cakes, the hamachi was ordered on a per piece basis and we decided to stick with two pieces here as well. The incredibly delicate flavor of hamachi (aka yellowtail) often has a slightly lemony and buttery flavor and even with all of the other ingredients on the plate, I never lost the taste of the hamachi. One of the hallmarks of Jeff's food is a profound sense of balance and this dish exemplified that fact.

Our final appetizer of the evening was the Buttermilk Fried Chicken Livers over Cheesy Polenta, Spiced Honey and Grilled Scallion Salad:


Ever since I discovered the fried chicken livers at Lolita many moons ago, I have been a complete sucker for a properly fried chicken liver. Tonight's version was crispy on the outside, creamy and tender on the inside and the cheesy polenta added a second layer of softness to each forkful I put into my mouth. While the plate pictured in the photograph above represented a single order, I could've greedily snarfed down the entire lot and not felt guilty at all.

Our appetizers out of the way, we next moved to the salad/soup course. I decided to order the Fried Goat Cheese Salad:


Two rounds of fresh chevre had been coated in bread crumbs and deep fried to a golden brown. I first came upon this sublime flavor at Moe's Restaurant in Cuyahoga Falls many, many years ago and there is just something about the crispy exterior combined with the soft, warm interior that makes this a perennial hit. Paired with the goat cheese rounds were roasted beets, apple, greens and a cranberry honey gastrique. Combining said ingredients on my fork and taking a subsequent bite resulted in a very happy foodie. This was one of the dishes that I used the aforementioned bread to make sure I sopped up every last bit of vinaigrette from the bottom of the dish.

Bob ended up ordering the Soup of the Moment:


I've included a shot of it here because Bob generously asked our server for four soup spoons so that we each could have a taste. Tonight's soup was Potato, Bacon, and Cheddar Cheese and besides being delicious, it was hearty and perfect for a cold winter's day like today.

Our second course now complete, it wasn't long before our entrees made their way to the table:


Tonight I decided to go with the Seared Scallops over Celery Root Puree, Apple Slaw, Gremolata, and Salsa Verde. The puree was super smooth and from the mouth feel, I deduced that it had been finished with either butter and/or cream. The scallops were seared to a golden brown crust on the outside and yet were still tender and translucent on the inside. The apple slaw added a nice textural contrast to the soft scallops and the gremolata and salsa verde brought a bright herbaceous sensibility to the dish. Before I knew it, I was staring down at a completely empty plate and found myself using more of the bread to sop up every last bit.

After clearing our table of finished plates and silverware, our server dropped off the dessert menu. The front of the menu had the desserts:


And the reverse had after dinner drinks:


Eager to try some of Lauren's $5 sweet treats, when I saw the Dark Chocolate Mousse, I knew I couldn't resist it's siren song:


A layer of Devil's Food cake was topped with two spheres of the velvety smooth dark chocolate mousse. Dried cherries were sprinkled on top and in a move that gave the dessert a somewhat "rabbit ears" quality to it, two Parmesan tuilles were inserted into the top. I tried each of the components of the dessert separately and then got down to the business of combining various flavors. Joining the umami and salty qualities of the Parmesan cheese with the sweetness and slight bitterness from the dark chocolate was an interesting idea. While pairing chocolate with cheese is a home run for some people, for me it didn't do much to elevate the dish. Of course, given that I nearly licked the bowl clean after reaching the bottom, clearly I had no complaints about the flavors.

At various points in our meal, Jeff, Lauren, and General Manager Chrisopher Von Alt stopped over to see how our meal was. In what came as a complete shock to all of us, when at last our table was completely cleared of plates and dishes, our server approached us to tell us that the meal had been comp'd by Chef Jarrett. We earnestly put up a protest, but she stood firm in her resolve. We at least insisted that we would need to know the check total so that we could tip her properly. Alcohol excluded, tonight's check for the four of us, with tax, came to $37.50 per person.

I was at first concerned that having the meal comp'd would compromise my ability to write about tonight's experience, but I quickly realized that a) this was a preview of the menu and b) my opinions had already been formed before finding out about Chef Jarrett's more-than-generous gift to us. Once the restaurant has had time to settle into itself, I will return for what hopefully amounts to a more anonymous critical analysis of the food (as much as is possible since much of the staff now knows what I look like).

In the meantime, I highly encourage you to check out this new addition to the Strongsville culinary scene. The food was innovative without being too "out there," the prices were completely in-line with the level of cuisine and the staff seemed knowledgeable and eager to make sure our dining experience was top notch. As the restaurant is brand new, I would recommend that you call for reservations just to make sure they have a table waiting for you when you go. With plans in early 2011 to add lunch service and a Sunday brunch, I look forward to many more good meals at Palate. Considering that they are only a thirty (30) minute drive from the Montrose area via the Turkpike, I definitely think it's a worthwhile trip. If you decide to try them out for yourself, shoot me an email or leave a comment and tell me about your experience.

Finally, I would encourage you to check out Nancy's blog post about her experience at Palate. In addition to joining Edsel and I for dinner tonight, she and Bob also attended a "Family and Friends" dinner the night before and has some added perspective that is definitely valuable.

Another Zach Bruell Eatery: Table 45

Like many of Cleveland's successful chefs and restaurateurs, Zach Bruell has established a number of upscale eateries that cover a wide range of ethnicities and price points. Having already eaten at his two latest establishments, L'Albatros and Chinato, I decided to turn my attention to one of his earlier creations, Table 45, located on the first floor of the Intercontinental Hotel on the Cleveland Clinic's main campus very close to the University Circle area. Because I work fairly close to this location, I'm actually a little surprised that I hadn't gotten there sooner, but I find that sometimes the restaurants that are very nearly under your nose are the ones you don't see right away.

Since I was staying a little later in the office today in an attempt to avoid the afternoon traffic from Cleveland to Akron, I figured I would pop in at an early time on a Monday evening. Mondays are typically very slow restaurant days to begin with, so I was surprised to see that their website listed them as being open. At about 5:15 PM or so, I tidied up a bit at my office and walked the two blocks to the front of the Intercontinental Hotel at 9801 Carnegie Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106. Of course, should you require reservations, you can reach them at 216-707-4045 or make reservations using a link on their website. (Website Alert: Flash content is the least of your worries on this site. It will also resize your browser window. Quite annoying!) While there was valet parking available, since my car was already parked in one of the garages on East 93rd Street and I had walked, I had little use for this service.

Once inside the main door, I walked towards the rear of the building and was soon greeted with a pillar upon which these plaques had been placed:


At least I knew I was in the correct place. Should one turn to the right, you would end up at the North Coast Cafe, which conveniently enough happened to be closed on Mondays. Turning to the left yielded a much better result, the front door to Table 45:


As I had suspected, the restaurant was fairly dead so early in the evening on a Monday and after the hostess more or less gave me the tour of the bar area and sushi bar, we ended up in the back of the restaurant where for a time, I was the only diner. After seating me at a table with a decent light source nearby (as luck would have it), she left me with Table 45's menu:





Upon examining the menu, it was obvious that the restaurant's offerings were heavily seafood based. While I do love seafood, I've always been wary of ordering it on a Monday after reading Anthony Bourdain's scathing expose of the restaurant industry in his book Kitchen Confidential. My server promptly introduced himself to me and told me the two daily specials, neither of which were seafood-based. Looking at the fifteen or so appetizers alone, there were at least twelve that contained seafood. It seemed that since this aquatic ingredient was so prominently featured as part of the regular menu, perhaps I would overlook Mr. Bourdain's admonition. I can't imagine Chef Bruell would feature an entire class of ingredients if he couldn't get good versions for a Monday night service.

The other discovery I made as I studied the menu was the breadth of the range of world cuisines being offered at Table 45. While pure authentic dishes weren't being offered, what appeared on the menu were more of a world fusion between classic French technique and other food cultures: Italian, Greek, Portuguese, Moroccan, Indian, Korean, Vietnamese, and Japanese, just to name a few. I'm sure that this was a deliberate effort in the design of the menu in order to appeal to the diversity of the patients and families who fly in from around the world to consult with doctors at the Cleveland Clinic.

While I pondered my choices, another server brought me a basket of bread:


He also poured some olive oil into a small serving dish that was already sitting on the table when I had sat down:


Neither the bread nor the oil was anything particularly special. That being said, the two types of bread in the basket were fresh and the olive had a very subtle pepperiness and fruitiness that I appreciated during my pre-meal snack.

I quickly came to the conclusion that I wanted to try three items off the menu tonight. I would start out with an appetizer, follow it with a simple salad, and finish off my meal with a main course. There were more robust salads on the menu, but I figured between an appetizer and a main course, a simple salad would fit the bill a bit better (and make said bill a tiny bit cheaper, too).

For my appetizer, I decided to go with the Rice Paper Wrapped Crab Cakes with Spicy Asian Remoulade:


Here was a shot featuring just the crab cakes:


After cutting one of the cakes in half, I took a close-up shot of the interior of the cake:


Of course, with multiple elements on the plate, I made sure I tasted all of the components separately before starting to combine them. First I tasted the remoulade. It was creamy, just a tad spicy, and had a nice acidic zing to it that tasted like it came from a lemon. However, I'd be willing to bet that instead of lemon it was actually ponzu (remember, spicy ASIAN remoulade). I then tasted the finely shaved and pickled carrots and daikon that were neatly twirled into a little nest at the front of the plate. The minute I put a small bite into my mouth, I instantly puckered and thought to myself, "YOWZA! That is really sour!" By itself, this garnish was entirely unpalatable. And for those who might be thinking, "Well, gee, Tom, maybe that was supposed to just be a garnish," I have two responses to that line of thinking. First, nothing should ever go on a plate that isn't supposed to be eaten. Second, if it was just a garnish (for color, say), then why bother to pickle them first?

The final piece to this seafood appetizer was the rice paper wrapped crab cake itself. While the rice paper did a good job of browning and holding the lump crab meat together into a patty (which I suspect might be why the wrapper was used in the first place), the drawback was that it was a little difficult to cleanly cut through both the top and bottom layers of rice paper without destroying the integrity of the filling. But, I persevered and was rewarded with a mouthful of subtle crab meat, assertive ginger, and the herbaceousness that can only come from cilantro. The crab didn't taste particularly sweet to me, but it also didn't taste "fishy" either: A good sign. Having tasted all three components, I began to play with my food, combining various tastes together on my fork before transferring the bite to my mouth. While I had thought that the pickled vegetables were too strong on their own, by combining them with some of the fatty remoulade and the richness of the crab cake, it turned out that only with the trio of flavors in one bite were the flavors more balanced.

Having finished both my cakes and most of the remoulade (obviously I left the unused portion of the pickled carrots and daikon), my server soon returned with my next course, a simple dish of salad greens dressed with the most basic of all vinaigrettes, the Balsamic:


First the positives. The salad had come dressed perfectly, with just enough vinaigrette to coat each leaf and not leave a puddle at the bottom of the bowl. In my first bite, I managed to get a leaf that had been fully coated with the dressing and the dressing by itself was nicely balanced. Second, the negatives. While nicely dressed, the vinaigrette by itself may have had enough salt, but throw in a handful of greens and it wasn't enough to season the entire salad. Fortunately, there were salt and pepper shakers on the table, so I sprinkled a small amount of salt into the palm of my hand and used my other hand to add a few pinches of salt to the top of the salad.

I then re-tossed the greens with my fork and knife and took another bite. Yep, my brain registered, just that pinch or two more of salt was what the salad needed. Another negative was the amount of salad greens I received. While what I received was the right size for a three course meal, at $7 for a basic bowl of greens and a Balsamic vinaigrette this seemed overpriced to me. For $7, I should've gotten an entire plateful of dressed greens. For the amount of salad I received tonight, I think a fairer price would have been closer to $4, not $7. Especially given the fact that the farmer's markets were currently overflowing with greens at the time of my visit.

After clearing away my salad bowl and replacing the necessary silverware, my server returned a few minutes later with my main course:


This was a homemade pappardelle with grilled octopus, Kalamata olives, Feta, mint, and preserved lemons and had been topped with a bit of freshly shaved aged cheese. I had decided to order this dish not just because it sounded good, but octopus is an extremely difficult cephalopod to cook correctly. Just like it's cousin squid, you either cook it for 30 seconds or braise it for hours in order to get it to come out tender. When done correctly, the texture is sublime. When done poorly (which sadly is more often the case), it's like chewing on a mouthful of rubber bands. I tried several pieces of the octopus from various spots on my plate. There actually was a range in textures between the pieces. The best pieces were only slightly chewy and pretty darn good. The worst pieces were a bit harder to chew. Nothing at the level of rubber bands, but not ideal either.

The pappardelle was tender and sauced well. The preserved lemon and mint added a nice bit of freshness to the dish. While the Kalamata olives and Feta were prevalent in the taste of the pasta, the problem was that this dish had a lot of salty ingredients in it: olives, cheese, and preserved lemons. While the mint helped to offset some of that saltiness, I found myself drinking several glasses of water as I ate this. I know it may seem unfair to zing the kitchen because the overall dish was too salty when I clearly knew that the dish came with those specific ingredients, but that's the job of a good chef: to balance the flavors. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't too salty, and for those of you salt lovers out there, this dish would really appeal to you, but for me, it was a tad too much.

The one item that I didn't see right away in my pasta was the preserved lemon. I could taste it, just not see it. That is, until I got to the bottom of the bowl and spotted a few slivers of the rind:


A flavor traditionally used in the cuisine of North Africa and specifically Morocco, I took a bite and was rewarded with this most unique flavor. I didn't think to ask if the lemons were preserved in-house, but by the time I had finished with my main entrée, my side of the restaurant had gone from myself to a half-filled room of diners.

My total tonight at Table 45 with tip and tax came out to an even $50 (that included me having water to drink). While I didn't indulge in anything from the sushi bar tonight, both the crab and octopus used in my appetizer and main course were enough to convince me that my worries of ordering a fish dish on a Monday were unfounded. While my main course made up for the lack of salt in my salad, overall I liked the flavors I ate tonight. While I still question the value of a simple salad costing $7, this visit has piqued my interest in returning to try out more of Table 45's diverse cuisine. While I know that $50 per person can be out of reach for some, for those special occasions where spending a little more to dine out is acceptable, I would recommend that you check out Table 45.