Opening Pandora's Box

As a rule, I generally try and keep my day job completely separate from my role here on Exploring Food My Way. It isn't so much that I am scared that I will say something here on the blog that will get me in trouble at work; rather, I just tend to keep those two spheres of my life separate naturally. Such was the case with my current job until one of my co-workers found my Twitter account and through that, found the blog. Needless to say, news travels fast in the workplace.

One of the benefits of being "outed" is that now when fellow co-workers see something new happening in the food world, they make a point of stopping by my little cube-ette and mentioning it. Such was the case with a new shop opening up in the Montrose area called Pandora's Cupcakes (Facebook page here). In this particular case, however, I already knew of the shop's impending opening because I had driven by it several times for a few weeks prior. When I drove by this past Thursday, I noticed something different: cars parked out front and people inside.

I stopped in and purchased cupcakes to take back to the office and for a dinner with friends later that evening. As the shop was swamped on opening day, I waited until today to return for a chance to chat with the owner and get some snapshots. The cute little shop was located at 3571 Brookwall Drive, Akron, OH 44333 and can be reached at 330-665-CAKE (2253). Parking was available around the collection of shops, but not many spaces were open. If they are busy, you might need to hunt around for a spot to park.

Here was a shot of the front of the new store:


Once inside, I was greeted by owner and baker Ken Carr and an assistant. Since there was no chance of favoritism (the cupcakes were already baked and frosted), I altered my modus operandi slightly and pulled a business card from my wallet and introduced myself. Interestingly enough, he offered that he thought I might be the guy from the food blog because one of my readers had described me to him. (Ed. Note: Have I mentioned how awesome you guys are?) At that point, I asked if I could take a few photos at the shop and he agreed.

In a EFMW first, two digital wall menus adorned the side and rear walls of the shop:


I've seen plenty of wall menus in my adventures, but never digital ones. Prices at Pandora's Cupcakes, while more than you'd pay at your typical supermarket, were in line with what other boutique "cupcakeries" are charging. I do like the fact that the more you buy, the bigger the discount.

As I walked into the building, Mr. Carr had just come out of the kitchen in the back with a tray of freshly frosted Mint on Chocolate cupcakes:


While the display case had been devoid of labels on Thursday when I stopped in, today's visit found each cupcake adorned with an identifying label to the right of it:


So far, I have tried three flavors of cupcakes: Mint on Chocolate, Red Velvet, and Peanut Butter on Chocolate. But before I talk about my impressions of the cupcakes, let's give you, gentle reader, a little bit of cupcake porn:
















As with most bakeries, a few cake bases and a few frostings combined to form today's line-up. Chocolate, Yellow, Spice, and Vanilla were today's cake bases; flavored buttercreams, cream cheese, and fudgey were today's frosting flavors. I did confirm that the buttercream actually contains butter (silly that I have to ask that question, but the fact that so many places try and pass off frosting with no butter in it and still call it buttercream necessitates the question).

As I mentioned already, I've tried three different flavors already. What are my overall impressions? First, the frosting is a touch on the sweet side, not as tooth-achingly sweet as Ann's Pastry in Wadsworth (nor as horrifically sweet as most supermarket bakeries), but I personally wouldn't mind if the sweetness was held back a bit more. That being said, paired with something equally bitter like an espresso or a cup of black coffee, it would balance well. The frostings have all been nicely flavored -- the flavor is there, but not overpowering.

The cake portion has ranged from incredibly delicate (Mint on Chocolate) to a bit denser (Red Velvet). While I appreciated the delicateness of the cake crumb, the Mint on Chocolate kind of fell apart when I ate it while the Red Velvet was sturdy enough to survive multiple trips from my plate to my mouth. Another factor to be considered, too, was the freshness. Just like any other baked products, cupcakes will stale over time. The Mint on Chocolate was eaten just a few minutes after purchasing it while the Red Velvet was eaten later that night. Perhaps something to keep in mind.

In general, the cupcakes were very moist and when I looked at my fingers after eating one, it was obvious that Mr. Carr had not skimped on the oil in the cake batter. These are definitely not the low-fat/reduced calorie cupcakes that Pure Delite Cupcakes offers to their customers and if you are looking for that kind of experience, Pandora's Cupcakes probably won't have what you want.

Another customer in the shop today inquired about sugar-free cupcakes. While Ken was skeptical about offering a sugar-free option, he did state that they are planning to add both a gluten free and vegan cupake to the line-up.

When I got my selection of four cupcakes to my destination for the evening, I decided to do a little macro photography to really make the cupcakes look their best. The other photos in this post were resized to roughly 900x600 pixels. I left these shots at 1920x1080, so you can really get in close.

French Toast Cupcake

Mint on Chocolate Cupcake

Peanut Butter on Chocolate Cupcake

Cream Cheese on Red Velvet Cupcake

Will I be returning to Pandora's Cupcakes? To quote a famous (some might say infamous) Republican, you betcha! One of the great qualities of cupcakes is that you can please everyone because each person picks out his or her favorite flavor. Plus, the cupcakes aren't huge -- they make a great post meal dessert or a mid afternoon snack. And as mentioned earlier, while these cupcakes aren't for the calorie conscious, having one every now and again as a reward seems like a great way to have your cake and be able to eat it, too.

Finding Cupcake Love At Blue Iris Cakery

I've gotten to the point now where not only am I reporting on places that I happen to discover when I'm out and about in the northeast Ohio area, but now readers and fellow Facebook friends who follow my little dog and pony show are beginning to share some of their favorites, too. The suggestions come in all forms, from comments left on blog entries, to text messages on my phone, direct email, or through Facebook. I happened to be having lunch yesterday when I received just such a Facebook message from a fellow foodie.

Jeremy's message was simple and to the point: "I stopped at a cupcake shop yesterday they had a candied maple bacon pancake cupcake. I figured bacon its got to be good. It was the most amazing thing I have ever had in my mouth. You have to check it out I think they are on fbook. The bakery is blue iris in niles"

Once I got back to the office, I powered up Google and discovered that Blue Iris Cakery in Niles, Ohio has both a Facebook fan page as well as a website, although at this time only the domain has been purchased with an actual website to follow. From the fan page, I learned that proprietors Melissa and Steve Murphy had only recently opened their shop up for business in this Youngstown suburb as of December 2010. I also found that business hours were Tuesday through Saturday from 7 AM to 7 PM and on Sunday from 8 AM to 2 PM. They were closed on Mondays.

Heeding Jeremy's urgent call to action, I packed up my camera bag and headed out to the small shop early on Saturday morning, arriving just slightly after 8 AM. The shop was located at 606 Robbins Avenue, Niles, OH 44446 and can be reached at 330-652-2253. You can also email them directly if you wish. Parking was directly in front of the building.

Here was a shot of the storefront:


I had hoped that on an early Saturday morning with kind of crappy roads I might find the shop empty enough to be able to engage whomever I found inside. I was suitably rewarded. Only two people were working behind the counter along with a lone customer who was just preparing to leave. As you well know by now, gentle reader, my typical modis operandi is to do my reviews completely anonymously to ensure that I don't get special treatment or free food. However, given that the cupcakes were already baked, there really wasn't much that could be done that would qualify for special treatment. Additionally, I wanted to try and get some really great photos of Blue Iris's products while learning more about its history.

So, I pulled out a business card for the blog, introduced myself, and was warmly greeted by one of the co-owners, Melissa Murphy. I explained to her about my blog and its purpose and why I had come today. When I mentioned Jeremy's missive about the "candied maple bacon cupcake," she nodded and responded, "Oh, yes, the Short Stack. That's very popular. I have a batch that are still warm and I think they are best that way. Would you like to try one while you're here?" You didn't have to ask me twice. How on earth could I say no to that?

While Melissa went into the kitchen to plate my cupcake, I wandered around the small shop and took a few photographs. To the left of the front entrance was a small area containing various coffee options as well as a few tables:


Directly to the right of the front entrance was that most classical homage to A Christmas Story, the Leg Lamp:


Melissa gleefully admitted to having built this from scratch, having loved the movie so much. After a few rounds of "quote the movie" between the three of us in the store, I continued my quest to photograph other interesting items.

Mounted on the rightmost wall was a chalkboard with various bits of interesting information:


While Melissa had been in the open kitchen frosting cupcakes when I walked in, her assistant was taking the finished cupcakes and placing them in the glass cases at the front of the store. Here were a few candid cupcake shots:



And while I was at the glass case, here are left, middle, and right shots of today's offerings:




After snapping all of these photographs, Melissa indicated that my Short Stack was ready and I sat down at one of the tables after pouring myself some of the freshly brewed coffee to take a closer look at this marvelous creation:


"Short Stack" as the saying goes, refers to diner speak for a stack of pancakes that numbers less than a full order. Melissa's idea was to essentially recreate a pancake breakfast with a buttermilk cupcake base, maple buttercream, heavy dose of maple syrup, and topped by that most essential of breakfast foods, crumbled bacon. After carefully peeling the paper baking cup back, I began to dig in and discovered that the flavors were absolutely spot on. What surprised me was that while the frosting was sweet, it was not overly so. I've had buttercreams that made my teeth ache, they had so much sugar.

To be honest, the entire cupcake was really well balanced. That seemed to be thematic throughout the entire cupcake line. After finishing my breakfast (literally and figuratively), I began to chat Melissa up about her past. Classically trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Pittsburgh, she worked at a number of restaurants before opening and running Blue Iris Cafe in Warren, Ohio for a number of years with her chef husband, Steven. While she loved running the cafe, it just didn't give her enough time to devote to her true passion, cakes, and more specifically, cupcakes. They closed Blue Iris Cafe in November 2010 only to open the new shop about a month later.

In addition to the cupcake I had eaten at the store, I decided to walk away with five additional cupcake flavors for later sampling. I did decide to take a photograph of each while I was in the store, however.

First up was the Red Velvet Cupcake:


While I didn't take any additional pictures of the insides of the cupcakes, each had been filled with the same frosting that topped the cake. The cake was velvety, smooth, and had a rich chocolate undertone. The buttercream frosting tasted as if it also contained some cream cheese because of the slight tang. Between the tender cake and the lighter than air frosting, this was a great way to start out my post-visit tasting.

Second, the Strawberry Fields Cupcake:


While I expected lots of strawberry flavor from the dollop of strawberry jam on top, I didn't expect there to be a deep vein of jam right through the center of the cupcake. This gave the entire cupcake an intense fruity aroma and taste that I really enjoyed. While all of the cupcakes I had eaten today were good, this particular one stood out as unique.

Third, the Chocolate Truffle Crunch Cupcake:


When you start by cherry-picking off the dark chocolate truffle adorning this vertically endowed cupcake, things can only get better. Rich chocolate cake combined with a chocolate sauce center, light as air buttercream and finished with crunchy chocolate candies (they weren't sprinkles/jimmies) gave this true chocoholic a reason to sit back in my chair, roll the flavors around in my mouth, and truly enjoy the chocolate love that I was experiencing.

Fourth, the Lemoncello Cupcake:


Made with actual Lemoncello liqueur, the cake was not quite as tender as the Red Velvet cupcake, but it was still darn good for a cupcake that had sat for twelve hours before being eaten. The lemon flavor was pronounced, but not overpowering. The frosting, unsurprisingly, was light and airy.

And finally, the Hot Fudge Sundae Cupcake:


For chocolate fudge lovers out there, this would be your cupcake. While at first glance it only appears that chocolate fudge was piped on top to finish the cupcake, once you take that first bite, you discover that hidden within the cakey walls of goodness lies a liquid core of fudge sauce so deep that you'll literally get a bit of fudge with every bite of cake. While I couldn't share this particular cupcake with my tasting buddy (you didn't think I had just eaten six cupcakes, did you?), because she can't have peanuts, I had to step up to the plate and eat the entire thing. You know ... for the blog.

During my thirty minute visit this morning, Melissa also plated and brought forth this amazing looking (and smelling) platter of freshly made iced sticky buns:


These suckers were ENORMOUS! While I was tempted to get one of these as well, my sense of sanity kicked in and I figured I needed to save something for my next visit. If they taste half as good as they smelled, I know I will be in for a real treat when I finally do have the opportunity to sample one.

Today's trip to Blue Iris Cakery cost me $15 for six cupcakes, or $2.50 apiece, which I think is entirely reasonable given the fact that they were delicious and made with quality ingredients. Sadly, the cakery is an hour's drive for me each way and while I'd love to support Melissa and Steve with lots of repeat visits, a trip to this tiny shop will likely be relegated for special occasions, unquenchable cravings, or as a quick stop when I am traveling to or from Pennsylvania via Route 80. That being said, if you happen to live near Niles or the surrounding community, you should get into your car and drive over to relish this delicious culinary experience on your own. Even if you don't live close, there are many other interesting places to visit on the east side of Ohio that make stopping for this sweet indulgence absolutely justified.

Delight At Pure DeLite Cupcakery

Being relevant in the food and restaurant industry is a tricky business. Everyone, of course, is looking for the next big idea and while some concepts can really turn into serious money makers, others come and go like the fashion world: in one minute, out the next. The two most notable concepts that I've seen in the last couple of years have been the gourmet burger offerings and the notion of a "cupcakery." While I've spent my fair share of time tracking down who has the best $9 burger in northeast Ohio, I've only briefly touched on one such cupcakery, A Cookie And A Cupcake up in Tremont.

When I discovered that a quaint little shop had opened up just down the road from where I work, I knew I had to check it out. I had read about it in the weekly food articles published in the Akron Beacon Journal and was eager to check out their twist on this growing market segment. Pure DeLite Gourmet Cupcakes was located inside the Merchant's Square Plaza at 125 Ghent Road, Fairlawn, OH 44333 and can be reached at 330-865-4000. If you can find Summit Mall, you can find Pure DeLite. Parking was in the common lot between the storefronts.

Speaking of storefronts, here was Pure DeLite's:


Once inside, I met the store's proprietor, Rachel Hough. Knowing that I wanted to get some photographs of her store and her glass cases, I explained who I was and why I was there. In this particular case I felt it was acceptible to reveal myself because I knew that 1) she couldn't bake a special batch just for me and 2) I would've refused any offer of free cupcakes so that I could write an honest review. While she graciously agreed to let me photograph anything I wanted, she worried that since I had shown up so late in the day, the cases were a bit empty. I assured her that this wouldn't be a problem and was, in fact, a good sign that she was moving her product at a good clip.

Here were a couple shots of the glass cases holding the cupcakes:




In addition to cupcakes, Pure DeLite offers several beverages to eat with your cupcake:


From the Beacon's article, the website, and talking with Rachel in person, I quickly learned that her philosophy regarding cupcakes was that if you could make a tasty cupcake with fresh quality, organic ingredients at half the fat and half the calories, why not do so? Here is what the website says on the front page under nutrition facts:

"That's right, I said healthy! Each one of our gourmet creations has LESS THAN HALF the calories, fat and sugar of a traditional cupcake. Not to mention they are made out of pure, natural, and organic ingredients, making indulging in one (or a dozen) of these the smartest decision you'll make all day."

With a challenge as bold as that, I had to give one (okay, more like six) a try. And no, I didn't eat all six in one sitting; I went back for a second visit. Here was the original box of four I got on my first visit:


Kudos to the box as it did a great job of keeping my selections today from touching each other and marring the frosting. First on the tasting docket today was "The Original":


Consisting of chocolate cake with bits of peanut butter cup baked inside, this was decorated with chocolate peanut butter buttercream, drizzled with a bit of chocolate sauce and finally topped with a decorative half of a peanut butter cup. If you like the combination of chocolate and peanut butter as much as I do, this was a real winner. Both primary flavors were well balanced, the cake was moist, the buttercream soft and smooth, and overall, it wasn't too sweet. It was sweet, don't misunderstand me, but it wasn't that level of sweet where your teeth start to hurt. A very delicious, if not messy to eat, cupcake.

Next up was the gluten-free offering of the day, Chocolate DeLite:


I am very fortunate that I do not have a gluten intolerance. That being said, this chocolate upon chocolate upon chocolate creation left this chocoholic fully satisfied. While the cake wasn't as immensely moist as the non-gluten-free one I had just tried, it was satisfying and had I not been told it was gluten-free, would never have known on my own. Fortunately, any of the myriad of flavors of cupcakes can be made gluten-free and, of course, special orders can be placed for whatever type of cupcakes that Pure DeLite offers off their menu.

The third cupcake for this tasting was the sole vegan offering, the Tantrum Tamer:


Your basic chocolate cake base, this was topped with vegan "buttercream" and finished with rainbow "jimmies" (a.k.a. sprinkles). To me, while the flavor of the chocolate cupcake was fine, the texture of the cupcake felt a little bit denser than the previous versions. Figuring this was due to the fact that the cake contained no eggs, when I brought this fact up to Rachel, she seemed a little puzzled because in fact, the chocolate cupcake batter recipe she had developed and used in all the cupcakes requiring a chocolate base was actually vegan. Since this was the only vegan cupcake in the six that I tried, I had nothing else with which to compare it. As with the gluten-free cupcake, any of Pure DeLite's cupcakes can be made vegan, too.

Now that I've had three chocolate cake-based cupcakes, it was time to mix it up a little bit and try "Rabbit Food":


This was a spiced cake base with walnuts, carrots, and raisins and was topped with cinnamon buttercream and dusted with a bit more cinnamon before being decorated with several slivers of chopped carrot on top. The scent of cinnamon wafting up from the cupcake literally made me start to drool even before I tasted it. The combination of the cinnamon in the frosting and the spices in the cake along with the sweetness of the carrots and raisins and the crunch of the walnuts ... oh my! Again, this was sweet without being overpowering and the creaminess of the frosting made each bite a delicious treat for my mouth. I had to keep reminding myself that these cupcakes have less than half the fat, calories, and sugar of their more calorie-laden brethren.

Playfulness seemed to be the modus operandi at the bakery, and the next cupcake was an ode to an American classic, the Hostess With The Mostess:


Comprised of chocolate cake filled with white "creme," this was topped with a decadent chocolate ganache and a loop-de-loop swirl of icing piped on top of the cake. While smaller than the original it copied, it was a very good homage to the one I grew up eating as a child. While purists might miss the extra creme in the center, Pure DeLite's version delivered enough on the flavors to satisfy this taster's Hostess memories. At the very least, I could certainly appreciate the fact that the ingredients in today's version were much healthier for me than many of the questionable ones I would find if I read the package for the original version.

My final cupcake for today's tasting was another American classic in cake form, the Ice Cream Sundae:


The base consisted of a very moist banana cake with a strawberry jam center and was topped with vanilla frosting, chopped peanuts, a chocolate drizzle, and finally perched on top of this creation was a lone maraschino cherry. While this was delicious, my only complaint was that on my second bite, the cake base sort of separated where the jam was and this particular cupcake became a little hard to eat neatly. I ended up having to employ the less delicate technique of shoving the remainder of the cupcake into my mouth and chew thoroughly in order to avoid a complete disintegration. That being said, the flavors were very nice. I especially liked the play between the banana flavor, which wasn't overwhelming, and the strawberry jam. This one could easily be renamed the Banana Split, too.

Lest you think that by this point I had gone into a diabetic coma, since I had shared these with others, in the end I only had the equivalent of three cupcakes. And while that STILL may seem like a lot (and normally I would agree with you), since these were lower fat and lower sugar cupcakes, other than a little bit of water to clear out the residual sweetness, I felt fine. Now, I'm certainly not giving you license to eat as many as you want, but were I to eat one of these creations and still want a little more, a second cupcake might very well be in order.

I am truly delighted to have a bakery right here on the west side of Akron where I can find cupcakes that are not only healthier for me, but also made with fresh organic ingredients. Yes, gentle reader, some people might balk at the fact that they are $2.50 apiece and aren't absolutely enormous. Many times when I am out to eat, I opt to skip dessert, not because I don't like sweets, but because I can't justify spending $4-$8 for a dessert large enough to feed two people after eating a heavy meal. With Pure DeLite right around the corner from my job, I can now get my sweet treat fix and it will only cost me a measly $2.50.

I highly recommend that you stop by and check them out the next time you are over at Summit Mall. Make sure to check their website often as they rotate flavors on a daily basis and their store hours change depending on the time of year. I know I intend to return every now and again for more of their whimsical treats and I would suggest that you do, too.

Tremont Art Walk For Food And Fun

At the urging of my long-time friend Penny, I agreed to join her and several other friends at the Tremont Art Walk. Occurring the second Friday of the month from 6 PM until 10 PM (which, by the way, is coming up just two days from now!), the Walk is an opportunity for customers to wander from store to store, enjoying a glass of wine and finding just the right piece of clothing / art / knickknack to fill the artistic void we all seem to possess in our lives. The Walk is very free-form, and you are welcome to start at any point along Professor Avenue in the Tremont district of Cleveland.

Of course, when you get four foodies together, eventually it will have to be about food and tonight's route had us starting with food and ending with food. Because we had all agreed to meet up at the corner of Literary and Professor (home of Lolita, Lago, and Dante), we decided to walk a bit north to check out a rather new arrival to the Tremont area, A Cookie and A Cupcake.

Here was a shot of the exterior of the store:


My first exposure to ACAAC was back in late March when I attended the benefit put together to help out the Jarrett family defray some of the adoption costs for their soon-to-arrive daughter from China, Jewel. ACAAC had been one of the vendors handing out mini cupcakes in a wide assortment of flavors. My second exposure to ACAAC was at this year's Top Chef benefit dinner held back in June to raise funds for the St. John Medical Center. Once again, they were one of the featured dessert items and my compatriot Edsel and I polished a few of the mini-morsels at the end of our meal.

As I walked into the tiny area up front, I couldn't help but take a picture of the wide assortment of fresh cupcakes available today:


While they all looked good, the Espresso cupcake seemed to catch my eye:


Containing a caramel filling and topped with a buttercream frosting and a lone chocolate covered espresso bean, I knew I had to have one. I sat my cupcake down to Edsel's Signature cupcake and we each snapped a shot:


Yes, gentle reader, that does appear to be Cookie Monster, doesn't it? It seems that besides making delicious cupcakes, the baker / froster / owner also has a wonderful sense of humor, too.

Having paid for our cupcakes, we returned to the warm outside air to enjoy our spoils. As I greedily tore into my cupcake, I discovered that not only was the cupcake utterly delicious, but it was also incredibly moist. Before I knew it, my cupcake was gone. I'm certainly glad I only bought the one! Each cupcake was $2.50, making them quite reasonable if you are only buying a single cupcake, but preventing you from going hog wild and buying them by the baker's dozen.

After cleaning up, we proceeded to walk south on Professor Avenue, stopping in at retail stores and art galleries, slowly wiling away a lazy Friday evening. Oddly enough, when we reached the end of the Walk at the corner of Professor and Jefferson, it was nearly 8 PM, which was fortunate for us because I had made reservations at Ty Fun Thai Bistro.

I have written about Ty Fun before, where I had attended a dinner put together specifically for us by owner and chef, Sonny Tingpatana. Tonight would be the first time I had documented having a meal ordered from their standard menu. While it was a bit crowded at first (which was fantastic in this economy), after a short while most of the crowd dissipated leaving the four of us to have a conversation with no problems at a reasonable volume. Do note that Ty Fun, like so many other restaurants, aren't big believers in well lit dining rooms, so most of my pictures turned out darker than I would have liked.

First up was their rather long menu:








Thankfully there weren't any daily specials to ponder as I think most diner's heads were already swimming with so many choices to consider. Collectively we decided to get two appetizers to split and then each of us would order our own entrée.

The first appetizer we split was the Mee Grob:


This was a dish composed of cooked shrimp and crispy fried noodles tossed with a sweet chili sauce. While there were oodles of very tasty noodles, only three shrimp were to be found under that entire nest of fried and sauced goodness. Which meant that for our table of four, some went without. And while I loved the sweet chili flavor paired with this dish, it turned out to be mostly air for $7.

The other appetizer we ordered tonight was the Tod Mun Pla:


These were fish cakes that had been deep fried and served with a peanut-laden sauce that had a bit of chili kick to it. In contrast to our first appetizer, there was plenty to go around. This wasn't the best Tod Mun Pla I've ever had, but it still held its own.

Having finished our appetizers, we turned our attention to our next course, soup! Here was Ty Fun's version of Tom Kha Khi (also spelled Tom Kha Gai on some menus):


This was a delicate and refined version of this classic Thai soup. Studded with cooked chicken, mushrooms, onions, and baby corn, the coconut milk broth had just the right amount of spice from the chili oil that it gently caressed the back of my throat. Do be careful with this soup, however. While there were plenty of edible components to this dish, those in the know look for and set aside the Kaffir lime leaves, stalks of lemongrass, and ginger/galangal root. Are they poisonous? Certainly not, but they can present a choking hazard.

Our soups (and one salad) now out of the way, we proceeded to the main event, the entrées. Being in a noodle kind of mood and not wanting to get the somewhat traditional Pad Thai, I decided instead to go with the Pad Khi Mao:


Made with a wider rice noodle similar to fettuccine, the noodles had been stir-fried with various fresh vegetables and finished with Thai basil and a chili garlic sauce. Since I had eaten chicken in my soup, I chose the pork version of this dish (all the proteins are basically the same price). I find it interesting on Ty Fun's menu that dishes seem to hover either around $10 or $20. There doesn't seem to be much between. At $12, the Pad Khi Mao was definitely a good value as I had about half of my entrée left over when I was done.

The dish itself was good, but I missed the balance a little bit of sweetness would've added. A touch of honey or sweet chili sauce would've made this really good dish into a great one. That being said, the pork was tender, the vegetables were cooked nicely, and the noodles weren't overcooked. Definitely good qualities in a plate of Thai food.

Having paid our respective checks, we returned to the now cooler and darkened Cleveland skyline. As we rounded the corner to start to head back to our cars, we noticed that the Dim and Den Sum truck had parked itself in front of the Flying Monkey Pub and Chef Esterly was busy serving up their gourmet fare to hungry bar hoppers. We debated whether to attempt to split something from the truck, but each finally admitted that we just didn't have anymore room. So, an additional review of Dim and Den Sum will have to wait for another time.

If you happen to have the second Friday free of the month, I definitely urge you to check out the Tremont Art Walk. There were a lot of cool things to see, a lot of great art to appreciate, and a lot of tasty food to eat. And if you have a chance, check out both A Cookie and A Cupcake and Ty Fun Thai Bistro. You'll have a tasty experience at both venues.