Building A Better Burger At B Spot

Today I had a burger epiphany. At the suggestion of my good friend Nancy, I agreed to meet her for lunch at Michael Symon's B Spot restaurant at 11 AM for lunch. Chef Symon, an always interesting and sometimes oddly polarizing character to some in the Cleveland community, happened to be in the restaurant checking in to make sure everything was running smoothly. I had met him once before at his Tremont restaurant Lolita when I attended a small dinner party set out to taste a new menu that was being debuted. For those who have heard it in person or on the Food Network show Iron Chef America, once you've heard his quite distinctive laugh, you can tell that he is in the house long before you see him. Today, as I arrived at B Spot about ten minutes before opening, I heard that laugh. Love him or hate him, that laugh always seems to elicit smiles from those who hear it.

Nancy arrived precisely at 11 AM and as we approached the front door to the newly opened B Spot restaurant from within Eton Place, we were actually greeted by Michael. Since we were literally the first two to arrive today, Michael spent about ten minutes chatting it up with us. The chef let us in on a little secret: As much as people kvetch and complain that menus don't have enough healthy options on them, what people really want when they go out to eat is food that is comforting and tastes good. Apparently the Bar Symon menu recently got a revamp to remove the salad entrees. It turns out that what people say they want and what people actually order can be two very different things. In an entire month, only seventeen salad entrees had been sold. Seventeen! Meanwhile, the fried chicken and several other items perceived as less healthy sold like hotcakes. With such lousy turnover of an entire class of menu items, I can completely understand Michael's decision.

As we finished up our small talk, I then had the opportunity to experience a distinct pleasure which had never happened to me before. Chef Symon asked us if we preferred a booth or the bar, grabbed two menus, and actually sat us at our table. Honestly, gentle reader, I think I might have been a little more star struck if that lilting laugh of his didn't snap me back into reality. As much as I admire what he has done at his myriad of restaurants in Cleveland and Detroit, I realize that he still puts his pants on one leg at a time just like the rest of us. And while any of his restaurants can have an off night (every restaurant does), I've never experienced a bad meal at any Symon restaurant. Today would be no different.

When Nancy and I first started looking through the menu, I saw an item that I had been anxious to try out since I had heard about it, the vanilla bean apple pie bacon shake. We decided to get our version today without the extra shot of bourbon. At $5 for the basic shake, it wasn't the cheapest milkshake out there in Cleveland, but after splitting the rather sizable shake with Nancy, the price was more than reasonable.

Here was a shot of the milkshake in the original metal cup:


And a close-up of the milkshake:


Our server was kind enough to bring us two glasses, two spoons, and two straws so we could each have a more than ample serving:


Until this point, my favorite place for excellent milkshakes has been Tommy's on Coventry Road in Cleveland Heights. After tasting this milkshake, I have to give B Spot credit and say that they give Tommy's a run for their money. Michael stopped by our table after our milkshake arrived and confessed that even though they make the ice cream at his other restaurants, because of the sheer quantity of milkshakes they sell every week, they source their vanilla bean ice cream from another local Cleveland business, Mitchell's Homemade Ice Cream. However, once B Spot receives the ice cream, they add that Michael Symon spin to it by adding apple pie and cooked bacon to the mix. Nancy wasn't the milkshake addict that I am, but we both went gaga for this concoction. Smooth, creamy, cold, sweet and just a tiny bit salty, you could taste every flavor so distinctly. There were tiny bits of crust, apple, and bacon strewn throughout the entire glass. It was a milkshake you could enjoy first as a cool creamy treat and then as little pops of flavor as you chewed the bits leftover after the ice cream melted.

I knew that I was going to be getting a burger; that was a given. But since I had ordered a basic bacon cheeseburger the last time I came, I decided to try one of the already dressed burgers that was on the menu. Looking at my options, I picked the Red Hot burger. Having had that burger before, Nancy enthusiastically agreed with my choice. Here was a shot of my burger when it arrived at our table:


Along with the ground on-site cooked perfectly medium beef patty I had ordered, the Red Hot was topped with pulled pork, pickled tomatoes, pickled banana pepper rings, pickled jalapenos, Pepperjack cheese and sriracha mayonnaise. Here was a shot of the interior of the burger:


After cutting my burger in half, I wondered how I was ever going to be able to get my mouth around it; I managed. For those out there who might be worried that this burger packed too much spice, I am here to ease your apprehension. The spice level was perfect, enough to perk up your taste buds, but not so hot as to cause any even remotely long-lasting pain or discomfort. This was a really incredibly good burger. Every single component on this burger, from the bun to the meat to the toppings, all came out perfectly. Between the burger and the pulled pork, juice was literally dripping down my hands and back onto my plate. The seasoning was absolutely spot on. I have written before that I thought that the Ohio Beef Burger at The Greenhouse Tavern was my all-time favorite burger, but this ... well, this threw a huge wrench in that plan. While my previous bacon cheeseburger at B Spot had been really good, this was as soul satisfyingly good as the Ohio Beef Burger.

I must also mention the bun on which the burger was served. While I didn't find the previous version to be all that particularly offensive, apparently enough people complained that the heel of the bun got too soggy too quickly that Michael responded and replaced it with a sturdier version. Today's bun was definitely up to the task and besides having a wonderful crust and crumb, it also had a lovely "eggy" smell to it.

Since I had already tried several of the sides during my previous visit, Nancy suggested we split one of the bratwurst sandwiches. We looked over the list and picked the Chili and Cheese Brat. Here was a shot of the entire sandwich:


And my half:


Composed of a grilled bratwurst served with a beanless chili and lots of shredded cheddar cheese on a hoagy roll, it turned out to be a surprisingly messy sandwich to eat. Sadly, the hoagy roll didn't stand up very well to the wetness of the chili and by the time we got around to eating this, it had turned to mush in several key locations and more or less fell apart by the time I finished it. I have a feeling that now that the hamburger bun issue has been fixed, it might be time to turn the attention to finding a suitable replacement for the hoagy bun, too. The flavor of the sandwich, however, was quite good. The chili was nicely seasoned with just a tiny bit of spice and the amount of melted cheddar cheese added a nice creaminess to every bite. To be honest, the brat didn't bowl me over like the burger did, but given that my normal preference is for a good burger over a good brat, I wasn't too disappointed.

When it came time to ask for the check, our server informed us that before Michael had left B Spot (he was only there for the opening of the restaurant today before he had to leave), he told the server to comp our meal. This was only the second time I've ever been completely comped at the end of the meal (as opposed to knowing the meal was comped going into it, such as here) and the first one since I started writing this blog back in 2008. While it is tempting to think that this generous gesture is something that happens all of the time, the reality is that it isn't. Nor is it expected. Nancy and I quickly added up what we thought the total check had come to and left an appropriate tip for the excellent service we had received today from our server.

With today's Red Hot burger, B Spot has just shot itself up into a tie for first place with The Greenhouse Tavern as my all-time favorite burger. The fact that we had an incredibly interesting and delicious milkshake and a pretty decent bratwurst sandwich made today's lunch noteworthy. When we arrived today at 11 AM, the place was pretty empty during its first hour. By the time we left at noon, there was only a slight wait to get a table. Compared to showing up at 6:30 PM and having an hour wait, this was an excellent way to have my cake and eat it, too. I suggest that if you don't like waiting for a table, showing up for lunch sometime between 11 AM and noon is the way to go. Finally, if you couldn't already tell by my school girl-like gushing, B Spot is highly recommended.

Experiencing The Big M At Tommy's Restaurant

I have been fortunate to have had the opportunity for the last couple of weeks to help out a good friend, Diane, with her stand at the North Union Farmers Market located on the main campus of The Cleveland Clinic. While I occasionally got to take a nibble or two of food in between helping customers, for the most part my focus was on selling as many of Diane's wonderful pies as I could between the hours of 10 AM and 2:30 PM. By the time the market was over and we had repacked Diane's car, I was feeling somewhat famished. Being so close to the Coventry Road area, I decided to head over and satisfy two needs. The first need was to gain immediate sustenance. The second was to stop in at Grum's and purchase a whole Turkey Ridge to bring back home with me for later.

After parking my car in the garage directly in the middle of the Coventry area, I walked out of the garage and took a picture of Tommy's exterior from across the street:


Located at 1824 Coventry Road, Cleveland Heights, 44118, they can be reached at 216-321-7757. You can also check out their website by clicking on this link. I remember going to Tommy's for the first time when I started attending college at Case Western Reserve University. It has remained virtually unchanged, even after all of these years. Tommy's has always served a wide range of customers, from meat-eaters to vegans with a very tasty menu. Their prices are a bit higher than I remember from twenty years ago, but whenever I have a chance to check them out, I take the opportunity. I will warn you, gentle reader, that Tommy's is as popular a place now as it was back then. If you intend to show up on a Friday night at 6 PM for dinner, expect there to be a lengthy queue.

Today, however, I showed up around 2:45 PM and was rewarded with a mostly empty restaurant. I was seated by the front window and handed a menu. Here were some photos I took of the menu:






There are a few signature items for which Tommy's is known: Spinach pies, meat pies, hummos, French fries, and of course, thick and rich milkshakes. Fortunately and unfortunately, portions are large at Tommy's. Fortunate if you happen to be in a large group and want to share the 12 ounce serving of French fries. Unfortunate if you are just looking for a side of fries to accompany your meat pie. The hummos appetizer is very good, but at more than $7 for this plate of food, this would be more like my entire meal than a warm-up to the main event.

After seeing that the only side available on the menu was the 12 ounce serving of French fries, I asked my server if I had any other options. Sadly, even though she ha recommended to management time and again that they offer smaller portion sizes on the menu (only to be rebuffed), she pointed to a small rack of pre-packaged potato chips and suggested I might want to pair a bag of chips with my lunch. At a cost of only $0.99 with a portion size that looked normal for an adult, I quickly agreed and picked up a bag of Dirty's All Natural Sea Salt and Cracked Pepper chips:


While I have been known in the past to order one of Tommy's fantastic spinach and onion pies, today I decided I wanted something a little heartier. After considering my options, I decided on ordering the "Big M." Containing a combination beef and lamb patty, my Big M also came with lettuce, tomato, onions, green peppers, mozzarella cheese, and their unique barbecue sauce. After about fifteen minutes, my Big M arrived at my table and after I added some of the salt and pepper potato chips, I took a photo of my lunch platter:


Here was a close-up shot of the front of my Big M:


And the back of it:


Overall, I really enjoyed the flavors of my Big M pie, although the notion of it being a pie in the traditional sense of the word was a bit convoluted. Yes, it did have a top and bottom crust and it was filled with a cooked meat patty, melted cheese, fresh vegetables and sauce. But this pie wasn't shaped like a cut wedge from an entire pie. Each portion was it's own complete entity. I'm not sure exactly how they cook these because the vegetables were nicely crisp and fresh while at the same time the patty was hot, the cheese was melted, and the top layer of "dough" was nice and crispy.

After cutting into my Big M, I decided to take a side shot of the pie, revealing the meaty interior:


The combination of flavors was excellent. The lamb and beef played well together, neither of which overpowering the other. The barbecue sauce was excellent, as always. The sauce that Tommy's uses has a very muted flavor, and is neither overly smoky nor sweet. It added a nice cooked tomato flavor and mild acidity to compliment the fresh tomato that garnished the meat pie. Overall, the Big M was a hit except for one little minor detail. The crust on the bottom of the pie sort of alternated between being soggy from the meat juices of the patty resting on top of it and, well, um, burnt in other spots:


The soggy I didn't mind so much. The burnt wasn't very pleasant at all. Fortunately there were only a few pieces of burnt crust, so I was able to remove them pretty easily. That being said, with how busy the restaurant was on a Wednesday afternoon at 3 PM, there really shouldn't have been anything wrong with my pie.

Finally, the potato chips:


These were lovely ... crispy, not oily, and a lovely balance between salt and cracked pepper. I was a little taken aback when I read the list of ingredients on the back of the package to find that they had several forms of sugar in them. I can only imagine that the sugar was added to help balance out the saltiness of the chips, because the chips certainly didn't taste sweet. Looking at the amount of sodium in a single serving may help to back up my assertion. Because the flavor of the cracked pepper was so prominent, perhaps they needed to use a more aggressive hand when it came to the salt (460 mg of sodium per serving). To balance the saltiness, they added a touch of sweetness, too. Either way, it was a nice compliment to my Big M.

My hunger now sated, I paid the check, collected my coat and cellphone and headed down Coventry Road to purchase my Turkey Ridge for a late dinner. Apart from the bits of burnt crust on a small portion of my meat pie, everything was tasty, well balanced, and I felt like I was doing something healthy for my body. Since everything is a la carte, the check can start to get a little pricey if you go nuts with appetizers, sides, and milkshakes. Eating with a group can help to minimize those costs and spread them around. I heartily recommend Tommy's for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, especially if you have anyone in your dinner party with food restrictions. With lots of very cool shops within walking distance from Tommy's, you could make an entire afternoon of eating and shopping.