A Cornocopia Of Choices At 111 Bistro

Fair warning -- I cannot give you an unbiased review of the food at 111 Bistro. Perhaps this surprises you, gentle reader, given the myriad of reviews on this blog where I assert that very quality, an unbiased attempt at describing to you what the average consumer can expect in terms of food and service when dining at an establishment.

In fact, my relationship with 111 Bistro has always had a personal quality to it. The original sous chef invited me to the "friends and family" night prior to the restaurant's actual opening back in June 2014. I had first learned of the restaurant's planned existence earlier in 2014 when the chef, Anthony Scolaro, and sous chef, Joe Holmes, each hosted a course at a Dinner In The Dark event at Crave in Akron. And, of course, at the friends and family event, I first met Anthony in person.

Is the food fantastic? Yes. Is the service great? Yes, with the caveat that I almost always sit at the bar, so I tend to be waited on by the same bartenders/servers over and over again. Have I ever had to send food back to the kitchen? Once, because of a mix-up with how my order was entered into the system. The kitchen made my entree with salt because they didn't realize it was for me. However, one of the line cooks saw that I had received the salted entree and immediately flagged me down. Grateful for the assist, I sent the plate of food back to the kitchen and they re-fired the entree, this time sans salt.

So what value can I add without this sounding like an (unpaid) advertisement for 111 Bistro? What I like about the menu at 111 Bistro is that not only does Anthony draw elements from other ethnic cuisines (although the menu is billed as "modern American", Japanese, Thai, Indian, French, and Italian all play a role), but dishes for diners with more common dietary restrictions are already represented on the menu, everything from vegetarian to vegan to gluten-free. And as I've already mentioned, when it comes to salt and seasoning, restaurants come in two varieties: those that season during prep and those that don't. 111 Bistro, more or less, comes squarely in the second camp.

That doesn't mean that the entire menu is fair game. Some elements are seasoned during prep because there is a marinade or brine involved; some of the confit preparations involve the traditional use of salt to bring out moisture from the protein. However, where I can normally expect maybe one thing on the menu to be low-salt/salt-free, at 111 Bistro, at any given moment, there will be a dozen items that I can order. They also run seafood specials quite often and many times, those dishes can be made salt-free.

Think I'm exaggerating? Let's take a look at their current menu (Fall/Winter 2015). Here are the items I can order and know that the kitchen can reasonably accommodate me:

• 111 "Poutine" (minus the cheese)
• 111 Fries (plain with the house made salt-free ketchup)
• Pork Belly Steam Buns (minus the sambal mayo)
• Shrimp Fried Rice (minus the soy)
• Greens Salad (as is)
• Greens Salad add-on proteins -- chicken, salmon, tuna, or shrimp
• 111 Burger (no cheese, bun has a very low amount of salt)
• Smoked Bison Meatloaf (subbing roasted potatoes for potato gratin)
• Faroe Island Salmon (minus bacon)
• Lake Erie Walleye (as is)
• Brussels-bacon-onion (minus bacon)
• Roasted carrots (as is)
• Fingerling potatoes (as is)

You can also usually add the weekly seafood special to this list. Here is a picture of last night's seafood special, a pan-seared barramundi over coconut curry rice and roasted heirloom carrots with a piquillo pepper puree:

Or, how about last weekend's seafood special, a pan-seared black sea bass over chanterelle and porcini farro, truffle honey drizzle, and micro greens:

Seafood isn't your only option -- I tend to have the 111 Burger about once a week with either unseasoned French fries or a side of fresh fruit:

This particular burger had the optional fried egg on it.

It's hard to believe, but all of these entrees are no salt added, no butter, and no cheese. That's not to say they are salt-free (as in 0mg sodium), but I'd venture to guess that any one of these three entrees probably has under 300mg of sodium for the entire plate of food (the burger with egg on it probably having the most natural sodium). For those who are managing their salt intake, the menu and the preparations at 111 Bistro are truly a godsend. The fact that they are utilizing quality ingredients and preparing them correctly just makes it an even more attractive package.

I do occasionally indulge in dessert. While there is at least one item on the dessert menu that is 100% off-limits -- salted caramel cheesecake, I'm looking at you -- the seasonal creme brulee or just a scoop of the vanilla bean ice cream (occasionally with a freshly brewed espresso poured over it, affogato-style) is sometimes all I want.

I will say that the dessert menu has become less adventurous over time (and not necessarily in a bad way). When the restaurant opened, Joe Holmes (mentioned earlier) was both the sous chef and the pastry chef. When Joe and 111 Bistro parted ways mid-summer 2015, Anthony decided to not only scale back the desserts (smaller portions and simpler desserts), but the prices as well. I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss some of Joe's desserts, but at the end of the meal, often times you just want a small taste of something sweet, not another full-blown course.

I'm in a unique position in that I've had the opportunity to try 111's food both as a salt-eater and now as a salt-free eater. As a salt-eater, one of the qualities that always stood out for me was Anthony's philosophy on salt -- add just enough to enhance the flavor of the food, but never enough to make the salt noticed. As a salt-free eater, now I can completely appreciate the food on an entirely different level, both the high quality of the ingredients and the creative use of elements on the plate to balance savory, sweet, bitter, and spicy.

As you can imagine, I really highly recommend you give 111 Bistro a try, and not just because I eat there multiple times a week. Co-owners Anthony Scolaro and Meghan Pender (Meghan manages the front of the house) want you to have a fantastic experience and in my opinion they take that goal very seriously. They have been open to constructive feedback (and I've given them both positive and negative feedback over the last eighteen months) and I can't stress enough how much I appreciate the kitchen's flexibility in being able to provide the myriad of no-salt-added choices on the menu.

If you're interested in seeing more of my images from 111 Bistro (and trust me, there are nearly 300 to look through currently), feel free to visit my Flickr album.

111 Bistro is located at 2736 Medina Road, Medina, OH 44256 (it's in the same building as the new location for the Medina On Tap Bar and Grill) and can be reached at 330-952-1122. They are open Tuesday through Saturday for dinner and Sunday for brunch. Reservations are accepted and based on what I've seen, I'd encourage them for the weekends.

If you do decide to go, look for the guy sitting at the end of the bar with the large camera. Chances are, it'll be me.

Dinner In The Dark - Noodlecat!

Holy moly! I just realized that I haven't written a blog entry about a Dinner In The Dark charity event since April earlier this year. That means that five of these fantastic dinners have come and gone (one month was canceled and another month was skipped due to low attendance) since I have mentioned this wonderful Cleveland-based organization seeking to not only bring together some of northeast Ohio's best chefs, but also help a local charitable cause in the process. While one of the founding members, Ellis Cooley (who was the chef at AMP 150), has left the Cleveland area to return to his home in Florida, he remains a part of the group along with co-founders Brian Okin and Jeff Jarrett (who interestingly enough now presides as chef at AMP 150). The trio has also recently given their website a face lift to feature events, news, bios on the participating chefs, and the pictures that yours truly has taken at prior dinners.

Tonight's dinner was held at Noodlecat, Jonathon Sawyer's recently opened Japanese and American noodle house mashup. This time around, the dinner was being held to benefit Michael Cantu, a Brecksville young man who earlier this year was involved in a gymnastics accident that left him in a wheelchair with many months of hospital stays.

Since the dinner was on Monday night, parking was a breeze. Since there were no downtown events happening that night, the valet next to Lola Bistro on East 4th was only $8 and the walk from the valet to the front of Noodlecat took all of five minutes. For those unfamiliar with the location of Noodlecat, it is just west of the House of Blues on Euclid Avenue in downtown Cleveland.

Once inside the restaurant, my friend Tami and I were quickly shown to our empty table, having arrived prior to the others in our dining party. I quickly got out the necessary camera gear for tonight's shindig and started to get set up. Here was a shot of the front of the menu:


While I know you haven't seen that menu in some time, gentle reader, a lot of the same players involved now are those that have been with the group since the beginning. Probably the one major addition to those sponsoring the event is Fat Casual BBQ, who graciously provided the staff meal for those involved in pulling off this event.

Flipping the menu over, the back contained the usual list of chefs and symbols cryptically suggesting what each course would be:


All were pretty straightforward except for the guy in the lederhosen for the dessert course. Knowing that Cory Barrett used to be the pastry chef for Lola Bistro, we knew that whatever it turned out to be, it would certainly be very creative and tasty.

Having finished examining the menu, Tami and I turned out attention to the platter of sliced bread sitting in the middle of the table:


While most DITD events have started with an amuse bouche, we couldn't figure out if this was a pre-amuse or this was the main event. It turned out that the bread with herbed olive oil was either the amuse or perhaps just a pre-dinner nibble and there was no official amuse. Either way, mix tasty bread with tasty oil and my mouth was definitely ready for what was to come next.

To go along with our pre-dinner nibble, Joe Deluca and Tobin Northrup sent out a cocktail called Winter Eve Warmer:


Served hot, this mulled wine had all of the warming spices from the Thanksgiving and Christmas season infused into it. There was just enough in the glass to give you a warm feeling inside while the first course made its way into the dining room.

Speaking of which, the first course was Chris Hodgson's (from Dim and Den Sum, Hodge Podge, and the soon-to-be opened Hodge's) and was a play on a "Wendy's Spicy Chicken Sandwich":


The patty consisted of a combination of sous vide and ground chicken thighs mixed with foie gras, seared on the flat top. It was served on a toasted bun with a waterlily leaf, roasted jalapeno and orange blossom aioli and a sliced grape tomato. When assembled, this was quite the mouthful, but a tasty mouthful at that. The foie gras had done its job of adding lots of moisture to the patty and when taking bite after bite, it was imperative to keep the slider over the plate, lest you wear the juice. The sandwich also had a very subtle spice, which was enjoyed by everyone sitting at my table.

The second course came to us from Ben Hsu (from Sushi 86):


The sushi "sandwich," as Chef Hsu put it, was actually seared Albacore tuna sushi done in an Osaka style presentation (where the sushi is made by pressing it into a box), Ghost Chile aioli, shredded daikon radish, wakame jelly, celery leaf, and scallions to garnish. I had never tried Ghost Chiles before, but I do know they are the hottest chile peppers on the planet. I was intrigued to see how well the chef had controlled the heat.

I took a bite with a little bit of each component in the dish and my mouth was rewarded with culinary bliss. Chef Hsu completely knocked this out of the ballpark. The fish was tender, perfectly seared on just the exterior. The Ghost Chile aioli was creamy with just a hint of spice, the wakame jelly added a bit of seaweed flavor and the gelatin helped to cool off the spiciness from the sauce. This was absolutely delicious. I would have been a very happy man with four more courses of the exact same dish.

Fortunately, for me, more delectable goodness was on its way. Specifically, the third course from Brian Goodman (of Greenhouse Tavern fame):


Jonathon Sawyer has been prepping himself to serve a meal at the James Beard house in the near future. He and Brian turned to Richard Olney's Souffle a la Swissesse to accomplish their task. The cheese souffle was cooked well on the outside and managed to stay tender, moist, and steaming on the inside. The souffle was nestled in a bowl of pureed mushrooms and chestnuts and was garnished with fresh thyme. This was truly an umami "bomb," if you will, with the flavors of mushroom, thyme, and cheese predominating. It was also incredibly good and more than one of us at the table wished it wasn't so verboten to lick the bowl in a public restaurant.

Normally at this point in the meal, an intermezzo is served to clear the palate from the previous courses and to prepare the palate to receive the final dishes in the meal. While an intermezzo is usually something slightly sweet and acidic (like sorbet), in sticking with the theme of Noodlecat, a plate of pickled vegetables appeared at our table for us to share:


Starting at twelve o'clock on the plate, you have pickled beets, pickled turnips, pickled pumpkin rind, pickled radishes and the small ramekin in the middle held kimchee, that wonderful pungent and spicy fermented cabbage that Koreans contributed to the global culinary scene. Each was good, but I particularly liked the pickled turnips because they had a nice balance between the acidity of the vinegar and a natural sweetness.

The fourth course was presented to us by Scott Kuhn (from Washington Place Bistro & Inn):


The scallop had been encrusted with dried porcini powder before being seared to a beautiful medium-rare. The scallop was soft and tender and a delight to eat, although mine was a touch on the aggressively seasoned side. That being said, the Israeli couscous that was served with the scallop was a bit underseasoned, so perhaps they were meant to be eaten together. Having only one type of mushroom on this plate was definitely not enough, so in addition to the porcini, sauteed Chanterelle mushrooms made an appearance as well as impossibly-thin shaved black truffles.

For our final savory course, Brian Reilly (from Noodlecat) gave us a soul-satisfying Japanese noodle dish with a twist:


This was the more traditional Japanese component of tonight's fifth course -- fresh Ohio City Pasta udon in a kombu broth with Enoki mushrooms, softened kombu, and scallions.

The American twist came to us in a Chinese take-out box:


Inside was a battered and fried halibut with nori on a stick -- Americans love anything fried on a stick after all -- sitting on top of micro-greens. After combining the two components, I ended up with this:


By the time we were served this course, many at my table were ready to cry "Uncle!" because we were so full. Some ate a little, some ate it all, I ate about half. I ate all of the crispy and juicy halibut, which was cooked to perfection. The pasta served tonight was a little bit flatter than regular udon and after much debate amongst my tablemates, a table-hopping Jonathon Sawyer finally put it to rest by asserting that it was indeed a form of udon. The noodles were tender while still retaining a bit of toothsomeness. The broth was characteristically Japanese, light with great depth of flavor. Overall, this was a lovely dish, even if I didn't finish it.

Our final taste of the evening came from Cory Barrett, former pastry chef at Lola Bistro and now executive chef:


It turned out that the gentleman in lederhosen on the menu actually referred to a citrus Bavarian cream on top of an almond spongecake all topped with a white chocolate plaquette. Also on the plate was a lime curd, Mardarin orange and ginger beer sherbet, and a cardamom crumble. Garnishing the sorbet was a single red sorrel leaf. This was the PERFECT way to end the meal. The dessert was both sweet and tart and easily cleansed the palate after so much other food had preceded it. The cardamom crumble almost had a peppery spice to it that was a wonderful foil for the sweetness. Cory may no longer be practicing the pastry arts on a daily basis, but he has lost none of his skills at balancing competing and complimentary flavors.

Our three hour culinary journey at an end, we packed up our bags and headed out into the chilly Cleveland air. Before we left, it was announced that next month's Dinner In The Dark event would be held at Rocco Whalen's Fahrenheit in Tremont on Monday, January 16th at 6:30 PM. While tickets for this dinner are the same $65 base price as all the other dinners, with tip, taxes, and fees, it comes out closer to $86. One big difference is that the Fahrenheit dinner only has fifty seats instead of the usual seventy, so if you're interested in going, I'd suggest you get your ticket sooner rather than later.

"Where's Waldo?" And Other News

So, gentle reader, you've probably been wondering where I've been for the last couple of weeks. While I could sit here and hatch some sinister plot about being abducted by aliens, the truth of the matter is far more pedestrian than the fiction. For a long time, I have been able to maintain a queue of finished reviews that were ready for publication at a moment's notice. Thus, if life sent me a whole lot of lemons to process all at once, I could tap this eternal well of ready-to-go prose. Unfortunately, that well ran dry roughly around the end of May.

Simply put, it's been a perfect storm of me splitting my time between work, doing both food and non-food photography (did you know that I created a Flickr account to post my photographs?), and honestly, being outside enjoying the warm (and sometimes too warm) weather with friends and family. It isn't that I've stopped going out to eat, it's just that by the end of the day, I am just too mentally exhausted to write about it. Suffice it to say, however, this is only a temporary condition and there are some exciting things on the horizon in terms of restaurant reviews, farmers market demonstrations, and upcoming charity events.

Speaking of which, I would also like to draw your attention to three upcoming events that you might find of interest.

The first event is the annual Taste of Akron and Arts Expo on Thursday, July 21st from 6 pm until 10 pm at Hardesty Park on West Market Street. I wrote about my adventures there last year and am looking forward to returning once again to sample foods from more than twenty-five different Akron caterers and restaurants. Admission is free and tickets can be purchased with cash or credit card for $2 each outside of the tent. Each vendor will be "selling" their food for one, two, or three tickets ($2, $4, or $6 respectively). While free parking is available in the park, I've always had much better success parking on one of the many side streets within easy walking distance. As in years past, West Point Market will be hosting their annual Finest Cut Steak Cook-Off, in which eight finalists will compete live.

The second event is a special charity dinner for Autism Speaks on Monday, July 25th at 7 pm. This "Fork to Fork" dinner is being hosted by the Covered Bridge Garden farm in Jefferson, OH with food provided by the extremely talented Brian Doyle of SOW Food Catering. Brian will be creating a five course wine-paired dinner from produce both grown on the farm as well as other local vendors. A tour of the farm and dinner with a view of the fields where their dinner was grown will all be part of the experience. Seating for this first of hopefully many events will be limited to only twenty guests and tickets are $95 per person. To get more information or to purchase tickets, call 440-862-1682.

The third and final event I wanted to mention today is a charity event being hosted by the Dinner In The Dark crew on Saturday, August 27th at 6:30 pm at the Culinary Vegetable Institute in Milan, OH. CVI will serve both as the host and its charitable off-shoot, Veggie U, an organization dedicated to educating children about farm-grown vegetables, will be the charity to which funds are donated. I haven't written about the last couple of DITD dinners I attended (and in fact, sadly had to miss the most recent one due to illness), but I am looking forward to an evening of fantastic food prepared by a legion of Cleveland's most accomplished chefs. For those not familiar with the concept, the "dark" in their title refers to the fact that the chefs as well as the menu is completely unknown until the moment it is served. Past events have been a smashing success and I suspect that tickets to this event will sell out quickly. Tickets, purchased through the organization's EventBrite site, are $81.57 and include both tax and gratuity.

While you may not be able to attend all three wonderful events, hopefully you will be able to schedule at least one onto your calendar.

As for my lazy behind, regular blog posting should resume soon, although I may not be able to return to the three (or more) posts per week of blogging past. I hope you've had a great summer so far and I wish you all the best in finding great events, lots of locally grown, tasty seasonal fruits and vegetables, and most importantly, fun in the sun!

AMP 150 Winner And A Great Charity Event

At midnight on Saturday, I visited Random.org and entered the number of comments left on my blog post regarding the $25 AMP 150 gift card (45 comments). The first go-round left me with #18. Counting the comments from the beginning, it turned out that #18 had been deleted by the original author. Fine. I went for a second random number and this time came up with:

Magical number forty-three! Counting backwards from the bottom led me to MalininGrl, who happened to leave her email address in her comment. I emailed her and she was more than happy to accept the gift card. Congratulations, MalininGrl, I hope your meal at AMP 150 is spectacular!

Next up, I wanted to mention Dinner In The Dark ... now wait, gentle reader. As you know well by now, since last November I have published on a monthly basis my escapades at this amazing series of charity events. And even though May's DITD at the Greenhouse Tavern on Monday, May 16th is already completely sold out, I still plan to review last month's DITD at Palate Restaurant in Strongsville next Monday (as has been my tradition).

However, what I wanted to tell you about was a special Dinner In The Dark that is happening on Monday, May 23rd at AMP 150. It is a slightly different format than the regular dinners. Normally, DITD is a six course wined paired meal that is a "sit down" type of dinner. This special event will have fifteen different stations, each manned by a different chef and instead of servers running food to your table, you will simply approach each station and get the food yourself. So, in essence, this particular event is more of the "stand and mingle" type of dinner.

More importantly, this event is a benefit for the Matthew Finkel Fund. Here's the official profile:

"This 'Special Edition' DITD will feature 15+ chefs offering small bites at various tasting tables. There will also be an assortment of micro breweries and wineries represented as well. As usually we will be offering multiple raffles and silent auctions. The proceeds to this event will go to a scholarship fund in the name of Matthew Finkel and the money will help an under privileged Northeast Ohioan attend the Culinary Institute of America.

Price is $40.00 per person, all inclusive. Due to the expected size of this event, we WILL NOT be able to accept payment at the door.

PLEASE READ MATTHEW'S STORY:

Matthew grew up up in a two bed room apartment in the Bronx with his mother (who is blind), father, grandfather, grandmother, two sisters and brother. He loved to cook since he was a young boy. At the age of 8, he started helping his mother, who was going blind, prepare meals for the family. He was a very good guitarist who began playing at the age of 10 and loved Jimi Hendrix, as well as, composing his own music. He enjoyed working with computers, and would help anyone who was having technical trouble, He had a great heart, and would help anyone with anything, whether or not he he time to spare.

But it was cooking that was his main passion. He would read cookbooks to learn and try out recipes because he knew he wanted to be a chef. He dreamed of going to culinary school but knew it was financially impossible. While in high school he learned of the Food Network offering a full scholarship to CIA with full room and board. Out of countless applicants, he was chosen most deserving and was awarded the scholarship on The Food Network Awards in 2007 by Catherine Zeta Jones and Aaron Eckhart. He received his bachelors of professional studies in Baking and Pastry Management from CIA in May 2010. After graduating he went to work for Bravo TV Top Chef winner Harold Dieterle at his Manhattan restaurant Perilla. He moved to Ohio last October to start a life with fiancee Kirsten Brayn. whom he met and fell in love with while both attended CIA. Matthew was working in Ohio at an artisnal bread shop the Bread Chef in Boardman, Ohio, as well as, Ely Pugh's Vegan restaurant, Ely's To-Go."

So, if you feel like helping out with a great charity and getting to try out the food from fifteen of Cleveland's fantastic chefs, this might be the perfect opportunity. I encourage you to get tickets while they are still available, unlike the DITD at the Greenhouse Tavern and most likely for the one next month at Flying Fig. To buy tickets, simply visit their EventBrite page.

Dinner In The Dark VI

It is time, once again, for the next monthly installment of the Dinner In The Dark series, this time held in Tremont at Bistro on Lincoln Park. This was only the second time since the series of charity dinners began back in October 2010 that the event was held at a restaurant location other than one owned and operated by one of the founding three chefs, Brian Okin, Ellis Cooley, and Jeff Jarrett. This was also the first dinner to employ the new method of reserving a spot at the table using EventBrite. Whereas before, the dinner was more akin to a typical restaurant dining experience since you paid at the end of the meal, starting with this dinner and continuing forward, you instead pay for a "ticket" in order to reserve a spot at an upcoming one.

Bistro on Lincoln Park was located at 2391 West 11th Street, Cleveland, Ohio 44113 and can be reached at 216-862-2969. Parking was essentially wherever you could find it, and my carmate and I managed to snag a spot just a couple of hundred feet from the entrance to Bistro on West 11th. Once inside, we joined our epicurean compatriots and the six of us settled into our front dining room table and waited for the festivities to begin.

While we waited, I took my usual snapshots of both the front of the menu as well as the back:



As usual, each of the Dinner In The Dark events benefited a local charity. In tonight's case, it was a combination of the Tremont Farmer's Market as well as the Urban Community School. While I don't know much about the Urban Community School, I do know that there are some fantastic vendors selling their wares at the Tremont Farmer's Market (such as Humble Pie Baking Company and Posh Pierogies, just to name a few) every Tuesday from 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM.

A little bit before 7 PM, this marvelous cocktail, the Spring Blossom, was delivered to each diner at our table:


Comprised of gin, St. Germaine, and fresh lemon juice, this was incredibly light and very refreshing. For some reason, "Easter" popped into my head and the only thing I could come up with was a correlation of the floral notes from the St. Germaine and the smells and tastes growing up during Easter in my house. Strange, but there it is.

As with all of the DITD meals, it was to be a six-course wine paired dinner with two extra courses thrown in, and we started out with Bistro's own Cory Hess serving us an imaginative amuse bouche:


This was a vanilla scented macaroon filled with a foie gras buttercream and rolled in poppy seeds. Some of us at the table may have questioned the execution of the macaroons, but no one uttered a single negative thing about the luscious foie gras buttercream that filled the two halves. The poppy seeds added an interesting crunch that offset the creaminess of the buttercream and the softness of the macaroon.

Our first course of the evening was presented to us from Chef Michael Nowak from Bar Cento and was a Wild Mushroom Vol-au-Vent with Fennel Puree and Parsley and was paired with a Domaine Aime Cabernet Franc:


This was tender and flaky and the five types of mushrooms used added an amazing earthiness to the dish. The fennel puree had notes of anise which acted in a supporting role to really make this dish superb. Chef Nowak also has a Vol-au-Vent dish on his own menu at Bar Cento and this was a definite riff off of that.

Our second course was brought to us by the Plucky Cluck Restoration Society's own Jeremy Esterly and Mike Schoen and was a dill pickle brined quail, heirloom fingerling potato salad with a warm bourbon vinaigrette, bread and butter green tomatoes, and micro kale. This was paired with a Yali Wetlands Merlot Rose:


Not to steal from the Colonel, but this was "finger lickin' good." The quail was incredibly juicy, the potato salad nicely dressed, but the real showstopper on this plate was the bread and butter pickled green tomato. The interplay between sweet, sour, and crunch was magnificent and I think once Plucky Cluck gets settled into their permanent home, this ought to be on their menu year round if possible. It was simply that good.

Our final course of the first half of the meal was provided by AMP 150's Chef Ellis Cooley and was paired with a last minute wine substitution from Lamb Valley, Oregon:


At Dinner In The Dark, the organizers encourage chefs to play with their courses and make them unique. Chef Cooley delivered exponentially tonight by serving up ... are you ready for this? Marinated hamachi in soy balsamic, olive oil and chili; red cabbage kimchee puree emulsion on yellow beets and olive oil; pea sprout juice, salty mushroom pudding, and lemon aioli; edible flowers, micro chervil, toasted rice pearls, baby greens, beet paper, sweet pickles, Wakami Jelly, and Finnan Haddie Foam. Holy crap, the description alone needed an entire paragraph! While I can confidently say that this has been the most adventurous dish I've ever been served at a DITD, what really mattered was how it tasted.

Part of the adventure of eating such a dish is that the experience is different for every diner because of the way you combine different elements on the plate. Personally, I like to play with my food (a nod to Nancy's excellent food blog) and this dish was perfectly suited for this task. Would I want all six courses to be like this? No, but I think one like this every once in a while keeps things fresh and diners on their toes.

Cory Hess again delivered during the intermezzo course with an interesting Prickly Pear Sorbet and Coconut Foam with several crystals of Black Cypress Sea Salt:


While prickly pear juice wasn't an everyday flavor to the diners at the table, when we were finally told what it was, lots of head nodding happened. However, NONE of us would have guessed at the coconut foam. The sea salt acted in the same way it did in something like salted caramel, adding slight notes of savory to compliment the sweet. The sorbet did a great job at cleansing our palates.

The first course of the second half of the menu began with Bistro on Lincoln Park's own executive chef, Pete Joyce, presenting a salmon and asparagus dish paired with Wine By Joe Jovino Pinot Noir:


This was a farm-raised poached Canadian salmon with blanched white asparagus, vanilla brown butter vinaigrette, sweet and sour red peppers, shaved sweet onion, grains of paradise, caramelized grapefruit, grains of paradise and shaved white chocolate. First, the highlights of this dish. The agrodolce treatment of the red peppers were a welcome and delectable touch on the plate. The vanilla brown butter vinaigrette and white chocolate on the white asparagus were an unusual, but interestingly complementary pairing. While the salmon at first appeared to be cooked perfectly medium rare, once you got into the piece, it was closer to rare/raw than medium-rare. Sadly, this was the case not just with my portion, but almost everyone at the table.

The fifth course of tonight's meal, and the last savory one, was presented by Chef Aaron Guzik of L'albatros Brasserie and was a Braised Brisket over Celeriac Polenta with Kale and Roasted Beets and was paired with a Wirra Wirra Catapult Shiraz Viognier:


Sauced with a mushroom jus and topped with kale micro-greens, this was definitely a hearty way to finish up the savory courses for tonight's meal. The celeriac polenta was smooth and dense and the roasted beets added a wonderful sweetness to the dish. It was also nice to see kale represented two ways, both braised as well as a garnish. The only real downside was the brisket. While brisket is normally cooked for hours on end to make it fall apart tender, which tonight's version was, it was also dried out. All of us at our table had high hopes for this dish and for the most part, it worked.

Not to be outdone, Chef Heather Haviland, from Lucky's Cafe, delivered a final course that knocked all of our collective socks off, a ‎30 layer crepe torte with chocolate butter-creme, cashews, salted caramel butter-creme and chocolate ganache butter-creme:


This was served with a Montaribaldi Birbet. The layers of ultra-thin crepes were filled with utterly delicious and very delicately sweetened smooth and creamy buttercream flavors. After all of those heavy savory courses, it would have been all too easy to over-sweeten this, but I think the remarkableness of this dish was how well balanced it was. It really reminded me of authentic European pastries I've had in the past that had a similar restraint to them. This was a fantastic way to wrap up the meal and even with how full I had been after the fifth course, I had no problem putting away the entire thing.

The courses now complete, all of tonight's chefs came out for a well-deserved round of applause:


There were some prizes to be auctioned off, but my carmate and I needed to return to Akron and since the dinner was pre-paid, there was no need to stick around and wait for checks to be doled out. The next Dinner In The Dark is this coming Monday, April 18th, at Palate Restaurant and Lounge in Strongsville and I strongly encourage you to attend if you are willing to be a bit adventurous and leave the dinner completely up to the chefs. My experience has been that sometimes some of the dishes can be slightly off from time to time, but when a dish is spot on, like at least several have been every time, it is pure magic in your mouth.

To purchase tickets for the next Dinner In The Dark, visit their EventBrite site. Dinner is $65 per person, but once you factor in tip, tax, and the EventBrite fee (think of it like the TicketMaster convenience fee), it comes closer to $86 per person. While this may seem a bit high, remember that these dinners are not lining the pockets of the chefs cooking the dinner, but local charities that can use the community support. I know that I'll be there and I hope to see you, too.

I'm still dreaming of that bread and butter pickled green tomato.

Dinner In The Dark V

About one month ago, I attended the latest Dinner in the Dark dinner at Melange Restaurant in Beachwood. While the streets were snow-covered enough in Akron that employers were letting employees go home early, Cleveland's streets weren't too bad. Well, at 4:00 PM they weren't bad. When I left some time later that evening at 9:30 PM, my drive home was lengthy and treacherous. Really treacherous. That being said, was risking life and limb worth it for this latest installment from some of Cleveland's best chefs? You had better believe it.

As with all of the DITD dinners, there was a beneficiary involved. This time around it was the Rose-Mary Center, a charity dedicated to serving both children and adults with intellectual disabilities. This charity hits close to home for me as my younger sister has lived her entire life with intellectual disabilities. While she is fairly high functioning, she does need checked in on every now and again to make sure she is doing well. Were she living in Cleveland, I have no doubt that she might very well be served by this fantastic organization.

As I mentioned earlier, I arrived quite early at the restaurant and after explaining who I was and why I was there, was invited to sit at the bar and work on my little netbook. When the appropriate time finally rolled around (6:30 PM), I was shown to our table in the corner of the restaurant and I took my seat and prepared my camera to start taking snapshots. First on the docket, of course, was tonight's menu. On the first side was a description of Dinner In The Dark, the charity it would be serving, and a list of tonight's amuse bouche and opening cocktail:


As always, the back side contained a list of chef's and their primary ingredient in the form of a small image:


Within a few moments of arriving at the table, our opening cocktail of the evening arrived, Trouble with Truffles:


A joint effort from Joseph Deluca and Tobin Northrup, this ruby red concoction consisted of freshly juiced beets and carrots mixed with fat washed Boru vodka that had been infused with truffles. In true margarita-style, the rim of the champagne flute had been rimmed with salt and pepper. While certainly an inventive and very earthy drink, the combination of flavors was a bit odd to my palate. It wasn't bad, per se, I just don't think I would be ordering another.

We didn't have to wait long for the onslaught of food to begin and only minutes later, Adam Bostwick, co-executive chef at Melange, started us out with his play on Buffalo-style chicken wings:


This was actually not a chicken wing, but a Frenched frog leg that had been soaked in buttermilk, coated in flour and fried until crispy. It was served over a blue cheese sauce and hot sauce and plated with some micro carrot and celery salad. The meat was succulent and juicy and the combination of playful flavors on the plate worked very well together. As an amuse bouche should be, it was a bite or two of intensely flavored food that made us all crave the next course.

Matt Creghton, the other co-executive chef at Melange, provided us with the first course, a Hot and Sour Fish and Noodle Soup which was paired with a Balletto Pinot Gris from Sonoma:


The bowls actually arrived at the table sans soup and after placing one in front of each guest, a server armed with a pitcher individually filled each soup bowl, softening the rice noodles on the spot. The fish was Paku, a relative of the barracuda. The ribs had been cooked to absolute perfection and the flavor of the meat was rich and powerful. The level of spice and piquancy from the soup broth matched the fish meat perfectly and had I eaten a bigger portion of this for my entire meal, I would have been in heaven. Hands down, this was probably one of the most perfect renditions of hot and sour soup I think I have ever had.

Our second course for the evening was presented by Brian Doyle, chef at World's Fair Culinary, and was a playful rendition of that classic Bugs Bunny cartoon, "Rabbit season! Duck season!" It was paired with a P.B. Hein Syrah from Suisun Valley, California:


This was rabbit meat that had been confitted in duck fat before being wrapped in caul fat and crisped up in the pan for service. Joining in the fun were a parsnip and burdock sauce, a carrot ginger emulsion, baby radishes and carrots, and some micro celery and chervil. It's quite a mouthful to say and it was quite a mouthful to eat. The rabbit was tender, the duck fat lent a wonderful mouth feel, and the carrot ginger emulsion had enough acidity and bite to clean the tongue after the richness from the meat. The parsnip puree was equally as luscious, coating my taste buds with the sweet vegetal flavor from the transformed root vegetables.

Our third course tonight, the salad course, came to us via Chef Eric Wells from Skye Larae's Culinary Services, and was a Mixed Greens Salad over a Crouton with Miso Vinaigrette. It was paired with a Los Loros Torrontes from Calchaquies Valley in Argentina:


For something that was so simple, this dish packed a lot of flavor. Mixed greens, citrus segments, sourdough crouton, and miso vinaigrette were all that adorned the plate, but each bite was packed with flavor. The only real negative here was that the crouton was a bit thick and because of it being toasted, was a bit hard to cut through, even with a knife. The vinaigrette had been applied with a careful hand and just like any properly dressed salad, when I finished the food on the plate, not a drop of leftover vinaigrette could be found.

The intermezzo came next, a simple granita from Ashley Young:


Each spoon contained a combination raspberry, blueberry, strawberry, and blackberry granita that had been topped with a bit of tarragon sugar and finished with a half blueberry for garnish. The balance between the acidity and sweetness was spot on and this was an excellent way to cleanse our palates halfway through the meal.

The first half of the meal now behind us, we focused our efforts on powering through to the end. The fourth course was served by Chris Hodgson, owner and chef of the Dim and Den Sum foodtruck and was a Lobster Pot Pie. It was paired with a Willowbrook Pinot Noir from Sonoma:


The light and flaky puff pasty crust cracked under fork pressure to reveal large pieces of lobster meat, potatoes, celery, carrots, bacon, and a heady seafood-based liquid. The liquid was a bit on the loose side for my idea of what a proper "pot pie" should be, but there was no denying that it was delicious. As is the case with all seafood, during the consumption of this dish, I discovered one or two small bits of lobster shell in the dish, which I discreetly put aside on the side of the plate.

Our final savory course was presented to us by chef and owner of Spice of Life Catering, Ben Bebenroth and was a Seared Pork Loin Medallion served over Sweet Potato Mash with an Heirloom Bean Salad on top. It was paired with a Blue Nose Zinfandel from Sonoma (lots of Sonoma love here tonight, no?):


The savoriness from the pork matched so well with the subtle sweetness from the sweet potato mash. The beans had a bit of a bite to them without being starchy and the roasted poblano chiles added a subtle heat that permeated every bite. If it weren't for the fact that we were one amuse, one intermezzo, and five courses into the meal, I probably would've eaten the entire portion. As it was, I ate about half before declaring a decisive, "Uncle!" Besides, I knew I needed to save room for dessert.

And before I knew it, Katie Pickens, Sous Chef at Lola Bistro, was out with her Meyer Lemon Tart and Sorbet with Bruleed Grapefruit and Salted Caramel. It was paired with a Cloudy Cape Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, New Zealand:


She had cleverly placed the tiniest bit of lavender on the one edge of the lemon tart. While too much lavender in a dish can immediately conjure up images of sucking on a bar of soap, Katie's deft use of the herb showed that she knew exactly what she was doing. The lemon and lavender flavors truly reinforced one another without overpowering either one. The custard was semi-soft and oozed slightly as I cut into the tender crust. The primary flavor of the dessert was lemon, but with the acidity from the grapefruit as well as the sweetness from the salted caramel, every taste bud cluster on my tongue was electrified.

With that final course came the raffle at the end of the evening as well as the checks. Dinner tonight was $65 plus tax and tip, so it wasn't an inexpensive meal. However, given the level of food, the great charitable cause, and the general level of fun I always seem to have at these once-per-month dinners, I definitely think it was well worth it. Note that the next event will be held at Bistro on Lincoln Park in Tremont on Monday, March 21st at 6:30 PM. While in the past, all you simply had to do was call the hosting restaurant and make a reservation, the organizers have decided to employ a TicketMaster-esque analog called EventBrite to handle payment for your seats ahead of time. While I certainly don't mind pre-paying for my spot at the table, the only downside I see with EventBrite is that it makes its money off of a per ticket fee, namely $5.50 per ticket in this case. So, a single ticket, with tax, tip, and fee will run you at about $86 per person.

I know that I've already bought my ticket for the next dinner and I hope that I might see you on Monday night for the next installment. There are still nine tickets remaining!

Dinner In The Dark IV

I've really begun looking forward to the monthly Dinner In The Dark series. The first two months, the chefs took us on amazing gastronomic journeys. Sadly, I had to miss the dinner in December due to the atrocious conditions of the roads. I'll drive far for good food, but not when I risk getting into an accident. Fortunately, when it came time for the January dinner on the 17th, the roads were clear, our stomachs were empty and our palates eager for stimulation.

This time around, the event was to take place at Jeff Jarrett's new restaurant, Palate Restaurant and Lounge in Strongsville. Joining Chef Jarrett this time around were some familiar faces as well as some new blood. My companion and I arrived about fifteen minutes before the scheduled start of the event and found our way to our as of yet unoccupied table for eight. As we waited for the others to arrive, I took a snapshot of tonight's menu:


As always, the Dinner In The Dark events benefit a local charity. In tonight's case, it was an organization close to the Jarretts' hearts, the Cleveland Sight Center. The CSC was the location of a fundraiser called Cleveland Chefs Cook For Jewel, a gathering to help raise the funds required to bring one of the Jarrett's newest sight-impaired daughters back from a Chinese orphanage. The CSC is doing absolutely fantastic work in delivering services to Cleveland's sight-impaired folks as well as educating those of us without sight problems as to the needs of those who do.

On the opposite side of this page was the somewhat cryptic menu:


As opposed to the first dinner, courses had been described by simple pictures. Some were easy to decipher, others, not so much. I guess we would just have be adventurous and try whatever was put in front of us!

While we waited for the rest to arrive, Joe DeLuca from Apothecary served us up a tasty pre-dinner cocktail called "A rose by any other name...":


Consisting of Four Roses single barrel bourbon, a pinot noir syrup, rose water, and just a touch of bitters, this was a delicious way to whet our appetites for what was to come. It was expertly mixed and blended and each flavor component was present without dominating the others.

Chef Adam Bostwick from Melange, no stranger to these dinners, presented us with our amuse bouche, a Caramelized Onion and Fig Tartlet with Crispy Sweetbreads and Blue Cheese Ice Cream:


It was a mouthful to say and an even better mouthful to eat! The shortbread crust was incredibly tender and simply melted in my mouth. The play of salty, sweet, crispy and soft all worked so well together. The flavors were definitely strong and while I don't think I'd want to eat a large portion of this, as a one bite starter, it worked incredibly well.

The first course, a Wild Mushroom Bread Pudding with Herb Smoked Onions and Truffle Oil, was presented by Palate's own Chef Jarrett. It was accompanied by a Boffa Dolcetto D'Alba from Piedmont:


As this was being placed in front of me, the heady aroma from the truffle oil filled my nostrils with anticipation. As Jeff has done in the past, he played with textures and flavors that both competed with and complemented each other. The fresh sorrel on top gave the finished dish a herbaceous note to match the already earthy one from the mushrooms. This was a mushroom masterpiece and if the fungus appeals to you in general, you would have loved this. I know I certainly did. Fortunately for all of you gentle readers out there, this dish also appears on Palate's current menu, so you can try it out for yourself.

For our second course, Chef Matt Mathlage from Light Bistro decided that instead of pairing a wine with his course, he picked beer instead:


This was a Menabrea Bionda Biera from Piedmont and paired remarkably well with the dish it accompanied, a Mini Reuben with 14 Day Cured Apple Kimchee:


Of course, it wouldn't be Dinner In The Dark if there wasn't some playful twist on the classic Reuben. Tonight's version had been made with calf tongue and had I not known what the cut was, I would've assumed it was corned beef. The sauerkraut had been cured for seven days using Napa cabbage and the kimchee cured for fourteen days and made with a ninety day vinegar. The results were stunning. The Reuben, for all intents and purposes, ate like a really great sandwich. The kimchee acted all the part of a great side with notes of acidity, spice, salt, and sweet.

Our taste buds fully awake and firing now, Chef Steve Schimoler from Crop Bistro decided to give us a Roasted Beet Salad with Pistachio Crusted Blue and Goat Cheese Crotin, Blood Orange Vinaigrette, and Blood Orange Gelee. He paired this with a Joe Dobbs Jovino Pinot Noir from Oregon:


Made from local Ohio red and yellow beets that had been perfectly roasted to bring out their sweetness, the blood orange vinaigrette and gelee added a bright acidity to help cut through that very sweetness to balance the flavor out. The saltiness from the Blue/Goat cheese combination added just the right amount of "tang" to give the salad another dimension of flavor. As a final touch of flavor and color, Chef Schimoler added an herb-infused oil to dress the plate. Even with the heaviness from the cheese, there was something very refreshing and light about the flavor of this salad.

The fourth course, a Brown Butter Poached Arctic Char with Crisp Aromatic Salad, Smoked Corn and Truffle Risotto, and Basil Sauce, was courtesy of Matt Mytro from StoveMonkeys. This was paired with a Demetria Chardonnay from Santa Barbara:


Words can hardly do this picture justice. The arctic char was cooked perfectly, seared crispy on the outside while the interior flesh was moist and tender. The smoke on the corn added such a unique flavor to the risotto and while it might not have passed recent Top Chef critiquing, it was certainly a delicious version to this taster. The salad that dressed the fish consisted of thinly sliced red onion and fennel mixed with a bit of arugula, which gave it a spicy, anise-flavored kick. Of course, what plate of food wouldn't be complete with a great sauce? The basil sauce delivered its herbaceous kick with serious aplomb. I was worried that the basil flavor might overpower the rest of the dish, but it complemented the other flavors nicely.

It was at this point in our meal that the palate cleansing intermezzo made its appearance. Delivered to us from Ray Garman from Melange, it consisted of a rock hard frozen kiwi slice that had been topped off with an orange granita and a sliver of basil:


When I say that the kiwi was rock hard, I really mean it. Several at my table tried to cut it without success. In the end, the only way to eat it was to simply pick up the entire slice and quickly pop it into your mouth. The flavors were great, but for those of us susceptible to "brain freeze," this was a bit of a nightmare. In the end, this "in the middle" course did its job and we were primed to receive the last two courses.

Our final savory course, a Spicy Espresso Rubbed Petite Veal Striploin Steak with Jalapeno Risotto Croquettes and Haricot Vert, was served by US Foodservice veteran Chris Quinn:


This dish was accompanied by a glass of Sineann Red Table Wine from Oregon. The croquettes very much reminded me of arancini and the spice from the jalapeños was present, but definitely not overwhelming. While the steak had been spice rubbed before grilling, it had also been dressed with an almost mole-like sauce and had hints of dark chocolate or cocoa. In a surprising twist, the chef informed us upon delivering the dish that the plated sauce was a Dr. Pepper and veal demi-glace reduction. It was interesting to see how Chris had incorporated these well-known tastes into a more refined rendition. I should also mention that the steak was melt-in-your-mouth tender while the haricot vert were nicely crispy-tender.

With the savory portion of the evening finished, we finally arrived at our final course of the evening, Caramelized Local Apples, Lucky Penny Goat Cheese, and Black Walnut Granola. This had been paired with a Monmousseau Vonvray from Loire Valley in France:


Delivered by Chef Matt Anderson from Umami (not to be confused with the food truck Umami Moto), he had also incorporated five spice powder and sorghum to create this sweet, but not too sweet finish to our meal tonight. A tiny bit of caramel sauce had also been drizzled on top of the combination to add a touch of cooked sugar savoriness to the dish. Having just eaten an amuse bouche, five courses, and an intermezzo, this was a light way to finish. The apples were tender but also retained a bit of crunch and the granola contrasted well to the softness and delicateness of the Lucky Penny chevre.

Tonight's dinner, with tip and tax, had essentially come out to $80 per person. While I will agree that this is a bit expensive, considering that this was a wine-paired dinner, proceeds were benefiting a local charity, AND an amazing meal cooked by some of the leading Cleveland chefs, I think it was definitely worth the price of admission. The next Dinner In The Dark is being held at Melange restaurant in Beachwood on Monday, February 21st at 7 p.m. Reservations are required as is an adventurous nature when it comes to eating a menu over which you have no control. But then again, that is part of the fun when it comes to participating in these dinners. I plan to be there and I hope to see you there, too!