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!

The Culinary Illuminati At Dinner In The Dark

It would seem a touch cruel of me to write about a meal that you, gentle reader, couldn't actually go out and eat yourself. On first glance, you might think that this review of the Dinner In The Dark event which happened on Monday, October 11th, 2010 might be exactly that. The bad news is that the dinner on the 11th is over and done with, the menu not to be repeated. The GOOD news is that the Dinner In The Dark is a series of dinners, not just a lone event. In that light, use my review of the first instance as preparation for what to expect at future dinners.

As opposed to what the name suggests, Dinner In The Dark has nothing to do with the lighting at the restaurant and everything to do with going into the dinner knowing nothing of the menu. Six local chefs, representing six different cuisines and approaches, agreed to get together at Verve Restaurant in Cleveland, Ohio to cook a multi-course meal complete with wine pairings in a charity event that benefited Veggie U, a non-profit organization run by farmer Lee Jones to help promote fresh and healthy fruits and vegetables to children.

Verve, normally only open for breakfast and lunch from Monday through Friday, opened up its kitchen and its dining room to 60+ eager diners, ready to try out whatever the chefs put together. Verve was located at 1332 Carnegie Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44115 and can be reached at 216-664-5500. Parking was in the lot directly next to the restaurant and while there may be a charge to park during the day, at tonight's event, it was free.

After parking, I took a shot of the front entrance to Verve:


Once inside, I gave the hostess the name of my party and she sat us at a long table set for twelve diners (there were at least five or six of these tables set up for tonight's dinner). Once seated, I noticed the menu sitting in front of me. Here was a shot of the front, detailing the courses and the paired wines:


And a shot of the back of the menu listing individuals and organizations:


Shortly after being seated, a server was over to fill our water glasses and hand my dinner companion and I a starter cocktail, the Autumn Snapper:


Made with freshly pressed Honey Crisp apple juice, heirloom cherry tomatoes, Campari, Aperol, and Cynar (pronounced chi-nar) shaken over ice, it was garnished with just a few sprigs of micro parsley. To my nose, the cocktail definitely smelled of the earthiness of fresh tomatoes, but upon tasting it, the crispness of the apple juice definitely shined through. The other bitter components in the drink, the Campari, Cynar, and Aperol, added a subtle bitterness that offset the sweetness of the apples and tomatoes. This was a nicely balanced cocktail and a quite refreshing way to start off dinner.

Before dinner started, servers were suddenly walking amongst the guests delivering an unexpected surprise, an amuse bouche:


An amuse bouche is generally a one or two bite morsel of food that allows a chef to set the tone for the rest of the meal or stimulate the diner's appetite for more. In tonight's case, this was accomplished with baby peppers that had been stuffed with roasted butternut squash, goat cheese, pepitas and chopped bacon. The crunch from the seeds and chopped bacon matched well with the creaminess from the squash and goat cheese. If the chefs were trying to stimulate our appetites, it was definitely working.

Our first course was delivered to us by Chef Matt Mathlage from Light Bistro and was paired with a Oremus, Fermint Dry, MandolisTokaji, Hungary 2006:


This remarkably inventive dish contained garlic pudding, pesto "soup," pickled radish over a rye bread puree, and a single stalk of gai lan, or bitter Chinese broccoli. I couldn't help but take individual tastes of each component before combining them together and the minute I tasted each component, I knew that they could've only been made by the restrained hand of Chef Mattlage. Other than the strongly bitter Chinese broccoli and the pickled radish, every other component was so subtly presented on the plate. The rye bread puree was simply amazing: he had taken rye bread essence and made a smooth sauce out of it. The sharpness of the pickled turnip helped to cut through some of the richness of the garlic pudding, itself having been loaded with quite a bit of butter. I wished the gai lan had been a touch less bitter, but I still appreciated how the flavor bounced off the others on the plate.

The second course was presented by Chef Chris Hodgson, owner of the Dim and Den Sum truck, who decided to play with pigs ears tonight. His dish was paired with a Domaine de Piaugier, Les Ramieres Vaucluse, Rhone Valley, France 2007 :


Here you had a Delicata squash ring that had been filled with an ultra-creamy polenta and topped with a bit of mosh, duck fat-confited crispy pigs ear strips and sauced with a mustard vinaigrette containing chopped capers. The pigs ears were fried to perfection and my dining companion, having never eaten pigs ears before, said that she actually liked them. Crispy on the outside and just a little sticky to the teeth on the inside, they matched well with the strong vinegar flavor of the vinaigrette. The Delicata squash was cooked all the way through and complemented the smooth polenta that the chef had prepared. Even the salty bite from the capers was appreciated in this vast flavor explosion.

The third course was presented by Chef Adam Bostwick from Melange and was a playful re-interpretation of a Caesar salad. It was paired with a Corta alla Flora, Giugglio Bianco, Montepulciano, Italy 2008:


Here you had a toasted piece of brioche, a fried egg yolk with still runny center, a single sliver of white anchovy, purple romaine, slightly sweetened and ever-so-slightly toasted meringue, and a drizzle of agrodolce ... a sauce both sweet and sour. As the chef described it to us, we were instructed to combine the various flavors in one bite. The resulting combination should reconstruct the flavor of a Caesar salad. For me, this was the least successful dish of the night; not because it didn't taste good, but because to me it failed to achieve the goal of tasting like a Caesar salad. The fried egg yolk was beautifully runny on the inside and after cutting a bit of each of the other components, I placed them on my fork and took a bite. Missing for me at a minimum was the garlic. I think the addition of a handful of freshly grated Parmesan cheese may not have been in the original recipe and I can overlook that, but the garlic I definitely missed. The slightly sweetened meringue was also a bit of a mystery to me, seemingly out of place in this quite savory dish.

Thankfully, when you let a group of chefs cook for you what they want, they know when to give your palate a break. Following the first three courses, a simple intermezzo was brought to the table:


This was a single small scoup of a lemon verbena sorbet topped with just a few thinly sliced strands of the freshly infused herb. This was simple, it was delicious, and it fulfilled its purpose spectacularly.

The fourth course was prepared and presented to us by Chef Brandt Evans from Blue Canyon and was a seared scallop dish. It was paired with a Max Ferd Richter, Estate Reisling, Mosel, Germany 2008:


The impeccably fresh, dry-packed scallops had been seared to a perfect golden brown, topped with impossibly thin slices of fresh radish, and served with an Indian curry coconut sauce, fresh basil oil, and some of Farmer Jones's amazing colored cauliflower. I've had some delicious dishes in my time, but this plate of food was amazing. The perfectly cooked scallops were sweet and tender and the interplay between the creaminess of the coconut milk and the barely perceptible spice from the Indian curry matched so well with the pristine seafood. Not being a huge cauliflower fan myself, I eagerly gobbled up every last bite of food from this plate and was half tempted to lick it clean. Bravo, sir! Bravo!

Where I thought I had achieved epicurean nirvana with the fourth course, when recently departed Chef Jeffrey Jarrett from North End Restaurant presented his plate of braised beef short ribs with sauce, polenta and vegetables, my mouth watered even before I tasted it. This course was served with a Wild Hog Petite Syrah, Sonoma Coast, California 2006:


The short ribs had been braised to absolute perfection. They were so soft and tender that not only was a knife not required to eat them, but its use would have been an insult to the chef. After the short ribs finished cooking, the braising liquid was reduced, chocolate was added and eventually the whole lot was mounted with butter and used as a sauce for the ultra-tender meat. I actually started with the polenta and was shocked that even though we had eaten polenta as one of the components of our second course, Chef Jarrett's polenta was wholly different. With just a little bit of texture from the medium-course corn meal, this polenta screamed "Corn!" at me.

While walking around and talking to groups of diners, he insisted that he hadn't done anything particularly special to the polenta to enhance the flavor, so clearly he must have started with stellar cornmeal. While the vegetables on the dish were nice, nothing, and I mean not even the marvelous polenta, could prepare me for the short ribs and sauce. All around me people were moaning in ecstasy as they ate the meat and sauce combination and as soon as I took a bite myself, I could see why. The level of complexity was exquisite. I've eaten very few things in my life where I immediately shut my eyes and focused solely on the enjoyment of food. This was one of those moments. If there was a superlative to "Bravo," I would be using it here.

Not knowing if it would even be possible to top the fifth course, Chef Ellis Cooley from AMP 150 surprised everyone by serving up a freshly baked beet cake adorned with foam and a single wafer-thin piece of beet paper paired with creme fraiche ice cream over a crumble:


The beet cake had been made using fresh beets and I was simply amazed that not only was the cake hot, moist, delicate and most importantly, delicious, but you could actually taste a very subtle beet flavor in it. The creme fraiche ice cream was silky smooth and because of the tartness from the creme fraiche, it helped to cut the fattiness from the ice cream and the cake. I tried each component individually and combining the flavors together and no matter which way I ate it, I was a completely happy camper.

The other benefit of tonight's dinner was that in addition to the dinner cost per person going toward charity, all of the wines we had with dinner were being sold by the bottle and proceeds of the sale were also going toward Veggie U. By that point in the evening, myself and my dinner companion had to hop back in the car to drive back to Akron, so we missed out on the auction portion of the evening, but at the very least, dinners for four were being auctioned off at the various chefs' restaurants.

Dinner tonight was $50 per person, excluding tax and tip, so this wasn't an inexpensive meal. However, and I can speak for all those seated around me, too, the food went from fantastic to mind blowing, the service was efficient and friendly, and all of the money spent was for a very worthwhile cause. I am eager to return on November 15th, 2010 at 6:30 PM for the next installment of this series. If you have the wherewithal to attend, I highly encourage you to do so. To make a reservation, simply call AMP 150 at 216-706-8787 and give them your name and the size of your party.

Perhaps I'll see you there!