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.

AMP 150 Gift Card Giveaway

For those of you out there who happen to be Facebook friends with me, you might have seen a status update or two regarding a food photography shoot I had over the weekend. Chef Ellis Cooley from the restaurant AMP 150 approached me a little over a week ago and indicated that the restaurant was in need of photographs of their new menu items for a redesign of the corporate website. He asked if I and fellow foodie Edsel would be interested in doing a photo shoot. Feeling quite proud of how far I've come in my food photography in the last seven months of study, I quickly agreed.

I decided to drop off the finished photographs last night and since the weather was crappy (really, when will this rain end?) and the traffic going south on I-71 backed up, I decided to stay and try a few of the dishes I had photographed over the weekend. You might be tempted to think that with all of the food Edsel and I photographed over the weekend that we would have also tasted it, too. One of the dirty little secrets of professional food photography is that the food doesn't have to taste good, it just has to look good. Thus, if an ingredient doesn't contribute directly to the appearance of the food (like, say, salt), it wasn't added.

So, what did I order? First up was a Shrimp and Pea Risotto with Fresh Local Ramps:


Creamy, buttery, sweet, and garlicy. If I could sum up a dish in four words, those would be it. This was an amazing small plate that did much to feed not only my stomach, but also my soul. The rice was creamy without being mushy, the peas added little pops of sweetness, the shrimp were cooked without being rubbery, and the ramps (kind of like wild garlic) added a much needed sharpness to balance the entire dish. If you are interested in trying this dish, get to AMP 150 soon as ramp season will be over in a matter of weeks, not months.

My second small plate tonight was Poached Sea Scallops over Squid Ink Farro, Fines Herbs, and Fumet:


Again, this was all about texture and flavor balance. The scallops were tender and buttery, the farro had a slightly chewy texture that felt like a cross between barley and rice, and the squid ink, although dark in appearance, had a certain brightness in flavor. I can't tell you which one I enjoyed more as they were both outstanding.

Finally, to finish up my meal tonight, I decided to go with one of AMP 150's new desserts, Lemongrass Rice Pudding, Herbed Tapioca, Coconut Foam, and Passion Fruit Caviar:


As with all of the dishes at AMP 150, this was a clever combination of tart and sweet, creamy and chewy. The rice pudding had a soft, but still chewy texture to it. The herbed tapioca (readers familiar with Bubble/Pearl Tea will understand the texture) had a vegetal quality to it that worked well with the lemongrass and coconut. The passionfruit caviar was practically unsweetened, and as such, contrasted brightly with the sweetness of the foam and rice pudding. This dish was light and airy, yet not overly sweet and ultimately satisfying.

Now that I've whetted your whistle with some of the new menu items available at AMP 150, I think it is high time to announce the gift card giveaway! As part of the compensation that AMP 150 offered me for my photography services, they graciously agreed to include a $25 gift card to give away to one lucky reader of my blog. Considering that $25 is enough for one person to eat a complete meal at AMP 150 (which was pretty much what my bill came to last night with water), it's a great way to experience one of Cleveland's premiere dining destinations.

The contest will work as follows: starting now, simply leave a comment stating that you'd like to win the gift card. You will have until 11:59:59 PM on Friday, April 29th, 2011 (that's 1 second before midnight Saturday) to leave your comment. At 12:00 AM on Saturday morning, I will use random.org to randomly select the winner from all the posted comments. IF YOU LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS IN YOUR COMMENT, I will contact you to tell you that you've won. If you only leave a name in your comment (which is entirely your option), I will post the winner's name and that person will have until Monday morning, May 2nd, 9:00 AM, to contact me and claim your prize. If no contact has been made by Monday morning at 9:00 AM, I will select another winner.

Bottom line is ... if you want to be entered into the contest and don't wish to leave your email address, make sure you check back to see if you've won!

Once the winner has confirmed their interest in claiming the prize, I will get them the gift card in the manner which is easiest for them (most people prefer the US Postal Service).

Good luck! Even if you don't win the gift card, take the time to check out the fantastic menu at AMP 150. Chef Cooley and crew are really doing some marvelous new dishes on the spring menu.

Dinner In The Dark II

After the amazing dinner I experienced during the first Dinner In The Dark in October, I was greatly looking forward to November's outing. Not only was it an almost completely new line-up of chefs, but the venue had been changed from Verve (which has sadly closed since the dinner in October) to AMP 150 located at the Cleveland Hopkins Marriott on West 150th Street. Since Verve was only open for breakfast and lunch, we had use of the entire restaurant for the first dinner. In contrast, AMP 150 serves dinner and I was curious to see how they would fit our large crowd plus the regular restaurant patrons all in the same space.

In addition to the location change, the time for the dinner was also moved up by thirty minutes to 6:30 PM. This actually suited me much better since I was traveling from Akron to attend and consequently, I hoped I would be able to return home at a more reasonable hour (it was a school night after all). I arrived around 6:00 PM and after checking in with the reception stand, I was told that seating wouldn't open up until exactly 6:30 PM and I was free to sit in the lounge and have a pre-dinner cocktail if I desired.

It wasn't long before my other dining companions showed up (there were supposed to be ten of us in total) and before I knew it, the appointed time had come and we were helpfully shown to a large table positioned outside of the private dining room. I hadn't realized how spacious the entire dining room at AMP 150 actually was until I considered that the private dining room in use tonight easily sat half the number of guests participating in this second dinner.

After seating myself, I began the evening by taking photographs of both sides of the lone piece of cardstock placed at each diner's position at the table:



Similar to the last dinner, one side contained tonight's "menu" while the other detailed the Dinner In The Dark's mission as well as announced the beneficiary for tonight's charitable contributions, the Grace & Lucy Rothgery Fund. Apparently, Grace and Lucy were small children in a local Cleveland family where the father, in a less-than-stable state of mind, shot his wife and then committed suicide, thus rendering the children instant orphans. Besides the obvious tragedy of their story, it was also nice to know that we would be helping out these local Cleveland girls.

As with the first event, dinner began with a cocktail, this time a Pear Buck from Joseph DeLuca:


Comprised of Grey Goose La Poire (pear) vodka, ginger infused simple syrup and lime, this was a delightfully refreshing way to start the festivities. I had thought that the ginger and lime flavors might overpower the pear, but it was a delightfully balanced cocktail and served to stimulate my appetite for what was to come.

Our first plated course soon came out from the kitchen, an amuse bouche:


This was a seafood sausage with Japanese togarashi, soy pudding, cilantro "caviar," and a dehydrated carrot chip to garnish. While the dish initially had a slightly fishy odor, the flavor was anything but. The slight sweetness from the seafood sausage, coupled with the herbaceousness of the cilantro and the salty soy pudding made this a quite tasty way to start off the meal. The togarashi added just a touch of spicy heat to the dish.

Our first course came to us courtesy of Pamela Waterman of Duet Catering and was served with a Terlano Classico, Alto Adige, Italy:


This was a Caribbean jerk-rubbed grilled octopus salad with papaya, mango, and avocado in a jalapeño smoked paprika sauce and orange sauce. The flavors were amazingly complex and the spice was just at the right level to be interesting but not overpowering. At first we thought that the mango might be cantaloupe, but after Chef Waterman came out and explained the dish to us, the mystery flavor seemed to lock itself better in my brain. The octopus, which is a notoriously hard type of seafood to cook correctly, was firm without being rubbery.

Our second course was presented by Chef Mike Nowak of Bar Cento and was served with a Bouchard, Bourgogne Rouge, Burgandy, France:


Chef Nowak served an item that has made a regular appearance on his daily specials menu, a smoked and braised pork roulade that had been breaded and deep fried and served with a remoulade made with capers, pickles, anchovies, and celeriac. The pork in this dish was made entirely with the pig's head. While one might think that a fatty remoulade sauce might not pair well with a fried item such as the roulade, the acidity and saltiness of the remoulade's ingredients worked well to cut the richness of the pork. While this was a well-balanced and tasty dish, some people might have some reservations with the fairly big pieces of completely tender pork fat that seemed to occupy portions of this croquette.

The third course of the evening came from Chef Brian Doyle of World's Fare Culinary Services and was served with a Anne Aimee, Muller Thurgau, Willamette Valley Oregon:


He playfully called this a Menage a Trois de Canard, or in layman's terms, a trio of duck/goose. On the plate were three tastes involving duck and/or goose in some fashion. At the bottom left were red corn kernels from Covered Bridge that had been popped in duck fat and tossed with truffled salt. At the top of the plate was a small tossed salad that had been studded with small duck skin cracklins. And to the bottom right was a duck rillette croquette that had been flavored with cinnamon and allspice and perched atop fresh pomegranate seeds. Each taste was unique and different and yet the duck tied them all together quite nicely. After the octopus salad from our first course, this was probably my second favorite course.

As was the case with the last dinner, we were now presented with an intermezzo to help cleanse our palates and prepare us for the remaining three courses. Chef Adam Bostwick from Melange presented us with this surprising treat:


This was a grapefruit and fresh thyme gum drop. It sounded a little unusual to us when the chef was describing it and unusual it was! By far, this was the most flavorful single bite of food I ate tonight. The tartness from the grapefruit combined with the earthiness of the fresh thyme were a complete surprise to all of us at the table and the common sentiment was that we could easily scarf down another plate of these marvelous gelatin-based candies. While one would normally expect something like sorbet as an intermezzo, these performed their magic perfectly, too.

Our tasty mid-meal treat complete, we continued on our journey with Chef Derek Clayton from Lola Bistro and a Monmouseau, Sparkling Brute Rose, Loire, France:


Chef Clayton presented us with a trio of heavily seared scallops in a dashi broth with scallion, daikon, carrot threads and fresh shiso which had been dressed in a yuzu vinaigrette and sat atop a combination of matsutake and shiitake mushrooms. Whew! That was a mouthful. And what a mouthful it was, too. Shiso, a Japanese herb related to mint, has such a unique flavor that once you have had it, you will always know when it is in a dish ... kind of like cilantro. The scallops were tender and juicy on the inside and really the only complaint most people had of this dish was that there was simply too much of it. While some at my table only ate one of the three scallops, I greedily scarfed them all down.

Our final savory course of the evening was from Chef Karen Small of Flying Fig and was paired with a Luis Canas Rioja Crianza, Spain:


This was an Ohio-raised goat that had been slow-braised and flavored with both ancho and guajillo chiles, fennel and cumin and served over French lentils and long grained saffron rice. The plate had then been dusted with a bit of paprika for presentation. While the flavors on the plate were well balanced and the seasoning was good, this course didn't really do a lot for me. The goat, which had none of the gaminess that I've experienced in the past with this cut of meat, just didn't grab my taste buds the way that Chef Jarrett's chocolate braised beef short ribs did at the last meal. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't great.

The savory potion of our meal now complete, Chef Adam Bostwick again appeared and delivered our final course, dessert:


Chef Bostwick presented us with a jalapeño corn bread, lone scoop of ice cream made from Ohio corn, bacon brittle and caramel sauce with a single blackberry for garnish. I give the chef much in the way of creativity for blending savory and sweet. The entire dish had a restrained sweetness which I really enjoyed and the tiny bit of heat from the chile in the cornbread was a clever way of integrating an additional layer of flavor.

Accompanying the dessert was our final pairing of the evening, an Old Fashioned made with a bacon-infused bourbon:


With the addition of orange and maple flavors, this was an interesting twist on an old classic and it actually paired well with the dessert that Chef Bostwick had presented to us. Mercifully, Joe DeLuca had given us only a small pour of this tasty beverage, considering we had enjoyed a pre-dinner cocktail and five additional wine pours throughout the evening.

I received a bit of surprised when the check came. The original Dinner In The Dark had been $50 per person and I had thought that this was the price for all of the dinners. I was wrong. Tonight's dinner was $65 per person. While I still think that this was a worthwhile cause to which I didn't mind contributing, it would be helpful if the Facebook page for the Dinner In The Dark group clearly listed the price for the dinner so that it won't be a surprise to diners who plan on attending future dinners.

While there were a few high points during this second dinner, overall I wasn't as impressed as I was with the first one. That being said, these dinners are a chance to try out the talents of Cleveland's best chefs and as each dinner benefits a local organization or fund, I definitely see it as a way to give back to the community on several levels. I am excited about attending the third Dinner In The Dark, again at AMP 150 on Monday, December 13th at 6:30 PM. If you'd like to join the festivities, call the restaurant at 216-706-8726 and make your reservations now.

A Sampling Of The New AMP 150 Summer Menu

About two weeks ago, I received a Facebook message from one of Cleveland's more recent culinary acquisitions, Chef Ellis Cooley at AMP 150. In addition to pairing with many of Cleveland's local farmers, Chef Cooley had the forethought to plant the restaurant's own garden out on the unused land behind the Marriott Hotel on West 150th Street. With the garden now in full production mode, the chef decided it was time to switch up the menu a bit to take full advantage of all these local, seasonal fruits and vegetables.

His message was simple, "Come back in and check us out." The last time I formally ate at AMP 150 was at the Killbuck Valley Farm dinner back in March of this year. Realizing it had been quite some time since I had returned to the restaurant, I put out an open call on Facebook to see if anyone wanted to join me for dinner. Fortunately, fellow foodie and mayor of AMP 150 on Foursquare, Justin, was available to join me as we worked our way through the new menu.

While I have posted the menu before, that was the old (or original) menu. Here was the menu we worked off of tonight:




While Justin had actually sampled some of the new dishes off the menu, I was working with a clean slate. We both decided that the six course tasting menu would be a perfect way to let the kitchen send out the highlights of the new menu. Justin simply told our server what he hadn't tried yet and Chef Cooley tailored an individualized meal for each of us. What turned out to be a rather slow Monday evening morphed into a 30 minute wait to get a table by the end. While this didn't allow Chef Cooley to get out of the kitchen much to interact with us, it was great to see them so busy on what typically is a slow night.

First up was an amuse bouche of gazpacho:


While technically more of a taste than an amuse bouche (since it was more than one bite), this chilled tomato soup had come out with olive oil bread crumbs and shrimp escabeche. Essentially the shrimp had been poached slowly in the olive oil and then was presented in the oil itself. I drizzled the small shrimp and some of the oil on top of my soup, added some of the bread crumbs and took a bite. In a word? Delicious. The soup had a wonderful sharp acidity to it that was mollified by the smoothness of the olive oil. The shrimp was delicate and sweet. The toasted bread crumbs added a crunchy texture to the creamy smooth soup. There was just enough soup to whet the appetite for the next course.

The second taste for the evening was a permutation of a dish that was on Chef Cooley's original menu:


This was their luscious chicken liver pate spread on top of charred bread and served with elderberry jam and finished with some chives. There was one for both Justin and I. As I took my first bite, what popped into my head was "morning toast," but on a whole other sophisticated level. The chicken liver pate was buttery and not the least bit "liver-y." The jam was sweet, but not overly so. Both Justin and I agreed that we were glad we had been limited to one piece each because I would've gladly consumed a plateful of these.

Thinking we were now about to start our third course, Justin corrected me and said that these first two items were merely tastings and we still had six more courses to go. Apparently the extra tastings are common when you order the four or six course tastings. I had a feeling that I'd better pace myself lest I run out of stomach room too soon.

Common courses now done, individualized plates began appearing for Justin and I. My first course was off the appetizer menu:


These were black mussels with Chinese sausage, lemongrass, plum wine, coconut milk, ginger and cilantro. The Chinese sausage was actually made in house with pork, spices, and Mirin, a sweetened rice wine. I tasted the sausage by itself and it did have a very subtle sweetness. The mussels were tender and perfectly cooked and the only thing I wish I had available to me after finishing up the sausage and mussels was some nice fresh bread to soak up the glorious elixir that sat at the bottom of the bowl.

My second course was from the salad section of the menu:


This was the crispy calamari salad with frisee lettuce, speck, Piquillo peppers, and lemon juice. The calamari were nicely breaded and fried and I loved the contrast of the warm squid against the cool frisee salad underneath. The salad had definitely been dressed with lemon juice as the frisee by itself had almost too much of an acidic flavor. But when combined with some of the ham and the calamari, the extra fat helped to cut through some of the lemon juice flavor. That being said, if you don't like sour tastes, this might not be the right salad for you.

While I didn't taste Justin's second course tonight, I figured I would include it anyway because I have had the opportunity to taste it before:


This was the wonderful beet terrine that debuted at the Top Chef charity event I attended just a few short weeks ago. It consisted of many layers of roasted beets and Lake Erie Creamery goat cheese with various citrus flavors thrown in for effect. It has a dried beet paper inserted into the top and the greens was dressed with a simple beet vinaigrette. As already mentioned, I didn't try this tonight, but if the look on Justin's face meant anything, I knew that this was as good as the version I had tried at the charity event. I highly recommend you try this salad.

My third course was the playful Franks and Beans:


A play on hot dogs and baked beans, AMP 150's version consisted of house made smoked Kielbasa, Sea Island red peas, vine ripe tomatoes, and topped with some freshly fried thinly cut onions. The Kielbasa had a slight fennel undercurrent on my palate and as I ate it, I noticed an occasional fennel seed or two. The beans were lovely and soft and had the same kind of molasses / tomato / mustard base that you would expect in a more traditional preparation of this dish. The fried onions added a nice bit of textural contrast and just a bit of sweetness as well.

Justin's third course was the goat cheese stuffed zucchini and squash blossoms that were batter coated and then deep fried:


These were served with a green tomato jam that was made simply from green tomatoes, simple syrup, lemon and mint and boiled down until it got to the right consistency. In exchange for some of my Franks and Beans, Justin graciously let me have one of his blossoms and some of the green tomato jam. I have a hard time describing this dish other than to say, heavenly. The coating on the blossom was crispy and not greasy. The goat cheese filling, while rich, was cut beautifully with the slightly sweet jam. This simple dish truly showed the mastery that Chef Cooley has in his flavors and their execution. Crispy, creamy, rich, sweet ... just amazingly good. While this dish wasn't listed on the menu, when you go, ask to see if they have it on the menu. It's worth it.

Our fourth courses consisted of a pasta dish and a dish with some pasta in it. First was the Rigatoncini:


And second was the rabbit cacciatore:


Justin and I decided to just split these 50/50. The Rigatoncini consisted of rigatoni pasta that had been paired with eggplant confit, roasted peppers, toasted pine nuts and fresh arugula. The rabbit cacciatore contained peppers and zucchini from AMP 150's garden and fresh made pasta squares. The Rigatoncini has a wonderfully sweet flavor and the toasted pine nuts added some fat as well as crunch to the dish. The rigatoni pasta was cooked nicely, too, having just a bit of resistance when I chewed it without it being undercooked. The rabbit cacciatore was another tasty dish where the rabbit had been clearly braised low and slow. The meat was tender and at the same time hadn't turned mushy. The pasta squares were a excellent compliment to the rest of the dish. Already complex enough, had these been ravioli, I think it would've interfered with the cacciatore.

At this point, I was beginning to hit my first wall of the evening. Having just eaten two tastes and four courses, I was pretty darn full. It was fortunate that a little bit of time passed before the next course came out of the kitchen. I don't know if Chef Cooley planned that or it was just serendipitous, but it was much appreciated.

My fifth course was the marinated flank steak:


It was cooked a perfectly medium rare and served with an heirloom tomato salad and a drizzle of Saba. Clearly I must've made room in my stomach or an extra compartment opened up someplace, because I was able to finish the entire plate of food. The heirloom salad was dressed simply and I loved how the acidity from the tomatoes help to cut the fattiness from the meat. The Saba added a delicate sweetness to the dish that was unusual but tasty. Known in the Italian world primarily as a sweetener, the Saba added a bit of sweet to pair with the savory and salted meat.

Having reached our sixth and final course, I looked at my cellphone to discover that our culinary odyssey tonight had so far taken nearly three hours! Then again, with two tastes and five courses under our belts, I guess I shouldn't have been so surprised. For our final course, Chef Cooley decided to leave us with a sweet taste in our mouths. Here was what I was offered:


This was a layered dessert consisting of milk chocolate panna cotta, salted caramel and was topped with a malted milk ice cream and crushed hazelnuts. The trick to eating this dish was to insert your spoon vertically all the way to the bottom of the dish so that you could get just a little bite of each layer. While I am not a huge dessert person (though I like them from time to time), I have to say that this was both rich and refreshing all at the same time. I kept telling myself that I should stop eating, but in some weird way, I felt compelled to keep eating bite after luscious bite. I did eventually manage to convince myself to finally put down my spoon, but it wasn't before I had eaten nearly 2/3 of the dessert.

While I didn't get to pick my specific dessert tonight, I thought I would include a photograph of the new dessert menu as well (just for completeness):


My server informed me that the restaurant hadn't had time to reprint the menus yet and that the macadamia nut cake was no longer available. Had I been able to pick my dessert, I might have still gone with the milk chocolate panna cotta, but The Elvis and Milky ... Cereal ... Baby both sounded pretty darn good, too.

Our meal finally completed, Justin and I each received our checks (he had iced tea with his meal, I simply had water). Our multi-course extravaganza had come to $45 each. With tip and tax, my bill came to $60. While that might be a bit on the expensive side for some, a four course tasting menu is also available for $30. And with the addition of the extra "tastes" that the kitchen seems to like throwing into your experience, the smaller tasting menu might be up your alley in more ways than just financial.

If you have yet to try out AMP 150, I am here to encourage you to give them a try as soon as you can. Chef Cooley and his kitchen brigade are doing some marvelously tasty and creative cuisine while at the same time using local, sustainable farms and farming practices. This is exactly the kind of restaurant I want to spend my dining dollars and I encourage you to do the same.

Extra Helpings: Whose Cuisine Will Reign Supreme?

[Ed. note: I apologize for the gratuitous use of "link love" in the first part of this post. Having been given such a unique and cool opportunity, I wanted to make sure I promoted the event, chefs, and their restaurants as thoroughly as I could.]

As a James Bond fan, I should already know to never say never (again).

This year marks the second annual Top Chef fundraiser event at St. John Medical Center to help raise money for community outreach and wellness ministry programs. Initiated last year and won by Brandt Evans, Chef at Blue Canyon Kitchen in Twinsburg, this year they had four new well-established and major Cleveland chefs in the mix and Chef Evans had returned in the capacity of event judge. So, let's do the math: four major Cleveland chefs competing, great food, Ted Allen hosting/judging, and all for charity. Hmmm, what could possibly be wrong with this picture? The problem was the cost. At $150 per ticket, this was just something that was out of my price range right now.

When Amelia Sawyer, blogger from Chef's Widow and wife of one of tonight's competing chefs, offered two tickets to a randomly selected comment on her blog, I quickly entered by tweeting about the event and then pasting the contents of my tweet into a comment in the hopes I might win. From my Twitter account:

"Win 2 Tickets to the Top Chef benefit at St. John’s this Friday night! ($300 value yo) http://tinyurl.com/288mlov/ Please RT
3:32 PM Jun 23rd via web"

I didn't have much hope because Amelia's blog is well read and before you knew it, there were 45 other comments stating more or less the same thing in a valiant attempt to be the one randomly chosen comment. So, when I checked in on June 25th to see who won the tickets, I was completely unsurprised to discover that someone else, "YOD," had been selected. What I didn't realize was that YOD only had until noon on June 25th to contact Amelia and claim the tickets.

In an ironic twist, I was instant messaging a fellow friend on that very topic earlier in the morning:

"Well, I can tell you where I won't be at tonight ... that Top Chef event. At $150 per seat, it's just a little bit too rich for my blood right now."

Little did I know what was about to land in my lap. At about 12:30 pm, I heard the email notification go off: Ding Dong. I checked my Gmail account and there was a message from "Chef's Widow." Now I know that Chef's Widow is Amelia, but it didn't even dawn on me until I read the title of the email (Winner, winner, chicken dinner!) and opened it up to find that YOD had not only defaulted on the tickets by not claiming them, but a second random comment selection had been made and I was the replacement winner! I quickly emailed Amelia back and said as emphatically as I could without coming across all creepy stalkerish, "YES, PLEASE!"

Fortunately, the only plans I had made for the evening were to meet up with my foodie friend, Edsel, for a post work cocktail at the Velvet Tango Room. Having literally just confirmed that I would be meeting up with him for drinks later in the day, I quickly shot him another message telling him of my good fortune and asking if he would like to be the recipient of the other ticket. His schedule post-VTR was also clear and he quickly accepted my offer. We met up for a single drink, collected our cameras and phones, and headed off to Westlake to kick off the evening's festivities.

Before getting into the crazy details of the competition and the food, I wanted to take a minute and give the competing chefs a little bit of press. First up was Jonathan Bennett, Executive Chef of Moxie Restaurant and Red, the Steakhouse in Beachwood:


I've written about my experience at Moxie before when I attended one of their family style dinners. I have to say, it was probably some of the juiciest, tastiest fried chicken I think I have ever had. While I haven't had anything off their regular menu, I am really looking forward to returning for another meal soon.

Next up was Chef Ellis Cooley, Executive Chef of AMP 150 in the Marriott Hotel near the Cleveland Hopkins International Airport:


I have blogged twice now about my experiences at AMP 150 and even though Chef Cooley is a recent addition to the Cleveland culinary scene, I am really excited about his philosophy on local food and even more excited about his world-fusion approach to cuisine. In fact, in an odd twist of fate, I had already made dinner reservations for next week to showcase his talents to a friend of mine who will be coming into town.

Third on tonight's roster was Chef Regan Reik, Executive Chef of Pier W located off of Lake Avenue in Lakewood:


Of the four competing chefs tonight, Chef Reik's restaurant was the only one I have yet to visit. However, I have heard many positive comments on his food from my fellow Cleveland foodies and I was looking forward to seeing what he brought to the table.

The final contender tonight was Chef Jonathan Sawyer, Owner and Chef of the Greenhouse Tavern on E. 4th Street in downtown Cleveland:


I am a huge fan of Chef Sawyer's food (and I'm not just saying that because I won tickets to this event from his wife, Amelia) and have written about some of my several visits here on the blog. I have had a number of fantastic meals at his restaurant and continue to recommend it to people who are looking for something tasty and unique. His Ohio beef burger is one of my top burgers in all of northeast Ohio, easily tieing the many burger creations of Michael Symon's B Spot restaurant.

Alright, enough setup. Let's get down to business!

After securing our wrist bands, Edsel and I entered the massive tent that had been set up on the campus of St. John Medical Center for tonight's event. While we had arrived at precisely 6:31 PM, there were already quite a few people in the tent area. In addition to the four chef stations at the four corners of the tent, there were also two bars, a dais where the judges would sit, and a centrally located appetizer station. Which, ironically enough, already had quite a long line. After taking a few cursory photographs, Edsel and I decided to get in line to check out the appetizers. As we got close to the station, Ted Allen made his inaugural appearance for tonight's event and welcomed everyone:


Of the three judges, I will have to admit that Ted's banter was among the most balanced. I don't believe he was scripted, but I'm sure having done a number of these events every year gave him a certain amount of practice at what the crowds do and don't want to hear. The other two judges were more off the cuff and as such, seemed less "polished." Although I will be the first to admit that Chef Evans more than once laid a humorous zinger on the audience which brought fits of laughter.

It took us a good twenty minutes to finally reach the appetizer table:



Sadly, by the time we reached this table, many of the bowls of food were empty or close to being empty. Fortunately, that didn't stop me from putting together a decent plate of food:


The food at the appetizer buffet was being presented in part by the Blackbird Baking Company and Seballos Pastries. Besides the delicious bread (and it was indeed good), you had fresh figs, real Parmesan cheese, a sun-dried tomato tapenade, a crab salad and a cucumber topped with an herbed cream cheese (almost like boursin cheese), a slice of smoked salmon and topped off with a dill sprig. Everything was tasty, although I kind of wished the crab "martini" had incorporated a little bit of a horseradish kick to it. It was kind of like a Bloody Mary crossed with a crab salad and would've definitely benefited from a little zing to the flavor.

The way tonight's evening worked was that from 7 - 8 PM, the four competing chefs would be serving their appetizers and from 8:15 - 9 PM, the entrées would be available for pickup. To give you some idea of what it takes to serve this many people, I took a shot of the staging area at Chef Cooley's portion of the tent:


There were two of these tables literally lined with plate after plate, row after row of his dishes, ready for the finishing touches of micro-salad, sauce, and beet paper. Each chef had a cadre of kitchen staff to help with the plating, then transfer to the front table, and finally handing out finished plates to the guests.

The first appetizer I tried was Chef Cooley's:


This was a terrine of roasted beets and Lake Erie Creamery goat cheese with a beet gastrique and beet paper. I commented to Edsel upon first looking at it that it looked like a raw Wagyu beef steak as the layers of roasted beets and goat cheese had created an almost marbling effect. Dressed with micro-greens from KJ Greens, this was an incredibly delicious appetizer. With hints of citrus, the flavors were amazingly balanced and subtle. Had I not known I was eating beets, I never would've known. The goat cheese also had an incredibly mild flavor and while it added a definite richness to the flavor, this was a perfect summer dish. Wow, the bar had already been set high.

Next up was Chef Bennett's appetizer:


Here you had a spiced poached shrimp perched atop a coarse gazpacho with whipped cilantro foam. Sadly, by the time I got to this dish, the foam had subsided, but the presence of micro-cilantro garnishing the top added the nice zippy flavor that the foam would've provided. With the addition of lime juice and Fresno chili, this dish had a nice spicy bite to it without being too potent. The shrimp was large and sweet, but the gazpacho was much less soup and much more dressed vegetables. I suppose Chef Bennett was playing a little fast and loose with what is traditionally considered gazpacho.

The third appetizer was from Chef Reik:


Here was a forest mushroom terrine with sorrel ice cream, sorrel coulis and aged balsamic dressing. Made using both morel and portobello mushrooms, this duxelle-like mixture had been wrapped in blanched leeks before being pressed into the terrine. The sorrel ice cream was the presence of tonight's only real "molecular gastronomy" component as they had formed these tiny little balls with the help of liquid nitrogen. It should be noted that this dish was about as close as it came to being the only vegetarian dish, were it not for the veal stock in which the duxelle had been cooked. The only problem that I had was that the leek wrapper was a bit hard to cut through, even with my (plastic) knife, so it kind of fell apart as I tried to portion it into bite-sized pieces. I do have to give the chef credit for the sorrel ice cream, however. It was quite piquant, but delicious.

The final appetizer of the evening was Chef Sawyer's:


Here was the foie gras steamed clams with butter, red onion brulee, late harvest viognier vinegar and grilled bread. I've actually had this dish at his restaurant and can tell you, it was delicious then and it was certainly delicious tonight. The thought of steaming and holding so many clams was an amazing feat all by itself. The clams were tender, the broth was rich without being fatty and the grilled bread added a wonderful crunch and bitterness that balanced out the other flavors so well. I just wish I had gotten more bread to soak up the wonderful sauce.

Having finished our appetizers before time had run out, I decided to venture up to the bar to grab some drinks for Edsel and I. Here was a shot of the complimentary drink menu tonight:


Another sign revealed who was staffing the two bar areas:


I had heard of Loco Leprechaun before, but have yet to have a chance to actually visit the establishment. Irish and Mexican sounds like an, umm, interesting mix of cuisines.

At the end of the appetizer hour, each chef presented the judges with an expertly plated version of their dish and the judges bantered back and forth about each dish's merits. Once the four dishes were presented and tasted, service quickly shifted over to serving the entrées.

Here was Chef Cooley's entrée:


This was a sirloin beef roulade containing braised short ribs and corned beef and was served with a lobster carrot puree and arugula salad with Parmigiano cheese. Having cooked the carrots down in lobster stock, the sauce had a pronounced seafood flavor, almost as if the chef had added fish sauce. To continue with the Asian theme, there was also a generous dose of ginger flavor as well. Studded with small bits of cooked lobster, I have to be honest when I say that I wasn't crazy about the sauce by itself. However, when paired with the roulade, this was an incredibly balanced and delicious bite of food. The roulade, which to my eyes resembled a braciole, was tender and flavorful. Chef Cooley joked around with the judges that he was thinking of adding this to his menu and calling it an Irish Sirloin.

The second entree of the evening was Chef Bennett's:


This was 18-hour Ohio pulled pork, JB's grits, and spicy peach slaw. The pork shoulder, which had been first cooked sous vide, had been infused with a slightly peppery spice rub. While there was sadly no bark on which to nibble, the presence of pork cracklings garnishing the top of the plate was a welcome touch. The grits, which had been cut with the presence of fresh corn, weren't quite as creamy as what Edsel has had in the past at Moxie, but they were plenty sweet and savory all at the same time. The peach slaw had also been dressed with Thai basil, which added a wonderful herbaceous bite to the dish. When I finally managed to snag a bit of the pork, grits, peach slaw, and cracklings all on my fork at the same time, I took a bite and was rewarded with probably the most well-balanced dish of the entire evening. Sweet, spicy, salty, crunchy and creamy were all represented.

The third entrée of the evening was from Chef Reik:


This was Copper River salmon wrapped in housemade pancetta topped with warm Ohio strawberry jam and served with a mustard green pierogi. While I heard many exclaim that the salmon was cooked perfectly, it was closer to medium well and I normally prefer mine more medium rare. That being said, obviously the chef was in no position to cook each piece of fish to order. The fish was wonderfully rich and the layer of pancetta added a bright saltiness to each dish. The surprising item on this plate to me was the strawberry jam. While it didn't add a prominent strawberry flavor, the sweetness added a nice foil to the saltiness from the pancetta. The mustard green pierogi, incorrectly identified by Ted Allen as a wonton during the subsequent judging portion, was tender and the filling had a nice earthy texture and flavor.

The final entrée of the evening was presented by Chef Sawyer:


Here you have an Ohio lamb crepinette with heirloom vegetable ratatouille. Essentially cooked bone in, the lamb was shredded and wrapped up in the skin and then roasted. While neither Edsel nor I got any of the skin, apparently those who tasted it said that it was crispy and delicious, much like the bark would be from pulled pork. And in fact, to continue the comparison to pulled pork, the lamb was so tender and pulled apart so easily, that I can totally understand making the textural comparison of the lamb to pulled pork as well. The vegetable ratatouille was briny and tart, most likely due to the Moroccan spice blend chermoula as well as additional lemon and caper flavors.

By this point, I can definitely tell you gentle reader, I was STUFFED. With pre-event appetizers, four competition appetizers and four competition entrées, I was ready for a nice nap. However, the event organizers had one more trick up their sleeves. They had brought in Tremont's A Cookie And A Cupcake to supply sweet treats for post-dinner consumption. Here was a shot of the plate that Edsel brought back to the table:


Here you have three sets of mini-cupcakes: strawberry, raspberry with candied lavender, and espresso. Each was tasty and the perfect way to top off this incredible meal.

So, after all that, who won? In addition to the official winner, there was also a People's Choice winner. In each program guide was a ballot that you could tear out and place in one of four designated ballot boxes. The winner of the People's Choice award, as well as a check for $1000, was Chef Jonathon Bennett from Moxie. And after much deliberation and discussion by the official judges, tonight's overall award, along with a check for $2500 and bragging rights, was presented to Chef Regan Reik from Pier W. While I personally wanted to see Chef Cooley walk away with the top prize, I can't fault Chef Reik's imaginative use of ingredients and creation of well-balanced dishes. Congratulations to both chefs!

Thanks again to Amelia for taking what would've been a rather boring, dreary Friday night and turning it into a fabulous evening out with a good friend enjoying some of the finest cuisine that Cleveland has to offer. Hopefully next year I'll be able to afford the tickets on my own without having to rely on the generosity of others.