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.

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!

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!