Gather 'round, gentle readers, for I have an interesting story to tell.
For those too young to remember the board game Clue, the premise was that at the beginning of the game, someone was found murdered. It then became the goal of the rest of the game to figure out who the murderer was, what room it happened in, and what lethal method of dispatching was used on the victim. In fact, it became such a popular game that Hollywood made a movie out of it ... with several endings. It turned out that the movie wasn't as popular at the time as the board game, but I rather enjoyed the comedic aspects of it. But I digress.
I write this entry today as a combination of suspense, just a touch of horror, and of course a teachable moment where we can all learn one of those life lessons about which we've heard so many positive things. Names were originally withheld to protect the guilty, but the guilty felt that the story had more impact with the names intact. Of course, the point of my sordid little tale is not to shame, but to entertain and to warn.
I'd like to say it was a dark and stormy night. But, it wasn't. It was a pleasant and mild sunny day, with a light breeze gently shaking the tops of the trees as small downdrafts of air caressed the slightly sun-bleached red tufts of hair still remaining on my head. I had decided to dress very casually for the afternoon party, a barbecue to which I had been invited some three or four weeks earlier. Having stepped out of the shower, I looked over my clothing selection and opted for a pair of Dockers that had seen better days and a green t-shirt that while months old, had never been worn and was still crisp and new.
Having baked off a batch of focaccia earlier in the day, I grabbed the pan of cooling bread, the smell of thyme and caramelized onions still tickling my nose as I passed my head close to the surface and inhaling deeply. "This," I surmised, "will be a perfect course for the Bread Guy to bring."
Lest you think me nuts so early in the story for referring to myself in the third person, I have developed a sort of following for bringing really tasty breads to my friends' parties. And while not specifically requested to bring something today, I knew that my continued reputation depended on me arriving with something carb-laden and fabulous; I had a sneaking suspicion that this might just fit the bill. Lowering the pan away from my face, I grabbed my keys, wallet and cellphone and headed out the door.
The drive over to the party was short, but lovely. The lowered driver's and passenger's side windows allowed a cross breeze to cool both me and the bread. I arrived at my destination ten minutes before the scheduled beginning of the event and found an appropriate spot to park on the grass next to the stone driveway, protected from the sun under the auspices of a large leafy tree. I grabbed my panned bread and my knife roll* which contained my favorite bread knife, a razor sharp serrated number from my post-college days when I let a friend of mine convince me that her brother was selling these really great knife sets and I would be the best friend ever if I bought a set myself. Of course, the easy payment plan helped convince me, too. While I've replaced every other knife from that original set, the bread knife remains to this day one of my most useful utensils for slicing hard, crusty breads; it is without equal.
I walked around to the rear of the entrance to find the host of the party, Tony, attending to the barbecue portion of today's festivities. I walked up to the patio and slid open the rear door to the house and proceeded to walk through the dining room to the kitchen where I found our hostess, Jane, and a mutual friend, Nancy, who happened to be still celebrating her birthday from the previous week. Jane, being known for her elaborate celebrations, was putting on the finishing touches to Nancy's multi-layer cake, replete with chocolate frosting, coconut shavings, hand placed almonds and six perfectly inserted candles along with a lone sparkler towering high above the other waxy rods.
"It's my favorite," Nancy gleefully exclaimed. "It's like a Mounds candy bar, but in cake form."
I have to admit, it certainly looked good. It also looked big, too. Then again, Jane was feeding a crowd today, so a cake for twenty-five guests wasn't something that stood out as unusual. Within moments, she looked up from her frosting and assembling duties and noticed my stainless steel pan of goodness.
"What have you brought us today, Tom?"
Beaming with accomplishment, I replied. "This," my chest puffing out just a little bit further than normal, "is a caramelized onion and thyme focaccia bread that I baked off this morning."
"I can't wait to try it! Why don't you cut it up and place it out on the table on the patio with the rest of the appetizers?"
I left Jane to her task at hand and grabbed the pan and my knife roll and headed out the door to the patio, dutifully following her admonition to not let the dog escape. Retrieving my favorite bread knife, I proceeded to cut the half sheet into rectangles, narrow on one end for easy grabbing and long on the other to allow each guest several bites of this hopefully tasty treat. After carefully sawing my way through the entire loaf, I returned to the kitchen and washed off my knife before sheathing it in its protective cover, returning it to the knife roll and finally returning the entire set back to my car, its mission now accomplished.
As guests began arriving, introductions were made, additional dishes were placed on the appetizer table on the patio and everyone began the pre-dinner noshing. While I certainly didn't try and fish for any compliments on the bread, I received quite a few and I cheered just a little bit using my inside voice for every one I garnered. Within just a short period of time, the entire tray was empty and I happily took it inside to clean it up before returning it, too, to my car, and started looking forward to having dinner.
Shortly after, the barbecued meats were declared "done" and the rest of the dinner spread was placed along a series of tables at the back of the yard. Famished from my lack of breakfast and my self-control during the appetizer portion of today's event, I got in line at the back of the queue and hungrily waited my turn to fill up my plate. Dinner, as was expected, was completely delicious and besides a pork sandwich that had been gussied up with a little coleslaw on top to give it a more North Carolinian feel to it, I had my fill of corn on the cob, a delicious pesto pasta salad and an unusually mild sausage and sauerkraut casserole. The dinner portion went off without a hitch and was curiously quiet, although I suspect that was more a compliment to the cooks this evening than the lack of camaraderie.
Where things begin to turn interesting was when dinner had more or less come to a close and Jane, who happened to be sitting next to me on the patio, turned to me and said, "Well, I guess it's time for the birthday cake." Remembering how large the cake looked when I saw it on my arrival, I asked her if she would like some help. She considered for only a moment before she replied, "Yes, I think that would be a good idea."
I followed her through the patio door once more, again making sure that the dog remained inside. Once in the kitchen, I picked up the cardboard cake round upon which the large two-tiered cake rested. I'm glad I had offered to help; this thing must've weighed five or six pounds. Jane, anticipating the cake cutting ceremony about to ensue, grabbed a large chefs knife and a pack of matches for the candles. As we walked to the patio door, Jane said to me, "Okay, when we get to the door, I'll slide it open and then keep the dog distracted. You walk through the door and I'll follow behind." Sounded reasonable enough to me.
As we got to the door, she slid the door open, but as I stepped from the inside to the out, I heard her shriek, "Oh my God! Are you okay?"
I turned around to see Jane standing on the inside of the door, chefs knife pointing away from her body and towards me, a look of terror on her face.
"I almost stabbed you!" she continued. Funny, I hadn't felt anything. I figured that she might just be playing toward the overly dramatic. Honestly, I hadn't felt anything before and I still didn't feel anything now.
I somewhat nervously laughed and said, "No, no, I'm fine." And then a moment later, I added, "Besides, if you had stabbed me, don't think I'd be making any more bread for you in the future." As she followed me through the patio door, I quickly mentioned, "Why don't you go ahead and walk in front of me to the table?"
Her fears now somewhat allayed, we continued with the birthday ritual for Nancy, first attempting to light the candles in the slight breeze, followed by the incantation of "Happy Birthday" and finally the cutting of the cake and opening of gifts. In all, other than the slight hysterics after my alleged stabbing, it was a really great party. As the evening wore on, I gathered myself, said my good-byes and made my way home.
When I got home, I decided to change clothes for bed. I pulled on a pair of shorts and considered using the green t-shirt I had worn during the day for my weekly sleeping shirt, the one I wear for the week and then wash on the weekends. As I pulled the shirt off the curtain rod on which I had placed it while getting undressed, I noticed several spots on the back of the shirt where light was now shining through. Even more strangely, the small holes lined up in a straight line.
"No! It couldn't be," I thought to myself.
I put the t-shirt back on only to come to the realization that the holes in the brand new shirt were exactly in the same spot where Jane had been standing earlier in the day with the chefs knife as I stepped through that patio door.
I quickly lifted my shirt to check my skin in the same area for any trace of redness or epidermal slicing or puncture wounds. There were none. I realized at that moment that had I been a centimeter closer to Jane, things might have been different. I also realized that had my t-shirt been worn down through numerous wearings and washings, the strained fabric might not have been strong enough to protect my back from the sharp knife. To say the least, the realization I came to at that very moment was quite sobering.
"Holy crap!" I uttered aloud in my bathroom. "Jane Snow almost stabbed me!"
As two people who have been in "the food industry," Jane and I both made a mistake today. She, of course, should have kept the knife at her side with the blade pointing down. If the dog was going to be an issue, we should have had a third person running interference. And I, knowing that she would not purposely have hurt me, should never have volunteered to walk in front of someone with a sharp knife, even if it was properly pointed downward. I realize that the evening could've gone an entirely different way had any of the conditions been slightly different.
I think I need to write the Hanes people and thank them profusely for the strength of their t-shirt fabric. And then buy stock in the company.
I suppose it goes without saying that its always best to avoid being stabbed. That being said, if it had to be anyone, at least it was longstanding Akron food icon, Jane Snow. I wonder if my epitaph would've said as much?
* Gentle reader, remind me someday to tell you what the phrase "knife roll" sounds like to a French Canadian border guard whose grasp of English was somewhat tentative at best and had just asked me if I had any weapons to declare.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
A Spectacular View At Piatto Novo
Based on my recent visit to the 2010 Taste of Akron event, I had already formally visited and reviewed Bistro on Main in Kent, Ohio. The second restaurant on my "to eat" list was unconventional because it was located inside the Cuyahoga Falls-based Sheraton Suites Akron perched atop a magnificent vista overlooking the meandering Cuyahoga River. I speak, of course, of Piatto Novo run by Chef Roger Thomas.
Having eaten here many years ago at their Sunday brunch, I knew that my visit wouldn't be inexpensive, but looking at their menu on-line before I went, I noticed that I could economize certain dishes, such as ordering one of their half-orders of pasta if I wished to try it out. Exactly one week after eating at Bistro on Main, I again decided to show up with no reservation at 5:45 PM on a normally slow night of the week.
The Sheraton Suits Akron was located at 1989 Front Street, Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44221 and can be reached at 330-929-3000. I'm assuming that the phone number was for the main desk, but I'm sure if you ask for the restaurant, they can forward your call. Parking was either in the lot directly outside the Sheraton or on the curb on Front Street.
As I walked into the main entrance, I was greeted with this glass panel at the top of the stairs:
The entrance to the restaurant was behind this plaque and down a flight of stairs. After requesting a table for one, my hostess sat me by the window overlooking the river. The gentle sound of water running downstream could still be heard in the dining room. If you can get a seat by the window, I highly recommend it.
She left me to look at the printed menu:
The only real complaint I had about the appetizer portion of the menu was that it seemed that all of the appetizers were around $10 and above. Only the Piatto Salad at $4 seemed to buck this trend. While I don't mind spending $10 for an appetizer, tonight I was also interested in trying a half-order of pasta and a full entrée, so a full appetizer would definitely have made it too much.
While I pondered my choices, my server brought me out a basket of bread:
And a dish of softened butter:
The bread was fresh, but a tad uninspired. There was three slices of focaccia and three slices of a seedless Italian loaf, both of which had a decent crust and crumb, but didn't offer very much in the flavor department. At least the butter was soft and easily spreadable.
Deciding to start with something simple to whet my appetite, I ordered the Piatto Salad with orange basil vinaigrette:
This was essentially a plate of greens that had been dressed with the vinaigrette. Nothing more, nothing less. The salad came dressed and while it was enough to coat the leaves, it didn't leave a puddle of dressing at the bottom of the plate. The citrusy bite from the orange was notable in the dressing, but I missed the herbaceousness that the basil should have brought. Perhaps this was because the vinaigrette had been made with dried basil instead of fresh. Either way it just wasn't there. If you are the type that likes light vinaigrettes, then this dressing would be up your alley, gentle reader. I realize that this particular salad is 1/2 to 1/3 the price of the other salads and appetizers, but it just felt like there should be something else on the plate to dress up the dish.
For my half-portion "appetizer," I decided to go with the homemade linguine alla bolognese:
Presented in this smallish bowl, the linguine had clearly been tossed in the condimento, the bolognese sauce. Comprised of beef, veal, and pork that had been slow simmered in a tomato sauce, the menu indicated that a "touch of cream" had been added. Based on what I saw and tasted, if there was cream in this sauce, it was definitely the minutest of amounts. The sauce didn't feel rich from the addition of cream, but I could definitely tell that the sauce had cooked for some time. It was quite tasty and as a traditional Italian-American meat sauce, it worked quite well. The pasta was cooked properly and had been seasoned by tossing in the sauce before plating.
Unfortunately, there was quite a bit of sauce left over after finishing my pasta:
My guess would be that the kitchen either added too much sauce or was trying to satisfy both traditional Italian and modern American saucing techniques. That being to toss the pasta in the condiment (the sauce) to finish cooking the pasta and have it be absorbed into the pasta as well as adding extra sauce onto the finished plate because Americans love their sauce.
My pasta course finished, I waited for the arrival of my entrée. Having looked over the menu several times, I finally decided on getting the Pork Tenderloin Pepato:
The pork loin was pepper crusted and seared to the correct temperature before being sliced and fanned out over a tomato agrodolce sauce and served with a polenta crespelle filled with spinach and onions. The first item I checked was the doneness of the pork. I had ordered it medium and sure enough,
it definitely came from the kitchen cooked to medium. The next step was to take a taste of the agrodolce sauce. Agrodolce is literally translated from Italian as "Sour-Sweet." It is supposed to hit both taste sensations on the tongue at the same time. While there were aspects of both qualities in the sauce, it seemed to lack much in terms of boldness. Figuring that the seasoning on the pork might tie the two flavors together, I paired a forkful of meat with some of the sauce. Again, the flavor was good and the pork was tender and juicy, but it didn't really grab hold of my taste buds and call out with the flavor explosion I was expecting. Lest you think the culprit was lack of salt, the seasoning was perfect on both the pork and the sauce.
Next, I turned my attention to the polenta crespelle:
Essentially polenta that had been spread into a very thin layer in a heavily buttered pan, it had been allowed to "crisp up" on the bottom side before being filling with sautéed spinach and onions, folded over like an omelet, and the slid onto the plate for service. Interestingly, even with such a thin layer of polenta, the corn flavor really came through on my palate. The spinach and onions were a nice addition, but almost secondary to the primary flavor of the corn.
The only real criticism I have here was the amount of extra melted butter than ended up on my plate. I'm not naive enough to think that moderate to fine dining doesn't involve an inordinate amount of butter to finish off sauces and sear proteins, but the pool of butter that the crespelle rested seemed a little too gratuitous and only served to make the crespelle a bit greasy.
Finally, wanting to try one of the sides as well, I ordered the Brussels sprouts with crispy pancetta:
These were actually quite delicious. The crispy pancetta lardons added capricious bits of saltiness and fat to the Brussels sprouts, which had been deeply caramelized in a pan. While I was never a fan of this cruciferous vegetable growing up, had my mother cooked them this way, I would've been an avid fan long before now.
When asked about dessert, I quickly turned down my server's offer; I was literally stuffed. When the check came, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that my feast had only come to $45 with tax included. While this was just slightly less expensive than my meal at Bistro on Main, I felt that the dishes I had tonight at Piatto Novo, while good, just weren't quite as good as what I had eaten the week prior at Bistro on Main. While I will still certainly recommend Piatto Novo for both the food and view, I was a little surprised that I wasn't more taken by my dining experience. I may have to go back again and check them out for a second time, just to rule out any inconsistencies by the kitchen.
Having eaten here many years ago at their Sunday brunch, I knew that my visit wouldn't be inexpensive, but looking at their menu on-line before I went, I noticed that I could economize certain dishes, such as ordering one of their half-orders of pasta if I wished to try it out. Exactly one week after eating at Bistro on Main, I again decided to show up with no reservation at 5:45 PM on a normally slow night of the week.
The Sheraton Suits Akron was located at 1989 Front Street, Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44221 and can be reached at 330-929-3000. I'm assuming that the phone number was for the main desk, but I'm sure if you ask for the restaurant, they can forward your call. Parking was either in the lot directly outside the Sheraton or on the curb on Front Street.
As I walked into the main entrance, I was greeted with this glass panel at the top of the stairs:
The entrance to the restaurant was behind this plaque and down a flight of stairs. After requesting a table for one, my hostess sat me by the window overlooking the river. The gentle sound of water running downstream could still be heard in the dining room. If you can get a seat by the window, I highly recommend it.
She left me to look at the printed menu:
The only real complaint I had about the appetizer portion of the menu was that it seemed that all of the appetizers were around $10 and above. Only the Piatto Salad at $4 seemed to buck this trend. While I don't mind spending $10 for an appetizer, tonight I was also interested in trying a half-order of pasta and a full entrée, so a full appetizer would definitely have made it too much.
While I pondered my choices, my server brought me out a basket of bread:
And a dish of softened butter:
The bread was fresh, but a tad uninspired. There was three slices of focaccia and three slices of a seedless Italian loaf, both of which had a decent crust and crumb, but didn't offer very much in the flavor department. At least the butter was soft and easily spreadable.
Deciding to start with something simple to whet my appetite, I ordered the Piatto Salad with orange basil vinaigrette:
This was essentially a plate of greens that had been dressed with the vinaigrette. Nothing more, nothing less. The salad came dressed and while it was enough to coat the leaves, it didn't leave a puddle of dressing at the bottom of the plate. The citrusy bite from the orange was notable in the dressing, but I missed the herbaceousness that the basil should have brought. Perhaps this was because the vinaigrette had been made with dried basil instead of fresh. Either way it just wasn't there. If you are the type that likes light vinaigrettes, then this dressing would be up your alley, gentle reader. I realize that this particular salad is 1/2 to 1/3 the price of the other salads and appetizers, but it just felt like there should be something else on the plate to dress up the dish.
For my half-portion "appetizer," I decided to go with the homemade linguine alla bolognese:
Presented in this smallish bowl, the linguine had clearly been tossed in the condimento, the bolognese sauce. Comprised of beef, veal, and pork that had been slow simmered in a tomato sauce, the menu indicated that a "touch of cream" had been added. Based on what I saw and tasted, if there was cream in this sauce, it was definitely the minutest of amounts. The sauce didn't feel rich from the addition of cream, but I could definitely tell that the sauce had cooked for some time. It was quite tasty and as a traditional Italian-American meat sauce, it worked quite well. The pasta was cooked properly and had been seasoned by tossing in the sauce before plating.
Unfortunately, there was quite a bit of sauce left over after finishing my pasta:
My guess would be that the kitchen either added too much sauce or was trying to satisfy both traditional Italian and modern American saucing techniques. That being to toss the pasta in the condiment (the sauce) to finish cooking the pasta and have it be absorbed into the pasta as well as adding extra sauce onto the finished plate because Americans love their sauce.
My pasta course finished, I waited for the arrival of my entrée. Having looked over the menu several times, I finally decided on getting the Pork Tenderloin Pepato:
The pork loin was pepper crusted and seared to the correct temperature before being sliced and fanned out over a tomato agrodolce sauce and served with a polenta crespelle filled with spinach and onions. The first item I checked was the doneness of the pork. I had ordered it medium and sure enough,
it definitely came from the kitchen cooked to medium. The next step was to take a taste of the agrodolce sauce. Agrodolce is literally translated from Italian as "Sour-Sweet." It is supposed to hit both taste sensations on the tongue at the same time. While there were aspects of both qualities in the sauce, it seemed to lack much in terms of boldness. Figuring that the seasoning on the pork might tie the two flavors together, I paired a forkful of meat with some of the sauce. Again, the flavor was good and the pork was tender and juicy, but it didn't really grab hold of my taste buds and call out with the flavor explosion I was expecting. Lest you think the culprit was lack of salt, the seasoning was perfect on both the pork and the sauce.
Next, I turned my attention to the polenta crespelle:
Essentially polenta that had been spread into a very thin layer in a heavily buttered pan, it had been allowed to "crisp up" on the bottom side before being filling with sautéed spinach and onions, folded over like an omelet, and the slid onto the plate for service. Interestingly, even with such a thin layer of polenta, the corn flavor really came through on my palate. The spinach and onions were a nice addition, but almost secondary to the primary flavor of the corn.
The only real criticism I have here was the amount of extra melted butter than ended up on my plate. I'm not naive enough to think that moderate to fine dining doesn't involve an inordinate amount of butter to finish off sauces and sear proteins, but the pool of butter that the crespelle rested seemed a little too gratuitous and only served to make the crespelle a bit greasy.
Finally, wanting to try one of the sides as well, I ordered the Brussels sprouts with crispy pancetta:
These were actually quite delicious. The crispy pancetta lardons added capricious bits of saltiness and fat to the Brussels sprouts, which had been deeply caramelized in a pan. While I was never a fan of this cruciferous vegetable growing up, had my mother cooked them this way, I would've been an avid fan long before now.
When asked about dessert, I quickly turned down my server's offer; I was literally stuffed. When the check came, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that my feast had only come to $45 with tax included. While this was just slightly less expensive than my meal at Bistro on Main, I felt that the dishes I had tonight at Piatto Novo, while good, just weren't quite as good as what I had eaten the week prior at Bistro on Main. While I will still certainly recommend Piatto Novo for both the food and view, I was a little surprised that I wasn't more taken by my dining experience. I may have to go back again and check them out for a second time, just to rule out any inconsistencies by the kitchen.
Monday, September 13, 2010
A Hungarian Sausage At Falls Deli
On a recent trip to get my hair cut, I happened to take a route that led me past a small, out of the way little take-out restaurant. It was eminently easy to miss as it was nestled further back from the road than the surrounding businesses. I quickly made a mental note of the location and when I finished with my cut, I returned to discover what exactly I had driven past. As I pulled into the parking lot of the Strickland's in Cuyahoga Falls, I discovered the small storefront of a relatively new delicatessen, Falls Deli (warning: gratuitous use of music).
Located at 2625 Bailey Road, Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44221, they can be reached at 330-923-3500. Parking was pretty limited out in front of the store, but seeing as the overwhelming majority of their customers are there to pick up an order, this shouldn't present too much of an issue.
Here was a shot of the front of the store:
Once inside the main door, I noticed a small whiteboard with today's special sandwich, the Hungarian sausage sandwich:
I walked up to the front counter and found a laminated menu present, so I took a look at it:
Falls Deli offers the sort of standard variety of sandwiches, soups, salads, and sides with one additional oddity, Hungarian paprikash. While this intrigued me, it wasn't enough for me to order it today. Once I had seen the sign for the Hungarian sausage sandwich, my mind was pretty much made up. When the owner, Mike, came out from the back to greet me and take my order, I asked him about the Hungarian sausage. He told me that while they weren't made in house, they were made to his specification and he had been playing around with the level of spice and garlic in the mix in order to fine tune it for his customers. He had actually started out with a product that was a little too mild and he found his customers wanted bolder flavors.
There were additional side items available, chips of various kinds, but I decided just to go with one sausage sandwich with sauerkraut and a side of yellow mustard. After packing up my order, I was handed this:
Fortunately, there was exactly one small round table by the entrance to Falls Deli and I asked if it would be okay to eat my dinner there. After obtaining the owner's permission, I unwrapped my sandwich and pickle (which was the long slender wrapped item in the above picture) and sat down for a feast. Here was a shot of my sandwich sans mustard:
This was a tasty sandwich. The bun held up nicely to the juicy sausage. While I think it would've been even better in both flavor and texture had the bun been toasted, it wasn't a weak point in the sandwich. The sauerkraut added a nice briny flavor which help to cut through the fattiness of the sausage. The only real problem was that had I put the sandwich together, I would've slathered on the mustard underneath the kraut instead of having to put it on top. This way, it would've made it less messy to eat. The sausage itself was nice, having just a bit of heat and garlic flavor. Having now tasted the sausage for myself, I tend to agree with Mike's assessment that it could be a little bit spicier, but honestly, not a whole lot. The pickle spear was also noteworthy because not only was it tasty, but it had a nice snap to it. So often, pickle spears tend to be kind of limp and just so-so.
I know that my interest is now fully piqued and I intend to go back to Falls Deli if for no other reason than to try the Hungarian paprikash. I suspect that there may be a family recipe involved and if momma or grandmomma are still around, the recipe will more than likely be made correctly. While I don't think Falls Deli is a destination dining kind of spot, if you happen to be in the Cuyahoga Falls or Stow area, I would definitely suggest looking them up. Just make sure you have a place in mind where you plan on eating your meal.
Located at 2625 Bailey Road, Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44221, they can be reached at 330-923-3500. Parking was pretty limited out in front of the store, but seeing as the overwhelming majority of their customers are there to pick up an order, this shouldn't present too much of an issue.
Here was a shot of the front of the store:
Once inside the main door, I noticed a small whiteboard with today's special sandwich, the Hungarian sausage sandwich:
I walked up to the front counter and found a laminated menu present, so I took a look at it:
Falls Deli offers the sort of standard variety of sandwiches, soups, salads, and sides with one additional oddity, Hungarian paprikash. While this intrigued me, it wasn't enough for me to order it today. Once I had seen the sign for the Hungarian sausage sandwich, my mind was pretty much made up. When the owner, Mike, came out from the back to greet me and take my order, I asked him about the Hungarian sausage. He told me that while they weren't made in house, they were made to his specification and he had been playing around with the level of spice and garlic in the mix in order to fine tune it for his customers. He had actually started out with a product that was a little too mild and he found his customers wanted bolder flavors.
There were additional side items available, chips of various kinds, but I decided just to go with one sausage sandwich with sauerkraut and a side of yellow mustard. After packing up my order, I was handed this:
Fortunately, there was exactly one small round table by the entrance to Falls Deli and I asked if it would be okay to eat my dinner there. After obtaining the owner's permission, I unwrapped my sandwich and pickle (which was the long slender wrapped item in the above picture) and sat down for a feast. Here was a shot of my sandwich sans mustard:
This was a tasty sandwich. The bun held up nicely to the juicy sausage. While I think it would've been even better in both flavor and texture had the bun been toasted, it wasn't a weak point in the sandwich. The sauerkraut added a nice briny flavor which help to cut through the fattiness of the sausage. The only real problem was that had I put the sandwich together, I would've slathered on the mustard underneath the kraut instead of having to put it on top. This way, it would've made it less messy to eat. The sausage itself was nice, having just a bit of heat and garlic flavor. Having now tasted the sausage for myself, I tend to agree with Mike's assessment that it could be a little bit spicier, but honestly, not a whole lot. The pickle spear was also noteworthy because not only was it tasty, but it had a nice snap to it. So often, pickle spears tend to be kind of limp and just so-so.
I know that my interest is now fully piqued and I intend to go back to Falls Deli if for no other reason than to try the Hungarian paprikash. I suspect that there may be a family recipe involved and if momma or grandmomma are still around, the recipe will more than likely be made correctly. While I don't think Falls Deli is a destination dining kind of spot, if you happen to be in the Cuyahoga Falls or Stow area, I would definitely suggest looking them up. Just make sure you have a place in mind where you plan on eating your meal.
Friday, September 10, 2010
A Trio Of Trips To Dim And Dem Sum
The last time I wrote about the guys at Dim and Den Sum, Cleveland's newest wave of mobile food trucks, they were just getting started and still trying to establish their menu, weekly locations where they would be serving up their food, and building a loyal following of customers. Part of the trouble that I initially had was that they were either on the opposite side of town during lunchtime or only serving food to the post-bar crowd late at night in Tremont. Neither were good for my schedule.
Fortunately, after Case Western Reserve University (incidentally, my alma mater) turned them down their request to set up on campus, the much more cool cats at the Cleveland Institute of Art saw the unique experience that these guys were trying to provide to the culinary scene in Cleveland and graciously allowed them the use of the parking lot at the Cleveland Cinemateque from 11:30 AM until 2:00 PM every Tuesday (and as it turned out, sometimes other random days as well). And since my daytime job has me a mere five minute drive from this location, I have taken it upon myself to check them out several more times since my first review.
The Cleveland Cinemateque was located at 11141 East Boulevard, Cleveland, OH 44106. While there is a number listed for the Cinemateque, it really has nothing to do directly with the Dim and Den Sum guys, so there isn't much point listing it here. That being said, you can always go to their website here or contact them via their Facebook page here or their Twitter account here to learn about the daily menus or where they will be serving up their delicious eats.
The one lesson I learned early on was that while they usually have one or two classic items from their introductory menu, many days the chefs presented what was fresh, local, and in-season. Showing up for some grub meant that I had to roll with the punches as not every item was offered every time. At the same time, this meant I got to try a variety of their off-the-cuff culinary techniques and flavors, which I greatly appreciated.
Here was the menu the first time I visited the truck:
While "tots" are almost always on the menu, every time I've seen them, there has always been some variation. Today's tots were supplied with a generous portion of Maytag Blue Cheese and a homemade hot sauce:
Just like my first visit, the tots were fried perfectly. While I thought the blue cheese was quite an assertive flavor for the tots, as always these were crispy and delicious, from first bite to last. I think some flavors work better than others with the tots and while this wasn't the best pairing, neither was it the worst.
Along with my tots, I ordered the Dim Burger cooked medium. Here was what I received after just a few more minutes at the pick-up window:
And a shot with the crown removed:
Adorned with smoky pepperjack cheese, lettuce, tomato, and a spicy sauce which was vaguely reminiscent of the sriracha mayonnaise that came on the PBLT, this local beef burger had been cooked perfectly to medium. I know that many of the dishes that the guys serve at the truck are cook-ahead-and-reheat types of foods (like beef shank and hot dogs). It was nice to see them tackling made-to-order food and doing a good job of it as well.
The burger itself was a much better success than the tots were today. The flavors definitely blended together and I had to employ a hunched over stance in order to avoid dripping anything on my work clothes. For an extra $2 I could've added some pulled pork on this sandwich, but I figured that might be gilding the lily just a bit too much. I think the burger was quite good the way it was.
Here was a shot of the chalkboard menu on my second visit:
What struck me about my visit this time was that they had put out a call on their Facebook and Twitter accounts requesting what people would like to see on the tots. Apparently Sarah won today with the Jalapeno Popper tots. Being a sucker for that now ubiquitous (and usually poorly prepared) bar food, I couldn't help but order the tots. When considering my options for a sandwich, I definitely wanted to try something unique and new, and Phil's Meatloaf Melt seemed to fit that bill quite well.
After paying for my meal, I walked over and waited for my food while watching the chef prepare it inside. The one odd thing I noticed that felt out of place was an opened bottle of Sweet Baby Ray's Barbecue sauce sitting on the prep counter. I didn't give it a whole lot of thought (other than the fact that it was odd to see it someplace where they pride themselves on making so much of the food from scratch), until I received my food and took it over to a spot where I could photograph it.
Here was a shot of my tots and my still wrapped sandwich:
Here was a shot of the Jalapeno Popper tots by themselves:
Comprised of tots, sour cream, bacon bits, cheddar cheese, and topped with fresh Jalapeno slices, these were pretty darn tasty. I liked this incarnation of the tots than the ones I had eaten on my previous visit as the tots didn't get lost in the layers of flavor. The Jalapenos, while adding some heat, didn't overpower the rest of the dish. In my mind, these were a definite hit. Sarah definitely knew a good thing when she suggested it.
Next up was Phil's Meatloaf Melt:
And a shot with the top slice of bread removed:
As you can see, the sandwich reveals the Dim and Den Sum guys' love of pulled pork. Here you had a slice of meatloaf which had been warmed back up, pulled pork, grilled onions, a slice of Cheddar cheese, and barbecue sauce. When I saw the barbecue sauce, I put two and two together and realized that had been the purpose of the commercial sauce sitting on the prep counter at the truck. Regardless, I replaced the top slice and gave it a bite. The first item that stood out to me was the bread. A hearty rye bread, it definitely kept its integrity, even after I had taken several bites.
The meatloaf was a touch spongy, which was a texture I didn't care all that much about, but the flavors were quite good. The richness from the pulled pork added another layer of savoriness and the slight tang from the barbecue sauce helped somewhat to cut through the fattiness of the rest of the ingredients. Personally, if they were going to use a commercial sauce, I wish that they had gone for a more vinegary, less sweet version like Stubb's Original BBQ Sauce. I think it would've added a better overall balance of acidity.
For my third and final trip to the truck, I ventured a bit farther from the Cleveland Cinemateque location to a corner in Tremont where The Treehouse was located. Apparently, a Tweet-Up was going on inside The Treehouse and the Dim and Den Sums guys decided that it would be a good location for a Thursday night visit, offering free plain tots to anyone attending. Having gotten off work rather late, I decided to head there and grab a bite for dinner before returning home to Akron.
As with my previous two visits, here was a shot of tonight's menu:
While I've been in the habit of getting the daily tots and a sandwich, tonight the tot offering was simply with the sausage gravy that was being offered on the Redneck Breakfast Taco. I decided to forgo the tots by themselves tonight and instead ordered two of the tacos, of which I had tried only once in any of my visits. While I normally just get a bottle of water, tonight they had run out and the only other non-sugared offering they offered was an unsweetened can of Japanese toasted green tea:
Having never had this served in a can before, I definitely have to comment that it had an interesting taste. While the English on the can didn't say anything about the green tea being smoked, once I tasted the cold liquid inside, I was almost sure that this was what I was drinking.
It always amazes me how fast the guys can turn orders around and literally after just a minute or two of paying, I was presented with my duo (or should I say dos) of tacos:
To the left was the Redneck Breakfast Taco and to the right was the Chicken Confit Taco. First, let's talk about the Redneck Breakfast Taco:
Comprised of pepperjack cheese, homemade sausage gravy, smashed tots, lettuce, and a tomato salsa, this was quirky and delicious. It was certainly an odd combination of items, but they really worked well together. Actually, the thought of sausage gravy, tots, and cheese seemed to have come straight from a casserole recipe from the likes of Paula Dean, but the tomato salsa added a brightness to what would otherwise have been a pretty heavy flavor.
The other taco, a Chicken Confit Taco, took me from Paula Dean's neck of the woods to a more exotic locale:
Besides the chicken confit, this taco contained lettuce, a peanut sauce and a green curried creme fraiche. The chicken was moist and delicious and the combination of the peanut and green curry flavors definitely evoked the distant lands of Thailand. The curry in the creme fraiche wasn't overpowering and just subtly wove its way through the other flavors in the taco. Of the two, I think I enjoyed this one more than the Redneck Breakfast Taco, but in all honesty, I rather enjoyed them both.
I continue to remain impressed with the level of creativity and execution of the food coming out of this mobile kitchen. Clearly they have started to build a cadre of loyal customers as the truck has always had people at it whenever I go. In fact, the guys who run Dim and Dem Sum, Jeremy Esterly and Chris Hodges, are already in the works of adding at least one, if not two, new trucks to help cover Cleveland even better. While the new truck won't be exactly the same menu as the current one, they will still provide unique and tasty mobile food experiences to what I perceive to be an eager Cleveland crowd.
Take the time to track them down. You won't be disappointed.
Fortunately, after Case Western Reserve University (incidentally, my alma mater) turned them down their request to set up on campus, the much more cool cats at the Cleveland Institute of Art saw the unique experience that these guys were trying to provide to the culinary scene in Cleveland and graciously allowed them the use of the parking lot at the Cleveland Cinemateque from 11:30 AM until 2:00 PM every Tuesday (and as it turned out, sometimes other random days as well). And since my daytime job has me a mere five minute drive from this location, I have taken it upon myself to check them out several more times since my first review.
The Cleveland Cinemateque was located at 11141 East Boulevard, Cleveland, OH 44106. While there is a number listed for the Cinemateque, it really has nothing to do directly with the Dim and Den Sum guys, so there isn't much point listing it here. That being said, you can always go to their website here or contact them via their Facebook page here or their Twitter account here to learn about the daily menus or where they will be serving up their delicious eats.
The one lesson I learned early on was that while they usually have one or two classic items from their introductory menu, many days the chefs presented what was fresh, local, and in-season. Showing up for some grub meant that I had to roll with the punches as not every item was offered every time. At the same time, this meant I got to try a variety of their off-the-cuff culinary techniques and flavors, which I greatly appreciated.
Here was the menu the first time I visited the truck:
While "tots" are almost always on the menu, every time I've seen them, there has always been some variation. Today's tots were supplied with a generous portion of Maytag Blue Cheese and a homemade hot sauce:
Just like my first visit, the tots were fried perfectly. While I thought the blue cheese was quite an assertive flavor for the tots, as always these were crispy and delicious, from first bite to last. I think some flavors work better than others with the tots and while this wasn't the best pairing, neither was it the worst.
Along with my tots, I ordered the Dim Burger cooked medium. Here was what I received after just a few more minutes at the pick-up window:
And a shot with the crown removed:
Adorned with smoky pepperjack cheese, lettuce, tomato, and a spicy sauce which was vaguely reminiscent of the sriracha mayonnaise that came on the PBLT, this local beef burger had been cooked perfectly to medium. I know that many of the dishes that the guys serve at the truck are cook-ahead-and-reheat types of foods (like beef shank and hot dogs). It was nice to see them tackling made-to-order food and doing a good job of it as well.
The burger itself was a much better success than the tots were today. The flavors definitely blended together and I had to employ a hunched over stance in order to avoid dripping anything on my work clothes. For an extra $2 I could've added some pulled pork on this sandwich, but I figured that might be gilding the lily just a bit too much. I think the burger was quite good the way it was.
Here was a shot of the chalkboard menu on my second visit:
What struck me about my visit this time was that they had put out a call on their Facebook and Twitter accounts requesting what people would like to see on the tots. Apparently Sarah won today with the Jalapeno Popper tots. Being a sucker for that now ubiquitous (and usually poorly prepared) bar food, I couldn't help but order the tots. When considering my options for a sandwich, I definitely wanted to try something unique and new, and Phil's Meatloaf Melt seemed to fit that bill quite well.
After paying for my meal, I walked over and waited for my food while watching the chef prepare it inside. The one odd thing I noticed that felt out of place was an opened bottle of Sweet Baby Ray's Barbecue sauce sitting on the prep counter. I didn't give it a whole lot of thought (other than the fact that it was odd to see it someplace where they pride themselves on making so much of the food from scratch), until I received my food and took it over to a spot where I could photograph it.
Here was a shot of my tots and my still wrapped sandwich:
Here was a shot of the Jalapeno Popper tots by themselves:
Comprised of tots, sour cream, bacon bits, cheddar cheese, and topped with fresh Jalapeno slices, these were pretty darn tasty. I liked this incarnation of the tots than the ones I had eaten on my previous visit as the tots didn't get lost in the layers of flavor. The Jalapenos, while adding some heat, didn't overpower the rest of the dish. In my mind, these were a definite hit. Sarah definitely knew a good thing when she suggested it.
Next up was Phil's Meatloaf Melt:
And a shot with the top slice of bread removed:
As you can see, the sandwich reveals the Dim and Den Sum guys' love of pulled pork. Here you had a slice of meatloaf which had been warmed back up, pulled pork, grilled onions, a slice of Cheddar cheese, and barbecue sauce. When I saw the barbecue sauce, I put two and two together and realized that had been the purpose of the commercial sauce sitting on the prep counter at the truck. Regardless, I replaced the top slice and gave it a bite. The first item that stood out to me was the bread. A hearty rye bread, it definitely kept its integrity, even after I had taken several bites.
The meatloaf was a touch spongy, which was a texture I didn't care all that much about, but the flavors were quite good. The richness from the pulled pork added another layer of savoriness and the slight tang from the barbecue sauce helped somewhat to cut through the fattiness of the rest of the ingredients. Personally, if they were going to use a commercial sauce, I wish that they had gone for a more vinegary, less sweet version like Stubb's Original BBQ Sauce. I think it would've added a better overall balance of acidity.
For my third and final trip to the truck, I ventured a bit farther from the Cleveland Cinemateque location to a corner in Tremont where The Treehouse was located. Apparently, a Tweet-Up was going on inside The Treehouse and the Dim and Den Sums guys decided that it would be a good location for a Thursday night visit, offering free plain tots to anyone attending. Having gotten off work rather late, I decided to head there and grab a bite for dinner before returning home to Akron.
As with my previous two visits, here was a shot of tonight's menu:
While I've been in the habit of getting the daily tots and a sandwich, tonight the tot offering was simply with the sausage gravy that was being offered on the Redneck Breakfast Taco. I decided to forgo the tots by themselves tonight and instead ordered two of the tacos, of which I had tried only once in any of my visits. While I normally just get a bottle of water, tonight they had run out and the only other non-sugared offering they offered was an unsweetened can of Japanese toasted green tea:
Having never had this served in a can before, I definitely have to comment that it had an interesting taste. While the English on the can didn't say anything about the green tea being smoked, once I tasted the cold liquid inside, I was almost sure that this was what I was drinking.
It always amazes me how fast the guys can turn orders around and literally after just a minute or two of paying, I was presented with my duo (or should I say dos) of tacos:
To the left was the Redneck Breakfast Taco and to the right was the Chicken Confit Taco. First, let's talk about the Redneck Breakfast Taco:
Comprised of pepperjack cheese, homemade sausage gravy, smashed tots, lettuce, and a tomato salsa, this was quirky and delicious. It was certainly an odd combination of items, but they really worked well together. Actually, the thought of sausage gravy, tots, and cheese seemed to have come straight from a casserole recipe from the likes of Paula Dean, but the tomato salsa added a brightness to what would otherwise have been a pretty heavy flavor.
The other taco, a Chicken Confit Taco, took me from Paula Dean's neck of the woods to a more exotic locale:
Besides the chicken confit, this taco contained lettuce, a peanut sauce and a green curried creme fraiche. The chicken was moist and delicious and the combination of the peanut and green curry flavors definitely evoked the distant lands of Thailand. The curry in the creme fraiche wasn't overpowering and just subtly wove its way through the other flavors in the taco. Of the two, I think I enjoyed this one more than the Redneck Breakfast Taco, but in all honesty, I rather enjoyed them both.
I continue to remain impressed with the level of creativity and execution of the food coming out of this mobile kitchen. Clearly they have started to build a cadre of loyal customers as the truck has always had people at it whenever I go. In fact, the guys who run Dim and Dem Sum, Jeremy Esterly and Chris Hodges, are already in the works of adding at least one, if not two, new trucks to help cover Cleveland even better. While the new truck won't be exactly the same menu as the current one, they will still provide unique and tasty mobile food experiences to what I perceive to be an eager Cleveland crowd.
Take the time to track them down. You won't be disappointed.
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