April 21st, 2010 | permalink

Win two tickets to Thirsty Dog Craft Beer Dinner at The House of Blues

Have you ever wanted to get the Rock Star treatment? Here is your chance. I have been given a couple of tickets to give away for the Thirsty Dog Brewing Co. Craft Beer Dinner at the House of Blues Cleveland on Tuesday, April 27th. Thirsty Dog is one of North East Ohio’s premiere breweries hailing from Akron, OH. The concept is unique, experience the House of Blues as if you were the artist. This is the first in their Craft Beer Dinner Series. Meet and greet at 5pm and dinner on stage starts at 6pm. The Price is $75 per person, but I am giving you the chance to win 2 tickets free of charge simply by commenting on this post.

Here is the lineup and menu…

A Special Cask Conditioned Meet & Greet Backstage Accompained by House Made Bavarian Pretzels & Mustard Seed Aioli

“Chicken & Waffles” – Confit Organic Bell & Evans Chicken Thighs, Roasted Corn Waffles and Cabbage Slaw, Truffled Honey Drizzle paired with Whippet Wheat

Coriander Crusted Diver Scallops, Micro Cilantro Nage Braised Baby Potatoes, and Root Vegetables paired with Hoppus Maximus

“3 Little Pigs” – Porter Brined and Double Roasted Pork Shoulder, Hickory Smoked Port Belly and Crispy Pancetta, Sauteed Dill Dumplings, Brussel Sprouts, and Spring Onions paired with Old Leghumper

Siberian Night Imperial Stout & Milk Chocolate Gelato, Pan Toasted Poundcake, Thirsty Dog “Raspberrys” paired with Siberian Night

Download the full House of Blues Thirsty Dog Beer Dinner Menu

All that you need to do to enter the contest is comment on this post. You must be 21 or over to win. In your comment, please include your name and email so that you may be notified. All entries are due by 11:59 pm Sunday, April 25th. A winner will be randomly selected by Random.org on Monday, April 26th.

Good luck to all! I hope to see you all at this unique dinner concept.

February 22nd, 2010 | permalink

Bruell Burger Tour

Working with Chefs, Restaurateurs and others in the food industry at Epstein Design Partners has it’s advantages. When one of our clients call upon us to help out with a rush job, we are happy to oblige. In this case, Zack Bruell needed to get some shots of his burger at his four local restaurants: Chinato, L’Albatros, Parallax and Table 45. It was our duty to get the shot (and also taste) these burgers. It was four days of burger heaven, Monday – Thursday were scheduled with a burger lunch.

The Chinato Burger

Tasty burger with watercress, mozzarella, red sauce and a cured meat (not sure what variety, will have to find out) on the underside of the bun. Has a meatball sandwich flavor about it. Served with Parmesan/rosemary pommes frites.

The L’Albatros Burger

Beautiful burger with melted cheese and béarnaise sauce. Served with seasoned pommes frites.

The Parallax Burger

Burger with lettuce, tomato, onion, bacon, melted cheese and a “galley sauce”. Served with shoestring fries.

The Table 45 Burger

An All-American type of burger with bacon, onion confit, house made tomato jam, and smoked BBQ mayonnaise on a challah bun. Served with classic fries.

After “Bruell Burger Week” I think it is time for “Salad Week”.

November 22nd, 2009 | permalink

Sausage Stuffing Balls

It would not be Thanksgiving without Grandma Kraus’ Sausage Stuffing Balls. This recipe has been passed down from her mother. Here is the recipe…

Sausage Stuffing Balls

3 lb. Fresh Pork Sausage
2 1/4 cup hot water
3 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
24 oz. seasoned stuffing mix
1 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 1/2 cup finely chopped celery

Combine stuffing mix with hot water. Break sausage into small pieces and add moistened stuffing mix. Stir in onion, celery, eggs and baking powder. Shape into balls (1/4 cup). Place on baking pan. Cover with foil, bake at 325° for 15 min. Remove foil; bake at 350° for 25 min or until done.

Serve hot, but also great as leftovers, cold.

May 9th, 2009 | permalink

Barbecued Pork Tenderloin

Ever since we have lived in Pittsburgh we have been making this recipe for barbecued pork tenderloin. It was in Cooking Light magazine (circa 2003), along with a few other staples that we make, and we have been toting this old magazine around with us ever since. Seriously, this recipe is great. People always ask us for it, so here it is.

April 8th, 2009 | permalink

The Greenhouse Tavern, Family and Friends

The time has finally come. The Greenhouse Tavern is a couple days away from officially opening. This is a project that Jonathon and Amelia have been working on for almost two years now. I am just glad that I was able to be a small part of it through the logo and website design and pitching in with some photography.

This photo was taken the first time I stepped foot into the space…

And now…

Tuesday night was the second “friends & family” night and we were lucky enough to get a table at the festivities. The food was delicious as always, but the most impressive part was the atmosphere, the service and the chemistry of the restaurant. It felt like it had been open for years, yet this was only the second event in the new space. The feeling was one of comfort, of familiarity.

Jonathon was pretty much invisible to us most of the night as he was working the kitchen on the basement level, however, each of the dishes that we tried Chef Sawyer was very apparent, rising up from his kitchen sanctuary and filling the restaurant.

We sat on the first floor and later Sin-Jin, the Interior Designer of the restaurant, was gracious enough to give Erika the grand tour. Both the front and rear mezzanines are impressive, the front with a wall of windows that overlooks E. 4th Street and the rear mezzanine has a recycled wooden cabinet with an open back that exposes the rear brick wall.

From the recycled chairs and tables, the cement counters with glass fragments, the Civil War era barn wood siding, lighting fixtures made from LED lights and bicycle rims and also some of the fabric from the chairs, recycled rubber tires lining the many stairs, to the John Carroll University lab tables and cabinets and church pews, the entire restaurant utilizes reclaimed items without subtly without having to shout it.

All of these earth-friendly elements contributed to The Greenhouse Tavern recently being acknowledged as Ohio’s first Certified Green Restaurant.

We enjoyed the four course menu, the company of the other guests and the hospitality of The Greenhouse Tavern and we are looking forward to many more experiences there including Thursday night at the Facebook Funkadelic.

Congratulations, Sawyer, Amelia, Seeholzer, Everest, Keri, Sin-Jin and the rest of the GHT family. You are well on your way to a successful restaurant and following. 500+ Facebook fans and you are not even open yet? Insane.

More Photos.

March 24th, 2009 | permalink

Restaurant.com

Recently, one of our friends informed us of Restaurant.com. This is an online coupon site for local restaurants. We thought it was going to be all of the TGI McFunster places, but it is not. Most of the places are independent restaurants, not chains, and the discounts are amazing. Erika signed us up and we recieved about $100 worth of discounts for a little over $7. This included Brontë Bistro, Willoughby Brewing Company, The Academy Tavern, Boulevard Blue and Touch Supper Club. Each coupon is different. We used the Brontë discount on Monday for lunch with the kids. It was good for $10 off of a bill $25 or more. Tonight we used the Willoughby Brewing Company discount for $25 off of a bill $35 or more. It was also Kids Night which means balloon sculptures by the Flower Clown and $.99 kids menu items. Dining with the family still made it easy to go over the minimum bill, believe me.

There are a couple of stipulations. They add in the gratuity at 18% which is no problem as we normally tip above 20%. After you use one ofthe coupons, you receive an email asking for feedback.

Some of the coupons “sell out” so you have to get in early. This was definitely a great deal and we will be using them often. We are not “coupon people” but we definitely recommend checking out these deals.

February 22nd, 2009 | permalink

2009 Downtown Cleveland Restaurant Week

Just a reminder, the Downtown Cleveland Restaurant week begins tomorrow…

After great success in 2008, Downtown Cleveland Restaurant Week is back for its second year! From 5:00pm until close on Monday, February 23rd through Sunday, March 1st, have a fantastic dining experience at one of the finest eateries in the region. $30 3-course menus (appetizer, entree, dessert) will be offered at over 40 participating restaurants – each offering either a $30 dinner for two or $30 dinner for one.

*Tax, Gratuity and Beverages not included in the $30 special menu price.

More info on Cleveland.com.

February 21st, 2009 | permalink

The Greenhouse Tavern / Brooklyn Brewery

Thursday night Chef Adam Wilson and The Viking Store at Legacy Village hosted a beer dinner featuring Garrett Oliver Brooklyn Brewery’s Brewmaster, America’s leading beer sommelier, Author and Iron Chef Judge. Also Featuring: The Greenhouse Tavern Team Jonathon Sawyer, Jonathan Seeholzer, Everest Curley and Keri Garcia.

Chef Adam Wilson is an old friend from my high school days so it was nice to catch up with him. I will have to schedule some classes over at the Viking Store since it is so close.

It has been a long time since I have sampled any of Chef Sawyer’s food and the pairings with the Brooklyn beers was outstanding. Brewmaster, Garrett Oliver, was dead on while he was describing the short rib dish paired with the newly released Local 2. He said, “… it is almost as if you cannot tell where the short rib [flavor] ends and where the Local 2 begins.”

The Menu

Mackerel Cru a la Nicoise
raw mackerel filet w/ nicoise olives, spicy dijon mustard, haricot verts & potato
Beer: Brooklyn Lager

Chevre Salad
roasted ohio baby goat w/ herb salad, goats milk cheese, coriander, lime & mint
Beer: Brooklyn-Schnieder Hopfen-Wiesse

Sustainable Black Cod In Paper
cod en papillote w/ lobster, baby artichokes, new potato & cascade hop oil
Beer: Brooklyn East India Pale Ale

Ohio Beef Tenderloin, Marrow Bone & Short Rib
local 1 bordelaise, gremolata, brioche & local 1 braised root vegetables
Beer: Brooklyn Local 2

Ossua Iraty Cheese
french sheeps milk cheese w/ scotch heather honey & grilled bread
Beer: Brooklyn Monster

Brooklyn Chocolate Stout Creme Glace
soft serve ice cream w/ malted milk balls, chocolate stout & chocolate cherry bread
Beer: Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout

More photos on The Greenhouse Tavern flickr page.

January 31st, 2009 | permalink

New additions to Shaker Square

Working a block from Shaker Square for the past four years, I have seen a lot of changes come to the place. The most recent changes include the addition of Darna, a Moroccan restaurant and wine bar called Grotto.

When we headed to the Square, we were planning on going to Sasa for dinner. But it was a cold and snowy night and as we walked past Darna the warmth of the interior seemed to beckon us and invite us in. Afterall, we have not had Moroccan food since our days in Pittsburgh when we would frequent Road to Karakash. Sadly while writing this post, I see that Road to Karakash has closed. The braised meat and stew types of food were exactly what we needed on such a cold night.

We were seated by a friendly hostess and our server was prompt and helpful. There were a few other tables occupied but the dining room was pretty much empty. It did fill up with a couple larger groups before we left.

For our appetizers we ordered Moroccan Cigars which consisted of Kobe beef and other spices and Duck Confit wrapped in a philo “bag”. For our entrées we ordered the braised lamb shank with vegetables and skewered skirt steak with rice and vegetables. The appetizers were very good and by that point we were happy that we made the decision to go to Darna. Then, our entrées came out. They both consisted of a large portion of vegetables and a generous amount of meat.

Finishing off our meal, we ordered a Moroccan coffee and the Baklava plate which included five different variations of the delicious dessert. We had a great meal at a great price and will definitely be back.

After leaving Darna, we headed around the square to the newest addition, Grotto. Grotto is a wine bar that just opened. It is so new you can still smell the paint and wood shavings. It is under the same ownership as Lago and Gusto.

The interior has a high ceiling in the main bar area which also houses high-top pub tables. Off to each side of the bar there are little nooks for a more private dining experience. I loved the stone and woodwork. There was a lot of fine detail especially in the molding on the ceiling. It looks as though they will have outdoor seating in the summer similar to that of Saravá across the square.

We tried a 2004 Waterbrook Syrah Walla Walla and joined the rest of the rather full bar and dining room in a relaxing night of people watching. It was the perfect place to have a glass of wine and call it a night.

These additions just add to the already great nightlife options on the Square.

January 25th, 2009 | permalink

Lunch in Cleveland

This was a rare weekend. No travel plans due to holidays or birthdays. No Steelers game. No plans at all really. We decided to go downtown and try a different place for lunch. Zócalo.

We made the trek down to East 4th Street, this was sort of a practice run for when The Greenhouse Tavern opens. It was pretty dead even though the US Figure Skating Championships were being held downtown. We tried to get some street parking along Euclid, but all of the spots were taken. Instead of hunting for a spot, we just pulled into the nearest garage and made the brisk walk over to East 4th Street. I love the layout of East 4th. Great restaurants including Michael Symon‘s, Lola, and entertainment including the House of Blues and The Corner Alley. There soon will be more with the Erie Island Coffee Company and the before mentioned The Greenhouse Tavern.

We made our way into Zócalo and I was surprised by the size of the place once inside. The decor and lighting was very nice and we sat at a table with a view of the Tequila room. Our server was very nice and engaged with the kids even though kade was putting on his grumpy face. They did not have the typical TGI McFunster coloring placemats which caused a temporary setback for the kids.

There were not too many tables when we arrived but as we sat for awhile the place began to fill up. This did create a problem as the service began to slow and reach a crawl due to an understaffed dining room.

The typical chips and salsa were served after we were seated and our drink orders were taken. We ordered the Calamares Fritos for an appetizer, which never came. Thankfully, it was not on our bill either. For our entrées, we ordered the Quesadilla with Adobo Roasted Chicken for the kids, Erika ordered the Enchilada Tinga Poblano and I ordered the Carnitas and added on a beef taco. Each entrée came with rice and choice of beans. I am not sure what I expected, but the food seemed underseasoned and the carnitas was dry, hard and crispy. The tortilla shells for the carnitas never showed up either, but it was fine as I just ate it openface.

It was not the best lunch that I have ever had and we probably won’t be back soon.

We chose Zócalo because we have not been there yet and it is open for lunch on Saturday. Anyone familiar with dining in Cleveland knows that the dining choices for lunch are scarce. Some places are open during the week, some just one of the days on the weekend and some aren’t open for lunch at all. I would love more lunch options but in this economy you can see why restaurants are focusing solely on dinner. You would think that the different ‘areas’ would be able to come up with some sort of rotation for lunch service.

Take for example Shaker Square. I work a block from the square and none of the nicer places are open for lunch during the week. Couldn’t the restaurants team up to create a schedule of two places open a day? Have Sasa take Mon. and Weds., Fire take Tues. and Thurs. and Saravá take Weds. and Fri.? And with the new editions of Darna and Grotto, they could work into the rotation as well. I know it is wishful thinking but it would be a great addition to our lunch rotation. On second thought. That might leave me broke.