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That story has to be apocryphal. At best, the bad review may have been a trigger (or excuse) for the firings, if they even happened. Serious, seventeen people lose their jobs over a single one-off review by people who don't even review restaurants for a living? I don't think so...

The meatball pizza may be a one-off, but the meatballs themselves are on the menu. Pork and veal meatballs, served with soft polenta and herbs. Serving Nancy that pizza was such a clever idea - got a great laugh at the table. Plus, it was delicious!

I'm convinced that anyone who claims to dislike beets simply hasn't had them prepared properly. I've had beet salads several times at both Lola and Lolita. The presentation has varied (the most memorable being the one with pork belly "croutons" served at the Slow Food dinner last year), but they all had one thing in common. The beets were slow-roasted to bring out their natural sweetness. Nothing could be further from that musty canned-beet flavor.... The new menu is terrific - I really need to get back to Lolita to try some of the pasta dishes and mains we didn't get to. Liz Symon is working on revamping the wine list as well - not that it needs it. Lolita has a terrific selection of wines by the glass.

I was part of the group that tried out the new menu tonight. All I can say is that the pizza lived up to my expectations. Wow! Oh, and the rest of the menu has been reworked in a major way. Several new apps and a bunch of meat and pasta dishes we didn't even try. (Gotta go back!) The Chicken livers, the beet salad, and the roasted dates are all standouts. The creamed corn and polenta sides are amazing. The new menu is a hit with this crowd! A couple of snapshots and then off to bed. A classic Neapolitan pizza. Tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and basil. The tomatoes were slow-roasted to bring out their flavor. The crust was perfect. The creamed corn and polenta side dishes. Both were heavenly.

I couldn't believe how Bourdain let Marky Ramone eat him under the table at Lola. "Gotta go on the treadmill later, that's all". Hilarious.

I tried some of the Q when Jordan was sampling it out. It's truly many notches above the typical commercial offerings. I'll be interested to see what the final product is like - I think the samples may have had a lower "fizz" level than is possible in a larger operation. I'll try to convince some of the local markets and restaurants to start carrying it. Thanks for linking to the "availability" page, Sam.

Hi Catherine, I hope this isn't too late, or too lacking in information. I live in Oberlin and I love sushi. Having said that, I have an embarrassing confession to make - I almost never eat at sushi restaurants when I'm at home. For sushi places on the East side (pretty far from Oberlin) I would defer to Stuart and Beth for recommendations. I'm pretty sure that Beth has spoken highly of Pacific East in the recent past. As for anything within a close drive to Oberlin, all I can think of is Parallax in Tremont, Sushi Rock (kind of trendy and LOUD as the name implies), and Ginza on Carnegie. Ginza supplies the sushi for the happy hour on Tuesdays at Velvet Tango Room which is where I've had it. VTR is worth the trip in and of itself, and if you daughter is too young to imbibe (I'm guessing that's likely), they can make lovely non-alocholic versions of several of their fine drinks. By Tuesday you may be ready to get out of Obie . Parallax is one of Cleveland's best restaurants. It's located in Tremont, a charming old neighborhood with a disproportionate number of excellent places to eat. It's easy to get to from Oberlin. Just head towards Cleveland on I480, take I71 North and get off at the W 14th exit. Parallax is one of the few places I can vouch for personally. Their seafood is absolutely pristine, and they have a dedicated sushi chef. A bit of a novel approach, combining a "modern" high-end restaurant with a more traditional sushi bar. The great thing is that you can mix both styles of food to your liking and get truly superlative food. Not cheap, but worth the trip and expense. There are a few places in North Olmsted, one of which came highly recommended in Laura Taxel's Ethnic Eats guide. I've shopped at the grocery next door (run by the sushi chef's wife) but have never been to the restaurant. You should definitely pick up a copy of the "Cleveland Ethnic Eats" guide. Stop in at Mindfair Books, located in the Ben Franklin store right on the square. I'm pretty sure that they keep Taxel's book in stock. Disclosure: Owner and book buyer are both friends of mine. Come to think of it, buying Taxel's book is probably the best advise I can give you. There's a ton of wonderful food around the Cleveland area, and the Ethic Eats guide is a terrific refernce. I keep a copy in the glove compartment of my car.

Lolita is introducing a new menu next week. The big news is that they will be serving real Neapolitan style pizza. That wood-fired oven is going to be busy. Matt and Cory did the Verace Pizza Napolitana certification training, and they'll be following the AVPN standards. I can't wait to try it!

We had a hard time deciding what to order for our entrées. So many of the dishes sound really good. (menu is online here). I wound up getting the scallops: Sofrito Basted Scallops Roasted Cauliflower with Huacacini Sauce, Fingerling, Preserved Lemons The name of the sauce was spelled differently on the printed menu, so I'm not sure which is correct. Nice plump scallops, perfectly seared. The sauce had a strong element of turmeric (I think) to it, giving it a vaguely curry-like aroma. Adobo Rubbed Tuna Boniato Gratin, Crab & Jicama Fricasee, Jalapeno Basil Sauce Nicely seasoned rare tuna. I especially liked the vegetable accompaniment. Caribbean Red Fish on the Plancha Smoky Corn Grits, Watercress Salad, Mango Chimichurri Beautiful fish, but the real hit of the dish for me was the smoky corn grits. The smoke was subtle, but the grits weren't bland at all - terrific corn flavor. I didn't snag a picture of the fourth dish, Grilled Skirt Steak Churrasco served with Sofrito Rice and Beans and topped w/ chimichurri. This was tasty enough, but probably the least exciting of the dishes we tried. We barely had room for dessert. Coconut and Caramel Flan Coconut Custard, Caramel Sauce, Fresh Berry Garnish Cuban Bread Pudding Brulée Rum Soaked Raisins, Diced Cuban Bread, Vanilla Bean Custard, Crunchy Sugar Topping Both desserts were well executed. I thought that the coconut custard worked quite well as a variation on the more typical milk-and-eggs flan. The restaurant has been open for about a week now. I was impressed by the dishes coming out of the kitchen, and the service was good overall. We did wind up with the appetizers coming out somewhat sooner than we would have liked (we were still working on the guacamole), but that's hardly a major complaint. We just needed to juggle dishes around on the table to make room. The decor is sleek and modern, with a high ceiling and banquettes lining the walls. There's a reasonable amount of room around the tables, which is nice to see - some "modern" places crowd the tables together more than I would like. Paladar is located at Eton-Chagrin in Woodmere.

Paladar Latin Kitchen and Rum Bar is the formal name. This is a new place from Chef Matt Mytro. The theme here is "Nuevo Latino", a modern and upscale take on Latin American cooking. There are South American, Cuban, and Caribbean influences - an interesting mix. As the name implies, they have an impressive selection of rums, and create a variety of rum-based cocktails. Pomegranate-Ginger Mojito This was well-balanced and had a sugar cane stick garnish. They also make a more traditional Mojito, which I didn't try. I followed this up with a Caipirinha - Cachaça and lime, with plenty of essential oils from muddling the lime wedges in the glass. We shared a couple types of guacamole, one spicy and the other not: Guacamole with three types of chips followed by a trio of ceviches: Ceviches: Ecuadorian Shrimp, Tuna and Watermelon, Coconut-Lime Salmon And then a selection of appetizers shared by the table: Tiny Tacos Rum Smoked Mahi Mahi, Pickled Jalapeños, Malanga Boat Grilled Chorizo Papusa Smoked House Chorizo & Chihuahua Cheese Stuffed in a Salvadorian Masa Cake served with Pickled Cabbage Slaw Black Bean Empanada Latino Turnover Filled w/ Queso Fresco & Topped with Pico De Gallo & Smoky Aioli I think that everyone was pleased with the appetizers. I was expecting several of the dishes to be a bit spicier, but it all were flavorful and made with fresh ingredients. A good start to the meal. More to follow...

MichaelB, I've searched for the shrink bags before and could only find them in huge quanities. Suitable for commercial operations but way more than I need. I specifically asked Nathan and he didn't know of any. That chudypaper site doesn't have an online catalog - maybe an email enquiry would lead to more info?..

More about raw milk in the New York Times Dining & Wine section. Including some quotes (and accompanying MP3's) from Nina Planck:

We managed to dodge the nasty thunderstorms to make it to Lolita this evening. The place was already packed at six o'clock. Stormy weather won't keep us from enjoying a good night out. The pig roast lived up to my expectations. Tonight it was served with onion rings, Swiss chard (from the garden behind the restaurant), and a demi-glace made from pork bones. The meat was smokey and tender, and there was plenty of crisp skin as well. I wish I could make it to Lolita every Tuesday to see what Matt does with the pig roast next. Michael and Liz Symon were in the house tonight - Michael just returned from his "secret mission" he can't talk about. We had a great chat with Matty before the kitchen got revved up for the evening, and with Michael and Liz after dinner. Lolita is such a cool place. A couple of snapshots of dinner: various apps - smoked seafood board, three yummy dips, crab "tater tots" The pig roast, Swiss chard, and onion rings: The lights had been dimmed by the time I got to dessert, a lemon semifreddo with fresh berries and basil syrup, so no picture of that. The basil flavor is wonderful, and the berries are perfect this time of year...

I don't see any mention of it on the Lola/Lolita web site, but chef Matt is doing a pig roast at Lolita every tuesday these days. Not sure how long they'll be doing this, but I'll find out more tomorrow.

Beautiful pictures, Ronnie! Since the finished dishes (both Feast and Restaurant) seem to be well covered, I'll just post a few "action shots". Diane (LuckyGirl) and Deb Slicing beef for the Thai Beef Salad Tom (Tino27 ) slicing bread. Yeah, it was as good as it looks... Ronnie assembling the heavenly BLT app. Fruit, basmati rice, and syrup ready for assembly.

A few more pictures to add to the collection: Here's a snapshot from the balcony of the West Side Market to give you a sense of the grand space it occupies: Looking down on City Roast and the crepe place: We asked the guys at Bistricky Meats to cut the chine from our baby goat racks. Much easier to carve later... Tino27's tower of take home boxes at the end of today's lunch: Dominic pulled out all the stops with an incredible selection of his best dishes. Unfortunately we were at the end of a long weekend of eating... the most we could manage was to try a few bites of everything and stash the rest in boxes for leftovers. Dominic's food certainly deserves better, but we were all nearly immobilized by all the food we had these last few days. Dominic managed to spend some time with us despite the restaurant being quite busy with lunch service and banquets.

I don't have time for a lengthy post, but I've finished uploading pictures. You can see them in the ImageGullet public album (I think you have to be logged in to see it). I'll post a few of the pictures here along with some comments later. Thank you, Nancy, for all your hard work in organizing the event. I had a blast!

I left my camera in the car Friday night, so we'll have to count on Ronnie to provide pictures. I just uploaded a ton of photos of the Feast but need to pick through them before posting. Ronnie and Alex (Palladion) were also taking picture, so I'm sure we'll have plenty of 'em. My photos of the Sun Luck lunch didn't turn out (operator error - the food was gorgeous). I did get a snapshot of Annie and Fat Guy: It's been a terrific weekend, and it's not quite over yet. Off to Carrie Cerino's...

We kicked off the 2007 Heartland Gathering this evening at Light Bistro. Fifteen of us enjoyed a wonderful special menu. i managed to leave my printed copy of the menu behind, so if someone could PM me the exact descriptions I'll edit in better captions. For now, here are some pictures. The Amuse - a "Gazspacho Granita" A spicy little beginning to the meal. Eggplant Flan/paddlefish caviar/olive oil cracker/chive The paddlefish roe is an interesting addition to this dish. The flan is flavorful and has a gorgeous texture. Carpaccio of Kobe beef/fig/beets/chile The beets and chiles livened this up considerably. Of course the beef itself was yummy. Fresh Pea Gnocchi with mushrooms This was a sub for the beef dish for people who don't eat red meat. Sturgeon sous vide/licorice port purée/santa claus melon/pickled cous cous We were advised that the licorice/port sauce might be a bit strong for some. It was delicious, and matched well with the sturgeon. A milder fish probably wouldn't stand up as well in such a bold combination of flavors Ohio Lamb/swiss chard ribs/sweet pepper gastrique/candied banana peppers Served with braised chard stems and candied banana peppers. The peppers were a huge hit! Champagne and Cheese/raspberries This was an aged Manchego (I think) served with fresh berries. Strawberry sorbet/sweet balsamic tomatoes/blue cheese Tomato is a surprise in a dessert. Great play of sweet and tart flavors. Gateau au chocolate/candied fennel/orange I didn't have this one, but did get a taste of the candied fennel - very nice. It was fun introducing our out-of-town visitors to Light Bistro. What a great way to start the Heartland Gathering. Edit to fix captions.

Michael Symon dissolved his relationship with Parea a few weeks ago, so he no longer has a restaurant in NYC. Plus Eater claims that Parea has shut its doors for "renovation"

SMU? Several of Cleveland's best restaurants (Fire, Baricelli Inn, Sergio's, Table 45) are close to CWRU, but that also places them near University Hospitals and the Cleveland Clinic, which may be more important in terms of drawing affluent customers. And many of our best restaurants are in Tremont and Ohio City, far from any university. Detroit is suffering from a downturn in its most prominent industry, comparable to what Cleveland and Pittsburgh went through in the Seventies and Eighties. I doubt that the presence (or absence) of a major university would make much of a difference.

Sounds wonderful, Toby. We're lucky enough to have a cocktail lounge here in Cleveland that makes cocktails "the old fashioned way", including the use of hand-crafted bitters. I'd love to hear more about the bitters that you've concocted. Justin's menu sounds good, too.

I found a review in the Cincinnati Enquirer that gives a qualified thumbs up to the $700 Char-Broil TEC grill. It seems the infrared is best for larger steaks and chops, but not so good for burgers or chicken, which is exactly what I'd expect. Steve Raichlen seems to endorse the idea. From the article: Somebody needs to send Raichlen a copy of Hal McGee's book. There are mainly two things I'd want to do with super high heat. One is to sear steaks or chops. The other is to bake pizza and flat-breads. Since the infrared burner occupies only about a quarter of the surface I doubt that it would work with a pizza stone. FG, what kind of broiler do you have? Is it a commercial unit?

It seems that high-heat infrared grills are becoming more affordable. Infrared fires up backyard barbecues: Has anyone cooked on one of these grills? They claim that they can reach up to 900 °F in a less time than conventional grills.

The Copper River king salmon has arrived (in limited quantities). When we were at CC on Friday, Dominic Cerino was anxiously awaiting another shipment of CR kings which were held up in Chicago due to bad weather. The kings had to change planes in Chicago because Alaska Air doesn't fly into Cleveland. I guess that they enjoyed the same ORD experience familiar to so many human travelers. Fortunately there were just enough servings from the previous shipment for three of us (tino27 had the wonderful duck scaloppine, which he hadn't had before and was looking forward to trying). The salmon is given the simplest of treatments, entirely appropriate given its extraordinary quality: Pictures can't do justice to just how wonderful this dish is. I don't usually like cooked salmon, though I love salmon sushi, sashimi, and cured or smoked salmon. The CR king salmon at Carrie Cerinos is the exception to the rule. It's moist and delicately flaky and the flavor is fantastic.