NancyH

This is my first time posting pix on this thread - I am so intimidated by all of the beautiful food you folks display! Friday was our first day back in Cleveland after a two week vacation. So naturally, it snowed most of the day. Though our fridge was pretty empty, neither of us really wanted to go out in the terrible weather. So, what to fix for dinner? We had a small bag of marvelous Grape Tomatoes that we brought back from Florida sitting on the counter. A quick inventory of the produce drawer yielded half a head of celery cabbage that was still in good shape, a large bag of garden carrots, and a bag of mostly bad cilantro. Moving on to the freezer, I realized that we still had a supply of kreplach (Jewish Chicken and Liver Dumplings, made with Won Ton Skins) left over from Rosh Hashonah last September. I also pulled out a package of thin Chinese egg noodles that had been in the freezer too long, two bags of Turkey Stock we had made in December, and some frozen garden chilies. Add onion and garden garlic from the pantry - and we had a delightful, comforting meal, even though we really didn't have any food in the house. Since we ate this soup over two nights, we used up 4 of the five skeins of noodles. What did I do with the last "orphan" skein? I made breakfast!

My husband Bob and I are recently returned from our annual pilgrimage to Destin. We spent a full two weeks eating, drinking, carousing and terrace-bumming (which is like beach bumming, without the sand between your toes). I uploaded 299 food photos to Flickr, and even though I winnowed a bunch out when I did my blog entry, there were still a lotta pictures! So - what follows are some teasers. To see more, and read the full narrative, check out my blog. Also on my blog are links to all the contact and menu information about the places we visited. We flew down on Valentine's day and went for dinner at our "go to" place, Harbor Docks. Smoked Tuna App Snapper Parmadine I confess - I've gotten so used to the Harbor Docks "specials" board that I never even look at the menu anymore. But our wonderful server, Sunshine, suggested that we go beyond the "grilled, blackened or fried" choices for the daily catch and try some other variations. This hunk of fabulous snapper was broiled, then topped with crabmeat, which was topped with melted cheese, which was then topped with toasted almonds. It was so delicious I had it again two nights later. For breakfast, we headed for the Silver Sands. Though housed at Harbor Docks, this is an independent company that rents the space every morning, serving the best breakfast in town and the best biscuits in the world. I am told that they used to have their own space, but got burned out of it and didn't want to rebuild. There is probably a condo where that space used to be now, anyway. We chatted with the gentleman who makes the biscuits - I'm not exaggerating, he's got to be about 90 years old, and so arthritic that he can barely move. Yet, he makes these amazing biscuits! I can't bring myself to ever order pancakes or anything like that - I've got to have them biscuits! We had two meals at Stinky's Fish Camp. My husband proclaimed this the best gumbo he has ever had: This was my dinner entree: Stinky's Stew - Shrimp, Mussels, Grouper, Snow Crab Legs, Oysters, Wine, Tomato, Lemon, Garlic Broth, Roast Potato and Corn It was amazingly good - every bite of seafood perfectly fresh. Back at Harbor Docks our third night, and our friend Ed (who originally suggested going to The Back Porch) had too much stuffed shrimp to finish - lucky me! Shrimp With Crabmeat Stuffing Wrapped In Bacon And Broiled We enjoyed lunch on the beach on a perfect sunny day at the Beachwalk Cafe. Bob's Caribbean Fish Taco Lunch Grilled Lime-marinated yellowfin tuna, soft flour tortillas, shaved cabbage, pico de gallo, and chipotle lime sour cream. And 50 cent Lemondrops. On Monday night, we tried a wonderful local place I learned about on the The South Walton Forum, Cafe Locanda Italiana and Colosseum Bar, 4942 HWY 98 W, Santa Rosa Beach, (850) 622-1119. Our host, Lorenzo, made us feel right at home, even though the place was pretty darn empty (everyone else's loss!), a pattern we would see over and over again on this trip. Grouper alla Piazzaiola Bob's entree was superb! 8 oz of fresh grouper cooked in a light tomato sauce, with oregano, garlic and black olives, and served with a non-breaded Eggplant Parmesan and Puffed Potatoes. I enjoyed my tastes of this dish, and almost felt a little jealous that I hadn't ordered it. Until I dug into my entree: Spaghetti Del Pescatore My entree was amazing. Forget everything Anthony Bourdain told you about Monday seafood when you visit Locanda! My bowl was stuffed with exquisitely fresh fish and seafood - shrimp, mussels, tiny scallops, fried grouper, crab, and fabulous fresh squid - tossed gently with cherry tomato, garlic and white wine. No cheese, no heavy sauce - just fresh seafood, seasonings, and good quality, perfectly al dente pasta. I only wished I could have finished it! Same problem at Gravel Road for lunch - only a fresser could have bitten into this: Grouper Sandwich with Candied Pecans, House made Tarter Sauce, Lettuce, Tomato on Whole Wheat Bun I enjoyed delicious sushi at Camille's: Red Dragon Roll: Soft Shell Crab, Smelt Roe, Avocado, Green Onions And Spicy Sauce Topped With Tuna Bob had this fabulous salad for lunch at Fabrice: Seared Tuna Salad Nicoise with Anchovies, Hard Cooked Eggs, Potato and Tomato I was sad that we trudged up to Nick's on Rt. 20 in the rain, only to learn that they had no crab claws. But they did have fresh alligator! It really does taste like chicken! We enjoyed happy hour at the Hurricane Oyster Bar, which is located in a newish plaza just off of SR 283 in Grayton Beach. Grilled Oysters Pesto We dined that evening at Fire, a newcomer to the area (literally right across the parking lot from the Hurricane Oyster Bar) owned by relocated New Orleans restaurateurs. Dinner was outstanding - and though the weather was brutal, we couldn't understand why it was so empty on a Friday night. Grilled Pineapple Salad This was simply fabulous - my only complaint was that there was a little too much cheese and buttermilk dressing, which overwhelmed the tender Bibb Lettuce a bit. The candied nuts and grilled pineapple were sweet and the dressing complimented perfectly. \ Sauteed Grouper with Vegetables and Sweet Potato Cake The next night - Saturday - we dined at D&K Cafe - and it was even emptier than Fire had been! Yet, most of the chain restaurants we passed seemed to have full parking lots. HELLO - what is wrong with this picture??? Especially when D&K serves seafood this pristine: Sun-Kissed Martini Trio We shared this delectable assortment of pristine seafood for appetizer - Boiled seasoned Shrimps, Fried Crab Claws, and Lump Crab Meat drizzled with Remoulade. Grilled Grayton Grouper with Soft Shell Crab, topped with Seafood Cream Sauce We both noticed that the fish at D&K was the first grilled fish we ate that actually tasted of a wood smoke grill. And softshell crabs are in season - and this one was fabulous! There is a portion of rice under all of that fish, also. Yum from top to bottom and all the way around. We spent part of Sunday at the Thai Charity Food Court, which is open 9am-3pm every Sunday at the Wat Mongkolratanaram Buddhist Temple at 741 Mayflower Avenue (turn left off of Lewis), FWB, (904) 863-2906. We arrived with open hearts, open minds and empty stomachs. I asked what the above sweet dish is called, but the vendors only knew how to say it in Thai, and my brain couldn't hold the word. An amazingly thin batter made with coconut milk, sugar, rice flour, scallions and other ingredients is ladled into a greased cast iron form, which is set on a charcoal fire. As the cakes set, the maker makes "sandwiches" of them, placing the half moon shapes together to make a loose ball, which still has two distinctive parts. The cooker is then covered until the cakes are finished. They are scooped from the molds, and plated as above. Simply amazing in taste and texture - sweet and savory at the same time, and crunchy yet viscous and pudding-y at the same time. Our Sunday dinner at Borago was a disappointment this year, as far as seafood was concerned. But their fresh pasta is awesome. Three meat Bolognese with Cheese Tortellini and shaved Parmesan Bob's last lunch, at Harbor Docks: Bronzed Swordfish with Red Pepper Cream Sauce and Shrimp My last lunch: Sesame Fried Tilefish I got the last order of Tilefish before they ran out - and it was so fresh it practically jumped off of the plate! So now, I am returned to Cleveland, the land of the frozen seafood. I look forward to visiting the Emerald Coast again!

Tino - get them to the Velvet Tango Room ASAP!

Ronnie - Bob and I are in for it all - though we may order each menu at Blackbird just to taste it all. I'll follow up shortly with you - but put us down for both Thursday events.

Dejah- would you post the recipe? It sounds delicious!

My food-safety friends have said that the problem with this is that it is imposbible to get the inside of the roast cooked to a safe temperature without burning/destroying the outermost parts. That's why you have to defrost first.

NancyH +1

The herbed baked eggs are beautiful! What are the other ingredients and how do you make this?

This was one of those photos when I should have used flash! Scamorza is a type of Mozzerella cheese that is crisped in a hot pan. The melty looking stuff is the melted cheese, the reddish part is the part that was crisped. I'd never had this before and it was pretty amazing.

Last night was the inaugural "Sawyer Wine Supper" at Bar Cento restaurant, recently opened in Ohio City on the near West Side of Cleveland, across the street from the storied West Side Market. Bar Cento is the creation of former Michael Symon apprentice Chef Jonathon Sawyer (who was one of Michael's sous chefs on the last Iron Chef America that Michael participated in). We had played with Jonathon's food once before, at a pre-opening tasting party sponsored by the Northeast Ohio Convivium of Slow Food. I didn't take any photos that night, so this is my first opportunity to share some of the goodies that Chef Sawyer is offering. I can highly recommend future wine and beer dinners at Bar Cento - they are off to a wonderful start! Below are some highlights - you need to look at my blog to see it all! We began with one of the restaurant's signature items as an Antipasto - handcrafted pizza. This version was topped with rendered lardo and chili. Vitello Tonno - Warm Crispy Veal Sweetbread Over Chilled Veal, Sicilian Tuna Aoli, Capers Without question - the most enjoyable sweatbread I've ever eaten - it made me go "mmmmhh" when I savored the first bite. I don't know if this was due to the fact that the sweatbread was from a younger animal, or the preparation (Chef Jonathon explained that it was not soaked in milk, which is the traditional prep - it was soaked in broth and seasoning overnight prior to cooking). Insalata - Grilled Scamorza (Fresh Mozzerella Cheese) Topped with Dandelion Greens and Mint, plated over Oilo Sancto ("Sacred Oil") This is my idea of salad! (Just kidding - I'm all for healthy green salads. But damn, this tasted good!) Chef Jonathon explained about the Olio Sancto, which he cold-infused with anchovy and mint - either of which could have overwhelmed this dish. But there was no clash - only sweet, rich harmony between the crunchy, chewy cheese, the pungent and slightly bitter greens, and the oil. Pesca - Wild Striped Bass Macinare This dish was wonderful. The bass - described on the menu as "the Miller's fish", was served with a fresh herb salad and myer lemon. The filet was topped with a disk of chopped pork of some kind - but this component was not identified on the menu and we didn't get the opportunity to ask what it was. Who cares - it may not have been kosher, but it was delicious! The meat course was a trio of kid goat, veal and suckling pig. This was followed by a cheese course - and yes, I ate the whole thing - including the Bleu! Dolce - Tenuta Il Corno Olive Oil Gelato, Blood Orange, Myer Lemon Who'd have thunk you could put olive oil in gelato? But Chef Sawyer did - and it was fantastic, especially with the blood orange. I'll have a gallon of that, please. Grazie - Chocolate Salumi Style, Grandma's Cookies Note the bits of pepper at 6 o'clock on the Chocolate - there was also a hint of red pepper somewhere. The heat combined with the rich chocolate and nuts to create a taste sensation that was accentuated by the cookie - which started crisp and finished soft as it had been drizzled wtih liquid - I'm not sure what. A perfect finale to a symphonic meal! Welcome to Cleveland, Chef Sawyer and crew!

It is with a most heavy heart that I report the following, as posted on the Cleveland.com Food & Wine Forum yesterday afternoon by Chef Dominic's good friend and confidant Linda Griffith: Dominic has added as follows: Ironically, Bob and I dined there with a group of friends last Saturday, not knowing this was coming. Photos and such are on my blog. I am going to miss Dominic's vision and talent and wish him all the best. The good news is that Bar Cento in Ohio City seems to be the up and coming place for cutting edge Italian-inspired food in Cleveland - I'll post separately on that (or just look at my blog)!

That's what I meant by my description of it - when we walked up to it, I thought "what a dump" - but once inside - nsxtasty's description is pretty accurate. I loved the food there.

If I were local - I'd be glad to take this on (I'm so jealous that I'm not going to get to sample CNY fare at Chengdu 1, but I'm stuck in Cleveland). Please don't be intimidated by the rules. I organized the EG Heartland Gathering last year - ask people to PM you with dates, pick the most popular, make the reservation and post about it. You then collect the RSVPs via PM. Simple. Gongxi Gongxi!

Any film directed by Juzo Itami (of Tampopo renown) has a great food scene - Taxing Woman I & II, The Funeral and Minbo - none of which are about food per se.

Last Saturday, knowing that we had an abundant supply of cooked rice in the fridge (a mixture of white medium grain and brown Basmati), I awoke craving a Rice Omlette a/k/a omurice, as depicted in the classic food movie .I did ok! And it tasted great too: . Click the Tampopo link above to see this scene from the film, as posted on UTube.

Wow, this is a tough call. We visited Chicago for a long weekend in October (and also dined at Alinea - you are in for an amazing experience) - it is so hard to pick out just one or two places. My thread describing our wonderful eats (with pictures) is here. I have to say the food that wowed me most was Tac Quick - a dumpy looking Thai place with amazing food. Since you are going to be downtown - and if you have a car - you could do a little tour as we did and hit Italian Beef, local sausage, local Hispanic pork and Chinatown in one late-morning to afternoon, as we did. We enjoyed Frontera Grill. We arrived shortly before they opened, and didn't have to wait long for a table at all. Nsxtasy joined us for some of our adventures, and I would totally trust his recommendations, as well. Have a great trip and report back!

Don't know if I'm too late or not, but hubby and I did a long weekend in Chicago in October and photographed everything - look here: thread We also dined at Alinea (there's a link in the other thread to those photos) - prepare to be amazed and pleased! Have a great trip and report back to us!

Hi - Scott and all. We're back - we ate twice at the Glen Eagles Country Club where my parents are members, and had a couple of meals at regular restaurants. The winner by far was The Cuban Cafe, (561) 495-5999, 14400 Military Trl, Delray Beach, FL 33484.. This Cafe was very casual, and amazingly inexpensive for the quality and quantity ordered (though my Mojito was a little too heavy on the simple syrup and light on the rum). Apertivas Para Dos Beef Empanadas, Ham & Cheese Croquettes, Pork Tamal and Plantain Chips (Mariquitas). All tasted freshly made from scratch and delicious! Camerones Al Ajillo (Large Shrimp Sauteed in Spanish White Wine and Garlic Sauce) This was my dad's dish, and he pronounced it excellent. Filete De Pargo (Filet of Snapper Seasoned and Grilled) My mom was the only one of us who did not enjoy her entree - but by the time I sniffed her plate, I was too stuffed to taste it. It certainly looked and smelled good. You can also see the fried plantains and steamed rice served with every entree in this photo. Boliche (Eye of Round Slowly Roasted in Herbs & Spices and Served with Gravy) My husband decided to be a landlubber - this dish was fantastic - like Cuban pot roast. The meat was perfectly tender and the sauce most flavorful. Pescado Relleno (Snapper Filet Stuffed with Shrimp in Seafood-Cream Sauce) This was my entree - I still can't believe that it was only $20 (and served with another full plate of plantains and rice, and a dish of black beans). The snapper was exquisitely fresh, as was the shrimp and bay scallops in the dish. This was the best dish I ate this trip, for sure! There are additional pictures and stories on my blog!

Some photos from recent visits to CCs: Pulled Pork Canelloni This item was still on special as of last weekend - tender pasta-based crepes filled with succulent strips of pork, and topped with fresh Ricotta and tomato sauce - yum! House-Made Gnocchi with Mama's White Sauce About once a year, I just have to indulge in these pillows of goodness, bathed in the white sauce Dominic now calls "Norcian Macaroni & Cheese". It was fabulous, as always. Those Amazing Norcian Lentils with Dominic's own Red Pepper Guanciale We also enjoyed a new Gelato flavor - Amaretto - and a live 7 piece band in the Under the C's Lounge (no cover, no minimum) last Friday.

Thank you, Canucklehead, for another fabulous photo tour of Hong Kong food!

I also enjoyed this wonderful lunch. I've got my photos on my blog, Fun Playing with Food and perhaps tomorrow I can post some here (they are on my computer at the office). The fried bologna is worth the price of admission, and the burger damned special! And if that crab gnocchi dish is on the menu - get it!

Yeah Rona! I really hope you can make it. This weekend just keeps getting better and better! ← I was just about to post the same sentiment - I would love to meet you in person Prasantrin!

Ditto me and Bob!

Ronnie - beautiful pictures of a beautiful meal!

Happy New Year, all! Camera Number 2 to the rescue! What a delightful time the three of us had last night (together with a few hundred others who partook of the Iron Chef Dinner). Bob and I arrived early, about 5 before 6pm, for our 6:30-7pm reservation. Since Lola's doors were not yet opened, we stopped into the lovely Wonder Bar. Bob had a beer, and I enjoyed a Poire Martini, made with Grey Goose Poire, Amaretto, Simple Syrup and Fresh Lemon. As an aside - this place looks fabulous in its own right! We met up with Edsel and got our seats at Lola - front and center to the kitchen! They were just beginning to gear up with the Amuses and the kitchen began to hum. I hope Edsel got better kitchen photos than I did. We began with a wine that was so perfect for the both the nature of the evening, and all of the food we were served, that we ordered a second bottle when the first ran out without even looking again to the wine list. Black Bubbles Sparkling Shiraz Bread Service The butter was soft and creamy and delicious with fresh bread. I will confess right here that I did, indeed, play with my food and clean my plate with bread not once, but twice (the crab salad and the Grilled Halibut plates were too amazing to leave any over!). Lamb Tartare Amuse I could not imagine that raw lamb could melt in the mouth as this did - and the yogurt topping was perfect with it. Potato and Truffle Soup with Chives and Garlic Confit A word here about our server, Robert, who is a truly wonderful and professional server. We've enjoyed his service before, but he was really on his game last night - he picked up on our manic food energy and ran with it! As we started to discuss sharing tastes of the soup - there he was with extra spoons for us! He followed up with extra silver and small plates later in the meal, so we could each taste anything on the table that didn't belong to us! I enjoyed my taste of Edsel's soup - less of an "explosion" of truffle than I experienced at Alinea - a more gentle sensation. Since truffle often equals mushroom to me - I appreciated the gentle taste which was silky smooth. Lobster Bisque with Crispy Bacon and Poached Lobster Having eaten this bowl of soup - I now understand the Vita-Mix (which Michael Symon is a spokesman for, and which some of my food friends have sung praises for - heck, it got a write up in today's Cleveland Plain Dealer). I have never before experienced such a finely pureed soup - it was like eating liquid essence of lobster, with Michael's bacon and lobster pieces almost a bonus to the exquisite, rich broth. Grilled Quail with Salsa Verde and Blackberries Husband Bob and Edsel both enjoyed this course (though Bob gave me a drumstick and a berry) - succulent, tender and amazing, as was the sauce in was plated with. Sweet Potato and Crab Salad with Grilled Corn, Bacon and Aioli A perfect salad. Warm crab - with not a hint of off smell or flavor - just crabby sweetness caressed by sweet potato and corn that sang with flavor for this time of year in Cleveland, plated over an Aioli that offered a flavorful, yet mild range of spice - as noted, this plate was practically wiped clean with bread before I let Robert remove it. Lemon Creme Fraiche Sorbet This was our first taste of Pastry Chef (and EGulleteer) Cory Barrett's amazing talents this evening. I never think "creamy" when I hear "sorbet" - but this was so much more than sorbet, though not quite ice cream. And the fresh lemon resounded through and truly cleaned the palate for the amazing goodies to come. Swordfish Sous-Vide with Fennel, Dill, Mint and Cucumber I think that Edsel got the better photo here, but I have to show it again - it was fantastic! Though the fish certainly tasted like the bold fish Swordfish is, the Fennel, Dill and Mint were perfect foils, and the sous vide preparation left the fish mellower than you might expect. Oh - and I'm sure that if you liked cucumber, you'd find that a perfect touch also. I was amazed at the beauty (if not the taste) of the perfect tiny squares of cucumber - what poor soul was assigned to cut these all day? Roasted Venison with Parsnip Puree and Roasted Carrots Again, Bob favored meat over fish, to our advantage since we all got to taste it. The venison was buttery tender and cooked perfectly medium-rare. But the item we raved about the most was the pureed parsnips - what an amazing preparation of a mundane winter vegetable! It had the texture of perfect mashed potato, without the starchiness and with more flavor. Grilled Swordfish with Chorizo This dish was simply perfect. The Vita-Mix was evidenced by the creamy smoothness of the tomato-based sauce, which picked up amazing smoky flavors from both the house-made Chorizo and the Grilled Swordfish itself. I tried to clean this plate, but simply ran out of room. The disappointment for me in this dish is that it was originally supposed to include swordfish collar - which was raved over by the judges on Iron Chef America, and is not a delicacy one encounters often. While dessert was being served, Michael Symon stopped by our table, and explained that the swordfish collar he received was not up to his standards - so he refused to serve it and indeed pitched it. I've had a lot of sub-standard fish and seafood products in my life, so I truly admire any chef who does this. I hate being told "but it's supposed to taste like that." The desserts were served with a complimentary glass of bubbles. "6 a.m. Special" with Bacon Ice Cream and Brioche French Toast This dish just keeps getting better. I didn't remember that it had slices of fresh apple between the French toast and the ice cream, but it was perfect. Cory also stopped by our table, and mentioned that he made the ice cream with bigger chunks of bacon for this special night, and adjusted the toast to accommodate for the evening's mass production. Warm Chocolate Cake with Peppermint Ice Cream What can I say besides "yum"? As Edsel said, the artisan salt together with the ice cream and warm chocolate cake were a delectable combination. I'm sorry - I can't even consider a cheese plate when Cory is in the house! Freshly Baked Raspberry Filled Macaroon As if we were not already stuffed - each table received a plate of these warm little gems to complete the repast. The nuttiness resounded through my palate and the fruit filling was a most excellent addition to these cookies, which were light but rich at the same time. There's not much more that I can say about this meal, except thank you to Edsel for joining us. It was a truly fabulous culinary experience. And the jazzy-contemporary band, which started playing after we finished our entree course, was a delightful and festive counterpoint for the evening. It got us in the mood to party! We parted ways with Edsel after dinner (he lives Westside and we live Eastside), but decided it was too early to call it a night. So we rang in the new year with about 100 people packed into the Tavern at Blue Canyon in Twinsburg. We danced to the music of Jack in the Charlie (yes - THAT Jack in the Charlie) and had a furious balloon fight/volleyball game as a huge net of balloons was loosed at the appropriate moment. Happy 2008 to all!