NancyH

What is the advantage of granite tiles versus granite slab - is it less expensive?

I posted some of this under a discussion of Asian restaurants in Cleveland, but dinner last night was so amazing, I need to repeat myself here, and even start a thread, which I rarely do. Yes, Carrie Cerrino's is worth a drive to North Royalton (southwest of Cleveland) even if you live on the east side, as I do, from almost anywhere. If there is such a thing as heaven on a plate, it resides at Carrie Cerrinos. I STILL can't believe it took me almost 10 years of living in NE Ohio before I made it there! It amazes me that when I walk in, the smell always triggers a memory trace of going to borscht belt hotels in the Catskill Mountains as a kid - it is a little old, and has a 70s look and feel. But oh my, the food that Carrie's grandson Dominic is creating! I hear so many people say "I ate there years ago and it was ok, nothing special" - if you haven't been there since Dominic started cooking, you haven't been there. Bob and I dined there last night and started with Blue Egg Ravioli appetizers. Blue Egg Ravioli are offered the first Friday every month (and may be available by advance request at other times; call and ask). BER is homemade pasta stuffed with ricotta cheese and the yolk of a Blue Egg; simmered and finished with sage butter. When served, the soft cooked yolk combines with the ricotta cheese and the sage butter to create its own extraordinarily decadent sauce. For our entrees, we indulged in two of their August specials and they were special. Bob had the pasta with carbonara sauce. While the line between heaven on a plate and heart attack on a plate is extremely thin here - this is a dish truly worth sampling, using guanciale acquired from Mario Batali's father in NY, Chef/owner Dominic Cerrino describes it as follows: Carbonara is such a cool dish because every chef, cook, homemaker or diner has a different and unique interpretation of this dish, which is made as follows: Guanciale sautéed in olive oil until the fat renders and once it starts to brown we add sliced garlic, we keep rendering until the garlic begins to brown and the Guanciale is browned, then we quickly deglaze the pan with a good Pinot Grigio and reduce by half. We then toss it with some of our home made pasta that is cooked adente. Then we toss in some fresh chopped parsley, a good grated Pecorino Romano and a good grated Parmesan cheese along with the yolks of 2 Blue Eggs. Add enough of the hot pasta water to cream it very nicely and then place in a pasta bowl and nest the egg of another Blue Egg Yolk right in the center. The guest can then toss the final yolk into the pasta themselves thereby creating an even creamier sauce. Kathy Breychak's Blue Eggs, Mr. Batali’s Guanciale and the home made pasta makes one hellava dish (and I heartily concur!). The way the guanciale coats the tongue and lingers on the palate is just amazing, with a surrounding flavor of fresh black pepper. For a picture, look here (sorry - I can't figure out how to paste it into the post). Breychak's I had the Tomato Panzarella made with three varieties of heirloom tomato - we are tomato starved this summer thanks to Bob ripping up his knees right before gardening season, so this was an extremely welcome treat (and the perfect "lighter" entree to follow a BER) - topped with a generous portion of strips of the the new organic chicken CCs is using. Bits of cheese, onion and black pepper infused the tomato - yum! No room for dessert. So delightful, I have to talk about it.

Kris - Not to stray too far off topic from Asian places - but if you love and appreciate good food, you must get to Carrie Cerrino's while you are here. Bob and I had dinner there last night, and the summer offerings are just amazing! Blue Egg Ravioli was followed by a pasta carbonara combining CCs home made pasta, a carbonara sauce made with the Blue Eggs (with a single soft yolk set in the middle, to be broken up and mixed with the other ingredients) and guanciale acquired from Mario Batali's dad in NY - While the line between heaven on a plate and heart attack on a plate is extremely thin here - this is a dish that simply must be sampled! The way the guanciale coats the tongue and lingers on the palate, with a touch of fresh black pepper, is just amazing. I had the Tomato Panzarella made with three varieties of heirloom tomato - we are tomato starved this summer thanks to Bob's knees, so this was an extremely welcome treat (and the perfect "lighter" entree to follow a BER) - topped with a generous portion of strips of the the new organic chicken CCs is using. Just delightful. I should probably post this info elsewhere, so please forgive the re-run!

Yes, Kris, that NancyH would also be me! As I mentioned on the other Forum post, Black Pepper Sauce is a Hong Kong specialty that came into vogue in the 1980s; Jo-Mel and I spent a lot of time trying to find a recipe in New Jersey, but none could be had (though Jo-Mel came up with a pretty good one on her own). The heat in the dish (when it is made right) comes only from freshly ground black pepper (Hunan Lyndhurst does an ok job with this dish, but if you ask for it spicy, they will add red pepper flakes). It is at the same time both simple and complex - one of our favorites! What was so wonderful about Foo Sing is that it is a small family business (like Mekong Delta) that gets along by catering to the masses, while still having some special dishes on their menu. We've only been to Mekong Delta once, and it was ok but not outstanding; perhaps based on your review we'll try it again. Also, I forgot to mention that Hunan East on Richmond Road (across from the Richmond Mall) has a Chinese menu, but it is only in characters and they will not translate it for you, though they will show you a big photo book of some of the dishes if you ask.

Kris - you must get to Phnom Penh - I think it is close to the best Asian food in Cleveland. Word on the street is that C&Y Restaurant closed - and they are not answering their phone as I type this - that's a shame; they had wonderful Xiao Long Bao. Siam Cafe is very good; I also like New Wong's Noodle shop on Payne. In North Olmsted - there is a little gem of a place tucked into the South part of the Great Northern Shopping complex called Foo Sing, at 5186 Great Northern Plaza, South, just off of the Country Club Boulevard entrance. Ignore the Chinese Buffet place a few feet down the strip mall! Bob and I ate at Foo Sing last week - black pepper sauce to die for! The dipping sauce that came with the dumplings was so good I wanted to drink it from the cup (and I would have, too, if the entree hadn't shown up at just that moment). All we had was a late supper of dumplings and beef with black pepper sauce, but the family dinner of tilapia, green vegetable and sauteed beef the staff was eating looked wonderful - I can't wait to get back there! Also a little out of your way - Golden Swan in Eastgate has a terrific Chinese menu and Owner/Chef Spencer Sien will cook just about anything you might want to order.

I would definitely give Bon Ton a try; try to get there further away from closing if you can! Also - one caveat - it is a single-room restaurant and smoking is permitted. Ironically, the night we were there, none of the patrons were smoking, but we could smell it coming from the back of the house (after 9:30). Be sure to try their Turtle Soup. I believe that Bayona does a wine tasting dinner every Wednesday (though Susan Spicer does not usually cook it - it is her night off); check out their website.

We loved it! Mayhaw Man recommended it and it was perfect and reasonably priced. The only caveat is that the rooms are pretty small, and since it is an old hotel, there are steps in some places you might not expect them - make sure you address that in advance if you have any mobility issues. No problem with NOLA - I requested the table about a month in advance - but it was a Monday night in July; it might take a more advance reservation for a more premium night/time of year. One couple at our convention did the "inside the kitchen" table at Commanders and loved it, but I think you need to request that about a year in advance.

My husband Bob and I spent July 5-13 in NOLA, eating our way through town. We greatly appreciate all of the help from this board, especially Jason and Rachel Perlow, who were kind enough to make this trip in May and post all of the wonderful information and photos (as well as the link to “Eating New Orleans”, which was an invaluable guide to us), and Brooks “Mayhaw Man” Hamaker, who not only gave us wonderful food recommendations, but also recommended the hotel that we stayed at after our convention ended – Brooks, it was perfect! So, I would like to share our "results" from a week of eating NOLA. Sadly, 2 places on our “must get to” list – Napoleon House and Upperline – were closed for vacation the entire time we were there (Galatoire’s was closed from July 5-11; fortunately, we got there for lunch on the 12th). Also, we were limited to public transportation, and we neglected to bring a camera, so descriptions will have to suffice. Tuesday 7/5 – Arrived in NOLA just ahead of Tropical Storm Cindy - Mandina's - Crab Fingers appetizer, Turtle Soup, Trout Almandine, Trout Meuniere, taste of catfish almandine (all YUM); the Fried Softshell Crab eaten by the other person at our table looked positively scrumptious and Mary Ann enjoyed her chicken dish. We were too stuffed to go to Brocato’s; besides, it was raining. We had a couple of late drinks at the Sheraton Bar and watched Cindy blast Canal Street through the large windows. The power failures that resulted included all the trollys and Brigsten’s neighborhood. Wednesday 7/6 – First meal: Commerce Restaurant. We intended to eat breakfast at about 10:30, but the smells of the lunch foods seduced us. We split one plate of Red Beans & Rice accompanied by BBQ ribs, plus we added 1 link each hot & mild sausage, biscuits (no French bread due to storm Cindy knocking out bakeries’ power the night before), and a small salad that came with it (we didn't have room to actually eat it). We were so stuffed, that we almost passed on the biscuits, when one of our companions, whose entree changed from Shrimp Po-Boy to Ham Omlette due to the lack of bread, said "take the biscuits - you WANT the biscuits". Oh, yes. Dinner - All American Wine dinner at Bayona - 4 courses using American ingredients and wines. Garlic Cheese Fries with Chanterelles and Pickled Ramps (2002 Brander Sauvignon Blanc, Santa Ynez, CA), Tuna Wrapped with Newsome Country Ham, Cauliflower Puree, Balsamic Olive Oil Drizzle (2003 Cloudline Pinot Noir, Wilamette, OR), Grilled Duck Breast with wilted spinach and Blueberry Corn Cakes (simply amazing!)(2002 McRea Syrah WA) and Crepes stuffed with mascarpone cheese and served with peaches, ice cream and Steen's (Bellini made with Gruet Blanc de Noirs, NM). Susan Spicer was in the kitchen and came out for a well deserved bow before dessert. Thursday – First meal: Johnny's Po-Boy. Crab Po-Boy and Boudin Po-Boy. We loved our po-boys. Someone from our convention was there and said the shrimp didn't taste fresh, but her tablemate disagreed. Curiously, as we ate, we noticed a purveyor delivering a huge load of frozen Basa fish - whatever do they do with that? Dinner - Brigtsen's - Shrimp Remoulade w/deviled eggs, Guacamole, & Mirliton Corn Relish (I actually had a "Shrimp Epiphany" - I'm slightly allergic to it and never liked it - until this night, when I could not get enough of this simple boiled shrimp), Crab/Parmesan Crusted Triplefish w/roasted caramelized veggies, whipped potatoes, and Bearnaise; Bob had Roast Duck with Cornbread Dressing & Honey Pecan Gravy; we shared Pecan Pie with Caramel Sauce (our tablemates passed their Double Chocolate Cake to sample). This was the best meal of the trip. Friday - Commander's Palace Lunch. 25 Cent Martinis were full strength and delicious; I favored Melon, but the Key Lime was also very good. We ate Chicken/Sausage Gumbo (the waiter said it would have shellfish, but there were none), Grilled Redfish (which was only ok - not exquisitely fresh and a few “off” bites); I had a salad course I don’t remember and Bob's 3 tomato salad was absurd - 1 micro-thin slice each of 3 kinds of tomato (and we really wanted to sample Creole Tomatoes, so we felt denied); so-so Turtle Soup, Bread Pudding Souffle (excellent, as Mayhaw Man promised it would be). Most surprising was that after a waiter spilled a house martini on one of our tablemates, turning her dress blue, all the house did was offer to pay her drycleaning bill. It seemed to me they should have comped her something for having to eat in a wet dress, though they were solicitous about trying to dry it with towels. Late Afternoon Snack: Angelo Brocatos Praline Gelato and Chocolate Gelato. Left us too stuffed to eat again that day. Saturday - Palace Café Jazz Brunch. We heard mixed reviews about the Palace from our convention-mates, but had brunch with 3 ladies who had eaten dinner there the night before and raved about it. Our experience was generally positive. We started with Milk Punches (very tasty). I had the Crab Cheesecake - outstanding. Bob's Creole-Tomato Soup, however, was thin - the ladies had urged it on him as wonderful last night; they agreed it wasn't the same soup today (obviously, stretched leftovers) - it was still tasty, however. I had Potato Crusted Redfish w/poached eggs and hollandaise - as at CP the day before, the fish was good but not exquisite (might have been the farmed stuff; though there were no “bad” bites as at CP – it just didn’t sing), and a tasty Bread pudding. Bob had a Hash Skillet - eggs, pecan cured bacon (worth the cost of admission by itself), sausage and potatoes, and finished with a heavenly Praline Cheesecake. The staff was fun and enjoyed our Red Hats (our companions made me and Bob honorary members for the day) and the jazz trio was terrific. Late Night Saturday - Remoulade (Arnaud's casual arm). The Catfish Po-Boy and Cajun hot sausage Po-Boy hit the spot after a few hours on Bourbon Street - hot, fresh and delicious. Extra points for the veteran waiter who matter-of-factly took out a water bug across the room while a young couple cringed in horror. It was Bourbon Street, in July, at midnight – I can’t say I was shocked to see a bug. Sunday - Ralphs On The Park Jazz Brunch We all had Corn and Crab Soup, which was outstanding. I had a trio plate of Brioche French toast, Sausage stuffed apple (deliciously caramelized), and Andouille strips (yum!), Bob had a delightful Shrimp Salad with afresh fava bean vinaigrette and, finally, a bountiful serving of Creole Tomatoes, garnished with fried Vadalia onions which were heavenly. Our companion had the Salmon & Crab Hash, which I was leery of because I am a very fussy salmon eater. It was simply amazing and delicious. No problems with food or service at Ralph’s, I’d recommend it highly. Sunday, we moved from the Sheraton to the Hotel Monteleone as the town battened down for Hurricane Dennis, which fortunately missed us. I assume the impending storm was the reason that the service at Mr Bs seemed so amateur at dinner - that and the place was packed but only with tourists, which really changed the atmosphere from when I stuck my head in earlier in the day (what part of "dressy casual" don't people on vacation understand? There was even a woman in jeans and a tank top at Galatoire’s Tuesday, but I digress . . . ). Is there any reason why any restaurant with a computerized point of sale system can't offer split checks? And who teaches their servers to treat Lambic beer only as wine and to not offer it when asked about the beer selection? Oh well - food was not delivered hot, and you could see the staff juggling it, not sure what to bring to who (and making several mistakes, but not making any adjustments to the affected people’s checks). The food was ok - the Fried Green Tomatoes w/crab appetizer was outstanding, in fact, but the Redfish En Papilotte was ho-hum - it wasn't until after this dinner that I consulted "Eating New Orleans", which cautioned against farmed redfish, which may have explained the three servings of it I’d sampled thus far. Bob's Gumbo Ya-Ya and BBQ Shrimp were very tasty, but not served very hot. The others in our group were generally pleased, but because the service wasn't very good, the food suffered. It took forever to get my Sazerac and glass of seltzer refilled; Bob was almost done eating by the time his second Abita Amber showed up. It then took over 30 minutes for us to divide our check among 8 people (which included returning it thrice for the servers to correct mistakes on it), and the place was packed and could have used that table sooner. After, we had drinks at the Carousel Bar at the Hotel Monteleone (which also mixes a nice Milk Punch). What a cool place – with an old carousel motif, and the seats actually revolve around the bar! Too bad it was so smoky . . . Monday - my birthday - we got up very late and decided to nibble through town. We started with the obvious at Café Dumond. Then, down Decatur Street to Samarai Sushi. Our conventionmates had discovered this place - local ingredients (softshell and lump crab and local finfish) rolled with cajun spices (and avocado on one) on wonderful sushi rice. They were about to close post-lunch when we walked in; we begged them to let us sit at the sushi bar for a couple of sushi rolls and beers - and they relented - it was so good! We watched them prep a beautiful whole salmon, and huge tuna sections; if we weren’t so full, we might have spent the whole afternoon there! After a break, we decided to try to brave the smoke at Coops - we got them right between lunch and afternoon crowds so it was bearable to smoke-o-phobe me - and well worth it for the cup of rabbit-sausage jambalaya we shared. The Abita Turbodog was pulled at just the right drinking temperature, too. Prior to dinner, as a livelong Bugs Bunny fan, I wanted to indulge a long-held fantasy to go into Antoine’s (if you’ve been reading the EG thread on cartoons and food references, you know why), however, all of our advisors (and Eating New Orleans) counseled against eating there – so I figured just a drink. Imagine my disappointment to enter the stately place and learn they had no bar! Especially since 4 people were heading to meet us. Fortunately, thanks to the cell phone, the birthday pre-dinner drink moved across the street, to Alex Patout’s, though apparently the bar is called “Gennifer Flower’s Kelsto Club”. There we encountered Gennifer Flowers’s husband, Finis D. Shelnutt, tending bar and concocting some wonderful drinks using local flavors (loved what he did with the Praline Liquor). The space was just amazing – we tried to return later that night for another drink, but it was closed. For my birthday dinner, we got Food Bar table overlooking the open kitchen at NOLA. All six of us decided to get the Chef's Tasting Menu with wine flights. It turned into an interesting experience. The gemuse of marinated mozzerella was intriguing and tasty. First course of Blue Crab Bisque with caviar and creme fraiche was exquisite, though a little cool by the time it was actually served to us. Second course of bronzed sea scallops (with a marvelous glaze), Lardon Bacon, Fingerling Potatoes, Tuffled Leeks and Smoked Tomato Cream Sauce was heavenly. Then came the entrée – pan fried Filet Mignon with “Emeril’s Jumbo Gulf Shrimp”, Risotto, Baby Artichokes and Crispy Parsnips. Everything on the plate was wonderful – except the only local seafood item on the menu (other than the crab in the bisque): the shrimp! To say they were ammoniated would be kind. I told the young line cook at the station in front of us, and she couldn’t believe it. She asked one of the more experienced line cooks, who was at my left elbow, to taste it. I offered him a pristine one – he sniffed, then 86’d it hard without a taste. I then insisted that the young lady in front of us smell another whole one (for educational reasons, since she didn’t know what the word “ammoniated” meant), – she also pitched it without a taste, making a face that summed it up! Amazingly, they’d been serving that shrimp all night to a crowded house. I was told that I was the first to complain about it. Heck, 4 of the 6 in our group ate their shrimp and didn’t realize how bad it was. So when the manager came over to respond to my complaint (after the plates had been removed), he respectfully asked if we had shown any of the bad shrimp to any of the staff – the two cooks who had smelled them agreed that they were bad. Satisfied that the shrimp was indeed bad, the house then did the following: 1. My entire dinner, including my wine flights, came off of our check 2. They gave a round of Lemondrop shots to our party. 3. They allowed us to choose any desserts from the menu (Guava-Lime Cream Pie on Banana Crust with fresh berries and Coco-rum sauce came with the chef’s table). I chose the bread pudding with ice cream, and wound up bringing half of the pudding back to the hotel. So, even though I was terribly disappointed that the local product bombed – (would Emeril be embarrassed that a product served with his name on it on the menu -- “Emeril’s Jumbo Gulf Shrimp” - could be so foul) – the meal overall was very good and we walked out stuffed and satisfied that the restaurant had done what it could to make a bad situation better. Tuesday - - Galatoire's - lunch was delicious and entertaining. Yes, this place is everything that everyone says it is, both the servers and the patrons, and most important, the great food. We shared an appetizer of puffed potatoes & fried eggplant strips with remoulade, and we each ordered the same entrée (it just sounded too good!): Lemonfish w/crab, shrimp, and butter sauce on the side. Truthfully, these shrimp could have been fresher, but there was so much delectable fish and crabmeat on the plate that this was of no genuine consequence. We waddled to the trolley and the D-Day museum; walking helped. Then, we took the streetcar to the Garden District and had drinks at Igor's Garlic House - which looked too interesting to pass up. We still had no room for food, but the garlic-infused menu looked pretty darn cool. Again, though, the smoke drove us outward and onward. On the trolley back to Canal Street, I realized that we hadn't yet had any pralines or Hubig's pies, and we were leaving in the morning! We headed to the French Quarter fearing we were too late (it was almost 7pm). Fortunately, Southern Candy Makers’ (recommended by “Eating New Orleans”) store by the French Market is open until 8pm, so we got our candy fix (and it was yummy). They also pointed us to a liquor store selling Hubig's. Finally - our last restaurant meal - The Bon Ton Cafe. This place was heavily praised by some, and spoken well of in Eating New Orleans, so we wanted to try it. As hard as we rushed after obtaining our pralines, though, we didn't get there until about 9:10pm (they list their closing time as 9:30). Still, there were others eating there, and we were cheerfully seated. Our server, Pat, was a sweetheart. We decided to do the multi-course option for our meals. I started with Gumbo (shrimp& sausage) - the shrimps were delicious (no going back after an epiphany, I guess, if the product is good). Bob had Turtle Soup - it was the best of the trip. We each enjoyed a nice salad. Then, the wheels sort of came off - my Black Drum grilled with cajun spices, and topped with Onion Rings (with Cream Cauliflower on the side) was so tasty - but the main plate was at a warm-tepid temp and the cauliflower ice cold. Bob's Filet Mignon was ordered medium rare, but came out well done; his side of roasted potatoes was like my cauliflower. The owner/manager apologized and offered us a drink while the sides and steak were remade (Pat offered to reheat my fish - but it was so perfectly cooked, more heat would have ruined it - I did enjoy it; and I really didn’t need another order of Onion Rings, though these were intriguing and probably would have been outstanding had they been hot). We finished, after eating the re-done items, with Bread Pudding and Praline Ice Cream. The hot cauliflower was worth waiting for, since the sauce complimented the fish perfectly. After dessert, Pat told us that the manager/owner had comped our check. He stopped by and again apologized; explaining that the kitchen had started to close up a little early and he would not abide it. We appreciated what he did – but what are the odds that two meals in a row at two great NOLA restaurants could go wrong? Hey, it happens. We would certainly go back to Bon Ton when we are next in town. Wednesday - We checked out of the hotel and munched the leftover NOLA bread pudding and a Hubig's Pie in the lobby. At the Airport, we struggled between trying the Acme outlet or Legend's. When I read a sign that said Legend's is owned by Pampy's, and that it cooks to order, we decided to try it. I got a Jambalaya pasta, which had tasty sausage and tangy sauce, but the shrimp was inedible (oy, such a critic I’ve become on that which I used to not even eat). Bob's Mufellata was pretty good, and half of it wound up coming home. What a wonderful trip - thanks again to those of you who counseled us. We thought Mothers was just too touristy when we peeked in - maybe on another trip we can catch it "off hours" and sample their food. I’m glad we did Commander’s for the experience (and we got to walk through the kitchen twice – cool!) , but I wouldn’t rush to it or Mr. Bs again; there are too many better choices. Definitely, Brigsten’s, Bayona and Ralph’s were standouts. We can’t wait to visit again!

I like Barbara Tropp's technique (from "China Moon") of soaking unrinsed black beans in sherry (or rice wine).

My husband and I have just returned from NOLA (we spent part of our stay at the Monteleone - you should love it!). Consider the Commerce Restuarant for lunch, and Mandina's for a casual supper or lunch. GO to Brigsten's and Bayona. Get the book that Jason refers to in his post, above. It (and his posts) was our bible! The thread that ran through our trip - which started with a 1600 person convention and ended with just us - is that it is hard to get a bad meal in NOLA (though certainly possible - happened to us twice) and that it really is "different strokes for different folks" - we liked Brigsten's better than Bayona, but 2 of our our "foodie" friends rated Bayona better. It also depends on what night you go where. I'm planning a detailed post on our trip shortly.

My husband just had some last week at Carrie Cerrino's in Cleveland, Ohio. I don't even like pork chops, but I tasted his and it was melt-in-your-mouth good. I understand that it is special because it is raised naturally (the word organic was used, but I don't know that it is) and is permitted to have "normal" fat for a pig; much of the "regular" pork products have been deliberately made leaner to respond to health concerns, to the extreme that the meat is dry and flavorless (so my pork chop eating friends tell me).

Welcome, Harlan! Please tell us more about Boulevard Blue. Where is it and what type of food? Also - I keep hearing wonderful things about Three Birds, but I haven't been yet. Another place we haven't mentioned yet is Downtown 140 in Hudson. I haven't been but based on recommendations, I sent my law partners for his birthday and they raved about it.

Re Lolita - someone I know and trust posted the following report (and link to photos!) on the Cleveland Food & Wine Forum: My friend and I were both very impressed with our meal at Lolita. Between the two of us we had two entrees, one soup, two desserts, three "small plates" and one sampler that offered tastes of five more selections from the "small plates" section of the menu. Actually, my dessert was really a sampler of sorts so you might say that I had 17 different tastes. There are some pictures here: http://flickr.com/photos/stuart_spivack/tags/lolita/ Everything was wonderful. My favorites were the spring risotto (with calf's liver and peas) and the lomo but absolutely everything was delicious. There are two things about Lolita that are perfectly suited to my preferences. The first is the selection of small plates. I love the idea of being able to have six small things rather than three big things. If we'd foregone the entrees, I think we could have tried all twenty small plates between the two of us. The other great idea is the salami-of-the-day. The wonderfullness of this should be self-explanatory. It's an irresistable reason for me to return frequently. I'll have plenty of other reasons to go back: beef cheek tortolini with sweetbreads, pastitsio and tiny meatballs will haunt me. Finally, our server was attentive and knowledgable. That was important because we had a lot of questions. So, thanks to Chef Symon for a great meal and for being a gracious host.

Dominic will usually do BER on special order if he has a few days advance notice and enough Blue Eggs; probably easier to get on a weeknight than the weekend.

Blue Canyon in Twinsburg. It's getting alot of good reviews, and I don't know why. Ive been there twice, once for lunch and once for dinner, and everything was either average or below IMHO. I've been to the Canyon a several times. Though we had some service issues on the first visit, the food has always been outstanding, and once the management became aware of the service issues, they bent over backwards to make it up to us. A couple of other higher end steak houses popped up, as well. Had a chance to go to one of them a couple of weeks ago. It's called Red, and it's in Beachwood right next to Moxie. Had a good dinner there. Had a great dinner at Red, also you can't go wrong at Moxie. out over Lake Erie and they serve one of the best pints of Guiness in town. I'm kind of curious about this talk about Carrie Cerino's. Last time I was there (which was several years ago), it was your typical spaghetti and meatballs joint. Good, but not great. Also, the average age of the other diners was 65+. Has it really changed that much? I've lived in Cleveland for over 9 years, and had never been to CCs until I heard about the Blue Egg Ravioli. Since I've become enamoured of the place, I've talked to a lot of native Clevelanders who say the same thing that you did, Ragallach! I'm not sure how long Dominic has been in charge of the kitchen, but it hasn't been more than a couple of years, and it is Dominic's vision that has made all the difference. All of the pastas, sauces, breads and dressings are house made, and they are using organic chicken and the heritage pork product. The other thing about CCs, which we really saw last week when the power went out, was how the "help" is treated as family, which makes a huge difference in the way they treat you as a customer.

I am pretty sure that they only offer BER at dinner. You can have it for appetizer or entree, so long as the power doesn't go out! Last Thursday, we had a 40 person group scheduled for 7pm and at 4:30, the high heat/humidity/Air conditioning factors caused a power failure in North Royalton. Dominic was beside himself, but held his staff there (even after a 30 person party walked out at 6pm, and you couldn't blame them) and said he would wait until 7:30 before giving up on it. We socialized in the parking lot until the power came back on, just after 7pm. The kitchen people scrambled to get everything back "up" for dinner service. Dominic only had enough BER made for appetizers before the blackout hit, but with organic free range pork and Copper River Salmon available for entrees, I don't think anyone felt deprived! Dominic, claiming he needed to buy more time for the kitchen, even gave us a demonstration on fileting a 30# Copper River Salmon! As for Lolita - I would love this! I've been hoping the Cleveland aspect of this forum would perk up a bit so I could meet some of you!

BER used to be strictly a "special advance order" item. Now, they are "on the menu" for dinner the first Friday of every month. In addition, if you email the owner, Chef Dominic Cerrino, in advance, he may be able to provide BER at other times (especially if a group is involved). The biggest problem with making BER a regular daily menu item is that the supply of Blue Eggs is never certain from week to week; also, they are very labor intensive to make and serve. I dined there within the last three weeks with two different groups on Thursdays, and we had BER, but we requested them in advance. Chef Dominic's email address is accessible through CCs website, www.carriecerinos.com.

Kristin - I would love to get to meet you in person! We had a Food & Wine Forum dinner at Carrie Cerrino's last night, and someone there said she went to the opening of Lolita and it was wonderful. There is a "can't miss" item now in Cleveland that isn't in Ethnic Eats (I don't think; I don't have the current one) - Blue Egg Ravioli at Carrie Cerrino's! The Blue Eggs are provided by the Blue Egg Farmer, Kathy Breychak, and they are natural and fresh laid by heritage chickens raised with love and the outdoors. (www.breychak.com). This dish was described by a fellow diner as follows: Exquisite, beautiful large handmade ravioli, filled with a very fine ricotta mixture, topped with one very golden, perfectly soft-cooked egg yolk, its rich golden-ness that could be seen through the translucent pasta envelope. This is a dish that must be immediately "broken into" right when it's served, to experience the perfectly cooked yolk at its peak of flavor and done-ness. The yolk mixes with the cheese, olive oil and sage leaves to form an addictive sauce! BER are made to order, and are available the first Friday of each month. Forty people from the FWF gathered last night to celebrate their addition to the "regular" menu, and despite a 3 hour power failure immediately preceding our dinner, Dominic and his wonderful staff pulled it off. Sorry to be so long - but the short of it is, don't miss this! And, all of the other food at CCs is made from scratch and delicious (I had Copper River Salmon - melted in the mouth, with house made pasta and sauce). www.carriecerinos.com.

Thank you for sharing this! Please let us know when you have put the recipes on line!

Brooks - I am really enjoying this thread! About once every two years, I am in charge of feeding about 175 people - out of a regular hotel room with no kitchen (we make one!). I can never have enough new tricks to pull this off - so you go, guy, and keep those pictures coming! BTW - we make our kitchen as follows: hotel removes beds and chairs from room. We put down a rubber block mat in the bathroom, and set up a work sink from Home Depot over the toilet. We unscrew the showerhead and put on a hose that leads to a garden sprayer that is used to wash dishes in the work sink (the ick falls into the commode and is flushed). A wire rack (shelves with plastic parts that hold them together - got it at KMart) stands in the shower for things to dry on (shower curtain is removed or taped out of the way). The room itself is lined with "classroom" size tables (8 ft but half the width of banquet tables) which are stacked 2 high. Supplies are put on the top level, and the bottom level is used to hold microwaves, 18 qt plub in roaster, and several butane powered burners (can be had in any decent Chinatown). We use these appliances to heat the food. Refrigerators may be rented from an outside source or, our current hotel lets us use a bunch of mini-fridges, which together with coolers, keeps the cold stuff cold until we need it. Most of the food is cooked in advance, frozen, and fridge defrosted within the week of the event.

My mother always put it on the table before the start of the seder, so by the time we ate it, it was no longer refrigerator cold, but not quite room tempurature, either. I think that is how I like it best - slightly chilled.

Just tried two methods suggested by Alton Brown, and they both worked wonderfully! The method we liked better was to steam the eggs for about 12 minutes on a steamer basket over about 1" of water. We also tried baking them, right on the oven racks (with a cookie sheet below just in case) at about 325 degrees for (I think - I'd have to check the book) 20 minutes.

In my house, onion flavored nyafat is a necessity for good matzoh brei. It is also a great lard substitute for making fried rice (not during Passover, though).

I am so jealous of all of you! April 3, my hubby stepped off of the staircase prematurely and landed on the hard tile floor, rupturing both patella tendons. Our Passover trip to NY has been cancelled, and I am too tired and frazzled to even consider a traditional holiday. I did luck into 3 dozen "Blue Eggs" - fresh farmed in Columbia Station Ohio - so I'm going to make my usual brisket, potato kugel (to make it truly pudding-like - use the smallest grating wheel on the Cuisinart, the one for hard cheese that has no holes, to grate the potato and onion), a sweet farfel pudding (lots of eggs and margerine and a touch of apricot), and maybe Matzoh balls if I can find a pre-made soup worthy of putting them in. Thank you for the link to the Cauliflower-leek kugel - I just might try that, too! Chag Samaich to you all, and better luck next year, I guess.

I am sorry to read this and hope all gets better soon - I am still coping with my husband's accident of April 3 - he stepped off of the staircase three steps early and ruptured the patella tendons in both knees! So - someone in your hometown (Cleveland) is feeling your pain, sort of. Heal soon!