David Ross

For these eggs I used mayonnaise, (bottled store-bought), champagne vinegar, Dijon mustard, chopped dill and chopped capers. I typically use homemade mayonnaise which isn't as thick and pasty as the store-bought stuff. I like the suggestions above about using a bit of horseradish for some extra kick.

Ever since we had a wonderful dish of "Bacon and Eggs" at AMP 150 in Cleveland, (see the report here), I've been craving more deviled eggs. Tonight I did Deviled Eggs with some Lox-Style Smoked Salmon, (Sockeye from Alaska). Delicious.

I remember attending a discussion of Food Writers at Uncork'd in Las Vegas about 5 years ago. On the Panel were John Curtas, aka EatingLV.com, Max Jacobson, Las Vegas Food Writer, Barbara Fairchild, at the time Editor of Bon Appetit, and Alan. John, Max and Alan all remarked that they didn't really place much emphasis on service, at least not when they reviewed a restaurant and put it in print. It was more about the food. A review either lacked the space for remarks about service or it barely merited a credit. Barbara was somewhat surprised that such experienced Food Journalists wouldn't have been more concerned about the importance of service. Mind you, John, Max and Alan value the importance of service, but based on what I heard that day, it sounded as though service was as far down on their list of priorities as the quality of the toilet paper in the restrooms. Unfortunately, the words Alan and his comrades spoke about service at that panel discussion caught up with him. Yet I give Alan credit for self-disclosing that service does matter and a poor service experience can't be forgiven. A gentleman with his influence can have an impact on the service at a restaurant regardless of whether it's at the level of Le Bernadin or the local Mom and Pop Chinese dumpling shop. We cannot forgive rude, unprofessional, unpolished service and we can't forgive restaurant owners who hire poor servers and don't give them appropriate customer service training.

I like the idea of a mix of experiences, from a Cheesesteak and a Chocolate Malt up to fine dining. I really enjoyed the Westside Market in Cleveland-we just don't have that type of old-style market on a large-scale in the Pacific Northwest. I'm looking forward to the markets in Philadelphia-and maybe a good Italian bakery. I've never eaten Italian-American "gravy" and spaghetti so that sounds tempting.

If you enjoyed the Pork with Sweet Bean Paste and Crispy Rice Stick Noodles, here's the recipe: Noodles- 1 package dried rice stick noodles Canola Oil Heat the oil to 350 in a deep pot or deep fryer. Break the rice stick noodles into pieces about 4" long. Drop a small bunch of the rice stick noodles in the hot oil and let them deep fry until they fully puff up, about 15-20 seconds. Drain on paper towels. I season the fried noodles with Togarishi seasoning. Pork- 6 green onions, cut into fine julienne 1 pork tenderloin, cut into thin strips 2 tbsp. Chinese rice wine 2 tbsp. soy sauce 1/3 cup water 1 tbsp. sesame oil 1 tbsp. cornstarch 1/4 cup canola oil Fresh ginger, minced Fresh garlic, minced Dried red chilies Place the julienned green onions in a bowl of ice water and cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Place the pork in a large bowl. In another bowl, add the rice wine, soy sauce, water, sesame oil and cornstarch and stir to combine. Add the marinade to the pork and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate, letting the pork marinate for at least two hours. Sauce- 1/3 cup sweet red bean paste 1/2 cup Chinese rice wine 1 tbsp. cornstarch 2 tbsp. sugar Chinese black vinegar Toasted Sesame Seeds Combine the bean paste, rice wine, cornstarch, sugar and Chinese Black Vinegar to taste in a bowl. Heat the canola oil in a large wok over high heat, add the ginger, garlic and dried red chilies and quickly stir-fry. Add the marinated pork to the wok and stir-fry until the pork is just done. Stir in the sauce and let the pork continue to cook until the sauce thickens. Check the seasoning and add salt, pepper and more Chinese black vinegar to taste. To serve, place a small mound of the fried rice stick noodles in the center of a plate. Spoon some of the pork on top of the rice stick noodles. Garnish the pork with toasted sesame seeds and some of the julienned green onions.

I use tomatillos in salsa, but I will roast them first to get some char on the skins or I'll put them in a vegetable basket and roast them on the barbecue to get both char and some smoke flavor. It boosts the flavor of your salsa verde just a bit.

Our final meal was brunch this morning with Chef Jeff Jarrett at AMP 150 at the Cleveland Marriott. This is not your typical branded hotel restaurant. There is a focus on local, seasonal ingredients and many of the dishes incorporate vegetables and herbs from the large,on-site garden. And what hotel do you know of that has it's own beehive on the roof so that the bee's can pollinate the vegetables in the garden? This last meal of our Heartland Gathering was for me, the most cohesive menu and the best meal I had in Cleveland. Each dish sang the praises of the bounty of Ohio in 7 delicious courses. Local Watermelon Shooter, with Local Honey and Citron Vinegar- "Bacon & Eggs," Deviled Egg, Benton's Bacon, Creme Fraiche, Chives- Chef told us that the kitchen has about 100lbs. of Benton Bacon, (Tennessee), on hand at all times. "Bacon & Eggs," Sous Vide (2hour) Egg, Lardoons, Frisee, Broken Red Wine Vinaigrette- Squash Blossoms, Housemade Ricotta, Green Tomato Jam with Mint- "Chicken & Waffles," Buttermilk Fried Livers, Chive Waffle, Kimchee Kraut, Ohio Maple Gastrique- The Gastrique was made from a mixture of Ohio Maple Syrup, Apple Cider Vinegar, Vanilla and Star Anise. "Bacon & Eggs," Braised Pork Belly, Cremini, Fingerlings, Smoked Gouda and Fried Egg- This was Chef's take on Eggs Benedict, with the Pork Belly serving as the "Bacon" and the Smoked Gouda worked into a sauce as the "Hollandaise." Peach, Local Goat Cheese & Jalapeno Bavarian, Peach Caramel, Pine Nut Shortbread, Honey-Baked Peaches-

Symon wasn't at Lolita when we were there, but you wouldn't have known the difference-the kitchen was putting out really good dishes and the restaurant was full.

Wow, what a display of delicious foods last night at Farenheit, Lolita and Dante. I lost track of all the dishes after about 3 bites of the first appetizers. My favorites from last night were the Fried Chicken Livers and Mushrooms on Polenta at Lolita and the Pepper-Crusted Duck with Ginger-Mango Vinaigrette at Dante. Anyone else out there have a favorite dish from Thursday night?

Last night I had dinner at Zack Bruell's Chinato. What a wonderful experience-simple,Italian "peasant-style" dishes in a relaxed atmosphere with superior service and a comfortable, everyone-having-a-good time personality. I started with the Grilled Sardines with Parsley and Olive Salad- Then followed with the Tongue with Salsa Verde. So simple and plain sounding, but it was the most expressive, flavorful tongue dish you will ever sample. The tongue had been slowly braised until fork tender, but then, something I would have never imagined-the tongue was sliced in medallions and pan-seared. A blend of both soft meat with a crispy exterior. And the "verde" was made from pea shoots and chard, along with a good dose of lemon, olive oil and red pepper flakes. Dessert was Almond Panna Cotta. For the first two courses I asked the Waiter to select a glass of wine to go with these challenging dishes-oily, grilled sardines, then rich beef. He didn't disappoint-the mark of a great Waiter. I chose the dessert wine and it was sadly not up to the mark. Leave it to me to try to select a wine for Panna Cotta. The prices are incredibly reasonable for food of this quality and such fabulous service. (The bread probably outshines everything). The Tongue entree was a mere $17. That's a bargain from the prices I am used to in Seattle and Las Vegas. Cleveland you have a gem in Chinato.

I'll need a ride to the events this evening if someone can help. I'm downtown at the Embassy Suites. Thanks.

That's for carry on. I think DR is checking a bag. Oops, you're right. David, you'll have to leave your ammo and dynamite at home, but the sweet bean paste is probably OK. Well, the bean sauce and the Chinese Rice Wine survived the muster of the TSA checking into my checked bag. Unfortunately, my socks did not. I left them at home.

While my first report is not a part of the "formal" scheduled events, tonight I had dinner at Chinato on E. 4th downtown. Suffice it to say that I am very impressed with the local Ohio products that they employed in dishes like Grilled Sardines with Parsley and Olive Salad and Beef Tongue with Salsa Verde. Italian "Peasant" dishes if you will with a unique twist using locally sourced ingredients. I'll post a bit more tommorrow.

Dave - you can get into someone's car after lunch to go to Crop and back to downtown. Beth - would you be willing to pick Dave up and take him to VTR Friday? VTR back to GHT will be easy, and your hotel is a walk or easy ride with almost anyone after dinner. Dave - do you know whether you want to shop at the Farmers' Market or the West Side Market on Saturday? I think West Side Markets fits with what I need.

I going to head over to Chinato and be there about 630p this evening, (if I don't get lost walking from my hotel). I'll be able to walk over to the food truck on Friday since it's a few blocks from my hotel, but I'll need transportation for everything else.

David - what time are you planning for? I'm totally open. I'll arrive about 230p tommorrow and should be at the hotel by 330p.

Anyone arriving early for the events feel free to join me for dinner on Wednesday evening at Chinato. Nancy highly recommends it and the menu is quite interesting.

Thanks for the schedule. 10:30 Sunday sounds good to me, perfect time to cut-over from Bloody Mary's to Cocktails.

Geesh. Rules, rules, rules. Doesn't the TSA know how important Sweet Bean Paste is to the fate of the world?

I think Westside Market may be best for pork, garlic, ginger and green onions. I'll probably also need to take a look into Narrin's Spice and Sauce shop. Hopefully the TSA won't bust the things I'm bringing in my checked bag like sweet red bean paste and Chinese black vinegar. I couldn't find anything on the TSA website that Chinese vinegar is a prohibited item.

While some of us may turn up our noses at the technique, baking fish is an easy option for cooks without a lot of experience, i.e. landlocked, and can result in very good fish done in a short amount of time with few ingredients. And, it's virtually foolproof. One recipe that I use comes from Eric Ripert, Le Bernadin. You basically oven-poach fish in a fragrant stock. You pour a stock in a baking pan, lay the fish in the stock, then bake just until tender. The stock keeps the fish moist and the dry-heat of the oven cooks the fish. Easy for any cook, it's fast and it gives great results. Most landlocked cooks won't want to buy fish bones, (if they can even get them), and make a proper fish stock. So an option is bottled clam juice, white wine and a bit of water. Add some diced carrot, onion, bay leaf and a few peppercorns. That's a mild stock that won't overpower the fish. Pour the stock into a baking dish, add the fish, filets, steaks or whole fish will work. The stock should come up to about half the thickness of the fish. Cover the dish with foil and into a 400 oven. A 1" thick piece of salmon will oven-poach to a nice doneness in about 12 minutes. The landlocked crowd may prefer their salmon a bit more done than the medium-rare we prefer. Now when the landlocked get a little more adventurous, oven-poaching fish in olive oil is also an easy method that give good results. There are lots of recipes online for oven-poached fish.

Thank you. It's my pleasure to share both the personal and historical aspects of the story and how the dreams of a boy winning a cake turned into the discoveries of an adult--and how the theme of a Cakewalk played a part in shaping our culture.

Simple and delicious with one of my favorite salad dressings from the 70's. Grilled Game Hen with Summer Vegetables, Preserved Lemon and "Green Goddess" Dressing-

That looks delicious. A perfect summer salad.

Nancy, we had talked earlier about a lunch on Thursday at an Eastern European restaurant, and I think somewhere along the way was discussion about a trip to a butcher shop. Are those off the schedule now? I'm in for everything as I'll be arriving Wed. and staying until Mon. morning.