Posts Tagged ‘family dinners’
Just because I didn’t blog during the Thanksgiving weekend doesn’t mean I wasn’t thinkin’ about you all…
as I stuffed my face 
Around the plate (clockwise) – sweet potatoes, the best stuffing in the world (recipe to come – it features CORNBREAD!), cranberry relish (from of Williams Sonoma and worth EVERY PENNY), turkey and corn.
Also consumed: lots of bread and butter. and more butter
And I obviously had more than one serving of sweet potatoes and stuffing — I mean, I am eating for two and what the Little asks for, the Little gets (lest I want to be ferociously kicked all day)
The most delicious thing I ate this Thanksgiving was….
my Mama’s sweet bread, mashed sweet potatoes, cornbread/apple/sausage stuffing and of course, Maple Walnut Cake
What was the most delicious thing you ate this Thanksgiving?
Confession Obvious statement: I love cheese
OK, that’s an understatement. I ADORE cheese. I CRAVE cheese. I DREAM in cheese. You get the point. Me and cheese are pretty tight.
For all you other cheese lovers out there, what if I told you I had a brilliant idea? A restaurant where the focus was: cheese. Gouda, cheddar, provolone, blue, you name it, it’s on the menu! Then what if I told you that the featured dish would be a GRILLED CHEESE sandwich — 20 different ways. Grilled cheese and veggies? DONE! Grilled cheese, onions and pierogies? DUH! Grilled cheese with bacon and fried egg? PLEASE! The list goes on…
You’d probably be pretty stoked, huh?
Too bad someone else already thought of it.
MELT.
Lucky for me a NEW location just opened up in my neighborhood (the original is on the West Side).
Melt in numbers:
5: people in our party (me, the Mister, mom, dad, bro)
90: minutes we were told the wait was
3: times we fed the parking meeter
6: times I nagged my mom to ask how much time was left before we got to sit down
1: times she actually asked
115: minutes we actually waited
3: times the Christmas Story played (the run it on a loop in the TVs)
20: plastic lawn ornaments I counted (before I lost track)
24: Grilled cheese sandwiches to choose from
12: times my stomach growled
3: Sandwiches really I wanted
60: minutes we waited for our sandwiches
3: times I tried to convince my family it’d be worth it
8: iced tea refills
5: happy tummies
Was it worth it? For me, yes. While the wait was really annoying, it gave me time to catch up with my family and spend quality time together with minimal distractions (other than my growling stomach). The food was, as expected, delicious.
I ordered the Grilled Peanut Butter, Banana and Cream Cheese Sandwich.
Dear Melt, next time, don’t skimp on the peanut butter, OK? After waiting for a few hours, I think I deserve more than a tablespoon. Otherwise, delish.
The Mister ordered the West Side Monte Cristo, which included honey ham, smoked turkey, swiss, american, beer battered and mixed berry preserves
He compared it to an orgasm. I had a bite and tend to agree. TMI? It’s OK we’re all friends.
My brother ordered The Big Popper, which had fresh jalapeno peppers, cheddar & herbed cream cheese, beer battered and mixed berry preserves.
I can’t remember what my dad ordered. And I didn’t dare get within his personal space to investigate — I know better than to mess with a hungry man
My mom was a whimp and ordered a salad. Don’t bother, I already made fun of her.
Which sandwich would you have chosen or what would make up your perfect grilled cheese sandwich?
Remember when I told you that Cleveland is a pretty big deal when it comes to food? Here’s more proof that I wasn’t lying. Yep, the well respected Food & Wine Magazine recently awarded “Best New Chef” to Greenhouse Tavern’s Jonathon Sawyer. (Michael Symon won the award back in 1998)
Certified as the first Green restaurant in Ohio, the Greenhouse Tavern uses environmentally friendly ingredients and utilizes recycled materials, highly developed models of composting and alternate sources of energy. In addition, the restaurant promotes the farm to plate movement by working with local farms and farmers to provide the freshest, local produce.
Check out those lights and how they’ve utilized bicycle tires!
Everyone at the table decided to take advantage of the tasting menu. The tasting menu allows you to pick a 1st course, a second course, a main course and either a side or dessert. You get all of this for only $39! Yes, it can seem a bit pricey for one person, but look at just how many different dishes you get to try! And when you go with a big group it’s even more fun- as long as your crowd is OK with sharing
For my first course, I chose the breakfast radishes, which were served cold with butter, lemon zest & sea salt. These were so refreshing! Incredibly crispy. The heat of the radish was balanced out nicely by the smooth, creamy butter and salt.
My next dish was grilled artichokes and sauteed mushrooms. I’m not sure what sauce or seasonings were used, but they were incredible! I had a hard time sharing this dish with outhers.
My main dish was… interesting. I had absolutely no idea what to expect. The dish was called Puttanesca. Puttanesca is a type of sauce made with tomatoes, capers and OLIVES. Call me insane, but I HATE olives. Of course that would have been nice to know before I ordered the dish. To be fair, I did not ask if the dish had olives in it. And at this point I should probably mention the amazingness that is The Greenhouse Tavern staff. They were all so incredibly helpful and also brought over a few complimentary dishes to make sure our table got the full tasting experience. Anyway, back to my Puttanesca. Aside from the fact that olives make me want to heave, I enjoyed this dish as much as I could. The roasted tomatoes were cooked perfectly and created sweet explosions with every bite. Those few bites alone made the dish worth it. Best dish I tried (and sadly don’t have a photo of): Half Roasted Chicken in Brioche Bread.
Oh dear. There are no words. I will be going back to order this dish for myself. And there will be no sharing, I assure you.
Instead of ordering dessert (the horror!) I ordered beluga lentils. Best decision I made. Why? Because these were addictingly succulent. Well, and everyone else was pretty much full by this point, so I had most of their dessert. They don’t call me a genius for nothing. Oh wait, they just don’t call me a genius at all.
Unfortunately I don’t have photos of the incredible desserts — which is probably a good thing, since you all think I’m a pig already – why add fuel to the fire?
One of the things I loved so much about this meal was the fact that I WAS NOT uncomfortably full afterwards! How nice to enjoy so many different dishes and not feel sick! I chalk this up to The Greenhouse’s perfect portions – just right for tasting and enjoying, without over doing it.
This was an incredible meal, enjoyed with my beautiful family set to a soundtrack of laughter and great conversation. I really can’t think of a better way to spend an evening. Too bad my Mister had to miss out. Oh well, now we get to go again
Have you taken advantage of a tasting menu before? What was your experience like?