Posts Tagged ‘restaurant review’

Daily Delish – MELT

May 26th, 2010

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?

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Daily Delish – The Greenhouse Tavern

April 19th, 2010

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?

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Daily Delish: What’s the BEST breakfast joint in your city?

March 4th, 2010

I went out to breakfast with my family a few weeks ago (don’t worry it was before lent!).

You all know how high breakfast ranks on my list, and I always enjoy trying new places. So I convinced my family to go to Scrambler Marie’s, a fairly new place in town. Scrambler Marie’s has about 5 other locations, throughout Ohio.

From the restaurant’s website:

Scrambler Maries’ is a family owned restaurant concept open from 6:30am to 3:00pm every day. It was begun in 1990 by Shain and Phil Buerk of Toledo, Ohio at its original location which continues to operate today on Secor Road. Because it is a family business most of the Buerk family has been involved in the operation at some time. Even Phil’s wife and Shain’s Mom Deby Marie continues to hostess in the restaurants. The recipes for the original menu which remains relatively unchanged came from Phil’s background in the food service industry as a multiple unit Wendy’s franchisee; Shain’s experience in the breakfast business; and advice and suggestions from all of the family whose names the menu carries.

How cool is it that this place is TRULY family owned and operated? These types of places are always the best (in my experience), yet they rarely get the press and recognition. Let’s do somehting about that.

Please leave a comment telling me where you live and your favorite breakfast spot(s)! Now I’ll know where to go to breakfast when I’m traveling ;)

Cleveland’s BEST: Original Pancake House, Lucky’s, First Watch (I know it’s a chain, but it’s a small one!), Chicago Deli, The Inn on Coventry and Scrambler Marie’s

Check out that delectable egg white omlette filled with spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes and swiss cheese. Served with SALSA, of course!

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Daily Delish – Sweet treats, sweeter company!

February 17th, 2010

Last Friday I had a girl’s night. I don’t have them often, as I don’t have many close female friends in the area (all of them are far away!). But I am SO happy that I did and I see MANY MORE in my future ;)

My friend Jenn and I went out for dinner and dessert and then took in a chick flick. To wrap up the film: Dear John, your movie sucked.

But it was OK because I had some delicious food at NAYA, great conversation and many laughs. The highlight of our meal, of course, was the DESSERT. This was the first time I had ever ordered dessert at NAYA, so I wasn’t sure what to expect.

We ordered the Peanut Butter Crunch and the Chocolate and Chili Bread Pudding.

They did not disappoint.

Peanut Butter Crunch - NAYA Bistro

This circle of heaven had a layer of crispy chocolate (cross between crunch bar, chocolate rice cake and rice krispie treat) with a layer of peanut butter mousse and was topped off with chocolate ganache. Seasoned with MORE chocolate ganache. Need I say more?

I had no idea what to expect with this dish! The waitress explained it as Chocolate Bread Pudding with a kick! That obviously made me very nervous (since I am such a whimp), but she assured me that my taste buds could handle it. She was right — this was so yummy! Tasted just like chocolate bread pudding, but definitely had that extra kick to excite your taste buds for more! While this quite tasty, I still preferred the peanut butter treat – shocking, I know!

Jenn — thanks for the fantastic evening! I look forward to many more! xo

Which of these treats do you think you would have preferred?

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Daily Delish – The equation for a perfect evening

February 16th, 2010

Good eats+ good service + better company = perfection

As you all know, the Mister and I celebrated Valentine’s Day at home with a classy dinner and indulgent dessert. But we still wanted to go out on the town! So on Saturday night, we treated ourselves to a fancy dinner before we went to see the Broadway touring show, In the Heights (which was amazing, by the way).

We decided to try a spot that has been on my list for AGES. Michaelangelo’s, a fine establishment just across the street from us, has received rave reviews since it opened its doors in 2006. In fact, last year the restaurant was Zagat Rated!

Review highlights:

This romantic retreat offers authentic Northern Italian Cuisine from chef/co-owner Michael Annandoro, along with an extensive selection of wines and a stylish bar area. With a large fireplace for winter and a patio for warmer weather, its an ideal choice for a special night out.

We started with the house multi-grain bread and flavored olive oil.

We ordered our “go-to” Italian appetizer, which is normally any dish that includes mozzarella and prosciutto. As soon as we spotted the “Bufala,” we knew we had to have it. Described on the menu as buffalo mozzarella, prosciutto di parma and roasted red peppers, this dish was the perfect way to kick off our dinner. The mozzarella was rich, creamy and a great match for the salty prosciutto.

Knowing that I’d be ordering an indulgent treat, I thought it would be best to order something light. But light and healthy doesn’t mean flavorless – NO SIREE. This simple arugula salad was packed with incredible flavors! I loved the rich quality of the olive oil and the lemon was such a refreshing touch. You can’t see it in the photo, but the salad contained minced garlic and onion, as well as salty, savory Parmesan cheese. The Mister stole a few bites and proclaimed it to be one of the best salads he’s ever tasted.

For my “dinner” I ordered the Minestrone soup. Without a doubt, this was the heartiest Minestrone I’ve ever had. This thing was chock-full of root vegetables and beans — so filling! It had quite a kick, too (luckily my whimpy taste buds could handle it, though!).

The Mister was kind enough to let me pick from all the decadent dessert offerings. In addition to the standard menu, the serve explained some of the Valentine’s Day features. I heard the words “chocolate bomb” and was sold. The chocolate coating contained rich and creamy chocolate mousse – like a little present from the chocolate Gods! While some chocolate dishes can be too rich and quickly weigh you down, this was the perfect balance. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

The Mister and I decided that we’ll be heading back to Michaelangelo’s very soon. But this time we BOTH plan on ordering soup and salad  – that way we’ll have room for an extra dessert!

This was such a great evening! The ambiance of the restaurant was very romantic and I loved every minute of chatting with the Mister and enjoying his company. Let’s face it, Valentine’s Day dinners have a pretty bad rep. From noisy and over-crowded restaurants, to poor service and cold food, I’ve heard all the horror stories. But if anything, Michaelangelo’s went above and beyond to make sure our dining experience was special. Our waiter was so helpful and attentive and we never felt rushed (unlike my LAST dining experience). If you live in the Cleveland area, make sure you give Michaelangelo’s a try for your next special occasion — they’ll make sure you leave with some great memories ;)

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