Showing posts with label polenta. Show all posts
Showing posts with label polenta. Show all posts

Friday, December 31, 2010

Fun Playing with Palate Pleasing Food

We've known Cleveland-area Chef Jeffrey Jarrett for almost five years and we are excited that Chef Jeff  has finally opened his own restaurant - Palate, in Strongsville.  After sous cheffing for Matthew Mathlage (The Leopard, Aurora Ohio and Light Bistro, Ohio City) and Dante Bocuse (Dante, Tremont), he most recently ran the kitchens at Lockkeepers in Valley View and  North End in Hudson. Even more important, he and his wife Tammy have five children - three by the normal methods (apologies to Harry Chapin) and two adopted from orphanages in China. Both of the adoptees are special needs children. Jasmine is vision impaired, and sweet Jewel completely blind. Jeff and Tammy (and their  three boys) are themselves very special for taking these two children into their hearts and home - it tells you something about the people behind the food at this particular restaurant. So, be aware before I even start my discussion of Palate, that I am biased in favor of Jeff.

Bob and I were excited to be invited to the Palate "Friends and Family" preview evening on Monday, December 27. My food blogging friend Tom had already made a reservation for us to dine at Palate on its "official" opening night that followed, so what follows is drawn from two nights' experience at Palate. (You can read Tom's description of our Palate dinner at Exploring Food My Way).

The tables are covered in white linen, and the front of the house does a fine job living up to those white tablecloths. Service is attentive and knowledgeable. Fresh cracked pepper was offered with each course as appropriate to the dishes ordered. The table was de-crumbed and silverware replaced as needed throughout dinner. Glasses were re-filled promptly. The dining experience is simply a delight.

Palate's menu presently contains six items each in the "small plates" and "greens/soups" categories, and 10 entree options. This presents the diner with choice, but not so much choice as to be overwhelmed. Even so, after two visits, we still haven't tasted everything that looked appealing on the menu.


Bread is made in house by Sous Chef Lauren Stephenson, and served with luxuriously soft butter.

citrus-cured hamachi, beets, horseradish cream, pickled red onion, lemon basil vinaigrette

The photo above is from our second dinner and represents two portions ($5 per portion).  I loved this dish both times I ate it - pristine fish and tender beets contrast with the pickled onions and horseradish creme. I loved every component on this plate, though I wanted more horseradish intensity in the creme. But then, we grow horseradish in our backyard.

buttermilk fried chicken livers, cheesy polenta, spiced honey, grilled scallion salad

The livers were very good - crunchy on the outside and gentle on the inside. I especially liked the creamy polenta, which paired marvelously with a bite of the liver and the spiced honey.

crab cake, corn flake, candied hot peppers, apple butter

This plate contains two pieces of the crab cake, which is served by the piece (like the hamachi, $5 per piece). I loved the candied hot peppers, which contrasted nicely with the crab meat.

soup of the moment

Tonight's soup was potato, bacon and cheese. Pure comfort food, well executed. 

fried goat cheese, roasted beets & apples, greens, cranberry honey gastrique

Bob and I shared this the first night, and Tom enjoyed it on Tuesday - it was one of my favorites. Crispy, yet creamy goat cheese patties top a salad that is bigger than it looks. Packed with texture from the beets and apples and intense flavor from the gastrique - I could eat a big plate of this for dinner and be a happy girl!


palate Caesar - romaine, dressing, brioche crouton, roasted garlic/parmesan meringue

Is Strongsville ready for a salad that has real anchovies in it? I hope so, because I adored this salad! I'm not generally a huge anchovy fan, but the combination of flavors and textures on this plate totally worked for me.  Caesar salad is traditionally started by combining raw egg, garlic, salt and anchovy filet and creaming them together - we learned about this at The Leopard, where it was prepared tableside for us (before Jeff's tenure there).  Jeff here skillfully plays with those elements and makes them tasty and approachable. The warm meringue covered the egg component, and had a touch of sweetness that played very nicely off of the subtle fish flavor from the tasted-but-not-seen anchovy. The house-made brioche croutons broke easily and provided nice crunch against the creamy garlic, and just the right amount of absorbency without getting soggy. Did I mention that I adored this salad?

In fact, all of the salads we tasted both nights were fabulous - not a bad note among them. 


mache pit - goat cheese, pistachio, honey, pomegranate, lemon vinaigrette

Order this salad and you'll fully understand why it is served in a clear bowl. It is fun to play with (the name describes how it is put together) and fun to eat! Bob had this Monday, our friend Edsel ordered it on Tuesday - it is a true "mache pit," built from the bottom up.

braised beef short rib, parsnip polenta, garden vegetables, pan sauce

Bob's Tuesday entree was a Jeff Jarrett signature - short rib. Cooked nicely, with a hint of chocolate in the sauce - this plate was so good that Bob even ate his broccoli!

scallops, celery root puree, apple slaw, gremolata, salsa verde

Both of our dining companions ordered this entree and reported their enjoyment. The scallop I tasted was cooked perfectly, and Edsel did let me also steal a swipe of the creamy celery puree. Yum.

The great consistency Bob and I noted in both meals was the veritable perfection in the purees, vegetables and sauces (in almost infinite variation of styles) on the plates. Jeff is truly gifted at creating unique plate elements that work on all levels -  visual, smell, taste, texture and with some, playfulness. Our only complaint was that some plates needed a larger quantity of some of these accouterments, but I expect that this will work itself out as the kitchen becomes more accustomed to plating Jeff's creations. Of course, Jeff also excels at good old fashioned comfort foods - hold the gastrique, candied fruits, vinaigrettes, meringues, confits, and gremolatas, and you get my Tuesday entree:

flat iron steak, mac n’ cheese, braised green beans



The. Best. Mac N Cheese. Ever. Nothing fancy or cutting edge; no pork or seafood. Just a perfect custard-like texture, rich cheesy flavor and crispy topping. 



The green beans were braised with bacon, and tasted so good that I had to share them with my tablemates. I mean, who gets that excited about winter green beans?



The steak was cooked to a perfect medium-rare and had nice crusting accented by cracked black pepper and other seasonings. Oh, and what do you know - there was a small pool of sauce on that plate after all. Shhhh - this was still an amazing plate of completely approachable, familiar, and satisfying food.

Lauren's desserts are a veritable bargain at $5 each:


deconstructed s’more: marshmallow meringue, graham cracker sablĂ©, chocolate ganache

I loved the meringue, and any dish that invites play prior to ingestion works in my book. The warm topping nicely melted the chocolate onto the cookie.


beet parfait: pomegranate molasses, spicy chocolate cookie, chocolate curl

Beet desserts seem to be the fashion in Cleveland this year, and this one does not disappoint. If you like beets at all, you should love this dish. I loved the combination of the beet sorbet with the chocolate curl.


dark chocolate mousse, devils food cake, dried cherries, parmesan tuille

Bob and I shared this dessert the first night and Tom got it the second - and all who tasted it pronounced it "plate licking" good. Though we all agreed that the cheese in the tuille clashed a little with the chocolate - the dessert as a whole tasted so good that a little clash didn't matter. The two types of chocolate paired with cherry combined deliciously.

I need to note that, as is customary, the Friends and Family night meal was comped. The next night, the four of us enjoyed dinner expecting to pay for our meals, but at the end, we were again comped (thank you Jeff!).

As with any restaurant open for less than a week, Palate still has a few kinks to work out. But I am confident that Chef Jeff, General Manager Christopher Von Alt, and their staff will do their utmost to provide a completely enjoyable dining experience should you venture to Strongsville and visit with them. And with price points between $4-8 for small plates and $13-20 for entrees, I am already looking forward to a return!

A few months before opening Palate, Jeff joined with Cleveland chefs Brian Okin and Ellis Cooley (AMP 150) to start Dinner in the Dark. Each month, a group of chefs prepare a multi-course wine dinner for an audience willing to dine without advance notice of who is cooking or what is being cooked. All proceeds from each dinner are donated to a different charity. The next event is January 17, at Palate, and will benefit the Cleveland Sight Center. Please call Palate at (440) 238-8500 to make your 6:30pm reservation ($65). We'll be there, and we hope that you will be too!

Palate on Urbanspoon

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Fun Playing With Dante Boccuzzi and Sushi, and a Pitch for a Great Cause

 

Saturday night, we joined the rest of Cleveland Ohio at a cocktail party celebrating the impending opening of the new Dante Restaurant in Tremont Ohio. Some folks didn't get it, but it is a very authentic Italian "thing" to invite the whole community in for a cocktail when starting a new venture - and Chef Dante Boccuzzi did it with style. And fun, fun, fun.

This Chef is an amazing young man. After battling cancer and chemo - he (together with his charming wife, who was checking coats and greeting guests this hideously cold and snowy, and busy, Saturday night) has rebounded to turn an historic bank building into a beautiful dining space. A sushi bar will open downstairs in the spring. But Saturday night it was all about the main Dante space in the main floor of the former bank. The architectural details were meticulously preserved (including the bank's decals on the front door, and the "vault" room, with a cozy 4-top and a carnivore's-eye view of the salumi locker), with lots of new touches added. Unfortunately for me, the crowds did nothing to enhance the somewhat dim lights, so most of my photos are lacking - but I offer you the best that I could do.


Meat Slicer

Not quite as colorful as the one at Michael Symon's Lolita - but fully serviceable nevertheless.


Cheese and Salumi

Though I don't know this for sure, I expect that the salumi was house-made, and sliced on the above slicer. And I most enjoyed my tastes of both.


Sushi Being Constructed in the Kitchen

The entire restaurant was laid open to us - the kitchen is brand new and shiny, and features a 6-seat maximum "chef's table" that lays the process open to all who are willing to give up the beautiful dining room to  view stainless steel and sweat instead.


Fresh Crab Sushi

Yuppers - no crab stick for Chef Dante - this is the real deal, with a lovely green roe atop. Sorry - I failed to get a photo of the Hamachi sushi, which was most tasty.




Butternut Squash Soup

Nutty, cinnamon-y, and most delicious - these soup shots delighted all who tasted them!



Not Exactly Arancini


Traditionally, Arancini or arancine are fried (or, less commonly, baked) rice balls coated with breadcrumbs, said to have originated in Sicily in the 10th century. Chef Dante's version were filled with creamy cheese and smooth polenta - simply lovely!

 


Smoked Salmon, Aoli over House-Made Gauffrette

This bite was also wonderful.


Cake with Espresso Taste

I actually liked this, even though Bob got most of my espresso-filled tasting tube. I expect nothing but good things on the dessert side of the new Dante.

Six of us had tucked ourselves, fairly early, into one of the "first-come, first-sit" tables - but Dante (the restaurant, not the Chef!) got so frenetic, crowded and noisy that we decided to repair to Parallax for some "dinner" food and a gentler scene. Though we were sad to leave, we were comforted by the knowledge that we'd be back soon, for a full meal!

Unfortunately for me, the light at Parallax wasn't much better than the light at Dante had been, so most of my photos were 86'd. Here are a couple of views of my sushi plate - Dante had whetted my appetite with his lovely sushi, and Chef Zach Bruell finished me off with fresh and tasty salmon and tuna:








Bob opted for Grilled Hanger Steak with truffled cauliflower, parmesan fingerlings and cabernet sauce, but you don't want to see those photos - though I tasted, and can assure you, it was perfectly cooked and a very tasty, if not photogenic in low light, dish. My taste of Fred's tempura was likewise delicious.

And now, a "commercial," from Cleveland Foodie Michelle V:

Do good. Eat Good.

After writing this blog for nearly four years, I think I can safely make some assumptions about you, my readers. Assumption one: you like food.  Two: you like food prepared by one of our many talented chefs. Three: You’re pro Cleveland and will always support local when able. Four: You care about this community and supporting others when in need. Five: You have $5.
(and I’m willing to bet you’d happily exchange that $5 for free dinner out the rest of the year.)
After meeting Farming Lee Jones, I learned about the Veggie U initiative, a national program that promotes the well-being of children through a healthy lifestyle with a focus on making wise food choices, combating adolescent and juvenile disease, and attaining an understanding of sustainable agriculture. The program is embraced and loved by teachers and students alike. Locally, 150 schools in the Cleveland Metro School District have been using the 4th grade Veggie U science program. Unfortunately, they don’t have any funding to continue as $200 per classroom is needed to fund the kits.
On the way home from that initial meeting and fabulous dinner, we had an idea to try to help these students and teachers. Would you be willing to donate a minimum of $5 to help this cause? That’s your morning Starbucks. If we all help and spread the word, we have an opportunity to make a difference here. And if you’ve watched the news lately, you know Cleveland students can use a little bit of good news.
If you donate $5 to Veggie U, you will automatically be entered to win more than $1,200 worth of gift cards to all your favorite eateries and shops. Want to increase your odds? Donate $10, $25, $50 or more (I promise you won’t miss $25). For every $5 you donate, you will earn another entry into the drawing. The more you donate, the greater your chance of winning. You have until February 13 to donate and be entered. It’s easy – just call 419.499.7500 ext 119; you must reference Cleveland Foodie (a winner will be picked using random.org).
As soon as we worked out all the details with Veggie U, I reached out to the chefs and owners to share the idea and ask for support. Almost immediately I started to hear back. The backing of our food community and willingness to work together to help all sorts of causes beyond this is inspiring, admirable and personally greatly appreciated by myself. Thank you to everyone for your generosity and willingness to pitch in.
One incredibly lucky diner will spend the year eating and drinking their way throughout Cleveland:
Western Reserve Wine / $50 gift card
Tartine / $50 gift card
Momocho / $50 gift card (Eric Williams also generously donated an additional $200 to fund one classroom)
Lola / $50 gift card
The Greenhouse Tavern / $50 gift card
Heinen’s / $100 gift card
Blue Canyon / $50 gift card
The Flying Fig / $50 gift card
Fire / $50 gift card
Erie Island Coffee / $50 gift card
Fahrenheit / $50 gift card
Miles Farmers Market / $50 gift card
Jekyll’s Kitchen / $50 gift card
Moxie / $200 gift card!!
Touch Supper Club / $50 gift card
Parallax / $50 gift card
L’Albatros / $50 gift card
Chinato / $50 gift card (opening very soon!)
Crop Bistro / $50 gift card
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And to top it all off, the winner will receive one ticket to their choice of upcoming dinners at The Culinary Vegetable Institute (you’re in for a real treat here) and The Chefs Garden will send you one of their e-commerce family boxes.
To kick it off, Jamie and I will donate $100 (we will not be counted for the drawing). Would you also consider making a pledge? I know times are tough for many, and if you can’t, it’s completely understandable. But if you’re able to give something back and if you’re a follower of this blog I can only assume it’s a greater cause that matters to you, please call. Let’s follow the lead of our chefs and local owners and show what the Cleveland food community can accomplish when we work together.
Thank You.
Update: Just learned that The Culinary Vegetable Institute will give a copy of the 2009 official cookbook of the Food & Wine Celebration to the first 20 people that donate $50 or more!

Plays With Food says - I do not need to add that winning this prize will enable a lucky donor to have serious fun with a lotta great Cleveland food! But I will add it, because I can. Please support Michelle's worthy cause, if you can!

Monday, June 16, 2008

Fun Playing with Pizza and Lamb at Lolita

Last week was not fun - at least not after root canal on Tuesday. We had hoped to visit Lolita one evening during this week (and we had Indians tickets for Friday night, so that was out). So, it was Thursday when we ventured to Tremont, in search of a marvelous Lamb dish served at Lolita that someone wrote about on the Cleveland Food & Wine Forum.

Joined by one of our favorite dining companions, we arrived at a very busy Lolita and settled in. We started with a "special" pizza - topped simply with a little olive oil, cheese, herbs - and soft-shell crab. Yum.







For appetizer, we shared the delectable lamb dish we had been seeking: Jamison Farms Lamb Ribs with Orange, Fennel and Parsley. It was bone-licking good, though my photos did not do it justice.



We then each ordered a main.


Sauteed Walleye over Cauliflower Puree Topped with Local Spinach

This was the "fish of the day" and is served with the diner's choice of side.


Roasted Potatoes - Rosemary & Garlic



Thank you for the tasting plate Edsel!


Hanger Steak, Chickpeas, Skordalia, Pickled Chilies





Lucky me - my hubby shared too!


Soft Polenta - Mascarpone & Parmesan

The polenta is always so good!


Pappardelle - Jamison Farm Lamb, English Peas, Mint, Olives, Feta



I love the way Chef Matt keeps changing up the Pappardelle offering, since it is one of my favorite types of pasta. This was rich and satisfying, with a healthy injection of spring!

It is a rare day that we order dessert - but since Edsel wanted the Lemon Semifredo with Basil Syrup, I talked Bob into splitting Cory Barrett's house-made Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter Gelato with Pretzels. The photo doesn't do it justice - but even with my cold-sensitive teeth - I loved it!



Another great meal at Lolita - each meal we enjoy there only makes us want to go back again ASAP!