Fun Playing With Pho

We are blessed in Cleveland to have a diverse Asiatown. Our Asiatown is so named because it includes a large number of restaurants representing many variations on Asian cuisine. We also have some excellent Asian restaurants on the East and West Sides of Cleveland. But New Year's Eve day brought us to Asiatown, with its free parking and awesome Pho options, for a pre-Rock and Roll Hall of Fame lunch.

I'd been to Superior Pho back when it was Pho Hoa (and the owner subsequently received a "cease and desist" letter from a national Pho chain with the same name and no outlets in Ohio, prompting the name change to channel its street address) and the chairs were metal folding chairs. Had a fabulous lunch - but I just hadn't gotten back. The only Pho experience Bob had in Asiatown was the cross-intersection rival Number 1 Pho. We'd had a nice lunch, but not an "omigosh we need to get back here" great lunch.

I'd won 2 tickets to the Rock Hall at the Rock N Roll BBQ Throwdown July 26. They expired 12/31/09, and that's when we intended to use them! But first - sustenance! We got that - and much more, at the fabulous Superior Pho, 3030 Superior Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44114, 216-781-7462 (no website). The chairs have been replaced with more sturdy, comfortable models!

We began with beverages. Bob ordered the Vietnamese Coffee, I ordered tea.

Coffee Brewed Tabletop

 

Bob, who was caffiene-deprived by the time I took these photos, really liked the strong, freshly brewed coffee. I took no photos of the tea - it looked like, well, tea. The menu described it as Jasmine tea. But it wasn't. It was rich and creamy, with hints of vanilla and coconut flavors. I asked our server, who at first insisted it was Jasmine, then said something about Lotus. He seemed afraid that if he said anything other than Jasmine, that I wouldn't like it (I assume there was a rational basis for that fear, like non-Asian customers sending it back). All I know is that it was mighty, mighty fine tea, and accompanied the food perfectly on a cold day. And I told him so.

Cleveland's own Iron Chef, Michael Symon, has sung the praises of Superior Pho's Bahn Mi, or Vietnamese Sandwich, so Bob and I knew we'd be sharing one.  I asked him to hold the cucumber, and with a surprised look, the server said "ok." I guess they don't get a lot of requests for that.

Banh Mi Thit (Vietnamese Sandwich on crispy French bread with homemade pate, roasted pork, no cucumber, fresh herbs, and mayonnaise sauce)

 

 

As in most things culinary, the Iron Chef was spot on - creamy pate, housemade meat, zingy sauce and crispy bread - a little bit of heaven on a bun. And a bargain at $3.95.

 

 Bo Bia (Rice paper rolls with Lap Cheong (Chinese Dried Sausage), Fried Egg, herbs, lettuce, rice noodles) 

 

 

Note the sear on the Lap Cheong, which helped to bring out the flavors.

Forget the Pho - I could have eaten a bowl of this peanut-sesame-soy infused dipping sauce!

Well, don't forget the Pho - we ordered the "small" bowls ($6.75 each) and found the portions more than ample. But more than that - the textures and flavors were simply perfect.

Pho Accompaniments - Bean Sprouts, Vietnamese Mint, Jalepeno Peppers, Lime

 

Pho Chin nam gau (noodle soup with eye round steak, fat brisket and flank) 

 

Bob's selection was wonderful - tender meats, perfectly seasoned beef broth, and rice noodles.

Pho Bo Vien (Noodle soup and meat balls)

The meat balls were a total contrast to the braised meats in Bob's dish - more toothy in texture, and less pronounced in flavor. But a gentle swipe of Hoisin Sauce and Sriracha paste from the table gave the meatballs the flavor balance they needed. I loved the beefy broth and crisp greens, and of course, the rice noodles.

We both loved playing with the Vietnamese delicacies served up at Superior Pho. I can't wait to go back. (Well, what do you know - a business meeting is scheduled there this week!)

Superior Pho remains a simple, family owned and run place at the back of the Golden Plaza. But the food, perfect for this snowy and cold time of year, is served with heart and soul along with the hoisin and Sriracha on the tables. We had fun playing with everything we tasted, and can't wait to sample more!

Even More Fun Playing With Burgers etc. at Michael Symon's B Spot

The above image, I hope, conveys why I am writing about B Spot for the third time in a little over a month. Since B Spot is so convenient to my office, it has become my new "go to" lunch spot! And I have yet to eat a bad morsel of food or to experience anything less than stellar service there. And so - the latest goodies sampled:

Sriracha Wings

We enjoyed these spicy treats on Bob's birthday. These wings are probably the spiciest item on the B Spot menu - but there is flavor and texture in addition to the heat. Though the skin is crispy, is it not at all greasy.

Chili Cheese Fries - scallions, cheddar

 

The chili is very tasty, with a lot of seasoning and a very modest chile bite. The portion is enough appetizer/side for 3-4 people. After sharing it with my dining companion, the leftovers made a complete lunch for me the next day!

I remain addicted to the B Spot onion rings - they actually stay together when you bite into them!

Onion Ring Cross Section

And you haven't had too many bourbons - there was an extra strip of onion ring across the middle of this one - but it cut so nicely and showed the inside of the ring so well, I decided to use the photo anyway.

Lime & Cilantro Wings

 

The perfume and taste of fresh garlic complimented the gently Southeast Asian flavors of these wings. The incredibly moist, tender chicken meat inside contrasted beautifully with the crispy-crunchy skin.  I can't wait to try the third wing variety (roasted garlic & parm).

And now - the burgers:

Bacon Cheeseburger lettuce, tomato, onion, bacon, cheddar cheese

Bob's birthday dinner - and he loved it! Here's one of the same flavor that I enjoyed for lunch:

I am becoming more enamored of this bun the more I eat it. As I understand it, it is custom made for B Spot by Cleveland's Orlando Baking Company. It is lightly toasted, and stands up well to most of the burger toppings (lets face it, some of them are going to make any bread mushy - hello, cole slaw). The bun is a fine supporting cast member, holding its own, but allowing the burger to remain the star of the sandwich.

Going back to Bob's birthday dinner - I opted for the Thin Lizzy, sans pickles.


Thin Lizzy burger with caramelized onions, cheddar, mayo, hold the pickles





Note that the meat was cooked to a perfect medium-rare. Loved the caramelized onions! Here is a dining companion's Thin Lizzy with the pickles, but without the mayo:

 


Red Hot burger with pulled pork, pickled tomato, hot peppers, pepperjack cheese, sriracha mayo 

 

 

This is one of only two burgers on the menu that is intended to be spicy, and it is modest on the heat scale. But that's fine with me - there are lots of incendiary options available on the pickle bar and the condiment rack for the ultra-spice heads among us - IMHO, too much fire would drown out that lovely meat. I found the heat level just right, so I could get a Scoville tingle, but still appreciate the flavors of the pulled pork and medium-rare beef.

Today's burger was the Fat Doug:


Fat Doug burger with coleslaw, pastrami, swiss, mustard 

  

 

Though I was craving the cole slaw (which I'd sampled on my first visit, atop the Symon Says burger), and I was intrigued to taste the pastrami, I had my doubts about ordering this. I'm not usually a big fan of Swiss Cheese, and I usually despise mustard on a hamburger (though I'd normally put mustard on pastrami). I couldn't see changing or leaving off the cheese, or taking off the mustard, though - I wanted to taste Michael Symon's vision of this sandwich without messing with it. So, I took my chances. I was rewarded.

I just love it when a chef takes an ingredient I usually don't care for and makes it yummy. The Swiss cheese definitely imparted a more noticeable flavor twang than another cheese might have - but it combined nicely with the creamy cole slaw and the zippy pastrami and it wasn't overly strong. The pastrami tasted wonderful, and added some smooth mouth feel to the sandwich - and the mustard did indeed compliment it. A dab of Lola Ketchup on the underside of the burger - and dang if it didn't all work together just nicely for me. It was the kind of food that makes me go "uhmmmmmmm" - and I like that.

And so, the third B Spot post comes to an end. Thank you for indulging me. My dining companion today liked his brat better than his burger, so the praise for B Spot is certainly not universal. But I'll be back, and I'll be packing (the camera) until I've played my way through at least most of the menu (you can click here if you want to see someone crazier than I (just kidding Dave!) cooking his way through Michael Symon's entire cookbook, Live to Cook; I'm just  hoping to eat my way through the B Spot menu). So far, to my palate, it's all been fun.

May the New Year bring you wonderful food to play with!

Fun Playing with Borscht

Yes folks, you read that correctly. Borscht. Beet soup. A very gross food memory from my childhood, now reinvented. As I wrote on this blog in April 2008:

Most of my memories of borscht, or beet soup, are of disgusting looking glop in a jar that my mother would buy around the holiday [Passover]; not the kind of food I normally play with.

That post celebrated the lovely borscht made by the late, great Antalya Red Square Restaurant in Lyndhurst.

 
 
Jack's Deli, in University Heights, also makes a lovely beef-based borscht.

 

But a recent post on the Cleveland.com Food & Wine Forum gave me a hankering to try and make it myself. Thanks for the inspiration "Foodhead1000".

Of course, the first thing you need to make borscht are beets. Fortunately, we have an ample supply in the backyard garden. Bob ventured out in the snow to retrieve some:

 





Of course, after cleaning and peeling them, I forgot to photograph them - oh well!

Anyway, the next thing I did was simmer a beef stock from bones and flesh overnight in a 180 degree-ish oven:




On Sunday, Mister Brisket Flanken (did I mention they are stilll "sending a salami to your boy in the army" - call 216-932-8620 to join the party!) joined the stock and some shortrib for a "double stock" bath. After all the meat was happy, I added the diced beets, together with chopped onion, garden garlic, farmers' market cabbage, salt and pepper, vinegar and sugar.







After a low and slow simmer - borscht was born!
 
 





After a night in the fridge - dinner was served, with Bob's freshly baked rye bread:

 





Non-Jewish Europeans favor a bit of sour cream in their borscht - even Bob, who usually skips the sour cream, wanted some in his. I broke down and tried it, too, even though the look of it reminded me of the jarred abomination from my youth (parve borscht, meaning without meat or dairy, would always be served with sour cream in a Jewish home; the jarred stuff was parve).







Rye bread:



Prior to the oven.

 




Yum!

Fun playing with Borscht - who'd have thunk it? A delicious way to play with winter food!