Fun Playing With Dante at the Taste of NEO Chef's Dining Series

My fiftieth birthday, which happened in July, was supposed to be celebrated at the Chef's Table at Restaurant Dante with friends. Instead, I spent the day going from doctor, to x-ray and blood draw, to pharmacy, to home and sleep. I tried to reschedule the dinner, but couldn't get it back together. 

When I heard about Northeast Ohio Media group's debut of their "Taste of NEO Chefs Dining Series" featuring Chef Dante Boccuzzi and Dante Next Door on Sunday October 5, I decided that even at the somewhat pricey tag of $125 (including tax, gratuity and wine, so perhaps not really so pricey), this would be a nice consolation prize to the birthday washout. And it was.

Upon our arrival Sunday evening, the always genial manager Phil Hockey was pouring a signature cocktail (or other libation or soft drink as guests preferred), the Ninho Pacifico, composed of Watershed Vodka, passion fruit puree, muddled cilantro, lime juice, and topped with Fever Tree Ginger Beer, 

Over at the pizza making station, Chef Dante guided each guest who wanted to make a pizza in that process. 

Chef Dante assists a guest in making her pizza

I've always wanted to learn how, but had never actually made pizza, though Bob had done it a couple of times. Our oven just doesn't get hot enough. Oven heat was no issue here, as Dante demonstrated and watched me take the ball of dough to topping-ready. It came out amazingly well.

Nancy's Pizza with Sausage and Sun Dried Tomato

After receiving our pizzas from the oven, we headed to our table. In true rustic Italian style, seating was communal and we met a lovely couple with whom we shared the rest of the meal. The bread service included an assertively seasoned hummus and hot bread, ensconced in Dante's signature re-purposed record album-bread basket.

The evening was hosted by NEO Media's Joe Crea, on the right below. Dante took us through the first three savory courses, and his new line of signature wines named for his children, as we enjoyed them. Then, before dessert, Joe moderated a question and answer session between Dante and the guests. 

Joe Crea introduces Chef Dante

Tinted Hamachi Sashimi

Dante made this dish for the James Beard Awards Gala in NYC last May. The Hamachi was marinated in beet juice to obtain the unique color and plated with beet variations, yuzu, red oak leaves, and topped with a wasabi leaf that lent a unique bit of spice to the dish, which was paired with Dante's Sparkling Ocean-prosecco. 

Maine Lobster Napoleon

What could be more luxurious than slices of seasonal Jonagold apples cooked in browned butter and layered with pristine Maine Lobster (which was probably poached in more butter)? Paired with a lemon confit that gently cut the richness and topped with "tarragon essence," this was the favorite dish of the evening at our table. We enjoyed this dish with the Dante Sole Bianco-pinot bianco.

Duo of Angus Beef & Butternut Squash

Which is not to say that we didn't all enjoy this hunk of Roasted Ribeye, accompanied by two made-from-scratch Short-Rib Ravioli atop creamy squash, and topped with crispy sage leaves. I believe the the green vegetable under the ribeye was kale. The accompanying wine was Dante's Red Zephyr-primativo blend.

Nutella Mousse Tartlet

The dessert was topped with Salted Caramel Pumpkin Ice Cream and paired with Dante's Dolce Luna-moscato. A sweet end to a lovely dinner. Not quite the Chef's Table, but a worthy consolation prize. And speaking of prizes, we took home a bottle of the lovely Sole, courtesy of a raffle of "Dante Signature Items" that was included with the dinner tickets. We all enjoyed all four of the signature Dante wines, and I look forward to trying them again. Phil tells me that three of the four have arrived and can be ordered at the restaurant, and the last is expected momentarily!

Northeast Ohio Media Group says that they have additional dinners in the works for this series, which will likewise feature a hands-on cooking experience and interaction with the hosting Chef. If Dante's event was any barometer of the series, I'd say it's a fun way to play with food and wine in Cleveland!

Fun Playing With Jiro's Sushi Movie and A Ginko Dinner

About 2 weeks ago, our friend and fellow blogger Tom instigated a "Movie and A Dinner" evening. Jiro Dreams of Sushi would be playing at the Cleveland Cinematheque, and where better to go after the film for dinner than Dante Bocuzzi's Ginko, located down a flight of steps from Restaurant Dante in Tremont? Getting a reservation at the tiny Ginko that night proved almost as difficult as getting a seat at Sukiyabashi Jiro, Jiro's 10-seat, sushi-only restaurant, also located down a flight of stairs, in a Tokyo subway station. Our intrepid group waited for Ginko seats at the beautiful cocktail bar in Restaurant Dante, but Tom had to leave before we finally made it to the sushi counter. 

If you love food-centric movies, you will probably like this film (which is now playing in Cleveland at the Capitol Theater in Gordon Square). The movie chronicles the life and career of the 85-year-old sushi master and world's first 3-star Michelin Sushi Chef, and his two sons. Like it's Japanese cousin, Tampopo, Jiro Dreams of Sushi will leave you craving exquisite Japanese food - in this case, sushi. We were grateful that Ginko was worth the wait!

Boiled Squid  Appetizer Special   

Ginko is a small space, consisting mostly of sushi bar, with a few small tables around the perimeter and two larger tables, where Shabu Shabu is offered, in addition to the sushi menu. Interestingly, we began with appetizers, despite Jiro's explanation in the film that serving any course other than sushi detracts from the sushi, so he does not offer such diversions. Still, if we had any doubts that Ginko was serving authentic Japanese food, our tiptoe through the appetizers dispelled them immediately. I was expecting slices of larger squid rather than the small whole specimens served. I confess, it tasted strongly of the ocean, not in a bad way, but still feeling like an acquired (or more accurately, a "to-be acquired") taste to my palate, though the creamy dipping sauce definitely helped. Despite exquisite ingredients expertly prepared - this is probably a dish that I wouldn't order again. But I'm glad that I tried it. 

My reactions to the appetizers ordered by my dining companions were similar. Steve got octopus cups that had been tenderized and melted in the mouth (and which summoned up images of octopus served by Jiro, after a 45 minute vigorous massage), but still tasted a little too much of the ocean for me. Adventurous eater Edsel's giant clam slices had been alive mere moments before they became slices, and even he urged the application of soy sauce, which evened out the intense brininess with a different kind of salty flavor. Edsel's marvelous photos of these dishes, and the other items he and Steve enjoyed can be seen here. The freshness and quality of the ingredients and preparation were fabulous, but I can't say that I longed for a second bite of either. Again, though, I'm grateful for the opportunity to taste these things, and wouldn't hesitate to try different "specials" even if they sounded outside my comfort zone.  

Jumbo Shrimp Tempura Roll: Shrimp, Asparagus, Tobiko

Our next plate of two menu items both featured local asparagus. The shrimp in this roll was as good as or better than most of the shrimp we ate on our Gulf Coast trip this winter, and again benefited from expert preparation.

Asparagus Roll

This simple item reflected the beauty of a seasonable vegetable paired with quality sushi rice. Our palates were now completely primed for fish.

Seared Salmon Belly Nigiri and Tamago (Japanese Omelet) Nigiri

This plate contained our next two orders. The Tamago had played a featured role in the film, where an apprentice made over 200 trays of the delicacy before getting it "right" enough for his master. My mouth was watering to try Ginko's version, which was a few degrees too cold, but otherwise egg-and-rice perfection, with the vinegar in the rice playing off of a distinctive sweetness that had been added to the eggs. 

The seared salmon belly was recommended by our server, and tasted as rich as Copper River salmon we've eaten in the past. Every bite made me sigh with pleasure - this, we had learned earlier in the evening, is how great sushi should affect one.

Ginko Roll: Tuna, Salmon, Hamachi, Avocado, (hold the Cucumber), Kaiware, Romaine Lettuce, Daikon, Tobiko

My first thought on biting into the Ginko Roll was that the wrapper was a little stale. Then I realized - it wasn't soy paper or any other wrapper - it was thinly sliced daikon radish! Since radish is not my favorite flavor anyway, I enjoyed the next bite without the extra wrapper (nori had been placed below the daikon) and was rewarded with tastes and textures worthy of the masterwork I'd just seen at the cinema. It takes great skill to combine three types of fish in one sushi roll without muddling the flavors, and the sushi chefs at Ginko are indeed expert. Taishi Noma, who was born in Kyoto, Japan, is head sushi chef and he prepared the appetizers and nigiri. One of his assistants, also a sushi pro, made the rolls. 

This meal, together with a bottle of Pellegrino water, totaled out to just below $55 for two of us (including tax), and we were too stuffed to even consider dessert. Jiro Dreams of Sushi and Ginko made for a stimulating and delicious pair. If you fancy Japanese food, then even after the movie leaves town, you will have fun playing  with the sushi and Japanese delights at Ginko. 

Fun Ringing In The New Year with Dante's Food!

We were fortunate to ring in the New Year with good friends and Chef Dante Boccuzzi at his Restaurant Dante in Tremont Ohio. Diners had the option of a prix fixe tasting menu or the full a la carte menu. Three of us did the tasting and one created her own tasting from the regular menu.

My evening commenced with a lovely cocktail, which I did not photograph, that had been featured in a recent Cleveland Plain Dealer article - a Ginger Sidecar created by Dante Mixologist Alesya Pochynok, made with Hennessy cognac, fresh lemon and lime juice, simple syrup and Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur. 

Once seated, we were each presented with a complimentary glass of champagne and this amuse: 

"Shot" of Lobster Cappuccino, Vanilla Oil

A luxurious start to our repast - rich with cream (one small taste sent me running, happily, for my Lactaid) and deep lobster flavor, with a gentle touch of vanilla.

Maryland Crab Parfait

I couldn't decide which flavor I liked more - the pristine crabmeat, or the creamy avocado mousse above it. The bitterness of the arugula and the blood orange vinaigrette cut the richness just enough.

Truffled Spaghetti Carbonara

This was most definitely NOT the simple carbonara that Chef Dante demonstrated on Good Company Today last week! The deftly cooked, made-from-scratch pasta took my breath away (I'm a sucker for pasta). Mated with a buttery, creamy, truffly sauce, pancetta, parsley, black pepper and a perfect poached egg (sorry, no yolk porn, you'll have to take my word for it) - this was heaven on a plate and a truly special dish for the auspicious occasion. All three of us doing the tasting menu reached for the bread basket and wiped our plates completely - it was that good.

3 Preparations of Duck: Roasted Duck Breast, Cotechino Sausage, Foie Gras Mousse, Lentils

I was already reaching satiety when this plate arrived (and indeed, most of the breast meat came home in a leftovers box). So, I slowly savored the amazing foie gras mousse, both on its own, and combined with the toothy Italian Lentils (an Italian tradition for New Year's Eve) and the house-made duck sausage. That multi-tiered bite may have been the single most amazing morsel of food I tasted in 2010. 

"Surf and Turf": Braised Beef Shortribs, Roasted Sea Scallops, Celery Variations

I did reach "uncle" during this course - but not before I enjoyed every bit of that scallop! I skipped the big hunk of raw celery on top of the beef, and most of the slice of root atop the scallop, but the pureed interpretation on the plate did not tip my anti-celery meter and was a creamy accompaniment to the scallop and the two bites of shortrib that I managed. Most of the shortrib joined the duck breast in take-home mode, simply because it would have been gluttonous to try to consume any more.

predessert: Comice Pear Salad, Pomegranate Sorbet

This is what the menu said, though none of us tasted much pear flavor - and the fruit slices in the bottom were most certainly citrus (probably blood orange) and not pear. My guess would be that Chef Dante was not pleased with the quality of the pears he received, and changed the dish up accordingly. No harm done; we loved it.

Chocolate Tasting: Spiced Hot Cocoa, Ganache Tartlet, White Chocolate Ice Cream

What better way to end a celebratory meal than with a chocolate tasting! Like most house-made ice creams, this one melted a little fast - but that was fine with me. I dipped my bites of the tartlet into the creamy pool and I was very happy.

We, together with a number of other customers, lingered at the restaurant through the dropping of the ball, sharing in party favors and a complimentary drink with Dante, his wife Monica, and the rest of the staff, to toast the new year, and then we all trundled home to the first hours of 2011.

New Year's Eve is often referred to as "amateur night" for a lot of reasons - I am delighted that our experience at Restaurant Dante was reasonably priced ($110 with wine pairings/$70 without) and everyone in attendance (and, for the most part, on the road driving home) was well behaved. I'm not big on New Year's resolutions, but I did make one this time: to get back to Restaurant Dante to play with Dante's food again soon! Ok - I also resolved to try Dante's new Japanese restaurant Ginkgo promptly when it opens, hopefully by the end of March 2011.

Fun Playing With Dinner at Restaurant Dante

As I reported here, Chef Dante Boccuzzi's long-awaited re-opening of Restaurant Dante, in Tremont, has given some brightness to the dark, cold and snowy Cleveland winter. I was fortunate to dine there Thursday night with 6 friends (plus my husband), which allowed me to taste a nice selection of dishes on the menu.

Chef Dante Rolls Sushi for the Grand Opening Cocktail Party January 9, 2010

As regards food photography at Dante, I have reached this conclusion - I either need to reserve the Chef's Table in the well-lighted kitchen, or get a better camera. So, please apologize for the duskiness of these photos - this is why I haven't quit my day job!

Private Dining For Four in the Vault

I didn't get to photograph this the first time I was here due to the crowds - but this is indeed the bank vault (my camera could not do justice to the massive door, which still hangs on its original hinges).

Beyond the Door - Pork Fat Zoo!

 

This chandelier is worth the price of admission all by itself.

As we walked to the end of the bar to meet our friends, we thought they were standing at a high top - but no, this amazing, glass topped "table" is actually built in to the end of the bar:

Go see it in person; it's pretty cool.  Did I really type the word "cool?"

This amazing bar deserved an amazing cocktail. While I generally favor rum and not martinis, the Finocchio  Martini looked too interesting to resist:

Grey Goose paired with finocchio (fennel), Pernod, and a few other flavors, including fennel-stuffed olives!

A lovely start to a lovely evening! As our party arrived for our 6:30pm reservation, we took our seats in the dining room (I love the comfy chairs) and perused the menu. Our wonderful server Michael, who had served us so valiantly at the Cocktail Party, deftly guided our party through a delightful meal that lasted almost 4 hours from the time we sat. It took that long because we deliberately paced it slowly, ordering each course as we went.

Bread service at the new Dante comes in a molded record album (as it did at the old Dante) - and the bread is steaming hot and simply marvelous. We were offered three varieties - olive, white and multigrain.

Bread is served with this incredibly smooth bean puree.

Olive Bread and White Bean Puree

Charcuterie

Chef Dante was kind enough to send this assortment of tastes to our table.

My tasting plate

Beginning with the top left - mustard, pate, Pistachio Mortadella, Beef Sausage, headcheese (and I have never liked any headcheese I ever tasted before - until now). Bottom left - pickled vegetables, pork rillettes, capicola, black pepper salami, prosciutto. And I'm not a big proscuitto fan - but this taste was simply amazing. All of it is made in-house (or in-vault, as it were). Here is another plate shot taken with flash - now it's too bright! I can't win!



Anyway, the dinner menu is divided into three sections, top to bottom, and, as noted, we decided to order one course at a time. Bob and I had already decided to split the Foie Gras.


Seared Foie Gras, citrus scented waffle, roasted pears 

This dish hit every note. The foie was exquisite and perfectly cooked. The roasted pear was sweet and a lovely counterpoint, offering chew as well as taste. I didn't really get a lot of citrus from the waffle, which to me seemed more like a pâte à choux than a waffle, but I loved the crunchy taste and texture against the foie and the pear. The combination of all of the components tasted together was over-the-top. One of our dining companions ordered this for her main!


Duo of Crudo Beef Tenderloin Carpaccio, pickled cauliflower, spicy pepper sauce, garlic chips and Hawaiian Tuna Tartare, poached egg, olive caper remoulade, crisp potato nest 

I did not taste this, but my dining companions who did pronounced it exellent.

 
Chilled Market Select Oysters - hot pepper puree, cilantro, yuzu ice

Again, my photos do not do justice to the presentation. I did not sample the oysters, which Chef Dante told us were East Coast, but again, all of those who did pronounced them, and the accompaniments, perfect.


Crispy Calamari and Rock Shrimp, fine scallions, chili spice mayonaise 

I did taste this dish (which is why I'm including this pitiful photograph) - and the calamari was fresh and tender, with a very gentle breading and cooking process that allowed the taste of the squid to really shine. The spicy mayo that came on the side added zest and zip.

The next course was a "pasta" course - with a choice of house-made pastas, risottos, polentas and soups. Bob and I decided to split a "tasting" portion of the special - a house-rolled ravioli stuffed with the most amazing combination of shredded and minced meats, and bathed with a tomato sauce that offered a sweet perfume of tomato, delicate chunks of more meat, cheese and herbs. The pastas and risottos are offered in three sizes: taste, appetizer or main, and priced, respectively, at $4, $8 and $15. 





The pasta was so fresh and perfectly cooked so that it remained toothy while not too chewy. The combination of flavors and textures made me regret, for a moment, that I hadn't considered this dish for my main.

But my regret did not last long - the mains, which range in price from $18-23 for a very generous portion - were even more amazing.


Pancetta Wrapped Duck Breast, foie gras toasted gnocchi, and apple variations 

Bob and another dining companion ordered this - my taste was lovely - perfectly cooked duck breast wrapped in bacon, beautiful gnocchi with foie gras and apple flavors all together - harmony.


Roasted Dayboat Scallops, tofu, daikon, shiitake tempura, and sesame vinaigrettes

Another tablemate had this beautiful plate, and offered me a taste. The scallops were lovely, as were the vinaigrettes (and yes, there were two). Even though he kept protesting that he was full - our friend managed to reach clean plate, with a little help from his table mates.

I tasted, but did not  photgraph the Branzino (Italian Sea Bass), Gnocchi Carbonara, and Seared Pork Medallions. My tastes of all were terrific - I'd eat any of those dishes in a heartbeat! But I still think that I (and John) chose the best dish of the evening (and I so wish that I had a better photo for you):






Confitted Salmon,  new potato risotto, sweet garlic, and smoked salmon ribbons 

Chef Dante confits the salmon in duck fat. OMG OMG OMG! The taste and texture were simply amazing - the confit treatment gave the fish a mouthfeel (and taste) like the most premium salmon I've ever tasted. And it was perfectly cooked to a gentle medium. I loved everything on the plate, but the salmon was the rightful star. And the plate included not one, but two varieties of salmon - the smoked salmon ribbons - morsels of the same lovely salmon we'd sampled at the cocktail party - tasted perfect. Though I am normally a devotee of belly lox - I'd put this fish on my bagel any day of the week and twice on Sunday!! The sweet garlic was so tasty, I wonder if that also got a duck fat bath. At $19 a plate - I'll be eating this again, I'm sure.

After this course, we all pronounced ourselves sated. The Cleveland Cavaliers were about to seal their win over the Lakers, and so we took advantage of the crowd at the bar and the building excitement in the room to stretch and move around. When I returned to the table, it turned out that two table mates decided to share the Tahitian Vanilla Creme Brûlée with passion fruit shot and fine phyllo strands. I got a taste of this, but not a photo - it was so lovely. The creamy pudding was warm, and the candied top crunchy - I liked it a lot.

Our end of the table decided that we were too intrigued by the notion of black pepper flavored ice cream, and so we got the Tasting of Ice Creams and Sorbets plate:





These lovely tastes cleared our palates and gave us a sweet taste to end the evening. I'd order it again - if I had friends to share it with - its a generous portion. The pepper in the ice cream did not overwhelm the sweet at all, and was nice when combined with a bit of the dark chocolate disk. I also really liked the chocolate ice cream with the cakey topping.

Service was handled with a brisk and attentive team approach - though the restaurant was close to capacity for part of the time we were dining, service never missed a beat. Looking around the restaurant, I saw equally attentive service at other tables, and smiling faces among the diners.

Food, service and decor at Dante were all deemed first class fun by our table of eight - and we'll be back soon for the dinner Dante is doing to benefit Slow Food Northern Ohio - read about it here and hope to see you there!