Fun Playing With Authentic Chinese Food In Solon

A few days ago, our old Magic Chef glass-covered gas cooktop gave it's all:

This led us to a series of take-outs and eat outs (and now that we've cleaned up the mess, to some crock pot and oven cookery). 

I've known that our local Hunan Solon has an authentic Chinese menu on their website, but honestly had never thought that highly about the food there. We hadn't eaten there in several years, but it was too cold to go far and it was dinnertime, so we tried it. And I'm so glad we did!

We started with a variation on one of my favorite dishes - Fish Maw and Crab Meat Chowder (usually, this soup has dried conpoy [scallop] rather than crab). This version had little cubes of tofu in it, and this "small" bowl is meant to serve at least 4 diners:

The only flaw in the dish was that some of the crab was dangerously close to the end of its time. The good news was that there were no chemical smells or nasty textures to the meat, but some of it was not at its freshest. Not a bad start for Solon.

Our next two choices also came off the Chinese Menu, which has characters and English translations for the dishes (I can't figure out how to link directly to the Chinese Menu, so just go the website and navigate to it):

Beef Ribs Strips in a Black Pepper Sauce

There is a Black Pepper Chicken on the regular menu, but leaving these marrow-filled bones in the dish definitely enhances the flavor. We gave this an "A."

Dou Mieu - pea leaves in Garlic Sauce

These were some big, heavy, pea leaves - but cooked perfectly with a light garlicky sauce that contrasted well against the peppery beef. A great choice.

We next selected item #57, "Stewed Side Pork, Preserved Vegetables, in Hot Pot." But our server insisted she had a dish we'd like even better (though we really wanted a "hot pot" or casserole dish because it was so cold). She brought over a menu all in characters, and said that if we loved real Chinese food, we had to try dish #CS9. How could we refuse?

Our reward for taking her recommendation was on this plate:

Luscious slabs of tender pork belly dredged in gentle seasonings, then finished with dried chilies sat regally atop more stir-fried green vegetables. We expected it to have a more spicy flavor than it did, but it didn't need a lot of heat. This dish will bring us back to Hunan Solon for sure. Our server insisted on our next visit we must try the whole fried Tilapia (swimming in a tank at the back of the house) with minced vegetables. That is now on the list, though the live lobsters in the tank situated in the freezing restaurant entryway also tempt. 

We had more than enough leftovers for a second dinner. Now, it will be on to the Crock Pots. But we'll be back to play with tasty Chinese morsels from Hunan of Solon, especially as we remain stoveless. Also of note is their annual celebration of the Lunar New Year with lion dancing and probably special menus or items, on February 21 and 28. Call the restaurant for further info or reservations, and you can have fun playing with your food among the lions! 440.248.8836.

Fun Playing with Food at the Queen's Croquet

Last weekend, we catered for the 22nd Annual Queen's Croquet, in Cincinnati Ohio! My team would provide meals for our volunteers during the day on Friday, and meals for all of the approximately 80 attendees from Friday dinner through Sunday's farewell lunch. The Queen's Croquet started as a Memorial Day weekend grill out party at Queen Mary Lee's house. Then, it got out of hand and moved to a hotel. Our theme this year: Building Bridges. 

Beginning with a bare hotel ballroom, a bunch of tables, 4 refrigerators, and plentiful extension cords and outlet taps provided by the hotel, we assembled our kitchen and serving line. To the rear right, we had a portable oven, commercial rice cooker, 17 quart roaster, and room to plug in crock pots as needed for the two Saturday dinner items that would cook in crock pots.

In the photo above, Queen Mary Lee peruses the snack food service line (dry salty and sweet treats, plus a hotdog machine, veggies and dip, cheese cubes, pepperoni and other goodies) with input from Court Jester Drake. The Queen's Grillfriend, John, is in the doorway contemplating filling the hotdog cooker, as his grilling assistant Lori watches the scene. The working end of our kitchen consisted of the six butane stoves you see here.

We prepared a simple, yet delicious breakfast for our volunteers Friday morning: Tater Tot Casserole with Eggs, Milk and Cheddar Cheese. I put them together Thursday evening, so all we had to do Friday morning was pop them in the portable oven.

Friday lunch consisted of "make your own" cold cut sandwiches, with a simple tuna salad, lettuce & tomatoes, and cheese slices. Sorry, no photos.

Friday night, the party would commence in earnest. As we began planning for the event over the winter, the Queen had mentioned her love of Chinese Buffet, and so we determined to bring a bit of that to our first meal. Behold, Bridges to the East:

As usual, our dinner buffet began with three soup choices. 

Shantung (Chinese Velvet Chicken Corn Soup With Bacon) made by Me

Vegan Minestrone (made by CJ Howarth)

The third soup (no photo) was Beef Barley, from Gordon Food Service. GFS's "ready to use" line of refrigerated soups (available by order only at the retail stores) actually taste very good, though you don't want to know what is in them! Virginia had saved a few bags in the freezer after a large party she held in February, and donated them to the Croquet!

Dinty Moore Beef Stew with Peas

Virginia also donated this, to ensure that anyone who didn't care for Chinese-style food would have something they'd like to eat. 

Steamed White and Brown Rices

Beef with Black Pepper Sauce, Carrots & Scapes

Virginia also graced us with a large quantity of garlic scapes from her backyard, which is loaded with garlic plants. We used them in a variety of dishes over the weekend (and offered some finely chopped on the salad bar), including this one. Here's a photo of naked scapes, from our garden:

I used inexpensive beef roast for the black pepper sauce dish. Giant Eagle offers this roast cut into "steaks." After cutting the steaks into "stir fry" size pieces, and bathing it in an overnight marinade of egg white, cornstarch and sherry, I passed the meat through hot oil (about 250-275 degrees) to velvetize it. For service, I heated up cooking oil in a pot, sauteed the carrots and scapes for a few minutes, then added the beef, then my pre-made sauce. Once the sauce bubbled - it was done! The meat was very moist and, most important, tender.

Chicken with Broccoli in Brown Bean Sauce

This entree resulted from a similar process. Prior to the party, chicken breast was cut up, marinated in egg white, cornstarch and sherry, then velvetized in hot oil and chilled. The broccoli was blanched for about a minute, then chilled and bagged. After sauteeing some garlic and ginger, I added the previously prepared sauce mixture to a pot and brought it to a bubble. Once it thickened, the chicken and broccoli each went in. Stir fry without the wok!

"Stir Fried" Green Beans with Garlic

The Queen had alerted me that this is her favorite Chinese Buffet dish. Thanks to fabulous green beans and garlic from Cleveland's own Premier Produce (and also the broccoli used above - thank you Joe Harvey!), I was able to make this dish happen, in several small batches, on a butane burner. The beans were tipped and blanched in advance, then chilled. For service, oil was heated in my five quart rondo pan, and sliced garlic added. When it was hot, the green beans got their turn. A sprinkle of salt - and done! 

Cold Sesame Noodle Salad

Again, the main ingredient (the noodles) was blanched and chilled pre-event. Add the sauce (also made in advance), and some sesame oil, then toss, and this was ready to serve!

Edamame Salad

Our friend Caren made this tasty vegetarian option.

Finally, we offered a salad bar (and fortune cookies):

Choices included lettuce-radish mix, grape tomatoes, chopped scapes, shredded carrots, peas, cottage cheese, cheddar cheese, stuffed olives and mushrooms.

Also served up after dinner was an amazing bridge cake, constructed by Ernie and Nita. Here is a link to a photo of it taken by one of our guests. In addition to being the Cake Fabricators to the Queen, Ernie and Nita provided hot breakfast on both Saturday (made to order eggs and omelets, and pancakes) and Sunday (scrambled eggs & cheese).

We usually don't serve soup at the Saturday Lunch (The Great American Grill Out), but since Virginia had some more GFS product to donate, we began the line with GFS Vegan Minestrone. 

Though not in the same league as CJ's homemade version had been, our guests did enjoy this option. Not to be outdone by GFS - CJ also provided a cold soup for Saturday's lunch:

Gazpacho!

For the baked beans (which we make from scratch every year), I took inspiration from a recipe I sampled at the North Union Farmers' Market over the winter.

Apple & Bacon Baked Beans

Here, small white beans are joined by bacon (and the renderings from cooking the bacon down), Granny Smith Apples, Ketchup, Onion, Brown Sugar and Cinnamon. Yum.

Grilled Half Pound Burgers

John grilled up all of these juicy meats - burgers, chicken (honey teriyaki and plain), mild metts and beer-soaked brats.

Of course, you can't have burgers without fixins:

Or cole slaw and potato salad:

Chef Eric's Recipe Cole Slaw

GFS Southern Style Potato Salad with Fresh Dill

And the serving line ends with fresh watermelon slices!

Saturday dinner was titled: Bridges to Satiety, and we loaded up on the comfort food!

The base for this Bridge over Boiled Waters was Campbell's Condensed Tomato Soup (another Virginia donation) cooked with cream and milk instead of water, with the Tortellini (heated from frozen right in the soup pot) floating (thus providing the bridge over the boiled waters) and fresh basil. Canned soup never tasted so good! The other two soups were also Virginia's GFS overstock:

Potato-Bacon Soup

Italian Wedding Soup

Virginia prepared the crock pot mac 'n cheese that followed (cooked pasta, butter, Velveeta and milk, and it cooks itself). 

As it turned out, Scott's "Bite in the Ass" Chili was a bit more, um, bite-ier this year - I discovered that it paired amazingly well with the mac n cheese. Scott, who always brings a pot of chili to this party, is also our Recycler; virtually all of the aluminum, glass and plastic used over the weekend is recycled, thanks to Scott.

"A Bite in the Ass Chili" made by Scott

Virginia made her crockpot chicken and stuffing, which Her Majesty greatly enjoyed at the February party, and it was a big hit!

Since our theme was bridges, the one food that dominated my planning was Rice A Roni - I remembered that the package would sometimes have an image of the Golden Gate Bridge on it. Beth was able to find and deliver some graphics - and so the challenge was on: could I make Rice A Roni from scratch for a crowd? Oh, yes.

Beef Style Rice A Roni with GFS Meatballs  (another donation from Virginia), topped with Garden Parsley

Vegetarian Rice A Roni (made with butter instead of goose fat)

Caren made the above salad of cous cous, garbanzo beans, apricots and fresh herbs.

The serving line concluded with another salad bar:

The salad bar carried blanched green beans that hadn't been used on Friday, and the remainder of Friday's tuna salad, together with the usual suspects of carrots, mushrooms and cheese. 

Sunday's eating began with Ernie's scrambled eggs and some delightful muffins that CJ prepared. At lunchtime, the leftovers parade commenced, with re-heated burgers and baked beans, lunch meat, various vegetation, sesame noodle salad, and a whole fresh crockpot of mac n cheese! What a great weekend of cooking and eating with friends! 

Indeed, at the Queen's Court, held on Saturday evening, I was treated to a serenade from my towel-snapping Hospitality Crew, to the tune of Whatever Lola Wants (from the play, Damn Yankees; thank you Becky for coming up with this!):

Whatever Nancy wants

Nancy gets.

And little man, little Nancy

wants you!

Make up your mind to have

no regrets.

Put an apron on,

until the dawn.

You're through!

She feeds us well,

that's what she aims for.

The food is swell,

that's what we came for.

Whatever Nancy wants, 

Nancy gets!

You're no exception to the rule,

she's irresistible, you fool.

Give in!

Give in!

Fun playing with food and friends in Croquetia. We're already planning for the next party!

Fun Playing with Pho . . . in Solon!

On November 23, 2010, Cleveland food writer Douglas Trattner posted a hilarious video he made to YouTube, which represents, he says, "a conversation I seem to have on a daily basis" as a food writer. Doug is one of my idols, in that he has successfully transitioned from a career in law to a career in food. I had a good laugh when I first saw this, and I hope that you do too, though there is also an eerie truthfulness to the story. But surely, it is mere coincidence that Doug's video protagonist lives in the same town that I live in, Solon Ohio.

I moved to Solon for reasons very different than the person depicted in Doug's video - I have no children (I find the husband quite sufficient), but Bob wanted to move as far away from "the city" as I'd let us after we married. I'm a city girl, but I respected his desire for a big  vegetable garden in our back yard and we both wanted a big kitchen to cook in. Thus, Solon was our compromise. And Doug's humor about Jimmy Daddona's Restaurant notwithstanding - there aren't a lot of bold dining choices out our way (though if you read this blog, you'll find the ones that we do have!).

Doug's video flooded back into my frontal lobes over the last week when we stopped into a place that was for years a ubiquitous Americanized Chinese take out joint called "Mandarin Express." If you wanted cheap and quick fried rice, egg rolls or General Tso's Chicken, this was a  popular choice, located in the same strip mall containing Solon's lone supermarket, Giant Eagle, at the intersection of Route 91 (SOM Center Road) and Route 43 (Aurora Road). I knew that the space had been remodeled to accommodate dining in a few years ago, and that the owners tried bringing in Karaoke, but the food was always gloppy and unimpressive - the epitome of suburban blah. So we had ignored it. 

Until recently, when a local monthly ad-zine included a half-page ad for Mandarin Express that referred to it as "Mandarin Pho Express" and that stated that Vietnamese cuisine was now on the menu. I pulled the page out and mentioned to Bob that we should try it. The coupons expired at the end of November, and as I pitched the page, I reminded Bob that we should try it. 

Well, the Sunday before last, home from a weekend in Cincinnati, snow falling, with no dinner in the house, we finally tried it. And I am not only pleased that we did, but hope to get the word out, to those of you who appreciate home-style cooking in a very casual atmosphere, to give Mandarin Pho Express a try.

Mandarin Pho Express is a Mom and Pop operation. Pop is owner and chef Shan, who hails from Hong Kong. Mom is Shan's wife Kathy, a native of Vietnam. They have two adorable small children, who you may well meet if you stop by.

So the Sunday before last, we slid in from the cold, itching for some hot and tasty Pho. We were the only customers at first, though another couple (of Asian extraction - always a good sign when dining in an ethnic restaurant) eventually joined us. A few take out orders also came through while we were dining. Kathy explained that the Vietnamese menu was her idea and inspiration. She missed these things, and so taught her husband to re-create some of her favorite comfort foods. There are also three Korean dishes on the Noodles section of the menu, inspired by Korean Solonites who are regular customers and who requested them, so Chef Shan added them. The menu also lists four options for Pad Thai.

We started with an order of Cha Gio - crispy spring rolls stuffed with pork, mushrooms and onions and served with fish-sauce based Vietnamese dipping sauce.

 

 

The flavors were fresh and the skins crispy - but not as hot to the touch or throughout the interior as I expected. I asked Kathy about the spring rolls on our second visit - they are made from scratch in house.  I'm guessing that they freeze them. Temperature notwithstanding, we enjoyed both the rolls and the dipping sauce.

Condiments for Pho

Pho Tai - Beef Noodle Soup with Slices of Rare Beef

The tender, pink beef slices fully cook in the steaming hot broth. While I cannot shake the soft spot in my heart and palate for Asiatown's Superior Pho, which is perhaps more assertively seasoned, this bowl of soup was deeply satisfying and very tasty. And two minutes from my house.

My Pho, topped with fresh mint and bean sprouts, a squeeze of lime, and a ring of Sriracha sauce - perfect!

Pho Tai Bo Vien - Beef Noodle Soup with Beef Balls and Rare Beef

Bob's selection was the same as mine, with the addition of beef meatball halves. I would have liked the meatballs a little hotter (they must have been very deeply chilled before being heated and added to the soup) - but the flavors and textures were lovely. Bob was delighted with his dish, and brought almost half of his bowlful home as leftovers. Doggie bag, anyone?

Saturday brought us back to Mandarin Express for lunch, after a trip to the North Union Farmers Market at Shaker Square. I wasn't sure if Chef Shan remembered us initially - he and Kathy were a little preoccupied with their little one, who wasn't feeling well. Again, the place was empty of customers, though a four top came through while we dined, and several take out orders.

I knew that I wanted to try the Vietnamese Black Pepper Beef appetizer I'd seen on the menu during our first visit; I'd wing it after that. 

Bo Luc Lac Appetizer -  Beef with Onion and Black Pepper

Though the tenderloin was nicely cooked, it lacked a strong black pepper zip. When I asked Shan about this, he offered to re-make it, explaining that when they first started serving the spicier fare, the locals would often find it too spicy, so they reduced the spice levels to ensure happy customers. We assured him that we understood and not to worry - and we still enjoyed the dish. However, should you want more authentic spicing on this (or any) dish, all you need to do is say that you like a lot of pepper and he will make it so! 

We loved the caramelized onions and the crunch of the lettuce with this. But we had barely dented the massive portion of steak (a tremendous value at $12) when our entree bowls came to the table. So we had a lot of leftovers, which was just fine with us! Yes Doug, we did take a second doggie bag home.

Mi Ga - Vietnamese Egg Noodle Soup with Chicken

This was Bob's entree - and I am pleased to know that such rich chicken noodle soup is so close to my house should I fall ill this winter!

Chef Shan brought us bowls for sharing - this was my taste of Bob's lunch. The toothy nuts and crispy shallots added great texture to the chickeny goodness!

Bun dac biet - House Special Vermicelli with Springroll and grilled pork slices, dipping sauce

Rice noodles were topped with succulently grilled pork slices, and covered a fresh cold salad of lettuce, cucumber, sprouts, cilantro, scallions and nuts. Mixed all together and drizzled with the fish-sauce based dipping liquid below, it was a hearty lunch. This springroll was blazing hot throughout, with lots of crunch and lots of mushrooms, which I found strangely appealing (I normally do not care for the texture of mushrooms).

Again, owing to the taste of the local clientele, the fish sauce and chilies were less prominent in the dip than they might otherwise have been. But the overall taste was delicious, and our hosts were eager to please in any way that they could. If you like your food authentically spicy, just tell them so and you will be rewarded.

We enjoyed our leftover beef cubes in breakfast Sunday morning. I caramelized the winter tomato slices from the take-out box, then added the beef, the thin sauce, and a lot more freshly ground black pepper to a saute pan - I let it thicken and braise a bit in the pan, then scrambled a couple of eggs and added fresh cilantro and scallion. We had four potato latkes (pancakes) left from Hanukkah last week - and the combination of egg, steak and pancake in a single bite turned out to be sublime. 

I don't belive that Mandarin Express has an alcohol license, and the room is very casual (clean, but the back end reflects the family nature of the place). The food is worthy of a stop if you are in the neighborhood and love a great bowl of noodles, a spring or summer roll, or some tasty meats and vegetables. Prices for these entree-sized bowls of goodness range from $7.50-9, and the Korean and Pad Thai options range from  $8-11. And I am thrilled to able to get a steamy, delicious bowl of Pho so close to my suburban home!

And so Doug - adventurous eating in the far reaches of Solon - who'd have thunk it? I surely didn't expect to find Vietnamese or Korean food in Solon, until I played with the food at Mandarin Pho Express. You can find Kathy and Shan and their multi-ethnic menu at 34214 Aurora Road, Solon, 440-248-9377 (no website, delivery available).