Fun Playing With Food in Chicago Part 1, The Purple Pig

We spent most of last week in Chicago, on business that didn't turn out so well. All I can say is that the trial was reasonably fair, and the jury did what it did. At least we got to partake of some lovely eats for our trouble. And we managed to keep the budget in line (appropriate in light of our empty pockets after the trial), at about or under $30 per person per meal, excluding alcohol.

Our friend Cynthia returned the favor from her recent trip to Cleveland by picking us up at Midway and driving us to our hotel. I can highly recommend the Silversmith if you need to be downtown in Chicago, especially in winter when discounted rates abound. In addition to clean, spacious accommodations, the room included a laptop-friendly sized safe deposit box.

We flew in to Chicago on Sunday evening, and made tracks to The Purple Pig, so highly regarded by friends and commentators alike. The food, served in small tasting portions designed for sharing, was fabulous; I consider it a compliment to the Chicago food scene that it didn't rank as our favorite meal through no fault of its own!

Pork Fried Almonds with Rosemary & Garlic

Pork Fried Almonds. 'Nuff said?

Purple Pig Cured Meats Platter

My Charcuterie Plate

We all enjoyed this platter - but agreed that we might have spent our stomach space more wisely. A little more variety on the platter (nuts, dried fruits, cheese) may have altered that opinion, but truthfully, in hindsight, we concluded that Purple Pig has much more innovative and interesting offerings than this.

Burrata Pugliese, Grilled Kohlrabi, Apples, Mustard Greens, Crispy Speck & Beer Agrodolce

Cynthia had never before tried burrata, and this was a magnificent way to be introduced to this exquisite type of mozzarella-on-steroids cheese. The combination of apple, bacon and burrata was simply amazing and we wished the portion had three more bites!

Pork Secreto with Roasted Red Pepper, Leeks & Pickled Watermelon Rind

I need for the butcher to locate this succulent cut of pork when our next Berkshire hog is processed! A melt in your mouth delicious cut of a beautiful beast, perfectly prepared, and accompanied with vegetation that really complimented the meat.

House made Veal Mortadella Sausage with Black Kale, Fresh Chickpeas & Preserved Cherry Tomatoes

The mortadella was another "melt in your mouth delicious" meat offering. We also appreciated the fresh, fresh (never dried or frozen) chickpeas, and the crunchy kale.

Our initial order ended here. Though we were no longer super hungry, we decided we had enough room for a trio of dishes from the "fried" section of the menu; this cost us any chance at ordering dessert. Works for me.

Pig's Ear with Crispy Kale, Pickled Cherry Peppers & Fried Egg

Oops - I didn't realize that the dish was shaped like a pig, and my best shots didn't feature its face. The contents were lovely, though I confess to loving the version at Lolita here in Cleveland just a bit more.

Petit Basque Cheese with Membrillo

Our favorite fried dish. I mean, what is not to love about fried cheese with a gently sweet sauce? On several levels, this was dessert.

Eggplant Parmesan Balls

These morsels actually succeeded in reducing classic eggplant parm into a bite sized portion. Two bites gave the entire experience normally requiring an entree. Bravo.

The trial would begin the next morning. Wired with anticipation, we returned to the Silversmith to engage the next steps, completely sated and happy.

Fun Playing With Friends and Small Plates at Lolita

After our delightful Sunday brunch at Luxe, we proceeded to show our friend Cynthia around several Cleveland neighborhoods, including downtown (in full Browns home game mode - she marveled at the ease with which we transversed the downtown mayhem), Asiatown and University Circle. After stopping back home, we refreshed and headed to Tremont and Michael Symon's Lolita for dinner with friends. We stuck to small plates and pizza, and didn't need a single entree to achieve food nirvana.

Bone Marrow

The succulent bone marrow is an ideal start. Rich, rich, rich - but so worth it.

The Big Board

Lolita doesn't make as much charcuterie in-house as it used to, but no matter. We greedily devoured every morsel on this board - the pate at 11 o'clock was the winner, followed closely by a duck confit hiding under the crostini at 12. There was not a loser in sight.

Grilled Shishito Peppers - meyer lemon, feta, bread crumbs, oregano, anchovy vinaigrette

Simply delicious - not too spicy and perfectly balanced (and I "don't like" anchovies, either, but this was delicious). This dish highlighted why Chef Symon is so lemon zest-happy on The Chew - because it makes the food's other flavors pop.

Crispy Chicken Livers - soft polenta, mushrooms, bacon

Cynthia isn't a big chicken liver fan (I'm generally not either), but this plate got cleaned. Again, Symon's team perfectly nuanced the intense chicken livers against the gentle polenta and creamy bacon (and mushrooms, for those who love them). The head chef at Lolita these days is Chef James Mowcomber, who is doing an outstanding job. 

My plate with Chicken Liver,  Polenta and a Roasted Dates stuffed with almonds, bacon, chiles, parsley

My photo of the date plate didn't sing, but the food surely did. The stuffed date is an old favorite from the Lolita kitchen, but it never fails to please with its combination of sweet and savory.

Eggplant Dip with Lemon, Crunchy something (it was delicious) and oiled bread.

Babaganoush on steroids (or was it a Vitamix?). Best. Eggplant. Dip. Ever.

Fried Brussels Sprouts - capers, anchovies and walnuts

Ah, those pesky anchovies again! Guaranteed to please even the avid brussels sprout (or anchovy) hater!

Crispy Pig Tails & Ears - fennel-onion agrodolce, pickled chilies, cilantro

This took the prize for the most "interesting" dish of the evening. Both the sow's ear and it's tail were turned into silk purses, as far as we were concerned. The ear slices melted in the mouth with porky goodness. And the tail?

Crispy Pig Tails & Ears - fennel-onion agrodolce, pickled chilies, cilantro - close up

Simply delicious. Put aside whatever bias you have (and this is coming from a nice Jewish girl from New York) and get this while it's still on the menu. Period. And yes, this is finger food. You hands will get dirty and you will love licking off every morsel.

Pizza - Winter Squash, smoked mozzarella, apples, pancetta, onions, white balsamic.

This seasonal pizza is a worthy choice. I never thought I'd like apples on a pizza, but darned if this specimen didn't change my mind. And so, Lolita followed up most auspiciously on the territory staked out by Momocho and Luxe. Well played, Cleveland (and the Browns even won - ok, it was last week).

Early Monday morning, Cynthia took off for points south (Columbus). But Cleveland did itself proud this fine fall weekend, showing off the variety and quality of food available, at wallet-friendly price points, that made it the crown jewel of Midwest dining. Thank you Cleveland, and thank you Cynthia, for playing. I know that you were well rewarded with fun playing with your food, and that makes all the difference.

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!

Even More Fun Playing With Birthday Treats!

Ok, I promise to stop belaboring this birthday thing. But for me, it is the one day of the year where I refuse to allow myself any guilt or denial about food. It is a day to play with my food with abandon (sometimes, more than one day, as happened this year).

Several weeks ago, I had decided to try to score the Chef's Table at Lola for my birthday dinner. I was so happy to succeed - it can be a tough ticket to get on a Friday night. The down side of this is that there are only six seats. The up side of this, however, is a steak-eyed view of the kitchen (complete with sound and heat), which, if you are as much of a food junkie as I am, is almost as much fun as eating the food. I decided the solution to the limited seating would be to adjourn to the Velvet Tango Room for cocktails after dinner, and to invite others to join us there.

We arrived on East Fourth Street around 5:40pm (the Chef's Table books at 6pm and 9pm) and stepped out into the beautiful sunshine. We met our friend Edsel on the street, and together marveled at how alive East Fourth has become. Most of the restaurants were either open to the outdoors, or had a patio (including, by the way, Lola), and people were walking, sitting, eating, drinking and just generally having a great time. This is just the kind of "shot in the arm" downtown Cleveland really needed, and it was great to experience it!

We took our seats at the Lola Chef Table and awaited our remaining dining companions. Edsel and I decided to try the Pomegranite-Fig "Martini" and Bob opted for an Erdinger Weissbock.



While the drink was very tasty, it was a little sweet. Remembering how warm it can get at this table, I decided to have one of these beers as well - it is a big, malty, refreshing brew.

By now, you have no doubt noticed the only remaining downside of dining at the Lola Chef's Table - the profusion of red colors and the intense yellow of the table surface play heck with point-and-shoot photography. So - work with me.


The Line Keeps the Food Moving

Even when Michael Symon is not in the house (as was the case last night), his crew flawlessly executes his vision and turns out consistent, amazing food. We wondered where Executive Chef Derek Clayton might be - and we were told he was "busting suds" because a dishwasher had called off. That's the way this business goes - one minute you're on "Iron Chef" - the next minute, you're in the dishroom because it needs done.

Derek did emerge and take his place at the pass before we got too far along. We decided to start our eating by sharing two plates of the daily Charcuterie (each plate is enough for 2-3 people). We put that order in and pondered appetizers.

Before the Charcuterie, however, we were asked to be test subjects for a "dish in progress." Experiment on me, Professor Clayton, please!


Apricot-Glazed Fried Pork Belly Over Sliced Mango with Salad of Greens, Radish, Jicama and Lime

Slow cooked Berkshire pork belly was deep-fried in pork fat, then plated with the goodies listed. We told Derek that they need to get this onto the menu!





Oh, yes - we'd ordered Charcuterie, hadn't we?






Venison salami, duck prosciutto, bresaola, duck rillette, and a very rich sausage (we're all blanking on the name of that one), Pickled Ramps, Mini-Pickles, Brioche Toast and Stone Ground Mustard


Ramps and Brioche


Mustard


Venison Salami


Duck Rillette


I think this was the "mystery meat" - it melted in the mouth!


Duck Prosciutto

This was my favorite. I think. It was so hard to choose!


My Plate

Chef Derek suggested spreading a bit of Rillette on the toast, then adding a little mustard. It was heavenly. And, let the record reflect that not only did I taste the mini-pickle - I - for the first time in my life - liked it! I liked it so much that I ate another! A miracle at the Chef's table of Lola!





We now turned to ordering our appetizers and mains. But Chef Derek was not through experimenting with us yet. Oh no - not by a long shot. You know that birthday phrase about "a pinch to grow an inch?" Well, Chef Derek fed us a taste of something guaranteed to add an inch - but it tasted so good that none of us cared!

Crispy Beef Marrow

Let me say that again - crispy beef marrow. As in melt-in-your-mouth, rich, fried, plate-licking-good! Chef said they serve this delicacy with the Ribeye Steak - so it is on the menu if you want to try it. We told him - this deserves to be its own dish!









Accompanying the marrow nuggets was a selection of flat-leaf parsley, pickled onions, lemon wedges, pesto and coarse sea salt, for each diner to finish each bite to taste.


Deconstructed


Reconstructed



Um, well, yes, we did actually order appetizers. Thankfully, Bob and I decided to share one instead of ordering one for each of us.


Fresh Berkshire Bacon, Cornbread, Coleslaw, BBQ

While this was the same cut of meat Chef Derek had served to us earlier - this was a completely different treatment of it. Bob was amazed at the fluffy texture of the cornbread, and the zippy sauce and cool slaw complimented the meat perfectly.




Crispy Sweetbreads, Leeks, Blue Cheese, Mushrooms

Truth be told - I can take sweetbreads or leave them. Most of the time. My taste of this treatment was nothing short of dazzling. The combination of the pristine quality of the meat and the skilled preparation left me wanting more!



One person at the table got Oysters Mignonette, which I did not get a photo of. She was very happy with them.

Appetizers over - time for mains!


Beef Hanger Steak, Pickle Sauce, Chilies

Bob's plate of beef was served with Lola Fries (which I didn't get a photo of this time). It was perfectly medium-rare and delicious. Bob's leftovers from this dish made a breakfast of Steak and Eggs and Potatoes for BOTH of us this morning.


Beef Shortrib, Root Vegetables, Mushrooms, Gremolata

My taste of this dish paid off the highest for texture/flavor - probably because of the sous vide preparation. The veggies included fingerling potatoes and baby turnips.


Alaskan King Salmon Filet, Tomato, Avocado, Cucumber, Radish

Bet you thought this was mine! Well, you'd be wrong! As much as I love fresh fish, and as much as I trust Lola with it (and Lola is one of the few Cleveland places I do trust with it) - I didn't come out to Michael Symon's restaurant on my birthday to eat fish! However, my taste of this confirmed what I just said about trusting Lola - it was fabulous. But what I had was better!


Lamb Loin Chops, Merguez, Cous Cous, Fava Beans

This entree was perfection on a plate. Two simply prepared loins of Colorado lamb, accompanied by a tender, house made lamb (with a bit of pork fat) sausage patty (merguez), toothsome Israeli Cous Cous, fresh fava beans and a gentle jus that did nothing to upstage the marvelous flavors.



Lola did indeed make my special day, well, special. But, they were not finished yet!

Pastry Chef Cory Barrett dropped over to say hello. He suggested that he send up a selection of desserts, since we were missing his new dessert menu debut by one day, and of course we said "yes!" Chef Cory had some wonderful news for us. Not only is he engaged to the engaging Kerry, but he and his soon-to-be have a new business venture in the pipeline. Now, don't panic - Cory is NOT leaving the Symon empire. What the Barretts will be adding, however, is a new pastry shop to be located at Eton. Hmmm - Sushi for lunch then pastry for dessert - this could be something really special! The new place will, among other things, furnish desserts to Lola and Lolita, and they hope to have it open before the end of the year. We wish them much success!

After our chat, and a little time to digest, the following desserts appeared:






Starting from the left: Zucchini cake topped with vanilla ice cream and a cherry, "Tropical Drink" - a summery, piña colada-like concoction with sorbet and the flavors of coconut and pineapple. Last, and most unusual, bleu cheese and mango with caramel sauce and plump berries. Jeff, our server, suggested that we start with the Bleu Cheese.



This is the second time in two weeks I genuinely liked, make that loved, a serving of Bleu Cheese. This experience (and the pickles I enjoyed earlier) demonstrate the potential benefits to be gleaned when one is willing to try everything - even if you didn't like it last time you tried it. You never know. And who'd have thunk of combining caramel with Bleu Cheese? And mango. Cory. And it works.





The other two items were creamy and satisfying.



The zucchini cake was perfectly tender and moist (and a great play on the "local and sustainable" theme, as there is already an abundance of local zucchini around here), and cherries are peaking about now. And how can you not love house-made ice cream?





I ate this one last - it made the least impression, but we'd been drinking sauternes with this course, and it was getting late . . . I know I really liked it and that there were NO dessert leftovers at our table.



How can you not love a dessert with a cheesy cocktail umbrella sticking out of it?

And so, after saying good night to our gracious hosts and prying ourselves away from the Chef's Table, we finished the evening at the Velvet Tango Room, with more company and amazing cocktails. I watched some of the Progressive Field fireworks from the back room while sipping a Dark and Stormy. Life just doesn't get any better than that.

The calendar having advanced to 12 July, it is time for me to stop playing with birthday food for 2008. Well, I've still got leftover Birthday Cake in the fridge . . . that could be fun . . . . .