Fun Playing with Happy Hour Food at Chinato

Last Friday evening, we had a date to attend the 7:30pm show at Hilarities Comedy Club on East Fourth Street in downtown Cleveland. Given the timing and location, we determined that we would finally get to sample Chef Zack Bruell's youngest restaurant, Chinato. There, Chef Andy Dombrowski heads a kitchen turning out beautiful Italian food. And at Happy Hour prices, we were prepared to sample as many tastes as we had capacity for! Happy Hour at Chinato runs from 4:30 to 6:30pm, and $5 plates, $3-5 beer, and $5 wine and selected cocktails are offered.

Chinato's Happy Hour menu is available both at the bar and at the booths in the bar area. But be forewarned - reservations may be necessary for those booths, though they were not on this Friday night, which turned out to be the coldest night of the year here in Cleveland. After snuggling into our booth (Bob never did remove his coat - it was cold), we ordered Great Lakes Christmas Ale drafts from the Happy Hour menu, only to learn that they were out (not a surprise this far into January). Since Elliot Ness Amber Lager and Dortmunder Gold Lager  were both on tap, we were fine. Do be aware that the Elliot was priced as a "seasonal" at $5 a pour (the Christmas Ale was listed as the seasonal); whereas Dortmunder can be had for a mere $3 during the hour of happy. No worries for us.

Our wonderful server Matt dropped off some lovely On the Rise bread and Olive Oil (no photo) for dipping:

We ordered five items off of the Happy Hour menu ($5 per plate), and Matt decided to course them for us. Two first, then a final three. 

Artichoke and Supplì (Risotto and Cheese Stuffed Balls with Tomato Sauce)

As Matt explained, the baby artichoke was so tender that everything on the plate was edible. We loved the contrast of the creamy rice filled balls and tomato sauce against the crispy veggie with olive oil and grated cheese.

Crudo Sampler

From left to right: Scallop with tobiko, scallions and lemon zest, Tuna with lardo,Yellowtail with pesto and tomatoes, and Salmon with orange, fennel, and red onion. This was the only one of the five dishes that didn't completely wow us. Perhaps the memory of the exquisite crudo served up at The Chowder House Cafe  the previous Tuesday was still in our heads (see it here), but we both noticed very slight "off" flavors in the scallop and yellowtail. Still, we enjoyed the plate.

Matt whisked away our first two empty plates, and shortly after, the last three items hit the table:

Tonnarelli with Black Pepper, Pecorino and Lemon

Chinato makes most of its pastas from scratch, but the tonnarelli textured like an extruded pasta cooked from dried. I didn't think I'd love citrus with cheese, but it all worked extremely well.

Gnocchi with Tomato, Basil, Toasted Garlic, Butter and Parmesan

This exquisite dish had us sighing with pleasure. Is there any food so sexy as perfectly prepared gnocchi served with tomato, butter and parmesan cheese?


Fennel Sausage, Tomato Sauce and Mozzarella Pizza



At first glance, the thought that barreled through my head was "Shmura Matzo" pizza - a description given to extremely thin crust pizza by an observant Jewish attorney I worked with in New Jersey years ago. But this specimen wasn't merely thin - it had amazing elasticity and chew, and combined with the tasty toppings (including house made sausage to die for), really satisfied this fussy pizza eater. The pizza is small, but made with top quality ingredients and cooked to perfection.

We were so full that we didn't empty all of the plates completely. Our check, including four glasses of Elliot Ness, was a gentle $45. Chinato offers a food bargain not to be missed if you are anywhere near downtown Cleveland between 4:30 and 6:30pm Monday through Saturday. Or if you are around after 9pm, when it starts all over again! In between those times, all of these items are available on the regular menu. Based on our Happy Hour experience, there is much more on the regular menu that we need to try! Fun playing with beautiful food, quality drink and and fabulous service awaits you at Chinato.

Fun Playing with Chowder+

Well, I'm a day late, but hopefully not a dollar short. Bloggers Kathy Carano and Tom Noe have already posted about the fabulous dinner we enjoyed at Chef Louis Prpich's Cuyahoga Falls restaurant Chowder House Cafe. Chef Prpich hosted our table full of bloggers last Tuesday for a nine-course tasting of some very impressive, fun-to-play-with food.

I hadn't realized the significance of the restaurant's name when Tom set up this dinner. I adore fresh fish and seafood of every type, but I generally despair at tasting any truly fabulous specimens here in Northeast Ohio and never walk into any restuarant with that expection. Until last Tuesday.

Chef Prpich has over 20 years in the restaurant business and opened the modestly sized Chowder House as a way to pursue his life long passion for cooking while maintaining a family life. I learned Tuesday that he knows food - he knows freshness, he knows what tastes good, he knows how to coax great flavors and textures out of a kitchen limited in space and equipment, and he and his staff seem to have great fun delivering it. My kinda place.

To begin, we were offered a choice of one of three soups served daily at the restaurant. 

Lobster Bisque

Bob, who as my lighting director was permitted to join us, opted for this silken soup, featuring lobster, cream and sherry. I tasted it and almost regretted my soup choice, for a moment. But only for a moment.

Chowder

Chef’s Prpich's signature New England style clam chowder, as his menu says,  "contains lots of tender clams and no potatoes." But more than that, it has a perfect balance of flavors and textures and a fresh black pepper kick that had both me and Chubby Cook blogger Scott Groth wiping our bowls with the bread you can see a bit of at the right of the photo.

Crudo

Dayboat Scallops, Ahi Tuna, and, amazingly, Lake Walleye were sliced paper thin, seasoned with salt and pepper, sprinkled with olive oil and Meyer lemon juice, and served with a warm arugula salad with garlic and olive oil. This is the kind of fish I expect to get in Florida, not in Cuyahoga Falls. And not only was the product pristine - Chef Prpich's preparation sang with light, clean flavors that perfectly complemented the delicate meat. One taste and I was completely in Chef Prpich's power.


Portobello Strudel

Yes, there had to be mushrooms. These were poached in Cabernet and garlic, then wrapped in a locally sourced phyllo dough (Athens Foods), which made for an incredibly tender eating experience. Provolone cheese was added before the pastry was baked and the strudel was served with a rich demi-glace. I did love this dish enough to, ahem, work through the mushrooms; I confess to enjoying this dish way more than a mushroom-hater should.




Baked Oysters

Chincoteaque Oysters topped with spinach, bacon, manchego cheese and sherry cream were baked to creamy deliciousness. The oysters retained their briny character, but were enhanced by the rich toppings into a lip-smacking dish. Had five more courses not been on the menu, I would have cleaned the shells (as Bob did).  I was amazed that such fabulous fish and seafood could be obtained in Cleveland, and very impressed with Chef Prpich for both obtaining great products, and his imaginative and tasty preparations. 


Crabcakes

This was the only course that did not sing in perfect harmony for me. I seldom choose crab cakes because I can usually tell packaged crab from fresh, and none of the packaged products taste good to me (processing and chemicals - it's either that or freezing and sometimes chemicals, and neither is kind to fresh crab meat). I have never been able to give a stellar review to any crabcake I've had in this part of the world, and Chef Prpich confirmed that his crab is a packaged product (albeit a good one from a quality supplier). Packaged crab notwithstanding - if you like crabcakes and if you've ever liked a crabcake you've had in Northeast Ohio - you will love this one. Chef Prpich uses no fillers or extenders of any kind - his crabcake is 100% crab meat (plus coating of course). The small kitchen has no deep fryer, so the crab cakes are sauteed to crispy perfection and served with a lovely roasted corn (frozen in-house from summer's best, including Szalay's) with Adam's Reserve white cheddar and tangy jalapeno vinaigrette. 

Wild Caught Black Tip Shark

Spicy-rubbed fish with a Caribbean flair met a julienned medley of bok choy, scallions and red pepper, and was finished with ponzu fish sauce. Had I not been nearly full by now, I would have happily devoured every morsel on this plate. Chef Prpich explained that his fish and seafood are all sourced with reference to the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch website to determine which fish and seafood products meet high sustainability standards. Cooked to a perfect medium - neither the shark nor the preparation were anything  I am used to seeing around here, and kudos to Chef Prpich for bringing it to our table. Similar dishes, varying depending on ingredient availability, are always on the menu at the Chowder House, usually as specials. The flavors were simply delicious, and worthy of an excursion outside of your comfort zone.

Cassoulet

Not one, not two, but three types of house made sausage formed the foundation of this dish: chicken, spicy Italian (pork) and a second pork sausage containing whatever seasoning met the Chef's fancy at stuffing time. Instead of using duck meat in the dish, Chef learned through trial and error that chicken is more comfortable to local diners. But Chef Prpich works the traditional duck into the dish in a non-traditional way - can you say duck fat? Lots of tasty duck fat, used to confit the meats and added again towards the end of the assembly process. Oh, and the dish contains some cannelloni beans, vegetables and a crunchy panko bread crumb topping. But you come for the sausage and stay for the duck fat. Nontraditional, yes - fabulous eats, even more yes.

Monkfish Wrapped in Prosciutto Simmered in House Grown Stewed Tomatoes

The stewed tomatoes are an appetizer staple at Chowder House for as many months of the year as possible. Summer garden tomatoes canned by Chef Prpich (or served fresh in season) are slow stewed with garlic and butter and finished with a drizzle of fresh cream. It tasted like summer. On a plate. In the middle of January. Honestly, I was so full by this dish that I couldn't eat much - but oh for a bite of those tomatoes. And the monkfish with prosciutto offered lovely flavors with not a hint of any off note.

Vanilla Creme Brulee

Vanilla scented Creme Brulee with a side of cocoa whipped cream and a cayenne and chocolate tuille managed to revive our ravaged appetites - though unlike Kathy, I could not finish mine. But I made a dent!

A light and satisfying end to a rich dinner, with a sweet crunchy top and eggy pudding below, punctuated by the unusual tuille. 

Chowder House is open Monday thru Friday for lunch and dinner and Saturday for dinner only. On Sunday, brunch is served from 10 am - 2 pm. No credit cards are accepted, but checks are welcome, as is cash. Reservations are recommended (call (330) 794-7102). A beer license will be in place any day, with a wine license to follow very shortly.

Our table of 6 bloggers (and lighting director) had great fun exploring Chef Prpich's fish and seafood laden cuisine. I look forward to returning for more fun playing with fresh, local and sustainably sourced cuisine prepared with flair. Thank you Chef Prpich for treating us.