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.

More Fun Playing with Green Food at the Greenhouse Tavern

We were invited to join some friends at The Greenhouse Tavern last Friday for dinner. Twist my arm!

Friday was an especially bad allergy day in Cleveland - I'd been coughing much of the day and nothing was helping. One of our dining companions, who'd also arrived a little early, suggested something with ginger might help - and gosh darn if he wasn't right!

Ginger Flip
Goslings Rum, Egg White, Ginger Beer, Powered Sugar, Fresh Nutmeg

This cocktail was simply amazing - rich and tasty, and deeply satisfying. And not at all too sweet (which was my concern when I almost didn't order it).

After our table of 8 was seated, we ordered samples of virtually all of the "Firsts" on the menu.


Bread Service: On the Rise Bread, Pork Rilettes



I love the concept of serving rilettes instead of butter or oil with the bread - and the pork was delicious. But I thought it was a little too dry and sparse to accompany bread. For that reason only, I still prefer the duck rilettes that were served previously. The server said they intend to mix it up - fine with me!

Organic American Prosciutto w/ grilled bread

We'd tasted this during the preview dinner April 7 - a little taste goes a long way - magnificent!

House Made Fromage Blanc w/pickled thyme & grilled bread

Another repeat from our first dinner - a unique treatment of the house made cheese.

Crispy Chicken Wings w/ jalapeño, scallions & garlic

The chicken was so tender, it was falling off the bones. Exquisite.



The caramelized jalapeno really makes this dish.

Red Wine Braised Olives w/ niçoise, alfonso & coquina olives, ramps

I knew ramps would show up someplace! These tiny olives tasted heavenly together with the smooth caramelized ramps.

French Breakfast Radishes w/ butter & salt

We'd tried this on our last visit to The Greenhouse, and I'd found the radish a little too bitter for my taste (I'm not a big radish eater). I was so glad that I decided to give it another try - this radish was sweeter and tastier - who knows, maybe I'll learn to like them after all!



Moving on to Seconds (though the Chicken Wings actually also come from that section of the menu) - Edsel opted for the Fanny Bay Oysters w/ horseradish vodka & meyer lemon mignonette. He pronounced them fabulous.

English Pea Fritter w/ mint, cilantro, butter beans & housemade yogurt

This is a new menu item - and because I adore spring peas, I had to try it. The portion was so large, however, that sharing was easy!









Yum! Creamy and pea-y on the inside, crispy and yogurty on the outside - I loved this dish.

Ohio Beef Burger w/ raclette cheese, pomme frites & house beer vinegar

Bob went again for the burger, and it was done to perfection.

I decided to combine 2 Halfs for my main, instead of ordering a Third.

Wild Ohio Asparagus w/ poached egg & fromage blanc

I had just read on a food blog about poached eggs over asparagus, and had planned to make it for my Saturday breakfast. No need, thanks to Chef Jonathon.





The cheese - the same stuff (with the pickled thyme) that we'd enjoyed as a first, happily married with the egg yolk and asparagus to make a satisfying dish.


Gnocchi with Brown Butter



I know that this looks like a small portion. And at eight pieces, it sounds like a small portion. But it was incredibly filling - the butter was browned to perfection, and danced around the ethereally fluffy pasta pillows, complimenting the crunchy bits of pancetta that accented the top of the dish. I could barely finish my plates.

Roasted Tea Hills Chicken w/ ohio asparagus, herb salad & natural jus

Edsel ordered this - my taste was succulent, juicy and flavorful. Tea Hills Farm makes you re-think your instinctive disdain for chicken.

As we chatted and digested, Chef Sawyer dropped by the table to say hello. Our companions ordered desserts, but Bob and I could not. Chef sent over a cheese course for the table to sample.



Unfortunately, I missed two people's descriptions of the cheese, other than it was a cow's milk cheese that is aged. It was so delicious, I couldn't help but nibble a bit, even though I was full. The candied almonds and walnuts were a delightful accompaniment.


Fresh Plum Clafoutis

Edsel's dessert, which he let us taste - fresh and fabulous!

And so, our third dinner at The Greenhouse Tavern was overall the best - they really seem to be hitting their stride on both the food and service; it was practically flawless. We look forward to playing with the food there again soon!

Fun Playing With A Birthday Dinner at Ponte Vecchio

While we were in Florida last week, I received an email from a friend asking us to join him in toasting his birthday at the Velvet Tango Room on Friday 1/23 around 9:30pm. We were delighted to say yes. We also assumed that he already had other, perhaps more intimate, dinner plans for his special day, and so we asked a mutual friend, who was also meeting us at the VTR, if he wanted to have dinner at Ty Fun in Tremont, which I've been wanting to try and just haven't gotten to. He was with the program, and we thought we were organized.

Friday afternoon, my cell phone rang. The Birthday Boy wanted to know if we would join him and his two friends for dinner at Ponte Vecchio. Brittany Smith, the general manager, had posted to the Cleveland Food & Wine Forum earlier that day, inviting Food Forum members to give the restaurant a try and receive a 15% discount, that day only. We hooked up with our planned dining companion, and switched the program to a birthday dinner at Ponte Vecchio.

I had heard mixed reports about this restaurant, but truthfully hadn't really made the effort to try it because I had no idea where it was. Turns out that the place sits at the end of a "street to nowhere" at the edge of Ohio City, which gives it spectacular views of Cleveland, even on a snowy, dreary winter night.

We walked in a little before 7pm, and learned that Happy Hour was still in session. What a delightful special - half priced drinks and a Happy Hour bar menu of items for less than $10 (most around $6). We settled down in the beautiful space and awaited the last two in our party. I especially enjoyed the Peartini, which was a clean, simple cocktail of Grey Goose Poire, Amaretto, and Simple Syrup with a touch of another flavor that is escaping me.

Here is a view of the open kitchen from the bar:



So, what is wrong with this picture? It was after 7pm on Friday and the restaurant was way underpopulated.

We moved to our table and perused the menu. Perhaps some explanation could be found here - the price points seemed a little high (entrees $24-$31, whole orders of pasta $19-22, and everything a la carte). In contrast, the by-the-glass wine was priced incredibly reasonably - I tasted a Big Tuscan that was nice (and $7) and thoroughly enjoyed the house Cabernet Sauvignon ($9).

Bread service came to the table after we placed our orders. We ordered an assortment of appetizers, salads, pastas and entrees, and a bunch of little plates to share tastes.

The bread was fresh and tasty:




Olive Oil, Vinegar, Seasonings

The dip was so tasty that it disappeared before the bread did!


Bruchetta with Tapenade

I had a taste of this and it was nice. But it seemed a little strange on its own on the menu, at $1/piece.


Soup of the Day

My brain has already lost what this soup was, but I recall tasting it and thinking it was very good. Edited to add - it was a bisque of some kind with crab meat in it. Perhaps someone can chime in with a comment and a better description.


Escargo

I am not a big snail eater - and having just returned from Florida, anything served in Cleveland that started life in the water was bound to be disappointing. I thought it was kind of briny and tough - but please don't go by me, because I have seldom tasted this delicacy. The Birthday Boy liked them, and that was all that mattered.




Bresaola

This appetizer of dried beef, shaved Reggiano, lemon, basil and rosemary-infused olive oil was excellent.




House Salad

I had a small taste of this, and the dressing was lovely.


Taleggio Salad

This was another winner. Creamy cheese and sweet crispy nuts came together with dried cranberries and a lip-smacking Cranberry-Vanilla vinaigrette.

I was going to order the Taleggio Salad myself, until the server explained this "salad" offering, which I just had to have:


Eggplant Cannoli

Ok - a cute name for rolled stuffed eggplant. But know what? The execution of this dish was flawless - exquisitely creamy herbed marcarpone, spinach and prosciutto rolled up in slices of chilled eggplant and plated with greens and balsamic vinaigrette. Yum.


Stuffed Hot Peppers

This item came from the appetizer section of the menu - the gentleman who ordered it as his main also ordered the soup and the house salad. There was enough to share, and my taste was delicious.


Rigatoni with Prosciutto, Sun Dried Tomatoes, Reggiano, Cream Sauce and Peas

This half order ($10) was generously sized and very satisfying.


Lobster Ravioli in Sherry Butter Sauce With Truffle Oil



This was also a half-sized portion, but ample to provide tastes to all 5 of us, as well as to feed the person who ordered it.


Braised Beef Shortrib, Barolo, Sweet & Sour Savoy Cabbage, Pancetta & Roasted Potatoes

I enjoyed my taste of this dish, but Bob told me later that it lacked seasoning. This did not deter him from cleaning his plate (except for a couple of potatoes).




Gnocchi with Brussels Sprouts, Pancetta & Onions in Rosemary Cream Sauce

This was my entree (a "full" order), and even with sharing, I could not come close to cleaning my plate. I confess to being spoiled by the ethereal puffs of potato goodness I used to get from Chef Dominic Cerino at Carrie Cerino's - these were very good, but not quite as fluffy. The pancetta was top quality, and the brussels sprouts were very fresh and crisp - perhaps, a bit too crisp as I struggled to cut them with a regular dinner knife. The caramelized onions lent a nice touch to the creamy sauce, but I would have liked a little more sauce (silly American I). Overall, I enjoyed this dish and would recommend it.

After we had eaten, we asked our server if GM Brittany was in the house. We were delighted to meet her; she was happy that we had taken her up on her Food Forum offer. She asked if we wanted dessert, but we explained that we already had plans to drink our dessert at the VTR.

She sent this to the table anyway:


Creme Brulee

The Brulee was just right - crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside. An unexpected sweet treat.

As a rule, I don't talk much about restaurant pricing on this blog, because I want to focus on the food. But there were only 3 tables occupied other than ours on a Friday night - and the food was certainly good enough that we Clevelanders should want Ponte Vecchio to stay a part of our dining scene.

On the one hand, a visit to Ponte Vecchio does not need to be expensive. The happy hour specials are generous, and one could make a nice dinner with a salad or appetizer and a half order of pasta for about $18-24 (we didn't look at the dessert menu, so I don't know what that would add). On the other hand, prices for full pastas and entrees, and some of the appetizers, are a little higher than most of the restaurants we frequent, so perhaps an adjustment there would motivate some traffic.

In any event, I can report that we had a marvelous time playing with the food and wine at Ponte Vecchio and I want to thank GM Brittany both for extending the Food Forum discount and for the tasty dessert.