Fun Showing Off Cleveland Food - Luxe (and Momocho)

Last weekend, we entertained our Chicago friend, food writer Cynthia Clampitt, on her first ever trip to Cleveland. This also gave us an opportunity to return to a couple of local favorites that we've missed, and to sample Chef Brian Okin's fare at Gordon Square's Luxe Kitchen & Lounge. 

We began Saturday evening, at Ohio City's Momocho,1835 Fulton Road (216.694.2122). Cynthia's research project involved corn (as will her next book), so we took her to the most corn-centric restaurant we could identify. Alas, I have no photos to share, due to the dark and red-lit room, but I assure you that Chef-Owner Eric Williams (who was off on family duty that night) and his amazing staff are whipping up Nuevo Latino food that is worth a drive from almost anyplace; Cynthia pronounced it her new favorite restaurant (and given that she has about 1,200 to choose from in her hometown, that's pretty high praise).

We began with a trio of the made-to-order guacamoles (which the house kindly comped, after our 9:30pm reservation had slipped into the next hour before we were seated). The table favorite was the honey crisp apple, mango, thai basi, chile serrano, followed closely by the garlic confit, bleu cheese, chile verde version and the mix-in featuring pickled corn, crab, chile, chipotle. Cynthia and I both enjoyed the beer braised short rib tamales, and Bob chose the Waygu Beef Albondigas (meatballs). We also shared a side order of light and tender smoked gouda tamale dumplings. Though we were too sated to even look at the dessert menu, our server treated us to a small ramekin of Momocho's signature dessert, Capirotada: gingersnap, jalapeno bread pudding with burnt sugar and whipped crema. This sweet-spicy-warming-soothing treat is highly recommended. We returned home wondering how we'd ever be hungry for brunch the next morning.

Sunday morning brought us to Luxe, 6605 Detroit Avenue, Cleveland (216-920-0600). We had been wanting to get there since Brian Okin (co-founder of Dinner in the Dark, and former Chef at Verve and Fountain restaurants) took over the kitchen. I had actually given Cynthia about a half dozen options (we're not big Sunday Brunch eaters) and she chose Brian's menu. As luck would again have it, family duties called  Brian away, and we were left in the hands of Brian's able staff. Luxe is the third Cleveland restaurant I know of that lives in a converted bank space (after Dante in Tremont and Crop in Ohio City) and it also contains an interesting assortment of recycled/repurposed/classic decor.

Our repast began with a basket of freshly baked muffins and butter:

Between this basket and our salad plates, we had the opportunity to taste several different muffin flavors, including blueberry, cranberry, cherry, and my favorite, pumpkin. 

The beet salad at the top of the menu intrigued us, so we decided to order one to share. After Cynthia asked if it would be of sufficient size for us to put in the middle and have at (which the server answered in the affirmative), three plates identical to the one above appeared. This Baby Beet Salad included small rounds of pickled radish that I (who normally finds radish too bitter) really enjoyed, arugula, a generous slice of avocado,  and a topping of crunchy nuts and cheese.

Scramble with chorizo, hot peppers, manchego, tomato-cilantro salsa.

We all swooned over our taste of Bob's plate; fresh chorizo (sourced from the West Side Market, we were told) will do that.

Eggs Benny: English Muffin, Smoked Salmon, Poached Eggs, Hollandaise

Knowing that our dinner plans included Lolita and lots of pork, I decided to go to the marine side with brunch. The salmon was assertive without being fishy (in a belly lox kind of way), and the Hollandaise accompanied it well (a more mild salmon might have drowned in the richness). We all loved the fried potatoes that came on each plate, and were surprised to learn that no animal fats were involved in their preparation; they were that tasty. 

With price points between $6 and $16 for entrees (most in the $9-12 range), Luxe offers tasty fun for everyone on Sunday morning. Now all we need to do is drag ourselves back westward to sample Brian's dinner menu! 

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 Playing with Salmon at Moxie

Yesterday, I met a friend for lunch at one of the Cleveland area's best restaurants - Moxie. We sat outside on the patio, and enjoyed two very different, but delightful, treatments of salmon.


House smoked salmon, red onion, cheese, potato chips




The BLT SALAD - iceberg lettuce, neuske bacon, herb croutons, red onions and Northern Ranch Dressing with grilled salmon

This dish was fabulous. Moxie is one of the few places I trust for fresh salmon. And today's lunch did not disappoint - the perfectly crispy skin alone was worth the price of admission! Though I forgot to ask for dressing on the side, the salad was moist without being drowned.


Close-up on the Bacon


Buttermilk Blue Cheese

On the side, at my request. I actually liked it more than I usually like Bleu cheeses, which is to say I ate about a teaspoon of it. It went very well against the strong flavor of the salmon. And don't worry, we didn't let it go to waste!

Moxie is always a fun place to play with food; it is my favorite East Side business lunch destination.

Fun Playing with Fresh Fish at Retail

I have long bemoaned the lack of truly fresh fish available at retail in Northeast Ohio. Yes, you can get exquisite sushi, scallops and other water-dwellers at many of our better restaurants in the Cleveland Area (such as Restaurant Dante, which I just blogged about here). But to me, cooking is an essential part of playing with food. And I long to try the many recipes I have for fresh crab, shrimp, scallops and finfish. I have rarely been happy with any fish I've purchased at retail in the almost 13 years I have lived here (with the exception of the fabulous gefilte fish mixture procured by Mister Brisket around the Jewish holidays). And I was really, really craving fresh fish after last Thursday's Sushi Blues at Dante.

So - I made my second journey to the newest local fish store: BayLobsters Fish Market, located at 9408 Ravenna Rd. (Rt. 82), Twinsburg, OH 44087. This is a family business owned by John & Cindy Dziorney, who also work in the store. Their daughter, whose name I did not get, really knows her fish (she was expertly shelling a cooked lobster for a customer when I came in), and was running the retail counter both times I visited.

The first time I visited, about 2 weeks ago, I got the most extraordinary piece of fresh halibut, which I did not get a photo of. Last Saturday, however, I felt like such a kid in a candy shop that I had to capture some swimming moments!

First dilemma - how to choose? Live soft shell crabs, live crawfish or whole fish (pompano, I think)? I decided to try the soft shells, which I've enjoyed eating, but never cooked.

Next - which fin fish? The salmon had just arrived, and it was pristine - I didn't open it until Sunday, and there wasn't a hint of fishy or even strong salmon smell. I asked for a pound. Since it was a little short, I decided to supplement it with some Mahi steak. But the Blue Marlin steaks just looked so good - I realized that the salmon would keep until Sunday, and the Marlin went on the menu for Saturday.

Then, off to Heinen's. They had some lovely crisp green beans, as well as passably crisp snap and snow peas. We still had some lovely asparagus from the Blue Egg Farmer - so I was in business!

As dinner time approached, I realized that I had no idea how to clean the soft shell crabs - every recipe I found told me to start with "cleaned" crabs. I had thought that they were 100% edible, but thanks to this recipe on Foodtv.com, I taught myself how to clean them. Since I had never cooked them, I was grateful to Foodtv.com for providing some help in that department, also.






Aren't They Cute?

I made a flour-beer batter, dipped them in, then set them into some 350 degree oil in a cast iron skillet. Served with Asian dipping sauce - they were scrumptious!





Next up - the Blue Marlin steak. Don't ask why I cut it in half before cooking it.



The young lady who sold this to me noted that it was Sashimi grade - so a light sear in the cast iron would be in order. I used a recipe for Wasabi Dipping Sauce to accompany it:







I stir fried the peas and asparagus with lots of garlic and ginger:



Add a pot of Jasmine Rice, and we enjoyed a fresh fish and seafood feast!

But the fish fest wasn't over yet! For Sunday night's dinner, I used a recipe from Martin Yan's Chinatown Cooking for a baked salmon marinated in soy, chili and bean paste, to which I added a Bahamian gold pepper, which is very similar to, though slightly less hot than a habenero.

I was too tired to take a lot of photos - but these two say it all, I think:





The only salmon I've ever had that was more pristine than this was at Carrie Cerino's, when Chef Dominic was having Copper River Kings overnighted to him off of the fisherman's boat! This more than made up for the lack of profundity in the Mahi - it did smell a bit and wasn't as good. But to hit homeruns on three out of four fish items in one trip - that is a batting average the Cleveland Indians would love to have!

And now, thanks to BayLobsters Fish Market, I can play with fresh fish or seafood any time I want!