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!

Fun Playing With Dante Boccuzzi and Sushi, and a Pitch for a Great Cause

 

Saturday night, we joined the rest of Cleveland Ohio at a cocktail party celebrating the impending opening of the new Dante Restaurant in Tremont Ohio. Some folks didn't get it, but it is a very authentic Italian "thing" to invite the whole community in for a cocktail when starting a new venture - and Chef Dante Boccuzzi did it with style. And fun, fun, fun.

This Chef is an amazing young man. After battling cancer and chemo - he (together with his charming wife, who was checking coats and greeting guests this hideously cold and snowy, and busy, Saturday night) has rebounded to turn an historic bank building into a beautiful dining space. A sushi bar will open downstairs in the spring. But Saturday night it was all about the main Dante space in the main floor of the former bank. The architectural details were meticulously preserved (including the bank's decals on the front door, and the "vault" room, with a cozy 4-top and a carnivore's-eye view of the salumi locker), with lots of new touches added. Unfortunately for me, the crowds did nothing to enhance the somewhat dim lights, so most of my photos are lacking - but I offer you the best that I could do.

Meat Slicer

Not quite as colorful as the one at Michael Symon's Lolita - but fully serviceable nevertheless.

Cheese and Salumi

Though I don't know this for sure, I expect that the salumi was house-made, and sliced on the above slicer. And I most enjoyed my tastes of both.

Sushi Being Constructed in the Kitchen

The entire restaurant was laid open to us - the kitchen is brand new and shiny, and features a 6-seat maximum "chef's table" that lays the process open to all who are willing to give up the beautiful dining room to  view stainless steel and sweat instead.

Fresh Crab Sushi

Yuppers - no crab stick for Chef Dante - this is the real deal, with a lovely green roe atop. Sorry - I failed to get a photo of the Hamachi sushi, which was most tasty.

Butternut Squash Soup

Nutty, cinnamon-y, and most delicious - these soup shots delighted all who tasted them!

Not Exactly Arancini

Traditionally, Arancini or arancine are fried (or, less commonly, baked) rice balls coated with breadcrumbs, said to have originated in Sicily in the 10th century. Chef Dante's version were filled with creamy cheese and smooth polenta - simply lovely!

 

 

Smoked Salmon, Aoli over House-Made Gauffrette

This bite was also wonderful.

Cake with Espresso Taste

I actually liked this, even though Bob got most of my espresso-filled tasting tube. I expect nothing but good things on the dessert side of the new Dante.

Six of us had tucked ourselves, fairly early, into one of the "first-come, first-sit" tables - but Dante (the restaurant, not the Chef!) got so frenetic, crowded and noisy that we decided to repair to Parallax for some "dinner" food and a gentler scene. Though we were sad to leave, we were comforted by the knowledge that we'd be back soon, for a full meal!

Unfortunately for me, the light at Parallax wasn't much better than the light at Dante had been, so most of my photos were 86'd. Here are a couple of views of my sushi plate - Dante had whetted my appetite with his lovely sushi, and Chef Zach Bruell finished me off with fresh and tasty salmon and tuna:

 

 

Bob opted for Grilled Hanger Steak with truffled cauliflower, parmesan fingerlings and cabernet sauce, but you don't want to see those photos - though I tasted, and can assure you, it was perfectly cooked and a very tasty, if not photogenic in low light, dish. My taste of Fred's tempura was likewise delicious.

And now, a "commercial," from Cleveland Foodie Michelle V:

Do good. Eat Good.

After writing this blog for nearly four years, I think I can safely make some assumptions about you, my readers. Assumption one: you like food.  Two: you like food prepared by one of our many talented chefs. Three: You’re pro Cleveland and will always support local when able. Four: You care about this community and supporting others when in need. Five: You have $5.

(and I’m willing to bet you’d happily exchange that $5 for free dinner out the rest of the year.)

After meeting Farming Lee Jones, I learned about the Veggie U initiative, a national program that promotes the well-being of children through a healthy lifestyle with a focus on making wise food choices, combating adolescent and juvenile disease, and attaining an understanding of sustainable agriculture. The program is embraced and loved by teachers and students alike. Locally, 150 schools in the Cleveland Metro School District have been using the 4^th grade Veggie U science program. Unfortunately, they don’t have any funding to continue as $200 per classroom is needed to fund the kits.

On the way home from that initial meeting and fabulous dinner, we had an idea to try to help these students and teachers. Would you be willing to donate a minimum of $5 to help this cause? That’s your morning Starbucks. If we all help and spread the word, we have an opportunity to make a difference here. And if you’ve watched the news lately, you know Cleveland students can use a little bit of good news.

If you donate $5 to Veggie U, you will automatically be entered to win more than $1,200 worth of gift cards to all your favorite eateries and shops. Want to increase your odds? Donate $10, $25, $50 or more (I promise you won’t miss $25). For every $5 you donate, you will earn another entry into the drawing. The more you donate, the greater your chance of winning. You have until February 13 to donate and be entered. It’s easy – just call 419.499.7500 ext 119; you must reference Cleveland Foodie (a winner will be picked using random.org).

As soon as we worked out all the details with Veggie U, I reached out to the chefs and owners to share the idea and ask for support. Almost immediately I started to hear back. The backing of our food community and willingness to work together to help all sorts of causes beyond this is inspiring, admirable and personally greatly appreciated by myself. Thank you to everyone for your generosity and willingness to pitch in.

One incredibly lucky diner will spend the year eating and drinking their way throughout Cleveland:

Western Reserve Wine / $50 gift card

Tartine / $50 gift card

Momocho / $50 gift card (Eric Williams also generously donated an additional $200 to fund one classroom)

Lola / $50 gift card

The Greenhouse Tavern / $50 gift card

Heinen’s / $100 gift card

Blue Canyon / $50 gift card

The Flying Fig / $50 gift card

Fire / $50 gift card

Erie Island Coffee / $50 gift card

Fahrenheit / $50 gift card

Miles Farmers Market / $50 gift card

Jekyll’s Kitchen / $50 gift card

Moxie / $200 gift card!!

Touch Supper Club / $50 gift card

Parallax / $50 gift card

L’Albatros / $50 gift card

Chinato / $50 gift card (opening very soon!)

Crop Bistro / $50 gift card

-

And to top it all off, the winner will receive one ticket to their choice of upcoming dinners at The Culinary Vegetable Institute (you’re in for a real treat here) and The Chefs Garden will send you one of their e-commerce family boxes.

To kick it off, Jamie and I will donate $100 (we will not be counted for the drawing). Would you also consider making a pledge? I know times are tough for many, and if you can’t, it’s completely understandable. But if you’re able to give something back and if you’re a follower of this blog I can only assume it’s a greater cause that matters to you, please call. Let’s follow the lead of our chefs and local owners and show what the Cleveland food community can accomplish when we work together.

Thank You.

Update: Just learned that The Culinary Vegetable Institute will give a copy of the 2009 official cookbook of the Food & Wine Celebration to the first 20 people that donate $50 or more!

Plays With Food says - I do not need to add that winning this prize will enable a lucky donor to have serious fun with a lotta great Cleveland food! But I will add it, because I can. Please support Michelle's worthy cause, if you can!

Fun Playing With Great Food on New Year's Eve in Cleveland

We mostly stay home, or close to home, on New Year's Eve. Too many amateurs on the road. But this year, we were invited to join our friends Dave and Beth, and a whole bunch of their friends, for a special New Years Eve dinner at Bar Cento. This would be our first time to visit Bar Cento under the helm of new Executive Chef Michael Nowak and his crew.

Since dinner didn't start until 9pm, we decided to begin the festivities with a stop at one of our favorite, but undervisited places, Momocho. Chef Eric Williams was at the door and welcomed us. Surprisingly, the bar area was busy, but not overly so, as we took a couple of seats at the end. As always, the dim red lights on the first floor of Momocho presented a photography challenge to my limited skills.

We enjoyed a few drinks,


Cactus Flower Margharita

and two snacks:


queso fundito / house made chorizo sausage / rajitas / corn tortillas






guacamole / tradicional


Fresh Made Chips

We enjoyed our nosh and bid goodnight to Chef Williams, who checked out early, to spend NYE with his family at home for the first time in years! And just about 8:30pm, when the last reservations were to begin - Momocho was slammed! It went from brisk to almost-mayhem in just minutes. You just never know.

Shortly before 9pm, we headed around the block to Bar Cento. After being seated and looking at the menu, we eagerly anticipated the seven lovely courses listed on the menu, and ordered up the optional wine pairings.

I do not want to be too critical here - but I also want to be honest. Our dinner was overall a delicious and delightful experience. But I also came away with two big complaints, which I will get out of the way now. Please take these comments in the context of the whole review - it was a terrific dinner at an amazingly fair price. But to not mention the downs would be as unfair as leaving out the ups.

First bad - no one ever explained any of the dishes we were eating. This was a terrible shame, since, as you will see, Chef Nowak obviously put a lot of thought into it that we did not get to share. A corollary of this criticism is that the servers didn't seem to know much about the menu - when one of my dining companions asked our server about the contents of a dish, he said he didn't know. There was apparently no pre-dinner meeting so staff could be educated about what they were serving.

The second complaint is that none of the hot courses was served anywhere near an appropriate serving tempurature. This detracted from our enjoyment of these wonderfully crafted dishes. Kitchen and serving staff need to get on the same page to pull off this kind of dinner successfully.

With those two negatives duly noted - I repeat that this was a tasty, special, terrific way to ring in the New Year.

And so we began:


Antipasti

The menu described this platter, to be shared by four diners, as "Petit Jesus, Prosciutto Americana, Tomme d' Savior, Primadonna, Mushroom Salad, Pickled Vegetables, Roman Money." But no one told us about where the meats and cheeses were made, or what varieties the cheeses were, or what exactly was intended by the whimsical menu description. Was "Roman Money" the lentil salad? Or the salami rounds? No matter - it was all delicious!





The mushroom salad is tucked under the crostini at one o'clock. Despising mushrooms, I passed on that.



These pickled vegetables, on the other hand, were fabulous!



Ah, the power of cheese!



Wikipedia advises that lentils are a traditional Italian New Year's item.


My Antipasti Plate


Salad of Braised Artichokes, Zuchini, Preserved Tomatoes, Baby Lettuces

Bravo! A beautifully composed, delicious salad with homemade petite croutons and a lovely balsamic reduction.


Puree of Cauliflower Soup, Crisp Chickpea, Poached Lobster

This soup would have been outstanding had it been served hot, or at least warm. The scents and flavors tantalized, and the crispy chickpeas were little flavor bombs!



For the pasta course, there were two choices. To my great surprise, my husband opted for the vegetarian course:


Ravioli of Ricotta and Black Truffle, Poached Quail Egg, Parmesan

The perfectly poached quail egg is hiding under one of the raviolis. This dish offered a silky texture and sublime flavors.


Bolito Misto Papperdelle, Capon, Veal, Zampone, Braised Roots

The round meaty item in the center was the Zampone. It took Wikipedia to determine that Zampone is stuffed pig's trotter (I did figure out when I ate it that it was some form of forcemeat), a traditional Italian New Year's item. All of the meats were lovely, though the Zampone appealed more to Bob than to me. The jus was delightful, and the pasta toothsome. The mini-carrots were perfectly cooked. But the temperature of both pasta courses was tepid.

Bob and I broke from our usual pattern of sharing the different choices to both order the same entree - how often are you offered grass-fed beef? The menu gave no clue to the origin of the tuna course, so we both ordered the beef. But one of my dining companions allowed me to photograph his plate:


Risotto Di Tonno, Seared Tuna, Risotto Provencal, Crisp Rapini

I did not taste this dish, but the tuna I saw on another's plate looked like it was cooked way past a sear. However, the people that ordered it seemed to like it - it was crusted with black peppercorn, and accompanied by the cooling tomato risotto and rapini.


Dry Aged Grass-Fed Beef, Rouille, Caramelized Vegetables, Demi

Again, it took Wikipedia to determine that rouille meant "a sauce that consists of olive oil with breadcrumbs, garlic, saffron and chili peppers." It certainly helps to explain the tasty bits of what seemed at the time to be "stuffing" dotting the plate. And though the meat was cooked longer than it wanted to be, it still retained a little pink, and was buttery soft and delicious (if a little colder than optimal), and also delightfully crusted with fresh black pepper.



The beef was served with perfectly puffed sweet potato fingers and a lovely braised slice of fennel bulb that I failed to photograph.


Formaggio - Aged Cow's Milk, Cranberry, Almonds

Another winning course - but I wish I knew what kind of cheese it was!




Crisp Sesame Bowl, Orange Curd, Cognac and Torrone Ice Creams

I am usually not a big fan of sesame, but this presentation and flavor combo blew me away. I would have liked to know if these were Jeni's Ice Creams, which are normally served at Bar Cento and are very popular, but which I'd never tasted before, or some other. I'm going to guess Jeni's, since both of these flavors are listed on their website.



Yum!



Complimentary bubbles toast at midnight for everyone in the house.

And everyone was given a little "goody" bag when they left, which contained two items. A small bottle of bitters (and Italian tradition with which I'm not familiar?) and a lovely macaroon cookie from A Cookie & A Cupcake, Chef Wendy Thompson's new Ohio City venture.





Caramel, I believe.



Notwithstanding my criticisms, I say again - the "new" Bar Cento has a lot to offer, and I look forward to trying more of Chef Nowak's creations. After the dinner ended, and the restaurant re-opened to the public (they serve food until 2am every day), people wandered in and ordered drinks and pizzas - and a wonderful time was had by all!

Happy New Year - good health, and lots of fun playing with your food!