Fun Playing with Food in the Dark

Cleveland's place as a jewel among food towns just got a little higher and a little brighter. And all because we ate in the dark. Well, not exactly - the name of the event was "Dinner in the Dark," and the concept was that a bunch of Cleveland chefs would take over a restaurant and cook what they wanted to cook, for a change. They and their restaurants donated all of the labor, and worked with their purveyors to obtain donated food, and wine (the wine purveyor also donated proceeds on retail wine bottle sales) so that a donation could be made to a worthy charity at the end of the evening. The concept grew from there, and Bob and I were among 60 or so lucky participants in the first event, Monday night. For $50 per person, a full house at Brian Okin's Verve Restaurant got to enjoy a six+ course dinner paired with wines. The evening offered several opportunities to direct additional revenues to the chosen charity, Veggie U. And to top it all off - Mister The Chef's Garden - The Culinary Vegetable Institute  - Veggie U. himself, Farmer Lee Jones, was in the house! And as if that wasn't enough - Farmer Jones provided all of the produce for the dinner. We couldn't wait to taste.

Autumn Snapper - Joe Deluca from Apothecary

This welcoming cocktail consisted of Aperol, Campari, Cinar (Artichoke Liquor), Freshly Pressed Honey Crisp Apples, Heirloom Tomatoes, and Micro Parsley.

Bob was the first in our group to say something to the effect of, "the heck with ceremony - I'm tasting these tomatoes in the bottom of the glass." We who followed his lead were well rewarded by amazing tomato flavor.

Amuse Bouche: Stuffed Micro Bell Pepper

This delectable morsel was prepared by Chef Brian Toomey of Verve. Chef's Garden Micro Bell Pepper was stuffed with a combination of Butternut Squash-Goat Cheese Puree, Pepita (Pumpkin Seed) and Bacon - an auspicious beginning!

Garlic Pudding - Chef Matt Mathlage of Light Bistro

Heirloom garlic pudding, gai lan (Chinese Broccoli) sauteed in duck fat, pesto broth, compressed squash, rye bread puree, pickled black radish. Now, I love garlic, so the notion of Garlic Pudding was just fine with me.  I loved the perfect balance of pungent garlic and creamy pesto, offset by the gentle bitterness of the broccoli.  My dining companions were wowed by the pickled radish (I'm not a huge radish fan myself). The only negative any of us could come up with was the lack of bread to scrape every bit of the goodness off of the bottom of the serving bowls!

Pig Ear - Chef Chris Hodgson of Dim and Den Sum

A certain Cleveland chef  appears on a Food Network show called "The Best Thing I Ever Ate." If I was on that show (or picking a dish for it), these pig ears, confited in duck fat and served with roasted delicata squash, dandelion greens and frisee, sour polenta, pepper & lemon vinaigrette, would have a starring role. The texture of Chef Hodgson's pig ear was like no other pig's ear I've ever sampled before, bringing together intense creaminess with crispy porkiness. Some of it actually stuck to my teeth - and I liked it, I liked it!!

Deconstructed Caesar Salad: Lettuce, Flash Fried Egg Yolk, Egg White Meringue, White Anchovy, Crouton, Olive Oil - Chef Adam Bostwick of Melange

Another amazing dish. Though my flash-fried egg yolk was not runny as the Chef intended, it was the exception among our group, and still tasted delicious. The deconstructed dressing worked nicely, in part, because the white anchovy popped with flavor without overpowering the other ingredients.

Intermezzo

This Lemon Verbana Sorbet was the second contribution from Chef Brian Toomey of Verve. It was exquisite, and the perfect way to clean said popping white anchovy off of the palate.

Dry Pack Scallops with Coconut Curry Sauce, Heirloom Cauliflower, Moroccan Oil - Chef Brandt Evans of Blue Canyon Restaurant

IMHO, Brandt Evans is the undisputed sea scallop king of Cleveland - no one makes them better.  The curry sauce added to the flavor parade, and the radish garnish was sliced so thinly that even I could enjoy it. That heirloom cauliflower burst with so much good flavor that Bob actually tracked Farmer Jones down in the Men's Room to learn where he might get seeds for next year's garden. Ok, I lied - it was happenstance that they met and discussed the cauliflower in that location. But yes, it was that tasty.

Short Rib with Chocolate Sauce, Polenta, Root Vegetables, Sorrel - Chef Jeff Jarrett, North End Hudson

We should have been too full to do justice to this plate. Still - the aroma, as the servers began to distribute them, got us all salivating. While the concept of beef and chocolate is hardly novel, Chef Jeff Jarrett really nailed this one and made it his own. Was it the chocolate-infused sauce? The melt-in-your-mouth beef?  The creamy, yet toothy polenta? The amazing vegetables, featuring turnips that had us oohing and ahhing (and who oohs and aahs over turnips, after all?)? I have no idea - but I think that I could happily eat a plate of this dish for dinner every day during the winter and never tire of it.

Beet Cake with Creme Fraiche Ice Cream and Chocolate Ganosh - Chef Ellis Cooley, AMP 150

Yes, you read that correctly - Beet Cake. A flour and sugar dessert, starring beets. Another brilliant use of the garden from Chef Ellis Cooley. Though the ice cream melted swiftly, the taste was worth the hurry to eat it (and the cake loved being immersed in the creamy puddle that remained). Chocolate provided the counterpoint, as did the "tire track" of candied garden flavor across the top of the plate.

The first Dinner in the Dark embodied the very concept of Fun Playing With Food, and both the Chefs and the diners had way too much fun! We also learned a little bit more about Veggie U, which takes the gardening experience into public school classrooms around the country by setting them up with the start of a fully functional garden (including composting materials). Veggie U. thus tries to bridge the knowledge and experience gap for school children who are otherwise part of the national disconnect between human beings and the food we eat.  I cannot imagine a more worthy cause for people passionate about food.

The next Dinner in the Dark is scheduled for November 15, 2010 at Verve. I do not know the chef lineup or the charity to benefit yet - but reservations are highly recommended.

Fun Playing with Ceviche and European Cuisine at Restaurant Europa

Literally on the heels of our weekend of fun catering for our Mensa friends, Mensan friend Robert hosted a watch party as he appeared on the nationally televised quiz show Jeopardy on Monday, September 27. We assembled at the bar of Pepper Pike's Restaurant Europa Cleveland, 30519 Pinetree Road Pepper Pike Ohio 44124, 216.591.1273. I had heard about this restaurant's Ceviche Bar and chilled Siberian vodka room, so I was glad Robert had selected it.

Our evening began with appetizers, which I believe were comped to Robert by the house. 

Potato Pancakes (Latkes), Smoked Salmon, Sour Cream

Shrimp Cocktail with Vodka Cocktail Sauce

Let me stop right here. This shrimp was positively delicious. Though certainly a frozen product - there was not a trace of off smell or taste (or chemicals), just lovely sweet shrimp meat that paired nicely with the horseradish-infused cocktail sauce.



The smoked salmon likewise tasted fresh and clean, with a bit of salmon gusto that I really enjoyed.



The potato pancakes were dense and chewy - not as crunchy as I might like them, but wonderfully satisfying and not at all greasy. Topped with a bit of salmon and sour cream - a perfect pre-dinner bite.


Beef Filled Potato Pancake

At least I think that is what this was. A sort of inside-out latke - meat in the middle instead of on top - this  morsel was crispy and again not greasy, with seasoned meat to round it out. Nicely done.


Stuffed Latke Cross Section

I'll show you the appetizer we ordered next, even though it wasn't actually served until after our entrees.  I really wanted to sample a Ceviche, especially after tasting the pristine shrimp and tasty salmon. (Ceviche is raw fish “cooked” through the process of marinating in citrus.) And what type of Ceviche could be more "Cleveland" than this:



PERCH Ceviche * Onion, jalapeno peppers, cilantro, mango. Juice of lemon, lime and orange.

The oversized martini glass was stuffed to bursting with these lovely nuggets of perchy goodness! I especially enjoyed the combination of the unexpected flavors - the mango, cilantro and jalapeno, together with three different citrus juices. And for the third time, a fish/seafood product passed both the smell and taste tests for freshness and chemistry. I am completely sold on Restaurant Europa.

Stuffed Cabbage

Bob's entree was served with tasty mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables (which clearly came from a food service bag, though they were not the frozen type) and sour cream.

My taste was moist and delicious - a little different from the way my mom (or my husband) would make it, but that's ok. I can't even explain how it was different - seasonings, cooking technique - but we enjoyed it very much. 

Russian Ravioli: Beef Dumplings with Mushroom Sauce 

My entree was the only thing I tasted all evening that I could make a negative comment about. There was something dusty and dry about the texture of these "deep fried" dumplings that I couldn't put my finger on. Fortunately, the ceviche and the mushroom sauce (yes, you read that correctly; I actually selected the mushroom sauce and it was delicious, thank you) added lots of moisture to the party. And the insides of the dumplings were very moist - it was just the outside that was dry.

The beef filling inside the dumpling was just a little different from both of the beef fillings I had already tasted. Though I don't know if I'd order this dish again, I'm not sorry that I tried it (I'd suggest trying the boiled version if this intrigues you).

The price points at Europa are incredibly reasonable for the quality and quantity served. The generous portion of Ceviche was $5.50 and our entrees were each $10.99. So playing with European food at Europa is not only fun on your palate, but easy on your wallet. The website boasts of live music six nights a week beginning at 6pm (except Monday, which was the night we visited). The bar tenders worked very hard to please our large group, even when liquors ran out or weren't available, and the alcohol selections included some Russian beers, Eastern European wines, and unusual vodkas. Note that the restaurant is not open for lunch, just dinner beginning at 4pm all seven days. We had fun playing with the food and drinks at Restaurant Europa, and we didn't even get to the chilled vodka room this time!

Fun Catering for 195 Hungry Friends

Last weekend - or was it two weekend ago? Bob and I were in charge of food for the 2010 Cleveland Area Mensa Regional Gathering ("RG"), which was a party "So Superior, it's Eerie!" We had a total of 195 people in the house (actually, a local hotel) for a weekend of food, fun, speakers, games, tournaments, friends, a dunk tank and book sale to raise money for the David Jaquet Scholarship Fund, and so much more. It was exhausting and exhilarating, fun and silly. And we raised a lot of money for the Scholarship Fund, which honors the late David Jaquet, a former President and activist in our Mensa chapter, and which offers scholarships available to any student enrolling in higher level education through an essay contest (you do NOT need to be a member of Mensa to qualify, and the national contest has additional scholarship opportunities available - check out info here).

The prep had begun weeks in advance of the event. One of our members was able to obtain an obscene quantity of lunch meats, bacon, kielbasa and hot dogs through her mom's place of employment. When she got redeployed due to her fiance's good fortune (he won an all-expense-paid trip to NYC the weekend of our event) - Bob and I swooped in to collect the bounty from her basement. It all just barely fit in our outbuilding's refrigerator, consuming both the fridge and freezer compartments:

Our Mensa-member farmers, owners of Mr. G’s Produce, 13213 Arlington Road, Norwalk Ohio, provided some gorgeous winter squashes, which I turned into 8 quarts of delicious soup:

Garden-Based Vegetable Stock Simmers 

Sadly, I neglected to get a photo of the final product. The squash halves were dusted with salt and pepper and brushed with melted butter, then roasted in a slow oven until tender. The insides were scraped out and blended with the finished veggie stock, then frozen. After reheating for service, a bit of heavy cream was added. It was heavenly.

Nick and Kelley also provided Eggplant a couple of weeks in advance of the event, which was prepped a few days before service.

Though it lacked the intense smokiness that a charcoal fire would have added, Amir's Tahini gave this babaganoush so much flavor and a touch of smokey tones:

Sadly, the only meal I got any photos of was Friday dinner - it just got too insane after that. In addition to the squash soup and baba, we served:

Lots of Cold Cuts - with Bread - at every meal!

Ham and Noodles, provided by a longtime member who always brings something yummy to the RG!

Keeping with our "Eerie" theme for the dinner, these blurry meatballs were called "Lake Erie Monster Eyeballs" - each had a single, strategically placed pea. Or at least they did, until they were tossed with the "Vinegar Splashed Meatball" sauce. Oh well.

"Soylent Green" aka Urban Herbs's Spinach Cous Cous with Lemon and Mint

Salad Bar - Lettuce and Tomatoes from our wonderful farmers!

More Salad Fixings: Plain Tuna, Farmers' Radishes (2 types) and Cucumbers, Mushrooms and Shredded Cheese

Vegan Chili, made by another RG Volunteer cook

We had other fabulous soups, Garlic Chicken and roasted Kielbasa, Tortellini Salad with Farmers' Tomatoes and Broccoli, Sushi, St. Josephat's Pierogies and Koko Bakery Pork Buns, plus beautiful and tasty cakes and other desserts made by our wonderful volunteers - so many delicious and beautiful  foods that I failed to photograph because I was too, um, busy. But there is one more photo.

Chocolate Covered Bacon with Almonds a la Iron Chef Michael Symon

We had lots of Chocolate Covered Bacon (milk and dark Belgian chocolate - thank you Caren and the Pittsburgh RG!). People seem to either love it or hate it, but it's become a Cleveland RG staple as much as our root beer floats, with craft brewed root beer.

As always, we had great fun feeding the masses, though we did suffer a casualty on our home stove when an igniter shorted out after tortellini cooking water splashed (AC Plumbing, Heating and Mechanical will complete that repair tomorrow - thank you Tony Caruso!). A great time for a great cause - we love feeding our many friends at these events! But much as I love doing this, at the end of the weekend, my feet remind me that I'm not ready to quit my day job yet.