Fun Playing With Thanksgiving Food

As the Thanksgiving Weekend draws to a close - a few thoughts. As usual - Bob and I were guests rather than chefs on Turkey Day proper. All of my family is east and south, and for years, we celebrated Thanksgiving with Bob's family. Sadly, since his mom decided to "retire" (as in - not go anyplace - she's going to be 95 years old shortly, and gosh dang, if she doesn't want to go anyplace, I say, "you [don't] go girl!"), his other family members have scattered more and more each year. The last three years, we've  been fortunate to share Thanksgiving dinner with wonderful friends (the photos from this year's feast are here). 

Still, we always roast our own turkey on Black (or in our house, Gobble) Friday. We started this tradition as we became immersed in the local and sustainable food movements, and because we missed having our own leftovers for sandwiches and the like. This year's guest bird came again through the tender auspices of Breychak's Farm. Every year, Kathy Breychak says she is done raising turkeys, and so far, every year she's relented. I hope we get to enjoy another of her pasture-raised birds next year!

Our 14 pound bird prepares for the Symon treatment - a generous Kosher salt rub a day before cooking.



Twenty-four hours later - a double layer of cheesecloth is soaked in warm oil and aromatics, then draped over the bird. Sorry Michael - we love the flavor of our locally raised turkey so - we prefer a neutrally flavored oil to your recommended butter only for that reason.



Michael's "high temp" method is pretty similar to how we've always roasted - and we were rewarded with crispy skin and succulent, moist meat.





Organic cranberries, organic Florida cane sugar, filtered water. Looks, feels and tastes a lot like the canned product - only better! I actually make this more to grace turkey sandwiches than the turkey dinners - but this year, it got a little late on Friday, and Bob decided for forgo the gravy until Saturday. Good thing we had cranberry sauce - and yes Mom, we remembered to put it on the table. (In my house, the term "Cranberry Sauce" means that something that was supposed to be on the table is still in the fridge.)



I improvised this vegetable side dish from a couple of on-line recipes - roasted cubes of local winter squash, local onion, our last Richter's Orchard (LI) apple, Pumpkin Pie Spice/Pepito butter (Ohio City Pasta), toasted pecans and garden parsley.



Here's the stock Bob made several days ago from extra turkey necks and giblets Kathy Breychak bestowed on us. Thick with gelatin - perfect for gravy-making.


Turkey with Crisp Skin - 20 or so minutes out of the oven


Garden Purple Viking Mashed Potatoes with Garden Parsley


Turkey Slice with Gravy - Saturday night


Garden Purple Viking Mashed Potatoes with Gravy - Saturday night


Our first leftovers meal:


Bob's Potato Bread





Breychak Turkey Breast, Trader Joe's Organic Mayo, Cranberry Sauce, Skin Crackling, Purple Viking Potato Bread = yum. Another Thanksgiving in the books - we had great fun playing with food and fabulous company at Linda and Fred's place, and lots more fun playing with our own food the rest of the weekend! And I've got about 8 lunches worth of turkey breast sandwich makings already resting in the freezer, for me to play with later! Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours - hope you had fun playing with your food this weekend!

Fun Playing With Food to Benefit the March of Dimes

Last night, I was privileged to serve as a judge, helping three colleagues bestow bragging rights upon one of the generous chefs who donated time, energy, staff and food towards the fabulous March of Dimes Cleveland Signature Chefs Auction, which benefited the Cleveland chapter of March of Dimes. As always at such an event - all of the participants are winners. Still, chefs are so competitive - so who won and who was close?

The judging panel consisted of myself, Chef and restaurant owner Brian Okin (most recently of Verve, and now with Dinner in the Dark and Chef's Garden), Personal Chef Mary Wills of The Good Fork catering service, and former Cleveland Brown and now Cuyahoga Common Pleas Judge Dick Ambrose. As an occasional quantity cook, and food provider to 1800+ people a year and a half ago, I shouldn't feel so intimidated by those who earn their livings in the kitchen - but I have keen respect for them. As an attorney who used to aggressively litigate in the very courtroom that Judge Ambrose now presides over (but who now uses that savvy to work the business deals that hopefully avoid messy litigation) - I admit to a little stage fright over sharing the judging table with him. I suppose that it's a complement to my non-litigation corporate practice that he didn't have a clue as to who I am (in my day job, at least) - I'll take it! (My AVOO law practice profile and rating are accessible from a link to the left of this blog entry, BTW.) So - what did we eat and how did we like it?

First - apologies to Muse at the Ritz Carlton - our winner! Chef Constantine Vourliotis created an amazing bite - which I did not get a photo of! The irony was that I had just mentioned to Judge Okin that facing the 27 or so plates we'd been promised (thank heavens it turned out to be closer to 22) made me feel like I was at  Chicago's Alinea (known for its 23 course high end, small plate tasting menu). When this plate was set in front of me - I don't know how I didn't snap a photo. The look of the plate really reminded me of Alinea! Chef Vourliotis's plate held a delicate black truffle gnocchi that popped, well, like the "truffle explosion" dish at Alinea. And the sauce, contained in a slender "squeeze it" stick - completed the sophisticated feel and flavor of the dish.

I must also apologize to Umamai Asian Kitchen and Chef Matthew Anderson for not snapping a photo of his goat cheese dumpling and beef tartare with kimchi - again, the momentarily rushed logistics must have distracted me.

So - what did I manage to photograph? A pretty amazing culinary display. Play along with me, will you?

Dim and Den Sum -Cumin-Pear Soup topped with Stone Crab

Dim and Den Sum - Warm Rum/Apple Cider Shooter

Chef Chris Hodgson of Dim and Den Sum almost always pleases - and this pairing was one of the top rated. The complexity of the pear and cumin soup, topped with pristine seafood, and accompanied by a rum cocktail (I am a rum lover) completely won me over. 

Quince - "Surf & Turf" - Tuna with Cranberry over Sweet Potato Chip and BBQ Beef

I'd honestly not known much about Gregg Korney's Quince (in Olmsted Falls) - but this dish made me sit up and take notice! I adored the dried but moist cranberries and the way they popped with the tuna tartare and sweet potato chip; the BBQ beef also delivered. This was among my top three picks.

AMP 150 - Smoked Salmon with Cranberry-Beet-Horseradish Relish and Creme Fraiche

Chef Ellis Cooley once again knocked flavors out of the park - using some textures similar to the preceding dish - but with the addition of fresh beets and a touch of horseradish below the perfectly smoked fish. The creme fraiche was a perfect counterpoint - loved this!

Foundation Room/House of Blues - Walleye Escabeche with Popcorn Shoots 

Chef Teresa Todia did a really nice job with this. While I didn't catch what type of pasta is under the fish - those popcorn shoots absolutely exploded with flavor - and at this time of year! The subtle chile sealed the deal for me. Great textures and flavors, Chef!


Melange - Fresh Veggie Chips, Diced Red Bell Pepper, Smoked Bleu Cheese, Bacon

This was the first dish we tasted. Chef Adam Bostwick created a lovely light bite with this - just enough bleu cheese flavor to tickle the palate without overwhelming, plus a fall melange (sorry) of root vegetable chips, plus bacon = winner.


Blue Canyon - Lobster Mac 'N Cheese with Bacon

What can I say about Chef Brandt Evans's staple comfort food with a lobstery twist? I should note that Chef Evans was 2010 Honorary Chef for this event - which I suspect meant more work and expense for him, rather than more glory. Huzzah, Chef Brandt - your Mac 'N Cheese did not disappoint - it was creamy and delicious!




Bistro 185 - Lobster Ravioli with Laughing Bird Shrimp

Speaking of lobster - I really enjoyed this plate from Ruth and Marc Levine - owners and chefs at Bistro 185.  The lobster ravioli and lobster-infused sauce were both delicious. But I have a soft spot for Laughing Bird Shrimp, as evidenced by this blog post - well played Ruth and Marc!


Three Birds - Pulled Pork Potsticker over Black Bean Puree, pickled onions, tomato

This plate also got a lot of love from the judges. Honestly, when it was first put in front of me and described - I didn't think the bean puree would "go" with the Asian-inspired potsticker. Well, let me tell you - the flavors and textures all harmonized quite nicely. The crunch of the pickled vegetables really brought it all together.


Willoughby Brewing Company - Surf and Turf Pierogie

As you can see, the event was down to the paper plates by the time this item was served to us (but yay for the white background = better photo). Another toothsome and tasty offering!


Marigold Catering - Lemon Tarragon Crab Salad in Vanilla in a mini-ice cream-cone

Chef Mike Smith chose wisely in flavoring his crab salad with lemon and tarragon - those flavors married well with the gentle hint of vanilla from the mini-cone. I liked this a lot.

Palate - Stewed Shortrib with julienned carrot and potato, green onion

Chef Jeff Jarrett (formerly of The Leopard, Dante, Lockkeepers and North End in Hudson) has made short rib his signature dish, and this one delivered. Though it was my 22nd plate of the evening - I ate the whole chunk of meat (though only a bit of the veg - sorry Michael Pollen). It was that tasty.

Great Lakes Brewing Company - Bourbon Soaked Bread Pudding

What can you say about bread pudding that is swimming in bourbon-infused butter. Yum!

Shinto - "Little Delicious" roll: spicy tuna, crab, roe, eel sauce, tempura; Spicy tuna roll, California Roll 

Chef Jimmy Soria presented us with a little delicious slice of tempuraed-sushi heaven. I understand why their "Little Delicious" roll has won them awards.

Dish Deli - Wild Mushroom Strudel and Butternut Squash-Apple-Bleu Cheese Tart

I have a soft spot in my heart and palate for Chef Donna Chriszt - to make the long story short - she saved a disastrous wedding anniversary dinner night for Bob and I (which featured a monsoon-like rain storm as we abandoned the first restaurant that completely failed us, which is now long out of business) about 13 years ago. She totally rocks the kitchen.
 

La Dolce - First plate - Farfalle with Fresh Vegetables, Anchovy, Garlic, Onion

La Dolce Vita -  Second plate - pasta, sweet corn, tomato, veg

La Strada - Steamed Mussels with white wine, garlic and Harrisa sauce

Even though I am not a mussel fan - I enjoyed nibbling on these - and the sauce really rocked it with a little spice and generous herbaceousness.


Ken Stewart's - Lamb Meatball over Crostini


Ken Stewart's - Angel Food Cake with Sweet Toppings


Duet Catering - Shrimp Salad

Unfortunately - I was photographing and not listening when Chef Pamela Waterman explained her dish.


Corleone's - Scallop, Winter Squash Puree, Pecans

So sorry Chef Marlon Mayorga that my lone shot of your People's Choice award winning dish is not sharply focused. This dish won the People's Choice award for the evening, and I swear it tasted better than this photo makes it look.


Pier W - Lobster Salad

Again - apologies to Chef Regan Reik - this was the next to last plate that we were served, and in my rush to photograph, I did not get a good description. It was light and lovely, however.

And so, after playing with no fewer than 22 plates from some of Cleveland's finest chefs - all I could say was, "I'm full." As noted, Muse at Ritz Carlton won the "official" judging, and Corleone's won "People's Choice." It was an interesting process to sit at "judges' table" and I thank Jennifer Lawson and the March of Dimes not only for offering me that opportunity, but for offering me the ability to give away two tickets to this event on this blog (I understand that my winner went on to win a cruise to the Bahamas in February in the silent auction  - pretty sweet!) As we approach the end of the calendar year, when those with means are incentivised to contribute to worthwhile charities - I hope that the March of Dimes remains on your radar as a cause truly worthy of your attention.

And a shout out to Joe Harvey, who it seems works his buns off at all of these local charitable food events - his company, LocalFoodService.com, has a lot to offer to our local food community - please check them out and consider playing with their food!

And the Winner Is . . .

Twenty Four people left comments on my previous post, telling us which participant's food would they most like to taste at next week's March of Dimes 20th Annual Signature Chefs Auction. The variety of answers reflects the wide variety of wonderful chefs and purveyors we have in the Cleveland area. 

As a reminder, this event will take place Monday November 22, 2010 (that's one week from today, folks!) at the Embassy Suites Cleveland Rockside, from 5:30 to 9:00pm. Participating restaurants include: AMP 150, Bistro 185, Blue Canyon Kitchen & Tavern, Budapest Blonde Cocktail Mixes, Corleone’s Ristorante, Dish Deli & Catering, Don’s Lighthouse, Great Lakes Brewing Company, House of Blues, Ken Stewart’s, La Dolce Vita, La Strada, Light Bistro, Lucky Penny Farm & Creamery, Marigold Catering, Melange, Muse at the Ritz Carlton, Orlando Baking, Pier W, Quince, Shinto Japanese Steakhouse & Sushi Bar, The Good Fork, Three Birds, Umami Asian Grill, and Willoughby Brewing Company. A selection of fine wines will also be offered, as well as live and silent auctions of culinary and other prizes. It promises to be an amazing evening. And yours truly will be amoung the judges.

And now - the drawing for two complimentary tickets. Using the True Random Number Generator at www.random.org, and putting in the number 1 as the Min and 24 as the Max:

Result: 24 Powered by RANDOM.ORG

And so - our winner is Melissa! Congratulations to Melissa and thank you all for entering. For those who did not win, but who would like to attend anyway, please contact contact Jen Lawson, 216-643-3330, to find out if tickets are still available and to obtain them.

Hope to see you at the benefit, or elsewhere in Cleveland or wherever our travels bring us, having fun playing with your food! And now that you've "met" Fun Playing With Food, I hope to see you here also!

A Contest! The Prize: Fun Playing With Cleveland Chefs to Benefit the March of Dimes

I have frequently joked to all in earshot that I don't have any children or pets - I find the husband quite sufficient. But though I have no children of my own, I am the sibling of a preemie. And the technology that has improved the odds and the comfort for both mothers and children in such situations exists in large part due to the immense efforts of the March of Dimes.

The most urgent infant health problem in the U.S. today is premature birth. It affects more than half a million babies each year, with the number growing every day. In 2008 the March of Dimes issued a report card on Premature Birth, giving the nation a D and Ohio a D. Babies born too soon are more likely to die or have disabilities. The March of Dimes is committed to reducing this toll by funding research to find the answers to premature birth and providing comfort and information to families who are affected.

I am thrilled to have been invited to support this effort in connection with the upcoming March of Dimes 20th Annual Signature Chefs Auction, to be held on Monday November 22, 2010 at the Embassy Suites Cleveland Rockside, from 5:30 to 9:00pm. Participating restaurants include: AMP 150, Bistro 185, Blue Canyon Kitchen & Tavern, Budapest Blonde Cocktail Mixes, Corleone’s Ristorante, Dish Deli & Catering, Don’s Lighthouse, Great Lakes Brewing Company, House of Blues, Ken Stewart’s, La Dolce Vita, La Strada, Light Bistro, Lucky Penny Farm & Creamery, Marigold Catering, Melange, Muse at the Ritz Carlton, Orlando Baking, Pier W, Quince, Shinto Japanese Steakhouse & Sushi Bar, The Good Fork, Three Birds, Umami Asian Grill, and Willoughby Brewing Company. A selection of fine wines will also be offered, as well as live and silent auctions of culinary and other prizes. It promises to be an amazing evening.

The March of Dimes's press release provides additional details about this year's event:

Highlights for this year’s event include a tribute to the 2010 Honorary Medical Chair, Dr. Ricardo J. Rodriguez, Neonatology Chair at Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital. "March of Dimes has for many years supported and promoted groundbreaking research that has led to improvements in the care of newborns. It is a special organization that has allowed me to give back to children and the community both personally and professionally," said Ricardo Rodriguez, MD, chair of neonatology at Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital.

Orlando Baking Company will be receiving the FDR Community Leadership award, not only for their efforts of helping the March of Dimes make sure that every baby is born healthy, but also for their strong community support. Brandt Evans, co-owner and Blue Canyon Kitchen and Tavern is also serving as the 2010 Honorary Chef.

A limited number of tickets to attend this event and support this important cause are still available at $150 per ticket, please contact Jen Lawson, 216-643-3330 to obtain your tickets.

Or here is another possibility. Because the March of Dimes has been kind enough to provide me with a pair of tickets to give away - leave a comment on this blog telling us which participant's dish you'd most like to try that evening (you can also say why, if you'd like to). Also, if your comment sign-in isn't going to leave me with a way to contact you if you win, please either post an edress or email me through this blog to let me know how to reach you if you win. I will select a winner using a random number generator on Monday, November 15 at noon and will post the identity of the winner on this blog and on this blog's Facebook Page later that day (I will also contact the winner by email).

Let's have fun playing with food from some of Cleveland's premier restaurants for a truly fabulous cause on November 22!

Fun Playing With Issan/Esarn/ Northern-style Thai in NY

We spent last weekend making our final 2010 visit to family in the New York suburbs. While I might normally report chronologically on food fun of interest for the whole trip in one post, this restaurant was so amazing that it gets its own spotlight. Shortly before we departed, I read a Facebook post from Cleveland culinary media professional Heidi Robb about a Thai restaurant she had just visited in Woodside, Queens. Heidi had been living in New York City for several weeks, working on several television projects, including Mad Hungry with Lucinda Scala Quinn. When she posted a mouthwatering photo of Thai Papaya Salad, I knew I had to have it - or something darn similar!

Since Heidi was unable to join us, we decided to drive through the City and dine at the North Williston (Nassau County) location of SriPraPhai. The menu was huge! How to choose from so many amazing-looking dishes? (And I do mean that the dishes looked amazing - for the menu includes photographs of most of the dishes.) Somehow, we narrowed it down to three items

We began with one of several available variations on the Papaya Salad listed under Appetizers. Note that there are some inconsistencies between the on-line menu and the restaurant menu, so the item numbers or descriptions may vary a little. The info below is from the restaurant menu.



Papaya Salad with Crispy Catfish Meat (A-3)



This plate packed powerful flavors and spices together with sweet papaya and catfish flavor - though there wasn't any catfish flesh to speak of. The catfish was completely crisped, offering a different type of crunch than the papaya noodles did, and they played well together. We asked for our food spicy and got it that way - and here the chili heat balanced out a strong presence of fish sauce, savory peanuts, and sweet grape tomatoes, together with tender haricot verts and carrot sticks. Lovely.


Thai noodles served w. northern style curry, herbs, ground pork and spare rib (N-11)

Heidi had noted now rarely northern style Thai dishes could be found in US restaurants, so I jumped at the chance to try it.



This bowl brimmed with goodness - two types of pork, tomato-based curry, peanuts, and spices (and yes, we asked for spicy and it arrived spicy).



The bowl was accompanied by crispy bean sprouts, sauteed dried chilies, and preserved vegetable. I'd never tasted the Thai version of the latter; it was cleaner in flavor than the more spicy Sichuan Preserved Vegetable I am more accustomed to, with a little kick of vinegar. There were also cucumbers on the plate, but somehow Bob got all of those.

I've eaten noodles in many forms in many places, but I wasn't sure what to make of this plate. The bowl was so full already. If it was intended to be eaten as a soup, wouldn't it all be in one  (larger) bowl? Should the noodles be dipped in the bowl, the way sticky rice is used as a utensil to eat other Thai dishes? Hmmm. Well, the fresh rice noodles were too hot to handle with fingers, so that wasn't the answer.



So, I used a fork to dip noodles in the sauce, then spooned some topping out onto them on my serving plate. It worked.



A few minutes later, when our server came to check on us, I asked her how this dish should be eaten. She said that the noodles should be put into the bowl, and the contents eaten from there. Ok, so I was close.



This dish was a true symphony of flavors - just enough heat to make me sweat, with tender meats that had sponged up intense flavors in the cooking process. The noodles maintained their toothiness even after bathing in the rich sauce.

Bob opted for a dish from the "A La Carte" section of the menu - larger portions than the dishes from the "over rice" section of the menu. Rice would thus also be a la carte.

First - the rice:


Coconut Rice (side order)

Is there a more perfect accompaniment to Thai spicy food than sticky rice that has been cooked with coconut milk?


Roasted duck in hot and spicy curry sauce w. Thai eggplant and bamboo shoot (C-18)

This photo does not do any justice at all to the complex flavors and textures in this dish. The duck meat was perfectly cooked and imbued with a spicy curry that was completely different from the flavor profile of the noodle dish. The eggplants still had a bit of texture, but had also absorbed the wonderful flavors from the sauce.

Though the price point for each dish was around $10 (plus $2 for the rice, and our beverages), the portions were more than ample. We were very hungry when we started, and stuffed when we finished, and we still took home a generous left-overs bag.

The contemporary space initially surprised me a little, but only added to our enjoyment of the meal. I'll leave you with this image - never seen a wineglass-storage chandelier before.



Thank you, Heidi, for recommending SriPraPhai. We'd never have found it without you, and we'd have missed all this fun playing with authentic Thai food!

Fun Drinking Left Handed Beer and Playing With Bar Symon Food for the Last time - Plus - an Interview with the Iron Chef!

I participated in an interview of Iron Chef Michael Symon with other local bloggers and food writers on Tuesday, October 12, and Bob and I enjoyed a fantastic beer dinner at Michael's Bar Symon less than a week later. But we learned the very next day (one week after the interview - Tuesday October 19) that Bar Symon would close at the end of October. Good times and not so good times in Cleveland's food world.

First - the interview. Here we were, asking about new restaurants, or in my case, pastry chefs, lemon juicing, and burger composition, even as the demise of Bar Symon was being worked behind the scenes. But work it one must - in my day job as a business attorney, I totally appreciate how difficult this process is for everyone involved with it and I don't envy anyone going through it. I am the second interviewer on the audio, after  Cleveland blogger Bite Buff.   Note - I am not planning to quit my day job just yet.

Michael shared, among other things, that he has a new restaurant concept in the works (involving smoked meats - but that was all he could say - any more and he'd have had to kill me). And one to three new B Spots. So, his restaurant group remains strong.

Based on what I have read since the Bar Symon news became public, we must chalk Bar Symon's failure up to the old axiom - location, location, location. A location that couldn't or wouldn't support it. We hope to see it again somewhere soon (though it does continue on in an abbreviated format at Quicken Loans Arena during Cavaliers and Lake Erie Monsters games).

In the meantime, Chef Matthew "Chatty" Harlan will return to Lolita as House Manager. Though I suspect that he won't be out of the kitchen too long - his passion for food is as strong as Michael's, as demonstrated by Monday's fabulous dinner. Matt's theme was a sort of "nasty bits" concept - using parts of animals that are not usually featured, such as frogs' legs, chicken thighs, and beef cheeks.

The dinner was part of Cleveland's Beer Week festivities. The featured brewer was Left Hand Brewing Company out of Longmont, Colorado. I've enjoyed Left Hand's beers before (the fact that I am left-handed has nothing to do with it - they just make good beer), and so when beer writer-afficiando friend Karen asked if we wanted to join her for this dinner, we said "yes"!

Light noshes - glazed nuts, cheeses, popcorn and crackers - were served with a welcoming glass of Polestar Pilsner. I did photograph most of the beers, but honestly felt that those photos didn't add much to this report,  so I'm omitting them - be assured though that every beer we tasted was lovely! The Pilsner was a crisp opener - as the gentleman from the brewery explained, a "naked" beer, because there is no place for it to hide! Balanced is how I would describe all of the beers I tasted from Left Hand. Almost perfectly balanced - hop head or malt lover, it did not matter. No beer tilted too far in either direction, but all were loaded with flavor.


Chatty's Chowder with Frog Legs

We knew we'd be missing Matt Harlan's cooking when he shifted from Tremont's Lolita to Bar Symon  almost two years ago - it is a good hour each way to and from Bar Symon for us. This dish reminded me of how much we'd missed him - a scrumptious chowder, with plenty of toothy vegetables, tasty corn, and bacon. And something special - frog's legs! Frog leg meat was cooked into the chowder, and a single specimen, beautifully tempuraed, adorned the top of each plate. The chowder was served with the Sawtooth Ale.

Bone-sucking good.


Smoked Brined Chicken Thigh w/Jalapeno Creamed Corn, Bacon, Pickled Chilies

I can often take or leave smoked meat - but in this case, I wanted to take it all the way into my mouth! Matt did a fabulous job creating a dish that paired perfectly with the medium bodied and pleasantly banana-y Haystack Wheat. 

I'm afraid that a common mistake I still make when photographing meals is to not back out for the perspective shot. Had I done that with this dish, you would have seen a 5-6 quart dutch oven which contained this family-style course. One dutch oven per table, and there was plenty!

Pork Cassoulet w/Sausage, Prosciutto, Shoulder, Bacon

How can you not like cassoulet - especially when served up with the amazingly well balanced 400# Monkey IPA? To be honest - I'm not a hop-head, and I was a little concerned knowing that we'd be served two IPAs, among other hoppy things. But as noted, Left Hand is all about the balance - and that, combined with the well thought out combination of textures, flavors and spicing in Chef Harlan's food, let to another delicious course. Matt warned us to save room for the last meat course, though, and I'm so glad we followed his direction, because the best was yet to come.

Braised Beef Cheek w/Whipped Potatoes and Roasted Veggies, Chili, Cream

This was my favorite dish of the evening. I'm no stranger to beef cheeks - they are in the pierogie served at Michael Symon's flagship restaurant Lola, among other things. Cooked just right, as they were here, they fall apart on the plate and melt in the mouth.

Thusly. And with whipped potatoes, tenderly cooked root vegetables, a bit of chile bite, cream, and I swear  - a touch of cheese?  Simply perfect. Especially when accompanied by the every-other-year only Left Hand Twin Sisters Double IPA. A beer style that I might normally taste, remark upon the high quality of the ingredients (and hop bitterness) and pass to my husband - but not tonight. Another enjoyable beer, that might have been too hoppy for me anyway, had the food pairing not been so dead-on.

A Toast

Actually, we celebrated six toasts this evening - passed to various volunteers by the gentleman from Left Hand, who also took pains to ensure we really understood how to make a proper toast: with eye contact and a sturdy "cheers" after each toast was complete. The above gentleman really got into it (heck, he was several beers into it - so why not!). The beer he is toasting with is an amazing milk stout - even though it contained some major coffee flavor - that "balance" thing again made it not only palatable to this coffee-averse drinker, but a tasty counterpoint to new Symon Restaurant Group Pastry Chef Liz Wienclaw's dessert offering.



Chocolate Mousse Cake

The first thing I asked Michael Symon in our interview was about the new executive pastry chef for the Symon Restaurant Group. This was my first taste of Chef Wienclaw's work, and like the courses before it, it complemented the beer it paired with very nicely, and delivered with chocolate flavor, textural contrasts and overall yumminess.

Though we didn't know it at the time, the meal we enoyed on Monday was a worthy last bite of Bar Symon. Our sincere good wishes for continued success go out to all of those who worked at Bar Symon (from the front of house folk who provided simply fabulous service on Monday to the kitchen staff who realized Chef Matt's culinary vision) and we look forward to seeing you at Lolita, B Spot, Lola and other venues.  It was fun interviewing Michael Symon and even more fun playing with Chef Matt's food, Left Hand Brewing Company beers, and Cleveland Beer week. Go get some Cleveland beery goodness before the week is over!