The Spice of Life

I've been wanting to try Spice for a while. Now that I have been there I am kicking myself that I didn't go sooner! So impressed with every aspect of this place. The food was incredible of course, but the atmosphere was so incredibly comfortable that I didn't want to leave. The staff was lovely and the food blew me away. I really can't wait to go back. Ramps are all the rage at the moment so I went with the Ramp and Potato Ravioli. It melted in my mouth. Perfection!

Specials are hard to resist. My dinner companion chose the Duck Two ways and I am sure glad he did. The crispy wing was to die for!

If you go to Spice DO NOT SKIP DESSERT! As lovely as that food was the dessert was a jaw dropper. Peach and Cardamom Semifreddo...I love just saying it. It was topped with a sweet and brittle honeycomb. The waffle was light as air. This is one of the most amazing desserts I've ever had.

Since I had no interest in leaving this cozy seat in the corner of a beautiful restaurant filled with beautiful people I ordered a cocktail, the Spring, Sprang, Sprung. It was a lovely, refreshing, girlie girl kinda cocktail and I loved every sip of it.

I am sad that it took me so long to discover such a treasure! If you've been please leave a comment on what you had. I hear the menu changes a lot. If you've never been, this is a must go! Bring a date!

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Scotchy Scotch Scotch

I was so impressed with the food and atmosphere at Light Bistro when I stopped for lunch (check it out here) that couldn’t wait to go back. So I jumped at the chance for a three course meal each paired with a 10 year old, barrel finished Glenmorangie single malt scotch.

Everything was fantastic, but the icing on the cake? Joseph Deluca and his endless knowledge of not only scotch, but all alcohol, their histories and even fascinating stories of local production. We loved his motto, “Be willing to try something new, but always drink something you like.”

The first course was smoked salmon served with crispy potatoes and a blue cheese foam. I had never had smoked salmon before so I was very excited to try it. It had a wonderful smoky flavor and a very delicate texture; it nearly melted in your mouth. The scotch paired with this course was Glenmorangie Nectar d’Or which is aged is a Sauternes barrel. It had a underlying sweetness that made the spirit smooth and easy to drink.

Next up was the chipotle BBQ pork served over broccoli and red onion slaw. The pork was perfectly cooked and the chipotle BBQ sauce had a nice, mild heat. The slaw was delicious and the vinegary based cut through the sauce. This was paired with Glenmorangie Lasanta which is aged in a sherry barrel. I thought this one had more of a peppery note to it. While it wasn’t my favorite scotch of the evening, the bolder flavor was needed to stand up to the food and it did so very well.

We finished with dessert, though the scotch was a treat... Warm chocolate cake filled with chocolate sauce and served with crushed walnuts and grape syrup. This was paired with Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban which is aged in a port barrel. This was my favorite! It had the underlying sweetness that make it smooth, but it had the rich flavor you find in port.

Light Bistro has lots of similar events posted on their website. Make sure you check one out: Website Facebook Twitter

You Phở Shizzle Need to Get to the Asian Mall

I’ve never been a fan of malls filled with over priced junk and mall walkers sashaying around the perimeter threatening to run you over. So who would have guessed that one of my favorite places is Asia Town Center!  Restaurants and shops under one roof with plenty of parking and they even have a supermarket. My lovely dining companion and I stopped first at Pho 99 for lunch. They serve up the familiar classics of Vietnamese restaurants. I tried Phở Tái better known as P2 or Fresh noodle w/Eye round steak. Piping hot clear broth, fresh noodles and filled with herbs. And of course served with a mound of bean sprouts. In my opinion, phở is some of the best comfort food around.

My lunch date tried Cơm Bì Sườn Nướng much easily ordered as C1 or Chargrilled pork chops & Julienne pork on jasmine rice. It was a tender juicy pork chop with an awesome smoky flavor served with a mound of rice and a fried egg. Neither of us had tried “julienne pork” before but it was chewy in a good way that contrasted the other textures on the plate.

After gorging ourselves, we wandered next door to the Asia Food Company. I always find new things to try and everything is so cheap. 3 bags of groceries for $16.52! I love their meat department with some unusual cuts of meat and things you won’t find at a regular supermarket.  Best of all, I had a wonderful lunch date and did some grocery shopping and I still made it back to work within an hour.

Learn more: Pho 99 Website Pho 99 Facebook Pho 99 Twitter Asian Town Center Asia Food Company

New Brunch in Town Packs Some Heat

I love weekend brunch! There are so many great choices in Cleveland, but one quick look at Jezebel's Bayou new brunch menu and I was sold. You can't hate on a place that has desserts on the brunch menu. Dessert sounded like a great place to start my Saturday so I ordered the beignets with coffee. The beignets were amazing yes, but the coffee and cream alone were worth the trip out. They make a special coffee creamer that was so sweet and delicious that I skipped the sweeteners all together.

My dining companion ordered the Eggs Jezebel, which came with poached eggs and creole sauce over the house jambalaya. It packed some serious heat! Each kind of meat had its own flare of flavors making every bite I stole of the jambalaya different. While it was hot and spicy, it wasn't just hot to be hot. It had real spice to it and enough heat to excite me, but not burn my taste buds. To me, the sign of a good spicy dish is that balance of heat and flavor.

I love crab and I don't get to eat it enough of it living in Ohio and all so I went for the Eggs Bayou. Lump crab meat and a crawfish cream sauce! Yes, please! This was over the top excellent. Another dish with a perfect blend of spice and heat. The crab had a real smokiness to it that I enjoyed.  I was really impressed with the flavors on every dish and can't wait to go back and try dinner.

What a great location for having brunch. Enjoy some fantastic food and then browse the shops on the street. Loganberry Books is an incredible book shop you could easily loose yourself in for hours. I picked up a few great finds. Smoke & Pickles, southern cooking with an Asian twist, and a signed copy of the Book of Bourbon, which includes some cool recipes as well.

Have you tried Jezebel's? Let me know what you ordered.

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Addiction Worthy Barroco Grill

You know when you are so into eating your meal that you completely forget to interact with your dining companions? That is addiction worthy food and Barroco Grill has that kind of food. Before I ever had a bite of Barroco's food, I fell hard for the atmosphere. Strings of lights, including lightup spiders and skeletons, glittery painted mural on the wall, unique touches are everywhere.

The place (Lakewood Location) was packed last night for the BYOB + Live Painting session with local artist, Anthony Martino. I picked up a few of his paintings that he gave me a 2 for deal on.

I still have a lot to try on the Barroco grill, but I already have some dishes I love so much that I can't not get them!

If I am up for an appetizer, it's got to be the cheesy corn. Dip arepa fries (fried polenta triangles) into cheesy corn. The chicken inside is just a bonus and the bacon is the the cherry on top. I have to admit that a ate a few bitefulls straight from the spork.

You can't go wrong ordering an arepa, but there are other gems on the menu as well. I adore the Sandwich Cubano and I am not the only one. Momocho chef, Eric Williams, loves them and always orders two.

What makes this place such a dream to me though is the sauces. They always bring out this carrier with five different sauces on it. Not only is it fun to try each sauce each time, it makes each bite of food more interesting. I love mixing the hot sauce with the big mac style sauce to dip french fries. I really dig the pineapple sauce on the Cubano. I am a sauce junkie!

My dinner companion ordered the Bistec a Caballo! Sexy, right? It was. A 12 oz. strip in a tomato and onion sauce with a poached egg on top. When I finally looked over to ask how it was it was almost gone, but it went something like this - "How is it?" "The only thing that could make this steak better is you being topless." There was just enough left over to take home and use for Sunday morning breakfast in bed omelet fillings.

I haven't had the pleasure of visiting the downtown location yet. If you've checked it out let me know what you tried.

Check out Barroco Grill: Website Facebook

Best Tuesday Deal: Hodge's 2 for $40

If you like to eat out a lot it's good to know where the bargains are. Hodge's 2 for $40 Tuesdays is a fantastic deal! 1 starter, 2 entrées + bottle of wine = 40 bucks Let's not forget that you also get tater tots and the greatest fucking cornbread in the world for that $40.

wild mushroom and ohio city pasta gnocchi

Loved, loved, loved the wild mushroom and ohio city pasta gnocchi. It tasted as good as it looks. The mushrooms and grapes are a great combination with the always fresh ohio city pasta.

hanger steak

I spent about 5 years of my life as a vegetarian and still don't eat much steak or red meat, but this hanger steak is a must order! Having a steak this good reaffirms my decision to eat meat. Everything about it was beautiful. It went so well with the tomato-ginger beans. The potato shards blew my mind! They had that 'just fried fair fries' taste that I go to the fair every year just to experience.

grilled half chicken

What a manly dish! (Just an FYI if you go to dinner with me I will be eating some of your food.) This chicken was so moist and fall off the bone perfect. You can't go wrong pairing juicy chicken with a creamy mac and cheese. This dish went really well with the cornbread! The cornbread alone is worth a trip to Hodge's. It is like a cornbread cookie/cake with a bourbon butter that makes it even more out of this world. I've had some decently satisfying dreams about Hodge's cornbread.

When people come from out of town to visit this is on the top of my list for a good "this is Cleveland" dinner option. Chris Hodgson is all over the Food Network making Cleveland so proud! Viva la Rust Belt Revival!

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Happy Record Store Day

Say hello to the Beachland’s famous Southern buttermilk fried chicken & biscuit sandwich! (Featured in Cleveland Magazine) And yes, it does taste as good as it looks. The local honey was an especially wonderful addition.

I stopped by the Beachland Ballroom for lunch yesterday as part of Record Store Day. There are a ton of great record stores in the neighborhood.

If you haven't had a meal at the Beachland Ballroom you are missing out on something very special. They were just voted Best Brunch in Scene Magazine, which I happily voted for them. There are a lot of great brunches in Cleveland, but the record spinning, pitchers of booze and unassuming atmosphere set Beachland apart.  The first time I stopped in for brunch I was blown away by their food and have continued to enjoy every meal I've had there since.

The drink list is so fun! I always have a blast splitting a pitcher of booze for brunch. It's near impossible not too.

There are tons of other things to do in the area while you are there. Visit the vintage/record store in the basement, This Way Out and the neat shops down the street; Blue Arrow, Music Saves, Star Pop for some vintage toys.

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Toast! Flirting Through Food

It has been fun following Toast as they have prepared for opening! (Read their back story on Cleveland.com) Of course I jumped at the chance to come check out the soft opening on Wednesday night. The bar is absolutely beautiful! This is for sure going to be a great place to grab a drink before heading to the theater.

I was really excited to see that they make their own bitters. I ordered a Rooney to try the cherry bitters. I don't normally love gin drinks, but I loved this! It was so well balanced with a floral finish. The Old Fashioned was also fresh and well balanced. What a great cocktail spot! I can't wait to drink here again.

Onto the food...

For starters I tired the Start of Spring Pickles. It had pickled beets, fennel, red onions, carrots topped with micro greens. A colorful and tasty dish that you won't feel bad about indulging in!

I am a big deviled eggs fan. I love trying difference chefs' interpretation of this classic picnic food. I knew I had to try the Local Deviled Eggs - beet pickled egg, beer mustard, shoe string shallots. They did not disappoint! Rich in flavor and smooth in texture; they are now my favorite take on deviled eggs!

I'm also a cheese plate fan. It's something I like to order all over for comparison. I find it is often the non-cheese extras and how well they go with the cheese that make a cheese plate. The cheeses were excellent and extremely well paired with extras like apple butter, a fantastic onion marmalade, crazy good and large portion of pork pate, and a rabbit rillette, which I have never had before and found very enjoyable! This is a really diverse cheese plate and they paired non-cheese items extremely well.

I decided to end the meal with a macaroon. Nice balance of crunchy and creamy - it was like they were trying to flirt with the food!

Each item was well balanced, beautiful and perfectly prepared. Each item I ordered was flirting with me a little as the night went on and I am hooked! I shall be back for more! XOXO

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Choose Your Own Hotdog Adventure

I love Happy Dog! The concept of this place alone is brilliant! A hotdog, a bun and a list of 50 toppings to choose from, allowing you to create your own hotdog adventure! The list of 50 toppings can be overwhelming for a foodie because there are some outrageously unique creations on the list. Just to name a few:

- Bacon-balsamic marmalade - Oaxacan red chole and chocolate mole - "Alien" pickle relish - House made chunky peanut butter - "Everything Bagel" cream cheese

My trick to creating a delicious hotdog adventure has been to pick one topping I can't go without and build from that. I go with just one cheese, one sauce and two other things. I can craft a 4 toppings creation with a pretty good profile if I center all items around that must do topping. While, I love pimento mac-n-cheese and peanut butter, I don't love them together. Thankfully, those are both excellent with applewood smoked bacon. ;]

My latest adventure was centered around the Andy Cap Hot Fries (pictured up top). I added the Happy Dog sloppy joes, Rising Star Coffee and ancho BBQ sauce, and some cheddar cheese. It made for one badass combo!

There is also an extensive list of toppings and sides to go along with the tater tots/fries. (I am a sucker for a good sauce list.) With a $5 hotdog and $3 tater tots, you can have a cheap and filling meal, leaving you with some cash to burn on cocktails and pinball.

Happy Dog has events or music most nights of the week. I watched Friday the 13th in the basement lounge while the Crooked River Blues Band played upstairs. On weekend afternoons it's a fun lunch joint for families. There is something for everyone here! Try it and you'll be hooked.

Follow Happy Dog for info on music, events and find out about burger night:

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Hot Date, Light Bistro - CLOSED

Thanks to a recommendation from Jen at Why CLE? I checked out Light Bistro in Ohio City. I love the atmosphere of this place. It’s a side of Cleveland I wish everyone knew. Greenwich Village vibes with Cleveland prices – what’s not to love!? I couldn’t pass up the brie and apple Panini. It came with a heaping side of fries for just $8.

My hot date got the chicken special - grilled chicken breast coated in fresh pesto on a quinoa salad. Daaaaaaamn!! Beautiful and mouthwatering (talking about the food here ;] ). I’m impressed when someone can make quinoa edible, let alone actually taste good.

Super nice waiter gave us a rundown of the happy hour specials and I can’t wait to go back for that. They’ve got $1.50 domestics!

Happy Hour Specials Monday - Friday 2:30 – 7:00pm

All Bar Menu food items for $5.00 each. Selected domestic beers for $1.50Selected specialty beers for $2.00 Glass of wine from our wine list for $5.00 Specialty cocktails for $4.00

I’m also excited about some of their upcoming events. I just called and got reservations for the upcoming scotch tasting!

Glenmorangie “Barrel Finished” Single Malt Scotch Dinner and Tasting Wednesday, May 1 at 6:30pm

Three Course Dinner Three “Barrel Finished” Scotches $40 plus tax and gratuity Chef Matt will pair the cuisine to the three featured Scotches.  Joseph Deluca, noted craft cocktail mixologist and lecturer, will speak on the history of Scotch Whiskey, the heritage of Glenmorangie, and our three featured “barrel finished” Scotches.

Sadly Light Bistro is no longer open. :( You can now find the Black Pig in its old building, which I highly recommend.