Best Week Ever!

Ok, maybe not best week ever, but this past week has been the best week of 2013.  Do you ever have a good feeling on Sunday that the upcoming week will be a really good one?  Typically, I am always optimistic about the upcoming week or just a new day in general.  However, there was a point on Sunday where I just had a really good feeling something big was going to happen.

One of my favorites from the Stella & Dot spring line!

My week began in the early hours of Sunday when the Notre Dame men's basketball team beat Louisville in 5/OT.  I know, very minor, but I love a close game especially when my team wins.  After maybe 5 or so hours of sleep, I met up with some of the #dirtyrunners for a Sunday morning run.  I will admit, my training for the Cleveland Marathon, has been a bit off, but I felt great after finishing my long run despite falling way behind everyone else for the last few group miles and adding a few more to bring me up to where I should be for training.

Cleveland Rocks!!

While warming up from a chilly run, I set up a Facebook page for one of my latest ventures, becoming  a Stella & Dot stylist!  My good friend Julie has been one and after many conversations, and a little convincing, I signed on!  Afterwards, Brad and I headed to the Great Big Home + Garden Show.  Overall, my favorite part was the garden displays which captured U.S Landmarks.  Some really captured every detail such as the one modeled after Augusta.  As a baseball fan, I was slightly disappointed with the interpretation of Wrigley Field.  They missed the ivy covered wall and to me, it looked like any other baseball field.  After admiring the gardens and deciding we one day will be hot tub owners, we headed to Fat Heads for lunch and beer sampling.  Food wise, I recommend the smokey wings, which are whole chicken wings, rubbed, grilled, then sauced just as I like to make them in the summer.

An ivy-less Wrigley

Augusta.  Felt like we were at the Masters

For the most part, the remainder of the week was somewhat normal.  Brad and I had a wonderful Valentine's Day dinner at The Black Pig where I enjoyed roasted duck and he enjoyed the Ohio Beef entree of steak and short rib, or as Ron Swanson would say, "Turf and Turf".  After dinner, we headed to Great Lakes for dessert.  Aside from tapping the Alberta Clipper, they were offering a tasting of Alberta Clipper, Edmund Fitzgerald, Blackout Stout, and Woodtooth Porter along with a red velvet cupcake, Edmund Fitz ice cream in a chocolate shot glass, and a chocolate covered ginger snap.  In other words, a plate of my favorite treats!!

The way to my heart!

While all the above would make for a pretty awesome, yet normal, week for me, what made this the best week of 2013 so far was a phone call I received on Wednesday morning.  I WAS OFFERED AND I ACCEPTED A LABORATORY CONSULTANT POSITION!!!  I finally found a job that will fit my background, personality, and career aspirations.  Here's to new beginnings on March 4th!!

Celebratory bubbles

**Disclaimer: I was given 2 tickets to the Great Big Home + Garden Show.  All opinions are 100% my own.**

Tuesday's Tidbits

Happy Tuesday!  I hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day and is enjoying this warmer weather we are having here in Cleveland.  There is quite a bit going on in the Cleveland food world over the next few weeks, so without anything further...

*Downtown Cleveland Restaurant Week kicks off Monday and goes through February 27.  Over 40 restaurants are offering $30 prix fixe dinners and some are offering $15 lunches.  This is a wonderful opportunity to check out a new Cleveland restaurant or revisit an old favorite.  Also, throughout the week, many restaurants will be holding various tastings and events.  Be sure to take advantage of the $2 parking voucher.

*On February 24th, Washington Place Bistro and Inn will be holding its first wine dinner.  For $50/person, you get 5 course meal paired with four different wines (the dessert course is served with coffee).

*Also on February 24th, the  Thirsty Dog Brewing Company (of Akron, Ohio) will be holding The Dog Days of Winter at Wonder Bar.  The tasting is free with the purchase of the Restaurant Week prix fixe, or $5 on its own.

*Speaking of tastings, every Saturday, Little Italy Wines holds a wine tasting.  Selections vary by week.  Stop in after dinner at one of the many wonderful restaurants in Little Italy.

*I am excited to attend my second Emerging Chefs event next Wednesday, Sacrilicious, featuring Chef Jeff Fisher of Touch Supper Club.  This event it SOLD OUT.

*Great Lakes Brewing Company is tapping it's newest seasonal selection today, "The Dopplerock".

*Metromix Cleveland is currently looking for YOUR votes for their "Best of Metromix".  Be sure to vote soon and vote often for your favorite Cleveland restaurants in numerous categories.

*Spring Training began today for our Cleveland Indians.  Be sure to mark April 15, May 13, June 17, July 29, August 26, and September 23 on your calendar for Sugardale Dollar Dog nights!

*Lilly Handmade Chocolates will be holding it's monthly Craftbeer Ice Cream Floats on February 26.

*On March 3rd, The Greenhouse Tavern wil be holding a very special dinner.  James Beard award winning chef Jeff Michaud will be teaming up with Jonathon Sawyer to prepare a 6 course family style meal.  The cost is $97/person.

*If you have not heard the good news, Michael Symon will be opening his third B Spot in Crocker Park.

*I am also currently obsessed with homemade guacamole and Xochitl tortilla chips.  These chips come in a variety of options including no salt, organic blue corn, and cajun.  They are also gluten and preservative free.

Until next time...Follow your heart, fulfill your hunger

Food to Put You In the Mood

Last Wednesday, I was invited to my first Emerging Chefs event, Aphrodisiacs at the Velvet Tango Room.  VTR provided the perfect setting for an evening of culinary seduction.  The event, which was sold out, was held in the private backroom behind the door with the Russian crest.  On my many visits to VTR, I always wondered what was behind that door.  Guests were only allowed in after saying the secret pass code which was emailed hours prior to the evening.  The room was dimly lit and I found a spot on a love seat by the fire.  Overall, the setting alone was very intimate.

Chef Matthew Mytro of Stove Monkeys prepared a wonderful four course tasting inspired by foods considered to be aphrodisiacs.  Each was paired with a cordial sized VTR cocktail.  Our first course to set the mood was East Coast Oysters with tarragon, a lemon champagne granita, and chocolate bubbles.  The aphrodisiacs featured in this course, oysters, champagne, and chocolate are quite common and well known.  The flavors blended well and it was a perfect teaser course for my pallet.  It was paired perfectly with the Aviation cocktail.

Our next course was ginseng poached duck breast served on a bed of smoked corn polenta with asparagus and drizzled with harisse buerre monte.  The duck melted in my mouth and the drizzle added a little spice which is great especially considering the theme of the evening.  I loved the polenta since it was very flavorful and the corn was a great addition.  Also, anything infused with truffles appeals to me.  I never knew asparagus was considered an aphrodisiac either.  We were served VTR's Manhattan which is the only part I didn't enjoy only because I do not like bourbon.  If I didn't enjoy a Manhattan at VTR, I will probably not enjoy one anywhere.  However, the cherry garnishing the Manhattan was very tasty. 

   





The third course, and my favorite, was Chef Mytro's "Poke a Dot" Scallops with gold and red beets, basil sauce, and caviar.  Scallops are one of my overall favorite dishes.  Chef Mytro cut the center and filled one with a gold beet puree and the other with red beet.  They were served on beets and drizzled with the basil sauce with a small garnish of caviar.  Again, much to my pleasant surprise, basil is an aphrodisiac.  In my personal opinion, this whole course seduced me.  The flavors blended so well together, my mouth is still watering as I write this.  this course again, was perfectly paired with one of my favorite VTR cocktails, "The Lady in White".  However, there was nothing innocent to be said for this course or the cocktail.  I am lusting more!

Our dessert course featured three different mini cupcakes, one banana, one almond-vanilla, and the third, chocolate and coffee.  Each flavor combination was inspired by an aphrodisiac flavor.  Again, I learned banana and almond to be aphrodisiacs.   Cupcakes to me are pure bliss and a very guilty pleasure.  We had a choice for our final cocktail, the sweet "Lady in Red" or the bitter "Negroni".  I chose the sweet "Lady in Red" and it was the perfect finish to my culinary seduction.  However, like any good lover, I left VTR wanting more.  I am planning on attending future events put on by the Emerging Chef and Chef Matthew Mytro.  

Until next time...follow your heart, fulfill your desire hunger.

Hungry in 2010

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas filled with family, friends, and food.  As we now look forward to they new year, I would like to take a moment to look back on 2010.  I would love to do a Hungry in Cleveland Best of but since the blog is only 4 months old, I figured this would be a better option.  2010 had its fair share of downtime.  We prayed for the earthquake victims in Haiti, trapped miners in West Virginia and Chile.  We looked on in horror as oil spewed into the Gulf of Mexico devastating beaches and wildlife, and felt betrayal as a wannabe "king" took his "talents" to South Beach.  We mourned the passings of Tony Curtis, Lena Horne, George Steinbrenner, and Cleveland Indians legend Bob Feller to name a few.

However there were moments of joy and celebration.  We saw hope for the Browns when the New Orleans Saints went to and won their first Super Bowl. We cheered on victorious Americans in the 2010 Winter Olympics, and "honked" our vuvuzelas while watching the World Cup.  We may have caught a bit of "Bieber Fever", went goo-goo for Gaga, and fist pumped along with the Jersey Shore.  Through it all, we remained Hungry in Cleveland.

2010 welcomed many new places to the ever growing Cleveland food scene.  The East Fourth Street Neighborhood welcomed Zack Bruell's fourth Cleveland restaurant, Chinato, and  Zinc.  Around the corner on Prospect, R. J. Bolands and the Caddyshack Lounge offered more options for a pregame drink before heading the "The Jake" or "The Q".  Zdara added a bit of Mediterranean flair to the Warehouse District.  Tremont became more of a foodie destination with the additions of Bac, Istanbul Grill, and the reopening of Dante.  East-siders rejoiced when the second Melt opened in Cleveland Heights.  Dim and Den Sum took to the streets parking throughout the city for lunch and late night eats.  Little Italy welcomed Mia Bella and Washington Place Bistro and Inn to the family of great places to "mangia mangia!"  The every growing and changing Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood added Roseangel and Battery Park Wine Bar, along with the reopening of the legendary Big Egg.  In the suburbs, Deagan's Kitchen found a home in Lakewood, Rocky River welcomed Market, and Palate will be opening its doors in Strongsville this week.  I cannot wait to see what 2011 will bring, especially in Ohio City with the opening of Dim and Den Sum's Restaurant and the addition of Market Garden Brewery.  Happy New Year!!!

Until next time...follow your heart, fulfill your hunger.

Raise a Glass of Christmas Cheer!

I hope everyone had an enjoyable fulfilling Thanksgiving shared with great food and loved ones.  I was very pleased with how my feast turned out and will post pictures once I figure out how to add pics to a blog entry (yeah, the joys of being a rookie blogger)  Anyways, Friday and Saturday also had their fill of good food.  There was no better way to finish off a successful Black Friday shopping spree then a BLT and Christmas Ale from B-Spot.  Saturday included a trip and lunch at a true Cleveland food landmark, The West Side Market.  However, my holiday cheer was brought out in full force at the first annual Winter Wine and Ale Fest on Saturday evening.  

This event was held as a part of Downtown's Winterfest which highlighted the lighting of Public Square.  For $40/person, guests were able to sample 20 craft beers or wines of their choice from 19 different Ohio breweries and wineries.  My approach was simple, do not taste anything you already had and know you like.  This provided me the opportunity to sample other brewery's Christmas Ales since every time I go out, I remain loyal to Great Lakes Christmas Ale.  Also, there were appetizers and deserts to enjoy with the winter libations.  While tasting, we were able to rate our drinks on a scale of 1-5 (I did mine as 1 = lowest, and 5 = highest).  Now, I am not going to present everything I rated, just the 4's and 5's  Please keep in mind, these are based on my personal preferences.

Beers:

My overall favorite was the Cleveland Chop House's White Chocolate Brown Ale.  I love a good chocolate stout (I mean, it is a combination of two things I love...beer and chocolate).  I think if I had this as the first brew of the night, the remaining 19 tickets I had would have been used on this beer.  It was not the bitter stout that most people would think of, and there was a chocolate flavor throughout, not just at the end.  Next time I am near by the Chop House, I must stop in for a White Chocolate Brown Ale.

My second favorite is Hoppin' Frog Brewery from Akron's "Frosted Frog".  This is their Christmas ale which features my favorite Christmas flavor, gingerbread.  I would be up for a trip to Akron to sample their other brews.    

Other beers worth mentioning: Cellar Rats "Field Rat Wheat", The Brew Kettle's "Blackjack Porter", and Buckey Brewing Company's "Witless" (maybe I should get some for Thursday's Cavs/Heat game)

And now for wines:

My overall favorite was Firelands' Pinot Grigio.  Would love to enjoy with a pesto dish since I love pinot grigio with pesto.  

For something easy to drink and fruity, I would recommend any of the Virant Frosts (I sampled strawberry and blackberry).  They were a little thicker then most wines, but enjoyable if you are looking for a fruity wine.

I also want to mention the carephilly cheese I enjoyed from Great Lakes Creamery.  If you enjoy parmesan and provalone, I would recommend looking for this particular cheese.  It would be a great addition to your holiday cheese platters.

I am looking forward to many more holiday culinary adventures.  The Christmas cookie list has been started, and the holiday party invitations are starting to pile up.  It truly is the most wonderful time of they year.  With that being said, I am going to start something new on the blog, "Question of the Week".  Feel free to comment below.  

What food/drink really makes it feel alot like Christmas?

Until next time...follow your heart, fulfill your hunger.