Archive

This page was devoted to remarks about past events but as of May 2009 I started posting the write-ups on the home page for the sake of convenience…

BALATON: April 10th, 2009 – Since I forgot to put the battery in my camera before I packed it up, the Balaton dinner will have to live on in our gustatory memory alone. :) I will say that of the five of us, two of our dishes kept making their way around the table: The Lecso and the Breaded Chicken Livers with Spaetzle. Margot and I thought that the Lecso, a salty-spicy sausage stew over dumplings loaded with peppers and onions was hands down the best item we tried. After dinner we split 2 slices of Dobos Torta since they were out of their chestnut and walnut tortes (we closed the place out). Colin didn’t so much declare the DT”a diabetic sugar spasm” as indicate it by his reaction upon taking a small bite (if his reaction had been induced by anything else he may have been jail bound). To sum, imagine as much sugar as you can crammed into 7 layers of thin yellow cake sandwiching ultralight, super sweet chocolate frosting, coated in more of the same and topped off with a brulee-esque sugar shell and then multiply that by around 100 (I think I came back to earth the next day). I also had a small glass of Tokaji (3p) which we passed around communion-style :) and tried their espresso, which was served in the European fashion (mini carafe, sugar cubes, silver spoon). It was nice to see that someone in Cleveland knows how to kick it old-world style, at least when it comes to cake and coffee. Plus, at about $7 for a slice of DTand an espresso, Balaton is worth a stop-in even if you only have time for dessert… mmm. My suggestion: try it out the next time you are headed to Shaker Cinema, either afterward to discuss the movie, or beforehand if you are in any doubt about your ability to stay awake. :)

MELT: March 20th, 2009 – Rumors of the difficulty of getting a table at Melt on a Friday are of a slightly exaggerativenature, apparently. Poor Tracey arrived an hour before anyone else with the intention of holding and by the time we got there our table for 6 was almost ready. When all was said and done, I will say this for Melt: it actually was good. I had erroneously categorized it in my mental file of “hype” thanks to the ravings of my friends (why I have not read “Twilight”) and their stubborn refusal to grant reservations. However, the wait was tolerable (poor Tracey) and the table “the best in the house” as they told us. The mood was reminiscent of a spontaneous union between planetarium and an Irish pub, an easy-going atmosphere lacking pretence despite an extensive brew list and menus pasted to the backs of vintage album covers, cosy booths and haphazardly placed tables among low-hanging lamps,  jem-hued patinas on relief paneling, a variety of artwork and a bustly but sincere wait staff. The menu was a bit much to manage since there were some 20 varieties of grilled cheese to choose from but no pictures to provide any assistance in decision-making. I eneded up chooosing the Westside Monte Cristo, a veritable extravaganza of sweet ham, turkey, swissand cheddar cheese, battered and deep fried, covered in powdered sugar and served with a side of berry preserves. Alongside were sweet slaw and some darn good fries. The sandwich itself was reminiscent of Thanksgiving, French toast, and the Tuesdays in 3rd grade cafeteria special rolled into one. I’m still amazed I finished it, no doubt at the cost of a year from my life span or, better put by Tracey, “for those hard to reach arteries.” Also on the table were the NorthcoastShores (grilled cheese with crabcakes and cream cheese on), Mushroom melt, and Ahi tuna salad (as far as I could see anyway). I don’t know what was served up at the other end of the table but it must have been good because I don’t recall anyone asking for boxes despite the negligable margin between the size of the plates and our heads. After some fried twinkies that I (sniff sniff) missed out on, the evening took us to Touch Supperclub for This is a Shakedown’s video shoot and some cheers before heading home. You can find those pictures on Flckr as well.

THE GROVEWOOD TAVERN: March 1, 2009 – I don’t really have a write-up for this, but there is some mention of it under the Melt intro post for those of you who are interested.

EMPRESS TAYTU: February 11, 2009.  Begging your forgiveness in advance, I am foregoing writing up anything for Empress Taytu – at least for now – thanks to my seemingly never-ending flu. If I should get the urge later I will put something on here, but being as sick as I was, the evening was not so memorable… literally. I was in a fog the whole time and don’t recall being very much impressed. What I do however is that the traditional seating allowed almost no space for my long legs which I would not have minded, if I had not already been flu-stiff, but on top of that, my seat itself was lacking a sturdy base, so I found myself constantly bracing my little old butt against the frame for support. In other words, I was in such a state of health that I did not find it quaint to sacrifice my comfort in the spirit of authenticity. :( No ma’am.  Everyone else seemed to have a good time: whenever food playing-with takes place fun must have been had! Plus we accidentally invented the floating lamb cocktail, which is nothing to sneeze at.

DARNA: January 23, 2009. My take on last Friday’s dinner at Darna, for those of you who were unable to make it… Darna turned out to be a delightful, unassuming little place tucked among the shops of Shaker Square (their absence of a sign made them a little hard to find while driving by, but once on foot it was easy enough to locate). It’s next to the cinema, just as an fyi.

It turns out Darna was expecting us (not because we made reservations but because one of their staff had seen our blog) and they were kind enough to give us a great table in the middle of the action but were slightly puzzled about the absence of green hats! Our server Jennifer was very helpful and gave us a brief rundown of the menu, including a couple of new items that had not yet made it to the printed menu.  She also brought us a free sampler of baklava, which I was alas too full to taste when all was said and done, but now wish that I had, because it looked wonderful!

Since I had had a few drinks at Scott’s show prior to arriving and I am something of a lightweight, I was already mellowed out and not in the mood for a lot of alcohol by the time we got to Darna, so I only ordered a glass of red wine to accompany my entree (I unfortunately don’t remember the name of it). For starters, we ended up ordering their new-addition Moroccan Salad, a few Hummus plates, and a Duck Confit Bastilla. I did not taste the salad, but the Hummaswas lovely. A nice blend of tart and smooth, with a bit more garlic than Nick found appealing but I like my Hummus strong I suppose. The duck was nice too, but not what I was expecting. The original bastillais a sweet and savory blend of pastry and filling in a shape reminiscent of a stuffed pancake withegg and meat inside, that is then topped with powdered sugar and spices. My bastilla (which you can find on the flickr page) was more of a crispy phyllo purse and was very difficult to cut. I ended up losing the top of it because it popped off and flew onto the floor when I tried to cut it! The duck was mellow and subtle, albeit less flavorful than I would hope for in duck confit and the pieces were too small to fork and had to be scooped. I had initially wanted to try the Kobe beef cigar, too. Well, next time…

Moving on to entrees, Mark, Lauren and I all got the Braised Lamb Shank with cous cous, dates, brussels sprouts, and broccoli rabe. Nick got the Monkfish with leeks and fingerling potato puree. These were the only two entrees I tasted, but I know there was also salmon floating around, as well as prawns and stuffed quail. I heard that the salmon was supposedly in a ginger sauce that was very good but tasted more mustardy but can’t attest to this myself. (If you were there and would like to leave a comment about your entree since I can’t mention them all, please don’t hesitate!)

My lamb shank was about as fresh looking an entree as I have ever received. The veggies on the side (carrots, peas, brussels sprouts) were tender but not mushy, the brussels sprout was good enough to enduce Chad to exclaim “That’s the best brussels sprout I’ve ever had!” upon taking his first bite, if that gives you some perspective.

My lamb was fresh and tender, so much so that it basically dissolved off the bone. It was a nice blend of meat and fat, the heaviness of it offset by the light tomato and herb sauce topping it. Also of note, it was served on a bed of cous cousthat was at points a tad dry, but there was enough sauce to go around. There was also a sweet, honeyed sauce with soft pieces of dates (yum!) mingled in here and there amongst the cous cous that provided a good balance of savory/sweet and fresh/light. Overall, a wonderful dish. I look forward to trying more!

I would say that the best thing about the Monkfishwas the texture of the leeks and their slightly buttery sauce mixed with the various veggies around them. The fish itself is a bit mild so it blended in more than I would ideally want, but I tend to go for meat and game over fish, anyway. I asked Nick what he thought of it and his response was “monkshious.” I think I can expand upon that by saying it was filling but not too heavy, more comfort food-ish than the lamb, and delicately textured. Overall a success but the lamb was an easy win in my book.

The evening endeed, as previously mentioned, with a surprise free round of baklava and some chatter before we headed downtown to Mercury for Greg’s MeetUp. I give Darna a heartfelt thumb’s up and I think it was a very fitting location for our first event! Can’t wait to see you all at Empress Taytu!