Over the last few weeks I’ve eaten at a couple of new [to me] Cleveland-area food places. My favorite aspect of Cleveland is the ease with which one can go to an authentic ethnic restaurant and never run out of such places to attend. I made it to Sterle’s Slovenian County House awhile back and had a great time. The murals on the walls made it seem like I was back in Slovenia, and the live accordian polka accompaniment and old folks dancing was awesome. It is right around the corner from Empress Taytu.

Brown Bag Burgers near Great Boredom Mall is another tasty little eatery with a mural on the wall. Although their burgers aren’t the Best in Cleveland, they are the exact perfect size for eating, leaving you full but not stuffed, satiated, not begging for more. That’s a hard balance to strike.

Pie Day! Last night, we made pie. A slight alteration to my mother’s pecan pie recipe [maple syrup instead of corn syrup] and a new one, an Apple and Tart Cherry pie. Debbie made the crust from scratch, impressing the hell out of me. It took a few hours, and I was exhausted by the time I pulled the pecan pie out at 11pm. I can’t wait to eat them today, though. Recipe time, oh hell yes. Click on the picture to go to the whole set of photos from the night.

Pecan Pie v. 1.2

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs
• 1 C. sugar
• ½ t. salt
• 1/3 C. melted butter
• 1 C. fake maple syrup
• 1 C. finely chopped pecans for mix
• whole pecans for topping the pie
• 1 t. vanilla extract

Instructions:

Mix everything together in a medium mixing bowl.
Line a 9″ pie pan with the dough and bake for 5 minutes at 450°; remove and change oven to 375°.
Pour pie mixture into crust.
Cover entire top with whole pecans.
Bake for around 45 minutes.

I found the Apple and Tart Cherry pie recipe on Epicurious, posted there from Bon Apétit’s November 1997 issue. Cardamom was a great and interesting spice to use, a first time for me. Although it looks like mouse crap when you de-pod it, it smells delicious after it has been sufficiently pestled and will be often added to my hot chocolate this winter.

I made this quick and simple pasta with a bit of a kick last week and made it again because it is so quick and delicious. I highly recommend it and it is also good for the heart, blood and immune system. The meal might not contain any of the 8 foods you should eat every day, but it does well enough. I blackened some walleye along with it and had a bit of chardonnay as well, so the entire meal was about as quick, delicious and highfalutin as it is possible.

• 3 C. gnocchi
• 11 oz. broccoli florets
• 6 T. olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 t. chili oil
• 1 12-14oz can artichoke hearts, drained
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 T. fresh Italian parsley, chopped [garnish]
• grated Parmesan to taste

1. Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until the gnocchi is al dente. Add the broccoli for the last 3 minutes, then drain.
2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil and chili oil in a large heavy-based saucepan and sauté the garlic for 1 minute.
3. Add the pasta, broccoli, and artichoke hearts and cook for 2 minutes until hot.
4. Season and sprinkle with parsley and Parmesan.
5. Chow down.

1 Cup Organic Cranberry Juice
3 Bananas
1/2# Strawberries
7 ice cubes
2 scoops protein powder

Gone in sixty seconds.

I busted out the grill for the first time and cooked some cheapie Spencer steaks on it yesterday. I made a lime and olive oil marinade; I stole the idea from Fahrenheit, only I put a lot more lime in mine. Since the steaks were so skinny I made sandwiches out of them, with just a little bit of mayo they became amazingly delicious. On the side was a chunk of edam, some kalamatas and mixed veggies.

The bike ride downtown was uphill and into the wind both ways, but fun nonetheless. As long as the weather keeps, I’ll be that jackass on a bike in dress clothes. Tremonter and Drupal are giving me a big headache. It’s a piece of crap program, but as far as I can tell its the only one out there that sorta does all the things I want it to. Unfortunately, whenever they upgrade the version, it breaks all the third party stuff. Wordpress, how I love thee.

I had some folks from the neighborhood over last night for a winter barbecue. I made about ten pounds of pork barbecue and had green beans, corn bread, potato salad, cole slaw, banana pudding and pecan pie. And lots of High Life. The pork barbecue turned out really well, I put a BBQ rub on the picnic shoulders, doused it in a little liquid smoke, wrapped it up in foil and roasted it for about three hours before taking it out of the foil and roasting it for another seven or so. The pork shredded quite easily and didn’t have an overwhelming BBQ flavor, the pork was still very much evident. The BBQ sauce I made wasn’t like Nashville or Kansas City sauce, and was good, but still needs a bit of work. It had a slight spicy tang to it, and some sweet notes, but the main body of flavor was still uninteresting.

The big surprise of the evening was my banana pudding. It was ridiculicious. I was brought a petunia primrose, a home gnome, a jar of Tremont-grade grape jam, a 3-year old bottle of cabernet, and chocolate chip muffins. I told people not to bring anything, dammit! Today there is cleanup, but it shouldn’t be too bad, only requiring one trip to the recycling drop-off.

I have just enough leftover barbecue for a couple of sandwiches. Man am I looking forward to that.

Pork Barbecue is one of my favorite things to eat. Good pork barbecue is one of the toughest things to cook. I gave it my first shot this past weekend, and it turned out better reheated than freshly cooked. I used a recipe from a suspect site, but its simplicity is what drew me to it. I really like to experiment, and this recipe leaves much room for that. I think I’m going to have a few friends over for the Super Bowl and subject them to another go at the barbecue. They liked my ribs from earlier, so they’ll eat anything. More pictures starting here.

I celebrated Repeal Day at the Velvet Tango Room yesterday with a Rusty Nail, a bouquet of Bourbon Daisies and some complimentary sushi from Ginza.

I made vegan snickerdoodles last night. I used this recipe. Although they didn’t turn out as tasty as classic snickerdoodles, they are still good. The recipe itself could use a little work. The ingredients list says baking powder, but the directions say baking soda [I used the soda], and it makes about 2 dozen cookies, not 2½. It also says use 3T of dough for each cookie, which makes gigantic cookies, I used about 1½T for each cookie. The first batch I made were too sugary, so I cut it down by ¼C in the second batch. The taste was better, but the consistency was a bit too floury. If I make them again, I’ll cut both the sugar and the flour by ¼C.

I’ve never made any vegan chow before, but I’m under the impression that these problems are probably pretty common when baking without eggs and milk. Corn starch has to take the place of the egg, but it doesn’t behave the same in the mix.

I made ribs for the first time yesterday. They were on sale for $1.99# at Dave’s last month so I picked up a pack and planned on inviting some folks over when I finally cooked them. I called up my uncle, the family grillmaster, and asked for advice. Since I don’t have the hi-tech grill that he does, I was unable to cook them for six hours, but the rest of his advice helped. He told me to marinade them in half Italian dressing and half vinegar for about 24 hours to tenderize and suck some of the fat from the meat. This worked very well. I bought the cheapest BBQ sauce I could find, but supplemented it with Cajun seasoning and cooked the ribs on my kettle grill for about 2.5 hours. I flipped and repainted them with sauce whenever there was a commercial break during the Notre Dame game. They were delicious, but I forgot to take a picture of them. It is probably going to take 2.5 hours for me to clean my grill today.

I was at Edison’s last night meeting with some neighborhood folks about a possible synergy between the larval Tremont Civility Project and a possible mentoring program to bring together new residents, long-time residents and even longer-time residents. I also got pretty drunk.

Rogue Brewery’s Dead Guy Ale

This ale was moderately hoppy with a thick grain and fruity hints, perfect for a fall afternoon or summer evening.

North Coast Brewing’s Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout

This imperial stout deserves being named for a man with an eleven inch penis that was worshipped as a fertility charm. A strong rooty front note fades into a hint of anise and some sort of wood flavor. The finish is almost too smooth, without the lingering stout flavor I’m used to. This might be because it was bottled. 9% by volume. I don’t really know what I’m talking about here if you hadn’t already noticed.

Flying Dog Brewery’s Pale Ale

Now that it is morning and I’m sober, I actually think I’ve had this before. I can’t really review it because I think it acted as a palate cleanser after the Old Rasputin. I remember that it was about as hoppy as Dogfish Head 60 minute IPA.

Palma Louca

This Brazilian Pilsener was the surprise of the night. I don’t really like pilseners, but my habit at Edison’s is to always try a beer I’ve never had before. I believe this is now my favorite south of the border beer. It beats out Pacifico, Dos Equis, and Corona in terms of flavor and refreshment. And it didn’t even have a lime in it.

I swung on up to Ohio City last night for some sushi from Kimo’s before going to the last night of interviews for this round of Neighborhood Connections Grant-making. Kimo’s was closed again. The third time in a row this has happened to me. I know he does the sushi for the Indians, and that its a big account for him, but it is a hassle to get there and find out he is closed. I guess I’ll have to start calling first. Maybe he could use a website to keep folks informed? Instead I went to Heck’s again. I’d last been there over a year ago with Patrick in our quest for the best burger in Cleveland. I wasn’t impressed with their burger then, and I wasn’t impressed with the pasta dish I got last night. The food was good enough, but I can and have made better at home.

The six interviews we had last night switched back and forth between sports/exercise programs and educational programs. Unfortunately the same problem we’ve had in the past also came through with several of these groups. Most or all of the money would go to pay themselves or their business. I’m sorry, but if you request $5000 and all of that money is going to pay for memberships to the business you own you aren’t going to get the money. Similarly, if you request $5000 and all of that money is being split between the workers at the business while claiming their hours as in-kind contributions, you’re not going to get the money. I think that is one of the positives having community activists as the grant-making committee. We know all of the tricks people will use to make a buck. I wonder what it says for the Cleveland economy that small businesses are so desperate for patronage or cash that they’ll create one-off programs and hope the funding source doesn’t look too closely at their application.

I’m in Kingston, Ontario, Canada at the moment and just got back from the Kingston Brewing Company Limited where I had a Dragon’s Breath Real Ale, which is an English-style ale, non-carbonated and hand-pumped from the tap. It was thick and grainy like you’d expect from an English Ale, and very smooth to drink, especially for me, since I tend to gulp non-carbonated beverages. I also had far too much sushi today.

I made my first fall pot of vegetable stew this weekend. I pretty much eat stew all winter long.

I made Spaghetti Carbonara AKA Heart-Attack on a Plate yesterday. Here’s how I made it:

Ingredients:
5 teaspoons olive oil
5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
7 slices bacon, sliced into julienne strips
1 pound spaghetti
3 beaten egg yolks, room temperature
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
basil to taste

Preparation:
In a saucepan, heat oil. Saute garlic over medium heat until soft. Add bacon and cook for an additional 10 minutes or until bacon is browned. Place to one side. Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente (about 8 minutes). With a wire whisk, beat egg yolks and cream until smooth. Add Parmesan cheese and basil to egg and cream mixture. Drain pasta and return to pot. Pour bacon sauce over pasta. [Drain if you want to] Add egg, cream, and cheese mixture to pasta and toss.

It turned out really well, especially with the delicious organic heirloom tomatoes that were at the West Side Market this weekend. I won’t make it very often though, since it is so ridiculously bad for you.

I don’t like vague directions when I’m trying out a new recipe. Not vague like Patrick’s black beans, but vague like this: I made mango sorbet this weekend and the recipe called for reduced sugar water, but the directions simply said bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for five minutes. .5C of sugar in 1.25C water. Then you mix it in with some mangos and orange juice and freeze it [adding whipped egg-white later]. Mine ended up like mango ice or a mango slurpee instead of sorbet because there was [obviously] too much water in it. In retrospect, I have determined that the sugar/water was supposed to be reduced until it was simple syrup, but I guess the recipe just assumed I’d know that. Which brings me to my conclusion:

I’d like a Stupid Chef’s Illustrated Encyclopedia that gives you both methods and pictures of certain culinary tasks. Like what “stiff peaks” means when whipping egg whites, and how to separate an egg in the first place [which my mom told me how to do when I asked] and lots of other things that cookbooks assume a chef already knows. The Better Homes and Gardens cookbook is good for some of this, but it isn’t comprehensive and is more focused on providing recipes than techniques.

A group of folks from all over the country was in town learning about the small grant program sponsored by The Cleveland Foundation. You know, the one I’m on: Neighborhood Connections. A few of the committee members [and one lucky alternate] were asked to go along for a neighborhood tour yesterday and then share dinner at Fire in Shaker Square.

Our first stop was at the St. Clair CDC, where we listened to a couple of grantees discuss their projects, one group has created this excellent welcome bag for all of the renters in their community. Not only does it include coupons and perks for local businesses, but it also provides a local business phone directory, voter registration materials, city and council information and a wealth of other things to make new people feel at home. The other group received funding to have a summer festival for the children in the neighborhood. The area, which the residents refer to as the ’40s, is pretty diverse, with old Eastern-European populations, as well as hefty chunks of Chinese and African-American communities as well. It seems to be a neighborhood just getting started in its revitalization [and unavoidable gentrification, as some lakefront condos are being built]. I was actually riding my bike through this area a few weeks ago, and it is worth exploring.

Then I was asked to speak a little about my story involving Tremont, and since I can talk about Tremont all day, I tried to hit the major points only. It has become increasingly obvious to me within the past few weeks that I moved in to Tremont at exactly the right time, since housing prices have increased enough [due, once again, to gentrification] that I couldn’t afford to live here now.

After I spoke, a committee member from Glenville told his tale, as we arrived in Glenville. This is an area that used to have powerful block clubs but had fallen on hard times. Historically, it was a heavily Jewish neighborhood but it is mostly African-American now. The housing stock in Glenville is absolutely amazing, and not surprisingly, lots of people affiliated with the Cleveland Clinic and University Circle are moving in and taking advantage of the low property values and restoring the places. [Read: gentrification]. Our stop here was at a computer lab for seniors and and its companion lab which trains the black community into IC³ certification.

Our next stop was The Passport Project in Buckeye, where we heard from several grantees on how another project of The Cleveland Foundation, Connecting Circles, had benefited them. They were the pilot group for this program, which encourages networking and knowledge-sharing among the groups, with assistance from a lady who teaches about non-profit work and community organizing at Case. Each group [some which have been in existence for 40 years] was very enthusiastic and engaged in the Connecting Circles program, so it seems to be a success, especially since the people said that it had reenergized their own personal projects and had borne fruit already. The program, for them at least, had already finished but they decided to keep meeting nonetheless.

Then we went to Fire and I was told to order whatever I wanted [Danger! Danger, TCF!]. So we got a bottle of Mark West Pinot Noir, I had flat bread with ramp pesto, roasted tomatoes and melted brie, a watercress and other stuff salad, and filet mignon with onion rings and some other sort of onion/potato fried thing. [Obviously, the only thing I memorized was the appetizer]. The appetizer was delicious, and is a recipe I shall steal. The Mark West was excellent, the salad was delicious, and the filet mignon was out of this world. I don’t get steak but once a year, in Canada, so I indulged. I wasn’t a big fan of the onion rings or the onion/potato thinger because they just tasted like frying. For dessert I had creme brulee. Oh how I love creme brulee.

There are so many engaged and involved people in Cleveland, doing their neighborhood activist work to make their communities stronger that I’m glad TCF is giving them tactical assistance to encourage their growth. Talking with the folks last night from other foundations gave me some great proof that engaged people are engaged people no matter if you’re from Connecticut or from Texas. Oh, the thinks we could think [and do] if more of us were as involved in our own communities.

After my run yesterday I went to Dave’s and made myself a salad and grabbed a Braeburn apple. It was what my body was craving, so apparently I needed some iron [the majority of the leafy greens were spinach] and sundry other ruffage. It disappeared in no time. When I was working over the summer at Notre Dame, I used to take my lunch break and drive over to the Martin’s in Mishawaka with one of the guys on the ND cross country team who lived next door to me in the athlete dorm. There was a very limited and somewhat costly DH option, but the Martin’s salad bar was a nearly neverending source of relatively cheap and filling healthiness. Especially when I didn’t want to make tuna mac in the community kitchen.

Last night I also purchased some chocolate morsels, because I realized I didn’t have anything to bake with. So I anticipate cookie baking in the near future.

The house across the street from my apartment is for sale for $50k. The house payment would be cheaper than my rent, but upon looking at the inside I estimated another $50k would need to be invested just to make it livable. I don’t have the time, money or inclination to do that kind of work on a house. The place does have signifcant possibility, but you know it is bad when the most livable room in the place is the attic.

I fixed Pesto Chicken and Pancetta and Romano cakes and Banana Pies and had my buddy Steve help me eat it. Actually he prepared the dijon glaze for the chicken and was chief baster. It was a rather meh meal in my estimation, but “I’ll Eat Anything” Goldberg didn’t mind. The Banana Pies, however were completely inedible. I swear, for a person that likes to bake, I have the hardest time making good dough. Always too much flour. Maybe it is because I don’t have a sifter.

I spent my run thinking about words that I liked, but can only remember “loiter” at this point.

I ate a Sokolowski’s with Wasco and managed to complete my first Literary Café Weekend Trifecta. I met another local blogger and fixed a local resident’s wireless connection, but locked her out of her own work computer when trying to change its workgroup to allow her to have a home network. Nevertheless, she still agreed to tango with me this evening.

I was supposed to work on a website for a local business owner/resident yesterday, but every 34sp hosted site was down for I don’t know how long. So I’m a day behind and don’t particularly like that.

I received my Birthmas present to myself last evening. The Sony DSC-N1. You can read some exhaustive and excellent reviews here: [1 2]. Basically, it is an 8MP point-and-shoot that is the size of a pack of cards [it literally fits in my palm] and has a 3″ LCD touch-screen on the back that gives access to all the menu items. It has nice bells and whistles [although the paint program it comes with is stupid] but not a bunch of different knobs and toggles to access them. I’ve only taken 4 pictures thusfar [my memory stick hasn't arrived yet] and only used the auto functions [which isn't going to last] but I’m digging its portability, speed of use and adaptability. But I’m supposed to be reviewing a restaurant, not a camera.

I visited The Town Fryer because that was where the December Cleveland Weblogger Meetup was being held. I chucked a ride on yonder with Steve “Rookie of the Year” Goldberg for a bite before the meetup started shindigging. The Fryer an unassuming place, used to be Chung Wah’s Chinese and still has the sign on the wall. They got a nice jukebox full of good ole southern rock and roll and blues and a decent selection of beer. Lonestar but no Dixie. I had me a Pacifica, which was okay but nothing to write home about. Steve ordered him a mess of fried pickles which were pretty good, although I don’t reckon I could sustain myself through a whole plate of ‘em.

For my dinner I ordered half a pound of fried catfish with green beans and cheesy grits. I was gonna get green beans and johnnycake, but decided against the corn bread for reasons of gastrointestinal capacitation. Now I hadn’t had fried catfish in a dog’s age, since I was about knee-high to something short and had caught it my own self while fishing with my daddy or grandpappy on Brookville Reservoir. I was a bit timid at that age, especially about them stingers that the mudsuckers use to protect theirselves, so when I caught a channel cat I’d make someone else unhook it.

After my meal, [which I still haven't gotten too, I hope you notice] I started to remember that catfish and me have a special kind of relationship. After I eat a catfish I usually dream about being a catfish and even start thinking a little bit like a catfish. It really ain’t no surprise. If you talk with a catfisher I reckon they can all tell you some tales about how unnatural and magic they can be. Catfish is special. So after my half pound of delicious battered catfish, I did in fact dream of being a catfish and being nice and comfortable in some warm river mud. Here’s one of my favorite poems by Richard Brautigan about a catfish.

The meal itself was delicious. For $7.95 I got a half pound of farm-raised catfish and one side. I got a side of green beans and ordered and extry side of cheesy grits, just to see how they compared to my own. The catfish is dipped in Cajun-spiced batter, deep-fried and served with a mild and tangy mustard sauce. Beer and catfish go well together. I was too young to know that last time. The half pound was about two and a half catfish. The green beans was cooked with bacon and a bit of molasses and was swimming in the juice. Quite tasty, and I would have loved to have more. The cheesy grits weren’t so good. A bit clumpy and not very hot, but still quite edible.

By this time I was pretty darn stuffed, but I couldn’t go home without dessert. I could have gotten me a deep fried Twinkie, some Lemon Squares or some homemade banana pudding with Nilla wafers, but I opted for the deep fried Oreos. Nine of ‘em for $5. I asked for a big glass of milk to warsh it all down with, and got it. I ate me 7 of them Oreos and gave two away. They were pretty darn good, the cookie part gettin’ all soft and hot as a result of the fryin’, and the batter being tasty in and of its own self. I think I prefer a deep fried Snickers bar, though, truth be told. Other stuff on their menu includes Red Beans and Rice with Andaouille Sausage, Fried Sweet Potatoes and Fried Macaroni and Cheese.

All this food resulted in me being stuffed like a prize winnin’ hog, and sweatin’ grease like I was that same hog roastin’ on a spit. I had a hard time with the shut-eye and even woke up extry early because I was so full. I’m still full, now. I’d recommend the Town Fryer as a good place to go for downhome, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it food and fixins. You probably don’t wanna go if you’re vegetarian though.

2 cans Goya black beans
2 cans Bush’s chili beans in hot sauce
1 7oz can of Goya chipotle peppers (in adobo sauce)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 C. frozen corn
2 C. diced bell pepper
#.75 ground sirloin or .75 C. TVP if you’re veggie
1 habanero pepper
hot sauce
3 T. chili powder
1 T. guajillo chili powder
2 t. cayenne pepper
2 t. cinnamon
shredded cheese to serve
fresh cilantro, chopped to serve
fresh lime slices to serve

When browning the sirloin, mix in a healthy amount of hot sauce. Put all the other ingredients in a big pot and mix well. Don’t chop up the habanero. Just let it cook in the chili and pluck it out and toss it before you eat. Best accompanied by peanut butter sammiches.

This was the best chili I’ve ever made. It is nice and hot, but not overpowering. It is a sweet-hot as well and the heat doesn’t impugn the taste. Definitely a recipe to keep, and likely tweak a bit. A chili recipe is never perfected.

I was furious after Notre Dame lost to Michigan State in overtime. That was the fifth consecutive time that MSU has beaten us at home. I immediately funneled my rage into cooking a new and simple recipe, Corn Fritters and Broiled Tomatoes. You need:

• 1 corn on the cob
• 3/4 C. flour
• 1 egg
• milk
• 2 tomatoes
• olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• basil, oregano, salt and pepper to taste

Cut the corn off the cob and chuck it into some boiling water until it has boiled for three minutes, drain and rinse in cold water to cool the corn quickly. Preheat the broiler. Cut the tomatoes in half, horizontally, and score the cut parts with a knife a few times. Rub the crushed garlic and oregano into the tomato and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle a bit of olive oil on ‘em and stick ‘em under the broiler until the tops brown. Make a well in the flour and crack the egg into it. Beat it with a fork and add milk until it is drop dough consistency, mix in the corn. Mash. [The cookbook didn't say mash, which is why the fritters kinda sucked]. Heat up olive oil in a large flat pan and drop the corn mixture into it, heating just long enough to set each side [should look orangey] set on paper towel to drain. Garnish with basil and serve with lettuce.

This recipe, though sort of plain, is full of possibilities. Cheese can be added to the pancake-like fritters, or they could even be eaten in the morning as a refreshing breakfast. Personally, I think they’d be real good reheated in the toaster and with a bowl of cereal. Plus, this recipe was totally easy to make. Less than ten minutes, if you work like a hyperactive squirrel.

Link of the Day: BeeDogs- Dogs in Bee costumes.

Okay, I stole the title for these from Stephen King’s Dark Tower series, but that is beside the point. They were tasty enough and took less time to make than even spaghetti. About 15 minutes from lighting the oven to stuffing my face.

What I used:

2 really really small pieces of sliced pork loin
1 can of black beans
2 cups of corn
salsa
grated cheddar cheese

What I did:

I drained and rinsed the beans and poured ‘em in a pot and then seasoned them with cumin and chili powder and cayenne pepper and a little bit of cilantro, stirred em up real well and cooked and mashed the devil out of ‘em. Meanwhile I had the corn cooking as well. I seared my superthin pork loin and then chopped it, tossed it back in, seasoned it with more chili powder and cumin and a tiny bit of cinnamon and kept it cooking. I had about two minutes to kill so I grated some cheese. Then I mashed the devil out of the beans some more. I don’t know how to make refried beans, but this looked like it at least. Everything was done at this point so I spread it on some tortillas, poured a little salsa on ‘em and dug in. This meal rates quite high on the bachelor scale of home cooking. It will probably make about four normal sized burritos but I only got 2.5 out of mine.

Last evening I made vegetable moussaka and strawberry shortcake for my friends. I’d never made or even had moussaka before, and I was surprised that I liked it as much as I did. I think I’ll like it even better with spicy sausage or lamb in it, or maybe it just needed to be a bit more dense. It was tasty though, but the herbes de provence overpowered the rest of the flavor, in my opinion. I’ve never made anything where I have to mix eggs and yogurt and pour it over something and then bake it. It sort of souffléd itself. The prep time took awhile but I don’t think that bothers me so much when I can put the actual meal in the oven for baking. It makes the kitchen less hectic and gives me time to catch up on dishes.

I had a small dinner party on Saturday night. It successfully broke in my newly refinished table. I served a Lemon, Leek and Mushroom Risotto with Red Onion and Goat Cheese Pastries and Baked Apples for dessert. Wines served were Trimbach Alsacian Gewurtztrameiner, Caymus Conundrum and Woodbridge Pinot Grigio. I really liked the risotto, I’m going to have to make it with fish in the future. The recipes came from this book, which turned out to be an awesome surprise Christmas gift from my mom. Recipes past the jump.
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In my ongoing quest [previous reviews: Heck's; Swenson's] to find the best burger in Cleveland, I took a trip out to Euclid with Five Dollar Beer last night to check out Stevenson’s Hamburgers. We learned about this place from the honorable FoodGoat. This was a damn good hamburger, definitely the winner from the three burger-centric places I’ve been so far. Damned inexpensive too, which makes this cheap bastard quite happy.
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Parallax is one of Tremont’s newest restaurants. I had the privilege of eating there this evening. While the prices are up there, the quality of the food is worth every penny. Full review past the jump.
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I had lunch at Swenson’s Drive-In in Seven Hills. It was unlike Kunkel’s Drive-in in Connersville, they didn’t have the old boxes to call inside, instead you turn on your lights. The carhops run to and from the vehicles, I imagine they stay in good shape doing this. One of the carhops looked like she was probably a competitive runner. I got burgers. Part of my quest to find a decent hamburger in Cleveland.
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I ate at Johnny Mango’s. In my complicated inner ratio of quantity and taste versus price they score very highly. It also helped that I’d not had much to eat beforehand. I plowed through my plate like those dogs in kibble commercials. Well, maybe not that bad. I got the Mushroom, Tomato, Garlic Burrito Big Plate and we had fried plantains for our appetizer. The whole meal was what my friend Macalister was talking about last week, a quest for the perfect bite. I’m sure I’ll head back there sometime, most likely on a night not quite so busy.

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There is a vending machine downstairs, recently installed, that contains a variety of dirt cheap refrigerated lunch products. They all look completely gross. So, since I’m the kind of guy who eats hot dog flavored potato chips just because they’re there, I’ve determined to eat one of each thing in that vending machine. Today I had BIG AZ Bubba Twins chili cheese dogs.
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1/2 C. brown rice
2 C. water
1 C. frozen mixed vegetables
1 T. balsamic vinegar
1/2 T. extra virgin olive oil
whatever spices

1. Cook the rice in an uncovered pot. This method works excellently. Thank you, Patrick.
2. Cook the vegetables in another pot, cover and simmer once it boils.
3. When everything is cooked, combine it in a bowl, add the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and spices, cover with another bowl and shake vigorously.

I used to eat this all the time in college, high energy, healthy, light and tasty. I’m starting to eat it more often now that I’m running again.

I had dinner with Five Dollar Beer last night. We went to Heck’s Cafe over on Bridge Avenue, because they apparently have the best burgers in town. The burgers were good, but if they are the best burgers in town then Cleveland sorely needs a really good burger joint. Something akin to CJ’s out of South Bend.
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I helped my friend Lauren move to Tremont on Saturday and then fixed a batch of chili for everyone to eat afterward. It turned out pretty good, and though I was a bit leery of using something as strange as TVP, it didn’t roil me gut like tofu tends to do. Actually it was pretty good. Even better reheated the next day.
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I made some damn tasty pork chops last night, and if the rice turned out a bit mushy for my taste, I managed to hide it a bit behind some butter, paprika and basil. The pork chops though, were just peachy. If you try this recipe you will definitely makeout like a bandit.
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My quest to make homemade Little Debbie Star Crunch™ started off yesterday. As far as I can tell, Star Crunch is puffed rice, caramel and a chocolate coating. They are gooey and delicious. My own foray turned out to be pretty tasty, but much chewier than gooier. If you’ve ever had a Charleston Chew, then that is the level of chewiness we are dealing with here. Recipe as follows:
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My mother came up this past weekend and saw the new place. We had Thanksgiving dinner with my friend from work, Lauren and it turned out pretty well. I roasted Cornish game hens with red potatoes and asparagus, basted in a lemon-garlic mixture, Mom made some scalloped yams and brought her pumpkin and famous pecan pies; and Lauren brought a Hungarian dish called Mushroom Paprikash, which is hearty and tasty and sort of like a stroganoff.
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I have purchased two brands of potato chips from the vending machine. Hooters™ Hot Wing Flavored Potato Chips, and Snyder’s of Hanover Hot! Buffalo Wing Potato Chips. Herein lies a comparison.
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I went to Jimmy Daddona’s for dinner somewhat driven by this review in the Free Times. It wasn’t very good at all. Now, I’ve gained a little knowledge at the ways of foodie-ness just by having proximity to Five Dollar Beer, so I am using some of his criteria in this review [or, what I think he criteria are].
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I don’t think I’ve ever written about food. I’m on an eat what I’m hungry for diet. This is not diet used in ‘what I eat to lose weight’ instead it is used in the ‘what I eat cause I’m hungry’ sense.

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