Why? Upcoming Events!

***A bit of blogkeeping: Congratulations to Gauri (Comment #1), randomly-selected winner of 2 general admission tickets to the Marc’s Great American Rib Cook-Off and Music Festival. Please check your email and respond by the end of the day or a new winner will be chosen.***

As we head toward summer, there are a ton of great upcoming events to take advantage of around the Cleveland area.

Red, White & BBQ Rib Fest

Saturday, May 18 at 12pm

Erie Street in Downtown Willoughby

Image Source – seriouseats.com

Downtown Willoughby presents the second annual Red, White & BBQ Rib Fest. From noon to 8pm, Erie Street will be turned into a pedestrian mall lined with restaurants serving up tasty BBQ and libations. Willoughby Brewing Co., Lure Bistro, Olivor Twist and many other Downtown Willoughby favorites will be participating. There will also be two stages with live music from eight different local bands and artists. Red, White & BBQ falls on Armed Forces Day and will be honoring our nation’s heroes by asking all attendees to donate $1 to the USO of Northern Ohio.

Recruit Cleveland Alumni-Only Career Expo

Thursday, May 23 at 11am

Veale Center at Case Western Reserve University

Image Source – hirecleveland.eventbrite.com

If you’re an alumni from John Carroll University, Cleveland State University, Case Western Reserve University, or a host of other local schools (see the graphic above), you are invited to attend a career fair with job opportunities from over 75 local employers, including the Cleveland Clinic, PR Newswire, Huntington Bank, and more. Admission is $10 for VIP early access and featured resume placement or free for all other alumni. Space is limited! For more details and to register, click here.

Woof, Wag and Wine

Saturday, June 1 at 1pm

Grand River Cellars

Image Source – lakehumane.org

An event that combines pups and wine? Be still my heart! Bring your pup along for a tour of Grand River Cellars, a wine tasting, live music, auctions, and more. Admission is $15 and includes your wine tasting. Proceeds benefit the Lake Humane Society. Click here for more information.

13^thAnnual Race for the Place

Sunday, June 2 at 8am

Beachwood Place

Image Source – touchedbycancer.org

Get out, get moving, and raise money for The Gathering Place, a community-based cancer-support center. There is a 5K chip-timed race or a one-mile fun walk, as well as family activities in the Celebration Village. Join honorary cancer survivor chair Jim Donovan, University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center, and The Gathering Place for this great event. Registration ranges from $10-30 depending on age and event. Click here for more information and to register.

15^thAnnual Farm to Table Benefit

Cleveland Botanical Garden

Monday, June 3 at 5:30pm

Image Source – cbgarden.org

Join 20 Cleveland chefs, from restaurants such as Spice Kitchen and Bar, Crop Bistro, and The Greenhouse Tavern, for a strawberry-inspired farm-to-table tasting event. At 5:30, there will be a panel discussion on “Berry Benefits,” then from 6:30-9, let your tastebuds explore the different tasting stations and enjoy live music on the Garden’s Geis Terrace. Tickets are $100 ($85 for Garden members) and proceeds benefit Green Corps and the North Union Farmers Market. For more information and to purcase tickets, click here.

10^thAnnual DePiero Family Charity 5K Run and 2K Walk

Saturday, June 8 at 8:30am

Byers Field

Image Source – deandepiero.com

Join former Parma Mayor Dean DePiero for a 5K race or 2K walk, along with refreshments and raffles, to benefit the Cleveland Courage Fund, recently established to raise money for Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus, and Michelle Knight. Registration is $20 and the first 300 registrants receive a t-shirt. Click here for more information and to register.

Piggy Stardust & the Flavors from Mars

Wednesday, June 19 at 6:30pm

The Beachland Ballroom

Emerging Chefs, Chef Brian Doyle, and Chef Brian Rosander have teamed up to create a rock ‘n roll glam foodie event. A multi-course dinner, cocktail pairings, and live music from Vanity Crash, along with the cool surroundings of the The Beachland Ballroom will make for an evening not to be missed. Tickets are $75 and can be purchased by clicking here.

Farm to Table Garlic Dinner

Saturday, June 22 at 5pm

Thaxton Garlic Farm

Join Thaxton’s Organic Garlic and Hudson’s Restaurant for a delicious farm-to-table dinner experience showcasing vendors from the Hudson Farmers Market. The dinner will include a cocktail hour, tour of the garlic farm and neighboring alpaca farm, and a five-course dinner with wine pairings. Tickets are $125 and proceeds benefit the Hudson Farmers Market. Click here to purchase tickets.

What upcoming events are you looking forward to?

***Disclosures: I am the VP of Special Initiatives for the John Carroll University Cleveland Alumni Chapter. Also, I was invited by Emerging Chefs to attend Piggy Stardust with a complimentary media pass, but declined due to scheduling conflicts. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.***

Why? Weekends!

***A bit of blogkeeping: Have you entered to win a $100 gift card to Provenance at the Cleveland Museum of Art? Check it out! Remember, you can tweet daily for additional entries.***

After Friday night’s fun at the Cleveland Museum of Art, I was looking forward to a lazy start to my Saturday, with a little bit of yoga with Katie at Harmony Yoga, a little bit of errands, and a little bit of Honey Hut (their junior scoop is the perfect size for a mid-afternoon ice cream craving). My go-to place for meats, Pinzone’s Market Fresh Meats, was having their anniversary sale, so I scored a great deal on some strip steaks to grill up for dinner.

We seasoned the steaks with seasoned salt and black pepper and served them with grilled skewers of green pepper, onion, and grape tomato, plus a nice grenache. Sometimes simple really is best!

Saturday evening, Matthew and I attended the last concert of this year’s Tri-C Jazz Fest: a performance by the Spanish Harlem Orchestra.

I was so impressed by the performance! The music was bright and energetic. The Spanish Harlem Orchestra has a great brass section and 3 talented vocalists, who brought the crowd to their feet more than once. Many couples also showed off their salsa dancing skills during the show.

The concert was a unique, upbeat musical experience and a good reminder of the thriving arts culture in Cleveland. I can’t wait to check out more of Tri-C Jazz Fest next year!

On Sunday, we celebrated Cinco de Mayo with Alicia, Hans, Kimberly, and Chris at Momocho. A weekend afternoon seemed like the perfect time to enjoy some margaritas, guacamole, and taquitos!

I noshed on the grilled corn on the cob with chili lime butter and the rock shrimp and lobster empanadas. Oh, I also ate my body weight in guacamole and had two spicy mango margaritas. Viva Momocho!

Since we couldn’t get a patio seat at Momocho and the weather was so perfect, we headed over to Market Garden Brewery to enjoy this weather as it should be enjoyed: on a patio with an adult beverage.

That evening, we met up with friends Erin and Jeff for some outdoor fun at Squire’s Castle in the North Chagrin Reservation of the Cleveland Metroparks. If you haven’t been to Squire’s Castle, you should definitely check it out. It’s pretty cool to picnic in the shadow of a castle!

How was your weekend? Did you celebrate Cinco de Mayo?

***Disclosure: I was asked by Tri-C Jazz Fest to help promote the festival. In exchange, I received 2 tickets to attend the concert of my choice. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.***

Why? The Oak Barrel!

***A bit of blogkeeping: Today is the last day to enter to win a t-shirt from GV Art and Design’s Cleveland line! Remember, you can tweet daily for additional entries. Check it out!***

On Tuesday, I met up with some of my favorite blogger betties for Taco Tuesday (I really love alliteration) at The Oak Barrel.

Chef Demetrios Atheneos, formerly of Deagan’s Kitchen, opened his own restaurant recently and we were excited to check it out, particularly for his much-talked-about taco offerings. On Tuesdays, the special menu features $2 and $3 tacos, which is a steal for the nicely sized gourmet tacos that have plenty of toppings.

But first, we started with drinks and duck fat popcorn. Yes, duck fat popcorn,

This ridiculously rich, fatty, decadent popcorn is a must-try! Eat it fast though (as if you could help yourself) because otherwise you will have some soggy popcorn. I struggled with selecting just one from the massive and diverse craft beer list, but finally settled on the Weihenstephaner Hefewiess. It reminds me a bit of La Fin du Monde, but much easier drinking. In other words, delicious.

Then it was taco time. I chose the ahi tuna, the Amish chicken with roasted peppers, and the special of the day, the Ohio beef cheeseburger.

The chicken had a nice heat from the roasted peppers and the addition of the pork lardons to the beef taco was great. But the ahi tuna was my favorite. Light and fresh, with avocado and a soy glaze, I would definitely make this a standard in my Taco Tuesday rotation.

We’re not the kind of girls who pass up dessert (or stealing other people’s desserts), so I got the Dragon’s Milk brownie sundae.

If you like Dragon’s Milk beer, do not pass this up!

Overall, we had a tasty, unhurried dinner. The Oak Barrel occupies the old Hoggy’s space in Valley View, but the inside has been revamped into a trendy, yet welcoming, atmosphere, with a lot of dark wood and stone. And there is an amazing firepit and patio area that I can’t wait to try out in better weather! This offers a great option in an area somewhat overrun by chain restaurants and less inventive menus.

Have you tried The Oak Barrel yet? Where is your favorite spot for Taco Tuesday?

Why? Weekends!

It was a weekend of late nights and fun that has me wanting an extra day of rest to catch up from all of it. On Friday evening, Matthew and I met up with Amanda and Scott for karaoke night at Noodlecat, hosted by Alexa from Cleveland’s a Plum.

There was a packed house and lots of great karaoke performances - from the genuinely talented to the overly dramatic and hilarious singers. Our group wasn’t brave enough to get up and sing in front of the crowd, but turned out some impressive song stylings at the table.

We also enjoyed Noodlecat’s super cheap happy hour, with $2 steam buns and $4 cocktails for snacking and sipping. All in all, it was a fun night and I hope Karaoke at the Cat becomes a regular occurrence.

Saturday evening also revolved around music, as the Madonna MDNA tour hit Quicken Loans Arena. It seems like ages ago that I purchased the tickets and made plans with 7 of my girlfriends for a night out with music we’d all loved since childhood.

When I got downtown that night, my eager anticipation was matched by the hoards of people out and about enjoying the unseasonably warm weather and ready for a night with a pop icon.

Before the concert, we had dinner at Hodge’s. I ordered two appetizers: the shrimp and “grits” and the mushroom gnocchi.

The mushroom gnocchi also featured roasted grapes and a light cream sauce. The flavors were rich and earthy. The shrimp and “grits” had three large shrimp served on top a polenta cake. Both dishes were delicious, but if I had to choose, the gnocchi was my favorite.

From Hodge’s, we stopped up at the rooftop bar at The Greenhouse Tavern to take advantage of the perfect weather and tasty cocktails.

 After another quick cocktail at La Strada on our tour of East 4th Street, it was time to head to the concert. The best way I can think to describe the Madonna show is that it reminded me of a Quentin Tarantino movie: dark, edgy, and I’m pretty sure I missed the point. At least for the first few songs, anyway. There were some classics, of course, such as “Open Your Heart,” “Vogue,” “Express Yourself,” and “Like a Prayer.”

While I would have been happy if Madonna had simply sang the entire Immaculate Collection album, I found myself enjoying some of the newer songs too. And after two straight hours of dancing her butt off, I have nothing but respect and awe for the 54-year-old star.

More than anything else, though, it was another one of those nights where I just want to put my arms around Cleveland and give it a hug. The city was so alive and I had such a marvelous time with my girls!

On Sunday, there was no rest for the concert-weary, as I had my friend Laura’s baby shower to attend.

Luckily, it was a laid-back affair at her parents’ house, with plenty of food and games. Congrats to Laura and Brian! Can’t wait to meet your little one!

Oh, and I managed to work in some time at the Fabulous Food Show this weekend as well, but you’ll have to wait until tomorrow for that.

How did you take advantage of the beautiful weather this weekend? If you went to the Madonna show, what did you think of it?

 

 

 

 

Why? Brauhaus in a Beer Garden!

Last night was one of those crazy Cleveland weather days that you can’t think too hard about (global warming, what?), you just have to embrace. Nearly 80 degree temperatures and plenty of sunshine made it the perfect day to get your first sip of Great Lakes Christmas Ale, attend the President Obama Rally at Burke Lakefront Airport, or – if you’re Matthew and me – head on up to the rooftop patio at The Greenhouse Tavern for a German extravaganza as part of Cleveland Beer Week.

The event was called Brauhaus in a Beer Garden and was hosted by Brick & Mortar Pop-Ups. Chef Jonathon Sawyer’s friend and fellow chef Jeremy Nolan of Brauhaus Schmitz in Philadelphia created the dishes for the evening. I was expecting a sit-down dinner of served courses, but instead it was a grab-as-you-go, small-plate style meal, which was more suited to the laid-back atmosphere of the rooftop at The Greenhouse Tavern.

Chef Sawyer slicing up sausage

First, we snagged some sliced cold sausages, pickled veggies, a soft pretzel with Bavarian cheese spread, and foie gras liverwurst with pickled black grapes. We also enjoyed a refreshing traditional German-style pils on draught: 3 Floyds Jinx Proof.

The pretzels were delicious: crisp on the outside, soft on the inside, piping hot, and served with a creamy cheese spread with just a hint of spice. Personally, I think Chef Sawyer should steal the recipe and serve these at Sawyer’s Street Frites at Browns Stadium! I also loved the rich flavor of the foie gras liverwurst, but would have preferred a toasted bread to give a bit more texture to the bite.

As we listened to an eclectic and fun mix of music, including German techno, we sampled the sweetbread schnitzel, served with quail egg, anchovy-caper vinaigrette, and buckwheat spatzle.

This was Matthew’s favorite dish of the night. The textures and flavors blended well and I was pleasantly surprised that the dish wasn’t too salty. I always enjoy sweetbread, so I was definitely a fan of this offering as well.

Our next dish to try was my favorite: duck and smoked barley malt sausage with spicy beer mustard and duck cracklins.

My standard for “favorite dish” tends to be if I would lick the plate clean. This met that standard easily. The sausage was flavorful, the mustard added a nice sharp flavor, and the duck cracklins were indulgently fatty and delicious.

Last but not least, we tried the blood sausage with celery root-apple puree and Tavern vinegar gastrique. I realize this is going to sound crazy since I ate sweetbread earlier in the evening, but I couldn’t get enough past what blood sausage is  to really enjoy this dish. I think part of it is a texture thing: all the foods I struggle to enjoy tend to have unusual textures. Matthew did eat and enjoy it and I will say that the celery root-apple puree was very tasty.

It was a beautiful night to overlook Cleveland, sip beer, eat great food and chat with friends (we saw Renee and Paul and met my giveaway winner Sarah)! The Greenhouse Tavern has installed heaters on the rooftop patio, so it is ready to go for whatever Cleveland weather hands us, so head on up there soon. Thanks to Chefs Sawyer and Nolan for a tasty evening!

***Disclosure: I was asked by The Greenhouse Tavern and Brick & Mortar Pop-Ups to help promote Brauhaus in a Beer Garden. In exchange, I received 2 tickets to the event. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.***

Why? Brauhaus in a Beer Garden Giveaway!

Happy Cleveland Beer Week! Since GQ Magazine recently named Cleveland one of the five Best Beer Cities in America, you know our Beer Week is going to have some pretty fantastic events.

Image Source – clevelandbeerweek.org

One of those events is “Brauhaus is a Beer Garden,” sponsored by Brick & Mortar Popups and happening Thursday, October 25 at the rooftop bar at The Greenhouse Tavern.

Jeremy Nolan, executive chef at Philadelphia’s Brauhaus Schmitz, will prepare a menu of traditional German favorites. The dinner will feature everything from soft pretzels and Bavarian cheese spread to sweetbread schnitzel. It wouldn’t be Beer Week without plenty of brews to go around, as well as music and more fun, with a great view of East 4th Street thrown in.

Tickets are $48 and include dinner, one beer, tax and gratuity. You can check out the full menu and purchase tickets by clicking here.

Or, you can enter to win 2 tickets right here! Here’s how to enter (be sure to leave a SEPARATE comment for each entry):

1. Leave a comment letting me know your favorite beer. This is a one-time entry.

2. Tweet the following phrase and leave a comment letting me know you tweeted: It’s @clevelandbeerwk and I want to attend Brauhaus in a Beer Garden at @thegreenhouse with @WhyCLE: http://wp.me/p1fb9r-11k

You can tweet once per day for additional entries. Just be sure to leave a separate comment each time you tweet.

3. Share the link to this post (http://wp.me/p1fb9r-11k) on your Facebook page and leave a comment letting me know you did. You can share once per day for additional entries. Just be sure to leave a separate comment each time you share.

The giveaway will run through 11:59pm on Tuesday, October 23 and the winner will be announced Wednesday morning. Viel Gluck (I think this means good luck in German…at least that’s what the Internet said)!

Image Source – brauhaus.eventbrite.com

***Disclosure: I was asked by The Greenhouse Tavern and Brick & Mortar Pop-Ups to help promote Brauhaus in a Beer Garden. In exchange, I will receive 2 tickets for myself and 2 tickets to give away. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.***

Why? Weekends!

It was a weekend full of sports, food, and friends, so let’s get right to it! On Friday night, I met up with other John Carroll alums to take in one last Indians game this season.

It was a pretty fall evening and made me wistfully remember the days of playoff baseball. Adding to that nostalgia was the fact that we were in the “1994 Suite,” with pictures of players like Kenny Lofton, Carlos Baerga, and Charlie Nagy lining the walls. It was a good game and a good time! It left me crossing my fingers for next year, as the Indians will always be my favorite Cleveland team.

Oh, and if you’re a John Carroll alum, the Cleveland Alumni Chapter has lots of fun events planned for the coming months (including Homecoming next weekend), so check it out!

Saturday morning, I joined Kimberly and Amanda at Nishkama Yoga for a Vinyasa flow taught by our lovely friend Alicia. If I thought practicing with your friends was awesome, being taught by one of them is even more so! The students were a mix of experience levels and Alicia did a wonderful job explaining the poses, spotting us for headstands, and generally making us feel centered. I can’t wait to take more classes with her!

That afternoon, I met up with most of the same cast of characters for the Playhouse Square Partners OSU/MSU Watch Party.

It was a fun party at The Blind Pig with beer and chicken wings, raffles and football squares, music, watching the game, and more.

I had to scoot out of the Partners event a bit early to head over to Spice Kitchen and Bar with Matthew for the Emerging Chefs Harvest Moon dinner. Chef Ben Bebenroth took the flavors of autumn and spun them into five courses of delicious food. And talk about fresh: most of the herbs used in our dishes were being picked as we were dining!

Our first course was a pink banana squash soup with apple creme fraiche.

The savory squash was balanced nicely by the sweet, bright apple. A perfect start to a fall-themed meal! This was Matthew’s favorite course of the night.

Our next course was a fall tomato salad with greens, feta, and sweet onions.

This was a deliciously fresh and light course. Each of our courses was also carefully paired with wine that complimented the flavors of the food.

Next up was crispy perch with slaw and ramp tartar sauce.

I wish all fish fries were this tasty! The breading was crisp and not at all greasy and the slaw added a great texture to each bite.

Then came my favorite course of the night: roasted pork loin with mushroom spaetzel and  Brussels sprouts.

I may have tried to lick the plate on this course. The jus was sensational, all the flavors came together perfectly, and the pork was moist and tender.

In between courses as we dined al fresco, Chef Bebenroth invited us back to take a peek at the kitchen, which was quite busy, as the restaurant was still serving diners as well as hosting the Emerging Chefs event.

Chef Bebenroth has plenty of experience with busy kitchens and tight spaces, though, from his work with Spice of Life Catering.

Our final course played to my favorite fall flavor, especially in desserts: apple. We enjoyed a bourbon apple cobbler with salted caramel ice cream.

A sweet end to a tasty and fresh fall meal! Definitely check out Spice Kitchen and Bar for fresh, seasonal food served by some of the nicest people you’ll meet. Also check out Emerging Chefs next event, The Roaring Twenties, happening on Sunday, October 28 at Crop Bistro and Bar.

While we loved everything we ate, the portions were small and the wine was plentiful, so Matthew and I headed across the street for some Happy Dog munchies and live music before heading home. All in all, it was another wonderful weekend in Cleveland! How was yours?

***Disclosure: I am a board member for the John Carroll University Cleveland Alumni Chapter. Also, I was invited to attend Emerging Chefs Harvest Moon with a single media pass. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.***

Why? A Weekend in DC!

***A bit of blogkeeping: Be sure to enter my giveaway for a chance to win 2 tickets to the L’Amour du Vin fundraiser! Today is the last day of the giveaway. Click here to enter. Remember, you can tweet and Facebook share daily for more entries!***

I lived in DC for three years during grad school, so I love going back to visit my former home. It had been almost a year since a DC visit, so Matthew’s birthday present of a weekend in our Nation’s Capital was the perfect gift.

What We Saw

I tend to do a lot more sightseeing when in DC with Matthew. He makes me into more of a tourist in a town I know pretty well, which is a good thing. It helps remind me of all the amazing things to see and do in DC.

We checked out the White House…

…the National Cathedral…

…the Capitol…

…the Library of Congress…

…and the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.

Lots of walking but we packed about as much in as we could!

Who We Saw

For me, visiting DC is first and foremost about catching up with friends. We grabbed coffee with a grad school friend, her husband, and their adorable baby.

We met more grad school friends for brunch and baby time on Sunday.

Sunday evening gave us time with my relatives from Silver Spring and Monday brought dinner with Kappa Delta gal pals.

Tuesday was lunch with my dear bridesmaid, Jen.

Talk about packing in as much as we could!

Where We Ate and Drank

Lauriol Plaza

There is something comforting about a favorite spot that is never less than completely packed. I have a lot of great memories of fun times at Lauriol Plaza and wanted to introduce Matthew to the tasty Mexican food and killer margaritas.

From enjoying the rooftop bar with its view of a cozy Dupont Circle neighborhood to stuffing ourselves with all the tasty food we could handle, this was a great dinner choice.

Mon Ami Gabi

The French know how to do brunch right. We loved our Bloody Mary’s and the mushroom soup was divine.

The tartine left something to be desired, but the profiteroles saved the day.

Clyde’s

This is a classic DC restaurant with locations throughout the area. Their crab and artichoke dip and crab cakes never disappoint!

Bullfeathers

A Capitol Hill standard bar that I had somehow never been to.

They have a nice craft beer selection (I enjoyed a Duck-Rabbit Milk Stout and Bells Oberon) and a menu full of well-prepared American standards, like burgers and pizza.

Fino Ristorante Italiano

A tiny little Italian restaurant tucked amidst the shops and restaurants of M Street in Georgetown. We enjoyed classics like lasagna and chicken piccata, plus a gigantic appetizer platter with everything from calamari to caprese to mussels.

Sprinkles Cupcakes

This happened to be right next door to Fino Italiano and who am I to ignore fate when it hands me a cupcake?

Try the mocha…you won’t be disappointed!

La Tasca

When Jen suggested meeting for midday sangria before I headed back to Cleveland, it seemed the perfect thing to do! Nothing like sangria, tapas, and girl talk to end a trip well.

And with $8 off a pitcher of sangria and 2 tapas plates for $12, it was affordable too!

It was a perfect mini-vacation! Have you been to DC? What are some of your favorite spots?

Why? Hodge’s 2 for $40 Tuesday!

Last week, I had a long-awaited Girls’ Night Out on the calendar with some lovely ladies: Kimberly, Charlene, and Nadine. It was a Tuesday, so we headed to Hodge’s for one of the best deals in town. For $40, 2 people share one bottle of wine, one appetizer, and two entrees!

Girls Night Out photo op with Chef Chris Hodgson

We decided to 4-way split our appetizers, so we each got to taste the goat cheese and leek tart and the Swedish meatballs.

The goat cheese tart is made with Lucky Penny goat cheese and served with onion jam, arugula, and Parmesan. This appetizer is rich and creamy, with a nice light crust.

The Swedish meatballs are served with a pepper sauce and blackberry jam.

These are not the traditional, boring Swedish meatballs. They pack a ton of flavor and the mushroom gravy is plate-lickable.

For my entree, I chose the chicken schnitzel, served with beet spaetzel, roasted cauliflower and Shiitake mushrooms, and “super gravy.”

The chicken was moist, the breading was crisp, and the “super gravy,” well, I had to ask for more. This is a great dish that, like the Swedish meatballs, takes a traditional meal to a new level of taste and sophistication.

During the meal, Chef Chris Hodgson also showered us with some tasty off-menu treats to share. Luckily, our friend Kelly Ann joined us to help eat all this food! We got to sample halibut cheeks with curry sauce and dehydrated puffed rice…

Toro sashimi with jalapeno…

Beef carpaccio with bleu cheese mini baklava…

Sous vide hangar steak with pistachio puree…

And apple flan…

After this ridiculous amount of food, we pretty much had to be rolled off the patio and into our cars. Much thanks to Chef Hodgson for sharing these inventive and delicious creations with us! I hope to see some of these dishes on the Hodge’s menu soon!

Even without all the “extras,” the 2 for $40 Tuesday special at Hodge’s is a great deal. You get a ton of high quality, delicious food and wine for an incredibly reasonable price. Check it out some Tuesday evening, hopefully while the weather is still nice enough to enjoy the lovely patio too!

***Disclosure: While at Hodge’s, Chef Hodgson sent out the halibut, toro, beef carpaccio, hangar steak, and flan for our table to sample. The rest of the food and beverages were chosen and paid for by our table. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.***

Why? Emerging Chefs Midnight Brunch!

It was a night of brunch, bubbly, and the Blue Moon over Cleveland! Friday night, Matthew and I headed to Emerging Chefs‘ Midnight Brunch at The Black Pig.

We are definitely not used to events that begin at 11pm and needed a power nap after work to make it through! We arrived at the restaurant and were shown to the lovely and intimate rooftop patio with a gorgeous view of downtown Cleveland.

We ran into Katie and her boyfriend Nick and decided to make a brunch foursome of it. We sipped on a welcome cocktail of gentine, absinthe, champagne and lemon. One of my favorite parts of this brunch was that every drink pairing but one involved bubbly.

Our first course was a goat cheese tart with sweet red onions and a red onion gastrique, paired with Henriot Brut NV champagne.

The goat cheese was whipped into a light and airy filling that was perfectly complimented by the tang of the red onions. The herbed pastry shell had a great flavor too. Overall, a delicious start to our late-night feast.

Course two was playfully named “Lox and Rocks” and was Chef Michael Nowak’s take on the traditional lox and bagel breakfast. This course was paired with a St. Germaine cocktail.

The salmon, which is some of the best I’ve had in town, was cured in-house along with beets, giving the fish a rich red color. Served alongside was house-made bread that was seeded to be like an everything bagel (my favorite!), hard-boiled egg, and pickled onion. A little taste of all these elements made for the perfect bite!

The oyster was topped with caviar. See the powder underneath? It was very salty and should be used sparingly. I missed that memo and messed up the taste of my oyster, unfortunately.

The third course was my favorite of the night: braised pork belly, crispy fingerling potatoes, poached quail egg, Chanterelle mushrooms, and pearl onions. You got it: a new spin on bacon, eggs, and hashbrowns! This course was paired with a traditional mimosa.

Every element of this dish worked perfectly by itself, but if you put them all together, it got even better. That was one thing both Matthew and I noted after the brunch: all the dishes had a lot of elements to them that all were enhanced by combining them into flavor-packed bites. That takes some serious culinary talent!

The pork belly literally melted in your mouth, the quail egg was the perfect size to add richness without being overwhelming, and the mushrooms: I could have eaten an entire bowl!

We weren’t done yet: next up was steak and eggs. A thinly-pounded pork steak was country-fried and paired with black pepper Bearnaise, asparagus, fluffy egg, and Anson Mill grits. This course was served with Rose Brut NV champagne.

This was Matthew’s favorite course and it’s not hard to see why. The breading was light and didn’t overwhelm the meat, the grits were creamy and delicious, and you can never go wrong with us and asparagus.

Chef Nowak doubled down on dessert. First, we got a piece of Fromaggier d’Affinois (a French brie-like cheese) covered in truffle honey. Ridiculously good!

And then…brioche french toast, carmelized bananas, Mitchell’s brambleberry ice cream, and candied bacon, all paired with a 2009 Chauteau de l’Echaderie, the only non-sparkling drink of the night.

What a perfectly sweet and salty end to our midnight munching! While I’m not usually a “breakfast” person, Chef Nowak’s innovative and tasty plays on traditional brunch fare made a believer out of me!

The Black Pig will begin serving brunch on Sunday, September 16 and will have extended Sunday brunch hours until 9pm. Chef Nowak told us variations of these Midnight Brunch dishes, including the pork belly and steak and eggs, will be on the menu. Also, The Black Pig is considering making Midnight Brunch a continuing event.

Emerging Chefs next events happen Saturday, September 29 with Harvest Moon at Spice Kitchen & Bar and Sunday, October 28 with The Roaring Twenties at Crop Bistro & Bar.

***Disclosure: I was asked by Emerging Chefs to help promote Midnight Brunch and Harvest Moon. In exchange, I received/will receive a single media pass to each event. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.***