Tag Archives: Downtown 140

Dinner at Downtown 140

by Jamie Ginsberg on 05. Jan, 2010 in Jamie Ginsberg

Downtown 140 has been in my top 3 restaurants 3 years running. When I was a fish eater it was because of the tuna tacos. Bites of deliciousness that jump start any meal perfectly. These are not California style tuna tacos, these are small house made “hard shells” filled with fine chopped raw tuna, set on top of a mound of Guacamole. I stopped eating fish in 2009 and this may be the only dish I truly missed! As 2009 wound down we hit Downtown 140 for Amy’s birthday. She got lamb chops that looked out of this world. The meat was tender and cooked to perfection. There is something strangely exciting about bones cris-crossed, begging for you to abandon your fork and knife and eat with your hands.

I started with a cheese plate of Oregonzola and cloth wrapped Cabot Cheddar. Their house made toasts and balsamic reduction are always delicious, this time I got to try a pear compote that was spreadable like jam without the sweetness. It contrasted the bite of the cheese perfectly. We drank a bottle of Paraduxx, zinfandel blend from Duckhorn, that was maybe a little to rich for my cheese plate yet smooth, silky and easy to drink. I was not inspired by the veggie offering, although I was very appreciative there was a veggie offering. Fire and DT 140 are not only fine dining experiences, they both consistently offer food that I can eat despite my restricted diet. I asked for a double order of the Mushroom Turnovers and a side of sauteed swiss chard. I love this dish! The scent of Truffle oil, flaky crust, finely chopped mushrooms mixed with Goat cheese is so good I eat slowly, lamenting my shrinking plate with each bite. Chard can replace spinach for me any day, it is more flavorful and the dark greens are appealing to both eye and stomach. Dessert happened but I don’t remember it. Drop me a line if you want to meet up at DT 140 for dinner…

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DownTown 140 meets Martin Ray and Altesino

by Jamie Ginsberg on 02. Oct, 2008 in Jamie Ginsberg

When you start a night with a bottle of Martin Ray Cabernet you know it is going to be a great dinner! This is a delicious complex wine from the Central Coast of California. We followed with the 1997 Altesino Brunello which was smooth and easy to drink. Thinking back, both of these wines could have used some decanting and/or some aeration. We ordered a cheese plate to get the party started, but as you can see below, I should have ordered more cheese than I did. The mix of nuts, house made crackers, fruit and cheese is both fun and exciting. I would order more stinky cheese to really light up a wine like the Martin Ray next time.

Amy did what she does, and ordered the Rib Eye. This picture is so terrible, I am motivated to finally listen to Simone who gently hinted that digital cameras are quite inexpensive today. The mobile phone camera is just not holding up in dim lighting for me. What this picture does not convey, is that these slices of beef looked so good that my urge to eat steak reared its ugly head. If I wasn’t so excited about my meal, I would have tried some. Amy did not finish this and Alex achieved spoiled status by rolling into school Friday morning with some incredible leftovers. Hmmm…Peanut butter and honey on whole wheat or tender perfectly cooked steak?

It was Bob’s birthday, so I changed my order and let him get the last seared Tuna medallion special. Even the crappy mobile pics show how beautiful this fish is. I immediately regretted my “generosity” when I saw this dish. I did get to try one of the seaweed covered rice balls and it was perfect.

I asked is they would make me a field greens salad with 3 Tuna tacos on the plate. This may be one of my favorite dishes in the world. It is light and clean, leaving me room for dessert! I hate how expensive simple field green salads are at upscale restaurants, yet I almost always order one. Why? Because they can be so delicious that I hate to miss out on them. Plus they use real fat laden dressing, which I always skimp with at home as I try to cook healthy. The strawberries were a bitter sweet reminder that summer has moved on, I enjoyed each and every slice.

I don’t have anything interesting about the fish dish below, but Jan did polish it off, so it must have been good!

Out of basically selfish reasons, I encouraged Amy to get the Rib Eye. The side of fries is delicious and served in a paper funnel lined metal cup scoring extra style points. If you stare really hard at the blurry picture you can see the light herb flavoring and the aoli on the side. I have always had a weak spot for fries and these do not need ketchup, does that say it all?

When I first met Amy she used to say that her favorite food was french fries (for the record mine has always been pizza, I am good for a large pie by myself at any time). We had a major issue because Elektra did not like fries. I thought this is because she does not like vegetables, but potatos are not vegetables. Did you know that 2008 is the Year of the Potato? Or that potatos actually bloom flowers? In an attempt to honor the potato I encourage you to check out this link for a quick dive into the world of potatos http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potato. Downtown 140 has great fries, but these are probably not the best fries I have ever had. They could have been just a tad bit crispier and ketchup should be standard, even if they don’t need it ;-) The real question is, where can you get the best fries in the whole world?

We had some great desserts and called it a night. I truly enjoy eating at this restaurant and wish it was 15 minutes closer to my house. The service is generally excellent and as difficult as this is to measure, I always feel good about eating there and experiencing what they bring to the table. If you live in the Cleveland area, you need to make a reservation at Downtown 140 sooner than later.

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Downtown 140 – Doctor Prescribed

by Jamie Ginsberg on 09. Jul, 2008 in Jamie Ginsberg

A meal at Downtown 140 is always delicious. It is anniversary celebration night with Us and Bob & Jan. The wine started with a Hartford Pinot Noir, Velvet Sisters from Anderson Valley. The wine is elegant with a rich vein sliding gently thru the alcohol, the finish was long and slow. We toasted to mutual anniversaries and the food ordering began.
The calamari arrived and it was ok. They lightened up the sauce, away from the gooey richness of winter and while good, I strangely prefer winter. The edamame were unique and incredible. A dry dip made up of crushed chilis and salt was irresistable. The Tuna Tacos are my favorite, sitting on a mound of guacamole the small crisp shell is filled with a tuna tartare that begs to be dipped in the avocado. Keeping with tradition I ordered 2 and as always the second was even better than the first. I heard Bob mumbling something about great scallops, but I have fear of scallops and tried not to look too hard at his plate. The small plates were rounded off with a light summer green salad sprinkled with blueberries and sliced strawberries. Needless to say I was feeling the Love.

By this time we were opening up the 2000 Isosceles. A full bodied meritage from Justin Vinyards, this puts their normal Cab to shame. I wished Amy’s perfectly cooked thin sliced rib eye was landing in front of me. I would have settled for some Humboldt Goat Cheese or even some of the cheese and mushroom laced great harvest bread, but as both red meat, dairy and wheat are currently out…the wine had to stand up on on its own legs. Those legs are long and fine with enough muscle to satisfy the palate with a subtle yet firm complexity. Bring on the food!
The Fries are Amy’s, despite her moving them to the center of the table. They are cooked to perfection, with a dipping sauce that is rich and decadent. These fries could single handidly destroy any normal person’s diet. If this is the truth, I can not handle it…o.k I ate only a few and damn it I enjoyed them. Liberally dipping in the sauce, perfectly sized, each bite was a delight to the senses. Mental note, do not eat normal fries on a regular basis…save yourself for the 140.
Finally my main course arrived. At first glance I was dissapointed, the Chilean Sea Bass looked a little dry and possibly over cooked but definitely small. Luckily, I was already full I thought to myself as I tasted the fish. At first bite my worst fears were realized. I quickly inventoried my meal…I could walk away now with room for dessert. Throw in the towel. Call it a meal. As I sipped on my glass of Isoceles, I realized I had not tried my potatoes, light and smooth yet strangely flavorful. Awe hell, where was the mango promised in the sauce. Aggressively, I dipped a chunk of fish into the sauce, coating it thru and thru. I ate the piece expecting gooey mango sweetness that did not appear. The sauce was light and smooth with an essecence of mango that complimented the fish perfectly.
I looked down to take another bite and realized my plate was completely empty. Yes. You know what I am talking about. The beast took over and before I knew what had happened my plate was clean. This is the perfect summer dish and you must try it. I apologize for my initial bias, beauty is in the flavor and summer screams Mango.
Dessert was typical chocolate mouse torte covered with a dark thin crust of deliciousness. I got in a spoonful or 2 before Amy inhaled it. I split a French Press of Bolivian with Bob as Jan downed 4 cupd of decaf (huh?). Now if only Amy had invented that snap power, Hudson is just to far away when the food is this good. Can we do this again?

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