Tag Archives: Food

Paladar – Better you than me

by Jamie Ginsberg on 17. Jul, 2010 in Jamie Ginsberg

I am somewhat experiencing road rage against Paladar. They should be my favorite restaurant in town. They are 6 minutes from my house, serve contemporary Latin food and have an outdoor patio. Unfortunately we have an issue.

On the menu they claim to serve “Fresh Made To Order Guacamole.” On Wednesday night I watched the person at the Guacamole station bring out a VAT of Guacamole and put it under the counter in a fridge.  Suddenly the brown edges on the Guacamole started to make sense (prolonged exposure to air turns avocado brown, kind of like it does to apples). My buddy Mike put the hard questions to the waiter and he truthfully confessed the guacamole is made every 3 hours. Freash? Made To Order? Drop the BS and just call it Guacamole. It doesn’t taste fresh or look fresh (this should be embarrassing for any Latin restaurant).

I try and support restaurants that are locally owned, especially by young people. This is a deal breaker, however. The most important ingredient you put in any meal, is the LOVE. Without the love you might as well be any other crappy chain. I am officially done with Paladar. See another equally scathing review I posted about them on Yelp, my account is http://sonicallstar.yelp.com

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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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Melt Bar and Grilled – Because Cheese is Delicious

by Jamie Ginsberg on 07. Dec, 2009 in Jamie Ginsberg

Lunch at Melt Bar and Grilled was delicious. Started with a cup of the Potato Leek Soup. It was rich and delicious with a little chunkiness to it. Served in a coffee mug with little crispy fried leeks on top it was a great way to warm up. I was a little surprised the cup wasn’t full, but then again I really do not know the difference between ordering a cup and a bowl and maybe a coffee mug is larger than a normal “cup.” What followed was an orgy of fat and carbs. I ordered the “Parmaggedon,” which is 2 potato & cheese pierogis, fresh napa vodka kraut, grilled onions, sharp cheddar. The bread was thick sliced, buttered and grilled. Carbs within carbs and loaded with cheese? I LOVE it! This would be my favorite breakfast dish!

The fries are hand cut, crisp on the outside, fresh and soft in the middle. The fries would definitely make my top 10 list, however my kids might not like them as they are very dark and not that typical golden yellow look my kids associate with fries. The Slaw on the side was good, not covered in mayo and gross. It was clean and tasted healthy, unfortunately this meant I had little interest in the slaw…maybe next time? At the advice of my lunch mate Brad, I did get a side of the tartar sauce, it was a little sour but well balanced.

The atmosphere of Melt is Bar, which I will not normally get excited about traveling to the West Side for. However, that also equals comfortable – complete with a friendly staff and good service. If I truly partied I would have ordered the December special pictured below. Did I mention I love the rock show inspire art melt uses for their monthly specials? What oozes out is character and quality. I am excited Melt is opening on the East side (South Taylor and Cedar) as of February 2010. If you are on a diet, Melt is not the restaurant for you. If you are a Vegan, Melt is not the restaurant for you. If you are a veggie or a carnivore you will enjoy, maybe even love Melt. Because Cheese is Delicious!

melt

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Sarava – Great Fast Food!

by Jamie Ginsberg on 08. Sep, 2008 in Jamie Ginsberg

Amy and I headed down to Shaker Square with our good friends David & Dana Blocker Saturday night, to dine on the outdoor deck at Sarava. Fine Brazillian cuisine on a slightly chilly night sounded perfect. Truth be told, it was kind of a mixed bag.

We decided to go with all small plates. I ordered the chilled avocado soup and the rest ordered salads. I always want to like the avocado soup, but it may be a great example of when to say when. This smooth avocado green soup was heavy on the pepper and packed a sharp almost bitter heat as a result. This was my second attempt at this soup and I have officially thrown in the towel, it does not live up to the hype in my mind. Amy’s salad was delicious, although somewhat heavily dressed, even for me. David ordered a bottle Santa Eracita (maybe?) and we discovered a Malbec that on a blind tasting I would have sworn was a Syrah. It smelled like sewer (I am sure someone likes that) and had a complex somewhat bold flavor. Being a fanof the Malbec in general, I was a little dissapointed. This might have been better with a stinky blue rather than simply bread and butter.

The small plates started arriving and the real fun began. The tamales were interestingly more of a cornbread than what I traditionally think of as a tamale. That said, the presentation was superb with 3 mini towers on a rectangular plate. A squeeze of lime and the flavor was perfect. I could have eaten all of the onion rings myself, they were thin, crispy and spiced. Delicious. I ate 2 thin fries and was really bummed. They were cold and kind of sucked. We all agreed and complained to the bus boy passing by about the flavorless cold fries and he picked up the plate and walked off. I watched him squeeze the fries and could see by his body language he agreed something was wrong. Minutes later a plate of piping hot delicious fries arrived. Well salted and crispy and hot the fries evaporated quickly. David had a pair of mini-burgers that looked juicy and nothing like the sliders you remember from White Castle (at these prices you would not order 2 dozen burgers like you might have at White Castle). Are you starting to See why David proclaimed this meal to be Great Fast Food?

The Quesadilla was vegetarian and good. Presented as 2 halves rolled like a sushi hand roll they looked elegant and refined on the plate. The taste was light and good, but I was completely satisfied with my small bite. The mediterranean pizza was ok. It would have been better if the crust had been crisp, instead of biting into a mess of mush, but the flavor was good. The Calamari was a nice size portion with a very saucy sauce. None of us were impressed and we left this dish half eaten. This never would have happened at Downtown 140 or Maxi’s. Last and almost least was the Grilled cheese with tomato soup. I really wanted this to be better than it was. Personally I prefer my grilled cheese any day. While slightly stuffed we forged ahead with dessert.

We ordered the Flourless Chocolate Cake and the Coconut Butter Cake. After specifically asking if the Coconut Butter Cake was served warm, a cold flavorless cake arrived at our table without any creme anglaise. We turned to our trusty bus boy and told him the cake sucked. He took it back to the kitchen and reappeared within minutes with a hot delicious slice of cake covered in house made whip cream and oozing creme anglaise. Now this was a great slice of cake. This cake was taken off of the bill, so I am hate to complain. It would be nice if they stepped up to the plate and ran a tighter ship; however, I do appreciate when an item that would reduce your enjoyment reduces your bill instead. Amy and I came here with Scott and Caroline and had the same cake experience but we did not know the cake should be sent back, we just ate the crappy cake and told everyone how bad the cake was. Oh right, you are wondering what happened to the flourless chocolate cake? It was eaten by all of us…of course! The bits of gold leaf on the top let you know this is a classy cake. It was not my favorite grade of chocolate but the consistency was right and the rich buttery chocolate coated my mouth and lit up my taste buds. Dessert had been saved!

As we rolled out and headed East, Amy and I agreed that Sarava was a summertime only outdoor eating experience that did not and would not translate well to winter. We had a rough night of service and akward quality, but the food was gnerally good and the atmosphere was perfect. Although we will not be rushing back, we should go in for the large plates.

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Sausages and Friends

by Jamie Ginsberg on 03. Sep, 2008 in Jamie Ginsberg

What do you do at the end of the summer? PPPPPPPPAAAAAARRTTTTTYYYYYYYYYY!!! We got the kids together for a night of running around and causing trouble. Mike and Carl are beer guys and showed up with a six pack of interesting micro brew each as they normally do. I opened up a bottle of Festivo, excellent Argentinian wine from Michele Rolland. When the Wine Library email went out proclaiming this wine as a must buy I jumped on it. At $13 this drinks like a $28 bottle. Smooth with a nice under body and a medium finish. Bonus points for the label which has that hand made paper feel with pressed flowers in it. I have a growing respect for Mr. Rolland and will be searching out more of his wines.

Carl and Mike set the tone of the night with a steady flow of alcohol and planning for their weekend bike ride. Between bites of the Humboldt Fog Goat Cheese and crackers, they put away their fair share of beer and even tried the Festivo.

The meal was simple, grilled dogs for the kids, Bruce Adielle’s Gruyere and Garlic Chicken Sausages, Dr.Praeger’s Veggies patties for the veggies. The sausages looked great and Alex put one away as he is protesting hot dogs these days. The veggie patty was enhanced by some Whole Foods Chipolte Mayo which was fatty and smooth. I generally prefer exotic mustards over mayos for the health factor, but Rosie insisted I try it and it definitely made the veggie patty more interesting. Personally I need a little more of that smokey chipotle flavor but it was good all the same.

Amy made a corn salad using corn harvested from Judy’s stand at Lake Chautauqua inspired by my fellow blogger Scott. It screams summer and can be eaten any day of the week. It is a nice combination of crunchy chunky vegetables such as radish and green peppers and a sweet light dressing. I feel guilty spilling the secrets of what makes it such a great summer salad, maybe Scott will fill in the blanks.

The women were on dessert with Amy P. juggling Claire and a batch of brownies she whipped up. The brownies were for the kids, but still were missing the rich fudge factor. I am very suspicious she turned up the health factor with the kids in mind.

I have had Amy P’s baked goods before and swear by her breads. Next time I am going to test her by asking for adult brownies, not magic brownies or kind brownies, simply fudgy brownies.

Rosie was hard at work decorating her cheese cake with fresh fruit. My Amy insisted Rosie could not drizzle my shnizzle, uh I mean drizzle fruit liquid on the cheese cake. This was kind of a shame as it probably would have looked really pretty.

That said, this cheese cake was bound for glory. It was properly rich yet light. The berries were fresh and delicious adding a little bit to the cake. The cheese cake was the highlight of the evening and rated a solid 9 in the overall ratings for taste and presentation. Rosie is a ringer as she regularly cooks in her gourmet club. Wait a minute, what happened to the extra point? Why is it not a 10? I’ve got one word for you Lemon! Growing up on NY cheese cake I am a huge fan of the unadultered pure smooth rich cheese cake. The Lemon was a little too forward thinking for me and I almost did not go back for a second piece. Almost.

This was a great way to officially end the summer. With any luck this will not be the last BBQ of the summer, but simply a gentle reminder of how much fun itis to get together and celebrate little more than food and friendship.

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Thai Night at Fire

by Jamie Ginsberg on 03. Sep, 2008 in Jamie Ginsberg

Jan, Bob, Amy & I headed down to Fire for Thai night. We joined Amy & Karen Goldberg for a great night of food and conversation. Fire has been running a special dinner every few months with a guest chef, this dinner was done by the General Manager, Chin.

The menus were simple on natural looking paper. As we sat at the table enjoying Mango, Vodka, Champagne refreshers, I glanced at the menu and felt like I was looking at the itinerary for a 2 week trip. Could there really be 11 courses coming our way? I reached forward and did the unthinkable, I poured myself a beer. There were 3 beers on the table and I decided to try all 3, resulting in me drinking all 3 by the end of the meal, yet another reason to eat with the light weights. The beers were beers, water would have been better. The Thai iced coffee and tea arrived and my liquid issues were done. I am a huge fan of the Thai iced coffee and quickly downed 2 of them, the sugary sweetness lingering in my throat as the caffeine kicked in.

Spring rolls arrived first. The dipping sauce was a classic Thai sauce that you have had a million times. This was lighter yet still sweet. The spring rolls were cleanly fried with a crisp edge, I would swear these had little nibblets of pork mixed in and I decided ignorance was bliss.

The food started arriving and for the next hour it did not stop. At some point the serving order switched from the menu, but I was too full to complain. The beef kabobs with peanut dipping sauce were tender and as you would expect delicious covered in the reach smooth sauce.

Fried egg halves appeared, maybe the Thai version of deviled eggs? I watched in horror as I tossed one back enjoying the cilantro cutting thru the crispy exterior of the hard boiled egg. Strange, yet good.

The fish cakes were delicious. My worst fear of fish cakes is that fishy smell and taste that makes you think it is simply chopped up left over fish.  This was clean and well balanced by the crunch of the cucumber salad. I missed a few shellfish laden dishes. Despite my allergies I have a good eye for shrimp and the shrimp was nice and plump. Maybe the best sign was my ears did not start itching, this is always a great sign the shellfish is fresh and clean.

The tilapia was presented beautifully on a banana leaf and yet was strangely bland and uninspiring. I came in with a bias towards tilapia and I left with the same bias. It was just kind of boring. This is the problem with expectations. I love fish and was looking forward to this being my “main” course and here I was eating bland fish and drinking crappy beer. Expect the unexpected.

Change is good and panang beef is even better. This must have been slow cooked for days. The tender meat was richly seasoned and melted in my mouth. I had 2 servings to make up for the squid and shrimp salad I missed. I wanted to go in for more, but the ground pork was in danger of passing me by.

The ground pork was spicy and delicious. I know the basil added some flavor, but each bite was enveloped in complex layers of heat and spice. My next mission is to get this recipe, it is a must have for Thai night! The Pad Thai arrived and I was mildly irritated that my request for a non shrimp version was denied. As I sat their stuff trying to understand how I could possibly be irritated, a bowl of Pad Thai arrived just for me. As I picked out pieces of chicken I forgot I was stuffed and enjoyed some of the best Pad Thai I have had in Cleveland. I was hoping the Pad Thai would be delicious and it delivered. After all of the delicious food, I felt like I was not only special, but my expectation of great Pad Thai was delivered.

At this point, you may remember that I am generally a vegetarian. I am a firm believer in experiencing life and when in Thailand I eat Thai food…even if Thailand is a one night only dinner at Fire on Shaker Square. There are few reasonable explanations for how I manage to justify Thai Night to myself, the best I can come up with is living and learning are more important than a silent protest against the beef industry. Dessert was delicious fresh made coconut ice cream, unbelievable sticky rice with fresh sliced mango and I seem to remember rolling myself away from the table to have the valet get our car. I knew this was a mistake as I made it, but I was so full I needed fresh air. Leaving Amy and her Mom in the restaurant was a guarantee we would be the last to leave. I leaned up against the car and let the food settle in, Today was a Good Day.

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Johnny Mango – WTF?

by Jamie Ginsberg on 07. Aug, 2008 in Jamie Ginsberg


Oh well…that is all I can say. It took me 6 years to get to Johnny Mangos and the food was ok. It was way to hip for me. That is the sad truth. The waiter was heroin skinny with dark glasses, the guys inside were heavily tattooed and it was very west side. Usually, I like that. This meal was different.
I started with the Guac and it was ok. It does not compare to Mamacho, down the block. Still I love Guac so I ordered it. We shared a salad (Doug & Karen) and it was ok. The dressing was light yest strangely appealing. I ordered a “stalker” which is Celery Carrot Juice. It was Ok. I ordered a burrito and ate it. It was healthy. Tasted good…but it was not a BURRITO. This is a simple statement that any person who has lived in the State of California understands.

Overall I was ok with the meal, until I made a huge mistake. I left the outside deck and walked into the restaurant to pay. There I watched the too cool people interact in their too cool ways. While it took way too long to run my credit card, I watched the cook work in the kitchen. he seemed like a nice guy and comfortable in what he was doing. The kitchen was disgusting. Looking around the small dirty kitchen, I was reminded of the first time I looked at Mayonaise spoiling. I was revolted looking at the yellow white fat with that glossy edge of grossness. That same feeling returned as I listened to the hipsters yelling about watermelon martinis. As I looked at the filthy greasey kitchen, I knew I could never eat at Johnny Mangos again.

Note to restaurant owners/chefs – Keep Your Kitchen Clean!

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Pacific Rim Popcorn

by Jamie Ginsberg on 06. Aug, 2008 in Jamie Ginsberg

Motivated by an excellent appetizer at Crop, I have been experimenting with Pacific Rim Popcorn. Starting with an Air Popper, I crank out a batch of good old healthy popcorn. Piled high on a large plate, I layered some thinly sliced red onions and fresh cilantro. Drops of high grade Sirachi are carefully misplaced around the plate. Using a light circular motion, I drizzle Whole Foods Ginger Soy sauce over the popcorn. Careful, too much sauce equals soggy popcorn. For the next version I am adding roasted red and yellow peppers and drops of goat cheese. Ouch!

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Foraging for dinner – now called Take Out

by Jamie Ginsberg on 01. Jul, 2008 in Jamie Ginsberg

I don’t know what happened first, did we stop foraging or did we start ordering take-out? How did gas become so expensive that it is not cheaper to use takeout than it is to drive over and pick up food for dinner? When I saw the picture above I started thinking about my sushi order and how easy it has become to catch “fresh fish.”

Amy went to Pacific East last night with the ladies. I foolishly ate hummus instead of having her forage for me. Being the self sustaining man I am, I picked the lettuce (from the fridge) cleaned it using the spray mode, lightly dried it with a paper towel, and dipped into my doctored Amir’s Hummus (Frank’s hot sauce added for kick). Looking in the virtual mirror I know I should have asked Amy to Forage me up some Alaska Rolls and a little Hamachi Sashimi, but foolish is as foolish does. Mental Note – Post Modern Bling can be served on rice as Nigiri or Naked as Sashimi.

The above print is available at the Bonfoey Gallery downtownon Euclid. Ken Nevadomi is a brilliant artist and professor at Cleveland State.

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Bar Cento – Good Food, Great Prices

by Jamie Ginsberg on 28. Jun, 2008 in Jamie Ginsberg


Dinner with Doug & Karen Katz at Bar Cento was interesting and only slightly excessive. Doug has a tendency to order more food than we should, which fits right in with our philosophy. Amy and I got there first and ordered a glass of Vino Mayor (Spain 2001) and the Pommes Frites with tasting dips. The wine was smooth and flavorful. A minute after D&C arrived so did our Fries. A cone made out of one of their paper menus delivered rosemary spring laden fries cooked just right. From a traditional ketchup to curry aoli, garlic aoli mayo, spicy aoli; the dipping sauces were interesting and fun.

The menu is different with exotic Italian thin crust pizzas priced at $10 and meat and fish dishes all under $20. The Crispy Brocolli Raab arrived while we were still looking at the menu as did the Judd’s Hill 2005 Pinot Noir. The Brocolli was surprisingly light and fried perfectly, I am guilt of dipping it in the fries sauce for a little something extra.

The pinot was surprisingly rich and velvety, not a typical pinot from my experience but a pleasant surprise. The finish was long and smooth and the bottle was finished all too soon.

Fried artichokes hearts with small potato chunks mixed in arrived next. The potatoes and heart were the same shape and color making each bit a little mysterious yet enjoyable. A mess of food started arriving as the sides are served in separate plates. The grilled asparagus was a little oily but delicious. A highlight was the Carmelized Fennel Bulbs. These were a risky order for me as I left my shell and tried something that was stretch for me. Shockingly delicious I had a hard time sharing them. They were enjoyable to eat, cooked perfectly with a slight char on the bottom. This would make my order every time, if only because I never see it anywhere else. The salad came with a an egg on it, which I personally avoid, but Doug seemed to enjoy. The lettuce I tasted was seasoned perfectly with a very wild natural mix.

The Duvel mussels were good but the sauce was not delicious, too buttery according to my shellfish eating wife. The sausage pizza was thin crust and sized well for $10. The chicken looked great but as Amy said, it was chicken. My current state of vegetarianism did not extend to trying chicken ;-) The Steamed Bass was light and cooked well. I took it out of the sauce to leave some fat for dessert, and the butter stayed in the dish not on my fish.

What is a dinner without a delicious dessert or two? We got Julie’s ice-cream from Columbus, Ohio. The coffe was delicious and the salted chocolate was bizarre for the salt bites but ice-cream so who was complaining. Oddly enough the two tiny balls were plenty for the 4 of us. This might be because the chocolate cake with dulce de leche arrived and it was rich, thick and delicious. The coffee was good and the drive home was easier than the check was (mental note, there are excellent $30 bottles of wine -don’t let Doug order next time ;-) .
Should you go? Yes. Enjoy the atmosphere and upscaled bar food. If I lived downtown, I would eat here regularly. Tonight, we visit Doug at Fire.

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Dinner at the Groths

by Jamie Ginsberg on 19. Jun, 2008 in Jamie Ginsberg


What a meal. The Ginsbergs started the meal serving up Amy’s custom horseradish laced cocktail sauce and shrimp. Followed by Jamie’s Humboldt Fog Goat Cheese stuffed Mt. Athens Green Olives. Then the real eating started.

Caroline made a great chilled soup with Scott finishing the preparation. Half yellow pepper soup on the right and half red pepper soup on the left with a dollop of rich smooth guacamole right in the middle. An excellent summer soup to start off a great meal.

Next up was the main course. Beautiful Halibut grilled to perfection with a grilled lemon caper olive oil sauce. The grilled lemons added a smooth yet citrusy flavor to the olive oil, bordering on sweet but still light and rich without being heavy. Simple grilled thin asparagus added some color to the plates and accentuated the tender moist Halibut.

Dessert was an almond butter cocoa brownie infused with virgin coconut oil. Devoid of white flour or sugar this is a South Beach Dieters dream dessert. Impossible to eat just one, this minature almondbutterownie could become addictive.
The only thing missing from this meal was a nice CDP or Pinot….damn dieters. needles to say I went home stuffed. Next Time, we are headed on the Road to DownTown 140 in scenic Hudson.

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