Two Days In Cleveland {Road Trip Roundup}

Last weekend, Alex, Lil and I travelled to Cleveland for a quick getaway. In a matter of 48 hours we dined at Noodlecat, cooked yakitori with Chef Jonathon Sawyer, visited the Great Lakes Science Center, stayed in a very interesting Marriott Residence Inn hotel, shared a late night bite at The Greenhouse Tavern, explored the Cleveland Natural History Museum, and ate at Great Lakes Brewing Company Brewpub. I did not intend to write about our experiences so I left the big camera in the hotel room and just enjoyed the days. But too many things were too great not to share, so I illustrated this recap of our trip with phone pictures. Enjoy!

 Noodlecat

(comments by Alex and Lil)

1. Very fun quirky restaurant. Lil loved the Noodlecat logo. 2. Service was excellent and the wait-staff was very kid-friendly. 3. The food was creative and yummy. I very much liked the miso bbq chicken wings and Lil loved her soba noodles with butter and poached chicken. 4. My udon dish was very well done and nicely spicy even though udon is somewhat unappealing to me personally. 5. The restaurant is very convenient to downtown hotels and other attractions. 6. The Greenhouse Lager (by Great Lakes Brewing Company) is a very nice crisp and clean lager. It went very well with the spicy fare.

Science Center

(comments by Alex and Lil)

1. It was a very easy walk from the downtown restaurant and hotel area. 2. The reciprocal membership with COSI was a very nice thing to have as we were able to explore the museum for free. 3. We were there late in the day so quite a few things were closed. Also as it is winter, the outdoor exhibits were not open. 4. The second floor has a discovery area with dozens of different displays. These range from sound-based to motion or light based. Simple circuits are explored and magnetism is presented in an approachable manner. 5. All of the exhibits allow you to interact and experiment with the setups. 6. All of the exhibits are easily child-accessible. 7. There is more than enough there to keep adults occupied as well.

Freshstreet Japanese Festival

While Alex and Lil dined and museumed, I made skewer after skewer of tongue, short ribs, chicken thigh and scallion, pork belly, and pork cheeks in the back of the Noodlecat kitchen. I helped Kenny and Misako from Freshstreet transform the front of the house into a Japanese street festival feel with Japanese masks, toys, hand-written signs, and games.

When guests began to arrive, I grilled skewers over bincho-tan charcoal with Chef Jonathon Sawyer, one of Food & Wine Magazines’ Best New Chefs and recent Iron Chef contestant. We chatted a bit as we cooked but mostly worked to be sure the yakitori skewers were at their best for the party-goers. I had a blast!

Read Columbus Crave and Kristian's post for more pictures of the food and decor. Thanks to Bethia Woolf of Columbus Adventures for sharing the pictures above.

Greenhouse Tavern

After service and clean up, I was tired but wanting to wind down from the night. I met Jason, mastermind behind Thunderkiss coffee, and his wife Emily at the Greenhouse Tavern bar. Though I had munched on several yakitori skewers, I left room for a midnight snack. GHT's gravy fries did not disappoint. Thick, black pepper-spiced gravy smoothered the hand-cut fries and hand-made mozzarella curds. If anything there was too much gravy, but it's hard to complain about something so delicious.

The thorough and soft-spoken bar manager (I'm sorry I didn't catch his name) made me the best French 75 I've ever tasted with Cleveland's own Tom's Foolery Applejack. The drink, as well as conversation with him about the state of Ohio spirits, was just what I needed to relax after a busy day.

Residence Inn Downtown

Alex is a Marriott gold star super elite fancy pants reward member, so he naturally selected a Marriott brand hotel for the night. For family trips, he usually chooses the Residence Inn brand because they have a mini kitchen, snacks, breakfast, and often a door between bedroom and sitting area so the adults can chat after kid bedtime.

The Cleveland Downtown Residence Inn was a bit difficult to find but turned out to be a hidden treasure. It is a renovated century old hotel that spans a whole city block. This hotel had stained glass windows, antique marble walkways, and an open shopping arcade.

Thanks to Mr. Points and a slow night, the manager upgraded Alex to the largest room in the hotel. The square footage was nearly as large as our whole house! Lil was delighted to occupy her own bedroom and bathroom. The manager even let Alex know that no one was staying in the adjacent rooms so Lil could run around if she wanted to. (And you know she did!)

Even without the upgrade, this Residence Inn is a recommended accommodation: it has the beauty of a vintage city hotel with all the modern amenities a family could want. Plus, it's in the middle of everything - one can walk to the stadiums, science center, and both Jonathon Sawyer restaurants.

Cleveland Natural History Museum

The Cleveland Natural History Museum is nestled behind a brass stegosaurus, life-size Linnaeus likeness and oversize sundial on University Circle. When we finally entered the museum after thirty minutes of viewing the outdoor sculptures, we were greeted by a staff person holding a tame opossum. You might remember how we feel about opossums, yet we all pet Daisy and studied her prehensile tail.

We wandered into the hall of Humans & Nature next. This was a brilliantly designed collection of taxidermy animals alongside geographically paired human artifacts. Lil enjoyed the dioramas while Alex and I stood slack-jawed at the quantity and beautifully displayed variety of creatures. We studied Balto up close, one of our favorite characters from modern history.

Next up we took in the human evolution exhibit. Again we were stunned at the thoughtful presentation of information - this exhibit, more than any other I've seen on the subject, simply conveys the evidence and process of evolution.

Thanks to the unseasonably warm weather, we were able to spend a half hour enjoying the outdoor Wildlife Center. Populated with wild creatures that can be found in Ohio, we were able to see raptors, river otters, and mammals up close. We especially enjoyed communicating with the two crows, birds that for some reason avoid our very dense neighborhood. This area reminded me of the Ohio State Fair ODNR wildlife exhibit without the fair food smell and crowds.

Finally we made our way to the cafe for lunch. Here is where the museum fell flat as the choices were limited to lunchmeat sandwiches, fries, uninspired salads and soda vending machines. We were very hungry but didn't want to spend usury rates for something we wouldn't enjoy, so we mired in indecision. Lil had a little bit of a breakdown.

Fortunately, a travelling exhibit of Antarctic photographs calmed us all down enough to make the decision to leave for another lunch spot. Before we left, we watched a portion of a TedX talk by the photographer Paul Nicklen about his amazing encounter with a seal.

Great Lakes Brewpub

Knowing we were all very hungry and wanted a restaurant with healthy options, we opted for a known quality restaurant, Great Lakes Brewpub. This was our third visit to Great Lakes Brewpub in the last decade.

The wide menu features plenty of from-scratch recipes we wanted to try. We started with the charcuterie and cheese plate. Filled with treats from the nearby West Side Market and in-house cured compliments, the plate was a winner and served as Lil's lunch. I tried the vegan burger and salad, both of which were lacking in enough textural variety to make them exciting but amounted to a filling and healthy meal. Alex chose the special, a Cuban sandwich and excellent Parmesan crusted fries.

Our trip was a whirlwind two days that did more to fill us with desire to return than to come home. We want to go back in the spring when we can finish exploring the Natural History Museum, see the outdoor exhibits at the Science Center, visit the art museum, and perhaps check out the new aquarium.

We have to conclude that Cleveland rocks! Have you ever been? What do you enjoy in CLE?

Noodlecat Restaurant 234 Euclid Avenue Cleveland, Ohio 44114 216 589 0007

Great Lakes Science Center 601 Erieside Ave. Cleveland, OH 44114 (216) 694-2000

Residence Inn Downtown Cleveland 527 Prospect Avenue East Cleveland, Ohio 44115 USA 1-216-443-9043

The Greenhouse Tavern 2038 E 4th Street, Cleveland, OH 44115 216-443-0511

Cleveland Natural History Museum 1 Wade Oval Drive University Circle Cleveland OH 44106-1767 U.S.A. 216.231.4600 | 800.317.9155

Great Lakes Brewing Company & Brewpup 2516 Market Avenue Cleveland, Ohio 44113 216.771.4404

Travelin' Hounds

Looking for a recipe today? I shared my mother's Tuna Noodle Casserole with the Columbus Dispatch for their article about potato chip toppings.

After a long draught of travel, this spring is shaping up to be a flood of trips. Check out our itinerary:

February 2 - Cleveland - Fresh Street Pop-up

February 10-11 - Cincinnati - Winter BeerFest and 5Bs Conference

February 18-19 - Granville - OEFFA Conference

end of February - San Salvador Island - Vacation with Alex's family

March 9-11 - Indianapolis - Big Ten Basketball Championships with my family

mid March - India - tentative business trip for Alex. Lil and I will stay home but may make a few local trips on our own during part of this time.

early April - Harrisburg PA and surrounds - business trip for Alex with Lil and I coming along

mid June - Big Island, Hawaii - Vacation with my family

late July - France - tentative business trip for Alex. If it happens, Lil, my sister Megan, and I will go along.

It's entirely possible that in the next six months Lil will end up with two new passport stamps and dozens of hotel stays. She will be thrilled.

I am excited too. Seeing the world always gives me new perspectives on life, lots of photo opportunities, and plenty to share with you all.

The beasts will be well taken care of at home thanks to my sisters and neighbors.

I am sure there will be bumps along the way and in all likelihood some trips will be changed or put off to other dates. Rolling with the punches is part of the life lessons included in travel.

Are you looking forward to any trips?

Many links in this post go to my inspiration boards on Pinterest. The thought that I could use pins to track places I want to visit rekindled my participation in this social network. Feel free to follow me there and share your name so I can follow you.

Finds at Fabulous Food Show

With a light crowd and quick pace, I was able to visit the entire floor of the Fabulous Food Show on Friday night before the Ruhlman/Keller conversation.

The fine folks at Blue Jacket Dairy offered samples of their gretna grillin' cheese and cheese curds.  I am already a huge fan of the delicious gretna soft cheese, especially when crusted on a hot skillet. Owners Angel and Jim King said they will be at the Worthington Farmer's Market every other week starting in January.  Their cheeses can also be found at Weiland's market locally.

I enjoyed talking to the farmers of Covered Bridge Gardens about how corn grows and their four colors of popcorn.  A local mill stone grinds some of their crop into cornmeal.  (Did you know that cornmeal can come from the same corn grain as popcorn?  I didn't!)  They also offer a CSA for people local to their Ashtabula county location.

Edward Gordos, distributor of Middlefield Original Cheese Co-op and pictured above in the apron, was generous with his time and cheese samples.  He explained that the Middlefield co-operative had operated for fifty years but was suffering from lack of hand milking amish farmers due to low prices in the mid nineties.  His distributorship helped the farmers and cheese makers transition to more artisan products and begin retail sales, including distribution to Whole Foods stores in Ohio and Kentucky.  Their business is growing and this year they started marketing organic cow's milk, 100% grassfed cow's milk  and goat's milk varieties.  All milk used in the making of the cheese is hormone and steroid free and comes from Ohio cows.  Most importantly, the varieties I tried were tasty!

The Ohio apple people had a busy booth tasting apple varieties.

Many of the rest of the booths were occupied by processed seasoning mixes, gimmicky cooking "tools", and prepared ready to eat foods.  Celebrity chef appearances are the other big draw to the Fabulous Food Show, although I attended none except the aforementioned Keller/Ruhlman interview.

I was intrigued by two non-edible exhibits.  Sillycone Inc. was an exhibitor showing off their freezer, oven, and microwave-safe BPA free silicone food trays.  While not an entirely new concept, Sillycone is innovative in their letter, number and symbol designs.  The family owned company is based in northeastern Ohio.  They offered me a sample of the 26 letter trays that can be used to make letter shaped ice, chalk, candles, chocolate and more.  I am excited for Lil and I to explore the alphabet with food!

Then I ran into this:

It's an oversize (two feet in diameter!) burger cake.  Only in Ohio...

I had high hopes for the large beer and wine tasting area.  Cleveland is, after all, home to my favorite brewery, Great Lakes.  Several wineries in the area are acceptable and others in Ohio are excellent.

I should have read between the lines here.  Just because Inbev (parent company of Anheuser-Busch) is based in Belgium does not qualify Michelob varietals as Belgian beers.  I tasted a bottled Michelob "cask ale" that was sickeningly sweet.  Stella Artois and Hoegarden were the only beers available on draft and the only ones I consider Belgian.

The wine selection was similarly uninspiring. I could find only one Ohio wine, from a mediocre winery.  I recognized most other selections as average $12 bottles.  Two Bailey's products and several pre-made cocktail mixes occupied the spirits section.

In conclusion, the Fabulous Food Show favored typical middle American food preferences more than I expected.  I had high hopes for more honestly local whole foods.  Ohio is home to hundreds of farmers raising heirloom products and dozens of fantstic breweries and wineries.  A fabulous food show is the perfect time to introduce consumers to these local treasures.

My stay in Cleveland was enhanced by lodging provided by the Cleveland Airport Marriott.  They were showing off their luxurious and comfortable  rooms, renovated lobby, and Dean James Max restaurant AMP150.   I did not have a chance to eat at the restaurant because I was busy at the food show.  The menu changes seasonally and makes use of northeastern Ohio's local foods.

A Conversation with Thomas Keller and Michael Ruhlman

Many Clevelanders are drawn to the Fabulous Food Show to see TV celebrities like Guy Fieri, Tyler Florance, and Sandra Lee.  In the opinion of many food lovers, the true stars appeared on Friday night when Michael Ruhlman and Thomas Keller held an open conversation around Keller's new book, Ad Hoc at Home.

Food writer and Cleveland native Michael Ruhlman started the conversation with the story of how he came to write the The French Laundry Cookbook with Thomas Keller, the visionary chef of the a family of fine restaurants.  "It was all because I lived in Cleveland," he related.  Ruhlman had a conversation with food media specialist Susie Heller who lived in Cleveland and was looking for a writer.  Ruhlman thus began a now ten year long friendship with Keller.

The talk continued with an overview of Keller's food philosophy.  "Other than nourishment, food is also nurturing," Keller said, a theme repeated throughout the evening.  "[It is] so, so important about food: nurturing and memories."

Ruhlman moved the conversation to practical advice for home cooks.  To his question about what makes a good cook, Keller replied "It's all about repetition."

Home cooks can elevate their cooking with consideration to two things: product and execution.  Product is what you buy as raw ingredients.  Keller and Ruhlman agreed that consumers have improved grocery store selections in the last twenty years by being choosy with their purchases.  Ruhlman urged cooks to continue talking to grocery store managers and farmers market vendors demanding higher quality.

Home cooks can improve their execution by practicing solid organization.  Mise en place (the act of preparing and setting aside components before beginning to cook) has its place in the home kitchen.

Cooks must not be afraid of their food.  They need to touch and feel the food at every point in the cooking process.  Use all the senses to observe and adjust techniques.  Temper meats by allowing them to come up to room temperature before cooking.  Use salt throughout the cooking process.

At many points in the conversation, Keller emphasized the importance of seasoning.  When Ruhlman asked how home cooks can train their palette, Keller suggested using spinach.  Try cooking spinach alone, then adding salt little by little until the flavor of the vegetable is fully heightened.  Keller actually carries salt in his pocket at all times to season meals to his taste.

The conversation then turned to food sourcing, particularly local foods.  Keller clarified that delicious heritage proteins are available year round, so seasonal ingredients are typically fruits and vegetables.  "I love vegetables so much," he swooned.  Enjoying produce in season creates rituals.  When something comes back into season, cooks have the opportunity to remember the last season and savor the flavors.

Keller proclaimed that California has the best produce in the country.  He said it is "difficult to mass produce high quality food."  Home cooks always enjoy high quality food when they buy in season and cook at home.

Fabulous Food Show in Cleveland Nov 13 - 15

This weekend (Friday-Sunday) Cleveland plays host to the Fabulous Food Show.  Held at the massive IX Center, the Fabulous Food Show features more than 200 vendors, the Main Kitchen Theatre and Culinary Celebration Theatre packed with celebrity and regional chef demonstrations, Grand Tasting Pavilion, Sweet Street and 100 ongoing demonstrations.

The $25 ticket paid online ($27 at the door) gets you admission to enjoy samples from the vendors and a spot at one celebrity chef appearance.  Discounts are available for multi-day tickets.  Pay an additional $10 for the wine and beer tasting tickets + crystal glass.  Friday from 4 - 8 PM you can enjoy Happy Hour admission for just $15 with this coupon.

Alex and I went to a similar food show in Cleveland in 2004 (if I recall correctly) and it was a delicious way to spend a day.  I look forward to more emphasis on local Cleveland foods this go-round.  I'm attending Friday and Saturday as a member of the press!  Look for a blog post or two recapping the event next week and follow me on twitter for live updates.