As usual on Tuesdays, I am tempted by Stacey coming into town and the promise of some inexpensive Happy Hour fun. Last night, I suggested that we head to new Wine Bar & Bistro in Rocky River, Tartine (one of my co-workers was raving about the decor, wine menu and food over lunch yesterday, so my curiousty was peaked)
Although Tartine does not offer Happy Hour specials, their menu is priced incredibly fairly and can accommodate a limited HH budget. Yay for me and my checkbook!
The exterior and interior decor was as my co-worker described, absolutely charming. It felt like we did escape to a lovely French Bistro. The warm red ceiling, small cozy tables and excellent view of the single hard-working chef/kitchen were amazing. I was really impressed.
Then came the service, it was fabulous. We were greeted promptly with a pleasant server, our water never ran dry and the entrées were served incredibly fast. I haven't seen this kind of service in a while, and it was really refreshing to know it still exists. ;)
And on to the food....
I must mention that Stacey has several food allergies including gluten (wheat products), so when we can find an accommodating menu (as we did last night), it is always awesome. She decided to order the Roasted Mussels and the Asparagus Salad. They were the largest mussels I have ever seen; she was very pleased with them. I took over the bread served with the mussels and dipped it in the fresh marinade consisting of lemon and basil. It tasted absolutely amazing, so I assumed the mussels were fabulous as well. I couldn’t wait to try them myself sometime soon. Stacey then, moved on to the Asparagus Salad. It was served with greens, tomatoes, an over-medium organic egg and horseradish vinaigrette. Stacey said that the egg/aspargus combination was amazing, and that the dressing was good, but a little too spicy for her taste. I am obsessed with horseradish (bias Krista), so I loved the bite I tried.
As for me, I ordered the Roasted Beet Salad and the Bacon Pear Pizza. I was trying to be as adventurous as possible (aka I don’t eat many beets). There were several things on the menu I was dying to order (such as the daily special of foie gras or the medjool dates with goat cheese), but I needed to expand my palate.
Although I was nervous to try the beets, I was pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed the salad consisting of beets, ricotta cheese, greens, honey vinaigrette and fabulous roasted pistachio immensely! I think that although the beets are the star of the dish, there was too many for my taste. A little more greens to beets to cheese balancing ratio was needed.
The pizza was pleasant enough, consisting of: a lovely thin crust, roasted bacon, pears, cheese and a balsamic glaze. I feel that the pears were overcooked because they lacked any of the wonderful sweetness I was expecting and the entrée was quite heavy, so I boxed most if it up for Stevie. Overall, the dish was good and priced well.
Stacey and I went on to split the flourless chocolate cake with port wine syrup for dessert. It was wonderful! Stacey, especially, was raving about it. I really enjoyed the chocolate/port wine syrup combination. Next time, I will ask for extra syrup for sure! J
In conclusion, I was very impressed with Tartine’s menu choices, prices, décor and food. Alas, we did not sample any wine, but the menu is truly amazing.
Check them out online:
www.tartinebistro.com
Au revoir,
Krista
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Monday, October 13, 2008
87 West 2
This past Friday night marked the birthday of one of my very best friends (Elaine) so of course we had to go out and do a little celebrating. Elaine and I decided to pay a long overdue trip to 87 West 2 at Crocker Park where our new found friend Clint is a manager. Elaine and I were lucky enough to snag a cozy booth near the fireplace which was a first for me. So far I've only been to this wine bar when it's packed forcing you to casually walk around while giving people the "are you leaving soon because I want your table" eyes.
Once settled we decided to check out the menu. What started as a the intent to order a small snack turned into a small tease, flat bread and dessert! Elaine also sampled some fantastic red wine from the enomatic wine system while I enjoyed a seasonal Great Lakes Nesfaratu. The first little tease Elaine and I tried was the sweet lump crab meat tacos. These bite size tacos were good but absolutely no match for the extremely flavorful chorizo sausage flat bread that Clint talked us into. The flat bread was piled with spicy chorizo sausage, roasted pepper and avocado. The smooth avocado with the spicy sausage was wonderful and the flat bread itself was very soft and chewy, not hard and crunchy as some flat breads can be. By this time Elaine and I were pretty stuffed but Clint being the nice guy he is had saved us one of the seasonal pumpkin cheesecakes so of course we couldn't say no. The cheesecake was served warm and in a festive pumpkin that had been carved out. I've had a lot of pumpkin cheesecake in the past few weeks but this was by far my favorite so far!
Elaine and I had a great time at 87 West 2, and with the approaching cool weather this is a great weekend or weeknight spot to enjoy the company of friends with a glass of wine (or two) and some tasty tapas!
Happy Birthday Elaine!
Amy
Once settled we decided to check out the menu. What started as a the intent to order a small snack turned into a small tease, flat bread and dessert! Elaine also sampled some fantastic red wine from the enomatic wine system while I enjoyed a seasonal Great Lakes Nesfaratu. The first little tease Elaine and I tried was the sweet lump crab meat tacos. These bite size tacos were good but absolutely no match for the extremely flavorful chorizo sausage flat bread that Clint talked us into. The flat bread was piled with spicy chorizo sausage, roasted pepper and avocado. The smooth avocado with the spicy sausage was wonderful and the flat bread itself was very soft and chewy, not hard and crunchy as some flat breads can be. By this time Elaine and I were pretty stuffed but Clint being the nice guy he is had saved us one of the seasonal pumpkin cheesecakes so of course we couldn't say no. The cheesecake was served warm and in a festive pumpkin that had been carved out. I've had a lot of pumpkin cheesecake in the past few weeks but this was by far my favorite so far!
Elaine and I had a great time at 87 West 2, and with the approaching cool weather this is a great weekend or weeknight spot to enjoy the company of friends with a glass of wine (or two) and some tasty tapas!
Happy Birthday Elaine!
Amy
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Saigon Restaurant & Bar
The world of authentic Vietnamese cuisine can be very overwhelming for those who never dared try it; however, for the brave who take the time to navigate the menu full of spring rolls, soups, vermicelli and rice dishes, the reward is an intense blend of contrasting flavors and textures served to you with equally exotic sauces and sides.
First rule when eating at a Vietnamese restaurant: consult with an expert such as my good friend Julie Q on the proper pronunciation of the dishes so that you aren't one of those idiots like me running around saying how good #1 Pho is (pronounced by me as foe) when in fact it should be pronounced Pho (pronounced Fuh).
Second rule when eating at a Vietnamese restaurant: dine with someone who doesn't mind sitting across from you while you slurp your soup straight from the bowl (hey Anthony Bourdain does it) and someone who also doesn't mind speaking to you while you have a constant stream of rice noodles hanging from your pie hole.
Lucky for me, I had the pleasure of having lunch at Saigon with my good friend, former co-worker and spirit guide, J. Both J and I have no shame in our game when it comes to soup slurping and thought Saigon would be a great place to try out on this extremely dreary day in Cleveland.
I was craving a nice hot soup and went with a classic, the Pho Tai (beef broth noodle soup). My soup no joke arrived in a bowl that was bigger than my head full of delicious rice noodles with rare beef, also accompanied by bean sprouts, basil, lime and jalapeno pepper. The aromas coming from this bowl were so incredible that I joked and asked J if he would mind if I put a towel over my head and did a quick facial. Sadly enough, neither J or I had a towel that would work. Instead I enjoyed each and every bite of my rice noodles and beef adding dabs of the jalapeno pepper sauce as I could handle it.
J went with another classic Vietnamese dish, Pho ga (chicken noodle soup). I was expecting J's rice noodles and chicken to come prepared in much the same fashion as my soup; however, there was much less broth and his appeared to be more of a chicken and noodle dish than a soup. Either way, it looked fantastic.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time spent at Saigon and would love to go back and sample a few more dishes that step outside of the soup category. The spring rolls and vegetarian dishes look like a fantastic place to start.
Amy
First rule when eating at a Vietnamese restaurant: consult with an expert such as my good friend Julie Q on the proper pronunciation of the dishes so that you aren't one of those idiots like me running around saying how good #1 Pho is (pronounced by me as foe) when in fact it should be pronounced Pho (pronounced Fuh).
Second rule when eating at a Vietnamese restaurant: dine with someone who doesn't mind sitting across from you while you slurp your soup straight from the bowl (hey Anthony Bourdain does it) and someone who also doesn't mind speaking to you while you have a constant stream of rice noodles hanging from your pie hole.
Lucky for me, I had the pleasure of having lunch at Saigon with my good friend, former co-worker and spirit guide, J. Both J and I have no shame in our game when it comes to soup slurping and thought Saigon would be a great place to try out on this extremely dreary day in Cleveland.
I was craving a nice hot soup and went with a classic, the Pho Tai (beef broth noodle soup). My soup no joke arrived in a bowl that was bigger than my head full of delicious rice noodles with rare beef, also accompanied by bean sprouts, basil, lime and jalapeno pepper. The aromas coming from this bowl were so incredible that I joked and asked J if he would mind if I put a towel over my head and did a quick facial. Sadly enough, neither J or I had a towel that would work. Instead I enjoyed each and every bite of my rice noodles and beef adding dabs of the jalapeno pepper sauce as I could handle it.
J went with another classic Vietnamese dish, Pho ga (chicken noodle soup). I was expecting J's rice noodles and chicken to come prepared in much the same fashion as my soup; however, there was much less broth and his appeared to be more of a chicken and noodle dish than a soup. Either way, it looked fantastic.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time spent at Saigon and would love to go back and sample a few more dishes that step outside of the soup category. The spring rolls and vegetarian dishes look like a fantastic place to start.
Amy
HH Momocho
Last night I was driving home on the shoreway. I had just made it to Lake Road when I heard from Stacey. She was at Momocho and said I had to come up for the half price Taquitos. I can never say no to amazing food...
I arrived, and sat with Stacey at the Bar. We had an amazing time chatting about our week (so grueling by Tuesday ;). The bartender tempted me into purchasing a fantastic gold margarita (also half price at HH). I then noticed that one of my favorites, Camarones was a member of the Taquitos club! Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!! I got my fabulous fantastic Camarones (garlic + vino shrimp / pico de gallo) for only $8.50! The Camarones are amazing-sweet grilled buttery shrimp...aahhhh it is one of my absolute favorite entrees in Cleveland. Things were looking up.
Stacey had ordered the Carnintas (adobo braised pork / honey-chipotle mojo) with some rice instead of the corn tortillas and I enjoyed a few bites. They were seasoned perfectly (not too spicy for the "Spicy Scaredy Cat" in me). She also enthusiastically gulped down a gold margarita.
I have to say that although I enjoyed the gold margarita and its fantastic price, I missed my cactus flower margarita. It is my favorite and I was trying to save dough, so I went with the gold. Sometimes, self control does get the better of me. ;)
There are several other Taquitos to choose from if you'd like to take advantage of this amazing HH deal. The Taquitos leave you feeling full, satisfied and of course Happy!
HH at Momocho is Tuesday-Friday 5pm-6:30pm.
Vive Momocho!
-Krista
I arrived, and sat with Stacey at the Bar. We had an amazing time chatting about our week (so grueling by Tuesday ;). The bartender tempted me into purchasing a fantastic gold margarita (also half price at HH). I then noticed that one of my favorites, Camarones was a member of the Taquitos club! Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!! I got my fabulous fantastic Camarones (garlic + vino shrimp / pico de gallo) for only $8.50! The Camarones are amazing-sweet grilled buttery shrimp...aahhhh it is one of my absolute favorite entrees in Cleveland. Things were looking up.
Stacey had ordered the Carnintas (adobo braised pork / honey-chipotle mojo) with some rice instead of the corn tortillas and I enjoyed a few bites. They were seasoned perfectly (not too spicy for the "Spicy Scaredy Cat" in me). She also enthusiastically gulped down a gold margarita.
I have to say that although I enjoyed the gold margarita and its fantastic price, I missed my cactus flower margarita. It is my favorite and I was trying to save dough, so I went with the gold. Sometimes, self control does get the better of me. ;)
There are several other Taquitos to choose from if you'd like to take advantage of this amazing HH deal. The Taquitos leave you feeling full, satisfied and of course Happy!
HH at Momocho is Tuesday-Friday 5pm-6:30pm.
Vive Momocho!
-Krista
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Cafe Tandoor
This past weekend my old pal Dominic and I decided to catch up on the past year of our lives (Dominic has been living in NYC and before that was living abroad in Paris) over some delicious Indian food at Cafe Tandoor in Westlake. Cafe Tandoor (as the name implies) has a diverse menu specializing in Indian food prepared in a traditional clay tandoor oven. The result is perfectly roasted meat each and every time.
Cafe Tandoor offers everything from tandoori style lamb, shrimp, salmon and chicken to the amazingly delicious yet simple Naan (round flatbread made of flour). I'm a huge fan of the classic Tandoori Chicken but decided to be a little more adventurous and try something new so I went with the Chicken Tikka. Dominic went with his favorite, Butter Chicken and added on a side of rice.
Dom and I had just enough time to discuss his plans to become a multi-millionaire (and let me tell you this kid will really do it) while I in turn updated him on all the "excitement" that only Cleveland can offer before our meal arrived hot, sizzling and very aromatic. My delicious Chicken Tikka consisted of boneless chicken breast pieces marinated in yogurt and apple spices, served on a sizzling skillet with onions and peppers. Dominic's Butter Chicken, a combination of marinated chicken in a creamy tomato and butter sauce, looked like the perfect comfort food on this chilly fall evening. Both of our dishes were delicious and I easily had enough of my Chicken Tikka left for tomorrow's lunch. I must warn you however that even though the chicken and vegetables are so unbelievably tender, they do not reheat well so don't feel guilty eating every last bite of this meal while you can!
To friends and food!
Amy
Cafe Tandoor offers everything from tandoori style lamb, shrimp, salmon and chicken to the amazingly delicious yet simple Naan (round flatbread made of flour). I'm a huge fan of the classic Tandoori Chicken but decided to be a little more adventurous and try something new so I went with the Chicken Tikka. Dominic went with his favorite, Butter Chicken and added on a side of rice.
Dom and I had just enough time to discuss his plans to become a multi-millionaire (and let me tell you this kid will really do it) while I in turn updated him on all the "excitement" that only Cleveland can offer before our meal arrived hot, sizzling and very aromatic. My delicious Chicken Tikka consisted of boneless chicken breast pieces marinated in yogurt and apple spices, served on a sizzling skillet with onions and peppers. Dominic's Butter Chicken, a combination of marinated chicken in a creamy tomato and butter sauce, looked like the perfect comfort food on this chilly fall evening. Both of our dishes were delicious and I easily had enough of my Chicken Tikka left for tomorrow's lunch. I must warn you however that even though the chicken and vegetables are so unbelievably tender, they do not reheat well so don't feel guilty eating every last bite of this meal while you can!
To friends and food!
Amy
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Yours Truly
This past weekend I took my mom on a belated birthday excursion on the Cuyahoga Scenic Valley Railroad. After a 2 hour round trip ride through the beautiful metro parks on a historic steam engine, I decided to take my mom to dine where some some very well known celebrities (Jack Nicholson, Halle Berry, Drew Carey, Chuck Berry) and even the President himself have dined....Yours Truly.
Yours Truly is a diner style restaurant located off of Rockside Road that serves up breakfast, lunch and dinner at an extremely affordable price. Whether you sit in one of the orange and green booths, a table or the counter top you're sure to be greeted by the friendly wait staff who offer fast, friendly service. I personally drink like a sailor and our waitress kept my glass of iced tea full with a fresh lemon before I ever hit the ice at the bottom.
Yours Truly has so many fantastic menu offerings that the best way I found to decide which item to try was by watching other people's food going by. I was this close to trying one of their wraps or sandwiches but my mom's veggie omelet order sounded too good not to try so we both went for breakfast.
Our omelets arrive and didn't disappoint one bit. My mom ordered a regular omelet, I ordered mine with egg whites, but they both came filled with a gooey filling of fresh veggies including green pepper, mushroom, onion, spinach, tomato and cheese. For me personally, the egg whites themselves were quadruple a portion I would normally eat at home so I went straight for the delicious veggie filling but could have done with half the egg whites themselves. My mom on the other hand is a much more experienced omelet connoisseur and finished hers off like a pro. We both had wheat toast with jelly on the side which was great for soaking up the veggie juice that formed on the bottom of our plates.
A beautiful sunny day, a delicious lunch and making my mom pose for picture after picture amongst steam engines and coal piles....that's what Saturday mornings are for!
Next stop...Dante which is located right across from Yours Truly. I've been dying to try this place but think I'll be back for a nice dinner out, not so sure they would have appreciated serving chilled market oysters to someone in a sweatshirt and rubber boots!
Woo-woo,
Amy
Yours Truly is a diner style restaurant located off of Rockside Road that serves up breakfast, lunch and dinner at an extremely affordable price. Whether you sit in one of the orange and green booths, a table or the counter top you're sure to be greeted by the friendly wait staff who offer fast, friendly service. I personally drink like a sailor and our waitress kept my glass of iced tea full with a fresh lemon before I ever hit the ice at the bottom.
Yours Truly has so many fantastic menu offerings that the best way I found to decide which item to try was by watching other people's food going by. I was this close to trying one of their wraps or sandwiches but my mom's veggie omelet order sounded too good not to try so we both went for breakfast.
Our omelets arrive and didn't disappoint one bit. My mom ordered a regular omelet, I ordered mine with egg whites, but they both came filled with a gooey filling of fresh veggies including green pepper, mushroom, onion, spinach, tomato and cheese. For me personally, the egg whites themselves were quadruple a portion I would normally eat at home so I went straight for the delicious veggie filling but could have done with half the egg whites themselves. My mom on the other hand is a much more experienced omelet connoisseur and finished hers off like a pro. We both had wheat toast with jelly on the side which was great for soaking up the veggie juice that formed on the bottom of our plates.
A beautiful sunny day, a delicious lunch and making my mom pose for picture after picture amongst steam engines and coal piles....that's what Saturday mornings are for!
Next stop...Dante which is located right across from Yours Truly. I've been dying to try this place but think I'll be back for a nice dinner out, not so sure they would have appreciated serving chilled market oysters to someone in a sweatshirt and rubber boots!
Woo-woo,
Amy
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