You want how much?!?!?

Like a jackass, I dropped the lid to our Le Creuset dutch oven and broke off the knob. Lovely. It couldn't cost more than five or six dollars, right?

How about $11 if I want the large plastic POS one that I just got done breaking. The more sensible thing would be to splash the cash and go whole hog on a metal one - $15. Then of course you've have the shipping.....

Enter Home Depot. One stainless steel drawer pull? $4. I admit the fact I had to grind down the screw packaged with it (or I could have just bought a smaller one), but still. Some of these things are absolutely ridiculous.

Cleveland: Rockside Thai Gourmet

A vegan friend of mine have made a point of meeting for lunch every Wednesday. The vegan consideration requires a little bit of forethought, but not as much as one might think. He works in Independence, I in Brooklyn Hts, so there is not shortage of places for us to try. Since it was Ash Wednesday, I was also looking for at least a meatless option. Rockside Thai Gourmet would be our destination.

Decor and Space 4/5
A fairly small space but for what I'll call "American Thai", it was very modern, clean, and comfortable. Not quite on the level of Ty Fun Thai Bistro, but close. Mostly two and four tops. The close quarters doesn't lend itself to high chairs/strollers. Not your typical Asian restaurant decoration.

Food 3/5
No judgements please - I had the 'spicy' Pad Thai (my friend had the same thing only vegan). It's a kind of measuring stick, I guess. The spice level was "American spicy". I'm sure if you ask for "Thai spicy" they will be happy to accommodate you. My friend was actually telling me about a place that was putting that very description of the spice level on their menus (good idea). Servings are not overboard.

Service 4/5
No complaints. Prompt. Professional. Attentive.

Overall 3.5/5
As far as these kinds of places go, I think it's one of the better ones. Very similar to Charm Thai in Seven Hills. If you're looking for authenticity - go someplace else. If you're okay with the American idea of Thai, then it's certainly worth a try. Hey that rhymes!

Rockside Thai Gourmet
6901 Rockside Rd
Independence, OH 44131
(216) 986-2828

LA: Sotto

    I'm always a sucker for a good list. Depending on the credibility of the source and any other supporting buzz I can find on these here internets, I typically file any little nuggets away on a food map for that particular city, for use at a time of my chosing.

    Within the last six months, Slice did a writeup on Sotto in LA. The pictures just looked too damn good to pass up. I mean really. There are things that you see and you think, "Oh wow, that looks cool." And then there's, "The next time I'm in [city name], the trip will be a total failure if I don't get to [restaurant, store, bar].

    Nestled underneath the well known and more visible Picca, this cozy little eatery offers a stylishly comfortable setting. Tables made of re-purposed wood, vintage incandescent bulbs, and an aged wood slatted ceiling combine to give the diner a casual yet refined dining experience.

    Since we went into dinner knowing we were going to be stopping for ice cream afterward, we made the decision to limit ourselves to a couple of appetizer/sides and a pizza.

    On the recommendation of the server we started things off with the tomato braised octopus served with beans.It was probably a little more chewy than I would have liked it, but the braised tomato 'stuff', along with the char of the beautiful tentacle was noteworthy.

    The pork meatballs served on arugula and shaved english peas are not to be missed. With pecorino cheese mixed into the actual meatball, and a healthy amount of char on the outside, the tastebuds dance with joy. I really thought this was a really well thought out dish.

    For the grand finale, we were served the Guanciale pizza topped with ricotta cheese. The first thing that really jumped out at me was the uniform rhythm of minute spots of char (leopard spots). These aren't only visually striking, but more importantly deliver an evenness of char flavor to every bite. The upskirt actually had larger spots that were much more irregular in their overall spacing (thankfully they weren't large enough to the point where you get a mouth full of "burnt"). The cornicione had a soft doughiness to it that was closer to dense than airy.

Not to be outdone by the crust, the marriage of toppings was a finely tuned counterbalance to its companion. My hesitation with ricotta is that it can release a lot of moisture into the crust underneath, leaving a soggy mess. Sotto uses a cheese that holds its shape without being thick and grainy. We both thought there was another cheese on the pie, but our server said it was just ricotta.

    As far as guanciale goes, this rendition registered high on the flavor/texture scale. So many times you see long flaccid pieces of cured pork jowl just laying in a sea of cheese. Their pieces were cut a little smaller and chunkier which made them sit at an angle allowing them to crisp up (in many cases charring) in the hot oven. From a texture and taste standpoint I thought it actually mimicked the crust perfectly.

     If I have one criticism it's that there are no sides or appetizers that are primarily vegetables - namely those of the green variety. I'm not asking for a whole range of veggie dishes, but at least a couple to choose from would be nice. Lately it seems this is becoming more and more prevalent. I'm not sure why, but vegetables seem to be endangered species these days.

    As you can probably tell, I enjoyed my visit. The vibe of the space is very inviting, our server was helpful and attentive, and the food was excellent. If I had to compare it to someplace on the East Coast, I'd say it reminded me a lot of Paulie Gee's in Greenpoint, Brooklyn - similar decor, vibe, and service (although not as heavy on the music). Sotto certainly belongs on any LA list for 'must try' wood-fired pizzas.

Sotto
9575 W Pico Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90035
(310) 277-0210
www.sottorestaurant.com

The Evolution of the Pizza Oven: Wood

In the the last two months I've had the opportunity to fire up the pizza oven three times. Since I do not have a roof on it yet, the oven cooking only takes place on days that I have no rain in the forecast. We had a stretch there where I wanted fire it up, but couldn't really count on it not raining at some point in the afternoon. My better half has been on my ass to get a roof on it because she's tired of the "hillbilly chic" blue tarp system currently keeping things dry.

As was the case with my Big Green Egg, this has also got a pretty good learning curve to it. John Tutulo over at Biga Wood Fired has been very helpful in offering advice on the various aspects of timing all of this stuff (not to mention he's allowed me to pilfer some well-seasoned wood from him).

Unbeknownst to me, he said you have to really kick off the fire about 2 in the afternoon if you want to be ready to roll by dinner. The oven needs plenty of time for the brick to get saturated with heat (think along the lines of a long, slow, steady rain for parched soil as opposed to a deluge that last ten minutes). That heat saturation allows the oven floor to recharge itself after cooking a pizza.

The wood needs to be as dry as you can get it. This allows the wood to transfer as much of its potential heat energy into heating up the oven rather than wasting it on trying to evaporate the water that is still in an unseasoned timber. John said he aims for anything that is 20% moisture or less. At the moment I've been bumming dry wood from John and getting untreated oak floor leftovers from my brother-in-law.

Running on empty

The flooring leftovers are bone dry and will goose the heat on the oven dome by a good two hundred degrees after it's caught fire. Oak is also preferred for creating a coal bed because the oak coals last longer than something like cherry. A sizable bed of coals is needed to maintain the heat that has already been put into the oven. While flames licking the roof of the dome make for an exciting effect, the coal bed is really the workhorse maintaining the interior temp and heating the floor of the oven.

So how did everything turn out with the pizzas we made on Christmas Night? I was actually pretty happy with what we did. Pictured below are the pies we cooked, and in what order we liked them (I'm showing them from least favorite to favorite). I had Stuart Spivack (local foodie about town and owner of the world's slowest blog), Walter Hyde (co-owner of the now retooling mobile operated Fat Casual and brother-in-law), my other b-i-l Mike aka "Cheesecake" pictured here, Regina (my sous chef in life and dessert mavin), and of course my beloved dogs, Ladybug and Winston (cleanup crew).

I have to give credit to for the toppings to Regina. Right now I'm a hot mess making dough, stoking fires, chatting up the guests, and drinking beers. She went out and bought all of the stuff. Her knowledge of food stuffs is pretty amazing.

I was rocking the Overnight Pizza Dough from Ken Forkish's Flour Water Salt Yeast. What a great book. The dough is very easy to make, and doesn't overproof if you aren't starting at exactly at a certain time. The dough balls are very easy to work with and offer little to no trouble while stretching.As you can see they puff up nicely and would work well even in a home oven. Check out Ken's Artisan Pizza if you're ever in Portland, OR.

#5 Mushroom, Sausage, Gouda, Mozz/Provolone Blend, Olive Oil on the Crust

  Certainly the ugliest damn pizza I tossed all night, but I think the alcohol was running pretty close to dry by that time. Unfortunately we didn't have designated pizzaiolo in the house so I had to soldier on (I'm just glad I didn't drop the SOB). The pizza wasn't bad, but by then people were getting pretty full and to be honest, the gouda just didn't pop like I thought it would.

#4. Mushroom, Sausage, Red Sauce, Trader Joe's Mozz, Mozz/Prov Blend, Thyme, Pecorino Finish

    As you can see the crust looks a little dry.  I didn't put olive oil around the edge. Although it looked dry, it wasn't. Trader Joe's mozz is surprisingly good. I wouldn't mind trying some truffle cheese on this pie next time.

3. Roasted Garlic, Roasted Red Pepper, Mozz, Mozz/Prov Blend, Red Sauce

    Alright, now we're getting to the good stuff. After shoveling in a couple of pretty rich pies, this was a breath of fresh air. Very bright flavors. I wasn't sure how I was going to like the peppers, but they worked perfectly.

2. Benton's Bacon, Brie, Onions, Fig Spread, Olive Oil

   Everything tastes better with bacon. And everything that tastes better with bacon, tastes better if it's Benton's. The sweetness of the fig jam and the nuclear strength smokey, saltiness of the Benton's kicked ass and took names. To be fair the pizza looks pretty disgusting because the pizzaiolo went ape shit with the olive oil (don't worry, he got twenty lashes, but oddly enough seemed to enjoy it). Lesson learned - way less olive oil.

1. Benton's Bacon, Onion, Trader Joe's Mozz, Mozz/Prov Blend, Red Sauce, and Thyme

   Straight money. Simple as can be and was gone before you knew it. Next time I'd put more onions on it. When polled, everyone agreed this was the star of the night.

Cleveland: Crust

Crust is Jeff Fisher's recently opened sandwich/pizza shop located in Tremont. After fronting kitchens at Lago and Touch Supper Club, Fisher has apparently taken a shine to cranking out sandwiches and pies made with quality ingredients and hand-crafted dough.

Admittedly I have only had the pizza, but once I make the migration from my current job to my future job, I will certainly report back on the sandwiches.

My visit took place a little after the lunch rush. Even though it was after 1:30, there was still a decent amount of traffic rolling in. My first thought was that this is pretty much a carry-out place. Sure there are a couple of high tops that you could sit and eat at if you really wanted to, but with the smallness of the table and the cold air brushing past your back every time the door opened, I'm guessing most are going to take it someplace a bit more comfortable.

They offer whole pies that are either 12" or 16", as well as pizza by the slice ($3 for cheese, $4 for pepperoni or sausage). The slices which are cut off of what appear to be a 24" pie, are long and cut at a very acute angle. While resembling something more along the lines of a weapon than a lunch, the single pepperoni slice I bought was the perfect size for a moderate appetite.

The Slice that Doubles as a Dagger

The long sharp wedge had the thick crust that you find here in Cleveland. As I said before, the ingredients are of very good quality. As an example, the cheese actually had a flavor to it (I know, what a concept), the pepperoni had been cut off a stick on the bias, so as to let the large slices render their salty flavor into the cheese and crust. The fact that the slice is reheated gives it a nice crunchiness.

Crust is only open until 7pm Mon-Thurs, and 9pm on Friday and Saturday., so this is not a place you can hit late at night on your way back from the bars. I like the fact that they've upped the quality of what they're making without glamming up the space. Yes it's going to cost a little more, but I think you'll find an increase in quality comes with the price.

Crust
1020 Kenilworth Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44113
(216) 583-0257
http://www.crusttremont.com

One More Week....

Talk about going outside your comfort zone. This pizza oven has been one hell of an experience. As I alluded to before, posts here on the blog have been few and far in between due to inordinate amounts of free time being dedicated to pizza oven construction.

The bottom line is that this has been one big learning experience. Since I've never actually laid brick, formed concrete, built domes or arches, built with metal studs, laid out a roof, or put down shingles; I have been in one big zone of discomfort for the past two months.

Getting ready for the roof

Things are now getting easier. After getting all of the fire brick laid for the actual oven, things like the roof seem comparatively easier. Right now I'm just waiting for this rain to get up on out of here.

Before I can use the oven, I've got to burn a week long series of gradually larger fires in the oven so I can drive out any of the moisture that is left in the fire brick - this process is called curing. With my trip to the East Coast being cancelled this week thanks to the Perfect Storm that is brewing in the Mid-Atlantic I will be able to complete these fires before I have to go out of town again.

I'm excited. These are temperatures that are going to allow me to do a lot things I couldn't do before. We're talking about temperatures that are capable of going above 900 degrees. That is an absolutely insane temperature, people. The missus and I have been excitedly discussing the possibilities. I can take my Big Green Egg up to some high temps, but as soon as you pop open the lid...POOF!....there goes 200 hundred degrees. This oven is going to be a game changer.

The Inspector was a real stickler, but she approved

I'm looking forward to cooking in this oven. Hopefully this whole thing will be cured, roofed, and insulated by next Sunday. One last big business trip for the year and then I think I'll be getting back on the blogging horse. Who knows? Maybe once I get this whole process somewhat figured out I can have some of you over for some pizzas.

NYC: Fornino

A project on Long Island (Nassau County) has made for the perfect jumping point for my full on assault of the Brooklyn portion of the Ed Levine/Rachel Rae Pizza 64 List.

Fornino was on the hit list tonight. Located surprisingly close to the highway, the DiFara-esqe trek through the Brooklyn side streets was a nice change for once.

I slipped into this popular pizzeria with one thing on my mind - a nice hot pizza. The day had been long and I needed to eat and get out while I was still awake enough drive. My waiter brought me a beer and sensed my urgency for sustenance.

The menu had a good variety of classics which they called First Generation, riffs on those classics Second Generation, and the more modernized meat and cheese-centric type pizzas called - wait for it - Third Generation. Since I was a Fornino virgin, I figured I might as well start things slow. Margherita please.

As I waited for my pie to come out a tartufo pizza was laid down at the table next to me. Smelled like absolute sex. Sure, a small will set you back 35 bones (a large 50), but can you really put a price on that? Maybe. I guess.

The crust on my pizza had a nice chew to the exterior while maintaining a softness inside that only comes from painstaking fermentation. The sauce was sweet and simple. The mozz and basil were as you would expect on such a classic rendition - pretty straightforward .

Pizza Margherita

There are no lines to worry about or hipster attitude to be had here. This small narrow pizzeria cranks out classic napolitana with friendly service at a price in line with others serving this level of pie. The dough here  reminded me a lot of Flour + Water in SF.

Does it belong on the list of 64? I certainly think they make a good case. New York's a tough one because there are so many good napolitana places. (not to mention NY slices and grandma style). I swear, next time I'm getting that tartufo, though.

Fornino
187 Bedford Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11211
(718) 384-6004
http://www.forninopizza.com/

Believe it or not, I AM alive

You're probably wondering what the deal is with Dine O Mite! I can honestly say that I've been traveling like a fiend. In fact, for the first time in six weeks I get to sleep in my bed for seven consecutive nights! (Might I say, it feels damn good to be home.)

More importantly, I've been slaving away at the wood fired pizza oven in my backyard. Progress has been slow because I haven't really been around long enough to really work on it. This is going to be the week that this thing really takes shape though. I doubt I'll be able to top out the dome before I have to leave on Sunday, but I've heard that once I get it past the arch things will fly.

Between work travel and the oven there hasn't been a lot of time for much else. I will say that the Pizza Page - one of the tabs at the top - has been updated. There is a complete list of pizzerias from the Ed Levine / Rachel Rae Pizza Challenge list from 2010. This is really THE list I use when I'm traveling around the country. There are a lot of posts left to do in that realm. By my calculations I've got pictures for over half of the places on the list.

It's an exciting time for us around here. Hopefully this will be the end of the long lulls for awhile. I'll keep you updated on my backyard progress!

Slow and Steady

Cleveland: Hot Dog Joe's

Hillbilly blood runs through my veins; not all of them, just some of them. (It's a hillbilly thing - you wouldn't understand.)

Refined as my palate might be, I can't restrain myself from stopping at an out-of-the-way hot dog spot. (New Jersey is filled with places like this and Hot Dog Johnny's in Buttzville is king.)

While I was driving back from picking up some stone for my patio, I drove past Hot Dog Joe's in Kirtland. HDJ is just a small little storefront in a country strip mall. Since it was "about that time" I figured I would stop in for a quick bite.

As one would expect, it's a fairly straightforward interior. The cash register/food prep area takes up half the space, seating takes up the other half.

I ordered some type of Italian dog (hot peppers, onions, relish, and salami). As you might expect, the preparation of the tube steak took a scant few minutes to prepare. I ordered this little mixed meat delight "to go" because you just know a hot dog tastes better in your car.

 Dude, Where's My Dog?

After paying for the merch and saddling up in the auto, I opened the foil wrapper and exposed the weiner nestled in what can only be described as a voluptuous bun. (Think Kim Kardashian.)This was seriously the widest, densest, most voluminous hot dog bun I'd ever attempted to eat.

About halfway through my wiener I had to tap out. The bread was a behemoth. I cherry picked the rest of the goodies off the bread and had to shit can the rest. The bread : meat ratio was off the charts. And dense? Jaw exercises - that's all I'm going to say.

Sorry folks, they can't all be wein...er....winners. The place was clean, the people were nice, the service was prompt. I just couldn't get into the dog, dawg. I encourage all hearty appetites to apply, but the bun was just too damn manly for me.

Hot Dog Joe's
7935 Euclid Chardon Road
Kirtland, OH 44094
(440) 256-3294

Dee's Old Brooklyn Diner

Do you remember back in the day when a long lost toy would suddenly appear? Or maybe a crisp clean Andrew Jackson has peaked its head out the pocket of the jacket you put away last spring? In the midst of everyday activities we find these long forgotten treasures, jolting us from a normal state of mind.to a sudden burst of elation.

While cutting through Old Brooklyn on my way to 480, I happened upon an old gem from my youth. At first I was a little thrown off because the name had changed - the former Don and Judy's had been renamed Dee's Old Brooklyn Diner. I knew a chance meeting such as this required a reintroduction.

The name might be different, but - lack of cigarette smoke aside - the interior of the place has stayed the same. Dee's is a classic dinette type layout with 6 or so chrome stools bolted down in front of the counter and movable tables and chairs filling out the rest of the space. Thankfully, all cooking takes place along the back of the restaurant. Ample ventilation keeps you from taking on what I call "diner smell".

West Side 4 Life

Steak sandwiches reign supreme at Dee's. Delightful double patties of smooshed, crispy edged, bovine goodness are served on unseeded toasted buns, with lettuce and onion. I don't know which one I like more, the crispy burger edges or toasted buns, but combining the two is absolutely lethal. The burgers at Dee's are some of the finest in the city.

A cherry pop (and it is "pop" since this is Cleveland), hamburger, fries (nothing special), and tip ran me all of about eight bucks.

Old school rules the day at this little throwback restaurant. The zoo is nearby, and would be the perfect for a pre-zoo breakfast or after zoo lunch. I would warn you though, closing time is three o'clock.

Dee's Diner

4326 Pearl Rd

Cleveland, OH 44109

(216) 398-1633