The Great Chef's Event

This time of year offers no shortage of opportunities to attend charity events with an emphasis on food. Last year we decided to make the trek to the Culinary Vegetable Institute’s event benefiting the Veggie U program. A few weeks before that, Regina was fortunate enough to be a fill-in for someone’s seat at University Hospital’s Five Star Sensation.

Since we pretty much limit ourselves to one of these things a year (due mainly to cost), we were very excited to attend The Great Chef’s Event in Philadelphia benefiting Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation.

Alex’s Lemonade Stand was started by little girl named Alexandra “Alex” Scott. While fighting cancer herself, Alex decided to open a lemonade stand so she could raise money for her hospital and “help other kids, like they helped me.” Alex ultimately lost her battle with cancer at age 8, but not before she raised a million dollars for her charity. The foundation that bears her name has raised over $30 million.

That money has helped to:
• Fund more than 150 cutting-edge research projects
• Create a travel program to help support families of children receiving treatment
• Develop resources to help people everywhere affected by childhood cancer

If Alex’s story doesn’t define the word “inspirational” – then I don’t know what does. She achieved more in her eight years than most people do in a lifetime. So you can imagine the pressure that Marc Vetri’s Vetri Foundation for Children felt to put together a first class event for such wonderful charity.

Marc Vetri

The lineup for this event was absolutely incredible:

• Nate Appleman – Pulino's Bar and Pizzeria
• Kiong Banh – Twenty Manning
• *Joe Bastianich – Winemaker and Restaurateur
• Franklin Becker – Abe and Arthur's
• Paolo Benigni – Osteria La Brughiera
• Jonathan Benno – The Restaurant at Lincoln Center
• John Besh - Besh Restaurant Group
• Chris Bianco – Pizzeria, Pane & Bar Bianco
• *Brooklyn Brewery
• Marco Canora - Hearth
• Jennifer Carroll – 10 Arts
• Tom Colicchio – Colicchio & Sons
• R.J. Cooper – Vidalia
• Gina DePalma – Pastry Chef Babbo
• Neal Fraser - Grace Restaurant
• Clark Frasier & Mark Gaier – Arrows, MC Perkins, Cove, SummerWinter
• Katsuya Fukushima - Jose Andres Catering with Ridgewells
• Jose Garces - Garces Restaurant Group, Iron Chef
• Paul Kahan – Blackbird, Avec, Publican, Honky Tonk Tacos
• *Tom Kehoe – Yards Brewing
• Jean-Marie Lacroix - Max & Me Catering
• Barbara Lynch – Menton
• Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson – Frasca, Scarpetta Vineyard
• *Donnie Madia, Jason Cott, Toby Maloney - The Violet Hour (Chicago), Alchemy Consulting
• Joseph Manzare – Zuppa, Globe, Tres Agaves
• Matt Molina & Nancy Silverton – Osteria Mozza, Pizzeria Mozza
• Masaharu Morimoto – Morimoto, Iron Chef
• Emilio Mignucci – Di Bruno Bros.
• Ken Oringer – Clio, Uni Sashimi Bar
• Graziano Pinato – Taverna Colleoni Dell 'Angelo
• Michael Psilakis – Kefi, Guf and Gabriel, Eos
• Julie Robles – Tavern
• Marco Rossi & Francesco Cereda – Osteria Le Cantine D
• *Sierra Nevada Brewing Company
• Michael Schlow – Radius, Via Matta, Alta Strada
• Michael Solomonov – Zahav, Percy Street Barbeque
• *Tim Staehling - Mixologist, The Hungry Cat
• Daniel Stern – Midatlantic, R2L
• *Carol Stoudt – Stoudt's Brewing Company
• *Bobby Stuckey – Frasca, Scarpetta Vineyard
• Michael Symon – Lola, Lolita, Roast, Bar Symon, B Spot, Iron Chef
• Sue Torres – Suenos
• Marc Vetri, Jeff Michaud & Brad Spence – Vetri, Osteria, Amis
• Paul Virant - Vie
• Jonathan Waxman – Barbuto
• Rocco Whalen – Fahrenheit, Rocky River Wine Bar
• *Naren Young - Head Bartender, Locanda Verde NYC

To say that I was pumped to attend was an understatement. I’ll talk more about the highlights from the actual event in the following weeks simply because I know if I do it all here the post would be a mile long.

Smile Rocco

If you’re a Clevelander there’s a good chance you picked up on the fact that Rocco and Michael (he wasn’t actually in attendance but he did send a couple guys from Lola) were on the list. It’s great to see the Cleveland food scene represented in such a strong lineup of chefs.

I'm always curious about what connection the chefs have to an event like this. This is what Rocco had to say:

"Marc Vetri and I met at a James Beard dinner we did together in New Orleans back in 2002 with John Besh, the rest is a love story, great chef, great mentor, best Italian cook in the country."

Trust me, he's not kidding when he says that he's the best Italian cook in the country. If there is a must see restaurant in Philadelphia - Vetri is it.

I wanted to get this up because some of the same names (Appleman, Michaud, Vetri, Whelan) have appeared on the list for Michael Symon’s Food for Life event at Lola on August 1st. I don’t usually promote things that I myself am not attending, but this is something I would have gone to had I not blown my charity cabbage on The Great Chef’s Event last month.

The B Spot

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As has been the custom in the past, I called Cheesecake to go out and try a place my wife doesn’t typically like to go – a burger place. On this occasion we decided on Michael Symon’s B Spot.

If there’s a restaurant interior that seems to really fit Symon’s persona, at least from an aesthetic standpoint, it’s this place. Decked out in a range of black, chrome, and shiny, the décor seems to be inspired by the opening credits in his Dinner Impossible days – complete with faux stamped motorcycle parts hanging above the bar and a studded bathroom door. The U-shaped bar sits in the middle-rear of the room, while being surrounded by an assortment of free standing tables, booths, and high boys.

Our server Amy, who was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, took our orders on a pda type device. When I tried to order a Bear Republic Hop Rod she was able to see that they were all out of it. It was then that I opted for the $1 PBR (vast departure I know). Cheesecake went with his usual Bacon Cheeseburger. Being a creature of habit myself, I opted for whatever appeared to be the hottest thing on the menu in this case the Red Hot Burger (with pulled pork, pickled tomato, hot peppers, pepperjack cheese, siracha mayo.) We decided to share an order of the Lola fries.

The place was packed; it was prime dinner time so I expected things would take a while. Surprisingly the food came out in no time at all.

I would estimate that the burgers were slightly taller than they were wide. As I bit into my burger I noticed to things: 1) The meat was juicy as hell 2) There was nothing hot about this thing.

I’m not as “in the know” as some people are, so I wasn't sure who the hell Pat La Frieda was (or maybe I knew, but I don’t know it). It turns out this meat company from NYC cranks out top notch product.

When I bit into the burger juice spewed from the patty. High marks for the burger patty itself.

Some people have complained about the bun. Is it my style? No. I’m partial to the softer more generic type bun like they have at Buckeye Beer Engine (which is Shake Shack-esque but a little more substantial.) The Shake Shack bun is my favorite of all time; but it wouldn’t work with the burgers here at B Spot; the patties are too thick for that type of bun. I think they DO call for a thick bun like they’ve got. I just wasn’t all that crazy about it. I think it was a little crumbly in the top part of the bun?

Whenever I order something hot, my nose is the gauge for just how spicy a dish really is. This burger didn’t register a single nose wipe - not even twinge. Perhaps the spicy stuff was cut by the beef and pulled pork. I don’t know, but hot it wasn’t.

The Lola fries were good but a little shy of what I would pay $3 for.

In the end I’m not as high on it as some (here, here and especially here, and I’m not as down on it as here), but I don’t know that I’ll be rushing back. Symon has obviously done his homework and positioned himself in an area that is absolutely starved for this type of dining option. My guess is that he will never be short on customers at this location. I can’t speak for lunch, but dinner can have a half hour to hour wait. Thankfully they are pretty good with their time estimates, so Barnes & Noble, Trader Joe’s, etc. are the perfect place to spend that time.

Update
I hear that the bun has been altered so as to not get as soggy from the juices emanating from the burger patty. I cannot personally attest to the new version, since I haven't eaten it, but apparently the kitchen has responded to this situation.

Michael Symon's B Spot
28699 Chagrin Boulevard
Woodmere, OH 44122
(216) 292-5567
www.bspotburgers.com

Seti's, Symon, and Mochi Ice Cream

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Seti's Polish Boys

Friday afternoon Regina and I decided to drive over to the West Side Market to pick up some pork belly. A place I've always wanted to try is the Seti's Polish Boys. Come to think of it, Seti's isn't a place at all, but rather a truck parked in a place (Dean Supply parking lot).

Their concept is simple, make the best Polish Boy in town. Offering about 4 or 5 different versions of their dogs, Seti's doesn't try to get too fancy.

I ordered the classic Polish Dog with onions, relish, and mustard. Admittedly, I didn't think it was going to be some earth shattering experience. After the first bite I told myself that I could easily walk up and buy two more of them and down them on the spot. Is that "earth shattering"? Maybe.

In the end it was the dog that shined through on this thing. It is a very juicy rendition and when it's combined with the relish, onion, and mustard it just tastes even better. I also bought an order of fries that were freshly cooked and hot as hell.

Their other incarnations were a little more out there for me. First off, I don't like fries on top of anything (and I certainly don't want bbq sauce on top of the fries), so I think the Best Polish Boy is out of the question. I will, however, be trying the other dogs that have the chili on them.

In the end I walked away a big fan. When I asked the lady working the window how long they had been there she said that they've been at Dean Supply for two years. Before Dean they had been over at Tri C Metro for seven years. I'd say that's plenty of time to create the perfect Polish Boy.

[See the picture for the menu.]

Seti's Polish Boys
3500 Woodland Ave (Dean Supply Parking Lot)
Cleveland, OH 44115
(216) 240-0745



The Best Thing I Ever Ate

The Seti's lady (I should have gotten her name) at the window handed me a business card as I left. After I had finished inhaling my lunch I looked at the card and on the back they had some interesting info.

Apparently The Food Network is going to have a show that airs in June called "The Best Thing I Ever Ate". In it, different Food Network stars such as Bobby Flay, Tyler Florence, Ted Allen, Michael Symon, and others talk about some of their favorite foods.

(Picture from Seti's posted on Yelp!)

In the episode that airs on June 23 at 9:30pm, Seti's Polish Boys will be making one of the best things Michael Symon ever ate. Pretty cool, huh?

Speaking of The Best Thing I Ever Ate...

When we went to the North Shore of Oahu (Hale iwa to be more specific), I had the most awesome mochi ice cream E-V-E-R. In an ice cream shop called Scoops of Paradise, which has a flavor named after local celeb Jack Johnson, I tried ice cream mochi for the first time.

I'll be the first to admit that I don't like the way classic mochi taste (no ice cream). In fact there really isn't much taste at all. But if you take that rice flour coated nothingness and wrap it around some good ice cream? Whoah. You end up with an absolutely addictive sensory experience between the chewiness of the mochi and the flavor of the ice cream.

When we walked into the shop we perused the case and that's where I saw this rack of strange looking oval things. When I asked the guy what they were, he simply called them mochi. When I asked him what the tasted like he said I'd have to try them myself, that it was hard to explain.

Right after I ordered a couple he gleefully smiled and said, "I love seeing people's faces when they eat their first mochi."

I took a bite and was instantly in love (think Tony and Maria in West Side Story).

All I can say is that over the next three days I went back to that place every night. I was in fact addicted.

If you've ever talked to Dave at Whole Foods you know that he's a pretty cool dude. After being unsuccessful in our quest to get Bubbie's ice cream mochi ordered at some other grocery stores, Dave came through and informed me today that they had them in.

Bubbie's (made in Honolulu) are THE ice cream mochi that are served in restaurants around the country. They aren't that bullshit that they carry at Trader Joe's or even the ones Whole Foods was carrying before. Those mochi kind of melted in your hand. The outside becomes sticky and they just don't taste all that good. If you've ever had ice cream mochi and loved them, I guarantee these are the ones.

If you are ice cream mochi addicted, like myself, I suggest you head to the Whole Foods on Cedar and Warrensville. My hope is that these will sell well and become a Whole Foods staple.