Zingerman's Roadhouse

If I had one word to describe Zingerman’s anything it would be "details". Attentive, friendly, knowledgeable service can be found at any of the various outlets in the Zingerman’s franchise of endeavors. You can bet that someone has brought back some of the best and intriguing food stuffs from afar and brought them back to Ann Arbor to share with their customers.

Zingerman’s Roadhouse is a homey sit down restaurant with a slant toward bringing back the best that regional cuisine has to offer. As with the other arms of the Zingerman’s empire, the best of the country’s best regional gems have been collected under one roof. From crab cakes to corn dogs, brisket to ribs, regional traditions have been put on the menu for all to enjoy.

The Roadhouse offers a good selection of locally brewed beers on draft as well as an impressive list of bourbons. If beer or bourbon isn’t your thing, the bar also offers a vast selection of nostalgic cocktails.

Zingerman's Roadhouse Oyster Mulch

As you walk into the restaurant you see a teapot shaped trailer out front. This trailer serves food breakfast, lunch, and dinner to go. A sign pointing you in the opposite direction of the trailer sends you to the front door (which has spent oyster shells whose gifts were enjoyed some time ago). I actually found the oyster shells much more interesting to look at than the typical mulch you find outside most sit down restaurant.

The Roadshow Trailer (in the shape of a tea pot)

One of the first things I noticed upon walking in is the salt and pepper shaker collection. I suppose it’s one of those things that you never really think about collecting until you…well…decide to collect them. I’m not quite sure how many they have, but it’s pretty obvious these things are really old and pretty cool.

Vintage Salt + Pepper Shakers

The food here represents a wide array of down home favorites from across the country. I have a particular affinity for North Carolina barbeque, so I locked onto the pulled pork sandwich almost right away. I think one of the cool things about anything Zingerman’s is that they really want you to be happy with what you get. Not sure what kind of sauce I wanted on my pork, the server suggested that I try all three and decide what I want. After a few minutes she came back with all three sauces for me to try – with a small shred of pork in each one! I was impressed – it would have been very easy to just squirt a dab of each on a plate and hand it to me. Smalls things like this really grab my attention.

After settling on the South Carolina Mustard sauce (highly recommended), I told the server that I didn’t need the bun. When she asked if I wanted another beer I passed because I had to drive back to Cleveland that night. Would you believe since I passed on the bun she gave me a bottle of iced coffee for the ride home? *Excuse me while I dig around in my pocket and pull out another gold star.*

A popular complaint people have is that it’s a few dollars more for the food than it should be. I suppose if we were comparing apples to apples it would be, but the quality of the ingredients -as compared to conventionally produced food - and the level of cooking certainly warrant a slightly higher cost. If you pair the quality of the food with the enthusiastic service that Zingerman’s instills in their staff…well….I think the price point is appropriate.

Zingerman’s Roadhouse isn’t for everybody. If you’re looking for the maximum amount of food for the least amount of money (there's a Golden Corral in Westland (734)641-9163), then this is definitely not the place for you. If you want well researched cooking methods that stay true to their region of origin with an appreciation for quality ingredients, then Zingerman’s Roadhouse definitely needs to be on your list of Ann Arbor stops.

Zingerman's Roadhouse
2501 Jackson Ave
Ann Arbor, MI 48103
(734) 663-3663
www.zingermansroadhouse.com

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.

Some Pizza Places

I am an admitted barbecue and pizza fanatic. Whenever I travel, these are usually the two main food groups I look into when visiting. Barbecue is actually pretty easy to scope out; the problem is that you have to pretty much sample their chicken, ribs/pulled pork, and brisket in order to be able to properly judge the pitmaster's abilities. With pizza, you can pretty much after one slice just how good - or bad - their product is. Very rarely is a second or third visit required to give it a thumbs up or down.

As far as Cleveland goes I think I've pretty much had what people routinely call their favorites. I don't typically find myself in the Akron/Canton area all that much, so I really can't say that I've sampled the notables there. Here is a small list of pizzerias I've been to in the last month or two with a brief description of what I thought.

Upper Crust Pizza, Chicken & Ribs
15631 Puritas Ave
Cleveland, OH 44135
(216) 267-0500



This was a recommendation from my brothers-in-law. With the amount of pizza that is ordered by the two of them I knew I had to try it. While over a friend's house that lives in the neighborhood we decided to give them a try. As with the other pizzas in this review, this is what Peter Reinhart calls pizza americana (a catchall term for mainstream American pizza). We ordered a pepperoni and sausage that held up pretty well to delivery. I would describe it as moderately greasy, with a thinner crust under the cheese than you find with most pizzas of this genre. Upper Crust Pizza certainly qualifies as a decent neighborhood pizzeria, but nothing to go out of your way for.

La Pizzeria
2188 Murray Hill Road
Cleveland, OH 44106
(216) 229-9050
www.lapizzerialittleitaly.com




The name seems to suggest that it's somehow Italian, hence closer to a napoletana style. Don't be fooled. LP is americana all the way. Thankfully they sell it by the slice - so this little experiment only set me back a couple of bucks. It could have been that the person making the pizzas was being entirely too generous with the cheese, but the dough underneath was borderline cooked. Could it have been an isolated incident? Maybe. Even so, cheese aside, I think La Pizzeria is an average pie in the Unversity Circle/Little Italy area.

Reddi's Pizza Parlor
5781 Dunham Rd
Cleveland, OH 44137
(216) 663-6652



One of my wife's friends was pimpin' this place. Reddi's Pizza Parlor is your classic neighborhood sit-down pizza place that you remember from your childhood. Serving up a classic pizza americana, Reddi's turns out an above average product. The crust (or cornicione as it's technically called) is not large like Antonio's but has a similar feel to it, but smaller. The sauce and cheese are properly portioned to where the grease doesn't get out of control. The staff was also really friendly - with the cashier being way above average in beauty. I think Reddi's is actually above average for the area. Should you have a reason to be in the Garfield Hts, Walton Hills area I would recommend giving them a try.

Miscellany
I met my sisters at AMP 150 for a few drinks and was very surprised at how good the Mushroom Flatbread was. While I'm not even going to pretend like it was pizza, the cracker-like appetizer was absolutely delicious. It was essentially a shit load of diced up Killbuck Vally Mushrooms with some sort of citrusy flavor to it on top of an oblong cracker thing. I don't like mushrooms, but this was the best thing I've eaten with fungi since the scrumptious steak at Downtown 140. If you go, you must try.

Zingerman's Deli

Zingerman's Delicatessen

Put the words “food” and “Ann Arbor” in the same sentence and most people will immediately think Zingerman’s Delicatessen. The crown jewel of Ari Weinzweig’s specialty food empire has been serving up bountiful sandwiches and inventive side dishes for nearly thirty years now.

Food enthusiasts around the world have made the pilgrimage to this jewel of a city to sample cheeses, breads, and various other food stuffs whilst waiting to get their hands on one of the many sandwiches on the Zingerman’s menu.

Chances are that if you come during the typical hours of lunch or dinner there is going to be some type of line. Not to alarm anyone, but the line looks much worse than it is. Fairly fast moving, the legendary customer service that all of the various Zingerman’s outlets have, do a great job of keeping things moving without turning it into an anxious experience.

As you wait in line, the small bakery counter is set up on your right. The normal lineup of breads is offered along with a few specialty breads that seem to go pretty fast. If buying bread is what you truly have your heart set on, you can head across town to the actual bakery where the supply is much more robust. We’ve found – as in the case of most bakeries – that the supply at the deli seems to really take a hit at lunch. My neighbor has me pick her up a couple loves of bread every time we go. A good sandwich always starts with good bread and Zingerman’s does bread very well.

On the left hand side is the cheese counter. While I would say that the prices seem to be a couple of bucks higher than you find at home; the selection is absolutely awesome. Again the service is extremely accommodating. The staff at the counter is very well versed in the origins, ripeness, and makeup of all of the cheeses they offer. Even if you aren’t a cheese person it really is a lot of fun to talk to them and sample some things you normally wouldn’t try.

In the very back of the deli is where you place your order. The case in the back has all of the sides that are available for that day. If you’re looking for the deep fried stuff you aren’t going to find it here. If given the choice, I would never eat another French fry again if I had daily access to some of the sides. While the prices may seem a little steep it becomes readily apparent after the first bite that they are using quality ingredients and a lot of them.

After ordering you go to the cash register that is located to the right. On this side of the building is a pretty good selection from the famed Zingerman’s Mail Order catalog. A very good selection of balsamic vinegars, olive oil, jams, and other specialty foods that would most likely make the list of “Stuff White People Like”. And like everything else, the very friendly staff is more than willing to let you try a sample of anything – seriously.

Zingerman's Next Door

After a short wait the food is brought out to you by, you guessed it, a friendly and helpful staff member. While the seating is outdoors, they do set up a heated tent for the colder months. There is also seating in the Zingerman’s Next Door. No matter where you end up sitting, the tireless staff will eventually unite you with your food.

I think the food here is great. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever had anything that I would consider average. The sandwiches come in a regular and large size. The large is pretty damn big, so if you’re ordering sides I’d suggest exercising a little restraint and order the regular size. In the past I’ve ordered the Jay’s BBQ Chicken (probably my favorite), the D-$’s Cuban Conundrum (very good), Frank & Kathy’s Half-Italian Sub (okay, this one’s good, too).

As good as the sandwiches are, one would think the sides are just a throw in. Hardly. Let’s put it this way, if you brought the Carrot Top or Swiss Potato to a family picnic and walked away for ten minutes, you would be out of luck. It would all be gone.

If you come to Ann Arbor you have got to come here – as well as their other outlets (Next Door, Bakehouse, Roadhouse, Coffee Company, and Creamery). The staff here is very knowledgeable as well as eager to share information about all of the products they carry. Zingerman’s is the crown jewel in a city full of wonderful gems.

Zingerman's Delicatessen
422 Detroit St
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
(734) 663-3354
www.zingermansdeli.com

Low and Slow at Slows BarBQ

During our trip to Ann Arbor my requisite stop was to be Slows BBQ in downtown Detroit. I had heard rave reviews about the food and endless griping about the wait staff (as well as the wait to get in). I actually enjoy going to a spot that people complain about the wait times. For me it means there’s something special going on. In fact, what’s going on inside those four walls is so special; people are willing to wait inordinate periods of time for the sole privilege of getting a seat.

I’m not a big service person when it comes to barbecue. Give me a reasonably clean place to sit, a decent selection of beer, and refrain from raping me on price, and I’m a happy man. Admittedly, waiting a long period of time to eat does up the ante. If I have to wait over a half an hour then it has to be above average. In case you were wondering, at Slows there are plenty of clean places to sit, the draft selection was well above average, and the prices are very reasonable.

But as they say, the proof of the pudding is in the tasting. For the sake of this review various smoked meats were substituted for said pudding.

The interior (and exterior) of Slows is very smart. The lacquered wood you see all around the restaurant was all reclaimed when they opened the restaurant. The bones of the actual building are exposed and give the space a very hip yet rugged feel. The outside patio has lots of seating that certainly allows them to seat more people, but I think puts more stress on the kitchen. There’s actually a nicely landscaped area just outside the restaurant where you can sit and wait for your table to be ready. Slows gets very high marks for aesthetics and attention to architectural detail. With all of the hard surfaces indoors it does get pretty loud, but this is a barbecue joint.

Waiting area outside

I have heard repeatedly that the service here leaves much to be desired of, but I’d actually disagree. Our server wasn’t bad, she just had too many tables. Getting through the crowd around the bar is an absolute bitch. Without elbowing people in the back of the head it can be quite the task getting from table to kitchen. In reality, I think a big part of the problem is that they spend more of their time weaving than they do serving, which in the end is no fun for either party.

So what about the food?

I wanted to sample all three meats, so I ordered the Niman Ranch brisket enchilada and the chicken wings, while Regina ordered the Niman Ranch baby backs with baked beans. For me the brisket enchiladas were probably the best part of the whole dinner. They had a perfect amount of spice to them, without being ridiculously cliché. I thought the wings and the ribs were cooked properly – I just didn’t really care for their sauces. Some people say that, “The sauce is the boss.” I don’t buy that shit. If the meat has a good rub on it, smoked properly, and cooked to a perfect internal temp, you don’t have to hide behind a sauce. These needed a little bit of sauce, because the rub just didn’t do much for me. I found this to especially be the case with the wings.

I don’t typically write up a place on the first go around, but seeing as I live in Cleveland it’s hardly around the corner. Do I think Slows is worth another try? Sure. Do I see myself going back anytime soon? When I have to wait and the food is just “good”, I tend not want to jump right back in line. There are too many other places that I want to try in the Detroit area, which I don’t often get to, that are on my radar. I will say that Slows has a fantastic selection of drafts, cook with high quality meat, and have prices that are certainly inline with what you find at other barbecue restaurants.

Slows Bar BQ
2138 Michigan Ave
Detroit, MI 48216
(313) 962-9828
www.slowsbarbq.com

The Chocolate Cherry Bombe

This year we decided to give my dad a break and celebrate Father's Day during the week. Since I knew he would most likely be making the rounds with all of my brothers and sisters we thought it would be better to celebrate the event with both of our fathers on Thursday night.

I was manning the grill and Regina was in charge of dessert. She dug up this little gem somewhere on the internet. She generally likes to get ideas off of the information superhighway (sorry, I'm old school) whereas I tend to stick more to my favorite cookbooks.
In theory the recipe looked good, but I'm naturally skeptical of those who shill for places like Applebee's or TGI Friday's.

As it turned out, these little things were very good and pretty easy to make. When the whole thing is put together there is definitely a wow factor that you don't get with say banana pudding.
Here's a link to the printable version.
Don't ask me why there's an "e" on the end of bomb. Is this similar to when Joe Dirt added an "e" to the end of his name? Essentially making it Joe "Deer-tay"? I guess money can't buy you class. (Elegance is learned....my friends.)

Chocolate Cherry Bombe

Chocolate Cherry Bombe
by Tyler Florence

• 2 pounds fresh cherries, pitted
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 2 tablespoons brandy or cherry syrup (recommended: kirsch or Torani syrup)
• 3/4 cup water, plus 2 tablespoons
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 3 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup chopped pistachios
• 10 ounces semisweet chocolate, cut in chunks

Directions

1. Line a 1 1/2 quart glass or stainless bowl with plastic wrap, leaving enough excess hanging over the edge, and stick it in the freezer.
2. In a medium pot, combine the cherries, 1 cup of sugar, lemon juice, kirsch, and 3/4 cup of water. Simmer over medium-high heat until the juice from the cherries is released and the fruit is soft, about 20 minutes. Mix the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water to make a slurry and add it to the cherry mixture. Simmer, stirring, for another 2 minutes to thicken. Remove the cherry sauce from the heat, you should have about 4 cups. Put the cherry sauce in the freezer or in an ice bath to chill until cold.
3. Using a wire whisk, beat 2 cups of the heavy cream, the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar, and vanilla together until soft peaks form. Using a rubber spatula, fold the whipped cream into half of the cherry mixture (2 cups) to make a light mousse – don't overdo it, it's ok if there are streaks of cream in the filling. Gently fold in the pistachios. Take the plastic-lined bowl out of the freezer and spoon the cherry mousse into it, filling it all the way to the top, and spreading evenly around the rim. Freeze again for at least 8 hours, so the mousse sets up firm.
4. Heat the remaining 1 cup of cream and the chocolate in a pot over medium-low flame. Stir to melt the chocolate completely and smooth it out into the cream. Cool until warm to the touch, the chocolate should still be pourable.
5. Take the bowl of cherry mousse out of the freezer and invert it, bottom-side up, on a wire rack set over a sheet pan. Carefully peel off the plastic and pour the chocolate ganache over the bombe to cover it completely, allowing the excess to drip down into the sheet pan. Stick the chocolate cherry bombe back in the freezer to chill. Using a couple of flat spatulas, carefully remove the bombe from the rack and put in on a chilled platter. Cut into wedges; serve with the reserved cherry sauce.

Krazy Jim's Blimpy Burger

When you go to Ann Arbor there is no shortage of delicious lunch options. To be clear here, I’m not talking about, “Mmmm, that was good.” I’m talking about, “Damn, that may be all time top five.” In the past I’ve talked about Le Dog and Zingerman’s Deli as noteworthy places to have lunch.

I’ve always wanted to try Krazy Jim’s Blimpy Burger, but never wanted to risk the disappointment of a bad burger and missing out on lunch at two places I already love. Since Regina wanted to hit Haifa Falafel (which will be tomorrow’s post speaking of all time top five), I figured I’d just go ahead and try Krazy Jim’s.

To be honest, you can go to just about any college campus across the country and there is a place that has been there that is wildly popular among students and the nostalgia hungry alumni. Krazy Jim’s has been going strong since 1953 and certainly falls in the category of “Ann Arbor Institution”.

When you walk in you notice that there is definitely an assembly line, insider knowledge, ordering language, don’t upset the apple cart by not knowing how to order, feel to it. The ordering at Krazy Jim’s is very similar to the anxiety you feel when walking up to the counter at Pat’s or Geno’s and ordering a cheese steak in Philadelphia.

You pretty much faced with the task of knowing pretty much all of the stuff that you're going to have on your burger right from the get go. You’re standing in line with a slew of people in both in front of and behind you. The fear of looking like a dork in front of everyone forces you to focus on the menu to know exactly what you want.

The burger patties when rolled up like meatballs (which is what they start out as) are about the size slightly larger than a golf ball. They go on the flat top as a meatball and are then smashed into a patty. One of your first tasks is to tell them how many patties you’re going to have on the burger (I went with an unmanly two patties). The second thing you had to tell them was if there was going to bacon, grilled onions. If I remember correctly, the last decision was what type of bun to use. (I chose the standard issue plain bun.)I was happy to make it through the line without drawing attention to myself (unlike I did at my first visit to Pat’s Steaks).

Since this was my first time here I went with a fairly standard bacon cheddar burger. When I took the first bite I thought for sure that if I closed my eyes I would think I had been transported to Madison Square Park in New York City. This is very similar to Shake Shack’s burger (my all-time favorite burger and just opened an outpost in Miami, FL). As I ate this little work of art my wife looked at me and said, “Well?”

The Shiz-nit

Well? “Fucking awesome” pretty much sums it up. I wanted to get back in line after I finished my sandwich. The crispy edges, the soft bun, the flavor of the patties made this worthy of a special trip.

I’ve been meaning to get to Miller’s Bar in Dearborn, but always seem to be in the area on a Sunday when they’re closed.

I now have three places that I have to seriously ponder for lunch in Ann Arbor. And yes, Krazy Jim’s easily makes my list of all-time top five burgers. I love this place.

Krazy Jim's Blimpy Burger
551 S Division St
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
(734) 663-4590
www.blimpyburger.com

Barbecue Legend

If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you know that it’s been slim pickins the last month or so. Inexplicably, the less I post the more the traffic goes up. Wouldn’t it be nice if the less you worked the more you got paid? The whole thing is very strange and I stopped trying to figure it out a while ago.

With the exception of a few, I’m sure most people are sick of hearing about my barbecue obsession. Fresh off my visit to the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party, I've got another little nugget for you to put in your pipe and smoke: Zingerman’s Roadhouse is hosting Ed Mitchell (yes, The Pit's Ed Mitchell) for a barbecue buffet that will be held on July 6th and 7th. This is the description from their website:

“Seven years after he visited the Roadhouse (before it opened) to teach the traditional Eastern North Carolina whole hog barbecue style we still use today, Ed Mitchell will return to the Roadhouse. He and Chef Alex will spend three days preparing for a two-day feast of traditional barbecue styles from all over the country. You can count on really great ingredients, like grass-fed meats managed by Cornman Farms – our very own farm in Dexter, MI, plenty of local vegetables, and all your favorite fixins.”

The bride’s going to be sitting this one out, but my guess is that my barbecue (and pizza…and hamburger) partners in crime (my brothers-in-law Cheesecake and Walt) will most likely being going up for the occasion. My guess is that it’s going to sell out, but whatever, don’t say you weren’t warned.

The Billy Bar

The Schmutz Buster

If it’s one thing I hate, it’s cleaning the grate on my grill. I think the only thing worse is going over to someone’s house and seeing someone cooking your food on a filthy, schmutz coated grate. As you gingerly bite into burger just waiting to taste a bit of last summer’s Sweet Baby Ray’s, on top of a touch of poultry seasoning from ’08, with a sweet kiss of grate rust.

I really wanted to find an alternative to the wire brush. I find that the brushes work great when you first get them. After a few uses (depending on how liberally you tend to let the sauce flow), the bristles begin to get gummed up pretty bad. By the end of the summer the brush's bristles are a mashed down filled with gunk mess on a stick.

When I was browsing the internet looking for an alternative to the gum loaded brush, I stumbled upon the Billy Bar. I think this little implement falls under the category of "This is so simple. Why didn't I think of that?". The Billy Bar is basically a hardened steel rod with a fork-like tip on it. The leverage of the bar makes easy work of the most baked on gunk. When your done using it all you have to do is wipe the tip off with a paper towel.

I haven't really seen this stocked in stores but I ordered mine from Northfield Fireplace & Grill. The Billy Bar definitely makes my list of grilling/barbecue "must have" tools.

Umami

Make sure to check here for more Cleveland posts

Most people either love Asian food or they hate it. Of the people that do love Asian food, most people have a definite preference for a particular country. I, myself, am more of a Japanese and to a lesser extent Thai kind of diner. I'm certainly not opposed to going with Chinese, Vietnamese, or a Korean place, it's just that there seems to be a fanaticism the Japanese have about craftsmanship that appeals to me on some strange level.

On Memorial day (night actually), we went to Umami Asian Kitchen in Chagrin Falls. I'd never actually been there so to be quite honest I didn't really have much of an expectation one way or the other. So often you hear (or read) about the original chef leaving and whether or not the quality of the food is going to survive. Is it worth trekking out to Chagrin Falls for a bum dinner? It was the end of a holiday weekend and we had the time to spare; if nothing else we were going to walk away with 1,000 Open Table points for our effort. (My guess is that the points were being offered because of the holiday.)

The first thing you notice is that the small (about the size of Tartine, maybe smaller) tastefully decorated space makes good use of the booth allotment. There are even two bar-type benches in the very front that look through the glass onto the front door a la Greenhouse Tavern; the perfect spot for a couple (who don't have the overwhelming desire to gaze into each others eyes across from across the table), to people watch.

I'm going break the dinner down rather quickly so as not to make you nod off in boredom. Mickey was our server and to be perfectly candid - he was great. Mind you, because the place is so small I think there are only two servers, so you have pretty good odds of getting him. Our crew actually decided to go full on tapas, okay, everyone except me. I ordered the curried chicken which had that refined restraint that I love so much about Japanese food. This was not a mouth full of fire, but a developed flavor that really seemed massage a hint of heat after you had swallowed a few seconds earlier.

With Regina leading up the charge, an armada of small plates started to make landfall on our table. I don't really want to talk about every single dish, so I'll focus on the must haves. If you order anything from this menu, it has to be the Goat Cheese Dumplings. These "dumplings" (10 to be exact) are small (think gnocchi sized), delicate (think gnudi), little pillows of delicious goat cheesed-ness, topped with greens and ginger butter. The only reason we even ordered these is because this people implored us to, as they were walking out the door (and now I am imploring you to do the same). I would also recommend an order of the Roasted Shiitakes, as well as the Togarashi Crusted Fresh Bacon. All three appetizers are packed with flavor, but not of Cheesecake Factory proportions, (and that's a good thing).

We had initially ordered the sushi rolls to come out before the other hot appetizer/entrees, but they ended up coming out last. After the amazing show that was put on by the small plates, there was no way these sushi rolls had a chance. What I did like was that they were of such a size that you could actually stick the whole thing in your mouth without looking like a pig. One other thing I liked was that the soy did not come out in a larger bowl so people could dunk the poor roll up to its eyeballs. Instead the soy came out in a rectangular dish so that you simply swiped the roll through the soy. In a sense, I think it was letting the patrons know that these were not meant to be dripping with soy - nice touch.

If haven't already been able to tell, I thought it was a fantastic dinner. Any more I am more interested in well crafted and thoughtful offerings than I am anything else. While the place doesn't have to have ambiance, Umami does (in spades). It's refreshing to see someone doing this kind of quality at a reasonable price. If you're looking for a quiet evening with a well thought out menu and you appreciate Nippon-ese cuisine than you, but not the kiddos, need to make this stop in Chagrin Falls.

Don't forget to ask for Mickey as your server. If want a window seat or one of the two tables for two outside make sure you request them when you make your resie here.



Umami Asian Kitchen
42 North Main Street
Chagrin Falls, OH 44022
(440) 247-8600
www.umamichagrinfalls.com