Fire Food and Drink

Saturday morning the fam and I headed out to tour the Shaker Square Farmers Market. The weather wasn’t exactly beautiful and we were fairly cold by the time we finished our tour. I have been longing to eat at Fire Food and Drink for a while and on this day it didn’t take much twisting of the kids arms to go inside and sit down for lunch. I am sorry I didn’t get any pictures but I was so cold I forgot all about it until we were walking back to the car.

Fire Food and Drink is a very nice space! It is inviting and modern at the same time. I felt as if I could be eating family style cooking for lunch and then return for a modern hipsters delight for dinner. The designers of this space should be proud of what they have accomplished. It is a fabulous space.

The wife had a flatbread with salami and mozzarella. It was very fresh tasting and was really VERY good. I would order this again and again. I had a flatbread with mushrooms, onions and gruyere. This was a delicious offering but honestly if given the choice I would have swapped with the wife. The boys each had a local grass fed burger with fries. The burgers were cooked perfectly and were incredibly flavorful. The only issue the kids had (and it is a great problem) is that the burgers were SO big that they couldn’t get them in their mouths. We cut them into pieces and the boys destroyed them. The fries were unbelievable good. Luckily for the wife and I the kids got full on burger and we were able to enjoy some of the VERY plentiful portion of fries that was offered with the burgers. As a family we shared a plate of chocolate chip cookies with hot fudge for dipping!!! Save room for this when you visit Fire Food and Drink!!!

The moral of this story is that you will not be disappointed if in the near future you make a trip to Fire Food and Drink. It is a fabulous menu prepared and served by a fabulous staff in a fabulous setting!!!

Oh, and by the way, Chef Doug Katz is one of Cleveland’s number one supporters of local, fresh, farm to table dining. You can feel good about what you eat at Fire Food and Drink because Fire Food and Drink is going out of their way to make sure things are done sustainably and humanely!!!

P.S. Make sure you get a taste of Dr. Katz’s pickles…you will not be disappointed!!!

Ed and friends

Watershed Distilling

We offered this blog post to the Outstanding Folks at Cleveland Food and Brews since Watershed Products are available in CLE but not in WOO. Let Gary's know you want to try it and they will put it on the shelf in Woo.

Ed and friends

INDY!!!

Downtown Indianapolis is a great place to visit! There is plenty of GREAT food, craft beer and entertainment. We were in Indy to watch the Buckeyes roll the rest of the Big Ten in the basketball tournament. This is the chronicle of my culinary journey through the wonderful downtown area of Indianapolis. My only regret is that I didn’t have more time to spend in this fair city so I could try everything she had to offer.

I am a sucker for a brewpub with good food and The Ram did not disappoint. The burgers were outstanding and the house made chips were AWESOME. I tried all the beers available on tap the day I was there but my favorites were the Buttface Amber Ale and the Total Disorder Porter. This place is definitely worth stopping at if you’re downtown Indy.

My next culinary adventure took me to St. Elmo’s. What can I say about St. Elmo’s except get your butt down there and don’t forget to have one of the world famous shrimp cocktails. This place has the best steak in Indy and is a must do!!!

We tried Palomino and this is a VERY elegant restaurant with equally elegant food. I will not skip Palomino on my next trip to Indy. It was VERY good. My favorite was the truffled deviled eggs! OUTSTANDING!!!

We didn’t eat at Scotty’s Brewhouse but we were amazed by the selection of tap handles! This is a GREAT place to have some beers and watch a game!

We ate and had great caipirinha’s at Fogo de Chao and while this was a neat place that is worth trying, I will take my meat dollars back to St. Elmo’s every time I am given a choice between Fogo and St. Elmo’s.

We also stumbled into a very cool wine bar on our way back to the hotel but I have absolutely no idea where it was or what the name of the place was. I think it was near the intersection of Illinois and Ohio.

Right by our hotel was Bourbon Street Distillery which we hit every night for last call but didn’t eat. The menu and daily specials looked good and next time I will surely try it.

Ed and friends

Try this soup!!!

Cream of Jerusalem Artichoke Soup

1 pound of Jerusalem artichokes
½ of a large onion
5 clove garlic
2 tb butter
2 cups chicken stock
TT salt
TT pepper
1 ts paprika
½ cup heavy cream

Melt the butter in a dutch oven and sweat the onion (finely diced) until translucent. Add the garlic (finely diced) and simmer one more minute.  Peel the Jerusalem artichokes, slice thinly and add to the onions. Simmer for another five minutes. Add the paprika and some salt and pepper. Simmer one more minute. Add the chicken stock and heavy cream and simmer until the artichokes are falling apart (30-45 minutes). Blend with immersion blender or in a conventional blender until smooth. Push through a fine mesh strainer and add salt/pepper to taste.

This recipe was inspired by the fact that there were fresh local Jerusalem Artichokes at our local farm market and I had never cooked them before. Always being up for a challenge I bought a pound. I topped my soup with a small dab of Chevre and served with some crusty toasted bread that had a light smear of Chevre. Also in the picture is a peice of broiled Haddock and some roasted new potatoes.

I hope someone will try my recipe and write a review of it.



Ed and friends

Kick Ass new recipe I created!!!

Braised chicken leg quarters with fennel and carrot

4 Chicken leg quarters

1 28oz can crushed tomatoes

4 or 5 large carrots

1 large or 2 small fennel bulb

1 small sweet onion

5 cloves garlic

3-4 tbsp olive oil

1 cup chicken stock

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp dried parsley flakes

Heat up a little oil in a dutch oven. Brown 4 chicken leg quarters that have been cut into leg and thigh on all sides until skin is nice and crispy. Remove chicken and add one small sweet onion diced and five garlic cloves crushed. Cook the onion until soft and add 4 or 5 carrots sliced into ¼” pieces and the fennel bulb cut into ¼” pieces and sauté for 5 minutes. Add one 28oz can of crushed tomatoes and the Italian herbs and simmer for another minute to bring the tomatoes up to temp. Nestle the chicken into the vegetables and add chicken stock if necessary to bring liquid about 1/3 of the way up the chicken pieces. Cover and put into a 325 degree oven for 1 hour. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with steamed white rice or mashed potatoes or polenta.

The Wooster Inn

We did a guest review for the super cool folks over at Celeveland Food and Brews. Check it out when you have time.

http://www.clevelandfoodandbrews.com/2011/03/wooster-inn.html

Decision Points by George W. Bush

I am not a Democrat nor am I a Republican. I say this because I have just finished trying to read former President Bush’s new book and my review can be simply stated in one sentence. Decision Points by George W. Bush is the worst piece of literary crap I have ever read.

It is 500 pages of excuses for the actions of George W. Bush and reasons why George H. W. Bush didn’t suck! Unless you are a Rush listening, hard core, right winger, don’t waste your time or money on this book. You will wish you didn’t!!!

Ed and friends

O'Fallon 5 Day IPA

O’Fallon 5 Day IPA is a very nice entrant into FULL shelf of IPA’s at my favorite beer shop. It didn’t have much head to it and what head there was dissipated quickly. O’Fallon 5 Day IPA is cloudy but has a very nice color with a little red in it. The scent of O’Fallon 5 Day IPA is a little grapefruitish but not overly citrusy. As IPA goes, this is a very mild and light one. It could be a nice “starter” IPA for new to craft beer drinkers. I recommend O’Fallon 5 Day IPA if you are a newbie to IPA or if you just want a little lighter IPA. At a mere 6.1% ABV it would make a good marathon IPA. If you are a “hophead” who likes only very bitter, hoppy, citrusy, high ABV IPA then you may be disappointed by O’Fallon 5 Day IPA.

Personally, I like it but you know me, I have yet to drink a beer I didn’t like. 3.75 out of 5 stars.

Ed and friends

La Bourgogne French Restaurant

This review comes from a friend of Ed and friends who lives in Hawaii. The review is a compilation of Facebook posts and pictures that she gave me permission to post. La Bourgogne French Restaurant is a cozy french restaurant in Hawaii and from what I read of the review I am not going to miss it if I travel to Hawaii.

Friend: is going to LaBourgne for dinner tonight!!!
Ed: Write a review for me. I love reading them
Friend: Its french really yummy! Hows that???
Friend: Intimate about 10 tables dont allow children under 10yrs chef&his wife own&run 

Friend: They have owned the restaurant since 1993

Friend: Here's are night starter champagne escargot&spinach salad next Lamb&Opah in a boulibase glass of Syrah&Chardonnay ending coffee and GrandMarnier chocolate souffle the rest of the night is confidential HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!!!

Friend: Oh and we are the youngest couple here!!!

When you travel to Hawaii be sure to try La Bourgogne French Restaurant and enjoy and thanks friend for the review.



Ed and friends

Tropitini

The thought of pitchers and catchers reporting to AZ for spring training tomorrow put me in the mood for a tropical fruity girl drink so here is what I concocted this evening. I am calling it the Tropitini and it is delicious, refreshing and makes me want to move to Belize or Cancun or someplace tropical. Whip some up and review my recipe please.

1 ounce of Malibu coconut rum

1 ounce of 3 Olives orange vodka

2 ounces of pineapple juice

½ ounce of grenadine

Shake all but the grenadine with ice for at least 30 seconds to chill to very, very cold and then strain into a martini glass. Pour the grenadine down the side of the glass so it settles into the bottom of the glass (This is only because it looks tropical and cool). Serve with a stir stick so you can stir the grenadine into the drink. Be careful because these dudes are tasty and go down fast and smooth.

Ed and friends

The Wooster Inn Pub

It is with GREAT reluctance that I write this review. I (along with a friend of Ed and friends) went to The Wooster Inn Pub to watch the Buckeyes basketball game Saturday afternoon. I say I am writing this reluctantly because when the secret gets out about how great The Wooster Inn Pub is I won’t be able to get a seat any more. This will make me sad because I love The Wooster Inn Pub.

The Wooster Inn pub is small and very cozy. The food menu is very nice. I like pub food and The Wooster Inn Pub did not disappoint. We had an order of pulled pork nachos and then in the second half had an order of pubskins. There is full bar service and five tap handles that get changed frequently. The taps get rotated with obscure brews (no bud light or miller light).

The Wooster Inn Pub is really everything I like in a small bar. Plenty of TV’s with your favorite game on. Friendly staff, great pub food and great draft beers!!!

My recommendation is to stay away from the place so there is more room for me!!! Only kidding, I highly recommend The Wooster Inn Pub and if you stop in say hello to me because there is a good chance I will be there.

Ed and friends

Cooking steak indoors

This isn't really a review but a friend of Ed and friends asked the question "I have steaks for valentines day but no gas for the grill, how would you handle this?" So I decided to answer the question.

The first step I take when planning a steak dinner is to “dry age” my steaks. The fancy steak houses have a lot of different ways they do this but mine is pretty easy. I take a plate or platter and put about five layers of paper towels down on it. Then I put the steaks on the paper towels. Next I put about three layers of paper towels on top of the steaks. I put the whole platter into the fridge just like this. I DO NOT cover it with plastic wrap or foil. I want the air to circulate around the steak and paper towels. The air inside the fridge is low in humidity for the same reasons that air conditioning takes humidity out of your house. I want this dry air to suck the water out of my steaks. I change the paper towels and flip the meat over every 8 to 12 hours. You will find that the paper towels look bloody but this is mostly water that has been sucked out of the steaks. I usually “dry age” steaks like this for about 2 days. If I am going to roast a whole standing rib I will use this same technique for five days. I use this “dry aging” technique no matter how I am going to cook my steaks (grill, panfry, broil, etc).

Since we are cooking indoors today the next thing I will do is heat the oven to 300 degrees and put my nice dry steaks on a broiler pan or a sheet pan with a cooling rack. I will place the rack with the steaks on it into the oven until the center of the steak registers 120 degrees on my instant-read meat thermometer. Once the steaks hit 120 degrees in the center I will pull the pan out and do one of the next two things.

ONE. Fire up the broiler in the oven and put the top rack about 6 inches below it. Put the steaks back in the oven under the broiler and get the steaks nice and crusty on both sides. This will only take a few minutes per side. Don’t worry it will be cooked a nice medium rare because you already heated the inside of the steaks up to 120 degrees. Pull the pan out and cover the steaks with aluminum foil and let them sit there for 10 minutes. After ten minutes serve them up and enjoy. They are going to be GOOD!!!

TWO. Put a big cast iron skillet on top of the stove and heat that dude up very hot. It should be so hot that if you flick a drop of water into it the water should go crazy and turn almost immediately to steam. Put the steaks into this hot pan and get them nice and brown and crusty on both sides. This, like the broiler method will only take a few minutes per side. Also like the broiler method, don’t worry; the steaks will be done because you already heated the inside to 120 degrees. Again like the broiler method, put them on a rack and cover with foil for ten minutes. Serve them up and enjoy!!!

Most important!!! Try to know the butcher or even better the farmer you buy your meat from. Make sure you trust both of them and you will always get a great quality piece of meat that has been raised with care and processed with love!!!

Ed and friends

Another review of The Bake Haus

I had the see what all the buzz was about today so I went to have lunch at The Bake Haus in downtown Wooster OH. For those familiar with Wooster, it is in the little strip plaza right beside Dinos Drive Thru at the bottom of Beall Ave.

The Bake Haus is a cozy place, small even, with only a few tables so either expect to take your order to go or wait for a table because when the word gets out about the soup and sandwich’s it is going to be packed at lunch time.

If you haven’t had a The Bake Haus pretzel roll you have got to get down there just for one of these delicious little gems. I brought some home and my kids devoured them. I was in fear for my life for a few minutes.

I had a turkey and provolone sandwich with Al’s secret recipe sauce on a pretzel roll and a bowl of the soup of the day. Both were fabulous. I also brought home some cheesecake brownies for desert and let me tell you that these devils are GOOD! One of my generous lunch mates had a muffin and was kind enough to share a taste with me. It was fabulous.

My recommendation is not to walk down to The Bake Haus but RUN and RUN FAST before they sell out of the good stuff. This place is a must try if you live in or visit Wooster OH.

Ed and friends

The Bake Haus in downtown Wooster reviewed by one of Ed and friends many loyal followers

1:30 pm post from a friend of Ed and friends

I'm in love with downtown Wooster-dinner is homemade shrimp potstickers, I learned how to make them at Today's Kitchen Store & I just had lunch at The Bake Haus, if you have not had their pretzel rolls then you are missing something amazing - put pulled pork, melted cheese & Al's special sauce on one OMG!!!! The muffins (cocoa white chocolate) I'm drooling. Plus the soup - ok just go :) you will be happy:)

2:30 post from the same friend

had to go back to the Bake Haus ... the muffin i only got to steal a bite from my husband & then he took it to work with him ... couldn't stop thinking about it so I went back for my own :) and one for each of the boys teachers too.

The moral of the story is that we all need to get down to the Bake Haus in downtown Wooster and try it!!!

Ed and friends

Peter Shears in Downtown Canton

One of the many friends of Ed and friends and I had lunch at Peter Shears Downtown in Canton OH yesterday. Peter Shears has always had a reputation as a stuffy, over priced fine dining restaurant. I will be the first to tell you that this is simply not the case.

Peter Shears is in the basement of a 100+ year old building in downtown Canton. It has the feel of a prohibition speakeasy. It is VERY cool inside.

The beer menu could use a little work and since it was lunch, I really didn’t even look at the wine or drink menus.

The food was fabulous. We both had Ohio raised hamburgers. Mine was topped with double smoked bacon and cheddar cheese. My lunch companion’s was topped with provolone cheese and lettuce/tomato. Both were cooked perfectly. We both had the sweet and sour cole slaw for a side and we both agreed that if our lunch was only a big bowl of the slaw we would have been happy with it. A wonderful 7 ounce burger with the side of slaw was $9. This we thought was very reasonable since we were very full and VERY pleased with our meal.

I can’t wait for an opportunity to take the beautiful Mrs. Ed and friends to Peter Shears for dinner.

My advice is to get to Peter Shears as soon as you can and 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Oh, and PS. It only took 33 minutes to get from Peter Shears to Wooster.

Hog Heaven Holy Hops

I just got back from lunch with the Real Housewives of Saunders Dr. It is always a pleasure dining with these lovely ladies. The conversation is never dull and we always have a nice time. We ate at Broken Rocks in downtown Wooster. I don’t need to review Broken Rocks because everyone from miles around knows just how good it is. I did however have a new beer that does warrant a review.

I had a Hog Heaven Holy Hops which as near as I can find on Google is brewed by Avery in Boulder CO. It is what I would call an American IPA. It is quite hoppy and a little bitter with an aftertaste of grapefruit. These kinds of beers are not for the “average” beer drinker (“average” = bud light drinker) but I like these kinds of beers. If you like hoppy IPA style beers you are definitely going to like this one. It is a very nice entrant into field of American IPAs.

I don’t know how easy it will be to find Hog Heaven Holy Hops local in bottles but if you want to try it and can’t find it, it is a good excuse to head down to Broken Rocks Café in downtown Wooster OH.

My advice is “give it a try” and 4out of 5 stars.

Ed and friends

El Tapatio in Wooster

We tried El Tapatio with some friends the other evening. You know this place; it has been Maxwell’s, BC’s and Alexandria’s, some kind of deli, an Italian place and lastly The Boiler House. It is on the west side of Cleveland Rd. near the Ford dealership.

The margaritas were strong but not all that tasty. The food was plentiful and very reasonably priced but it was really nothing special. It is typical cheap “authentic” Mexican food, beans and rice and so-forth.

The service was OK but I wouldn’t brag about it that’s for sure.

The restaurant looks just like it did when it was the Italian place (Boiler house closed so fast that we never got a chance to try it). The only new additions were a few Mexican looking wall decorations and orange and grape soda bottles all over the place.

My complaints are that after leaving El Tapatio my clothes smelled so bad that I had to throw them in the washer that night! Also, there were four deserts on the menu and none of them were worth ordering.

I don’t really see myself going back unless they take out an ad saying “We have a brand spanking new ventilation system and you won’t reek of burritos after eating here”.

Ed and friends

Great Lakes Conway's Irish Ale

A kind and thoughtful person stopped by the other night with a six pack of Great Lakes Brewing Company’s Conway’s Irish Ale. I have wanted to try it so I was very happy to see it show up. Unfortunately she was in a hurry and couldn’t come in and help me do this review.

FYI for Ed and friends followers, I love getting help with reviews especially wine, beer, spirits and restaurant reviews so give me a call if you want to be a contributor for one of these.

The beer is very nicely colored and not nearly as red as I expected (although it did have a definite red shade). Many craft brewed beers are dark and thick or hoppy with a bitter finish and I don’t recommend these kinds of beers to “average” (“average” = Bud and Miller Lite drinkers) beer drinkers. Conway’s Irish Ale is a beer that most “average” beer drinkers will enjoy. I truly enjoyed it and would recommend it to ALL beer drinkers. It has all of the flavors that a craft brewed beer should have and all of these flavors are in moderation. It is an extremely well balanced beer.

Ed and friends

AMP150

Brenna and I stopped at the WIDELY acclaimed AMP150 today for lunch. We had been looking for an excuse to have dinner at AMP150 for a long time but couldn’t seem to make it happen. Since we were driving by at lunch time and we were both hungry we decided to pop in for lunch.

We started with a mushroom and goat cheese flatbread which was wonderful. I never would have guessed that mushrooms and goat cheese would have been a good combo but it was simply wonderful. Next we decided to have four “small plates” and share them. These were a far cry from small plates and we nearly couldn’t finish all the food we ordered. Our choices were Shrimp and Grits which was not at all what we expected but definitely worth a try, cavitelli that was very nice, edamame falafel that was super tasty and seared scallops. The seared scallops were absolutely amazing!!! They are a must try if you stop at AMP150. I had heard that the mushroom soup was out of this world and when I told our server she gladly ran to the kitchen and grabbed us two small samples. It is all it is cracked up to be. It was delicious.

Our lunch could have been dinner since it was about twice as much food as we needed for lunch. I had a beer from a very nice beer selection. The drink and wine menus were very satisfactory. Brenna doesn’t drink at lunch so we were one drink away from a dinner sized check. We spent $55.00 for lunch but please remember that we could have easily done this for less than $35.00 if we would have ordered the right amount of food. We tipped our server fairly generously since she was very helpful and brought us a sample of the soup. Our total was $70.00 and it was worth every penny.

If you like sophisticated food I HIGHLY recommend AMP 150. The only thing I would change about the place is that I think it could use another wall to separate it from the hotel lobby. I give AMP150 4.5 out of 5.0 stars.

Ed and friends

All-Clad 12-quart multi-pot

The All-Clad 12 quart Multi-pot with inserts is a very high tech pot. We bought it from Williams Sonoma on sale for $100.00. It seemed like it was the greatest pot ever, “it does so much and it will make life in the kitchen a breeze”, we thought.

It is a great pot………right up to point that you have to clean the damned thing! The pot itself is great but the inserts are made with what looks like stainless steel screen door screen. We bought it to make pasta in but the pasta gets stuck in the mesh and then getting it out is horrible. We like to use scrubber sponges with that 3M scrubber stuff on one side. The scrubber stuff gets stuck in the mesh while trying to get the pasta out of the mesh and you are right back at first base. The steamer insert is just as bad with small things like broccoli. For green beans and larger vegetables it was OK.

My advice is if you need a 12-quart stock pot and you get a chance to buy this thing cheap then by all means do it. Otherwise just buy a 12-quart stock pot and save yourself the headaches of cleaning this rascal.

Ed and friends

Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey

Okay, time to get this thing rolling. It has been a while since I bought this bottle of Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey but it seems like a nice afternoon to sit in my office and sip a little whiskey and talk about it.

Let me start by saying that this is one of the finest, smoothest whiskey's I have ever had the pleasure of sipping. It tastes like whiskey but without all the burn and nasty aftertaste that you might associate with whiskey.

The bad news is the price! In Wooster OH I paid $42.00 for a 750ml bottle. This is pretty pricey for the light of wallets like me.

Ten bucks cheaper and I would give this wonderful whiskey 5/5 stars but the price brings it down to 4/5. I would still recommend it if your wallet is thick but for the average joe like me this is likely not going to be a staple in my liquor cabinet.


Ed and friends

What the hell is he talking about!?!?

OK, here is the deal. I want to read real life reviews of products, services, restaurants, beers, liquors and whatever else I can think of to review that aren’t written by pompous overbearing jackasses from Manhattan, Chicago or Los Angeles.

 I want someone to write reviews of products and establishments that I may actually consider buying or doing business with. I could give a rat’s ass if a $120.00 bottle of wine is good or not because there is no way in hell I am going to buy a $120.00 bottle of wine.

I want video reviews of products that are done by normal everyday people not models and/or actors. I want normal reasoning why a new song is great or stinks. I don’t want a lecture from some music professor talking about how overtones of the oboe overpowered the percussion section.

These don’t need to be long winded reviews; I don’t have time to read all that crap anyway. A few sentences will suffice. “The wine was nice it was medium dry and not overpoweringly to the point that my lips puckered up, and at a mere $9.25/bottle I highly recommend buying some to try for yourself.” I can live with a review like this. I don’t need to know that it had cherry undertones or that it was a little oaky.

So here it is a new blog for reviewing products and services. These reviews will be done by average people and written for average people. I hope you enjoy them.

Ed and friends