Eating occasions-- Super Bowl and Valentine's Day

Two of the biggest food days (excluding Thanksgiving and the December holidays) of the year are coming up-- Super Bowl Sunday and Valentine's Day. I've read that the big national pizza chains (Papa John's and Domino's) do their biggest business on this day (followed by Halloween-- interesting!) and I know that La Rosa's is always super busy, too. This is about the time of year when magazines are covered in chips, dips, "manly" food (who deems a food manly or feminine, really?) and crowd pleasers. I am not having a Super Bowl party this year, but I'll be attending one. We're each supposed to bring a snack, and since the hostess always teases me about things like, "Gee, Julie, did you raise the chicken on your fire escape? Churn the butter yourself?" I can't just buy some salsa and chips and call it a day. Terry suggested chicken wings, but I think that might be a little difficult to transport-- I don't want them to get mushy or greasy or over-sauced in the 20 or so minute drive to the party. This is sad, because I do make decent wings.

Right now, I'm considering a couple of recipes. Googling "super bowl recipes" is sort of frightening: it seems like everything involves Velveeta, Cheez-Whiz, bottled barbecue sauce or a really obnoxious football theme. I'm leaning towards a dip-- maybe a Reuben dip (very simple: fresh sauerkraut from Kroeger's at Findlay, some good corned beef, some cream cheese, shredded Swiss, warmed and served with rye crisps. Very New York (most of us will be rooting for the Giants) and pretty tasty. I was also thinking about doing chicken satay-- easy to eat, tasty, and different. Do any of you have any suggestions?

Then, of course, there's Valentine's day. I've enjoyed working on a friend's ad campaign for a restaurant that is doing an "anti-Valentine's", playing great break-up songs and lots of drink specials. I'm sort of anti-Valentine's myself: in past relationships, V-day has been forgotten, plus I've been stood up with, broken up with, and had a close family member die on Valentine's. Terry (being a guy) isn't terribly fond of it either, so we're boycotting things like chocolate and flowers (why buy them at twice normal retail?) and restaurants that double their prices and... well, we're not sure what we're doing. I think I'm going to make sure we both enjoy it and it will probably involve cooking, but I can't spoil the surprise because Terry reads this (hiya, Sweetie!). I'd definitely appreciate meal suggestions for this one, too!

Congratulations to Pigall's!

Congratulations to the entire staff at Pigall's, as Mobil has awarded it four stars in their Mobil Travel Guide. It was also ranked #11 by Zagat's as one of the best restaurants in the country. We may not have the 5-star Maisonette anymore, but we are, as a city, certainly well represented in the culinary world.

Review: Morton's Steakhouse

Ah, Morton's. I know I said I wouldn't review national chain restaurants here, but I'm making an exception since the experience was so very different than my perception.

We ended up at Morton's because we couldn't figure out where to go to dinner. This is a usual Friday night for Julie and Terry. We go to our favorite bar, order a beer (a diet Coke for me) and relax after our long weeks. Our favorite bartender asks us where we're going, we say, "We have no idea!" and he laughs, and tells us how much it amuses him that we go through the same thing every week. This Friday was no different. Nothing sounded good, but to Terry, a steak always sounds good. As we exited the parking garage out of the Westin (I'll admit, I was trying to drag him to Via Vite, but the suggestion didn't make it out of my mouth), he pointed and said, "Morton's!" So Morton's it was.

Morton's is known for being a traditional steakhouse-- there are Morton's Steakhouses all over the country, the first (and best known) being in Chicago. In Cincinnati, Morton's used to be underground in the Carew Tower, but recently, it opened above Boi Na Braza on the second floor of the same building. It is, indeed, a beautiful restaurant in a very old fashioned sort of way: leather banquettes, humongous flower arrangements everywhere, dark wood, bottles of wine as decor and a tuxedoed Maître d'. The ambiance is definitely very "special occasion", and the view on the Square is beautiful.

At 9:30 on a Friday night, the restaurant had about three or four tables. Our waiter was very cordial and knowledgeable: he quickly got our drink orders, and wheeled over The Visual Menu. As I had only been to Morton's to have cocktails before this, I'd never experienced The Visual Menu. Our waiter, with the enthusiasm of a flight attendant giving us the pre-flight safety instructions, reviewed the menu, and thankfully gave us a paper menu for follow-up, as I really don't remember much from it besides, "Wow, that's a really huge lobster."

Terry decided on a ribeye, and I decided on my standard: seared ahi. I find most steakhouses do tuna steaks well, and this one was sesame-encrusted and served with a "spicy soy ginger sauce". Sign me up! We started off with a wedge salad: this one was very average, and the blue cheese dressing was not particularly spectacular: there was no pungent bite of blue, only creaminess. Wedge salads are really only vehicles for blue cheese dressing delivery, so it was only "okay".

Our entrees arrived. I had ordered my tuna medium rare, which was what the Chef recommended. I should have ordered it rare. My first bite was well done, but I generally expect the outer parts of meat like a steak or tuna to be be more well done than the center. The second bite was well done. The next bite was less well done, but the center was a sickly grey. The waiter had already checked in, so of course, I didn't discover this until after. It took a while for the waiter to come from out of the kitchen and notice me (he only had one other table), but he was very apologetic and put in another order. By this time, Terry had finished his steak (which he had ordered rare, but was more medium-rare), so we ate fries (which were okay, a bit mealy and pale) and garlic green beans (very garlicky and perfectly done) until my second entree came out. This one was pink and not grey in the center (I know that some species of tuna are not the CO-infused bright pink we're used to, but that visual menu got the best of them: the ahi was bright red). Unfortunately, though it was better than before, it still wasn't great: the saltiness of the soy overwhelmed any ginger and wasabi, and the meat itself was bland and flavorless. I was disappointed. Terry was disappointed as well: though his steak was good, it wasn't spectacular. He described it as, "Competent, but only a step above a chain like Outback. I really want an aged steak from Ruby's." He also mentioned that he had been to the Cincinnati Morton's before, and thought it was much better. Maybe it was an off night, but I've talked to other diners who have had similar experiences recently. I hope they improve to match both their reputation and their ambiance.

We skipped dessert, and I took half of my tuna home (and it's still in the bag in the refrigerator, I probably ought to throw it out). Overall, we were both underwhelmed to the point where we were disappointed the next day. There's nothing like an unsatisfying, overhyped meal to disappoint you. If I'm looking for a steak, I think I'll stick with a Jeff Ruby restaurant, or perhaps head to Embers in Montgomery.

The Project.

I'm a pretty good home cook. I have dinner parties, I know my way around the kitchen. I can chop things without cutting my fingers off, know enough about flavors and ingredients to create things from my pantry with no recipe, and everything tastes good and looks pretty. I can follow a recipe. I have a well-stocked pantry. I'm single, and unless I'm having a party, I usually cook for two people at the max, so I don't keep a lot of fresh ingredients in my refrigerator, but I know how to shop for a meal. I try not to buy a lot of processed food.

I learned to cook from my grandmother. My mother, whose idea of cooking generally involves calling for pizza or putting it on Amex, insists that the cooking gene skips a generation. This is funnier than it initially sounds, because we're both adopted. My mother is great at cleaning. Thankfully, I have a little bit of that in me, too.

Grandma was known for her baked goods: our extended family looked forward to holiday gifts of almond-scented tea rings with candied cherries on top, Mexican wedding cookies, and hand-decorated sugar cookies. She cooked nearly every meal in my house until I was 14 and she had a stroke, after which I took over cooking duties. Her cooking was standard 40s-50s housewife: jello salads, spaghetti and meatballs, overcooked roast beef, tuna casserole.

I fell deeper into a love of cooking when I discovered The Frugal Gourmet. Say what you will about him, he taught me the basics. My Christmas present for my 13th birthday was a KitchenAid Mixer (which I still have and use). I remember writing an obituary for tuna salad in the sixth grade, and The Frug was one of its survivors (because it had a lot of "gaaah-lic"). I remember David Rosengarten's Taste, Justin Wilson, and Food TV before it was overrun with Rachael Ray.

So now I'm trying to apply what I've learned to this blog, and Cincinnati dining. In talking with my friend Drew, I realized that I probably need to do some more in-depth exploration of food beyond "I like X" and "This tastes like Y". He gave me a list of books that might help me, and helped him in his forays into gastronomy. Unlike Drew, I don't have the time (nor the money!) to go to culinary school. I also don't want to be a chef. I don't really have any desire to work in a restaurant, but I do want to have a firm foundation in what goes on behind the doors of the restaurants I frequent.

And everyone needs to know how to make good stock.

So, as I read Michael Ruhlman's The Making of a Chef: Mastering Heat at the Culinary Institute, I've gotten a little inspired. Ruhlman, a food writer, spent time at the Culinary Institute of America learning, essentially, how to be a chef. Again, I don't have those resources, so I've come up with Julie's At-Home Plan to Be a Better Cook and Food Writer.

(I know. It's catchy.)

I ordered a copy of the The Professional Chef, 8th Edition from Amazon and I've decided to use it. I won't report back on stuff like sanitation, but once I start practicing my mise en place, knife skills, all of that good stuff, I'll document it here. It should be a learning experience for both of us (meaning you, the reader, and me) and I'm sure Terry won't mind eating my experiments.

So I won't become a chef, but I think I'll have some good practice. I'll see if I can supplement it with a few cooking classes, and I have a ton of other books and cookbooks to read. I hope you'll follow along!

(And don't worry. I'll continue the reviews. I hope to have another one this weekend!)

Lavomatic to open in February (hopefully)

I'm hoping this blog doesn't sound like an ad for Jean-Robert's restaurants, but I can't help that he's constantly opening and reinventing his restaurants. This one particularly excites me, as it's in my neighborhood of Over the Rhine.

The Business Courier reports that Lavomatic is slated to open February 1st, "hopefully", says Martin Wade, one of du Cavel's business partners. The menu will feature global, rustic, French-inspired food that won't be stuffy or formal, along with 75 wines by the bottle and 28 wines by the glass, selected by the Downtowner's wine columnist, sommelier Burke Morton, who also runs front-of-house.

The owners of Metronation hinted that, perhaps, it will be connected to Lavomatic, so you can browse while you wait, particularly on Sunday mornings (do I sense brunch?). I'll be interested to check out a restaurant within quick walking distance-- will you head to OTR to try it out?

Kroger recycling plastic bags!

Reminded by both The Kitchen and The Foodie Report , I noticed last night at Hyde Park Kroger that they had cans out to recycle plastic bags: grocery bags, drycleaning bags, produce bags. Whole Foods, who owns Wild Oats is pledging to go plastic bag free by Earth Day. As HP Kroger is the only Kroger I visit with any regularity, do you know if other local Krogers (or other stores) are doing this as well? I bring my own bags to Trader Joe's, and I also tote along a few bags in my car when I go to Findlay Market. Several stores give discounts if you bring your own bags: Kroger's is 5 cents, Keller's IGA is 10 cents. It's economical and good for the environment!

What do you do with your unused bags?

Review: Terry's Turf Club

There are few things that are more satisfying to me than a burger and fries. I love a good, high-end meal, but sometimes you just want a juicy burger and crispy fries, and nothing else will do. A burger and fries also seems like an easy meal, but it's rare that you can find a place that does a good burger as well as good fries-- you often get a great burger with mediocre fries, or vice-versa. Laura Landoll, the sommelier responsible for the last Midwest Wine Dinner, had recommended-- enthusiastically and without reservation-- a burger joint on Eastern Avenue. She compiled their wine list, and said that they were the best burger in Cincinnati. On Saturday, I remembered that recommendation when Terry declared that he wanted a burger, and we headed down Eastern Avenue to check it out for ourselves.

Terry's Turf Club is owned by Neon's former owner, Terry Carter, and the collection of neon signs pays homage to his old stomping ground. From the outside, it looks like any other dive that caters to locals, and inside, with its pub tables, neon signs (the Wiedemann signs brought back memories, for sure), bowling machine and peanut shell covered floor made the place feel homey, welcoming, and friendly.

The menu is small and specialized: Sandwiches, Fries, and Gelato. That's it. Though they have a filet mignon sandwich, grilled cod and chicken, portabellas, shiitakes, and a shrimp sandwich, what drives people in are the burgers. They are classic-- ground beef, seasoning, and your choice of toppings. Terry (the boyfriend, not the owner) ordered a simple burger with American cheese, bacon, lettuce, onion, mayo and mustard, all on a bun from Shadeau bakery. I got a little "daring" and went with one of the specialty sauces-- burgundy wine with wild mushrooms and truffles-- as well as some grilled onions and Swiss cheese. The burger was well-done (we were not given a choice, and I prefer mine medium, but this was not well-done into oblivion: it was surprisingly juicy), and in combination with the sauce, a sloppy mess. I'm not sure I picked up any truffle in the sauce; perhaps I would have had I not had all of the other flavors going on in my burger, but the sauce was rich with earthy mushrooms and red wine. I could have topped my burger with foie gras or goat cheese, or any number of other sauces ranging from roasted garlic peanut sauce to curried mango sauce-- I'll try one of those next time.

The fries were good-- not the best I've had (I like mine much crispier and saltier) but I give them credit for being homemade, fresh, and skin-on. So many places serve mediocre frozen fries, and these were a step or two above frozen. The drinks were good as well-- I had a cosmopolitan (eschewing wine that night) and Terry had some Sam Adams Summer Ale. We both walked away full (far too full for even gelato), and we'll definitely be back.

Are these the best burgers in Cincinnati? I definitely liked it better than Zip's, whose burgers can tend to be a little bland. Any other must-try burger suggestions? I'm always on the lookout for the best burger, and Terry's is definitely in the running.

Review: Greenup Café

I used to live on Greenup Street, and often walked down to Wildflour for breakfast, or Scalea's for a sandwich (I don't remember its name-- and they had such clever names!) that involved salted rye, cheddar, mounds of rare roast beef and coleslaw. Both of them are gone now-- Scalea's was replaced with Pho Paris, and now Chalk, and Wildflour has been replaced with Jean-Robert's Greenup Cafe.

I suppose I've been to Greenup Café about ten times -- twice for dinner, twice for lunch, and the rest for breakfast. I won't say much about lunch and dinner except that the fresh ingredients, simple preparations, and seasonal ingredients make for meals you don't want to miss. Again, since they're seasonal, any items I talk about won't be on the menu-- just trust me, it's worth it both for the quality of food, casual atmosphere, and good price.

Breakfast is, to me, really where Greenup Café shines. Their pastries, made by Chef de Chocolat Jean-Phillippe Solnom, are as good as (if not better than) the stuff I got last month in Paris. The croissants are flaky, buttery, and light as air; the tarts are both beautiful to look at and delicious, and the pot de créme (a baked custard; at Greenup, it is usually chocolate) and crème brûlée are both amazing (though not really a breakfast food. Not that I've ever eaten them for breakfast...). Just stopping in for pastries and one of their spicy, not-too-sweet chai lattes is a treat in itself.

However, since my friend Kasmira and I wanted to relax a little while we ate, we went for breakfast. Kasmira and I had gone there once before for breakfast and she envied my pain perdu (french toast made out of croissants, in this case), until she saw their tart du jour-- goat cheese, red pepper and onion. Yum! I had their quiche sage-- caramelized onions and sage in a delicious crust-- and a small side salad topped with radishes and Dijon vinaigrette. Other featured items on the menu are "Wannabe" Wildflour huevos rancheros, croque monsieur, pancakes, omelettes-- a nice variety. I try to get something different each time, and every time I've thoroughly enjoyed my meal.


Greenup Café does accept reservations for dinner, but not for breakfast or brunch-- if you're an early bird, you'll probably walk right in, but it does get crowded around noon on both Saturdays and Sundays. You can grab coffee and pastries while you wait, so the wait is not unenjoyable.

Who do you think does the best brunch in town? Comment here, let me know, and I'll try it out!

Chalk opens!

I'm hoping to check out Chalk in the next couple of weeks. I'll be honest-- the name doesn't quite capture me, but the concept does. I'm very interested in what sounds like a non-traditional, casual, creative restaurant.

And don't get me started on how much I'm looking forward to Lavomatic. I hear whispers about what the menu might be-- not sure if I can share yet-- but it will be appropriate for a city with the culinary history Cincinnati has, and unlike anything you can currently get downtown.

Read about Chalk here.

McFaddens to reopen as Blackfinn

Thanks to the Cincinnati Blog for this tip: McFaddens, formerly Nick and Tony's, will be reopening as Blackfinn. It's nice to have another spot to hit up after a show-- too bad it's a chain.

You can sign up on their website for free tickets to their grand opening, but what's weird is it asks for your high school! Only in Cincinnati, folks. Only in Cincinnati.

Review: Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse

Friday night, after meeting up with some lovely folks from my neighborhood, Terry and I decided that we needed a late dinner. Since Terry had a rather stressful week at work, he decided that he needed beef, and that beef needed to come from Jeff Ruby's.

Who was I to argue?

Jeff Ruby is a bit of an institution here in Cincinnati. He considers his restaurant group "culinary entertainment", and entertaining it is. Each of his restaurants, though heavy on the steak, has its own personality. Jeff Ruby's (with locations in Cincinnati, Louisville and at the Belterra Casino-- you non-Cincinnatians may remember OJ Simpson being kicked out of a restaurant last year-- that was Jeff Ruby's in Louisville) is an art deco, old-style steak house with some east coast flair; Tropicana has signature steaks alongside some pretty great seafood; Carlo and Johnny's has a Mafia feel; the Precinct used to be a police station and has always attracted sports stars, so many of the dishes are named after local sports figures like Chris Collinsworth and Carson Palmer; the Waterfront has sushi and more seafood. Essentially, Jeff Ruby brings some pretty darn good steaks and some style reminiscent of Vegas and New York right here to Cincinnati.

We got there around 9:30 on a Friday, so we were seated immediately in a booth that would normally seat about 4. Our server, Steven, was fantastic-- efficient, attentive (without hovering), had great recommendations and though very serious, still cracked jokes with me after I spilled my water (I'm a klutz, and I'd only had diet Coke that evening!).

We each started out with drinks-- a beer for Terry and a glass of ABC Pinot Noir for me-- and a salad. Terry got the Freddie, which is their version of a wedge salad, and I got the Tiffany, which I thought sounded a little lighter because of the haricot verts and lack of bacon. It had a choice of two dressings-- vinagrette and blue cheese-- and I asked Steven which was better. He got a huge smile on his face: "Blue cheese!" Who am I to argue? The Maytag blue cheese was perfect: creamy and pungent, and Terry kept stealing bites. I think he'll get the Tiffany next time. Of course, there was the salted rye and porcini-and-truffle mushroom butter, which I could make an entire meal of in itself.

Remember how Terry wanted beef? He got it-- Jeff Ruby's Jewel. It's a bone-in ribeye, cooked rare (just the way he likes it) and topped with foie gras butter. Steven said, as he placed the plate in front of Terry, that this was the best steak in the country. He agreed (and he's eaten steak all over the country). Ruby's steaks are dry-aged, which adds so much to the flavor, with a perfectly charred outside and nice, cool, red inside. Further research says that Steven wasn't exaggerating-- in 2007, Zagat rated Jeff Ruby's better than the top steak houses in New York-- including Peter Luger, Del Frisco and Sparks. Pretty impressive. He had been craving creamed spinach, so we ordered that as a side to share-- it was creamy, with a hint of Parmesan and nutmeg. I'm not a huge fan of creamed spinach (too much of it growing up, and it wasn't very good), but I really liked this version, and I'd definitely share it again.

I decided on some seared ahi-- rare, of course. It sat on a bed of greens, surrounded by a surprisingly spicy portabella demiglace. If you're not into steak (or just not in the mood for it), it's a great option, and my leftovers the next day were superb. And you will have leftovers, I assure you!

We bowed out on dessert, far too full from our dinner. Maybe next time!

Jeff Ruby's is a great option for a steak craving or a special occasion (our special occasion was, depending on the moment, "Friday", "January 11", and "Steak Craving Day"). It's a little pricier than a lot of Cincinnati diners are used to, but the food, service and atmosphere are well worth every penny.

The Iron Horse Inn

I'm sad to report that the Iron Horse Inn has closed in Glendale. It was home to some fabulous wine dinners (so I hear, I never had the chance to attend one) and great food. Hopefully something new, but in keeping with the flavor of the neighborhood, will acquire that prime location. I'll keep you posted.

Michael Pollan at Joseph Beth, 1/12/08

Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food will be at Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Rookwood Commons on Saturday, 1/12 at 1 PM. They expect a big turnout, so line letters are recommended if you want an autograph. I might just go to hear him speak. I read Omnivore on one leg of a trip to Hawaii in 2006, and it really made me think about local, sustainable food-- it might be a reread after I read Defense, as I hear somewhat mixed reviews about Defense compared to Omnivore. Has anyone read this book? What do you think?

MCI Wine Dinner-- Chef Alan Neace, Sr.

January marks the second month of the Midwest Culinary Institute's series of wine dinners. This month featured a menu created by Chef Alan Neace, Sr., who is on staff as an instructor at MCI, with wines paired by Laura Myers-Landoll from Vintage Wine Distributors.

Here's the menu, with my comments.

Smoke-Roasted Corn Chowder with petite blue crab and shrimp filled morel
2005 Joseph Drouhin Saint-Veran, white burgundy

Wow! What a fantastic chowder. I'm not a real corn chowder person, but this was creamy and almost bisque-like, with just a few bits of corn and potato floating--- not chunky at all. The morels stuffed with crab and shrimp were a great compliment. The white burgundy was nice, and enhanced the creaminess. I really need to do more wine pairings, and take notes-- my wine notes won't be great.

Cobenerro Crusted Sea Bass with quark spaetzle and cucumber-orange compote
2006 Domaine Sigalas Santorini, Assyrtiko

So far, Chef is batting 1000. This sea bass was amazing (though I couldn't help but think about the environmental implications-- I've been reading too much Michael Pollan). It was very well seasoned (a complaint all of us had from last time-- things were too conservatively seasoned), a little spicy, and perfectly cooked. The cucumber-orange compote was a very nice, cooling compliment to the spicy fish. I could have easily eaten this as my entree and been a very happy lady. The Assyrtiko-- which I hadn't tried before-- held up nicely to the spice in a way that most whites couldn't.

Quinoa and Black Bean Salpicon with oven-dried cherry vinaigrette and elfin greens
2006 Chateau de Campuget Rose Rhone, Syrah/Grenache

My dining group, which included Drew, Drew's wife Wendy, Laura Landoll, and my friend Ted are quite the sarcastic bunch. This dish came out and it was gorgeous-- the salpicon was wrapped up in long slices of cucumber, surrounded with the vinagrette, and topped with the elfin greens (we joked that Chef had made that up, and that perhaps hobbits would serve the dish to us) and a chip of some sort, shaped in a half moon, that Drew (who is a professionally trained chef) deemed a Pringle. A fancy, tasty pringle at that-- I love fancy little salads; I admit I am quite the green salad and cucumber girl, so I think I liked this dish more than the others did. I wasn't terribly fond of the Rose-- perhaps I'm still jaded by the whole "white zin" thing-- but Roses just don't do it for me.

Sumac Rubbed Roast Pork Tenderloin Roulade with ratatouille, haricot verts, aromatic infused pear, chive fragranced polenta cake and sauce diable
2006 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir or 2005 Consentino Winery Sangiovese

I love pork. I love pork in all incarnations. It is not hard to sell me on pork. My friend, Ted, isn't a huge pork fan. We both loved this-- the whole table loved it. The ratatouille didn't quite seem to go with everything else on the plate (but was good), and the haricot verts were just a touch undercooked, but again, good, and a nice, green contrast to the earthiness of the rest of the plate. The Pinot Noir paired very nicely with the meal, but the Sangiovese was a better wine independent of it-- so I'll probably buy the Sangiovese. Plus, it was a steal-- $16! The Pinot Noir isn't organic-- as Laura pointed out, who would want to work for a year for free if you couldn't use pesticides once in a while-- but is salmon safe! Considering how much I've been reading about sustainable fish (it's all over the blogosphere), it was tremendously interesting that the run-off from these vineyards don't harm the water. Look for a post about sustainable eating sometime soon.

Delicate Pistachio and Cranberry Cake with terrine of cream medly, Tellicherry red wine sauce and chocolate decor
2003 Les Clos de Paulilles Banyuls

Let me first go on about the wine. Oh, this wine. It was grape-y and berry-y and a little thick on the tongue. It was the best dessert wine I'd ever had. Laura said "this is the classic wine to pair with chocolate". Dessert comes out? No chocolate! Well, there was a little bit of chocolate swirly decor, but otherwise? Not really. Now, mind you, the pistachio cake (which was slightly green and tasted mostly of almonds and filled with cranberry) was very good and most and flavorful, and the terrine of cream reminded me of Neopolitan ice cream-- so I can't complain about either, but I thought a different wine might have complimented it better than the Banyuls. Meanwhile, Drew sent one of the waitstaff back to get some of the rejected chocolate decors so we could have a little more chocolate to pair with this delicious wine-- another bottle I'm going to have to pick up.

Afterwards, Drew took me on a tour of the facilities, which are stellar. The old culinary arts department at Cincinnati State was one small kitchen with just a few ranges. The new Culinary Institute is a world-class facility with twelve (!) kitchens, huge stations for each student, two sub-freezing rooms for butchering meat and fish separately, a pastry department that smells so good I could stand outside it all day, with an area for decor plus a room for baking. There, I met Chef Myatt who was teaching a pastry class. I sampled one of the student's secret recipes (sorry, can't divulge that secret!) which was delicious-- these are some talented students. MCI is also sending a team to the Culinary Olympics in October: this is a hub for some exciting stuff, and we should be proud to have such a facility in Cincinnati.

I am very excited for next month's dinner-- I'm not sure who the chef is or who the wine rep is, but I'm sure it will be delicious.

Midwest Culinary Institute's Wine Dinners

A new wine dinner is in town! Though wine reviews and tastings are something I'll leave to Michelle, I am pretty thrilled to talk about The Midwest Culinary Institute's brand-new monthly wine dinners. My friend Drew is on the planning committee for this event, and I'm so pleased that he invited his friends (including me!) to the inaugural dinner last month, and I'm delighted to go again tonight.

Each month, the Midwest Culinary Institute (which is aiming to be one of the premier culinary schools in the country) is hosting a wine dinner which features a local chef and a particular wine distributor. I hear from Drew that this month's chef is Alan Neace, Sr., who is an ACF-certified Chef-Instructor at the institute. All of the meals are prepared by students, and the wine pairings are explained by the distributors. A big group of us got together to go last month, and are doing the same this month. We all had a great time-- the food was very good, the wine pairings were great (I still have dreams about a certain Cabernet Sauvignon paired with a creamy blue cheese), and it's wonderful to dine on food created by up-and-coming chefs (who work both front and back of the house-- I'm impressed!).

I'll grab a menu and recap tonight after the dinner. I hear rumors that the Summit (the restaurant at MCI) will eventually be a regular, working restaurant, open to the public for more than just special events. I'll keep you posted!

Review: Shanghai Mama's

I can't claim that this is a restaurant I've never tried before; indeed it's one of my old favorites. I've been going here since it opened (in fact, I remember when it was my favorite Big Sky Bread location and I went there once a week-- remember them?), and once upon a time, I got engaged there. Thankfully, Shanghai Mama's outlasted my marriage and has become something of a institution in the ever-growing downtown nightlife.

Let's start out with the little things. First, I adore my usual waitress, Mandy, whom I initially met at King Wok. She remembered (when Terry and I didn't) where we had sat previously, and it's been a food-based friendship ever since. She's sweet, adorable, and always gives great recommendations, so if you catch her and she recommends something-- take her word on it!

Second, let's talk about the hours: they're open until 3 AM. I know, around here the classic "after drinking" food is White Castles (or, if you're in Newport or Covington, Waffle House), but I occasionally want something not quite so heavy (or stomach-upsetting). It's also great for after-event dinners-- post-theater, post-hockey, whatever. I don't know of many places downtown that have kitchens open past 11 (Via Vite has a late-night menu-- anyone else?), so for a night owl like me, it's a godsend.

Now we get to the food. Oh, the food. Shanghai Mama's isn't your traditional Americanized Chinese food-- you know, order #15 with fried rice and an egg roll. Instead, it's a fusion of East and West wrapped up in a kitschy, 1930s-Shanghai style package. Their menu uses very fresh ingredients and some interesting preparations for an Asian meal that is far superior to your standard takeout.

You can make a meal of their appetizers-- my favorites being the Shrimp Tempura (oft-voted Best Damn Dish at Taste of Cincinnati), with a flaky tempura batter and their sweet-and-sour Big Red sauce; Crabmeat Cannoli (according to Michael, another waiter there, "chicks dig the cheese", and he's right), which are an innovative version of crab rangoon that actually contains crab. They also have surprisingly good chicken wings, and their Shanghai Flatbread, covered in spicy-sweet chicken, is a meal in itself.

What Shanghai Mama's is known for, however, are their noodles. The varieties! Ho fun, lo mein, rice noodles, and don't forget the homemade Shanghai-style noodles, which during dinner service, are made in front of you in a display that can only be described as acrobatic. You can get them with chicken, beef, duck or vegetables in a variety of sauces-- I'm partial to the shrimp tempura bowl, myself.

As far as noodle-free dishes, they have plenty of good choices there, too. They have a fantastic Mu Shu pork that is delicious, not greasy, and served with the best hoisin sauce I've ever had. A current special (which may go permanent, who knows?) is a perfectly crispy peking duck wrap, served with hoisin, pancakes, carrots, scallions and cucumber that you assemble yourself. Absolutely fantastic! When I'm not indulging, Shanghai Salad with chicken and peanut dressing is my usual choice.

My only complaint involves the furnishings: the tables are crowded close together (which, after 11 PM, can make for some great people-watching and overheard conversations) and are a bit low, which makes it a little uncomfortable for private conversations (not a huge deal to me) taller people (which I am not) and leg crossers (which I am).

Shanghai Mama's is one of my favorite downtown restaurants-- it's convenient to the Aronoff Center, the Taft Theater and Fountain Square, near the corner of 6th and Main.

Cooking up a storm...

There wasn't a whole lot of dining out going on at Chez Julie-- sort of strange, considering most weekends I dine out at least twice. I seem to have gotten a domestic bug, and inspired by my recent week in Europe, wanted something I had in Paris: boeuf Bourguignon I combed through my fairly extensive cookbook collection (I collect them, it's a bit of a sickness) and settled on the recipe from Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook. I didn't have a whole lot of time to go to the grocery store, so I swung by Findlay Market, where I did all of my shopping in 15 minutes. I first stopped by Eckerlin's for some flat iron steak (a substitute for the paleron called for in the book, which is a cut not readily available in the US), then ran across the street to Angelina's, where I picked up some really great Roquefort and Gruyere for a cheese plate (and a sample of their homemade rhum baba, which were awesome-- highly recommended!). I rounded out my trip at Madison's for produce, some Mango-Ginger Stilton (an impulse purchase, but such a tasty dessert cheese) and some Findlay Market blend coffee. It took me less than ten minutes (including banter with the clerks) and the meal was one of the best I've made in a while. Since I had friends over, I didn't want to subject them to my food-photography weirdness, but I did get a couple of shots of the Findlay Market haul.



My only complaint? There is no wine shop at Findlay-- the closest wine shops to downtown being The Party Source and the Wine Shop on Ludlow. I hear a rumor that a wine shop is opening at Findlay-- anyone have any insight on that?

Terry and I went back on Sunday to buy groceries for Sunday night's dinner, which was an old-fashioned meat loaf and mashed potatoes. The meat loaf recipe is from The New Best Recipe, which is my go-to cookbook for classics that I want to turn out perfectly. It's produced by the Cook's Illustrated folks, and I've never cooked a bad dish out of that book. Again, everything-- including the ground veal and peppered bacon-- were from various stands at Findlay. Too bad it's so quiet on Sundays-- I really wish I'd see Findlay open and vibrant every day-- but we still got great service and, of course, great food. I think meatloaf sandwiches are in my future for dinner tonight.

I also finally joined the food blog bandwagon and made Mark Bittman's No-Knead Bread. I don't know why I haven't made this before-- it's simple (though it involves patience, which, when it comes to cooking, I often don't have) and unbelievably delicious-- soft on the inside, crackly-crusted on the outside-- it'll become part of my new weekend repertoire, I think. Who doesn't like fresh bread? And who doesn't like easy fresh bread? I hear that Cook's Illustrated has "perfected" the recipe, so I may try that one next, but for now, Mark Bittman's will do quite well.

And one last note-- major thanks to Michelle over at My Wine Education for her warm welcome to the Cincinnati blogging community. So far I've put my toe in over at Cincinnati Blog, and this is my first foray into a blog that encompasses two things I love: Cincinnati and food. I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I do!

The Belgian Waffle Guy

Anyone who frequents Findlay Market knows the smell-- right outside of Kroeger's Meats, on the outside perimeter is when it starts smelling really good-- the sugary, vanilla-y scent of The Belgian Waffle Guy. The first time I noticed him, he offered me a taste, and it was the first (and only) time I've ever had a sample, walked past, then spun on my heel to actually buy whatever I was sampling. It's that good.

Jean-Francois Flechet, who is originally from Belgium, might be better termed as the "Liege Waffle Guy". These aren't the waffles from your Belgian waffle iron-- these are crisp and sugary and a little gooey on the outside, somehow both dense and fluffy on the inside-- and are simply the most amazing confection I've ever tasted. Over the past couple of months, I've had Liege- style waffles in two other places (in Bryant Park in New York from an outfit called Augustin's, which sells something like 17,000 waffles a day as well as from a cart somewhere in Paris) and both times my traveling partner and I both said, "Wow. They're just not the same as the ones we get back home". When we got back into town, we made a beeline for Findlay to chat with Jean-Francois about how good his waffles are. His secret? They're fresh-- frozen no longer than a week (unlike Augustin's, which are imported from Belgium, and thus a bit over-frozen and chewy in an unpleasant way)-- and made in very small batches.

The good news? Taste From Belgium has expanded outside Findlay Market-- you can now find his waffles at Newport on the Levee, freshly made on Saturdays and Sundays at the Coffee Shop on Madison (the best way to eat them is fresh and hot right off the waffle iron) and at a bunch of other independent restaurants and coffee shops throughout the city, including Daveed's and Honey.

I'm hoping to include a few more restaurant reviews this year, so join me in supporting local entrepreneurs and restauranteurs. And tell Jean-Francois that you heard about him here!

Sung Korean Bistro

This review was written on my personal blog shortly after Sung opened. Between the holidays and travel, I haven't been back, but I plan on returning next week for their first wine dinner.

Last week-- Wednesday, to be precise-- the old Aioli space reopened as Sung Korean Bistro. If you're remotely food-oriented in Cincinnati, you've heard of Riverside Korean in Covington, which really isn't riverside (it's 3 blocks north) but has some of the best Korean food most of us in Cincinnati have ever had. It's one of those teeny tiny hole-in-the-wall places that only has ten tables (half of them with burners for Korean barbecue, the other half the shoeless, on-the-floor experience) but the food is totally worth the wait. The restaurant was recently sold, and Sung (the brother of the original owner, and chef owner/namesake of Sung) has opened his own restaurant on this side of the river. He's done gorgeous things with the space, and it's now very modern and Asian-influenced (though the running joke with the hostess, manager, and our waiter was 'Watch your head!' The lamps above the tables are a little low, and the hostess said, "It was installed by an Asian guy, and he didn't take into account tall Americans when he installed them!") and quite lovely.

According to interviews, Sung Oh opened the restaurant to "challenge" Korean cuisine. I should have remembered that and taken a closer look at the menu, because I didn't find anything "fusion" or really "different" with the dishes my dining companion ordered, which were dishes I consider "standards" at Korean restaurants. This is not a bad thing, because the dishes were really quite fantastic. We started off with some vegetable dumplings-- everyone likes dumplings, right?-- which were crisply fried and served with a hot-sweet soy-based sauce for dipping. They were delicious and plated very attractively. I ordered the dak bulgogi, which is korean-style barbecue chicken. It wasn't terribly hot (which is good, as I tend to not like my mouth on fire), but well seasoned and really quite delicious (the best bulgogi I've had in town). My friend ordered dolsot bibimbap, which he said was just like Riverside Korean's, which is a good thing. It didn't get quite the same sort of crispy rice crust Riverside's did, but our waiter admitted that he'd only been exposed to Korean food as of Wednesday, so I'm guessing he just wasn't up on the finer aspects of fond. An entirely forgivable offense, as the bite I had was quite tasty, and my friend said that this was "just what he was craving". Most of the other dishes on the menu are traditionally Korean, and based on the dishes we had, I'll bet you can't go wrong with any of them.

Asian restaurants, particularly here, often have a wine list that consists of Sutter Home, Sake and plum wine, but Sung collaborated with the late Paul Ortiz on a wine list that is varied and interesting. I had a nice burgundy whose name I should have jotted down, as it was a great compliment to my entree.

Sung is a welcome addition to downtown-- I can't wait to come back and try a few more dishes!

Have you tried it? Comment here and let me know what you think.

Welcome!

Welcome to Wine Me, Dine Me-- Cincinnati's restaurant and culinary blog. I hope to keep you abreast of restaurant happenings in the Cincinnati area, keep up on cooking classes and demonstrations and other food-related events in the area. If you have any tips, suggestions, or ideas for posts, please send me an email at winemedinemecinci@gmail.com! I look forward to a great year exploring food in Cincinnati with you!