Adega

When Adega at The 9 reached out to see if I'd be open to coming in to sample the menu from their new chef Nelly Buleje, I did jump at the chance. Mr. H and I had been in for brunch about a year ago, when the past chef was still there, and it didn't leave us wanting to come back. So, I was open to seeing what changes Chef Nelly had brought, and boy I'm glad that I did!

The meal started with Hummus (3 versions available). We were served the Beef Kafta with tomato relish and pickled onion ($13).

Um...WOW. This was probably the best hummus I've ever had and what a way to start the dinner. The flavor of the beef kafta was outstanding, and the hummus was so smooth. It would be a must-order for me again.

Next up was the Charred Octopus with citrus, herbs, artichoke-cucumber escabeche, patatas bravas, and chive coulis ($15).

The bitterness of the char on the octopus and the citrus components were mellowed by the expertly paired wine from Adega's Manager and Resident Sommelier, Michel Emerick.

Our third course was the World's Greatest Jamon ($15). Jamón iberico, arugula, tomato, manchego, and ciabatta.

This gorgeous piece of meat just melts in your mouth, and is quite decadent. We picked some up from Old Brooklyn Cheese Co. this summer as well, but it's hard to come by as it's brought over by ship from Spain. If every cheese and charcuterie plate I'm served had some of this, I'd be a happy girl. 

For the salad course, we had the Lyonnaise ($8) with frisée, baby spinach, arugula, egg, pancetta, ciabatta, Parmesan, and a sherry-mustard vinaigrette.

I cut into that perfectly poached egg, and it just oozed gorgeous yolk.

Next course was another highlight for us, the housemade Italian Bolognese ($26) with Italian sausage, tomato, garlic, basil, oregano, shaved fennel, rigatoni, and Parmesan.

The pasta is made in-house, and the sauce is unlike any other bolognese I've had. Chef Nelly's process takes 72 hours before it's ready to be served. I wasn't sure how I'd feel about fennel in the pasta dish, but the light crunch and subtle additional flavor it added totally worked! I'd like another bowl of this, like right now.

We then tried the Sea Scallops ($32) with a green grape relish, scallions, charred lemon, and couscous salad.

The last savory course of the meal was the Secreto Ibérico ($45). Bellota secreto and roasted carrots; that Jamón was just as luscious as the first preparation. Mr. H also dubbed these carrots as "best carrots he's ever had."

Each course included a wine pairing, featuring wines from Mediterranean climates. Each one truly made flavors from the dishes pop right out, or subtly complimented the food. There wasn't one that we didn't enjoy.

For dessert, we shared a Rosewood Flan...

...and Hazelnut Crème Brûlée.

Chef Nelly has dedicated a lot of time into his research, and the restaurant recreates flavors from the Mediterranean, infused with ingredients from Spain, Italy, Greece and France. They locally source products when they can, but really care about utilizing the best possible quality products out there.

Mr. H and I dine out and attend culinary events a lot, as you well know, and this was one of the more memorable meals we've had in quite some time! We will happily be going back soon on our own. I'm also ready to try some of the new brunch items Chef Nelly was describing. I'm glad that this outing put Adega back on my radar.

Disclosure: I was invited with a guest to attend a media tasting. All food and beverages were complementary. All opinions stated are 100% my own.

Adega
2017 E 9th Street
Cleveland, OH 44115
216-331-6289

Adega Brunch

Mr. H and I celebrated our one-year wedding anniversary on December 13th! How is that even possible? The year just flew by, and our anniversary kind of popped out of nowhere. I'm sure that it will always be a struggle, since it's smack in the middle of the holiday season. But, we couldn't let it pass us by without doing something special!

We decided it was easy enough to plan a "staycation" in Downtown Cleveland. Of course, we made a Saturday dinner reservation at Cibreo. We were married in the Cibreo Privato space, so this restaurant will always hold a special place in our hearts. We were fortunate enough to have a server that actually worked at our wedding. She took great care of us, and truly made the meal very special. Then, we headed over to the Ohio Theatre for A Christmas Carol from the Great Lakes Theater. The unseasonably warm December evening allowed us to walk through PlayhouseSquare and enjoy the city's holiday tree and lights as we strolled back to the Metropolitan at The 9, where we had decided to stay the night. It all brought back great memories of our wedding weekend last year.

For the last portion of our Downtown "staycation," we decided to try Adega at The 9 for brunch on Sunday morning. I wish that I could say that this dining experience was as pleasurable as the rest of the anniversary weekend, but it sadly wasn't.

I had to start the meal with The C-Town Bloody Mary ($15). Pricey, and certainly not the best Bloody Mary that I've had in town.

I ordered it spicy, but it barely had any heat to it at all. Otherwise, it did taste fresh and had some interesting flavors from the sweet relish, yellow mustard, and maple syrup. I love a Bloody Mary that you can "chew" on. This one had stuffed olives, serrano ham, and bacon. Not the cubed cheese or blue-cheese stuffed jalapeno peppers that are advertised on the menu though. Hmmm...

Mr. H ordered The Adega ($14) with serrano, ground chorizo, tomato, cilantro, arugula, pickled red onion, manchego, and a basil pesto aioli on ciabatta.

He was expecting a chorizo patty, but the sandwich is made with crumbled chorizo. This did make it more difficult to eat, and the meat was very greasy. Also, our server offered him hot sauce or ketchup...when he had two bites left of the sandwich. Bad timing. 

He also ordered a side of the Chicken Apple Sausage ($6 for 2 links) for the table. The links were unappetizing to look at, all gray and deep-fried. It reminded me of a mozzarella stick. Had little to no flavor as well. We left most of it behind on the plate.

I decided on a Build Your Own Crepe ($8). They have a list of sweet toppings and a list of savory toppings. Missing was any type of vegetables. I went savory, and you can only select from meats and cheeses.

I ordered Bacon and Boursin. There wasn't much cheese in there, and unfortunately, the kitchen uses the same thick-cut, extra-crispy bacon that was featured in my Bloody Mary. Great for soaking in tomato juice, not so great as large, hard chunks in a delicate crepe. Even Mr. H called the bite that he took "terrible." Again, I left half of it on the plate.

I also ordered a side of Marble Rye Toast ($2). The bread was wonderful, but the solid, rock-hard butter was un-spreadable, and it just shredded the poor toast. Can we all agree that chilled, hard butter should never be served with toast or starter bread at a restaurant? Please, stop. 

With an additional coffee and orange juice, this meal ran us about $60 with tax and tip. A very expensive brunch, and not one worthwhile thing about it. It doesn't leave me wanting to run back and try their dinner menu.

Was this meal just a misstep? Have you dined there and had a different (or similar) experience?

The weekend ended with a home-cooked Hong Kong-style Sea Bass dinner, and the frozen top tier of our wedding cake from A Cookie and a Cupcake. I had very low expectations, but it tasted as if we had just bought it that day!

Adega
The Metropolitan at The 9
2017 East 9th Street
Cleveland, OH 44115
216-239-1200