North End Wine Bar

Phew, I did it! I completed the 2017 To Dine Challenge in time for December 31st to roll around. For those of you that aren't familiar, since 2010 I've been setting a goal for this blog to dine at 10 specific restaurants over a 12 month period. Each December, I had gathered your suggestions, narrowed it down to 10, and announced the new Challenge list on January 1st. A little "New Year's Resolution" of sorts. 

There were some years that I didn't get to them all before December ended, and other years I was able to complete it in time. For 2017, I decided to bring back any restaurants that I had missed from other years (those that hadn't closed), and added a couple of new ones to round out the list of 10.

Well, I was able to get to all 10 over the last year, and I'm officially calling it QUITS. Completing all of the past restaurants that I missed, and a couple of fun new ones this year, is a great way to end the 7 year stretch of the To Dine Challenge. It's been fun, and thank you for all of your input, and sometimes company, in this annual challenge.

The last 2017 restaurant was North End Wine Bar in Hudson. It had originally been on my radar about a decade ago now, when my friend Chef Jeff Jarrett was there. It was one of the restaurants from my 2011 To Dine Challenge list that I never got to, and so it made its way back on to the list this year.

We were immediately greeted by what looked like the owner, as he swung open the front door for us as we arrived. The first section is a casual bar setting, with brightly lit coolers of all kinds of great craft beers and a few wines.

The larger section of the restaurant and retail shop is dedicated to wine sales and bistro seating.

It was Happy Hour, so we snagged flights of wine for just $10 (four 2 oz. pours). Thursdays are also Retail Wine Night, so if you order two entrees and a bottle of wine then the price of the wine is at retail value and the corkage fee is waived.

They also had good Happy Hour deals on wine by the glass, beer, and food. We ordered the Arancini ($5).

We then decided to share a few small plates instead of ordering entrees, so we decided on the NE Signature Dip ($10) with artichoke, Asiago cheese, roasted red pepper, garlic pita chips, and Parmesan.

The Lobster Cakes ($12) with lobster meat, boursin cheese, green onion, panko, and a roasted red pepper sauce.

Lastly, we shared the Chef's Pizza of the Day, which included short ribs, arugula, roasted red peppers, and a boursin cream sauce.

While I didn't care for the Signature Dip or Lobster Cakes, the Arancini and Pizza were both good.

They had asked if it was our first time there when we arrived, and as we wrapped up the meal a complimentary dessert wine and wedge of chocolate brownie arrived. What a sweet surprise! 

Honestly, it was the service that made me love this place. They were so welcoming, and went above and beyond to make our experience a good one. While some of the food was hit or miss, the concept is just great and I'd love to have a spot like this closer to us on the west side!

Well, that's a wrap on 2017. It's been a delicious and fun year. Cheers to what 2018 will bring!

North End Wine Bar
7542 Darrow Road
Hudson, OH 44236
(330) 342-1400

Cookie Love Bake Shop

One thing that I truly love about our area is that there seems to always be great businesses popping up, related to food. From food trucks, Randy's Pickles, meats from Saucisson, and other products showing up at farmers markets and from the Cleveland Culinary Launch and Kitchen...there's always something to discover and taste.

Today, I want to tell you about Cookie Love Bake Shop. It is a home-based bakery, located in Hudson, Ohio that specializes in fresh-baked gourmet cookies. Serving Summit, Portage, and Cuyahoga counties, they are delivering. Which is a great way to send a treat to someone, or to have baked goods just magically appear at your door!

The owner contacted me by email, to see if I'd be interested in sampling her cookies. "R" would have killed me if I had turned down this offer, so just a few days later, a box of a dozen cookies arrived.

The box included Chocolate Chip, Fudge Chocolate Chip, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip, and Oatmeal Raisin.

All four kinds were very soft, and two had just a sprinkle of sea salt on them (which I loved!).

"R" and I were in agreement that the traditional Chocolate Chip were our favorite. This is their signature cookie. The Fudge Chocolate Chip wasn't too far behind. A rich, dark cookie with two types of chips, it definitely reminded me of a brownie. The Oatmeal cookie was the softest of the four. I'm not a huge raisin fan, so the golden raisins weren't really my thing, but the cookie itself had hints of delicious cinnamon and spices in it. The Peanut Butter cookie had three types of chips, which was cool. It was packed with peanut butter flavor, but ended up being my least favorite of the four. The texture was a tad gritty, and it was a little too sweet for me to want to finish it.

I think a true sign of how these cookies were is the fact that the entire dozen was gone just 24 hours later. I think we were even down to 3 within 12 hours. I live with a cookie monster, and he happily indulged in these.

If you need cookies for an upcoming party, to send as a gift, or you're just craving something home-made and sweet that you don't have to bake yourself, check out Cookie Love Bake Shop. They have a great website, and are pretty active on social media.

All cookies are $8.95 for a dozen, and there is a three dozen minimum order. Small delivery fee does apply. You can place orders by phone now, but online ordering is coming soon.

Cookie Love Bake Shop
216-373-5903

Disclosure: I was provided with one dozen cookies to sample, but was not asked to blog about it. All opinions stated are 100% my own.

Hudson's Lager and Vine

Another foodie friend invited me out to her hometown of Hudson to check out the newly opened Lager & Vine Gastropub & Wine Bar. Of course, I took her up on the offer immediately--always willing to travel for good food.

They take reservations by phone, so we made one for 6PM and were seated immediately in a comfy booth towards the front of the restaurant. The restaurant is broken up into a couple of rooms, so the conversation level remains minimal and it was very pleasant to be able to catch up properly.

Our server was young, but as sweet as can be, and very professional and knowledgeable about the menu. They clearly have trained their staff well since opening. She was attentive, but let us take our time ordering. There were a lot of items that sounded great on the menu, so we had some difficulty choosing.

We decided to share the Garlic Roasted Crostini with fresh baked thin cut sour dough chips with wine infused cheese spreads ($9). The spreads will apparently change every season.

Currently, they were offering a goat cheese infused with white wine (Pinot? my memory escapes me) and a Cabernet-infused creamy cheddar. Both cheese spreads were very enjoyable. The goat cheese was smooth and light in flavor, and the cheddar had quite a bite to it. They balanced each other well. The real issue with this dish? The sour dough chips. They were cut thicker than I think is appropriate for a dish like this, and they were toasted beyond life. It was incredibly hard to bite through, and very rough on the mouth. With a thinner cut chip, or just lightly toasted bread-- this "tidbit to share" would be a winner.

We each wanted a salad, so we went with the Classic Chopped Wedge with crumbled bleu, beefsteak tomato, and onion ($6).

As you can see, there was nothing special about this wedge salad. It was fresh and fine, but not memorable.

Lastly, we split one of their flatbreads-- the L&V Blanco with garlic basil white sauce, prosciutto, basil, green olives, mozzarella, Parmesan, and deep fried crispy capers drizzled with herb oil ($12).

The toppings and overall flavor were outstanding. The flatbread itself, however, did not hold up well and was very flimsy from the beginning. It needed to be crispier, and this forced us to use our forks. I really wanted it to be better, because the combination of those toppings was spot on. It had such potential.

Potential. That's how I left Lager and Vine. Thinking that there is real potential there, but they just don't quite have it yet from what we experienced. Some real "bread" issues in the kitchen. It was just little things about the dishes that could have been helped, so hopefully they will adapt over time.

They have a great bar area, and boast that they only have craft beers on tap. They even have wine on tap, and many options by the bottle of both. On their dinner menu, suggested pairings are printed right with the dishes. They are really trying to capture the feel of a great wine bar and a trendy gastropub. I think the prices are reasonable, service outstanding, and menu tempting. They just aren't quite there yet.

Have you been?

Lager & Vine
30 Streetsboro Street
Hudson, OH 44236
330-650-1717