Twisted Taino Takeover at Opal

A new Restaurant Takeover event series kicked off at Opal on Pearl in the Old Brooklyn neighborhood. The first Monday of every month from now through July (fingers crossed for an extension!), a different chef/restaurant will take over the Opal kitchen and offer a special menu for the evening. You pre-purchase your reservation, but then the deposit is applied to your bill that night.

We couldn't make the first event in February, but we made it in with some neighbors for the Twisted Taino Frappé Bar & Grill takeover last week.

No brick-and-mortar restaurant yet (hint, hint come to Old Brooklyn!), but word on the street is that they are looking for a location. They currently do pop-events around town, and just finished up a stint at Forest City Shuffleboard. 

Mr. H and I started with the Bandeja Criolla ($12) with pork and chicken chicharrones, fried yucca, and tostones served with pink garlic sauce and Jaramillo sauce. I didn't care for the tostones as they were denser and drier than others I've had, but the other items on the sampler platter were excellent. The real star was the Jaramillo sauce! Rumor has it that they may look to have it bottled for retail. Yes, please. Everyone was asking about it.

I had the Chile Relleno ($15) with two stuffed poblano peppers in either a Crema sauce or Tomato sauce. I selected the crema.

It was spicier than poblanos often are, but I love heat so I was good with it. They were quite tasty. 

However, not as fun and tasty as Mr. H's La Torre del Cacique ($17).

This tower was made of mashed yucca, sweet plantains, mofongo, Spanish yellow rice and choice of meat. It was a large portion, and reheated nicely the next day topped with some hot sauce. Or so I heard...

For $20 a ticket, it was affordable and we really enjoyed the evening. The kitchen got a little backed up so food took a long while, but Tony and his crew from Opal were slinging drinks and we enjoyed our time catching up with friends.

Next month...Momocho! Chef/owner Eric Williams lives in the neighborhood. Actually just down the street from me, hey neighbor! Don't miss this one, guys. Check out the Restaurant Takeover tab on Opal's website or the Facebook event for more information. Will I see you there?

Opal on Pearl

4250 Pearl Road
Cleveland, OH 44109
(216) 417-2030

Restaurant Takeover Series at Opal Kicks Off

One of our very favorite spots in the neighborhood is the wine bar Opal on Pearl. Starting in January, the first Monday of every month through July will feature a Restaurant Takeover event with a special menu for the evening from a local chef.

The first event is brought to you by two Old Brooklyn residents themselves, Amanda and Josh of the famous Lilly Chocolates & Confections.

There will be two seatings of the event, and you'll get 5 courses of savory dishes highlighting chocolate. It's not just for dessert, people!

Reservations and a $30 deposit are required. Check out the event's page for the full menu preview. Will I see you there?

Weekend Bites

After traveling for work last weekend and being down for the count with a terrible upper respiratory infection for another, I was READY to be home and have some fun around town and enjoy being home with Mr. H and the pooches.

We kicked off Friday with a quick dinner and glass of wine at Opal on Pearl, just down the street from home. Tony had a Buffalo Chicken Dip on special, and it hit the spot!

As we wrapped up our meal, we were in the mood for a sweet treat and Lilly Chocolates and Confections was still open. Woo hoo!

Not only did the truffles do the trick to satisfy our sweet tooth, but I also snagged one of their Chocolate Advent Calendars. Now I'm all set to celebrate the next holiday once Thursday is over this week.

On Saturday, we bummed around town doing some errands. That included picking up some copper candle holders that I purchased from Helm Collective (seriously, following her adorable shop on Instagram is dangerous). That also gave me the opportunity to shoot next door to All Things for You, where I scooped up this brass and copper potpourri container. 

We had a fancy date night planned for that evening, to celebrate Mr. H losing 40.4 pounds in the recent Biggest Loser Competition at work. After a stop at The Spotted Owl...

...for a craft cocktail that is always the "Bee's Knees"...

...we headed to Luca, because he was seriously craving some carbs. Their Sacchetti is always celebration-worthy.

Sunday was spent at home with my goofballs.

We got to end the weekend on a very high note, with a new recipe really knocking our socks off. Mr. H made this Sea Bass San Sebastian, and it will be on regular rotation now.

Phew! We crammed a lot in this weekend, and my lingering cough didn't get in the way too much. Short week ahead, before the Thanksgiving festivities! 2019 was a hard year, and this holiday will be bittersweet without my dad for the first time on his favorite holiday. But I have so much to be thankful for, and you all are a part of that. So thank you.

What were you up to this weekend?

Opal on Pearl

The new wine bar, Opal on Pearl, is quickly becoming my favorite neighborhood spot in Old Brooklyn. It opened in the former Drink. Bar + Grill location on Pearl Road, near Memphis. There is plenty of free parking in the lot behind the building, as it is shared with CVS next door. You'll want to enter the building from that back lot.

The space has been lightened up, with brighter paint on the walls and new artwork.

The wine-focused bar does not have a glass or bottle on the list that will disappoint. Owner, Tony Mellon, has spent decades in some of Cleveland's best restaurants (Lola, Flying Fig, Johnny's on Fulton), and he's curated a list of wines that I trust and blindly pick from.

You can still get a cocktail (I do miss the fantastic craft cocktails of Drink's time) and a handful of craft beers, but in addition to the wine-focus, the spot is featuring small plates. Share, build a meal, and try a few different things. 

A couple of visits we've had issues with the freshness or toasting of the bread served with dishes, but other than that there have been quite a few dishes we've really enjoyed. You'll find a daily flatbread, calamari, meatballs, warm olives, Korean spiced chicken wings, mussels, stuffed dates, a couple of salads, cheese (from Old Brooklyn Cheese Co.) and charcuterie boards, and a couple of sides and other small plates. There's also dessert! Some of which comes from Old Brooklyn neighbor, Lilly Chocolates and Confections.

Where I think the food really shines is in the daily specials. There are always a handful and you can usually preview some tempting-looking photos on their Instagram account.

The other night, we enjoyed the Spicy Garlic Shrimp ($11).

Bruschetta ($8) with herbed ricotta and warm eggplant caponata.

Spicy White Bean Tapenade ($10) with manzanilla olives and fennel served with grilled Tuscan bread.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts ($3.50) with pancetta aioli.

Pan Roasted Cod ($15) with a caper and artichoke lemon butter, crispy fingerling potatoes, and spinach.

You can find the Brussel Sprouts and the White Bean Tapenade on the regular menu right now. Try a combination of small plates that sounds good to you, but I do recommend gravitating towards the daily specials as they always seem to impress us just a bit more. 

Happy Hour from 5-7PM Tuesday-Thursday or 4-7PM on Fridays offers a handful of small plates for $3.50-$6 and drink specials for $5 or $6.

It's become our pop-in spot for a bite to eat on a weeknight that we don't feel like cooking or after I had a late work meeting, or a pre/post-dinner glass of wine on the weekends. It filled a gap in our neighborhood, and we couldn't be happier.

Opal on Pearl
4250 Pearl Road
Cleveland, OH 44109
(216) 417-2030