Renovated Reddstone

It's no secret that Reddstone in the Gordon Square Arts District has one of our favorite patios. The character of the brick and stone work, shaded area surrounded by trees and a high fence, and relaxed vibe have drawn us in many times. When I heard that they were renovating their space, including the patio, and menu-- my initial thought was "Noooooo...."

Well, we found ourselves there recently, and I have to say that I was wrong. We did not make it inside. I heard that the changes in there were good as well, but as for the patio-- it looks great! They leveled the bricks, without taking away from the overall look and feel that we loved. Also, can anyone else confirm that they removed a tree in the middle? I swear that it felt more open and sunny this time.

Happy to see that our beloved patio had not changed too much, we were excited to check out the new menu as well. It was nice to see that they still offer flatbreads, burgers, and sandwiches...but it was the Small Plates section that really stood out. Some creative combinations, and a wide variety made it hard to choose.

We went with an order of the Stuffed Mushrooms with goat cheese and chorizo. For $9, the portion wasn't quite big enough, and we really wished that you could taste more of the chorizo. I wouldn't have known that it was in there if we hadn't read it on the menu.

We also shared the Hong Kong Noodles with five spice beef medallions, veggies, fried egg, and shogun ($12).

Again, I think the price point was a little high for the portion size. But the Asian-inspired ingredients were flavorful and well-balanced. I had imagined that the dish would be served chilled, but it arrived hot. I did enjoy it, but I still think that it would be better chilled. The beef medallions were also hard to manage with chopsticks. I would have appreciated smaller pieces that didn't need to be cut.

So, it's safe to say that we were happy with the changes overall. I was pleasantly surprised, and we'll be back. Has anyone ever been to their Sunday Brunch?

Reddstone
1261 West 76th Street
Cleveland, OH 44102
216-651-6969

Tots are making a comeback...

I have fond memories of tator tots in the school cafeteria. Those little fried puffs of potato...Mmmmm. Well, I feel like they are making a comeback in my adult life. Does anyone else feel like we are seeing more tots on restaurant menus lately?

Between Happy Dog (hello dipping sauces), brunch at Touch Supper Club, and last night at Reddstone...I see a lot more tots popping up on my plate.

I was in the mood for a patio, so we headed to Reddstone right after work. After trying one of their 10 cent tacos for Taco Night, "R" and I decided to share the Taters & Dips with chipotle ketchup, truffle aioli, and buttermilk horseradish ($8).Behold the house-made tator tots. I didn't know that they existed. But these fried puffs of mashed potatoes were clearly a far cry from the standard shredded nuggets that we are used to. While I can say that the 7 tots were not worth the $8 price tag, they were pretty fun to eat and inspired us to try to make them at home.

Then we shared the BBQ'D Duck Pizza with duck confit, smoked gouda, crispy onions, cilantro, red peppers, and Reddstone BBQ ($18). The pizza was more than enough to share and also take home leftovers. I love the flavor combination, but felt that there was just a tab too much sauce since the slices were a little soggy. Also, we both loved the soft, doughy crust. This was a winner. I think I'll go have the cold leftovers for breakfast right now...So, what do you think - are tator tots "in"? Any other Cleveland restaurants serving tots?

Reddstone
1261W. 76th Street
Cleveland, OH 44102
(216) 651-6969

I've Found The Best Fry!

So every restaurant has an "off" night from time to time. Every restaurant makes poor decisions every once in a while. All staff members of any restaurant team sometimes don't perform to the best of their ability. It's only when these nights, these decisions, these performances happen often that it becomes a problem.

Last night, Reddstone had one of these rare nights in my opinion. Thankfully, we've been there before and I could easily recognize that it was just a bad night. There were some things that were just plain wrong about our meal and overall experience there last night, and I'll only touch on them a little because we all know that it happens. I wouldn't even bother to write about this dining experience if it hadn't been for a major discovery worth telling you about.

To touch on the bad...We were seated directly in front of the live band and told that "if it was too loud, let them know and we could change tables". Well we quickly realized that it was and made mention to our server, but by the time a table was free we had been served our meal and felt it wasn't worth moving. Thankfully, the band was good. But I watched as several of the tables seated after us moved away. It was just too loud to talk, let alone enjoy your meal. The band was playing from 6-9PM- peak dining hours on a Friday evening. I think if the band had come on around 9, it would have more appropriate.

The second fail of the evening has a little to do with the band and a little to do with the food. I ordered the Reddstone Burger ($9)- grilled sirloin, smoked bacon, cheddar, and a fried egg. Having had an amazing burger there during our first visit, I was craving one and my decision was easy. During our blogger tasting event, we had tried a version of the All American Burger which came with the Reddstone Special Sauce. I had enjoyed the spicy mayo, so when I ordered my Reddstone Burger I requested a side of the special sauce. When my burger arrived, the side of sauce was clearly not the special sauce I had been looking for. The band had been too loud, and our server hadn't understood my request. I did appreciate her quick response, and the special sauce arrived shortly at our table. The issue is that when I received the bill I saw that I was charged for the side of special sauce, and I was charged for the first sauce as well. Not cool. The biggest fail of the evening happened once I took my first bite of the burger. The hearty bun was dried out and hard- beyond what toasting it should have done. It was pretty obvious that it was an old bun, and even the juicy meat and ample amount of sauce that I used couldn't save the bites from being dry and unappealing.

Alright, I hate writing about the short comings of a meal or dining experience so here is my big discovery of the evening- SWEET POTATO FRIES. Holy moly, Reddstone has THE most AMAZING sweet potato fries that I have ever tasted. And I've tasted many. The fries were much thicker than a standard-cut sweet potato fry. They had a great crisp to the outside and were all soft and gooey on the inside. The real winning point of this preparation was the seasoning on the outside of the fries. It was a blend of sweet brown sugar and salt. Both ingredients worked in harmony without overpowering the other- a perfect marriage of salty and sweet. The portion was perfect too, because I think too many of these would overwhelm you with the bold flavor. "R" devoured his and began to eye my plate. You can order these fries for an additional charge instead of the house shoestring rosemary french fries. They were out of the sweet potato version during our first visit, and now I understand why. Reddstone should seriously consider making the sweet potato fries their house specialty instead of the only so-so shoestring fries we had previously. These fries are outstanding.

So there's my tip for you. Thanks for sticking through my negative comments about the experience last night, but once you try these fries you'll know that it was worth it. So go forth and dine!

Reddstone
1261 West 76th Street
Cleveland, OH 44102
(216) 651-6969

Notch Ya Typical Nachos

Last month, I attended a preview tasting of Reddstone's summer menu. It was my first time there, and I enjoyed almost all of the five dishes served and subsequently fell in love with their patio. I knew that a return visit was in my future, and soon.

Just before our recent vacation (it was wonderful by the way, but it's good to be back), I convinced "R" to head over there after work one night. It was a perfect patio night, we had a $25 gift certificate, and I was curious to order from their regular menu. I had caught a glimpse of a few items that sounded excellent when we were there the first time. One of them being the Macho Nachos ($8)- house baked tortillas, grilled chicken, pickled radish, jalapeno, scallion, cheddar jack cheese, house made salsa, and spicy sour cream. It was Allison that first pointed them out at our blogger tasting, and I couldn't wait to try them. Which is strange, because I am not usually a "nacho girl". But the combination of their ingredients, with a few key components made in-house, sounded too tempting to resist. Luckily, "R" is a "nacho guy" so I knew that I would have no complaints from him if I wanted to order them. The tower of nachos arrived, and I was glad that we had decided to hold off on ordering any additional food because it was huge! I did bypass the chicken (who hates chicken? Just me, I know.), but the rest of the toppings were fresh and created a wonderful blend of texture and flavor. I guess you could say that this appetizer turned us into a "nacho couple" for once.

We then decided to split the Black & Blue Burger ($9)- grilled sirloin, pancetta, balsamic mushroom, gorgonzola, and swiss. We also opted to add a fried egg for an additional $2. Slap an egg on any burger and I'm one happy girl. We attempted to order the sweet potato fries as our side dish, but they were out for the evening. From the previous visit, I knew that I didn't like their homemade seasoned fries. They are seasoned with rosemary, and if you have been following this blog for a while then you know that I now hate rosemary with a passion thanks to Porter's. Sorry, brother! I made mention of this preference to our server, and she quickly offered to ask the kitchen to hold the rosemary. I was surprised by the willingness to adjust the fries for us, and we happily accepted. To be fair, I still didn't love the fries. Without the seasoning, they were very dry and bland. Also, I am just not a shoestring french fry fan as much as I try to like them. Give me steak fries any day! The burger however...was a great burger. Cooked a little more than we traditionally prefer (ordered medium and it came out medium well)- it was still juicy and well-seasoned. They probably snuck some rosemary in there undetected. The real highlight of the burger were the balsamic mushrooms. Balsamic vinegar can easily be overpowering in any dish, but the addition of this component was thoughtfully subtle and complimented the rest of the flavors. We were really happy with our selection, and I would gladly order another burger at Reddstone.

It was a perfect sunny evening spent on their fantastic patio. I still have yet to see the inside of the bar, but I am certain that there will be many more visits spent on their patio this summer! What a great find in the Detroit Shoreway/Battery Park area...

Reddstone
1261 West 76th Street
Cleveland, OH 44107
(216) 651-6969

Summer Menu At Reddstone

If you are a social media junkie like myself, you have probably been hearing about Reddstone all over Twitter lately. They are one restaurant that clearly understands how to engage their followers. It is one thing to post your special events, send out tonight's menu special (which I do enjoy seeing both)...but when I see local restaurants actually TALK to their audience and ENGAGE their audience, my little social media heart shines. So kudos to Reddstone.

Last night, Reddstone took the bull by the horns. They invited local food bloggers to come for an exclusive (and free) tasting of their new summer menu that they will unveil on June 15th. About 15 of us gathered for the tasting, some that I knew by face and all that I knew by name. It was great to see fellow bloggers that I consider friends, and wonderful to meet some for the first time in person. Poor Tom, over at Exploring Food My Way, was such a good sport sitting at a table with all women and putting up with our in-depth conversation about Reddstone's ladies room! Three and half hours seem to fly by, and our fun was over before I knew it. On to the food...

We were supplied with a menu listing of our five courses:
1st Course- Rare Salmon Lettuce Rolls with salmon carpaccio, radish sprout, sweet soy, chili-miso dipping sauce

2nd Course- BBQ'd Duck Confit Sliders with daikon slaw and poblano creme fraiche

3rd Course- "Slice of America" All American Burger with grilled sirloin, American cheese, pickle slices, and Reddstone special sauce

4th Course- Shrimp & Soba Noodles with mixed veggies, creamy peanut sauce and pickled napa cabbage

5th Course- Braised 5 Spice Short Ribs with kim chee potato latke, plum sauce and crispy leeks

I was immediately looking forward to several of the courses, but my first reaction was to be happy that the salmon lettuce rolls were first so that I could get them out of the way. For 27 years, I have lived my life believing and claiming that I HATE salmon. Last night, that all changed. The refreshing and slightly sweet roll, dipped in the flavor-packed chili-miso sauce, was my favorite of the evening. At the end of the night, the chef did explain that he made the rolls prior to our arrival so that we could be served the first course quickly (appreciated!) but that when it hits the summer menu they will be made-to-order, therefore allowing the lettuce to remain crisp and fresh. The soy sauce had softened the lettuce slightly in our version. The soba noodles took second in my opinion (very good), but someone at our table correctly made the point that the flavors were nothing that we haven't tasted before. Both the duck slider and the burger were moist and enjoyable. They are what you would expect for high-end bar food. The poblano creme fraiche on the sliders was something different, and balanced nicely with the sweet BBQ sauce. The only clunker of the evening was the 5th and final course- the short ribs. When tasted alone, I did like the plum sauce and the crispy leeks. However, the short rib itself and the potato latke were over salted and left us all a little disappointed. This dish needs some work before it makes its debut on the menu. Salt aside, it was a very difficult dish to taste cohesively. When you cut into the meat, it crumbled the shredded latke pancake underneath.

But I don't like to dwell on the bad, so I will walk away from the evening remembering the delicious dishes that we were so fortunate to preview. Their cozy patio is also fantastic and really enhanced our experience. I can already picture "R" and I settled in there for an evening of dinner and drinks. This much is certain- I will be back, and soon. Thank you again to Josh Kabat and his staff for hosting us. The service and communication was amazing. I will happily be your guinea pig anytime!

Reddstone
1261 West 76th Street
Cleveland, OH 44107
(216) 651-6969