Dinner and a Movie to Support the Foodbank

“Dinner and a Movie” at Chagrin Cinemas on November 3, 2013

On Sunday, November 3rd, the Chagrin Valley Council of Churches is sponsoring its third “Dinner and a Movie” event at the Chagrin Cinemas (8200 E. Washington Street, Chagrin Falls) from 4-7 p.m. to raise funds for the Cleveland Foodbank. 

The cost is $25 for adults and $10 for children under 12.  Each ticket includes one free beverage, dinner and a movie ticket for any show before or after dinner (excluding 3D).  For movie times and listings, go to clevelandcinemas.com.  To purchase tickets, go to the Cleveland Foodbank website at clevelandfoodbank.org.  Tickets are also available at the door. 

Participating restaurants include: Raintree, Cosentino’s, Joey’s, Rick’s Café, Yours Truly, Washington Street Diner, Burntwood Tavern, Hunan by the Falls, Mazzullo’s, Raised and Glazed and more. 

This year’s event is particularly important for two reasons.  First, funds for Food Stamps will be cut by as much as $40 per month for greater Clevelanders living in poverty on November 1.  Though it may not seem like a lot to most of us, for families living paycheck to paycheck--- it is a struggle.

Second, the Cleveland Foodbank has received a generous matching challenge grant for up to $10,000 raised at this event.  This means that if they are able to raise $10,000, then they have a donor willing to match it dollar for dollar.  This could mean a $20,000 donation to the Foodbank at a time when these funds are desperately needed. 

You can help by purchasing a ticket to the event or by making a direct donation.  You can donate online at the Cleveland Foodbank’s website or by sending a check to Mindful Mondays c/o the Cleveland Foodbank (15500 South Waterloo Road, Cleveland, Ohio 44110). 

Thank you for your support.

Disclosure: I am a member of the YP Pantry Council, and a former employee of the Foodbank. I was asked to post about this fundraiser, but would have helped to spread the word regardless of my affiliation.

Dinner Club at Cowell and Hubbard

Last week's @CLEDinnerClub outing was a slap-in-the-face reminder that I need to make a return visit to Cowell & Hubbard immediately. It's no secret that I'm a fan of basically anything that Chef Zack Bruell does, but the meal that we had at Cowell & Hubbard on Tuesday was a great representation of the high quality food that Bruell's staff consistently puts out.

We started with a heavenly Hominy Stew.

With hominy, tomatoes, chicken, and cilantro--- this soup had us all scraping our bowls and whining for more.

The second course just wasn't for me--- Salmon Rittettes.

No matter how much I try to force myself to like it, salmon isn't my thing. Sometimes (rarely), salmon dishes can be mild enough for me to enjoy them. This particular salmon fell into the "too fishy" category for me, but others loved it. However, I did respect their craftsmanship in the cauliflower cous cous. The texture was so spot-on that it had us all fooled into thinking that it was true cous cous.

The last savory course was Braised Beef Shoulder with collard greens and fingerling potatoes.

Again, this dish was simply perfection on a plate. Tender meat, wonderful flavors, and I just love good collard greens. I want more.

The last course was the only one that hit a sour note for some of us. We had two options, and I had selected the Flourless Chocolate Cake.

The cake itself was everything that you'd expect from a flourless chocolate cake--- dense, moist, chocolaty, and enjoyable. However, it was paired with an orange ice cream that I wasn't a fan of. It had a floral aftertaste that lingered on your tongue. It was reminiscent of these medicinal orange throat lozenges that my mom used to give us when we were little. Several others at the table likened it to "medicine" so we mostly left it behind on the plate. Sometimes, not everything that Mitchell's does works. Now, not everyone felt this way, and all seemed to enjoy the other dessert option--- Apple Tart.

Apparently, all of these dishes were a preview of the new seasonal menu. Hallelujah! I want more hominy stew and beef shoulder, immediately. Looks like it won't take me as long to get back to Cowell & Hubbard this time. My only complaint about the restaurant? The menu is too lengthy, and it's hard for a diner to navigate. Too many tempting options leaves me confused and second-guessing any choices. I'd rather have the menu rotate often, and feature less items.

As usual, this four-course meal was $40. If you haven't joined the @CLEDinnerClub for an event yet, what are you waiting for? The food, exploration of area restaurants, and the company always make for a good time. I look forward to attending each month. I rarely miss one!

Hats off to the group's coordinator, Joe G., and the staff at Cowell & Hubbard for another memorable one. This one certainly ranks in the top five outings.

Cowell & Hubbard
1305 Euclid Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44115
216-479-0555

2013 Fabulous Food Show Giveaway

I like to start Mondays off with a bang, so let's kick off this week with a fun ticket giveaway.

The annual Fabulous Food Show is just around the corner, and this year's lineup of celebrity chefs is pretty exciting.

For the Bravo fans out there: Tom Colicchio, Marcus Samuelsson, and Hugh Acheson will all be in Cleveland this year. And, wait for it...MARTHA STEWART! Just to name a few.

The event takes place at the IX Center, featuring more than 450 exhibitors and 100 live demonstrations.  It is open from 10AM - 6PM daily, from November 8th - 10th. This year, the event is also partnering with the International Beer Fest. Foodie and craft beer lovers unite under one roof! Check out both event websites for more information on passes and demonstration times.

Personally, I always love attending the Fabulous Food Show. Browsing the vendors always brings new products home with us, and I try and catch at least one chef demonstration. Some of our local chefs are highlighted as well, and they do a great job. Stick around, and you'll get to sample whatever they are cooking up.

The event is family-friendly, parking is available for a fee in the IX Center parking lots, and it's a great way to spend a weekend day. This year, adults can sample wine, spirits, and craft beer with the addition of the International Beer Fest. It might lead me to purchase more on the exhibitor floor!

There are single day, and three-day passes available. A General Admission ticket is $25. Tickets to the General Admission International Beer Fest Grand Tasting (Saturday 7:30PM - 10:00PM) are separate, and are $45 each. Additional ticket packages are available for both events.

Or, you can win two General Admission tickets to the Fabulous Food Show by commenting on this blog post! Just leave me a comment below, telling me which of the participating celebrity chefs you'd want to go watch. Tom, I'm coming for you! I will select a winner, using random.org, on Friday, November 1st. Good luck!

Disclosure: The Fabulous Food Show has provided me with four tickets to the 2013 event. Two to be used in a random giveaway, and two media passes. All opinions stated are 100% my own. Thank you to the IX Center and Fabulous Food Show for the opportunity.

Lopez on Lee

Is everyone enjoying Cleveland Beer Week? "R" and I popped in to Society Lounge on East 4th last night after dinner, and they have some delicious beer cocktails cooked up there. The Dreadnought is like an adult chocolate milk.

I kicked off Beer Week on Friday by traveling over to the east side for the Collaboration Kickoff at Cedar/Lee. Michelle and I decided that we needed some food in our bellies before we started our progressive beer tasting, so we selected Lopez Southwest Kitchen and Tequila Saloon. Often referred to as "Lopez on Lee", it is located right in the heart of the Cedar/Lee restaurants and businesses. They have a small parking lot next to the restaurant, with valet service.

We decided to start with some of the Iron Chef Guacamole with bleu cheese, house bacon, and sage ($9.50). A "Food Network favorite", this guacamole reminded me of Momocho's.

I liked how it was served with pickled vegetables. My only complaint? The special ingredients were used only as a topping, so they weren't mixed in and the flavors were isolated to just a few bites. Momocho does do a better job of infusing the unique ingredients into the guacamole. I also started off our meal with a cucumber margarita ($9). Again, Momocho's version is much better. This was a good margarita, but it just tasted like a classic version. I should have tried one of the more unusual types available. Our server suggested the blood orange.

The menu was very tempting, and as soon as I felt like I had settled on something, then another item would jump out at me. I finally went with my gut and ordered two tacos. I ordered the Butter Poached Lobster with guacamole, smoked tomato, and house bacon ($10), and the Mole Dusted Rare Seared Tuna taco with mango habanero salsa, radish, and crema ($7.50).

Look at all of that lobster!

My only complaint of the two? The smoked tomato in the lobster taco were actually whole cherry tomatoes. That was unappealing to me, so I picked them out. Otherwise, both tacos were fabulous! I'd order them both again. Then again, maybe not, because so many others sounded just as appetizing. I also loved how Michelle's burrito was grilled, and I'd like to try one. Or an enchilada, or...you get the point.

The food can feel a bit overpriced for "Mexican", but overall it was very good and felt like they were using quality ingredients. I walked away full, and satisfied with my meal.

Then we headed out for a progressive beer tasting around several bars in the Cedar/Lee area. I was a bit letdown with the collaboration beers overall. Many of them just weren't my style, but the Pancake Porter was my biggest disappointment. I really didn't pick up any of the "maple, coffee, etc." listed in the description. I had expected it to be bolder and sweeter than it was. Ah, oh well. We had a great time walking around on a nice chilly evening. The neighborhood was packed, and the excitement for the start of Beer Week was intoxicating. Oh, wait, was that the beer? Ha.

What have you been doing during Beer Week?

Lopez Southwest Kitchen and Tequila Saloon
2196 Lee Road
Cleveland Heights, OH 44118
216-932-9000

Buckeye Beer Engine

It's Cleveland Beer Week, folks! This week-long celebration of the craft beer kicked off on Friday. In its fifth year, the week will feature more than 350 tastings, dinners, demonstrations, and specials all over the Greater Cleveland area.

More later this week about how I kicked off Beer Week, but for now I wanted to share the first event that "R" and I attended this weekend. It's no secret that I love stouts, so I immediately knew that I wanted to attend the Stout Brunch at the Buckeye Beer Engine on Sunday.

It included a special brunch menu from 10AM - 1PM, and several great stouts on tap. I had a Founder's Breakfast Stout and Southern Tier's Warlock. I decided to get the Cheesy Grits with beer poached shrimp ($8.50) and a side of rye marble toast ($2).

Sadly, the first plate of food came out cold, and I actually had to send it back. Our server was great about it, and the second one arrived pretty quickly. This time is was lukewarm. I wasn't about to try again, so I dug in. Overall, I really enjoyed the flavor and texture of the grits, and the shrimp had a nice hint of beer flavor. I think that if this had been served hot, it may have been the second best shrimp and grits that I've had. Washington Place Bistro's still holds that coveted spot. The rye marble toast was under-toasted, but the bread was fantastic. Thick and tasty, it would have made for some great toast! I enjoyed it even as is.

Located in Lakewood, this bar/restaurant is a local favorite. Known for great bar food, killer burgers, fried pickles, and more--- they always have a lengthy list of craft beers on draft, and the vibe is casual and fun. A small, free parking lot is next to the building, and they do have a patio out front.

Thanks, Beer Week, for bringing me back in to the Beer Engine! We enjoyed our stouts and brunch, and then I headed home for a nap. Day drinking makes me sleepy. *Yawn*

What are you doing for Cleveland Beer Week 2013?

Buckeye Beer Engine
15315 Madison Avenue
Lakewood, OH 44107
216-226-BEER