"Tap" This!

Located on Scranton Road in historic Tremont, The Tremont Tap House is a blend of industrial and contemporary. With its exposed brick, hardwood floors, and warm cherry wood accents, the place is warm and inviting with an artistic flare. The soon to be open patio looked like a great summer hot spot! Their Beer Cheese Soup left something to be desired. The flavor was a little bland, and the croutons were extremely hard. It also didn't help that the soup was less than hot, even though we were mere feet away from the kitchen. The Seared Sea Scallops with white truffle oil and wild mushroom risotto was another story. The scallops were cooked to perfection, with just a slight outer crisp. The risotto was a nice consistency, and was both tasty and eye-pleasing. Their real claim to fame is the beer list. With over 100 selections, 24 on tap, it's hard not to find one (or two or three) that you love. I recommend Bell's Oberon- think Great Lakes' Holy Moses or a Blue Moon. Perfect for summer. All in all, we definitely plan to go back!


The Tremont Tap House
2572 Scranton Road
Tremont, Ohio
(216) 298-4451

3rd Annual Patron Tasting

I had the pleasure of being invited to the 3rd Annual Fahrenheit Patron Party this past weekend. Rocco's talent was shining at this Mexican-inspired tasting. For $32, guests received six courses and two Patron-infused cocktails (what a deal!).

1st Course- Fried Flour Tortilla Chips, Salsa Fresco, Guacamole
This dish was a simple classic, but the chips were delicious and the guacamole was tart and salty-just how I like it!

2nd Course- Crab and Local Sweet Corn Fundido, Spinach, Sharp Jack Cheese, Pickled Chilies, Lime, Cumin Rubbed Pita, and Flour Tortilla Chips
By far our favorite dish of the evening! This "dip" was filled with large hunks of real crab meat, the sweet corn just shined, and the pickled chilies gave it just the right amount of "zing". This should be on the regular menu at Fahrenheit!

3rd Course- Red Chili Roasted Duck Quesadilla, Smoked Red Onion, Pico De Gallo, Sour Cream
Tasty and rich in flavor!

4th Course- Mexican Pizza, Fresh Avocado, Roasted Tomato, Chorizo, Cilantro, Sharp Jack and Cheddar Cheese, Garlic Oil
This was the weakest dish on the menu, but mainly because our plate did not include the fresh avocado. When the plate arrived, it looked bare. All of the chorizo was clumped together on one slice of the pizza, and the avocado was mysteriously missing. It was still a tasty dish, but fresh avocado and extra cilantro would have given this dish the extra push that it needed.

5th Course- "Rocco's" Taco's" Walleye and Shrimp Tempura, Napa Cabbage Slaw, Secret Salsa, Flour Tortillas
Served off of Rocco's truck parked on the sidewalk, this course was one of the best. The battered walleye and shrimp were light and tasty, and the cabbage slaw was one of the best that I've had in a while. All of the components worked wonderfully together, and getting them off his "roach coach" was part of the fun!

6th Course- Choice of Spiced Mango Cheesecake with Mint or Fahrenheit Fried Ice Cream, Crispy Crust, Double Scoop, Truffle Honey, Chocolate Sauce
I went for the fried ice cream, but both desserts were fantastic. The ice cream was coated in sweet crushed corn flakes and drizzled with honey and chocolate sauce. The cheesecake reminded me of key lime pie- it was so light and refreshing. The flavor of mango was well thought out and not overpowering. A perfect finish to a wonderful tasting!

All of the dishes included in the tasting really highlighted Chef Whalen's talent. It just goes to show that a true chef can create simple dishes that are packed with flavor and tickle the tastebuds.

East Siders will "Melt"

For those of us that live on the West side, Melt Bar & Grilled in Lakewood is a well-known staple. Owner Matt Fish hit the nail on the head when he opened a restaurant focused on one of America's classics- a grilled cheese sandwich. My personal favorite is the "The Parmegeddon". This sandwich includes potato and cheese perogie, fresh napa vodka kraut, onions and cheddar cheese. Yum! The sandwich names are almost as good as the dishes themselves! "Purple Parma", "Municiple Stadium Magic", "Wake and Bacon", "The Lake Erie Monster" and the classic grilled cheese sandwich "The Kindergarten" are just a few. Now the East side has something to look forward to. It has recently been announced that Fish will be opening a new location in Cleveland Heights very soon. The exact location has yet to be revealed, but keep your eyes peeled and your bellies ready!

Melt Bar & Grilled
14718 Detroit Road
Lakewood, OH
216-226-3699

Best Kept Secret

One of Cleveland's event scene's best kept secret is Market Under Glass, which took place this past Thursday at the Galleria downtown. This may be the 14th annual event, but most of Cleveland has not heard about this fabulous evening of food and drink from over 50 of the best restaurants our city has to offer.

This year's line up included: Bar Cento, L'Albatros/Parallax, Lago Restaurant & Wine Bar, Gusto! Ristorante Italiano, Grotto Wine Bar, Don's Lighthouse/Don's Pomeroy House, Americano, XO Prime Steaks, Pearl of the Orient, Great Lakes Brewing Company, Grovewood Tavern, La Strada, La Dolce Vita, Jekyll's Kitchen, Pickwick & Frolic, Sans Souci, The Melting Pot, Three Birds, Henry's at the Barn and much much more!

My favorite dishes of the night were Don's signature jumbo lump crab cakes, caramelized scallops served over butternut squash puree with candied pecans with a brown vanilla butter sauce from Corleone's Ristorante & Bar, and warm grilled ciabatta bread with goat cheese, honey and a small sliver of fresh orange from Orlando Baking Company (a surprise favorite, but definatelty worthy of a top three spot). I loved the Orlando dish, and it is something simple that anyone could do at home (which I plan on doing!).

This event benefits Harvest for Hunger, and is really one of Cleveland's best food events that shouldn't be missed! For more inforamtion, including photos from the 2009 event, visit www.cleveland.com/marketunderglass.

Marlin's Done It Again

I had the pleasure of dining at Luxe Kitchen & Lounge, Marlin Kaplan's newest creation on Saturday night. This hip new hot spot on Detriot Avenue was hopping, and as soon as the food arrived- we knew why.

We started the meal with the Pesto Board, which included Sun-dried tomato, Three Cheese, and Basil and Spinach pestos served with fresh grilled bread and crackers. The Basil and Spinach pesto was a perfect balance of an old classic, but the real shining point of the board was the Three Cheese Pesto. So innovative and original! The breads were thick, soft, and lightly grilled- yum! Our table then feasted on Five Cheese Mac w/ Wagon Wheels (Fontina, Asiago, Cheddar, Gouda and Parmesan), Angel Hair with Romano Crusted Chicken Breast and Marinara, the Luxe "Grinder" and the hanger steak special. The Mac & Cheese was delicious and hearty, although the pasta was a little overcooked. The highlight of that dish was the side of spinach with lemon. The fresh spinach was blanched and served with lemon juice, grilled red onion and garlic. This is one dish that I am going to try to recreate at home! The Chicken Breast was pounded and then lightly breaded and coated with Romano cheese. It was moist and flavorful, but the Marinara sauce left something to be desired.

All in all, it was a wonderful meal and reasonably priced compared to Marlin's other restaurant- One Walnut. Two of the best meals I have had in Cleveland were at One Walnut, but Luxe is the less expensive way to sample Kaplan's talent in the kitchen. There was no sign of a recession in this place, and it's easy to see why!

Luxe Kitchen & Lounge
6605 Detroit Ave.
Cleveland, OH 44102
(216) 916-8732