Priya in Parma

Yesterday began, what I hope, will become a new tradition of meeting old friends, new friends, and some that I was meeting for the first time for a meal of Indian food. Most of us at the table have a shared love for the cuisine, and almost all of us had never been to Priya in Parma before.

Crystal had arranged the group, and we selected a Wednesday because they serve an affordable dinner buffet. You know how I have been on the hunt for an Indian dinner buffet! While it was full of delicious and unusual items, it didn't have the curries that I was looking for. So about half of us decided to order off the regular menu. "R" was getting the buffet, so I knew that I could pick off his plate. The Wednesday Night Chat Buffet ($12.99) features Chat items and Indo Chinese items. It reminded us more of traditional street food, which wasn't quite what I was looking for.

I went with my standard Chicken Tikka Masala ($12.99), but when I asked about spice levels the server informed me that they can't alter the heat in this dish because it is a cream-based sauce. Umm...then why can I order different spice levels at other places with this dish? Ultimately, it did affect my opinion of the dish because I personally prefer more heat.

The presentation was great, but the sauce was dangerously close the edge of the angled round bowl. I can't be trusted. Michelle and I shared our dishes, so I also got to try the Lamb Gosh (sometimes called Saag) in a spiced spinach gravy ($12.99). An order of Garlic Naan rounded out the meal.

Overall, the food was good but not great. I certainly enjoyed my meal, but I've had much better Indian food locally. Also, the guy that ended up serving us was very odd and it was difficult to communicate through his awkwardness. The space is huge, with plenty of seating in booths or tables. It easily fit our large group.

Where should we head next? Udupi Cafe, India Garden, Indian Delight? We do have lots of options.

Priya Indian Cuisine
5747 Chevrolet Boulevard
Parma, OH
440-345-5599

Mac N' Cheez Challenge

Yesterday brought a fun break in a week full of work stress and a hectic schedule for me. I was asked to participate as a "celebrity" judge for the Second Annual Harley-Davidson Mac N' Cheez Challenge. Held at the sales dealership on Lorain Avenue in Cleveland, it was an afternoon of live music, bike envy, great outfits, and...10 different kinds of mac n' cheese to sample. For just $5, you received tasting tickets, one hot dog, and a really cool T-shirt.

We had a great view of everything from the judge's stand. I was honored to serve as a judge with representatives from WTAM, TastyCleveland blog, and Nicole with her adorable six-week old son from Gypsy Bean.

We were tasked with sampling and scoring five entries in the "Cheese" category...

and five entries in the "Non-traditional" category.

The standout sample in the Cheese category was the Slap Yo' Mamma Fatboy Baked Wheels of Cheese (not pictured). With 12 varieties of cheese, a crust made with crumbled croissants and French's fried onions, and secret ingredients like steak sauce and hot sauce for added flavor--this was a winner. If the wagon wheel pasta hadn't been overcooked, it would have been scored a 5 out of 5 in every category.

Our favorite in the Non-traditional was a surprise dessert mac n' cheese served to us last (pictured above).

Called "Macadella & Cheese", it was his take on an upside-down cheesecake. It was baked, and then chilled and served cool. I loved it, and finished every bite in my sample and went back for seconds once judging was over. So creative!

While some stood out, we certainly didn't have a bad mac n' cheese. All contestants had clearly put a lot of time and effort into their dishes. The creativity was fun to see, and I loved some of the great names like "Gettin' Zingy With  It" (People's Choice award) and "Spin Doctors Magic Mac". Overall, everyone should be really proud of themselves. For amateur cooks, the mac n' cheese was impressive overall.

Harley-Davidson was also raffling off a motorcycle valued at $20,000 for just $5 raffle tickets, with proceeds benefiting Toys for Tots. Sadly, "R" did not win the bike.

Thank you to Harley-Davidson for inviting me to act as a judge, and to the contestants for putting forth such effort and love into their food. I'd gladly judge again next year! What a fun event.

Arepas for Taco Tuesday

This Tuesday, I took a turn away from your typical taco. Friends and I headed to Barroco Grill in Lakewood for their arepas. Their Colombian "food with character" is gaining popularity, and it was time to check it out for myself.

Luckily, I was using my GPS because I may have driven past it if I wasn't looking closely. It's a small place, with very minimal signage. Free street parking was easily available right in front of the restaurant. Here's a tip: There is a back dining room that is a lot cozier just down the hallway. That's where we headed, thanks to Julie.

I had asked Twitter earlier in the day what we should order, and a popular response was the Cheesy Corn ($8) appetizer to share. Corn al gratin with chicken, bacon, melted white cheese and served with arepa fries.

Personally, I wish that there had been a little more corn in the dish. Cheese was the dominant flavor, but of course that wasn't a bad thing. I mean, come on, it's cheese. The thick-cut, fried corn cakes for dipping were very good. My only complaint? When the arepa fries were gone, we still had about half of the dip left. It would cost us an additional $4 for more. Um, no. Thankfully, we had regular fries coming with the arepas and could continue to dip. But, don't charge me for a dip and then not provide even close to enough chips, fries, whatever to actually eat the dip. That bugs me.

Our arepas arrived shortly after (well, mine arrived about three minutes after everyone else's). Apparently, they ran out of crinkle fries because I received a different kind of French fry from the others and that held it up. All three of us ordered the Pork Arepas ($9) with green peppers, mushrooms, onions, corn, and cheese. It is served with a side (choice of fries, black bean soup, or tortilla chips).

The fried corn tortillas make a little pocket for the meat and toppings, but I do suggest leaving it in the tin foil because it can be messy to eat! I went through five napkins.

The pork had nice flavor on its own, but the real highlight of my meal was the variety of house-made sauces that arrived with the arepas.

Favorites were the Garlic Sauce and the Pineapple. The only one that I didn't care for was the Chimichurri, but I also didn't try the ketchup/mayo combination sauce. It was fun to try them all on the arepa, and as dipping sauces for the fries.

So, splitting the appetizer and ordering one arepa left me with a bill of just over $18 with tax and tip included. Not too bad, and the food was all clearly made in-house and is something unique on the Cleveland culinary scene. Definitely worth going back. Have you been? Head over to Julie's blog to read her thoughts on the place. She's been several times now, and recommends the chicken arepa.

Barroco Grill
12906 Madison Avenue
Lakewood, OH
216-221-8127

Pinning Recipes

It's Monday. I'm not too pleased about that today. After a great weekend of celebrating "R's" mom getting married, and some gorgeous weather in CLE, I'm not quite ready for the work week yet.

Also, with a couple of big work events all packed into two weeks...I'm a busy gal these days. Event time can be difficult for me. I'm usually pulled in many directions, jumping into the work day without taking the time to eat breakfast, and food becomes what's "easy" to grab. This summer, that led to me falling off the Weight Watchers wagon. Now that I've been back on for four weeks, I'm determined to not let that happen again.

So, we've been cooking more at home again and taking the time to find healthy Point-friendly recipes. Much of that is thanks to Pinterest again. Here are just a couple that we've (and by "we", I mean "R") made recently:

Crock Pot Chicken Stroganoff from Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans- this recipe sat in the slow cooker and made the house smell delicious for seven hours. We served it over yolk-less egg noodles, and enjoyed the leftovers for days.

Ginger and Cilantro Baked Tilapia from the Kitchn- We didn't love this recipe, but it was a good base to work from in the future. With a few personal tweaks, I think we'd like it more. It needed more ginger and jalapeno to kick up the flavor and give it more depth.

Seared Scallops over Wilted Spinach and Parmesan Risotto from SkinnyTaste- We just made this last night, and overall we really liked it. However, the risotto took FOREVER to make. Much longer than the estimated time given in the recipe. Also, the risotto is made with chicken stock, and on its own it lacked complex flavor. The wine and Parmesan cheese were lost. But all eaten together, this dish was tasty and low Points Plus values for a delicious dinner.

What's next? We're making Grilled Sriracha Barbecue Chicken tonight from Slender Kitchen. We both love sriracha, so I'm looking forward to trying this one.

I hope that you all had a great weekend as well, and that it was full of tasty treats. Do you have any healthy recipes that you like to make at home? What's your favorite website to find recipes on?

Last Hints of Summer

With the temperatures back up to 80+ this week, you can feel summer clinging on for just a little while longer. Personally, I am loving the crisp in the air that we're starting to get, and I can't wait for fall to be here. But we did take some time out last weekend to appreciate what's left of the warmer weeks.

This included a stop at East Coast Custard in Parma Heights. It's no secret that I am a not a sweets lover, and ice cream is pretty low on my list. But, when I do indulge-- I like frozen custard or yogurts. Hard ice cream just doesn't do it for me. "R", on the other hand, prefers hard but will really eat ANY kind of ice cream ANY time. One day, he stopped for ice cream twice. True story.

East Coast isn't my favorite spot, but it has a long-standing history that is fun to support. They opened their doors in Parma Heights in 1985, and now have five locations in Greater Cleveland. It still has the old-time feel, and look.

There is plenty of parking, but they also offer a drive-thru at this location if you're in a hurry.

As "R's" order was being made (Chocolate Chip Cheesecake), I enjoyed watching the frozen custard churn.

They always offer a few classics-- sundaes, shakes, smoothies, and concretes...but it'sreally all about the Flavor of the Day. The custard of the day and yogurt of the day are always changing.

"R" thoroughly enjoyed the custard that day, and kept commenting on how big the chocolate chunks were.

My personal favorite? Rosati's Frozen Custard. So creamy and delicious! I absolutely love the Drumstik flavor. I was so sad when they closed down the North Olmsted location this year, because it was just miles from "R's" mom's house, and a frequent stop for us during the warmer months.

So get out and enjoy the last bits of summer. It looks like we are in for a few more nice days this week. Will ice cream be in your future? What's your favorite ice cream spot in the area?