Heinen's Roses and Rosé

On Thursday of last week, I had the opportunity to attend a Roses and Rosé influencer event at Heinen's.

Some might say that Rosé Season is upon us with the warmer weather peeking its head around here lately. In my opinion? It's always Rosé Season! But I'm always looking for new ones that I enjoy, and we had the chance to sample seven at the Heinen's tasting. Along with fantastic cheese pairings, of which I purchased two to take home. 

My mom was not upset at the timing of her arrival in Cleveland for a long weekend visit, as she got to be my plus one for the event!

But first we had a tutorial on floral arranging, and I picked up several new tips. I can often be found picking up some Heinen's blooms when grocery shopping, as they have a wide selection of arrangements or you can mix-and-match with the 3 for $15 to create your own bouquet.

So let's talk about the wine...

...as I did have several of the seven that I liked. Enough that I immediately purchased three and flagged a fourth for the future. Here are my recommendations:

• Confidencial Rosé (strawberries, raspberries, spicy finish)
• Rodney Strong Vineyards Rosé of Pinot Noir (strawberry, white peach, jasmine)
• Philippe Viallet Rosé de Savoie (strawberries, red currants, spicy notes)

What about you, are you a rosé drinker? If so, what's your go-to bottle?

Disclosure: I was invited with a guest to attend an event to sample product at Heinen's. All food and beverage was complimentary. Each attendee received a gift bag and gift card. All opinions stated are 100% my own.

Event Recap: Market at the Food Bank 2019

This past Sunday brought us another delightful Market at the Food Bank to benefit the Harvest for Hunger campaign for the Greater Cleveland Food Bank.

More than 1,000 attendees gathered in the warehouse of the Food Bank to stroll and sample food from over 50 local restaurants and beverage purveyors. Mr. H and I were immediately drawn to one of our favorite chef tables, John Selick of University Hospitals/Sodexo. He's always churning out some of the best bites at any food event he's involved with!

You get to wander through the impressive racks of food that will be distributed out to our community's pantries, hot meals programs, kids program sites, and fresh produce distributions, all while stopping at food and drink stations to sample from spots all across town.

Lucky for us, one of our last bites of the night also ended at a long-time favorite of ours, Nomad Culinary. This dynamic couple slings out amazing food for any type of meeting or special occasion you're hosting, and is always one of the first catering recommendations I give out! Their vegetarian Balsamic Braised Eggplant with Mint and Arrancini was so good.

Another favorite dish for me was the Mac n' Cheese from MELT Bar + Grilled. Why have I never strayed from the grilled cheese there? That may need to change.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Food Bank, and the need in our community is greater than ever. For every $1 donated, they can provide 4 meals in a local hunger center. Market at the Food Bank 2019 raised $347,000. That's 1.38 million meals provided. 

This is one annual event that we don't like to miss, but the Food Bank needs assistance year-round. Make a gift, host a food drive, or volunteer your time. The recipients of their good work in Northeast Ohio need it the most. 

Disclosure: I was provided with two General Admission tickets in exchange for event promotion. I am a former employee of the Greater Cleveland Food Bank. All opinions stated are 100% my own.

Cleveland Corned Beef Co.

You know those places that you drive by and something just catches your eye (the name, signage, location), and you think to yourself...I wonder what that spot is like inside.

Well, one of those places for me was the Cleveland Corned Beef Co. on Pearl Road. With a name like that, and Cleveland with a reputation for corned beef...I was curious. But years went by and we never made an effort to stop in. Flash forward to a dinner party conversation with a neighbor that raved about their breakfast a few weeks ago, and you better believe we scooted there the following weekend for a greasy-diner breakfast.

Located in a strip mall along the corner of Pearl Road and Brookpark Road, it's not much to look at from the outside. But the name alone and large images of corned beef stacked high will catch your eye!

Inside, it's just a sliver of a place. Only a handful of counter stools and one or two tables in the back. But there were plenty of to-go orders headed out the door during our meal.

If you settle in for your meal, every seat has a front-row view of the griddle action. The pancakes were about the size of my head!

I ordered the Corned Beef, Egg and Cheese Sandwich ($3.99) with my choice of bread. I went with Texas Toast. While the hash browns side was skimpy and under-cooked, the sandwich was hearty and generously-sized.

Mr. H ordered the Everything Omelette ($7.99) which literally had EVERYTHING on it. This thing was HUUUUGE and probably weighed about 2 pounds! Mr. H is a big eater, and even he could barely finish half.

He got a side of Rye Toast with it, and truly all of the bread products coming out of the kitchen looked really fresh and good.

While I think the food quality and certainly atmosphere is better at a few other diners closer to home, this was a fun adventure and one for any corned beef fan.

Cleveland Corned Beef Co.
5164 Pearl Road
Cleveland, OH 44129
(216) 351-0010

Augie's Pizza

Almost 12 years in Cleveland, and I'm still on the hunt for "my" pizza in Northeast Ohio. While I haven't found a favorite that really blows my socks off (no, I haven't tried Angelo's in Lakewood yet), Augie's Pizza in Independence has been near the top of my list.

Located in the Rockside Corners Shopping Center, it certainly doesn't look like much from the outside...

...or the inside, as it's only a handful of tables, the small kitchen, and a counter displaying their pizza-by-the-slice.

Pizza by the slice is available from 11AM - 3PM Monday-Friday.

One of the reasons I enjoy their pizza is that the toppings are typically found baked under a "shelf" of cheese. It's so thick and really locks in those toppings and the sauce. The crust is somewhere between thin and thick, just the way I like it. It's doughy, but yet has a crispy edge. Never soggy, it holds up well to the toppings and generous amount of cheese.

I've also ordered catering from Augie's for work meetings, and their salads and pastas have always been a hit. There are plenty of good options to build an order from.

Augie's Pizza
6901 Rockside Road
Independence, OH 44131
(216) 573-0300

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