I decided to reduce to animated form a conversation that I seem to have on a daily basis. (All names have been changed to protect the innocent, except mine.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Friday, November 12, 2010
Yours Truly Launches Fresh Water
If you haven't seen, read or heard about Fresh Water, a new Cleveland e-zine of which I am the editor, I encourage you to follow the below link.
About Fresh Water
Fresh Water is a weekly e-magazine and website that reports on What’s Next? in and around Cleveland. Each week, we'll offer up a fresh wave of stories covering Northeast Ohio's most creative people, businesses, organizations, and neighborhood developments. Our focus areas include technology, innovation, diversity and entrepreneurship. We speak to creative, highly mobile and curious people who are interested in where the growing companies are, where innovation is taking place, and where unique neighborhood transformations are taking root.
Please check the site out here, and if you subscribe, each fresh issue will be delivered directly to your inbox – for free!
About Fresh Water
Fresh Water is a weekly e-magazine and website that reports on What’s Next? in and around Cleveland. Each week, we'll offer up a fresh wave of stories covering Northeast Ohio's most creative people, businesses, organizations, and neighborhood developments. Our focus areas include technology, innovation, diversity and entrepreneurship. We speak to creative, highly mobile and curious people who are interested in where the growing companies are, where innovation is taking place, and where unique neighborhood transformations are taking root.
Please check the site out here, and if you subscribe, each fresh issue will be delivered directly to your inbox – for free!
Also, you can follow us at Facebook/FreshWaterCleveland and Twitter @FreshWaterCLE.
Thanks,
Douglas Trattner
Deagan's Defines Gastropub Genre
If you want to see what a gastropub is supposed to look, feel and taste like, pencil in a visit to Deagan's Kitchen & Bar. Opened in late September, this fizzy addition to Lakewood should be required eating for any operator bold enough to make the claim that they too are a member of this budding restaurant genre.There is no shortage of Lakewood joints that nail the "pub" aspect, to be sure; it's the "gastro" part most have trouble with. It requires more than a great burger – or grilled cheese, or chicken wing – to merit what we believe is a mark of distinction. Rather than dumb down the food to fit the venue, gastropubs are where ambitious cuisine collides with informality and kick-ass beer.
It's remarkable how many things owner Dan Deagan got right. From the build-out and design to the menu and waitstaff, no opportunity for improvement appears to have been overlooked. Holding every service-industry post from bartender to owner-operator, Deagan has a broad understanding of what it takes to succeed. When he isn't pouring beers or running food he's making the rounds to solicit candid feedback from customers. When a diner asked him if the restaurant delivered, we overheard him respond, "Do we deliver? No. Would we deliver? You bet."
Those familiar with the location, which sits adjacent to the First Federal of Lakewood, might recall the space's steady progression downhill, from Barnacle Bill's and Crazy Rita’s to Cleats. Rather than slap the proverbial lipstick on a pig, Deagan and company began by stripping away the layer upon layer of detritus, right down to the exposed brick and weighty steel beams. Other surfaces were reclad in "upcycled" barn siding. Instead of clogging a landfill, unwanted building materials were reworked into dining room tables. The inventory of mix-and-match chairs was harvested from shuttered restaurants and schools.
Deagan's is a food-lover's pub. Chef Demetrios Atheneos, formerly of Giovanni's, Bella Lucca and most recently Bodega, has put together a menu that reaches beyond ubiquitous comfort foods. Dozens of creative options fill the categories of bar snacks, small plates, big plates and sides, and with prices firmly in the $4 to $16 range, diners can make a habit of the place. Just $3 buys a trio of deviled eggs, the whipped yolks enriched by local goat-cheese and kicked up by mustard. By swapping buffalo mozzarella for processed cheese, the kitchen elevates fried cheese ($6) to new heights. The crispy-coated discs rest in roasted tomato sauce.
Dishes good enough to boast starring roles as entrees shine as mere small plates. A half-dozen flash-fried chicken livers ($7) are arranged on a pool of buttery soft polenta. Crisp fried shallots and lardons of pork garnish the plate. In the angels on horseback ($8), fat sea scallops are belted with bacon, skewered, and cooked in a way that leaves the pig crisp and fish moist and smoky. Provencal in spirit, a deep bowl of steamed mussels ($7) is perfumed with the aroma of fennel and saffron. This isn't dressed up pub fare; it's dressed-down gourmet.
Given the quality, price and portion, I can't see how the restaurant banks cash. A diner ordering the mac and cheese ($16) – made with dense pasta, sharp Spanish cheese, and tender duck confit – will have leftovers for a month. Juicy pecan-crusted Amish chicken, sliced into slivers ($14), arrives on a dressed baby-green salad that alone could feed a regiment. There are five – FIVE – pieces of beer-battered Lake Erie perch in the fish and chips ($15). Naturally, a mountain of hand-cut fries is included. Burgers ($11), built of quality Ohio beef, weigh in at well over a half-pound – and that's before the addition of pickled onions, aged white cheddar and applewood bacon.
Deagan's not only got the "gastro" part right, they nailed the "pub" portion, too. Craft beer fans have at their disposal 30 killer drafts, with many of those spots reserved for special and seasonal brews. Folks looking for something different can order one of the "beer cocktails," such as the Shandygaff ($4.5), made with Bell's Two Hearted Ale and ginger beer. The classic cocktail trend is given some attention here, as is a workable wine-by-the-glass program.
For whatever reason, Tuesday is taco day in Lakewood, with numerous joints getting in on the discounted south-of-the-border action. You can now add Deagan's to the must-visit list. Here, soft tacos stuffed with beef or chicken cost just $2 apiece, while those bursting with spicy shrimp or ahi tuna come in at a measly $3. Eastsiders, the parking lot is in back.
Deagan's Kitchen & Bar
14810 Detroit Ave., Lakewood
216.767.5775
The Flying Fig Sprouts a Market
What's that saying about the solution being right under our noses? That's precisely where Flying Fig chef and owner Karen Small discovered the remedy for a tricky little pickle. For years Small has been scouring the urban landscape for the proper location to open a gourmet retail market. Like the proverbial Goldilocks Principle, each and every one proved to be too big, too small, too expensive, or too remote.
And then, as Small described it, a light went off in her head. "I thought, I have this other room with a separate entrance that gets used maybe once a week," she says, referring to the Fig's private dining room. "And it already has a kitchen." That kitchen, of course, is the one attached to her restaurant.
Private dining rooms – PDRs in the biz – are akin to those hideous wool sweaters that come courtesy of Grandma: They tend only to get used around the holidays. Apart from the occasional large gathering, and the predictable holiday-season crush, Flying Fig's private dining room sat largely vacant. The restaurant occasionally used it for overflow dining on weekend nights, but the room (and those like it) are what diners unflatteringly refer to as Siberia – far from the action. Conversely, the type of gourmet market that Small envisioned would be open all day every day, generating cash flow even when the restaurant wasn't.
It's been six weeks since Small opened Market at the Fig and, she says, she hasn't regretted it one bit. "I'm glad I did it. I think the Market will be solid in long run. We're still making adjustments, of course, but I've been really happy with it."
The European-style shop offers a deft mix of prepared foods, made-to-order sandwiches, specialty retail products, and beer and wine. It brings to the street – and the neighborhood – something unique, functional and delicious. There is no shortage of restaurants in Ohio City, that we know. But there is a dearth of quick-casual joints from which to grab quality grub.
When Karen Small makes a sandwich, it's pretty safe to assume that it won't share much in common with those we throw together at home. Take the smoked pork ($8). I know, right now some of you are thinking, Eight bucks, for a sandwich? Better be filled with gold. Well, in a way, it is. Stuffed to the rafters with rosy folds of luscious smoked pork, the sandwich is a jaw-breaker. Fat slabs of stinky Italian taleggio top the meat, while a sweet fig jam and pickled-fennel relish coat the bread. That bread, by the way, is house-baked focaccia gilded with caramelized onions.
Tuna fish? In the Market's version ($8), Small swaps the StarKist for fine olive oil-packed Spanish white tuna. The creamy salad, studded with perky capers and crisp local veggies, is spooned into a fresh-baked roll along with some greens. But my favorite of the bunch is the Italian-style cured meats ($9), a flavor bomb layered with La Quercia American prosciutto, chorizo-like salami, coppa, aged provolone and roasted red pepper dressing. Others include grilled eggplant with fresh mozzarella ($8), local farm egg salad ($8), and Ohio grass-fed roast beef with horseradish and Ohio cheddar ($8.50). Sandwiches come swaddled in brown craft paper bundled with twine. Adorable.
In the prepared foods cooler are salads, sides and mains sold by the pound. This is where you'll find heat-and-eat entrees like Ohio pork porchetta, Ohio barbecue beef, veal ricotta meatballs, or bacon, egg and cheese quiche. Vividly fresh sides range from vegetarian couscous ($7/lb) and farro with dried fruit ($8/lb) to paella salad with chicken confit ($8/lb). Everything, from the sandwiches to entrees, change on a regular basis.
Like Market Avenue Wine Bar next door, this market also sells retail wine – but longer hours of operation and a better display give it an edge. Hand selected, and offered at state minimum prices, the wines are a godsend for anybody looking for a quick hostess gift. Better still, grab a bottle ($10 corkage), baguette, and hunk of artisinal American cheese and enjoy the European feast on the Fig patio.
In the specialty foods department are gourmet chips, jarred house-made pickles and jams, tins of that great Spanish tuna, even a dozen farm-fresh eggs. Large-format beers – those 22-ouncers –give Small the flexibility to offer tastes from lesser-seen producers.
If shoppers have experienced any snafus they likely have been relating to speed. It takes time to craft these masterpiece sandwiches, but to become a well-trafficked lunch choice, the tempo must increase. Small says she is planning to offer more grab-and-go options.
Market at the Fig
2523 Market Ave., Cleveland
216.241.4243
And then, as Small described it, a light went off in her head. "I thought, I have this other room with a separate entrance that gets used maybe once a week," she says, referring to the Fig's private dining room. "And it already has a kitchen." That kitchen, of course, is the one attached to her restaurant.
Private dining rooms – PDRs in the biz – are akin to those hideous wool sweaters that come courtesy of Grandma: They tend only to get used around the holidays. Apart from the occasional large gathering, and the predictable holiday-season crush, Flying Fig's private dining room sat largely vacant. The restaurant occasionally used it for overflow dining on weekend nights, but the room (and those like it) are what diners unflatteringly refer to as Siberia – far from the action. Conversely, the type of gourmet market that Small envisioned would be open all day every day, generating cash flow even when the restaurant wasn't.
It's been six weeks since Small opened Market at the Fig and, she says, she hasn't regretted it one bit. "I'm glad I did it. I think the Market will be solid in long run. We're still making adjustments, of course, but I've been really happy with it."
The European-style shop offers a deft mix of prepared foods, made-to-order sandwiches, specialty retail products, and beer and wine. It brings to the street – and the neighborhood – something unique, functional and delicious. There is no shortage of restaurants in Ohio City, that we know. But there is a dearth of quick-casual joints from which to grab quality grub.
When Karen Small makes a sandwich, it's pretty safe to assume that it won't share much in common with those we throw together at home. Take the smoked pork ($8). I know, right now some of you are thinking, Eight bucks, for a sandwich? Better be filled with gold. Well, in a way, it is. Stuffed to the rafters with rosy folds of luscious smoked pork, the sandwich is a jaw-breaker. Fat slabs of stinky Italian taleggio top the meat, while a sweet fig jam and pickled-fennel relish coat the bread. That bread, by the way, is house-baked focaccia gilded with caramelized onions.
Tuna fish? In the Market's version ($8), Small swaps the StarKist for fine olive oil-packed Spanish white tuna. The creamy salad, studded with perky capers and crisp local veggies, is spooned into a fresh-baked roll along with some greens. But my favorite of the bunch is the Italian-style cured meats ($9), a flavor bomb layered with La Quercia American prosciutto, chorizo-like salami, coppa, aged provolone and roasted red pepper dressing. Others include grilled eggplant with fresh mozzarella ($8), local farm egg salad ($8), and Ohio grass-fed roast beef with horseradish and Ohio cheddar ($8.50). Sandwiches come swaddled in brown craft paper bundled with twine. Adorable.
In the prepared foods cooler are salads, sides and mains sold by the pound. This is where you'll find heat-and-eat entrees like Ohio pork porchetta, Ohio barbecue beef, veal ricotta meatballs, or bacon, egg and cheese quiche. Vividly fresh sides range from vegetarian couscous ($7/lb) and farro with dried fruit ($8/lb) to paella salad with chicken confit ($8/lb). Everything, from the sandwiches to entrees, change on a regular basis.
Like Market Avenue Wine Bar next door, this market also sells retail wine – but longer hours of operation and a better display give it an edge. Hand selected, and offered at state minimum prices, the wines are a godsend for anybody looking for a quick hostess gift. Better still, grab a bottle ($10 corkage), baguette, and hunk of artisinal American cheese and enjoy the European feast on the Fig patio.
In the specialty foods department are gourmet chips, jarred house-made pickles and jams, tins of that great Spanish tuna, even a dozen farm-fresh eggs. Large-format beers – those 22-ouncers –give Small the flexibility to offer tastes from lesser-seen producers.
If shoppers have experienced any snafus they likely have been relating to speed. It takes time to craft these masterpiece sandwiches, but to become a well-trafficked lunch choice, the tempo must increase. Small says she is planning to offer more grab-and-go options.
Market at the Fig
2523 Market Ave., Cleveland
216.241.4243
Q&A: Dinner in the Dark's Brian Okin
On October 11, chef Brian Okin, formerly of Verve, hosted a culinary experiment at his recently shuttered restaurant called "Dinner in the Dark." He and co-founding chefs Jeff Jarrett (North End, 7542 Darrow Rd., 330.656.1238, northendwinefoodfun.com) and Scene Best New Chef Ellis Cooley (Amp 150, 4277 W. 150th St., 216.706.8787, amp150.com) rounded up a few friends and threw an eight-course dinner party for 70 lucky diners.
Round #2, to be held at Amp 150 on November 15, is already sold out.
DT: I picture a bunch of people wearing blindfolds and groping around for their dinner. Am I close?
BO: That's what everybody thought, that they would be eating in the dark. The concept is that diners are in the dark about what they're going to be eating, what they're going to be drinking, and what chefs will be doing the cooking. The excitement comes from being surprised, and opening your eyes to new flavors.
DT: What happens when Jane Diner announces she doesn't eat lamb?
BO: Dinner in the Dark is not for everybody. No disrespect to vegetarians or diners with special needs, but this is not for them. Many of the chefs are walking into a kitchen for the first time in their life to cook a course for 70 people. It would be a logistical nightmare.
DT: The event must be a hoot for the chefs.
BO: It gives the chefs an opportunity to try things they may not be able to do in their own kitchens because the clientele or neighborhood won't support it. Here you have a room full of people who know about and enjoy food. Those are valuable opinions.
DT: There was some serious talent sharing the range. How did that work out?
BO: I actually got goose pimples watching these top chefs walk into my kitchen. It was more fun than I imagined. Everybody pitched in to help with each course. Nobody tried to outdo each other. That was the main reason I started this. There are chefs in this town I've known for 20 years who I've never gotten to cook with.
DT: Not only that, but proceeds go to a charity, right?
BO: This is not a money-making endeavor for me, my restaurant, or any of the chefs involved. Thanks to donations from food purveyors and Farmer Jones, our first event made $3,400 for Veggie U.
DT: I picture a bunch of people wearing blindfolds and groping around for their dinner. Am I close?
BO: That's what everybody thought, that they would be eating in the dark. The concept is that diners are in the dark about what they're going to be eating, what they're going to be drinking, and what chefs will be doing the cooking. The excitement comes from being surprised, and opening your eyes to new flavors.
DT: What happens when Jane Diner announces she doesn't eat lamb?
BO: Dinner in the Dark is not for everybody. No disrespect to vegetarians or diners with special needs, but this is not for them. Many of the chefs are walking into a kitchen for the first time in their life to cook a course for 70 people. It would be a logistical nightmare.
DT: The event must be a hoot for the chefs.
BO: It gives the chefs an opportunity to try things they may not be able to do in their own kitchens because the clientele or neighborhood won't support it. Here you have a room full of people who know about and enjoy food. Those are valuable opinions.
DT: There was some serious talent sharing the range. How did that work out?
BO: I actually got goose pimples watching these top chefs walk into my kitchen. It was more fun than I imagined. Everybody pitched in to help with each course. Nobody tried to outdo each other. That was the main reason I started this. There are chefs in this town I've known for 20 years who I've never gotten to cook with.
DT: Not only that, but proceeds go to a charity, right?
BO: This is not a money-making endeavor for me, my restaurant, or any of the chefs involved. Thanks to donations from food purveyors and Farmer Jones, our first event made $3,400 for Veggie U.
Dim and Den Sum to Park It
There is no denying that since crashing onto the Cleveland food scene, Dim and Den Sum has made quite a splash. Launched last spring by Chris Hodgson and Jeremy Esterly (who is no longer with the company), the gastro-van already has acquired over 5,500 Facebook fans and 2,000 Twitter followers, who track the truck's progress and pounce on its addictive Asian-tinged comfort fare. For months, the question for Hodgson was how best to expand his growing brand.
That answer came last week, when a partnership was struck with Alan Glazen and the red-hot team behind ABC Tavern (1872 W. 25th St., 216.861.3857) and the forthcoming Detroit Shoreway restaurant, XYZ Tavern. In the immediate works, says Glazen, is a bricks-and-mortar Dim and Den Sum restaurant on W. 25th Street, in the former Grind nightclub spot just south of Lorain. Also on tap are additional trucks to spread the Dim Sum lovin' to a wider audience.
"We had reached the peek of what we could do working out of a small catering kitchen," explains Hodgson. "We run out of food everyday, our staff isn't big enough. Having a full restaurant and kitchen will allow us to cross-utilize people and products." The kicker for 24-year-old Hodgson, however, is the support that comes from teaming up with industry vets Randy Kelley and Linda Syrek, who run ABC and the West Side Market Café. "That was the main reason I wanted to sign up," Hodgson adds. "I could have gotten money from investors, but having those two on my team is invaluable."
In an attempt to transfer the same level of fun and excitement from the truck to the restaurant, Hodgson says he will create a totally open kitchen concept where chefs double as servers – where there is no distinction between "back of the house" and "front of the house" – as is the case with the rig. As for those rigs: look for more of them boasting longer hours, with breakfast service being added to the fold. Plans call for a springtime opening.
That answer came last week, when a partnership was struck with Alan Glazen and the red-hot team behind ABC Tavern (1872 W. 25th St., 216.861.3857) and the forthcoming Detroit Shoreway restaurant, XYZ Tavern. In the immediate works, says Glazen, is a bricks-and-mortar Dim and Den Sum restaurant on W. 25th Street, in the former Grind nightclub spot just south of Lorain. Also on tap are additional trucks to spread the Dim Sum lovin' to a wider audience.
"We had reached the peek of what we could do working out of a small catering kitchen," explains Hodgson. "We run out of food everyday, our staff isn't big enough. Having a full restaurant and kitchen will allow us to cross-utilize people and products." The kicker for 24-year-old Hodgson, however, is the support that comes from teaming up with industry vets Randy Kelley and Linda Syrek, who run ABC and the West Side Market Café. "That was the main reason I wanted to sign up," Hodgson adds. "I could have gotten money from investors, but having those two on my team is invaluable."
In an attempt to transfer the same level of fun and excitement from the truck to the restaurant, Hodgson says he will create a totally open kitchen concept where chefs double as servers – where there is no distinction between "back of the house" and "front of the house" – as is the case with the rig. As for those rigs: look for more of them boasting longer hours, with breakfast service being added to the fold. Plans call for a springtime opening.
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