Players on Madison - Fall Menu and Wine Tasting

This night was not exactly for the vegetarian, so it was fortunate that Mr. B attended and not me! Here's what he had to say:

What a fantastic opportunity. Players on Madison Avenue in Lakewood had a private fall menu and wine tasting. I was fortunate to attend, for the small price of $10 (which they returned to me in the form of a $10 gift certificate to use on my next visit). Players is one of those restaurants that easily becomes one of your favorites. Easy on-site parking, a great cozy modern atmosphere, and super-attentive staff make the visit worthwhile every time. Oh and then there is the outstanding food! Thanks to Gary Lucarelli and Chef Anthony Romano for a fabulous, tasty evening!

So the event was a walk about and mingle while enjoying what seemed to be an endless variety of fall menu samplings. There were several wine stations showcasing a selection of wines. The atmosphere was fun and we all felt like vultures when the next round of samples came out. In no particular order, these are some of the enjoyed items.

Bacon Wrapped Scallops
Not just a piece, but a whole scallop perfectly cooked, perched on a corn fritter with a tomato coulis. This was one of my favorites. Just a touch of spice.

Roasted Chicken, Corn and Spinach Spring Rolls
Lightly crusted, loaded with chicken and almost delicate with an amazing heat from the sriracha thai dipping sauce.

Almond Encrusted Brie
Warm and delicious, served with a tasty apple-pear chutney.

A variety of thin crust pizzas circulated. All were fantastic. The classic Margherita, an earthy Roasted Portobello with chevre, and a fall flavor classic, Fried Butternut Squash with apples and sage.

Chicken Francais
Light and lemony with a distinct artichoke flavor.

From the wines, The Franciscan Cabernet was complex and bold, but a bit too dry for my tastes. Conundrum, a surprising white blend from California, was really fresh and crisp and easily my favorite of the evening. A Bourdeaux style red, Revelry “The Reveler” from Columbia Valley, Washington had that bold lush mouth feel that made it a favorite red.

The Cleveland Garlic Festival

Garlic. If you love it like we do, then you had to go to The Cleveland Garlic Festival at The North Union Farmers Market September 10-11. The festival is in its second year and is located on Shaker Square. Despite a little rain, plenty of people were there. We roamed the tents on both sides, sampling lots of garlic goodness, and buying items that wowed us. There were also cooking demonstrations using, of course, GARLIC, as well as live music on two stages. Here are a few of our favorites:

• Sergio's Sarava's Garlic Shrimp: Sergio's really took the theme to heart and made a savory shrimp with big garlic flavor and presented it on a bed of garlic rice to boot! This one really hit the mark on celebrating garlic. Loved it!
  
• Most interesting – Garlic Ice Cream by Mitchell's: we had to try it... everyone should try it… it actually did work! As a side note, they also had the most unbelievable caramel and salt ice cream. Just go try it, your jaw will drop.
  
• Roasted Garlic Salsa from Blaze Gourmet (so big and flavorful - one of the best salsas out there, and it's local!)
  
• Garlic Expressions Salad Dressing (yep, it's local too - we've been buying this for years.)
  
• The Olive and the Grape's many Garlic Olive Oils, Cooking Oils, and spice packets. The spices they incorporate are not the basic stuff, these delightful blends are carefully scrutinized with a passion for the highest quality, healthiest ingredients from all over the world.
  
• Whole Foods' extremely pungent, spicy garlic hummus. That says it all. Whoa.

Our only criticism is that there were some who showcased their regular fare without doing something creative with garlic. We expected everything to be garlic something. Hence, Garlic Festival. One of those things that's basically implied, if you don't love garlic, then don't come. So we challenge participants next year to bring out the garlic. Show us and amaze us with what you can do with it… I'm sure we garlic lovers will applaud the effort!

Amp 150

It was our first visit to Amp 150 since the departure of Ellis Cooley and the entry of Jeffrey Jarrett from Palate. We really enjoyed the tasty intricacies and unexpected combinations at Palate, so we had high hopes for our meal!

Right away, the staff was very attentive and accommodating. We had a small issue with our first starter, and it was quickly rectified without us even asking. Sous-Chef Melissa Khoury delivered up a bevy of salads and small plates, each fresh and flavorful with beautiful presentation.

Some of the things we tried over the course of the evening:

Pasta Al Ceppo - Fantastic! Perfectly cooked al dente pasta, with eggplant confit, roasted red peppers, arugula, and pine nuts. The eggplant, chopped so fine and reduced to a thick consistency, had such intense flavor. It clung to every noodle, making every bite equally tasty.

He enjoyed the Seared Scallops which were cooked perfectly.

Broccolini with chili paste and sesame seeds, had just the right amount of heat and sweetness and crunchiness of the broccoli.

Panzanella Salad - Can't beat the fresh tomatoes right now!

Beet Salad - I am not a fan of beets, but was floored when I tasted, and ended up enjoying this salad. The beets were mild in flavor and just worked with the other ingredients, especially the goat cheese fondue.

There were lots of vegetarian options on the menu - I had a hard time picking. I'll have to go back to try the rest!

Vivo Ristorante

We checked out Vivo Ristorante, a semi-new Italian restaurant in Parma this weekend and loved it. It has a cool atmosphere with an open kitchen to watch the action from the large bar. There was a wait but it was worth it! We started at the bar, and decided to stay put even when our table became available, because the bartender Jim took such great care of us! The food was outstanding. We started with Arancini (risotto balls), which were half-priced at happy hour time, and made them an incredible deal. They were delicious, as was the accompanying marinara and pesto drizzle. I had the Gnocchi Rosa (minus the sausage, since I'm vegetarian) and he had the Pistachio Crusted Grouper. Both were very generous portions, cooked perfectly, and very flavorful. By the way, there were plenty of vegetarian options and I'll be back to work my way through them

Bistro 185

Went to Bistro 185 last night for one of their VEGAN nights and my tastebuds were dancing. I wish I could go back and have it all again tonight!

It was a 3 for $30 and included a Grilled Caesar Salad, a Barbecue Tofu over a roasted sweet potato and this amazing grilled corn and edamame succotash, and this sweet little jalapeno cornbread, and then a strawberry shortcake complete with vegan ice cream to finish.

I have been a vegetarian for over 20 years, and have not had a great version of a Caesar until last night - Bistro 185 finally nailed a vegan caesar salad!

It was one of those meals where every other word out of my mouth was OMG. Thank you Bistro 185! Absolutely delicious.