Wente Vineyards Wine Tasting

Enjoyed meeting Karl Wente, Fifth Generation Winemaker from Wente Vineyards this weekend at a wine tasting at West Point Market in Akron. Their limited production showcase wine The Nth Degree is OUT OF THIS WORLD. Karl was in town for an achievement award and stopped in at WPM for a wine tasting and bottle signing.

Pictured left to right – Linda Fletcher (Wine Consultant, West Point Market), Karl Wente Winemaker, Wente Vineyards) and Shara Foldi (Owner, Unity Design).

The Barrio in Tremont

Upon recommendation of trusted foodie friends, we checked out The Barrio in Tremont. Our friends did not steer us wrong!

The Barrio is located in the old 806 Winebar on Literary Avenue. They redecorated with fun Day of the Dead murals on the walls and a grunge-goth vibe on the menus.

You are provided menus and pencils to check off toppings to build your own tacos, and to choose from starters such as guacamole (4 creative variations), tortilla soup, salad and sides. The ingredients are fresh and eclectic and mix and match makes the taco options seem endless.

They brought us chips and salsa to start. The salsa roja was muy caliente – actually a little too hot for us – so we moved onto guacamole. We ordered the Tuscan guacamole which was finished with a balsamic reduction and pine nuts. It was fresh, generously portioned, and an interesting mix of sweet and spice. I was also tempted to try the mango guacamole, but that will have to wait until next time.

We built our tacos knowing we'd be back to try other varieties, because the options sounded so intriguing (ie: jicama slaw with strawberries, cilantro pesto, chipotle honey…)  Also there were plenty of vegetarian options with tofu and black beans on the protein list. The tacos are actually small, but so is the price of $3. We wished after so carefully choosing the toppings for each taco that there would have been a larger version for a few more dinaro.

They have quite a happy hour – daily from 5-7pm and then reverse happy hour later on – in fact only a few hours in the evening are not "happy"! Tequila and whiskey seem to be the house drinks, but we didn't indulge as we stuck to our usual wine.

Overall, we loved the vibe and concept, and look forward to returning! Oh, and of course they inherited the nice patio from 806 with an open air fireplace for those chilled evenings.

Unity Design is a print and online design firm that specializes in the restaurant and culinary industry.

Taverne of Richfield

We visited the Taverne of Richfield for dinner on a beautiful Tuesday night, so we took advantage and dined on the patio. Our whole experience from atmosphere to drink to food to service was excellent. This is our second dinner outing at the Taverne of Richfield, and it gets better every visit.

The patio is very large and nicely landscaped and sectioned with stepped up areas, trellises, and a fountain surrounded by foliage. The fountain wasn't running but I imagine it is on more crowded evenings. It seems like this would be a fabulous happy hour or night out on the weekend.

Our evening started off with a glass of Chardonnay with their complimentary warm house-made bread. An amazing blend of crusty on the outside and moist and buttery inside. This was accompanied with with a bright, lemon-basil olive oil dip. We would come back just for the bread and dip alone! Next we had an equally refreshing green apple / cabbage salad with goat cheese – a frequent and welcome ingredient on their menu. He had a generous portioned, pecan-crusted chicken with goat cheese on top.  Served with thinly sliced, crispy fingerling potatoes and baby carrots with a tasty butter-sage sauce. Moist and delicious, with nice presentation. I had gnocchi which was super flavorful and lemony with roasted tomatoes. My only criticism is I wish there were more vegetables in the dish to offset the denseness of the gnocchi. Don't get me wrong – they were very good, but another texture and flavor would have been welcome to lighten it up – especially as the only vegetarian entree.

As always, we asked many questions about the line up of evening entertainment, menu items and happy hour deals to which our server josh, never flinched. He was very knowledgeable and attentive and clued us into all the happenings so that we will surely return to try them out.

For those living in the surrounding areas of Richfield, this is a gem right in your backyard. Embrace it. The restaurant is located at the corner of Rt. 303 and Broadview Road with great parking and old inn vibe. Definitely worth the drive from anywhere. Enjoy.

The D.C. Pasta Company

We recently checked out The D.C. Pasta Company in Strongsville with a group of friends and had a wonderful time. We've been to Dante's other restaurants and were excited to try his Italian concept.

D.C.'s wine list has a great variety and features an extensive selection of "under $25" bottles. We started with the Rubus Zinfandel (lush) on the menu, but our server alerted us to a special bottle of Tempranillo (El Cortijillo) that was out of this world. It has the most amazing cherry finish. D.C. had bought the last 2 cases of this vintage, and after a glass, several of us bought bottles to take home!

The food menu is an adventure, in that there are many ways to mix and match. Pastas come as a $5 taste, $10 appetizer, or $15 main course. There are soups, salads, antipastos, and various meatballs (even ricotta for us vegetarians) to add in. Everyone at our table pretty much started with a Tuscan bean soup, ordered 2 pasta "tastes" with a "meatball", and ended with dessert. This seemed to be a good way to order and was plenty of food with great variety. The pastas were all perfectly al dente and flavorful and the desserts were fabulous. We will definitely return to try more combinations!

The wait staff was incredibly friendly, knowledgeable, and accommodating - especially to the various dietary needs in our group!

Wine, Cheese and Chocolate! The Best of Ohio

What a night! Thursday, April 26 the Cleveland chapter of Les Dames d'Escoffier had its annual fundraiser, and as would be expected, it was rather tasty!

Four wineries, four cheesemakers, and four chocolatiers participated (listed below) and brought delightful, diverse samples for the 65 or so guests to taste and enjoy. The event was held at the beautiful Trevarrow Showroom in Parma, which made attendees eager to re-do their home kitchens! Guests circulated though five gorgeous kitchens, to taste some of the best wine, cheese and chocolate Ohio has to offer.

Wine
Ferrante Winery
Firelands Winery
Harpersfield Winery
South River Winery

Cheese
Canal Junction Farmstead Cheese
Kokoborrego Creamery
Lake Erie Creamery
Mackenzie Creamery

Chocolate
Coquette Patisserie
Emerald Necklace Inn & Tea Room
Pomona Chocolates
What's For Dessert?

Summed up by Programming Chair, Carol Hacker, "Attendees loved the opportunity to sample wonderful wines, cheeses and chocolates from independent local producers. The exposure benefits both sides and supports the link between farm and table. A delicious learning experience - what could be better?"

All event pictures are posted on the Les Dames d'Escoffier, Cleveland facebook page. If you missed this year's event, be sure to watch for next year's offering. Les Dames fundraisers are not to be missed!

Unity Design was a proud sponsor and designed the identity and all of the event promotions.

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!