Heights Eats

Sarah and I finally ate at the Baricelli Inn a few days ago and couldn’t believe it had taken us so long to do so. Cleveland Foodie has been singing their praises for years, and for good reason.

We started out with a cheese plate ($14). There was a good cow’s milk cheese that tasted like what Whole Foods typically has out for samples and an excellent, mild, fairly firm goat’s milk cheese. The most notable inclusion was the Cowgirl Creamery Red Hawk. The waiter warned us that we should pair it with some grapes and nuts, and the sour intensity was a bit much for Sarah. We both made faces when we had a bite, the same as people typically make for extremely spicy food. I enjoyed it, though. The plating was beautiful and included walnuts, fig cake, various crackers, apple slices and grapes. The dish was among the best courses I’ve had this year, appetizer or otherwise. Baricelli also sells their cheeses retail at … continue reading

We’ve moved into our own URL, heightseats.com and switched to WordPress. We’re still working out some details, and adding content, like our ‘About’ page and our side bar links.… continue reading

I’ve been meaning to try Bön Apetit’s S’more Cookies for a while but never seemed to have the ingredients on hand. I finally just made them with what I had–white chocolate instead of marshmallows, clabbered milk instead of buttermilk–and they turned out great. They definitely don’t taste like health food, but they’re much more filling and satisfying than regular cookies.

I would have photographed a whole plate of these, but, after taking some to a party and eating a lot ourselves, there aren’t a whole lot left.

We’ll definitely make these again.

Triple Chocolate Wheat Cookies

(adapted from Bön Apetit)

3 cups white whole wheat flour1 1/2 cups (packed) brown sugar3/4 teaspoon salt1/2 teaspoon baking soda2 large eggs2/3 cup buttermilk (or 2/3 cup milk plus 1 TB lemon juice left to sit for 15 minutes)1 tablespoon molasses1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted3/4 cup chocolate chips (about 4.5 ounces)3/4 cup chopped milk chocolate (4.5 ounces)1/2 cup white chocolate chips (3 ounces)3/4 cup … continue reading

So we’ve been trying to stick to a budget lately, and part of the changes we’ve made include shopping for various household necessities at Aldi’s. Surprisingly, Aldi is a German company that owns Trader Joe’s. There are plenty of good imported foods there, including German sourdough rye bread and chocolate. We’ve tried a few of their dark chocolate bars, with mixed results. However there was one stand out, Choceur Dark Chocolate, which is made in the Bavarian Alps. It comes in a red package and is about $1.29 for a 5.29 oz bar (note that the price online including shipping is four times this). The chocolate is dark, but has some milk added so it has a really nice texture and is not too bitter.… continue reading

Sarah and I picked up dinner from Taste on Lee Rd. tonight after Jonathan went to sleep. It’s a relatively new establishment and, considering the chef recently cooked at a Michelin-rated restaurant in Paris, we were definitely excited to give it a try.

We started with the soup of the day–cream of potato ($6)–and the beet carpacio ($8). The soup was pretty good–Sarah described it as a bit like “rich mashed potato” flavor–and the parsley oil was a nice touch. The beet carpacio was more interesting as the counterpoints were bacon, goat cheese and spinach. The combination of sweet, pungent, and meaty worked well.

For our entrée we split the scallops with creamy leeks, mango coulis and roasted (pureed) red peppers ($18). The dish was good, but the flavors seemed somehow too clean and not very complex. Perhaps this is characteristic of rustic French dishes; I’m not sure. My favorite element was the creamy leeks, which … continue reading

Sarah and I attended the Bread Communion at the Unitarian Universalist Church a few weeks ago. The idea of the service is that people bring bread that has familial or cultural significance and share both the bread and a few words with the congregation.

I brought whole grain challah from Peter Reinhart’s Whole Grain Breads. Here’s the bread before baking:

And this is afterwards:

It was 50% whole wheat, but it was as soft and satisfying as any challah I’ve had. I mentioned that challah always reminded me of my grandmother on my dad’s side, who served challah with most meals she made us.

Other breads included beignets from someone who was from New Orleans and skillet cornbread. The woman who brought it admitted that she usually used mixes but made this one from scratch as her mother always made it that way. Other yummy breads included pumpkin bread, chocolate spice bread and a couple … continue reading

Here are some things food-related (and one not) that I’ve enjoyed lately:

Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron — This is probably the best Dogfish beer I’ve had, and I’ve tried a lot of them. The flavor is complex, with plenty of sweetness, roasted malt flavor, hardwood (Palo Santo refers to the barrels), hops and carbonation. But, with all this going on, the beer is extremely well-balanced. Ratebeer.com gave it 98/100. I was a bit sad I’d bought only one of these.

Lilly Handmade Chocolates — I found the Palo Santo at Lilly, along with plenty of other interesting and hard-to-find beers and wines. The Vietnamese cinnamon and apple truffle I had for dessert was so intense that I’m glad I gave it more than one bite. And it went perfectly with the beer.

An Obsessed Chef — This blog is filled with philosophical musings and well-written stories of life “from behind the stove.” Chef Eric’s recent post, … continue reading

Monthly Archives: December 2008

Baricelli Inn

Welcome!

Triple Chocolate Wheat Cookies

Inexpensive Dark Chocolate

Taste

Bread Communion

Good Things