We were invited by Scott Kuhn and Chris Hodgson to a preview dinner at their new restaurant Hodges. Sarah is not a fan of crowds, so I took my friend Matt.

The space is large but inviting, with a deep red motif. The noise level was low, making conversation easy. Then again, the place was less than half full.

We started with the tater tots, which are served with every meal the way chips and salsa is at most Mexican restaurants. They were dusted in bacon and served with a sour cream dipping sauce, making for a perfect combination of tot and baked potato. They went down really easy.

The next course is also complimentary with every meal, a cast iron of corn bread. It was moist and tasty with some really good bourbon butter on the side. Matt was not happy with how hot it was, but I didn’t mind so much as it cooled down fairly quickly (3−4 minutes) after being cut.

We were then … continue reading

We celebrated Sarah’s birthday at Crop Bistro a couple weeks ago. They’ve definitely kept their quality up since the move from the Warehouse District.

The new location is in a large building on West 25^th Street kitty corner from the West Side market. The space is extremely large and gives the sense of a large European train station or even a Cathedral. It’s a beautiful space.

When we arrived for our 6:30 Saturday reservation, we were told that a space at the chef’s table had opened up and that, considering the desirability of such a spot, that we would be advised to take it. We did.

Our meal began with a compimentary amuse buche, a couple sweet and spicy fried spring rolls. We very much enjoyed them.

I ordered a Lanigan to drink ($9), an excellent mixture of vodka, pear juice and ginger that tasted almost wine-like in its mix of subtle sweetness, fragrance, and sour / bitter elements. It went very well with everything we ordered.… continue reading

Waffles usually disappoint me. The perfect waffle should be crisp–almost crunchy–on the outside but light, fluffy and moist on the inside. Most waffles, even at restaurants, tend to be too heavy and lack much distinction between outside and inside.

The secret to perfect waffles is yeast, which results in highly risen, flavorful and crisp waffles. Unfortunately, yeast batter recipes (called “overnight waffles”) do not generally allow for a quick waffle fix. However, using inspiration from Alton Brown’s English Muffin recipe, I realized that I could speed the process to a little over 30 minutes. The ingredient list is from Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything. His overnight recipe can be found here.

We had these for dinner, but they could easily be made quickly enough for a weekend breakfast or brunch.

Quick Yeast Waffles (serves four hungry adults)

2 cups whole milk 8 TB (1 stick) butter 1 tablespoon sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 envelope yeast, active dry or instant 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 … continue reading

Bogtrotter’s Doorstep is a new sandwich shop that recently opened on the corner of West 25^th and Bridge. We were on our way to lunch at Ohio City Burrito and realized that we had parked in front of Bogtrotter’s. We’d read good things about the place, so we thought we’d try it out.

The establishment is basically just two counters, one for ordering and another with one stool for eating. Sarah ordered the Porkopolis ($9) with shaved pork loin, greens, provolone and jus. I had the Haight ($9) which included provolone, banana peppers, porcini mushrooms, greens and house marinara. We both got ours “wet,” meaning jus is poured over the sandwich. Sandwiches are also available soaked or dry.

Our food came quickly, and, as we were planning to eat in, the owner suggested we take our food to the Old Angle next door. I ordered a Bass Ale and Sarah had ginger ale, both of which went well with the sandwiches.… continue reading

Despite having a blog for over four years, we’ve never reviewed the Grovewood Tavern, one the most respected establishments on our side of town. Sarah bought me the Cleveland Independents Deck for Christmas this year, and the coupon was as good an excuse as any to visit. This was perhaps our favorite meal we’ve had yet at Grovewood.

Although it’s a wine bar, Grovewood has a bit of a gastropub vibe. The outside looks like like a bar, and the dark wood inside clearly fits with the “Tavern” in its name. The year-round hanging white Christmas lights add a warm touch, especially on a winter evening.

We started our meal with the grilled Caesar ($7) and potstickers ($11). Grilling romaine is a great idea: the bittersweet caramel bite nicely offset the richness of the Caesar dressing. The portobello filled potstickers with lardons were somewhat reminiscent of Michael Symon’s beef-cheek pierogies. They were satisfying but not at all heavy.

To drink I had a draft Winter White Ale (Ithaca Excelsior, … continue reading

We’ve been meaning to make it to Deagan’s in Lakewood for dinner for eons. We were already on the West side from a late afternoon trip to Dave and Buster’s, so we decided to take advantage of our location. We were glad we did.

We arrived at 6:00pm on a Friday night and got the last open table. We were given menus–including a kids menu for Jonathan–and our drink order was taken quickly.

Deagan’s has an excellent selection of draft beers, making for a difficult decision. I ordered the Green Flash Red IPA ($5). It was perfectly balanced between the hops and bittersweet caramel from dark roasted malt.

The décor is warm, with high wooden ceilings and plenty of thick, dark wood in the chairs and tables as well. The lighting was perfect, just dark enough to feel relaxed and intimate but bright enough to clearly see your food and surroundings.

Deagan’s has a large variety of small bar snacks and appetizers. Jonathan … continue reading