Hodges Preview Dinner

March 30, 2012 | by Ben 0

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

Jak of All Trades Fest

September 7, 2011 | by Ben 1

We went to the Jak of All Trades Fest over Labor Day weekend and really enjoyed it. It’s an event sponsored by and held at Jak Prints on Chester Avenue with food, merchant stands, tours of the facility and free beer.

There was a great selection of food from Dim and Den Sum, Steat Mobilebistro and Umami Moto. Sarah got chicken gyro tacos from Streat, which she really enjoyed. I ordered an duck burger from Dim and Den Sum. When Chris Hodgson asked me how I wanted it cooked, I said, “medium…uh…medium rare.” In every other situation when I’ve hesitated this way at a restaurant, I get something south of medium well. This version was cooked to a perfect medium rare, though, with the sour cherry compote perfectly complementing the juicy burger. Even Jonathan enjoyed a couple bites of it.

We waited in line for a tour of the facility, and it was impressive. There were plenty of cool rock posters and T-shirts as well as some pretty … continue reading

Dim and Den Sum

June 1, 2010 | by Ben 4

I have been eagerly awaiting an opportunity to try out the new Dim and Den Sum food truck, and when we finally got there Sarah was converted as well.

We drove out to Marcus Thomas last Thursday (on Emery Road–workplace of Cleveland Foodie) to pick up lunch at the truck. We came towards the end of their stint (1:15) but fortunately they weren’t out of anything. We ordered two tofu tacos, a beef shank taco, and the tater tots.

The sliced beef had an intense roasted meat flavor which was nicely balanced by the fresh greens. It was 85+ degrees out, but the taco was fresh enough to be enjoyable.

The real star was the tofu taco. The tofu was tangy and earthy, and the Killbuck Valley mushrooms and greens added a sharpness and depth of flavor. This is the perfect summer food, very satisfying but light as well. Both tacos also had freshly cut corn which added sweetness … continue reading