The restaurant itself is plain, and the decor consists of the work of local artists (for sale) and plants.  Natural light abounds during the day.  The menu has not changed in decades — but this is a positive attribute.  Although known for being vegetarian, their menu does not exclude meat.  Some of the more popular items on the menu include milk shakes, french fries, toasted cheese (served on pita), salads with Louie dressing (a take on Thousand Island).

One of our favorites is the unusual pairing of hummus, toasted cheese and fresh vegetables.  Warm hummus with melted cheese sounds odd — but tastes really good.  Jonathan gave the dish the kid stamp of approval.  Our only minor complaint is that there should have been more pita bread to match the quantity of hummus.

On a recent visit Ben and I each tried something we haven’t had before from the menu.  I had a spinach pie with cheese, which was quite good.  I would definitely order it again.  It is meal sized, includes plenty of munster cheese and is pleasantly spiced.

Ben ordered the BLT, and added an egg.  The BLT is served on a pita like most of their other sandwiches.  It wasn’t quite as good as the other items we ordered–a bit light on the bacon–and might have been better with added cheese (but what isn’t?)

We skipped their excellent fries in order to experiment a bit, but we’ll definitely get them next time we visit.

Sarah from Top Chef recently won one episode with her sausage stuffed cabbage.  It looked really good to me, so I decided to make it.

Sarah (from this blog, not Top Chef) typically dislikes stuffed cabbage, which is usually filled with a tomato beef sauce.  This recipe has no tomatoes but lots of vegetables.  In addition to the big cabbage leaves, the meat mixture also contains more cabbage and onions and is stuffed into kale.  Sarah really liked it, and even Jonathan enjoyed it.

The recipe we made is modified in a number of ways from the Top Chef recipe published here.  It uses less butter and less olive oil.  And, instead of two small heads of cabbage (green and Napa), we used the one large head we got from City Fresh.  It might be very good with Napa, though.  I wouldn’t suggest following the original recipe to the letter.  Bravo tends to be pretty sloppy with these, including not mentioning when the onions are sauteed, putting “spinach” in the name of a recipe that contains no spinach and never mentioning what to do with one of the sticks of butter.

Pork Sausage Stuffed Cabbage and Kale with Browned Butter

1 head green cabbage
1 bunch kale, preferably Tuscan, large leaves
8 ounces pork shoulder or ground pork
2 ounces smoked bacon
1 cup grated Parmesan
12 saltine crackers
1 egg
2 TB olive oil
1 stick butter, divided
kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
2 shallots, thinly sliced
1 sprig rosemary
1/2 medium onion, minced
8 year old balsamic, drizzle

1. Heat a large pot of water to a boil. Season with kosher salt.

2. Sauté onions in 2 TB butter.
3. Strip the large leaves from half of the green cabbage, then shred the remaining cabbage and add to onions.
4. Remove stems from kale leaves and cook in boiling water for 5 minutes, then cool in ice water. Repeat step for whole cabbage leaves, cook for 3 minutes.
5. With a meat grinder attachment for the kitchen aid, grind pork butt and bacon together. Season with salt (about 1 teaspoon) and pepper. If using ground pork, finely chop the bacon and add to ground pork.
6. Remove cooked shredded cabbage and onion from the sauté pan, reserve.
7. Add ground meat mixture to the pan and cook. Remove and add to shredded cabbage and onions..
8. In a food processor or coffee grinder, pulse the saltine crackers until smooth.
9. Place the cabbage/meat mixture in a bowl and mix in crackers. Add 1 egg and 1/2 cup grated parmesan. Season with salt and pepper.
10. Lay out blanched kale on a cutting board. Evenly distribute the filling mixture.
11. Roll kale up into cigar shape.
12. Lay out whole cabbage leaves.
13. Roll kale rolls into the cabbage. Lay rolls in a casserole dish and top with a few pats of butter. Bake for 25 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
14. Heat 2 TB olive oil in a small sauté pan over medium heat. Add shallots and fry on low until golden brown. Remove from oil
15. Heat remaining butter (about 5 TB) over medium heat until brown, remove.
16. Remove cabbage from oven, top with parmesan, shallots, rosemary sprig. Finish with brown butter and drizzle balsamic.

I’ve been to Palookaville Chili twice, both times during lunch.  The first time was late summer, a period which in theory is not “chili weather.”  I work in Parma, so, if I can get off work early, Palookaville is basically on my way home.

Despite the fact that there’s only really one specialty here, their menu is actually a lot more diverse than, say, Chipotle’s.  There are five kinds of chili including pork, beef, chicken and two vegetarian options, with a variety of spice levels.  You can have your chili in a bowl, over chips (“nacho grande”), on a hot dog, over pasta or in a burrito.  They also offer pulled pork and BBQ chicken sandwiches.  Optional toppings include fresh jalapenos, cheese, red onions, sour cream and bacon.

Thus far I’ve only ordered vegetarian options as I usually prefer light lunches.  Their spicy veggie chili is amazing.  I did a quick inventory of my palate after having a bite to verify that they hadn’t snuck meat in there, but apparently it’s based in garbanzo beans and barley.  I talked to the owner afterwards to figure out how he pulled off such a spicy, rich, complex chili with only vegetables.  He told me that it was based on months of taste-testing various mixes of dried chilies.

On my next visit I got the spinach paneer chili featuring cubes of fresh Indian cheese (sort of a dense solid ricotta) over adobo chips.  The combination of Indian and southwest flavors was really unique.  This was milder than the standard veggie, but still very richly flavored.   The adobo chips are also excellent, thick, crunchy and covered with hot (but not too hot) chili spice.

I came with Jonathan, who ordered a plain hot dog both times.  This is a convenient alternative for those less adventurous.

My biggest complaints about Palookaville are that they close at 4:00 pm and don’t have an east side location.   I asked the owner about the early close time, and he said that business seemed to dry up in the evening.   He also mentioned a BYOB policy that never seemed to catch on.  Maybe because people didn’t know about it?

The service has been excellent during both visits.

If you do want a dinner option, they offer quarts of chili to go.  Ideally, though, people will start pestering the owner about opening back up for dinner.   They’re already pretty crowded at lunch.

Typically one doesn’t think of restaurants around E. 4th and Euclid Avenue as being kid-friendly, but Jonathan Sawyer’s Noodlecat is an exception to the rule.

The restaurant is a nice mix of casual and upscale and seems like it would appeal to a wide variety of clientele.  Sarah and I met there for lunch and decided that bringing Jonathan next time would be a good idea.

Sarah was drawn to the pork dishes, the Hokkaido Ramen (pictured above) on the first visit and the Pork Miso Ramen the second time.  Both were very good, with the Hokkaido being notable for the plethora of yummy corn.  Sarah slightly preferred the Pork Miso for its more intensely flavored broth.   Both had tasty, perfectly tender pork.

My favorite dish thus far has been Kyoto Udon.  The rich mushrooms and kombu stock make for one of the most complex and satisfying soups I’ve ever tried.  The tofu makes the dish more substantial–the soup would be great for dinner as well.

On my next visit I tried the Tempura Soba Dori.  All of their noodles are made by Ohio City pasta, and these were particularly good.  The zucchini tempura fritter and greens were also tasty, but, unlike the vegetarian Kyoto Udon, this dish felt like it could have used protein and a richer broth to give it more substance.

Jonathan ordered the kid’s portion of the College Ramen featuring peas, corn and chicken broth.  He kept calling it “the best noodles I’ve ever had” and wanted his leftovers later that day.

We also ordered the rice cakes as an appetizer, which all three of us enjoyed.  They were basically a very good rendition of sushi rice without the sushi.  The dipping sauce is especially good.

We look forward to future visits to Noodlecat, maybe for dinner next time.

We’d been meaning to check out Luna Bakery ever since it opened as we’re big fans of On The Rise and Stone Oven.  I grabbed some items on a Saturday morning and brought them home for the family, and we really enjoyed everything we got.

While Luna is largely operated by people from Stone Oven (along with Flour Girl), their menu leans more towards a French-style bakery.  They offer quite a variety of sweet and savory crepes.  I ordered the dark chocolate, which was very good, filled with gooey melted dark chocolate and topped with a variety of fresh berries.

We couldn’t resist the pastries, and everything we ordered was excellent.  The oatmeal chocolate chip cookie was crisp and buttery on the outside but soft inside, with plenty of chocolate chips.   The triple chocolate was fudgy but not heavy, and the PB & J was a playful sandwich of two fluffy peanut butter cookies and jam.  The croissant was liberally stuffed with ham and cheese and would make a great inexpensive breakfast on its own.

We plan on making many return visits and are excited to try their lunch menu.

So we figured we’d get more fish if we went out on Lake Erie on a charter boat.  We booked a Saturday 2-8pm trip at Wildwood Marina off Euclid Beach.  Another rider who was next to us, Jim, suggested that people often have “beginner’s luck.”  That might have been an understatement, but it was equally distributed throughout the boat.

We arrived at about 1pm as suggested in the guidelines, bought bait (70+ minnows), and boarded the boat at 1:45pm.  Sarah forgot her license but got a one-day license for $4.

The boat was somewhat wavy, and Jonathan especially was a bit nervous.  We were at our destination in less than an hour, though–they find clusters of fish through a GPS-type system.

Within a minute of dropping my line in the water, I had my first ever perch.  Shortly after, Sarah and Jonathan both got fish, and they just kept coming.  I wasn’t getting many after my first, but then I realized that this might have something to do with the crew’s baiting Sarah’s and Jonathan’s lines while letting me do my own (probably because I was male).  I eventually learned how to bait the minnow better, twice through with the head facing down, and I started getting more fish.

By the end of our trip, we’d filled a 5 gallon bucket with 68 perch and one catfish (caught by Sarah).  We also threw back a number of large sheepshead.  I was a bit interested in keeping one or two, but a crew member described them as tasting “like cardboard,” so we threw them back.  I’m still a tad curious, though, as some people have suggested that we should make better use of sheepshead.

We ended an hour before the standard time to tow a motorboat that had run out of gas, but the ship still caught 420 perch–the upper limit allowed by law for 14 passengers.  We were out on the best trip of the season so far for Wildwood’s perch charters, and this was with afternoon fishing, which isn’t supposed to be as good as early or late.  Maybe it had something to do with the storm that was coming later that night.  One way or another, the fish were in a feeding frenzy.

We’d highly recommend the charter and would have enjoyed it even if we’d only caught a handful of fish.  The cost is $35–37 per adult and $25 per child under 16, plus tip.  They also do a great job cleaning your catch for only 60 cents per fish, and even an experienced fisherman said that was “worth every penny.”  The crew is friendly and helpful.  We cooked some fillets the day after our trip, and they were outstanding just coated in flour, salt and pepper and pan fried in a little butter and garlic–really sweet with not even a trace of fishy flavor.  We ended up with a little over nine pounds of cleaned fish.

Like many authentic barbecue places, Bubba’s Q is a fairly unassuming establishment in a building that seems like a cross between a house and a barn.  The space is nicely open, though, with a high A-frame ceiling and visible supports.

As they’re known for their ribs, Sarah and I split a full rack of baby backs with fries, baked beans and fried corn.  Jonathan had the kids’ hot dog dinner.

The ribs were unbelievably good, not just the best we’ve had in town but maybe the best we’ve had ever.  The meat was perfectly tender, smokey and flavorful.  The outside had a flaky dark brown crust that Sarah couldn’t get enough of.  The barbecue sauce on the side is pretty good, vinegary, slightly sweet and not very hot.  The ribs didn’t need much (if any of it), though, because of how good they were by themselves.

The sides were excellent as well.  The molasses in the beans had a clear caramel element, but they weren’t cloyingly sweet.  The fries were double-fried and crispy, and the “fried corn” was a tasty creamed corn flecked with bacon.

Even Jonathan’s hot dog looked good, somewhat blacked on the outside from being on the grill

I was a bit concerned that, like Fat Casual, Bubba’s Q wouldn’t serve beer, and I kind of needed one after a long day at Cedar Point.   They do, but I couldn’t tell you the full list: they had me at a draft of Lake Erie Monster, Great Lakes’ Imperial IPA.  The powerful hops and subtle sweetness went really well with dinner.

We rarely make it as far west as Avon, but when we do we’ll definitely check out Bubba’s Q again.

The decor is stylish and upscale but not oppressively formal.  We were surprised at the coziness of the establishment, which filled up not too long after we arrived at 6pm on a Saturday.  Our table had a nice view of the kitchen, as did most other tables.

The menu is fairly extensive, and quite a lot looked good.  We started with the short rib potstickers.  These were excellent, with tender braised meat that reminded me of Michael Symon’s beef cheek pierogies.  The sweet/hot sauce was a nice counterpoint, much better than typical dumpling sauce.

To drink I had the Basilico cocktail, a wonderful mix of gin, basil, grapefruit juice, triple-sec and lime.  The citrus combination had elements of Margarita in the flavor, but the gin / basil / grapefruit made it unique and highly refreshing.  It paired well with everything we ordered, and the tall serving glass was enough to last throughout the meal.

Sarah and I split the Mahi Mahi for our entree.  It was surrounded by a rich Indian tomato broth that nicely complimented the perfectly cooked, lobster-like fish.  The spicing seemed south Indian, perhaps infused with citrusy curry leaves.  (Note that the picture above shows only a half-portion; they were kind enough to spit the entrée in the kitchen).

We had the fried rice for our side, which was very flavorful and not overly oily.

Jonathan had the meatball appetizer for his dinner.  The meatballs were tender and flavored with aromatic Indian spices (e.g. cardamom) and surrounded by curried tomato sauce.  Jonathan noted that the flavors were unusual, but he very much enjoyed them.  He liked everything else he tried, especially the rice.

Our service was also excellent, and we look forward to our next visit.

The establishment is quite small–it looks like it wouldn’t seat more than 15–20 people–and tastefully decorated in cool overtones.  Most tables also have a good view into the kitchen.

Based on Dine-O-Mite’s recommendation, we started with the goat cheese dumplings.

As this place has “Asian” in its name, one might expect cheese filled pot stickers.  These, though, are a bit more along the lines of gnocchi, but still very tasty with a mild ginger-soy (?) sauce that doesn’t get in the way of the cheesiness.  All three of us really enjoyed these.

Sarah ordered the Udon Noodles for her entree, which was the table’s favorite.  The beefy mushroom sauce worked wonderfully with the toothsome noodles.  The spicy beef was tender and generously portioned throughout.

I had the five spice braised pork with butternut gnocchi and schezwan pepper.  The pork was nicely cooked and fragrant, and the gnocchi were rich, flavorful and almost buttery tasting.  The plate somehow felt overly slanted towards the meat, though.  I’m generally someone who leaves over starches in favor of other elements, but the rich, aromatic sauce in this dish was crying out for something (e.g. rice) to mop it up.  I would have been happy to have a couple fewer chunks of pork (which was very generously portioned) in exchange for a pyramid of rice and more greens.

We ordered the cold green tea noodles for Jonathan.  We really enjoyed the complexity of the spicing over the unique noodles.  Jonathan was okay with them, but his preferred entrée was the Udon noodles (which he helped out on).

Some people have commented on discussion boards that this place is not “kid-friendly” but we had no problem bringing an open-minded seven and a half year old here.  If your kid likes Asian food (most we’ve met do) and doesn’t go crazy in restaurants, he/she should be fine.

Making this at home has generally been a challenge.  Pizza stones and peels are great for medium thick crusts, but a thin crust will usually fall apart in transfer.  The solution we’ve found is a pizza screen along with a crust that clearly passes the windowpane test so it can be stretched without breaking.

I used Alton Brown’s grilled pizza dough recipe (with half whole wheat flour and a little extra water), which took about 20 minutes of kneading on the stand mixer to pass the windowpane test.

Here’s the rest of the recipe, which is enough for 3 pizzas:

(1) Make dough (see above) and let rest for at least one hour (it can be stored in the fridge for about a week).

(2) Make sauce: sautee a few chopped cloves of garlic in 3 TB olive oil.  Add a 28 oz. can of whole tomatoes, drained and chopped, along with plenty of crushed red pepper (it enhances the tomato flavor more than adding heat) and dried oregano.  Cook until tomatoes break down (20 minutes or so) and season to taste with salt and sugar (optional).

(3) Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

(4) Stretch and roll 1/3 of dough on a well-floured surface to 16 inches.  Transfer to pizza screen sprayed with cooking spray.

(5) Brush crust with olive oil (this is important as it prevents sogginess), top with 1/3 of sauce, and then top with cheese (I used mozarella with a little Parmesan on top) and other toppings.  Don’t overdo the cheese and toppings: this is a very thin crust.

(6) Transfer to oven and bake for 6–8 minutes to desired doneness.

(7) Remove pizza to a cooling rack (or the original floured surface) and repeat with remaining dough (or save that dough for later).