Rockefeller’s

June 20, 2011 | by Ben 1

We’d been meaning to visit the recently opened Rockefeller’s on Mayfield Road for a while but hesitated. Trying out a new sandwich place is one thing, but it’s a bit riskier when entrees are in the $20–25 range. Once they offered a restaurant.com coupon, though, we decided to take the plunge. We’re glad we did.

The restaurant space is impressive and is housed in a historic building built by John D. Rockefeller. But the atmosphere is not oppressively formal, and the establishment is perfectly set up for a relaxing meal. The tables are also spaced far apart, adding to the diner’s comfort.

The most important aspect here is the food, of course, and everything we had was really good.

We’re all meatball fans, especially Jonathan, so we started out with the lamb meatballs. They were some of the best we’ve ever had, subtly scented with Middle Eastern spices and accompanied by a tangy yogurt sauce and saffron couscous. Executive Chef Jill Vedaa worked at … continue reading

Michael Symon Interview

October 15, 2010 | by Ben 6

Food Network was kind enough to grant us a phone interview with Chef Michael Symon to help promote Cook Like an Iron Chef (on the Cooking Channel) and his new show Food Feuds. They admitted that they’re keeping him really busy!

(image from Food Feuds, courtesy of the Food Network)

I was the fourth person to interview him, after Katrina from Bite Buff, Nancy from Fun Playing With Food and someone from About.com. Audio from the entire call can be found here.

Heights Eats: Hi, Michael, and thank you for taking the time out to do this interview.

Michael Symon: No problem.

HE: This is a two parter. You’ve got a lot of restaurants in the Cleveland area and Roast in Detroit. How far do you plan to expand your restaurants in the area or beyond?

MS: Our immediate thought process is to really stay in the Midwest. That’s where we’re comfortable, … continue reading

Summer Tasting at Reddstone

June 16, 2010 | by Ben 7

Sarah and I were invited to a new menu tasting at the Reddstone–the home of the former Snicker’s Tavern–along with a number of other food bloggers. We all loved the food (even Jonathan) and are eager to return.

We asked in advance if it was okay to bring Jonathan, and we were told it would be fine. We didn’t know, though, that doing so would put us two tables away from all of the other invitees, whom we were eager to meet. We missed hanging out with Nancy, Tom, Katrina and Allison (and probably someone I’m forgetting). If Reddstone had told us we’d be alone at a table we would have gotten a sitter.

Our first course was Rare Salmon Lettuce Rolls, which we really enjoyed. They were fresh, light and tasty, making them the perfect summer food. J tried them, but this was the only dish he wasn’t crazy about.

The next course was BBQ’d Duck Confit Sliders. We all loved … continue reading

Beef Cheek Pierogies

April 7, 2010 | by Ben 3

Fresh from a pierogi class at Loretta Paganini (which I might blog about later), I decided to finally try to make Michael Symon’s Beef Cheek Pierogies from Live to Cook.

The first issue is obtaining the beef cheeks. I called Millgate Farm last week and made sure they’d have some for me at the market at Shaker Square on Saturday.

Symon and Ruhlman sum up this recipe well the statement that it looks “daunting, and there are a few steps, but none of them is particularly difficult.” No step is difficult, but added up they are very time consuming. That said, if you have some time to invest, this makes the most flavorful pierogies you’ll ever eat. And it makes enough of them for a large gathering (8−10 people) or many meals for smaller groups.

Beef Cheek Pierogies with Wild Mushrooms and Horseradish (adapted from Live to Cook)

Makes about 40 pierogies.

Pierogi Dough 1 large egg 3/4 cup sour … continue reading

Mac ‘n Goat Cheese w/Asparagus (& Tiger Chick Peas)

May 4, 2009 | by Ben 2

My friend Amy told me recently that Michael Symon’s Mac ‘n Cheese recipe from Lola was now published. Sarah and I got to thinking that a vegetarian version might be good, so we came up with this:

We really liked it, and the grilled asparagus went really well with everything else.

Mac ‘n Goat Cheese with Grilled Asparagus (adapted from Michael Symon’s recipe)

(serves 5–6)

A large bunch of asparagus (at least a pound) Paprika Olive oil 3 cups heavy cream 2 TB. fresh rosemary 12 oz. rotini, preferably whole wheat (it holds up better to the other flavors) 4.5 oz. goat cheese Course salt and freshly ground pepper

(1) Snap woody ends off of asparagus and season liberally with salt, pepper, olive oil and paprika.

(2) Grill asparagus over high heat for about 5 minutes, flipping once, until dark grill marks appear on both sides. Cool and coarsely chop.

(4) Cook pasta until al dente. Drain in colander.… continue reading