Photo Essay: West Side Market

Best Cheese in Cleveland?

We recently were asked for suggestions for great cheese in Cleveland, below is our list (not in any particular order).

Where do you like to buy your cheese?

Whole Foods - University Heights - There is always at least one person manning the cheese counter and they seem pretty knowledgeable. They also have a decent variety both at the cheese counter and in the nearby cheese cooler. They have Manchego cheese as well as some higher priced and hard to find cheeses.

West Side Market - there are a number of cheese stands with varying degrees of variety.

Shaker Heights Farmer's market - Goat cheese (Mackenzie Creamery) and non-pasteurized cow milk cheese - sounds sort of weird, but tastes delicious.

Trader Joes - great prices, moderate selection. if you like brie this is the place to be!

Heinen's & Zagara's - depending on the location they have a generous selection in their cheese island. Zagara's has aged goat cheese and various Spanish cheeses.

Out of town, but worth the trip if you love cheese:

Zingerman's Deli in Ann Arbor, MI. This is a foodie paradise of all things cheese, cured meats, olive oils and breads. At the very least sign up for their holiday mail order catalog, it is fun to look at. You can order cheese from their website as well.

Food Dance

We visited Food Dance on a recent visit to my brother Ethan and his wife Maura in Kalamazoo, Michigan. My brother basically recommended it as the best place to eat in Kalamazoo, and, based on our (admittedly limited) experience, we definitely agreed.

The vibe is simultaneously homey (lots of hardwood) and slightly upscale, a bit like Crop Bistro in Cleveland. We ordered the Cheese Board and Curry Dusted Chickpeas to start and were very happy with both. The cheeses included blue, sharp Cheddar, hard Monterey jack, and Gouda along with some rustic crackers and excellent olives. The deep fried chickpeas had an almost overwhelming curry aroma but were actually mild enough for even Jonathan to enjoy.

To drink Ethan ordered a mojito. Most mojitos I've had at restaurants are cloyingly sweet, but his was perfectly minty and fairly dry. Both Sarah and I ordered the Short's Soft Parade, a four berry rye beer brewed in Bellaire, Michigan. One wouldn't immediately think of pairing berries and rye, but they balance each other perfectly to make a strong, dry but distinctly fruity ale. I'll definitely look for this in Cleveland. My second beer was a Dark Horse Crooked Tree IPA with an excellent floral hop flavor. Food Dance had six other beers on draft as well, including a couple from Bell's Brewery.

For dinner Ethan and Maura split the Crab Pasta, which included a "sherried tomato dill cream sauce," and they were both very happy with it. Jonathan had pizza from the children's options (not listed on the menu) and Sarah ordered the Grilled Chicken Dance sandwich:

It included bacon, melted cheddar, caramelized onions and chipotle mayo. As Sarah pointed out, it had "every yummy thing you could want on a chicken sandwich" and tasted very, very good.

I ordered the Carnitas Soft Tacos, which included farm cheese, slaw and black beans:

The locally farmed pork was tender, sweet and smoky. The cilantro crema on the tacos was a perfect combination of rich sour cream and sharp herb flavor, but I would have liked a little more of it. The beans were generously portioned and richly spiced, rounding off an excellent entree.

Our server was very friendly, knowledgeable and attentive. We would definitely enjoy a return visit to Food Dance the next time we visit Kalamazoo!

Food, Waste and Poverty

This post is for Blog Action Day 2008: Poverty.

What is your first thought on hearing the phrase “dumpster diving”? Is it “Yuck! That’s disgusting!” Or is it “I feel so bad for those people?” or “How can I help?”

Our knee jerk reaction is to judge and pity people who do this. Why don’t we instead wonder why so much good food is thrown away?

There are in fact many somewhat well-known essays defending dumpster diving. One is “On Dumpster Diving“ by Lars Eigner, which is in the commonly used essay anthology The Writer’s Presence. And the story “The Tao of the Dumpster” by Dirk Jamieson, on the author’s father’s penchant for bringing perfectly good feasts from the dumpster home to his family, was recently broadcast on “This American Life.”

We throw away around 27% of our food in America including fresh produce, milk and bread. Who are we to judge others for taking advantage of this situation?

Why is there no shame in overspending and over-consuming to the point of near-economic collapse (see recent headlines) while scavenging for discarded food caries a deep stigma?

Jaipur Junction

Recently Ben and I stopped in to Jaipur Junction on the west side for lunch. We had not been there in years, but remembered that they had great Indian food at great prices. The restaurant itself is pretty small and you are served on plastic plates with plastic silver ware. Ben ordered the vegetarian lunch plate, and I ordered the non-veg lunch plate. Ben's was $5.99 and mine was $6.99. We were both served two Indian dishes, saffron rice, papadams and naan. My entrees were curried chicken and chickpeas while Ben's were a spinach & chickpea curry and a mixed vegetable curry with peas. While my chicken was quite good, Ben noted that one definitely doesn't miss the meat in a vegetarian Indian meal.

The food was excellent, and the price was beyond excellent. This is a great spot for take out or a casual lunch.

Crop Bistro: Sunday Supper

This past Sunday Ben and I had the opportunity for a date night. So we decided to try some place we've never been - Crop Bistro. We have been interested in this place for some time, based on it's dedication to local farmers. We were excited to learn that they offer a special Sunday Supper menu on Sundays. The salad, side and desert are all chosen by the chef and you can select your choice of main entree from a short list. The price was right at $25 per person.

The restaurant itself is impressive. The decor is farily ornate, but classy. There is a lot of wood and gorgeous macro pics of veggies. The star of the place however is the chef's table that is towards the back of the restaurant. The table itself is like a bar. It is hard to explain, but there is a large ornate frame around the bar that creates a window into the kitchen. Unfortunately we did not sit there, but hope to on our next visit.

The food was excellent. We started with corn breadsticks that tasted rich and buttery. Our salad was a "fall harvest" salad served with white and red beets, peaches, roasted red peppers and a baby greens mix of lettuce that was tossed in a vinaigrette. We noticed that there was some fresh mint mixed in with the greens which added a pleasant flavor.

Ben ordered the diver scallops with soy wasabi reduction and I ordered the pork tenderloin with black beans and rice. The scallops arrived with a sesame crust, sitting with some baby bok choy and other veggies in the sauce. The scallops were nicely seared and the flavors were excellent. The sauce was a bit strong for the scallops but paired perfectly with the vegetables. The pork was sliced into 1/4" thick slices and rested upon some seasoned white rice and surrounded by some pleasantly spicy black beans and bacon. The pork had a slightly sweet glaze on it which contrasted beautifully with the heat from the beans. We both agreed that mine was the better choice.

For a side we were given a large plate of roasted butternut squash, potatoes and carrots. Ben liked these a lot, especially the carmelization from the roasting, but I didn't find them too exciting. Both of us noted how nice it was to dine at a place that included such a great variety of veggies with each course.

Desert was apple crisp topped with vanilla cream. Ben and I both polished off our plates and considered this to be a fabulous meal to welcome fall with. We are looking forward to making our own apple pie soon and the first pot roast is in the oven as I type this.

We heartily recommend the Sunday supper at Crop Bistro... it is a great value and excellent food.