CMH Gourmand – Eating in Columbus & Ohio

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CLEGourmand: Green Growing, Dining & Drinking is Thriving in Cleveland

Posted by CMH Gourmand on December 28, 2010

In October, as a guest of Positively Cleveland, I spent four days eating and drinking from morning to midnight..or later. Great meals were eaten and in the process I met scores of chefs and culinary entrepreneurs. I learned much about the progressive food scene in Cleveland as well as why it works so well and how it is growing so fast. The spirit and enthusiasm of the people I met was impressive and infectious. The spirit that permeates the Cleveland culinary scene can’t be typecast but I will try to describe it.

The first word that comes to mind is pride. Everyone I met was proud of his or her product, their staff and especially their city. Collaboration was a term that came up frequently as well. Chef’s and business owners are competitive by nature but in Cleveland the overriding spirit was who can I partner with to make this dish local, what information can I share that might make this idea work better, what can I do to make this event happen, etc. Clevelanders get that what is good for one business is ultimately good for all of their peers as well. Everyone was focused on using as much local and regional foods and suppliers possible to grow their business and their customer base.

There is a major green movement growing in Cleveland, which may seem counterintuitive for a “rust belt” city but ultimately it makes sense. A green restaurant recycles building materials and sources from products from people they know and trust. The resourcefulness needed to pull this off in a cold weather climate takes a certain character that is inherent to living in Cleveland. It also builds community. Collectively these Cleveland culinarians have a vision that uses their pride and collaborative skills to grow. Ultimately, I think it will be a trademark of their city in years to come.

At each place visited, we would ask the chef and/or owner where they liked to eat in their off hours. They all listed familiar names we heard repeatedly. This sustainable/green movement is working in Cleveland because it has been successful. It will get better because it has the right people pushing it forward. Time and time again, I heard hot shot, globetrotting chefs at all star restaurants state that they grew up in Cleveland and meant to stay to make a mark on their town. Non-natives said they moved to Cleveland by choice so they could have the freedom and financial flexibility to create the food they wanted (and grow a family while growing a business). In the high profile world of celebrity chefs where the notion is you can’t compete if you do not live in New York, LA or London, making a decision to stay in Cleveland might seem crazy. I think it is genius.

Eliminating waste, sourcing local, working hard and repurposing anything and everything were core values of early immigrants to the city over a century ago, now these values are being recycled. So what are these food first folks up to? Almost every restaurant/purveyor was growing some of their own food in small or large spaces. If they were not growing their own food then they were cooking with something from other local supplier. Many of the menus were created with food from within 100 miles of downtown Cleveland. Here are a few examples.

Chef Jonathon Sawyer is a semi-finalist for the 2010 James Beard Foundation Award for Rising Star Chef, a former Michael Symon sous chef and farm to plate fundamentalist. In league with some other Lolita and Lola alumni, he started The Greenhouse Tavern. The restaurant was created to be LEED certified. The menu changes weekly to reflect the tastes and the flavors of the region as well as what is in season. Everything that can be recycled (such as building materials – take a look around when you dine there) is reused in some manner.

The connection to their food is intimate. In addition to listing all of their suppliers (and employees) on the menu, each Friday two cooks are sent to slaughter and process the chickens for use during the week. Farmers are growing for the restaurant’s demands, so no food is wasted that does not have an intended home on the menu. The best quote from our host was “If the food starts out good, you don’t have to dress it up”. Good food tastes better at the Greenhouse Tavern.

The Greenhouse Tavern
2038 East 4th Street
216.443.0511

I could be a bit biased about Great Lakes Brewing Company (GLBC). While I was there, the first batches of their hallowed and stalked Christmas Ale were being poured and cased for shipment. I was able to sample the 2010 batch before the masses. That was a great Christmas present in October. GLBC was the first microbrewery in Ohio (1988) bringing back the brewing heritage of Cleveland. The sustainable focus of the company started early on with everyone exuding a waste not, want not philosophy. An easy to eat example at the brewpub is a serving of pretzels made with spent grain from the brewing rocess (served with Stadium and Bertman’s Ball Park mustards of course). GLBC uses sustainable initiatives to drive their bottom line. The “Fatty Wagon” is the shuttle bus used to take fans to Cleveland Indians games; it is fueled by vegetable oil waste. The brewing and brewpub buildings feature many energy efficient features. Anything that can be recycled, reused or repurposed is utilized – underfilled beer ends up in soups and sauces, spent rewery grains feed livestock, build breads and fertilize GLBC’s Pint Size farm as well as The Ohio City Farm.

Great Lakes Brewing Company
2516 Market Avenue
Ohio City, West Side
216.771.4404

Ohio City Farm is sandwiched between the West Side Market, a metropolitan housing complex and lots of urban spaces with Cleveland landmark Terminal Tower in the background. It is the largest urban farm in our nation. Plans are in the works to create a root cellar and other innovations to allow the farm to be sustainable and profitable year round. The farm supports a community kitchen, which provides an incubating workspace for entrepreneurs to prepare, process and package their products for sale. Their Farm Stand at the West Side Market is the only produce stall, which sells exclusively local goods and produce. Displaced migrant farmers help grow vegetables on the farm using the skills from their home countries while they adapt to life in Ohio. To say this farm is progressive…is an understatement.

Ohio City Farm
West 24th and Bridge Ave
Ohio City
www.refugeeresponse.org

A little farther out (as in Cleveland Hopkins Airport) on the sustainable, green friendly field is AMP 150. This newer restaurant is located in the updated Cleveland Airport Marriott. The team of chefs surprise guests in multiple ways. “What is a nice farm to plate restaurant doing in a place like this?” Well, in addition to making a long layover much more palatable, AMP 150 is serving up some incredible food. Everything is hand crafted in house including the pasta and pickles. The list of ingredients and suppliers on the menu reads like a who’s who of the best Ohio artisan food has to offer. In addition, for your final surprise, the kitchen plants, grows and harvests some of their produce in a large garden running the length the rear parking lot. If you dine or fly in, I suggest the pate and the eggplant tater tots.

AMP 150
4277 West 150th Street
(West Park, Southwest)
216.252.5333

The Ritz-Carlton Cleveland may be the best hotel I have stayed in (I was not there often due to a rigourous schedule of eating, drinking and researching). Fortunately, for me, the hotel has an award-winning restaurant as well (AAA Four-Diamond Award and the Mobil Travel Guide Four-Star Award for starters). I met the three main “cooks” at Muse: Chef Richard Sören Arnoldi Chef de Cuisine Constantine Vourliotis and Banquet Chef Benjamin Davison. Each chef has honed their craft in kitchens across the world but they chose to plant themselves in Cleveland to make their mark and put on the ritz for rock stars, the rich and famous. Two of these chefs say the best corned beef in the world can be bought at a Hungarian stand at the West Side Market. They each mentioned many other reasons they want to cook and live in Cleveland. Chef Constantine spent some of his childhood exploring the West Side Market with his family. After living elsewhere, he came back to town. Now he and other Muse chefs offer an amazing experience. They will take you (just a few couples at a time) on a personalized tour of the market and then create a meal based on what you liked and what they learned about you in your morning together. The restaurant also offers special Farmers Market fixed price menus and many other great dining options in case you opt to dine in after a day on the town.

Muse
(at Ritz Carlton)
1515 West 3rd Street
Cleveland – Downtown
216.623.1300

That’s the wrap up of my first Cleveland culinary expedition. Where should I go for round two? (On my shortlist: Lolita, Corky & Lenny’s, Melt, Jack Frost Donuts………)

Posted in CLEGourmand, Road Trip | Tagged: | Leave a Comment »

CLEGourmand: The Chef’s Garden

Posted by CMH Gourmand on December 21, 2010


There is a world class grow to order farm which is the darling of almost every chef you have heard of and many more you have not. The Chef’s Garden is in Huron Ohio and while many have driven by it on their way to Cedar Point few in Ohio know the international reputation this garden has with the culinary elite of the world. The Chef’s Garden is a Mecca for hot, haute chefs from all corners of the planet.

The genesis of Chef’s Garden is very humble and actually more than a little sad. In 1982, a nineteen-year-old Lee Jones watched the farm his family had owned for generations sold off item by item at a Sherriff’s sale. He described the experience as watching your soul being sliced out one piece at a time. The family started again with six acres and three battered trucks that no one wanted to buy or tow from the Jones fields. What saved the farm and launched this garden of the culinary stars? A zucchini bloom and a cute chef.

The family was selling what they had out of truck beds at various farmers markets. Lee Jones met Iris Bailin when she came looking for zucchini blossoms. Because she was attractive and insistent, Lee Jones paid attention. Over time, the family learned to cater to the whims of many chefs, growing by request and supplying a demand for food grown for flavor instead of yield. It took a long time (the family did not pay the tag fees on their battered trucks for five years). A few chefs became regulars then their peers became intrigued as word and tastes were spread by mouth.

Today Chef’s Garden grows over 600 kinds of vegetables and herbs year round including over 60 varieties of heirloom tomatoes. They changed the rules of traditional farming by finding a niche catering to chef’s needs. The farm balances innovations with some old school farming techniques. The sustainable farm has over year round 130 employees (with benefits, health insurance and paid at a livable wage). Every plant is bar coded and tracked from seed to table catalogued in a computer system so the entire history of each seed and planting is known. This allows customized enhancements to plants by growing the best of the best from the previous year. The farm uses root cellars and cold frames to grow year round. Micro greens are harvested with hand scissors. Crops are rotated and grown naturally without chemicals. Visitors often remark that this is food that tastes like……food, with real true flavors that they distantly remember eating at a grandparents table or maybe the Garden of Eden. It is not uncommon for an order to go from field to plate in twenty-four hours (produce is shipped to 2500 chefs around the world). Some of the Chef’s Garden equipment is from the 1940’s while other tools have been designed by their own workers to enhance their productivity and quality of work life. For example, one platform was designed on site so that harvest can be done laying down so employee farmers do not get back injuries from repetitive bending and kneeling.

The food focused, forward thinking frontman and Chief Farming Officer is Farmer Lee Jones. Within about fifteen seconds of meeting him, I was enchanted by the passion he has for what he does and the food the farm grows. He even gets excited speaking about the plates in the chef’s test kitchen at sibling spinoff Veggie U. Jones practices what he preaches by focusing on flavor, consistency and food safety instead of mega farm volume. The industrially produced foods we eat as well as how our nation farms has affected our waistlines and the bottom line of our economy for a long time. Jones would like to change that one bite at a time. Food should taste good so if you treat every aspect of growing and preparing it with respect and passion then you can farm for flavor and make a profit instead of farming to subsist on unhealthy as well as unsustainable foods and business models. I drank the food first Kool Aid pitch that Farmer Jones was pontificating due to his passion and sincerity. I believed it because I tasted the finished product and experienced flavors I had never tasted before. I was sold. You can check with the farm for a tour or you can pretend you are a Top Chef and order directly from Chef’s Garden. I would do both if given the opportunity.

Chef’s Garden
9009 Huron-Avery Road
Huron, Ohio

Posted in CLEGourmand, Vegetarian Friendly | Tagged: , | 1 Comment »

Blue Frost Cupcake: A Cupcake Rundown

Posted by CMH Gourmand on December 18, 2010


Blue Frost Cupcake opened on December 16th. I popped in the next day to find the new business was receiving a continuous turnout from the community to support this new cupcakery. I had thought the cupcake craze had crept away, it appears I was mistaken based on the excitement about this new venture.

The two owners – Melissa Worthington and Briana Irby are transitioning careers from cardiac nursing to cupcake creating. Their approach to cupcake crafting is artisan. Their cupcakes have an artistic flair and use high quality ingredients such as Madagascar bourbon vanilla. I spoke with Melissa for quite a bit. The business has a lot on its plate for 2011. They are looking to expand their product line and are already looking to add locations. They have done a good amount of catering and events with bookings for many more. For now, the store features regular ($2.50) and mini ($1.50) cupcakes in ten flavors everyday with a rotating lineup of some specialty flavors. I sampled the egg nog and Mexican Chocolate at the store in mini form. The egg nog was exceptionally decadent, I was able to taste the rum in the rich frosting. The Mexican Chocolate has a bit of kick but not enough to upset young children or the elderly. I took a box of ten cupcakes with me for sampling by the Clintonville Cupcake Tasting Society and the results were favorable. The buttercream frosting is a perfect balance of sweet and creamy without being too sugary. I looking forward to some additional sampling through the wintertime as this new business grows and refines the product line.

If you are interested in a free cupcake, friend them on Facebook, the first 50 people who come in for the cupcake of the day get one for free. If you are a FourSquare fan, check in while you are in the store for 10% off.

Blue Frost on Facebook

Blue Frost Cupcake
657 High Street
Old Worthington (just south of SR 161)
614.844.4850

Blue Frost Cupcake on Urbanspoon

Posted in CLOSED | Tagged: | 2 Comments »

Resch’s Bakery: A Donut Run

Posted by CMH Gourmand on December 12, 2010


Even though I am not a superfan of donuts, I found myself questing for them a lot this year. Resch’s was presented as a local favorite by several respected fooders so it was decided I needed to buy a box to sample with my tasting team.

I have been long overdue in making a trek to Resch’s. The bakery opened in 1912 and has been at the present location since 1960. Generations of eastsiders swear by Resch’s. Whenever I mention the place to long time Columbus residents I usually hear a nostalgic sigh followed by a story about a wedding cake, decades of birthday cake memories or a favorite donut. When I mention the place to Columbus transplants I hear concerns about the location, having to wait in line or being put out by a cash or check only policy.

I enjoyed my first visit on a busy Saturday morning. Newcomers have to figure out the order of ordering operations on their own. I noticed several people standing in random places in the store looking intently at the counter. Then I observed a chaotic choreography of customers and counter staff converging together as people were matched with numbers so they could place orders or pick up cakes. I then figured out where the number ticket machine was, pulled my tab and started to explore Resch’s while I waited.

Resch’s seems to have a Bavarian connection based on a mural on the wall. The counters and display cases are made out of wood showing an ancient and well worn look from decades of use. There are ten to twelve employees behind the counter dodging each other as they fill customers requests for donuts, pretzels, cookies, cakes and more. The cakes seem very popular, at least when I was there, I counted at least 100 cake boxes labeled and ready for pick up lined by the bakery entrance. I noticed shelves full of hamburger and hot dog buns, plenty of bagged baked goods including Vanilla and Cinnamon sticks ready for consumption. I spied springerle’s – hard little cookies with deer images on the top. There is a significant depth and diversity to the baked goods line up at Resch’s. I saw enough to get my interest, including a lot of smiles from regulars so I know that I need to come back for more research.

I ordered fourteen donuts and delivered them to my tasting team. Our consensus, these are really good donuts. My thoughts, not as good a DK Diner (Sorry Resch’s loyalists). The winner was the apple fritter. I liked that the Resch’s interpretation are smaller and taller than the typical fritter so these are easier to manage and manhandle on a plate or box. Two of my tasters noted that the apple flavor was very apparent in each bite. Resch’s donuts were all good. The rest of Resch’s looks really good too. I’ll be back.

Resch’s Bakery
4061 East Livingston Ave
Columbus (East Side)
614.237.7471

Resch's Bakery on Urbanspoon

Posted in bakery, donuts | Tagged: , | 5 Comments »

Two Hour ATL Gourmand: The Varsity Dine and Dash

Posted by CMH Gourmand on December 5, 2010


I was in Honduras for 96 hours. There will be no TGU Gourmand stories. What went down there will only be in my memoirs as a very long chapter with many Tarantino style plots lines and twists. On my way home Saturday, I found myself at the Atlanta airport with two hours and five minutes to kill.

On my top ten list of 10,000 restaurants I have not yet eaten at but must before I die is a place called the Varsity in downtown Atlanta. The Varsity opened in 1928. It is the world’s largest drive in. The restaurant goes through two miles of hot dogs, 2,500 pounds of potatoes, 5000 fried pies, 300 gallons of chili per day and is the largest single site consumer of Coca-Cola anywhere. The building sits on two acres with room for 600 cars outside. This hit my radar about ten years ago when I saw it in the Rick Sebak documentary A Hot Dog Show. I wanted a chili dog and longed to hear: “What’ll ya have….What’ll ya have” the continuous chorus coming from folks at the counter.

Google maps said I could get there in about 30 minutes using the Marta (Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Tranist Authority) train and it would be a three minute walk from the station to the front door of the Varisty. I did some quick calculating. If I could get through customs by 6:50 pm this was a definite possibility. With no luggage and a flight of only 30 people I made it through the queues with a few minutes to spare. In the course of eight minutes I traveled from Terminal E to the main terminal, bought a Marta card, double checked my mission plan and found myself on the train platform. I missed my first train by 30 seconds. I recalculated my timetable and bail-out points. If I could get to The Varsity by 7:45 pm, I would still be able to pull this off. Game on!

So why not a cab you ask? I only had twenty seven dollars to my name and in theory with traffic Marta is much faster than cab or car. I popped on the train, checked the map and determined I was ten stations away from hot dog heaven. I spied a (lucky?) penny on the floor, picked it up and at that very second the train came to a sudden halt. The homeless folk who know the train looked a bit uncomfortable at this situation. So did the Marta conductor that came running through the cars. The other downside – if the train is not at a station – you can’t open the door. I was not going anywhere until this train was. I checked the clock it was 7:26 pm, my time cushion was deflating. The employee ran through the car a few more times saying nothing. At this point, I was thinking that it would suck to miss my flight. The train did finally restart with no explanation. At the next station I looked out the windows to see thousand of people trying the swarm onto the train. The Auburn vs. South Carolina game had just ended and drunken fans were fleeing the scene of the crime. It takes a long time to squeeze hundreds of college football enthusiasts onto cars that are meant to hold fifty. I checked the clock, 7:43 pm, four more stations to go.

I made it to the North Station at 7:51 pm. I ran to the Varisty dodging drunken football fan drivers and slid up to the counter to hear those magic words….”What’ll ya have”? My reply (after a decade of preparing for this moment): Two chili dogs, a small fry and a coke. The meal was so absolutely perfect. The fries were among the best I have had. The hots dogs were tasty. The chili sauce was exceptional. This was everything I wanted and more importantly it worked. I inhaled my hot dogs while walking around soaking in the atmosphere of The Varsity. I had about one minute to look at the downtown skyline then ran back to the station and hopped on the next train to the airport.

Heading back to the airport, once again at Five Points station, thousands of football nuts swarmed onto the train. I enjoyed the banter going back and forth between the winning and losing fans. There is a certain charm only a drunken southerner can pull off when trash talking someone so that an insult sounds like the sweetest bit of flattery one has ever heard. I do declare.

I made it back to the airport with fifteen minutes to spare. Would I do this scramble again? Absolutely. I was able to get a quick taste of a city I have never visited and checked off Georgia as a state I have officially visited (only seven left). The Varsity was worth the effort as well as worth the risk and associated slightly elevated stress levels.

I did have a several things going for me. Saturday nights are light travel periods – I was able to breeze through security and customs incredibly fast. I was able to OJ through the airport when I needed since I had no luggage. The Varsity is normally packed but since hordes of fans were still escaping the football game I was able to go straight to the counter. Everything worked out (any other day of the week or year, this could have been a big fail) and in the process I got my groove back via a little culinary adventure travel.

The Varsity
61 North Avenue
Atlanta, Georgia

Posted in hot dogs, Road Trip | Tagged: | 3 Comments »

Shade Winery Tasting Notes & Dec. 4th Art, Farm & Wine Tour

Posted by CMH Gourmand on November 28, 2010


On December 4th four Southeast Ohio businesses are teaming up for an interesting tour. From 1 to 5 pm, the doors will be open to Integration Acres (home to goat cheese, Paw Paw production and more), Rock Riffle Run Pottery, Thorn Ridge Studios (hand blown glass) and Shade Winery. Chris Chimel from Integration Acres handed me a flyer a few weeks ago when I was at the Athens Farmers Market. I will be out of town for the tour but decided I could stake out Shade Winery as an incentive for the rest of you to go. (Shade Winery is listed fourth on the tour but is easiest to find so I would go there to pick up a map and circle back at the end).

I have been stalking the progress of Shade Winery for months. I heard rumbling that the winery was constructing a building for tasting. Since there are no other wineries in the area and access to these wines has been limited I was keen to case out the place. The doors opened about two months ago. After some detours I was finally able to meet Neal and Oui Dix to sample all of their wines.

It is an easy drive to Shade Winery. Take SR 33 (past Athens if you are heading south) to the Rainbow Ridge Road and you hit Gilkey Road in about one minute. The winery was established in 2004 but Neil has been at his craft much longer. He started making Elderberry wines by hand in 1986. Chris from Integration Acres gave him a “nudge” to start selling his wine commercially several years ago. Initially the Elderberry wine was available at places like Casa Nueva and The Farmacy. Neil has grown the number of wines over time. He added some grape vines for “curb appeal” for the winery but decided to start doing something with them. He has expanded his acreage along with his wine varieties over the last few years. Current wines available include: Estate Vidal Blanc, Corot Noir, Elderberry, Riesling, Chambourcin, Niagara (blush), Concord, Schnuckleputz (not a cartoon character but a wine made with lemons, ginger and organic sugar) and (Root Source) Elderberry wine with ginseng.

Full sampling of eight wines costs $6. Since Hocking County and “metro” Athens is an integrated food community cheese platters with Integration Acres cheese and ramp crackers are available to go with your wines. Tastings are typically Friday and Saturday from 1 to 8 PM but check the website or call ahead in the cold months especially since Neil and Qui take off for Thailand for weeks on end in the wintertime.

Posted in Athens, Ohio, Road Trip, wine | Tagged: | Leave a Comment »

CLEGourmand: West Side Market

Posted by CMH Gourmand on November 25, 2010

This post is easy. If you have ever eaten or if you think you might enjoy eating, then, you should visit the Westside Market in Cleveland. It is great. You will not be disappointed. You will feel that you do not have enough: time, money, room in your trunk to carry what you bought. It is a sure thing. Done!.

Well, maybe a bit more detail is warranted. Let us begin with some facts. It is the largest indoor/outdoor market in the country. It was purpose-built as a market in 1902. West Side Market quickly became an ethnic food destination, a tradition which continues to this day. The market features over 180 booths selling produce as well as meat shops, cheese shops, etc.

In October, I spent four days being wined, dined and driven around Cleveland meeting several of the town’s top chefs. Every chef mentioned the West Side Market as something great about Cleveland and one of many reasons they chose to move to or stay in Cleveland. That is an endorsement. Each chef listed off three or four of their favorite vendors and gave specific reasons for why their go to purveyors were the best in the country or the world. Several names came up time and time again. One market resident came up every time – Ohio City Pasta. In addition to a variety of shapes and flavors of pasta (beet pasta is a favorite of mine), this pasta maker hand crafts pestos, butters and sauces. That is one example. There are over one hundred more.

The open air produce section can feel like walking a gauntlet. You will assaulted (or enticed) with comments every foot of your stroll or dash to the main market. Every vendor works the crowd: calling out names, offering samples, making you deals you can’t refuse on tubers or fruits. The stands could fill in for the United Nations since they represent a variety of countries, languages, cultures and foodways.

Inside the market is a sea of choices. Most of the customers are regulars and known to the business owners by name. Extended families have been on both sides of the counters for generations. There is connection between people here that could not be found in any grocery store or anywhere for that matter, except certain small towns where everyone knows everyone.

The market is also home to Johnny Hot Dog, open since 1912. This place is a slice of life in Cleveland with people on both sides of the counter looking like they have been sitting on the stools or grilling hot dogs since the dawn of the market. The hot dogs are simple natural casing hot dogs served on a bun with chili from a can – nothing to blow you away but something to crave and appreciate just the same. There is a hot dog hall of fame full of old photos, polaroids and yellowed newspaper articles which collectively serve as a time capsule and archive of the almost one hundred year history of hot doggery in the West Side Market.

Every booth has a story or two or three at West Side Market and anyone from Cleveland has a favorite vendor or memory to share with anyone that will listen. I’ll end with a few simple words: Slovenian pork sausage…..

West Side Market
(Ohio City, West Side)
1979 W. 25th St
Cleveland
216.861.5250
www.westsidemarket.com
Open: Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday

Posted in CLEGourmand, markets, Ohio, Road Trip | Leave a Comment »

Donut World: Third Best Donuts in Ohio

Posted by CMH Gourmand on November 23, 2010

subtitle: Along the Ohio Donut Trail with guest star CMH Tobias


The best donuts in Ohio are at Donald’s Donuts in Zanesville. The second best donuts are from DK Diner in Grandview. Exception: if someone brings you DK Diner Donuts…those are the best donuts you will ever have. In Lancaster, a local legend has the third best donuts in Ohio. In respect to their pumpkin donuts, some of their “fancy donuts” and 24 hour access to donuts on demand, Donut World may take the cake and place first in some critical categories. As I wait for typed indignant outcry, let me share what I know about Donut World.

My first encounter was a classic case of it’s not what you know but who you know and what they can be talked into. My friend Amanda Anderson used the power of twitter to have Harold LaRue-Lessner (of Dirty Franks fame) deliver a box of Donut World donuts to his restaurant for holding. Amanda picked up the loot and then I looted her box for a few samples. Based on this experience of second hand donuts I noted I should get more soon. So I did.

My first visit was thwarted by a parade, traffic barriers and about fifty people in line for the newest batch of pumpkin donuts. I aborted my mission to go drinking. About five hours later I returned to the scene of donut fail.

Donut World has an impressive line up of thirty plus donuts, fritters, Bismarks and donut holes. Categories are broken down into Fancy and Regular donuts with iced, powdered, cream-filled and other variants. Drool. Since pumpkin donuts were in season and made minutes before my arrival I stuffed two of those in my mouth and selected a mixed box of ten more to go. I proclaim the donuts to be very good. The remainder of the box ended up at Bono Pizza later in the day with no survivors when I left the premise. Five out of five donut eaters say Donut World is awesome. I rest my case.

Also of note, there is a dentist office on the other side of the parking lot. Did I mention Donut World is open 24 hours? So unless there is a parade, you have full, unencumbered access to donuts.

Donut World
601 North Broad St
Lancaster
740.653.4888
Drive Thru Open 24 hours except Christmas day
Shop open 6 am to 10 pm daily

Posted in breakfast, desserts, donuts, Ohio Donut Trail | Tagged: , | 5 Comments »

Rockmill Brewery: An Introduction

Posted by CMH Gourmand on November 21, 2010


In my original plan, Rockmill Brewery was going to be a thirty minute detour on my way to a big day of bliss in Hocking county. Over three hours into my tour of the Rockmill Farm with all it has to offer, I realized that yet again that what I think and what happens are two different things.

Rockmill Brewery debuted in September of this year after over two years of meticulous work, planning and lots of brewing. What little I knew was exciting. The beer is brewed using water from a natural spring on the property, the beers are certified organic and brewed in the spirit of Belgian beers from the Wallonia region of Belgium. Again – pretty cool. I figured a quick tour, a few samples and off to Athens. Wrong.

Veering onto Lithopolis Road away from Lancaster, I realized I was in for something different from my expectations the moment I pulled into the driveway of Rockmill Farm. The space did not have the feel of a brewery, it felt like a winery. Looking at a house and a small stable, I was not even sure where a brewery might be housed. On a whim, I had brought my loyal dog known to you as CMH Tobias along for the day. We were immediately greeted by Scooby the gatekeeper and ambassador to Rockmill Brewery. A sniff and a lick indicated our credentials were accepted. We were then welcomed by Matt Barbee, the brewer of Rockmill.

As a quick aside, the house at Rockmill Farm is warm and inviting. It also features the essentials for the full Rockmill experience – a brick pizza oven and a dog bath (CMH Tobias got really muddy….as did I). The space is also adorned with art and photography from local artists and/or people with a local connection. Matt poured samples of his four Belgian style beers: dubbel, witbier, Saison and Tripel. I enjoyed each. The witbier was spicy with the characteristics I expect from a good wheat beer. The dubbel conjured up visions of monks crafting it. The Saison had the strongest flavor with the richness of toasted malt coming through with each sip. My favorite was the Tripel. This beer would pair well with creme brulee or any dessert for that matter. There is more than a hint of coriander in each sip.

Matt’s path to brewing Belgian style ales in Central Ohio was far from straight. He grew up in the area, attended college at Miami, worked in Chicago in the wine industry and in securities, then he moved on to LA as a talent management agent to the stars. He decided he wanted to come home and do something different. Maybe destiny did play some part in the genesis of Rockmill Brewery. His grandfather had a winery years ago. His stepdad, Dennis just happens to be a hydro-geologist who just happened to discover that the spring on the property had the same basic composition as the waters of Wallonia. Dennis and Matt started building a brewery from scratch in a converted former house stable. Along the way, there has been a lot of trial and error, dumped batches of beer and some interesting and ingenious macguyvering of equipment such as crab cooker burners (330,000 btu) which have converted well to the art and science of beer brewing.

Matt described the facility and the process as nano-brewing. Each beer is made one batch at a time in one 55 gallon barrel. Matt walked me through the brewing process and entire facility in about ten minutes. This is artisan, craft production at a truly small scale. The water comes from a spring over 100 feet below ground level. The manner the rock filters the water as it springs to the surface to become beer has to add a truly unique element to these beers. I kept thinking of the wine concept of terroir. The geology and characteristics on the Rockmill Farm and the eleven acres of the land it rests on are infused into this beer. Although the style is Belgian and the ingredients come from all over, this is truly a central Ohio beer.

Matt, Scooby, Toby and I roamed the rolling landscape of Rockmill Farm. It is a microcosm of the best of the Hocking Hills region – it has streams, waterfalls, a rope bridge, chapel, access to an ancient gristmill, rock outcroppings, acres of trees as well as wildlife and an absolute overdose of nature. Toby was in heaven. He was running, sniffing and swimming his way through the area as Matt and I talked shop. I can not think of any other brewery tour that included a hike, rock climbing and connecting with the facilities in such a special way. When Matt is brewing he can open a door or window and see the almost pristine wilderness. Inspiration my not be an ingredient listed on the label but there is no way that this place and the atmosphere it exudes does not influence the brewing process.

The label of each Rockmill beer features a horse as a tribute to the former purpose of the farm and the brewing space. Matt is looking forward to horses coming back to the property as well as the restoration of the nearby gristmill and for all of these great things to grow and expand as the bottling line-up does too.

There are two places I instinctively go (like a salmon in season) when I need to recharge, revitalize and clear my mind after bad things happen – Athens and Australia. I was on my way to Athens when I visited Rockmill Brewery. I never made it. I didn’t need to. This is truly a unique space and I see how it is inspiring something very good. If I don’t make it back to the brewery soon I can at least get a shot of inspiration from the beers.

Where can you find Rockmill beers:
House Wine – Worthington
Whole Foods – Dublin
Tutto Vino – Dublin
Shaws Restaurant – Lancaster
(more places to come).

To arrange a tour, tasting or to keep track of what growing down at RockMill Farm
Rockmill Brewery
Matthew Barbee
5705 Lithopolis Road
310 755 4097
Rockmill Brewery web site
Matthew@Rockmillbrewery.com
Rockmill on Facebook

Posted in beer, culinary knowledge, Ohio, Road Trip, Travelfoodalogue | Tagged: | 4 Comments »

CLEGourmand: Tommy’s & the Community of Coventry

Posted by CMH Gourmand on November 17, 2010

I have eaten at many of the finest dining establishments in Cleveland including Greenhouse Tavern, Muse, Amp 150, Moxie and more. All of these places must step aside for local legend Tommy’s in Coventry. Why is Tommy’s the place where you must eat in Cleveland and the best meal you will have?

I will build my case with a quote from a tweet I made at the time of my dine: Listening to Tommy tell tales about his restaurant is inspiring. He is so passionate and loves what he does & his community. Tommy’s has always been a business that cares about it’s customers and community. In the eyes of most residents of this part of town, Tommy’s is the heart of Coventry. There is something for everyone – vegan, vegetarian, carnivore, omnivore, locavore, vegetarian, vegan, macrobiotic, and gluten-free eaters have plenty to choose from here. The decision to have such a varied menu is explained in a very matter of fact way by Tommy. He shared that he keeps adding to the menu because he customers want to eat these things and as long as he can make something they will like, he will try it. Health concerns, profit margins, ecological reasons or trends are all peripheral in the food world of Tommy’s. The customer comes first. The food comes a close second with anything else considered bonus points. This is not something that can be taught at CIA or Johnson & Wales, it is not something you can learn on The Food Network. Either you get and give it or you don’t. Tommy Fello cares deeply about his restaurant, employees, customers, community and anything within this sphere. To have anything other than the best for anyone is unfathomable. Love is the magic ingredient at Tommy’s and it is infused into every aspect of the menu.

Mention Tommy’s to a Clevelander and you will hear the word milkshake within five to ten seconds. Not long after Tommy’s opened in 1972, Rolling Stone anointed Tommy’s as having the best Milkshake east of the Mississippi. There has been no evidence to dispute this in almost forty years. Here are some of the secrets to the magic of Tommy’s milkshakes. The ice cream comes from local ice cream maker Pierre’s. The milk comes from Hartzler Dairy (an organic cow farm in Wooster). The milkshakes are shaken and mixed in old milkshake machines. The thump-thump of a shake poured from the steel mixing cup to a glass is music to my ears. I proclaimed the Chocolate Peanut Butter milkshake the true Breakfast of Champions. In addition to all of the diary goodness I have mentioned, Tommy’s makes their own peanut butter, which is the star of another dish I devoured.

Readers that follow me know that breakfast is not my meal of choice. I am happy to eat breakfast at Tommy’s anytime. In part, because both the restaurant and I count a milkshake as a valid breakfast selection. I ordered Elise’s combo. This is not named after the forgotten Borden Dairy cow but after the first customer that ordered this creation (most of the selections on the menu get their names from customers/creators). The combo is a toasted triple decker sandwich with two eggs, bacon, mayonnaise, American cheese and homemade peanut butter. Yes, peanut butter. It is really good – decadent, satisfying and wholesome at the same time. I could be wrong on my opinion of Elise’s greatness but the thousands of other customers that choose this as their breakfast are clearly correct.

The menu is gigantic so I will just mention a few more highlights from the selections. The mention of Tommy’s often brings up another word – falafel. Tommy learned the recipe for falafel from his first boss (the guy he bought the original Tommy’s from). Many people say this is the best falafel ever. It is definitely served in the most varieties anywhere. There are over a dozen falafel sandwich and meal selections on the menu with additions including BBQ sauce, sesame sauce and a variety of vegetables.

Here are some random facts that might make you feel good about Tommy’s: The drinking water is filtered, fry oil is non-hydrogenated, soups are made every day, their canola oil waste is given to biodiesel folks, there is a backdoor garden and Tommy’s is the largest consumer of Muenster cheese in northeast Ohio slicing, shredding and serving 680 pounds or more per week.

Would you like some more reasons? Attached to the restaurant is a great bookstore called Mac’s Backs so you can read or browse while you wait to graze. Everything is made from scratch tofu, tempeh, stocks, cookies, etc. The Italian sauce recipes are handed down from Tommy’s mommy. Tommy’s may have the best vegetarian French Onion soup in the world made from a base of Shitake mushrooms and chickpea drippings.

Are you hungry yet? Do you have the keys for your car? What time are you picking me up? Yes, this is a place to feel excited about going to. If you have to wait for a table or if you need to burn off calories after your meals, you will find much to hold your interest in Coventry. The neighborhood created itself during the counterculture of the 1960’s and 1970’s. The Coventry community spirit remains today in a very big way. If you run into a resident of Coventry Village (which is just a few streets) you will hear many stories about Tommy – how he used to plow the sidewalks in the winter or other actions he took to support local business. If you ask Tommy he will say the same about his neighbors, he knows them all. The first person he mentions is Steve (the unofficial ambassador of Coventry) at the store Big Fun just a few sidewalk segments from the front door of Tommy’s

Big Fun is FUN. It is packed with nostalgic toys, comics, vintage video game systems, wacky t-shirts and more. If it was something that made you happy as a kid, then Big Fun probably has it or will someday. Every trip in offers something new, different or forgotten. A current Big Fun T-shirt creation is “Cleveland, You’ve Got To Be Tough.” This shirt was seen on Anthony Bourdain while he was roaming around a jungle in South America. You will see a lot of “tough” Clevelanders roaming around with and without these shirts. They have taken some hits and they keep going. In Coventry, they are tough too. A group of people created and sustained a community with tenacity and a lot of kindness to each other. They are still at it every day – serving food and fun to neighbors and visitors alike.

Tommy’s Restaurant
1824 Coventry Road, Cleveland Heights
(aka Coventry Village, East Side)
216.321.7757

Tommy’s
Mac’s Backs
Big Fun
Coventry Village

Tommy's on Urbanspoon

Posted in breakfast, CLEGourmand, Diners, kid friendly dining, Ohio, Road Trip, sandwiches | Tagged: | 7 Comments »

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