A few times we responded that we were going to see the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but people know us too well to know that we would never travel for just that. Not that we wouldn't go there, not that we didn't go there, just that we aren't that into rock and roll to travel most of the way across the country to go to a museum dedicated to it.
We finally had to admit the one and only reason that we were going to Cleveland: Iron Chef Michael Symon.
For years we have watched Chef Symon decimate his competitors on Iron Chef America and have drooled over the food he prepared and wondered just how good could it be. I bought his cookbooks and the recipes were delicious. Even the pie crust recipe for his Pork Pie is better that any other pie crust recipe I have ever used. But no matter how good of a home cook I might be, we needed to know just how good his food was if he (or one of his trained chefs) had made it. The only problem is that almost all of his restaurants are in Cleveland with the two remaining being in Detroit (Roast) and the Pittsburgh Airport (Bar Symon). I have to admit I admire his dedication to his hometown by growing his restaurant empire there instead of expanding to Los Angeles, New York or Las Vegas like other celebrity chefs. So we only had one option: a trip to Cleveland was in order.
First stop: his flagship restaurant, Lola, located in downtown Cleveland on 4th street which is a pedestrian only street lined with restaurants, clubs and even a bowling alley. To us this seemed like the place to be in Cleveland, and judging by the four bachelorette parties we saw walking through, we weren't the only ones to think this.
We arrived at our hotel earlier than we had expected and were starving from our day of traveling, so we walked over to the restaurant an hour early hoping that they could seat us and if not, we would just sit at the bar. They weren't able to seat us inside, but we were able to grab a table outside and since it was a beautiful night, it was the best option available. We perused the menu and decided that there were two appetizers that we had to try: the beef cheek pierogi and the pig ears & belly. Michael Symon and the pig are a marriage made in heaven so there was no passing that up!
Things were a little off in the kitchen that night, and before we even noticed it, a long time had passed before we were served our appetizers. We were so busy filling ourselves with bread and butter, and enjoying the atmosphere and the people watching on the street that we somehow let time slip by, but our server was on it and the next thing we knew the manager was apologizing to us and telling us our appetizers were on the house. Talk about service! We hadn't even complained or even questioned where the food was and now it was complimentary!
The meat inside the pierogi was perfectly tender. I regretted sharing the appetizer with my husband as I was limited to just one pierogi. The dish was so flavorful and rich.
 |
| Beef Cheek Pierogi (wild mushrooms, horseradish creme fraiche) |
Next up was the Pig. These were the best pig ears I have ever had in my entire life. Period. The best. Often times pig ears are too crispy or too thin to be able to really get any flavor out of them, as if their only purpose was to provide some crunch to the dish. But these were cooked for enjoyment. Not too thick, not too thin. Crispy, and yet tender, and full of flavor. The rest of the salad was a wonderful accompaniment to the pig ears, but nothing could overshadow their decadence.
 |
| Pork Belly & Pig Ear (watermelon, tomato, feta, jalapeno, cilantro, red onion) |
My husband ordered the pork chop, and from what he tells me, it was delicious. He said that this was the best polenta he has ever had. I'll have to take his word for it as I don't like polenta in any of its forms.
 |
| Smoked Hampshire Pork Chop (chiles, cheesy polenta, bbq onions) |
Since all I had eaten that day was a tasteless small hot dog in the airport that morning, I was hungry for beef and I love hanger steak. The steak was delicious with the right amount of acid. It was exactly what I needed.
 |
| Beef Hanger Steak (pickle sauce, chiles, lola fries) |
And thankfully, to further curb my hunger, it was served with their signature Lola Fries. Lola Fries are thin sliced, twice friend and seasoned with rosemary and sea salt. These perfectly crispy fries were served with house ketchup which had a unique taste and appeared to contain cinnamon.
 |
| Lola Fries |
Because we were so hungry from our travel and you never know for sure how large or small a portion size will be, we ordered one of their side dishes. I'm a big fan of both corn and mushrooms, but I have to say that I only ever want to eat corn again if its prepared like this. So sweet, so buttery, so much flavor.
 |
| Sweet Corn, Chanterelle Mushrooms |
While there were many unique tasty desserts to choose from, we decided to go with the one that piqued our interest the most. I mean, how often do you see a dessert item labeled as a cheesecake that is served with chorizo? Manchego cheese is a sheep's milk cheese from Spain that is slightly tart and creamy - not what you would expect to be used in a cheesecake, and yet this was delicious. Was it your traditional New York Style cream cheese cheesecake? No. Was it delicious? Yes. In fact, it had the exact texture one should expect from a New York Cheesecake. The chorizo was the perfect accompaniment, but admittedly, I was too busy filling my very stuffed belly with the braised pineapple. It was the perfect not too savory, not too sweet way to end our first Michael Symon meal.
 |
| Manchego Cheesecake (chorizo confit, braised pineapple, pineapple, buttermilk sorbet, micro cilantro) |
With our meal complete, we stumbled through the streets of Cleveland with our bellies full and dreaming of the other meals we would experience over the weekend. And the pig ears. Could not stop thinking about the pig ears.
No comments:
Post a Comment