Culinary Smackdown Reminder: Battle Spherical Food

As last month’s Smackdown winner for her amazing Corned Beef and Cabbage Pizza, Leah of Eat, Drink and Be Married becomes this month’s Culinary Smackdown host, theme-picker, and judge. With the ball now in her court for this friendly little monthly cooking/blogging contest, Leah has challenged us with a sports-inspired theme, Battle: Spherical Food. Details here.

Leah is off to Paris, but I'm still here holding down the fort as the resident Smackdown Cheerleader.

Everyone is invited to join in, and newcomers are always welcome. If you're interested in entering the fray and wondering what this is all about, you can find lotsa linkage on my sidebar.

I can’t wait to see what everyone comes up with for this one by March 31!

Mourning Moscow, and a Sweet Spot: Ghyslain in Louisville

I was looking forward to a quiet weekend at home to catch up on blogging about my recent travels and tastings. Then came Friday’s tornadoes, which tore through nearby parts of Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio, including the riverside village of Moscow, OH, which my best friend since 8th grade and frequent Culinary Smackdown compadre Cindie has called home for nearly 30 years. I was immensely relieved to hear her voice Friday night and know she, her family, and her dog are safe. But a good friend of theirs was not so lucky – she was killed when her house a couple blocks away collapsed on her. The storm took off the back half of Cindie’s roof, blew out a sliding glass door, and apparently sucked out some contents. A tree did some damage to one of their cars, and she said there is glass everywhere. That was just the preliminary report. Her house has now been “red tagged,” meaning deemed not safe to enter. Moscow is a gutsy little town that 15 years ago endured a major Ohio River flood. But this is even more devastating. Click here for a Cincinnati Enquirer article and video. You’ll find a few of my photos from happier days in Moscow at the bottom of this post. I will remember the lush green,  towering hundred-year-old trees, and care-free days in Moscow fondly. They’re pretty much all gone, at least for now.

While I wait to hear from Cindie with today’s update, I’m trying to distract myself with happier thoughts and bringing you a few photos of the goodies from Ghyslain, one of my recent stops in Louisville.

Located on East Market Street in the vibrant NULU District of Louisville, Ghyslain is a bustling French bistro (menu here) that also offers sweets that will make you swoon. The pastries and chocolates are true works of art.

If I hadn't been full from lunch across the street at Taco Punk, I would have tried Ghyslain's gelato. But I settled for bringing home a few candies and a pastry, which were every bit as delectable on the tongue as to the eye.

Ghyslain also has two locations in Richmond, Indiana, should you find yourself traveling in that direction, and you can mail order some of their chocolates – including a family of their turtle-shaped chocolate-caramel-nut turtles – via their website. The Louisville location has some patio seating, a great place to rendezvous with old friends – or meet new ones, as I was lucky to do when I happened to run into Joyce Pinson of Friends Drift Inn and her friend Rhoda, who I was scheduled to have dinner with at nearby Harvest. You can read Joyce's hilarious recap of our criss-crossing journeys and meet-up here.

Warm, sunny, food-filled days with friends are always a pleasure. And I have decades of memories of them at Cindie and Odie's. That's not apt to happen again in that particularly lovely spot on the Ohio River anytime soon.

Great memories of teaming up with Cindie and Odie at their house for our first effort at the Culinary Smackdown, Battle Lobsta.

We were tickled with our win for Battle Picnic Basket.

Cindie and I joined forces to bring the Culinary Smackdown back last summer. And had a blast taste-testing for Battle Bacon in her kitchen. Just 11 months ago we were hanging out on the deck after Easter dinner.

I am grateful to all my friends who have checked in on me and asked after Cindie this weekend. Also glad that, as far as I know, my KY blogger and farmer friends are OK. Please keep the folks impacted by these storms in your thoughts and prayers. There is a long road ahead.

Culinary Smackdown: Cabbage with Sausages and Grapes

Herewith my usual last-minute entry for the Culinary Smackdown, hosted this month by Grumpy Granny. I'm delighted by what my long-time Smackdown peeps contributed this month for Battle Cabbage. And to welcome some fabulous newcomers to this friendly foodie fray! Click on over to GG's host post here to find links to everyone's entries in the comments. Stay tuned for her announcement of this month's winner, who will win bragging rights, the opportunity to post a Culinary Smackdown winner badge on their sidebar/wall, and in turn become next month's host, judge, and "theme-picker."

This month I borrowed from a Mario Batali recipe that had me at the thought of cooking grapes for the first time. I substituted ingredients all over the place, failed to measure anything, and still managed to whip up something I'm not disappointed to call supper.

I had a sweet white onion on hand, so didn't go out of my way to buy a red onion.

I found seedless red grapes, which I suspect are different than Batali's recommended "wine or purple grapes."

I went foraging in the freezer for sausages and came up with some Roasted Red Pepper Italian Sausages from Carfagna's – a wonderful market and butcher shop that is as much of a must whenever I visit Columbus as, apparently, are stops at Jungle Jim's and Ikea whenever KY food bloggers come to Cincinnati.

I had the last little bit left in a bottle of red wine vinegar, and didn't worry whether it measured 4 tablespoons or not.

And then there was the cabbage. Foolish me, I picked up bok choy, thinking the delicate little head sitting next to it was Savoy cabbage when (I learned after googling images after my shopping trip) it was the called-for Napa cabbage after all. Oh, well. My honkin' big bok choy would not go to waste.

Although the recommendation of grilling the sausages sounds like a fine one, I browned mine in a Dutch oven while I sliced my onion and cabbage and plucked the stems from my grapes.

After removing the sausages, I wilted the onion, then added the sliced bok choy gradually (thickest to thinnest) to compensate for what I guessed would be its cooking time variance from Napa cabbage. Impatient and on the clock, I put the lid on the Dutch oven to hurry the cabbage cooking time along. Then added the grapes, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper, and bok choy greens. Topped with the sausages, here's dinner tonight.

Warning: Cooked grapes are hot! But I really liked my quick taste of this combination. Now I'm off to taste it for reals, with a glass of red wine, and settle in for the finale of Top Chef. I would be a happier camper if I could be rooting for Chef Ed Lee tonight. But after eating at his restaurant, 610 Magnolia in Louisville a couple of weeks ago, I can't complain.

I'll be around to check out the rest of the Smackdown entries later. And you can betcha a big post about 610 Magnolia is in the works. Plus more from other great KY restaurants I've visited in the past 1+ month.

Happy Smackdown, happy Leap Day, and thanks to all my talented and marvelous bloggy friends!

xoxo, eggy

Cheers to Birthdays! Meadowlark in Dayton, Ohio

My birthday month travels have, thankfully, now concluded. But before they did, a last-minute trip north to visit friends in Lima was in order. Because girlfriends don’t let girlfriends celebrate birthdays alone.

Lima friend Tricia had planned to celebrate her own February birthday with a visit to friends in Kansas City. When that fell through (sigh, so many of my friends are feeling the tug of caring for ailing and elderly relatives), she and Amy decided to throw a par-tay at home. Of course, Becky and I decided to drive up.

Becky suggested we stop in Dayton for lunch on the way – her treat, for my birthday. I recalled a Dayton restaurant I’d loved from another trip with our foursome, Meadowlark, where we’d enjoyed a fine brunch and I tried migas (scrambled eggs with corn tortilla strips and other goodies) for the first time.

Since that pre-camera, pre-blog meal, Meadowlark has moved into a new location a couple miles off I-675, not more than 10 minutes total from I-75. It’s one of those “don’t let the strip center fool you” locations – this one larger than the last, where we waited nearly an hour for an open brunch table. It’s a warm, contemporary space filled with cool artwork. And great food.

Becky and I didn’t arrive until around 3:00 on Saturday afternoon, so I have no idea how long the wait might be at their new digs at peak times. (Meadowlark's website says they accept reservations for 5 or more and let smaller parties call ahead to get on the waiting list.)

Clearly people will wait for food this fresh! Here’s my grilled chicken sandwich, on crusty bread from Dorothy Lane Market. Accompanied by roasted tomatoes, tapenade mayo, and – best of all – thin slices of batter-fried lemon, it was a knock-out. I want to try my hand at those fried lemon slices at home.

Becky was equally enamored with her fresh haddock sandwich. Sandwiches come with frites or vinaigrette-dressed fresh greens. We both opted for the greens, which were some of the most truly fresh I’ve encountered at any restaurant.

Meadowlark also does salads, specialty pizzas and mac + cheese at lunch, and a more wide-ranging dinner menu. There are plenty of veggie options, and their proteins are sourced from the likes of Smoking Goose Meatery in Indianapolis and Niman Ranch.

Becky was happy to try out a couple of craft beers from their extensive selection, including a gluten-free sorghum beer. Since I was driving, I opted for the Meadowlark Virgin Mary at the top of this post, a more than satisfying beverage that includes beet juice in addition to traditional Bloody Mary ingredients.

So how was your weekend? Are you ready with your Battle Cabbage entry for the Culinary Smackdown?

Our host this month is Grumpy Granny, who is already up here, with a dreamy red cabbage and sweet potato lasagna. Head on over to link your Battle Cabbage post in GG's comments section, and check out all the other swell entries for this friendly little monthly blog-cooking competition. I always come away with such inspiration from the other participants – and I'm tickled to see our group growing! Deadline isn't until Wednesday, so am hoping to squeak in with an entry of my own despite a busy month and cabbage-purchasing faux pas (:

Amuse Bouche from Last Weekend in Louisville

I'm still full from my food-centric visit last weekend to Louisville, but here's a taste . . . as I scramble to pack for yet another travelin' weekend.

The tongue salad with mustard ice cream above was one of the highlights in an across-the-board fascinating dinner last Friday at 610 Magnolia. I'd wanted to see what this restaurant had in store long before chef Edward Lee became a contestant on Top Chef. Full report to come here or on the "other" blog I write for, AllTopChef. Or both. Stay tuned.

My Saturday lunch choice was new-ish Taco Punk in NULU on Louisville's East Market Street (an area full of interesting locally focused restaurants, shops, and galleries). The grass-fed beef, Amish chicken mole, and Lucky Duck tacos from chef-owner Gabe Sowder, formerly of 610 Magnolia, did not disappoint!

I've recently rediscovered my love of chocolate and confections of all ilks (quality makes indulgence worthwhile!). Ghyslain, which offers some of the most gorgeous desserts I've ever seen or tasted, turned out to be right across the street from Taco Punk. In addition to offering delectable sweets, Ghyslain is a bustling French-inflected cafe with two more locations in Indiana and online ordering through their website.

As I walked into Ghyslain, two women emerged and sat down at an outdoor table that unseasonably warm winter afternoon. I had an inkling they might be the folks who were kind enough to accept my invitation to dinner at Harvest, just down the block, after friend Cindie wasn't able to accompany me on this trip after all.

With nothing more to go on than a facebook picture, I kinda thought that might be Joyce Pinson (food blogger at Friends Drift Inn and columnist for the Appalachian News-Express), with whom I've struck up an online friendship. But I wasn't sure, and didn't want to be too forward. When I walked back outside, emboldened by the purchase of chocolate, I ventured my guess: "Pardon me, but would you by any chance be Joyce Pinson?" Joyce and her sweet friend Rhoda laughed. They thought I might be me too, and had been looking for an online pic of me on Rhoda's phone to confirm.

We got to talkin' on the Ghyslain patio until I remembered the time on my parking meter might run out and Rhoda confessed to being chilly outdoors (yep, it's still winter).

The three of us rendezvoused for dinner at Harvest (another fine Louisville farm-to-fork restaurant, which has made it into the James Beard Award semi-finals!) and got lost in conversation before we had to scurry to the Anthony Bourdain/Eric Ripert show (and compete for parking with the Van Halen and Farm Machinery Show fans in town that night).

I'll try to get more specific posts up about the great restaurants I visited in Louisville this trip, including my brunch the following morning at Garage Bar, the newest venture from Michael Paley, chef at Proof/21C, which is coming to Cincy across from the Aronoff later this year. Hangtown fry with house-cured bacon, anyone?

I'll have a house-made bialy from Garage Bar's wood-fired pizza oven and a side of whimsy, thank you.

I had one more stop to make Sunday afternoon before I-71 with its rolling rural hills merged with I-75 and dumped me back into city traffic, the Napoleon Grocery and Deli.

After tasting this ginormous BBQ pork sandwich on ciabatta from Napoleon Ridge Farm (they supply to Local 127 and Bouquet restaurants) and proprietor Tricia Houston's homemade cherry crisp and Boston Cream cupcake, there is no doubt in my mind. Further research is in order.

A quick shout-out to any bloggers in the area who might be interested. Jen of Our Good Food Life has taken the lead and started a Southwest Ohio Food Bloggers Association facebook page, which you can also follow on Twitter at @swohiofba, inspired by the Kentucky Food Bloggers Association, whose founders we met at the #5B blog conference earlier this month.The aim is to connect with other food bloggers in the region, including Northern Kentucky and as wide a swath of Ohio as people are interested in. Please feel welcome to join, post links to your blog posts on the SWOFBA wall, and share in the conversation.

Off to throw some clothes in my bag and head north for a change. Because the February birthdays just keep on comin' and I'm not passing up an opportunity to celebrate with dear friends.

Now Open: Tot Dogs from Lucy Blue's

I checked out downtown Cincinnati's newest purveyor of upscale hot dogs at lunch Tuesday. From the owner of Lucy Blue's Pizza, it's called Tot Dog and tucked into a tiny storefront at 634 Vine Street. So small, in fact, there's no room for dine-in seating. So plan accordingly to sample their take-out-only offerings.

The emphasis is on a variety of hot dogs and sausages. This week's featured specialty dog (called Best in Show – get it?) is an apple chardonnay chicken sausage with smoked gouda and blackberry mustard. With visions of Hot Doug's dancing in my head, I ordered it almost without looking at the rest of the menu, and enjoyed the unexpected combination.

In addition to more familiar options like brats, metts, Italian sausage, and Andouille, Tot Dogs plans to feature game sausages (including venison and rabbit) as well as seafood and salmon dogs. An array of toppings and sides are also available. The owner told me he sources locally when possible and turns to reputable distributors for some of the more exotic sausages. He also makes some of the condiments and sides himself, including the Asian slaw. Here's my slightly wrinkled copy of the current menu.

The Tot Dogs website hasn't gone live yet (the owner is still fine-tuning the menu). But you'll be able to find it here, and can go ahead and sign up for the email list.

Tot Dogs is near the southeast corner of 7th and Vine, just north of Turquoise. I'm telling you this because, even armed with the address, I somehow walked right past it the first time. Until they get larger signage in the window (it's coming soon), keep an eye out for these brightly colored curtains.

And this plaid-clad dachsund logo.

Forgot to mention when I first hit publish, but Tot Dogs is currently open only for lunch. They would like to do breakfast eventually and are definitely planning to be open late night, as their sister store, Lucy Blue's Pizza, is.

Tom + Chee Filming Reality Show Pilot Sunday and Culinary Smackdown Reminder

Dear Readers, here's a two-fer for you, as I scramble to pack for a weekend of food-lovin' indulgence and potential mayhem in Louisville.

Tom + Chee, the little TOMato soup and grilled CHEEse tent that launched on Fountain Square two winters ago during ice-skating season and now has two brick and mortar locations – one on Court St. in downtown Cincinnati and one at Newport on the Levee in NKY – has a new project in the works.

T+C has opened the doors of both its current locations to the film crew of the production company headed by former WARM 98 personality Dean Miuccio (which produced local talk show Cincinnality, aired on Fox19 last fall). They were shooting when I stopped in to pick up my to-go order Tuesday, and will be doing another shoot this Sunday at Tom + Chee's Newport on the Levee location, near the Aquarium.

The Sunday event (it has been changed from Saturday) starts at 2:00 p.m. at T+C on the Levee. Mark from Ft. Thomas Matters is going head-to-head with Mo Egger for a T+C "Baker's Dozen" challenge: That would be: consuming 13 of Tom + Chee signature grilled cheese donuts. I'm not generally a fan of "eat-offs," but this one is for a good cause, the Brighton Center.

I only managed to get this one crappy photo of the filming Tuesday at Tom + Chee on Court Street

But I did have an opportunity to talk to Dean and his crew before I scurried back to my office and day job. They have been filming at T+C only 2-4 days but said they are happy with the footage they've gotten so far, of the staff interacting, and of staff interacting with customers. Of course, they need enough footage to build a story around. They are looking forward to following the expansion plans Tom + Chee has in the works. As am I.

This video venture is currently just in the preliminary working-up-to-a-pilot stage. When I asked Dean whether he is targeting a local or national audience, he told me he would be ok with getting it on the air locally but he thinks there are lots of national cable companies looking for this kind of reality programming.

I've been following T+C from their humble beginnings and proud to support them as they continue to dream and grow. If you're new to to my blog, you can find previous coverage here, here, here. Plus the heartbreaking news about their ouster from Fountain Square: here and here. Thanks @beingpolly and @winemedineme for helping me break that story.

On a much smaller scale, here's a reminder that the Culinary Smackdown this month is Battle Cabbage, hosted by Grumpy Granny, last month's winner and this month's host/judge/theme picker, who was kind enough to extend the deadline to Leap Day: Wed., Feb. 29. I seem to have fallen down on my Culinary Smackdown cheerleader duties, but you can find more details here.

To all the new local/regional blogger friends I met at #5B, you are cordially invited to join in the Culinary Smackdown - this month, or next.