What I Ate This Week

Well, it’s time to call it an evening. Wow, I think we both ate enough to make us just “north of comfortable.”. But it’s all good.

Gang, that’s just about it! Had we ordered more, we wouldn’t get back to the hotel. This has indeed been one of the stranger, but more interesting, blogger experiences and I hope it was at least somewhere between tolerable and fun. Trust that I won’t be doing this regularly; I’d be the worst dinner companion ever!

I’m very pleased and thankful to be able to live a life that takes me to the places that I go to and to live the life I do (and eat what I eat). I hope to keep writing about it and appreciate your visits and comments. Thanks, and keep ‘em coming!

Until then, I think i might need to go straight to bed! Yikes! Night, everyone…

Two quick things, before I forget.

First, at Terry’s Turf Club, I got it on great authority last night that the restaurant is definitively not up for sale. In fact, there may be new ventures ahead for these talented restauranteurs. If the plan they’re working comes through, it could be a most interesting addition to our local dining scene.

(by the way, I’ve become convinced that the less toppings you get on their burger, the closer to heaven it is. So damn good!)

Second, I’m headed to Toronto in a couple of weeks for some R&R. Anyone have a culinary treasure to share??

Anyway, as I come home (and look forward to that first Terry’s burger of the return… don’t know when I’m getting there but I guarantee it won’t be long!) I thought that rather than give you the play-by-play (since there was more than a fair share of forgettable meals) I’d highlight the top 10 dishes of the trip.  Plus, I like making lists so it gives my obsessive self a way to feel normal.

Graham’s Top 10 Meals From the Trip

10.  Arugala/rocket salad with grilled prawns at BoscoBar (Moscow)

Prawns with a view

9.  Fried polenta at the Hyatt (Ekaterinburg)

Fried corn is good. Pretty much always.

OK, hotel meals don’t usually make it onto this site, but I had a lunch at the Hyatt in Ekaterinburg that included an expertly prepared disc of fried polenta that almost made me want to weep.  It was moist on the inside, crunchy on the outside, and an all-around good time.  The lamb atop it wasn’t half bad either!

8.  Uzbek Food at Nigora (Ekaterinburg)

Homemade noodles. Worth their weight in flour.

Nigora is a little basement out-of-the-way Uzbek restaurant in Ekat.  I wrote about this dish last week but it’s definitely tops.  Homemade noodles, delicious, brothy meat, and lo-and-behold, vegetables!  (A rarity in my past week.)  If I could only forget the vodka that came about an hour later…

7.  “Honey Cake” at Pavilion (Moscow)

Layers of sweet and honey sweet

Pavilion is an UBER-stylish restaurant (where one might expect models to dine) in my new favorite spot in Moscow–Patriarch’s Ponds.  (It’s a tiny and beautiful park just steps from Tverskaya Street.)  The meal was incredible (you’ll see more of it later), but it ended with the server’s recommendation to get the homemade “honey cake.”  How can I describe this thing?  It’s sweet pastry cream, alternating layers with the moistest, thinnest-sliced cake you’ve ever seen.  And it really DOES taste like honey, in all the best ways.  Truly phenomenal.  The perfect end to maybe my best afternoon/evening of the trip.

6.  Goulash at Urquell Bar (Prague)

Goulash does a body good

So I covered it last week, AND it wasn’t in Russia BUT can I just say how exciting it was to have real goulash?  Wasn’t what I expected at all, but it was phenomenal.  Does ANYONE know a place in Cincy or Michigan that does this right?

5.  Lamb Sliders at Starlite Diner (Moscow)

How did they know to spell it "Starlite"?!

Starlite Diner?  Yes, folks, after a small mind/stomach rebellion on Friday night (it had been over a week of constant Russian, Czech, Georgian, Uzbek, and Tajikistani food) after going to see a concert (Suzanne Vega, of all people!), I was craving a little something familiar.  And there, steps from my hotel, is the Starlite Diner, a REAL American boxcar diner transplanted to Moscow.  How can I describe it?  The menu was probably 70% American, 30% Russian (you have to get those pelmenis in there somewhere!) and it was hidden in the courtyard off of a busy street.  I was clearly the only non-Russian there.  Are you wondering how Russians view American food?  I was!  By far, the two most popular items were buffalo wings and milkshakes if you’re curious.  Also in the “Americans must like it” camp, the TV’s were showing nude and near-nude women in fashion shows, swimsuit shoots, and other off-color things of the sort.  The Russian men– and women– were transfixed.  (I’ll admit, it was a bit distracting on that big HDTV…)  Also, it’s the only place all week long where a server actually asked how my food was.  Is that an American thing?

TGI Fridays... are you reading this? You should be! Get some inspiration!

Anyway, most of the food there wasn’t any good, but I had these lamb sliders that, while not really American, were to DIE for!  Really nicely-spiced and generously-sized lamb patties, cooked not quite to medium, topped with hummus and a little bit of tomato chili sauce.  WOW, those things are amazing.  I should have ordered more of them than the bacon-swiss chicken sandwish I ordered.  The true test of an American meal anywhere?  It’s the only one all week that left a big pit in my stomach where the food sat heavy at the end of the meal.  USA!  USA!

4.  Lamb shashlik at Mama Zoya’s (Moscow)

LAMB! Yummy. On the river. And with a view of a space shuttle!

Mama Zoya’s is a floating restaurant just across the river from Gorky Park.  Let’s just say it was a long afternoon, and that Gorky Park is NOTHING like I imagined.  Think Coney Island, not Central Park.  But if Coney Island had a real honest-to-god Soviet space shuttle.  (In any case, the modern art museum across the street was excellent and nearly empty!)  Anyway, Mama Zoya’s is Georgian and fantastic.  The highlight was the Lamb Shashlik– think big chunks of roasted lamb on flatbread with a vinegary sauce.  Just awesome and explode-in-your-mouth juicy.  (Pictured alongside is a plate of pickled things… most interesting was the garlic.  I ate a lot of vinegar in this meal!)

3.  Baked pelmeni at Uralski Pelmeni (Ekaterinburg)

(NOT PICTURED, sadly)

OK gang, didn’t get a photo of this one– they were gone too fast!  Our last night in Ekat, we ordered pelmeni two ways, boiled and baked.  The boiled ones were good and very reminiscent of cheese tortellini.  The baked ones, well those were out of this world!  Think cheesy pasta casserole– putting this dish over the top were the fresh mushrooms that were a part of it.  THIS was comfort food and makes me very, very happy.

2.  My whole meal at Troekuroff (Ekaterinburg)

MMMMMMM

So I’ve written about the whole thing already, the four-sided pot pie (pictured), the borscht, the deer filet.  This was the best end-to-end meal of the whole trip.  I still can’t get over how empty the place was!  Dear Russians… I know you can make this stuff at home, and do regularly… but do yourself a favor and get over here!  That four-sided pot pie is even in my dreams now, a week later…

1.  Chanterelle Soup at Pavilion (Moscow)

Oh. My. God.

My favorite thing I ate all week?  Easy:  chanterelle soup at the Pavilion.  When I sat down, they opened up the menu and it said simply:  “Summer time at the Pavilion.  It’s chanterelle season!”  This was easily the freshest, boldest, ignore-manners-and-pick-up-the-bowl good soup I maybe have ever had.  It was simple– a long-simmering vegetable stock with a few scattered vegetables (notably green onions) and a pile of fresh, woodsy, earthy, flavorful chanterelles.  I thought Russia was known for potatoes, but I’ve changed my mind!

So gang, that’s it!  Hope you enjoyed my little tour through Russia (and Prague).  If not, well… I’ll be back in Cincinnati tonight and back to some familiar haunts.  I’m headed to a new home and VERY much looking forward to relaxing for a couple of weeks.  But another trip looms on the horizon (China in about 3 weeks).  In the meantime, I’ll rest my stomach.  And maybe go to the gym?

Do svidaniya

Anyway, I bring you the first of a two-parter (still in progress) on my dining adventures en route!

Extreme Layover: Prague

Well, my first flight took me to Frankfurt where I had a layover just long enough to make it to a gate and get on another plane, this time to Prague.  The first two flights were unremarkable in all ways including food.  The highlight was clearly the ice cream sundae on the first flight, but mostly because it was ice cream on a plane, not because it was particularly good.

My layover in Prague was 3 hours.  Probably enough to get to the new gate and do some reading, take a short nap, or listen to the iPod.  But I had never been to Prague before, didn’t know when or if I was coming back, and was feeling restless from all the sitting still.  So, not speaking Czech, I found some people who looked nice, asked them how long to the center and when I needed to be back.  I stopped in a shop, bought a map, guidebook, and bottle of water, then I bolted for downtown.

Old Town Square

I didn’t have forever, but it all started on Old Town Square with a Pilsner Urquell (the local brew, and if you’ve had it–it’s all over the US–you know it’s good).  I’ve never seen a city associate itself more forcefully with a beer than this matching.  (Not even Dublin or Amsterdam– I wonder if Urquell is in cahoots with the tourism board!)  It was a hot, hot day so I walked quickly across the Charles bridge and saw the castle district before getting in my cab to get to the airport.  Unfortunately, the flight was delayed.  Fortunately, there was a Urquell restaurant next door to the gate, giving me time to actually eat something!

So THAT's what goulash looks like!

I wasn’t super-hungry (lots of airplane food), but the goulash sounded good.  And it was– nothing like I’m used to, though!  Basically a brothy stew with hunks of beef and heavily seasoned with paprika.  No noodles or rice, just beef and some vegetables.  Such a misunderstood dish!  And incredibly delicious.  Not spicy at all, but bursting at the seams with flavor.  It was the rare airplane delay that I welcomed!

Then it was on-board (where they served me some excellent Russian palmeni– think tortellini with woodsy mushrooms) and on to Russia…

Russia, Part 1: Ekaterinburg

Ekaterinburg (also called “Yeakaterinburg,” or Ekat for short) is Russia’s fourth biggest city after Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Novosibersk.  It’s got about 1.4 million documented residents in the area, and likely twice that once you count students and “laborers.”  It sits in the Ural mountains and is known for mining, universities, and for kind of being in the middle of nowhere in the center of Russia.  It’s also known, at least to Russians, as the site of the execution of the last of the Romanovs– most interesting.  (After a city tour today, I’m full of useless but interesting history about the place!)

Old school Russian

Anyway, for our first dinner (I’m here with coworkers) we wanted to do something traditionally Russian, and our concierge pointed us in the direction of a place called Troekuroff about 20 minutes from the hotel.  The economy is hitting this town bad– as one of the more “upscale” restaurants in the city, even on a Friday night at prime hour (10pm) we were one of only two filled tables in the place.  But this little secret was ours to enjoy this night– the food was superb.

Wow...

The first thing out of the kitchen was an amuse courtesy of the chef– a bliny filled with cream cheese and red caviar.  “Wow” is right.  So good.  I’ve had caviar only once or twice in my life (not really my thing), but THIS… was something different.  It packed a juicy, salty punch that played with the cream cheese to form this lovely sweet-and-salty combination.  Good that it was only 2 bites, though, because it was RICH!

Russian pot pie

Next up was the appetizer.  I’m sorry folks, I’m usually really good with names but I don’t recall what this was. The Cyrillic alphabet is wreaking havoc with me today!  Anyway, this was a four-cornered pot pie– as with most Russian food, it’s all about COMFORT.  One corner was filled with excellent beef stroganoff, another with mashed potatoes, another with stew, etc.  Super nice, hearty, comfortable, and filling.  So much so that I didn’t think I’d be able to finish my meal!

Borscht!

But then the borscht came.  My friends, I am converted– I now love the beet.  This was borscht of a Ukranian preparation, the most popular in Russian restaurants.  If you’ve never had it, borscht is a soup that can be hearty and stewlike or light and flavorful– this is one of the latter.  The “broth” is made with beets, and it includes beet slices, a bit of beef and many vegetables.  It’s served with some sour cream on the side that brings some sour to balance the sweet.  The flavors were very complex but harmonious– if I wasn’t filling up, I’d have had the whole bowl!  But then came the main…

Best deer ever.

Being in the “midwest” of Russia surrounded by forest, deer is one of the animals that is well known and has been cultivated for food in the area for a long time.  I ordered the deer filet and the server was pleased that I ordered it medium rare.  I guess I’m glad she asked (in her extremely timid and broken English), as I suspect they assume most Americans like their meat charred– but a meat as lean as this would be useless cooked that much!  It was served perfectly, on a bed of lightly cooked zucchini alongside a chunky tomato relish.  It was excellent and worth finishing!  All in all, a tremendous experience full of Russian highlights!  I slept very well indeed on Friday.

Saturday Night Uzbek @ Nigora

Nigora

Last night we wanted something a little different and more casual.  We were steered toward an Uzbek favorite in town called Nigora.  Just getting there was exciting as we got lost looking for the building number.  Four non-Russians, wandering with a hotel map printed in English staring at street signs in Cyrillic.  Must be fun for the locals to watch as I bet they don’t get tons of English-speaking tourists here!  Eventually we found it and headed downstairs to a vibrant and exciting sub-terranean Uzbek restaurant.  Very casual.  We sat in the non smoking section (there is only one table situated there… so I’m guessing they don’t get many non-smokers!) and ordered beers and various Uzbek dishes.

Beef and noodles... a universal language!

 Everything was great.  Thankfully they had one English menu and we used it to guide our choices.  Again, I don’t remember the name of the dish, but this was a hearty noodle dish with beef strips and homemade Uzbek noodles.  It was, as all meals so far this week, hearty and tasty.  The deeper one got into the bowl, the more I found little bits of beef and vegetables that enhanced the flavor.  No way around it, though, this was messy food.  But so good and soulful.  Though I didn’t think to take a picture of it, we also ordered some dumplings with beef that were fantastic, and some bread to soak it all up.  An excellent meal– since this is as close to Uzbekistan as I’ll likely ever get, I’m sure I’ll never have an experience this authentic again!

And of course, the nightcap…

Danger...

I get a little sick to my stomach thinking about it now, less than a day later, but we adjourned to the hotel bar and served up some Russian Standard vodka, and all I will say is this stuff is STRONG.  Stronger than pretty much anything I’ve ever had, and of course men are expected to be manly and take it in a shot.  So after more than a couple (and the nice little piroshkis that come with it), the night started spinning, or maybe that was just my head.  Fun times with good people, and from there it gets a little blurry.  But that’s OK… I’m sure it was a great time!

So that’s it for now.  Tonight is room service as I’m not going ANYWHERE much less to a bar.  A good night’s sleep and hopefully it will be on to a productive Monday.  There are still a couple of places we want to try in town and we’ve got until Thursday when I am onward solo to Moscow for a couple of days.  Wish me luck!

Well, friends, it has come time for me to bid adieu to the little neighborhood I’ve called home for almost six years, Pleasant Ridge.  I moved here a bit younger, a bit more naive, and a bit over my head in terms of owning my own place.  (Ugh, I’ve got to mow the lawn AGAIN?  I mowed it 2 weeks ago!)  I’ve done a lot of growing up here, and although I never really gave my neighbors a fair shot, I’ve found the people here to be unfailingly pleasant– in fact, I’ve come to feel a part of this place in some strange way– that’s something I wasn’t sure I’d ever feel outside of Michigan.

But of course, all things must come to an end… I put my house on the market a year ago, as I looked to tie up important loose ends on my then-recent divorce.  It’s been hard doing the packing and purging (both of physical things as well as mental) but as I sit here alone in a very echo-ey living room (likely for the last time), I’ve only got one urge– to party!

Seriously, folks.  Change is an opportunity to try on something new and grow forward– I know that will happen for me as I move closer to downtown and start a new chapter of life with someone special.  I’m like a kid on Christmas morning here, and the present is a door into a new home!

As a way of paying my respects to this neighborhood that has done right by me for so long, I decided to do one last 24 hour food tour of places I’ve come to know and appreciate over those years.  Real food from real people, and a worthwhile place to visit.

Where Gravy Is Still Cool:  Lunch at Pleasant Ridge Chili

No idle boasting...

Pleasant Ridge Chili is right around the corner from the house I’m selling today, and I have enjoyed the odd walk there, although I sometimes wonder if I shouldn’t have gone there more.  This is old-school Cincinnati chili parlor– just because you can’t smoke there anymore doesn’t mean you can’t feel the nicotine under the wallpaper!  I sidled up to a table and because I was feeling a little nostalgic and a lot hungry, I got small portions of my three favorites from here:  a (dry) 5-way chili, gravy cheese fries, and a cheese coney.  I know… it’s not health food.  But we’re in Cincinnati, guys!

Say cheese!

As always, a delicious treat.  I know a lot of folks who claim not to like Cincinnati chili, but I am convinced that over half of them would be converted if someone would just have told them to order it DRY.  It cuts back (or out) the gravy-like sauce and leaves you with the seasoned beef, onions, beans, and of course all that cheese.  Flavorful as can be, and well worth it.  They’ve been making this for some time now!

And what can one say about gravy cheese fries?  A holdover from before people took food health cues from the news, this is a treat that goes well beyond its name.  OK, so it starts with the fries, standard crispy crinkle cut numbers that would probably have been just fine by themselves.  On top are some gravy (of the “brownish” variety) and that electric cheddar.  It’s hard to review those two flavors independent of each other because they bond together in a deep and meaningful way– impossible to separate the chese from the gravy, and that’s a good thing as it degenerates into this lovely, creamy, delicious sauce that– let’s be honest– you’d eat with a spoon if it wouldn’t be socially unacceptable.  (Thus the fries!)

And the cheese coney, a Cincinnati standard done in a standard way– little hot dog nestled in with mustard, onion, chili, and cheese.  Good solid sturdy stuff.  I scarfed it all down and hit the door to run day-before-moving errands.

The Fish Remains the Same:  Take-Out at Molly Malone’s

Still investing in the fish market

Another local treasure is the Irish restaurant/bar (or more like bar/restaurant lately) on Montgomery across from Everybody’s Records.  It hit its apex around the time I moved here in 2003 as the Dubliner– a place where they researched their Irish food carefully and cultivated a cult following on Tuesdays for trivia.  This was a place that felt like home– when you ate in the restaurant you felt you had the place to yourself, and most times you did.  Truth be told, it’s a tough spot for a restaurant what with the range of options in Oakley to the south and suburban heaven at Kenwood just north.  But the Dubliner, and its locals, did just fine thank you very much.

Until they didn’t.  The Dubliner closed a couple of years ago and swiftly opened under new ownership and management as Molly Malone’s.  Initially it appeared they didn’t intend to change much, but slowly but surely more American food found its way onto the menu and sadly, food quality declined.  This used to be the place where you could get a fantastically prepared chicken tikka boxty, a high quality Irish breakfast any time of the day, or Guinness stew to rave about on a cold winter’s day.  But of course, then as now, the featured dish is fish and chips.  And thankfully, that’s one dish where Molly Malone’s realizes you can’t cut corners.

Fish ahoy!

I brought an order home for my “last supper” at the house– it’s been over a year since I’ve had dinner at Molly’s, so I was interested to see what I’d find.  (It’s exactly this kind of 1-year lapse from a very local resident that dooms places like Molly’s– sorry old girl!)  They’ve clearly cut the portion size (three planks back in the day!) to one hearty plank, no doubt for cost reasons.  Thankfully it was exquisite even after a few minutes in the car.  The fish was meaty and delicious (I think it’s cod but didn’t check the menu this time) and breaded and fried in the traditional Irish way.  Very nice– the coating was toothsome and flavorful, and it hid a delicious and moist fish filet.  The tartar sauce was standard stuff but alongside a twist of lemon (nice of them to include on the carry-out) and some malt vinegar, the combination was right.  The fries were another matter entirely, as they tasted frozen and overfried.  But a strong amount of malt vinegar assures that you can soften up those fries and provide the right flavor and texture contrast to the fish.  Finally, the potato and leek soup was a really nice positive surprise– a thick and flavorful soup with chunks of potato and big pieces of sauteed leek.  Packed a punch and hit the spot.  Really nice.

All things considered, while we’re well past the high water mark of the Dubliner, Molly Malone’s will no doubt continue on the path of its predecessor, serving fish, chips, and ale to locals while continuing to balance a tough location and economic environment.  Good luck, Molly– even imperfect, we need places like you to keep us going and socializing (instead of just blogging!).

A Final Breakfast Stop at Pleasant Perk

Gathering Place

And my final stop was this morning, at Pleasant Perk (right next door to Molly Malone’s on Montgomery).  It’s a sad state of affairs how late I discovered this gem of a coffeehouse.  I’m normally not a coffeehouse guy (mostly because I don’t drink the stuff!), but I was turned on there by learning that they were hosting the Belgian Waffle Guy (“Taste of Belgium,” if you’re into accuracy)– I’ve written about him and his delicious waffles before, and they are sublime.  So about 2 years ago I made my first visit and was completely charmed by the place.  Comfortable to a fault with a wide variety of coffees and pastries.

Grab a mug and stay awhile

Have I mentioned that the place is co-owned by Kim Taylor, Cincinnati’s amazing singer-songwriter?  What, never seen her?  GO FIND HER!  She’s awesome.  It’s kind of a karmic bonus here at this stop.  Anyway, it’s a chilly morning so I got myself some hot chocolate and a super-delicious cranberry muffin.  The kind of muffin that helps you remember that not all muffins are dry tedious affairs!

Breakfast of champions on a chilly summer morning

 So that’s about it.  From here, I am literally headed to home-closing.  Wish me luck!  By tonight it might be time to explore a new neighborhood!  In the meantime, thanks PRidge!  And may your new residents be treated as well as I.

Next Week Preview:  I’m going to Russia!  Wow.  I’ll be there for a week or so– I’m hoping it’s long enough for me to figure out the food culture!  Stay tuned…