In Anthony's footsteps

In a recent episode of Anthony Bourdain's show No Reservations (check it out on the Travel Channel--the new season looks great), he took his viewer audience along for the ride to Cleveland, Ohio. Looking for something to do over the Christmas break, we thought why not follow the Bourdain path; we decided to check out Cleveland.

Our plan was to visit some of the featured attractions and restaurants of interest that Bourdain boasted; we added a few destinations that were more or less off the beaten path.

Our first stop was to the Christmas Story House. If you are not from the Midwest, you may not be familiar with our fascination with a little film entitled, A Christmas Story, that was made in 1981. The film chronicles the plight of Ralphie who only wants a Red Rider BB gun for X'mas. Ralphie's X-mas wish is not welcome and is greeted with "You'll shot your eye out kid!" by everyone he encounters.

The film was shot in a house on the West side of Cleveland. I think back in 2005 one of my obsessed brethren bought the actual house where the film was shot, along with two other houses on the same street. You can now visit the museum and actually tour the house the film was shot, which has been refurbished to look just like it did in the film.

The main attraction is to have your picture taken with "the lamp." The father in the film wins an award, a tacky lamp. The base of the lamp is a female leg in a black pump with fishnet stockings, topped with a lampshade. They sell the lamp for $200 bucks in the gift shop. Watch the movie, and you'll see the point in all of this. If you have watched the film and want to get the lamp for your front window, here is a link to the museum's web site, url: http://achristmasstoryhouse.com/. (We also got to meet the woman who played the elf whose one line was "Come on Kid!")

Next, we made our way to The Sausage Shop located at 4501 Memphis Ave., Cleveland, Ohio 44144; there number, if you get lost , is (216) 351-5213. This place is great. The smell as we walked in was incredible; it reminded me of a meat market my mom used to shop in when I was little. Right on the counter, proudly displayed, was Mr. Bourdain's smiling mug welcoming us. They had samples on the counter--liver pate that was out of this world. It was delicious. Since it was so close to the New Year, we purchased some of their holiday kielbasa, only available during Christmas and Easter, w/ free kraut. We served it on New Year's day, as is the custom, and it was very good. We were very careful not to over cook it, adding it at the last minute to the kraut, as instructed by the young lady at the counter. She said that their unique flavor comes from a recipe that includes wine in the kielbasa begins to cook. My sister purchased some Roast Beef; she said it was the best she has ever had. For more information about, the Sausage Shoppe visit their web site, url: http://www.sausageshoppe.com

Next, we made our way to the West Side Market. Parking took forever! Once we found a spot, we made our way towards the back door of the fruit and vegetable market. The place was incredible. People were everywhere. When you enter the place, you are greeted with unbelievable displays of all kinds of fresh fruits and vegetables. Samples are available, and the prices are reasonable. There was even a little flower market. Inside the actual market, you could purchase various cuts of meat, pasta, fresh nuts, Greek pastries, Amish pies, etc. The entire experience reminded me of the markets we visited while traveling in Mexico City. It was amazing. The market was built in 1912, and it is located near the Sausage Shoppe. You can visit their web site, url: http://www.westsidemarket.com

At this point the main attraction, Sokolowski's University Inn wasn't open for several hours, so we gave ourselves an impromptu self guided tour of downtown Cleveland where we stumbled upon the International Women's Air and Space Museum. Check them out at url: http://www.iwasm.org/

Finally, we made it to Sokolowski's University Inn. My step-dad had been wondering the entire trip why we wanted to go to this place . . . especially when we waited patiently in the parking lot for an hour till the place opened along with 5 other cars waiting to get into the door. Ten minutes after we ordered, he figured it out, asking, "How did you hear about this place again?" I had only talked about No Reservations about 40 times that day as we made our way around town. Honestly, his question was no greater complement to the person who was responsible for making the Chicken Paprikash that evening. It made him sit up and take notice. Hell, before the meal was even finished, he said the next time we were in town to catch an Indian's game that he knew where he was going to eat. I hope that this gives you an idea of how good this place was. Served in a cafeteria style, the average cost for dinner is $12. You get a meal, drink, dessert, salad and roll. The place is filled with sports memorabilia. The decor is cozy; there is even a fireplace in the dinning room. Everyone was lovely, a good family atmosphere. The restaurant is located at 1201 University Road, Cleveland, Ohio, 44102. There number is (216) 771-9236. The next time we go back I will try the stuffed cabbage; they looked so good. Check out their web site: www.sokolowskis.com Finally, we headed home. Regretfully, we did not get to try a polish boy at Hot Sauce Williams, but Lauren, a native of Cleveland, tells me that there is a far better place to get them (more on that later.)

---

---

The Hotel George/Bistro Bis

The Hotel George is located a few blocks from the Capitol Building in Washington D. C. Greg and I had the opportunity one evening in November of dinning in a restaurant adjacent to the hotel. The restaurant owned by Jeffery Buben is called Bistro Bis. What was refreshing about this experience is that it gave us the opportunity to dine in a way that isn't always available here. There are very few opportunities to eat French Cuisine in Toledo; this sounds so pretentious, but really it's not.
French cuisine is grounded in fundamentals of technique, fresh (local) ingredients, and most of the time is essentially doing incredible things with what is available to everyone. It seems very revolutionary and "of the people" when considering modeling ones diet on French philosophies regarding food preparation and choosing food, i.e. how to shop for food (more on this later).
I think the other reason I really like the idea of French Cuisine is that it assumes the availability of locally produced food stuffs. I like for instance to think about abandoning the idea of purchasing a block of over-processed cheese that is more oil and additives then anything natural from the local Kroger, and then fantasizing that if I look hard enough, just around the corner, there will be a farmer in Michigan or Ohio taking their own milk raised in this region that would have flavor and freshness that is simply beautiful to eat on its own. I am just now thinking/committing to make that idea a reality; I will find that farmer. In the meantime, I will learn everything I can about cheese.
Oh, Bistro Bis . . . this entire rant started with this restaurant in D.C. that we ate at . . . they had a cheese plate; we ordered it for dessert. It was so fantastic, like a parlor game, testing and letting the flavors and textures sink in our mouths. Sticky, smooth, grassy, buttery . . . they were all samples of cheeses that had been produced in the United States on small farms in places like Vermont and New York. Our waitress wasn't very helpful, which was a little disappointing. She really couldn't tell us a lot about the artisans. Therefore, I must learn for myself; I have a pretty good collection of cookbooks; I'll start there and let you know what happens. For know, check out the Hotel George's web site: http://www.hotelgeorge.com/restaurant.cfm

Churros

Cinnamon and chocolate do not seem likely partners in a delicious treat. In 1984 traveling in Mexico, I was treated to a rich, velvety cup of Mexican hot chocolate with a churro for dipping. A churro is a long fried pastry that is coated in sugar and cinnamon. I recall the grainy texture of the sugar sliding down my throat helped along with velvety chocolate, while watching all the people scurry on their way along the avenue that connected us to the large zocolo or main square that was central to everything in Mexico city. I hadn't had this treat in a long time when my sister, home for the holidays said, "Let's make churros." I was up for the challenge, but I never thought it would be so easy to make. We began by making a lovely, simple syrup consisting of water, brown sugar, and butter; bringing it to a rolling boil. After a few minutes, we removed it from the heat and added our flour. Stirring the dough, thick and sticky, it finally came together forming a stiff ball that was just beautiful, rich looking. In a separate bowl, we had mixed together egg and vanilla. We then added this to the dough stirring again until the egg mixture was incorporated into the dough. At this point the dough was amazing to look at; it just looked like we had spent hours preparing this thing that really only had taken moments to get it to this stage. Next we heated our oil. I didn't have a tool that is traditionally used that pipes out the dough in the form of a star pattern, so I improvised by using a zip lock bag as a stand in for a pastry bag. After the long, one-inch diameter pastries were brown on each side, we pulled them from the oil. While still hot, we immersed them in a sugar and cinnamon coating. Sara and I were so impressed with ourselves that we had pulled this off; we sampled our work. I was blown away with the almost custard flavor and texture that we experienced after bitting into the crisp, fried crust. But, it didn't end there. Sara had wanted to make a variation on banana's foster that she had recently with friends in South Carolina. She used the churros as a foundation for bananas broiled in butter topping them with caramel, chocolate sauce, and whipped cream. It was incredible tasting and was really a desert that was the melding of two memories and an opportunity for us to share with one another experiences that we had not been able to share together. It made for a wonderful ending to a dinner ushering in the new year. This is definitely a desert you want to experience if you love texture. The custard texture of the inside of the churro and the broiled banana were meant to be. The chocolate and cinnamon give that velvet, grit that recalls that afternoon in an open air cafe.

If you are interested in recreating this follow this link for the churro recipe, http://www.cooking-mexican-recipes.com/churro-recipe.html

Here is the actual recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• 2 Tbs brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1 cup white flour
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 to 1 tsp. ground cinnamon, depending on taste

---

---

Directions:

Preheat 1 1/2 to 2 inches of vegetable oil in a 10 to 12 inch frying pan to 375 degrees F. In a separate dish mix the 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon and set aside.

In a 3 qt. sauce pan add the water, brown sugar, salt, and butter and heat to a good boil. Remove from the heat and add the flour. Stirring in the flour will take some muscle. Mix it in until well blended.

In a separate bowl, mix the eggs and vanilla together and then add this mixture to the flour mixture. Stir until well blended and all the egg is completely mixed in.

Fill your decorating tool with the churro recipe dough and attach the largest star tip you have.

Test your oil by placing a small amount of dough in it. The dough should bubble up right away or that means the oil is not hot enough and a soggy churro is on the way.

Once the oil is hot enough, squeeze some dough (with decorator) into the oil about 4 inches long. I used my finger to release the dough from the decorator. Careful not to burn yourself. You should be able to cook 4 or 5 churros at a time. Cook them about 1 minute and turn them over with a slotted spoon. Cook an additional minute or two. You're looking for that nice golden brown color.

Remove the churros with the slotted spoon and place them on a paper towel-covered plate to absorb excess grease.

While still warm, roll each churro into the dish with the sugar and cinnamon until coated.