Cleveland-Heath

After reading so much about Cleveland-Heath, STLwinegirl, Angela Ortmann, finally gave me a good reason to travel over the river and through the woods to Edwardsville by hosting a Traveling Table there. Located right on the corner of Main Street, the restaurant had a warm and charming feel with all the servers dressed in plaid shirts and jeans. Although, our event was actually located in the Township Grocer next door where we sat at one long, wooden table, which Cleveland-Heath rents out.

Luckily, there were some locals attending the dinner who had eaten there several times so I asked them what was their favorite and what was the best. Both of them said the tacos were fantastic along with the risotto and basically, they loved to try whatever is new there. Cleveland-Heath also offers quite a lengthy beer and wine list and their menu reminded me of American “home cooking” but with a fresh twist.

We started off the night with a baby beet salad with farro, feta, and chimmichurri. Beets are all the range these days and I was really impressed at how different they tasted as to the flavor I was expecting. Fresh is so much better than canned any day! The light and fruity salad paired well with my favorite, a von Hovel Riesling, Kabinett Oberemmeler Hutte, Saar, Germany, 2010. I don’t know how many times I will tell you that German wines are the best…not too sweet, not too dry.

The main course was a Crispy Skinned Wild Arctic Char, in place of salmon, but looked like the same thing to me. Underneath the two large hunks of fish were brussels sprouts, butternut squash, roasted mushrooms, and pomegranate, almost like a mini vegetable salad. I still cannot eat Brussels sprouts to save my life but this was a hearty meal with warm flavors. That warmness helped to pair the meal with a red wine, Mirabile Nero D’Avola, IGT Sicilia, Italy 2009, even though it was a fish course! Yet, it was an Italian red, which was a little too dry and heavy for me, even with the meaty and buttery fish. Although the brussels sprouts definitely needs something strong!

The dessert course was my favorite since it included a ridiculous amount of chocolate. To do it justice, I included another picture so you can see the smooth and creamy goodness underneath the “house made graham” and toasted “marshmellow” top. A strong port was paired with this to cut through all the sweetness, but I can only handle something like a Moscato rather than a fortified wine. The Terra D’Oro Zinfandel Port came from Amador County, CA.

This dinner definitely gets all three stars from me since it featured a Riesling, chocolate, and no bacon to be seen!

Resources:

Cleveland-Heath = http://www.clevelandheath.com/

Township Grocer = http://www.townshipgrocer.com/

STLwinegirl = http://www.stlwinegirl.com

Photos by Stacy Anderson (http://www.everylittlethingblog.com/) and Angela Ortmann

The Block Traveling Table

Since I really enjoyed my first visit to The Block, I couldn’t wait to go back for a Traveling Table with STLwinegirl, Angela Ortmann. There were only three courses for this traveling table, no dessert, but I think this worked out for the best due to heavy courses and leftovers shared.

This Traveling Table was also special because each course paired a local beer in addition to a glass of wine, so I knew I had to pace myself and just sipped on both pairings.

We started with a “lighter” meat, Pastrami Cured Salmon compressed cucumbers, mixed greens, horseradish emulsion. The horseradish was a non-factor as the sweetness of the cucumber stood out the most. This paired best with the Gruet Brut Sparkling from New Mexico because the dry brut tamed down the sweetness. The Urban Chestnut Zwickel is also a lighter beer, but it has an odd nutty flavor to me.

Next up was the “medium” meat, Braised Pork Belly, crispy poached farm egg, grilled brioche with house-made jam, and better known as “Bacon & Eggs”. I stuck with the poached egg and grape jam while finding a good home for the pork belly. For this course, I preferred the Belgium-style Pale Ale Perennial Hommel since it had a milder finish than the A to Z Pinot Gris from Oregon, which was a little too dry.

My favorite course by far was the Grilled Sirloin, which also came with a large and tender beef rib. Since my friends were so full from their pork belly, I was able to score quite a few leftover sirloin pieces. I would have been happy with this course alone. The sirloin was perfectly pink and juicy.

This course was paired with the wine Elyse C’est Si Bon, meaning “It’s so good”, from Sierra Foothills, CA and the beer was a Charleville Tornado Alley from Ste. Genevieve, MO, a heavier ale. The wine had a much smoother finish to pair well with the sirloin, while the beer was a little too strong.

Resources:

STLwinegirl = http://www.stlwinegirl.com/

The Block = http://theblockrestaurant.com/

Urban Chestnut = http://urbanchestnut.com/

Perennial = http://www.perennialbeer.com/

Charleville Vineyard = http://www.charlevillevineyard.com/

Photos by Angela Ortmann

Via Vino Traveling Table

Since I cheated and had already visited Via Vino on Mother’s Day, I knew this was going to be a fantastic Traveling Table with STLwinegirl, Angela Ortmann.

We started off the three-course dinner with Scallops that was dressed with peaches, arugula, and balsamic vinaigrette. I was definitely sad there was only one scallop on the plate. This was paired with an Albert Mann Pinot Blanc from Alsace, France, which was my favorite of the night. The crispness of the wine helped to cut through the rich and tangy sauce on top of the scallop.

I quickly forgot about the lonely scallop after the “main course”, Veal Carciofi served with Grilled Artichokes, Lemon, and Wine Butter. I don’t have veal too often so this was a real treat and the cream sauce on top gave it even more of a “melt in your mouth” flavor. My friends and I wanted to lick the plate but we decided to be proper and use a slice of bread instead. This was paired with Alexander Valley Vineyards Cabernet Franc from Sonoma, California. To me, Cab Franc is drier than regular Cab Sauvignon but STLwinegirl says otherwise. While I understand that you’d want a bold wine to stand up to the richness of the veal, it overpowered the dish too much for me. Of course all the red wine drinkers just loved it.

Dessert was also a huge success, Chocolate Amaretti Torte served with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream from Serendipity. Yet again, I could have made a dinner out this course as well, although it’s probably better than I didn’t. I actually was able to enjoy the dessert wine, Gerard Bertrand Banyuls from France, without it tasting too sweet! But it still needs to be sipped slowly.

Resources:

Photo by Angela Ortmann

STLwinegirl = http://www.stlwinegirl.com

Via Vino = http://www.viaviavino.com/

POP UP Traveling Table

I have been to quite a few STLwinegirl Traveling Table events but this one was definitely the most unique since it was done in an “underground dinner” style! Labeled as a “POP UP” Traveling Table, every few days as the event got closer and closer, STLwinegirl would post hints on Facebook and the event website. All we knew was that the dinner would be a preview for a new Asian-Latin-influenced restaurant somewhere downtown and we would be rewarded with a free Cocktail Club membership!

When I was first told the location, I immediately went to Google Maps to see if there were any restaurants in the area and a SanSai appeared to be the closest. I figured it fit the “Asian” theme but wasn’t sure where the Latin part fit in. When I arrived at the address, I did go through the doors of a SanSai but this one was decorated with candlelit tables and black tablecloths!

While waiting for everyone to arrive, STLwinegirl, Angela Ortmann, was pouring three types of sake for us to taste while we snacked on edemame.

Once we were seated, it was revealed to us that the SanSai locations in Webster Groves and downtown would transition to an upscale restaurant called Nigori, serving Asian/Latin fusion, but only at night. I’m not quite sure how that will work but I admit I am very curious! Especially after getting a preview taste!

I would love to say the sushi was my favorites since we were served a Toyko Roll as well as Salmon Nigiri, paired with lighter and sparkling wines of course. Yet, the meatier dishes really were outstanding. Duck Confit on a bed of white rice and then three individual tenderloin chunks served with a hoison sauce for dipping. These courses were both well paired with red wines, and the best wine of the night goes to the Chinon. (I hope to find out more information!)

I suppose the best example of fusion came in the second pairing when tuna tartare was delicately placed on tortilla chips.

Last but not least, the dessert course consisted of three donut holes with a sugary coating and came with a decadent glaze sauce for dipping. I tried to cover every inch of the donuts with the glaze and finally in the end, I just had to use my finger to mop it up.

The evening finished with prizes handed out to those attendees who brought a gift card donation to a local women’s shelter. I won another set of wine glass charms with a fruit theme!

I have included the menu for the night as well.

Resources:

STLwinegirl = http://www.stlwinegirl.com/

SanSai Japanese Grill = http://www.sansaijapanesegrill.com/

FEAST magazine review = FEAST Article: New Japanese/Mexican Fusion Spin on SanSai in Works