Stinky

Day 270/365

It's amazing how something can be beautiful and yet so reviled. These pretty Callery pear blossoms line many city streets, which means the intensity of their scent elicits quite an olfactory response -- the stinky kind. It is impossible to evade the syrupy musty scent of these flowers.

I suppose it could be worse. They could be ugly trees AND stink.

- Cassaendra

Sakura

Day 269/365

The weather cooled down Wednesday morning into the 20s (°F) as expected. With a few days warning, I am hopeful farmers were able to wrap their crops in time. With the tendency of the news to sensationalize everything, not hearing or reading about Ohio crops must mean damage was not widespread.

- Cassaendra

#1 Pho

The change in seasons has been tap dancing on Bug's head and rattling the snot out of him. What better way to chase it out than Vietnamese food at our favorite place for it -- #1 Pho.

As has been customary for us over the years we have patronized this restaurant, we ordered the chargrilled summer rolls. A trip here would not be complete without this deliciously smoky dish, as indicated in its recurrence from our visits posted previously.

Day 268/365

I recently got Bug hooked on the incredibly beefy, spicy lemongrass noodle soup, bun bo Hue, so that is what he ordered. This sufficiently cleared his congestion, especially after adding jalapeno peppers.

Day 268/365

I am often torn on what to order, between pho (beef noodle soup), bun rieu (tomato crab noodle soup), bun thit nuong (chargrilled pork rice vermicelli), several other dishes I have already tried, or stepping out of my skin and ordering something new.

On this trip, I ordered the make-your-own summer roll platter served with freshly fried-crisp whole shrimp (not minced nor with fillers) spring rolls and seasoned pork meatballs (shaped into logs), an appetizer that can feed 4 people alone. Generous portions of pickled carrots and daikon, cucumbers, rice vermicelli with green onions and chopped nuts are also included. The dip, a thicker sweetened fish sauce, complements the meatballs very well.

Day 268/365

Making your own food is a delightful way to pace a meal. It's so easy to take flavors for granted when a dish is presented fully prepared. In some cases, to enjoy a dish at its peak, one must eat it very quickly.

While the combinations of rolls will not be extremely complex, I enjoy the opportunity of differing flavors, textures, and temperatures. In hindsight, this dish is probably one of the more labor intensive dishes to put together, even though a number of components are likely made in advance.

This meal was the perfect cure for Bug. I was extremely happy with my freshly prepared dish. As always, everyone here is friendly and the service is fantastic. Of course, this is why we visit so frequently!

- Cassaendra

#1 Pho
3120 Superior Ave E
Cleveland, OH 44114
Tel: (216) 781-1176

Soda Fountain

When I read that Whole Foods was selling fountain soda cupcakes in cola, strawberry vanilla, ginger ale, root beer, and lemon lime flavors, I felt compelled to take a peek. We chose the 4-pack ($6.99) without lemon lime. The cupcakes were average tasting chocolate and yellow cake. The soda flavors were in the icing.

Root beer was my favorite since it was the most assertive of the four flavors. Cherry vanilla and cola were good and tasted just like their namesakes -- I should have mixed the two together. Ginger ale was the subtlest. If I didn't read the label, I wouldn't have guessed the flavor.

Day 267/365

In the bakery section, we noticed a new case of freshly baked goods sold by weight ($9.99/lb). The madeleine cookies caught my eye and Bug wanted some of the heftier sweets like berry bars, rugelach, and brownies. He showed great restraint, so, in addition to the cupcakes, we walked away with just our customary barley and lentils from the bulk bins.

- Cassaendra

Goofy

Day 266/365

"Seasonal art" reminds me of head tattoos. The graffiti will disappear once spring arrives and the leaves obscure the face.

- Cassaendra

Deliziosa

A few hours after a wonderful meal with my father at Pho 97 (November 25, 2011), I met with my uncle and two aunts -- my father's brother, his wife, and my father's sister -- for dinner at Bernini, an extremely popular chic fine dining Italian restaurant near Ala Moana Center. Bernini's flagship restaurant is in Tokyo, Japan, led by Chef Kengo Matsumoto.

Menu

The last time Aunty K ate here, she became addicted to their bagna cauda ($12). As a result of her emphatic praise of the garlic infused anchovies in olive oil, we shared the platter of sweet vegetables and were dazzled by the simplicity of ingredients and complexity of flavors. I am convinced by the texture and intensity of olive flavor that the oil was not the sole contributor. I have vowed to recreate this.

Bagna cauda

Pizzas at Bernini are advertised as Roma style and are categorized as either rossa or bianca, with or without tomato sauce, respectively. I feel guilty for saying this, but the size is enough for me to eat in one sitting easily. My aunts and uncle took pizza slices home as leftovers...the reason I am overweight and they are not.

Uncle D ordered the pizza special of the day, a mushroom white truffle oil pizza  (~$21). Since I love mushrooms, I enjoyed this. The truffle oil was difficult to tease apart from the intensely flavored mushrooms. Their wood-fired oven and pizza dough created a crust I enjoyed -- something I will rarely admit.

Mushroom white truffle pizza

Aunty D ordered the Bismarc pizza ($20). I think nothing of putting spinach, broccoli, or basil in my pizza. Asparagus, for some reason, has never crossed my mind. The Bismarc also included pancetta, mozzarella, and a soft boiled egg at the center.

When the pizza arrived at our table, the server broke the yolk and spread it without disturbing the other ingredients.  This is a wonderful idea in print and visually, but doesn't quite work in practice. I love yolks, to the point of enjoying them raw, but the slices at the points were soggy, which was quite regrettable for an otherwise good pizza.

Bismarc pizza

When our server listed the specials for the day, my eyes lit up when she described with scrumptious detail the fresh Alba white truffle they just received which would be shaved over tagliatelle. She quickly noted the dish cost $48, which was not a surprise; however, my intrigue for this dish waned.

My uncle mentioned being intrigued by the truffle tagliatelle and said that was what I was having. It was tempting to scream, "woohoo!" but this was a $48 dish that would unlikely be on my dime. I perused the list of pizzas and finally narrowed my choices down to caprese (mozzarella, tomato, and basil) and carciofi (mozzarella, anchovy, artichoke, capers, and garlic). When our server arrived, my uncle ordered the Alba truffle tagliatelle for me. It wouldn't have taken an astute observer to notice how elated I was.

Alba truffle tagliatelle

When the dish arrived, all eyes were drawn to the platter to witness its arrival amidst imaginary horns and banners. I held my breath. A large handful of fresh pasta was set in the center of a shallow bath of cream sauce. A pungent musty aroma arose from the platter. I was overjoyed when I took a bite of the tagliatelle and discovered the pasta was cooked to my desired doneness; a splendid vehicle for the truffles and cream sauce. The sauce was a perfect canvas to lighten the pungency without defiling the flavor. Of course, I shared the experience with everyone to lukewarm reviews.

Aunty K ordered the Siciliana pizza ($17), another unusually topped pizza of eggplant, anchovies, and capers. The wild impact of anchovies and capers to the tongue was met with the meaty and neutral eggplant -- a mini meeting between an immovable object and an unstoppable force.

 
Siciliana pizza

We indulged in two fantastic desserts -- chestnut mousse and hazelnut mille crepe. My poorly taken photographs were a great disappointment, so I decided against posting them.

A few of my favorite Japanese and Romanian desserts are made with chestnuts as they have a tendency not to be cloying, just sweet enough to enhance its naturally sweet and mellow flavor. Additionally, the smooth and rich texture is exquisite.

We swooned (seriously) over the "cake," layered with 10-15 wispy thin crepes stacked alternately with thinly spread light whipped cream then sprinkled with toasted hazelnut slivers. A wedge of caramelized pineapple sat on the plate ignored until the cake disappeared. My uncle proclaimed that the dessert was divine. My uncle does not lightly bandy about that type of praise.

My family was very gracious in taking me to a chic restaurant with delicious and unusual offerings, allowing me ample time without pressure, actually encouraging me to take pictures. I was appreciative to be given the opportunity to enjoy this time with my family. Since the day I arrived in Cleveland, I have always known my days in the city are numbered. With each trip, leaving my family to return "home" grows increasingly difficult and the rift evident. I must be getting old.

- Cassaendra

Bernini
1218 Waimanu St
Honolulu, HI 96814
Tel: (808) 591-8400

Peaceful Times

Day 265/365

Another peaceful day, when the most serious matter of the moment is whether the squirrel will make it from one tree to another tree with his nut.

- Cassaendra

Mermaids

While I dislike this sort of aberrant weather in March -- temperatures in the 80s (°F), humid, sunny -- I appreciate the result.  Blossoms shower the city with renewed life and bathe it with the feeling of hope and dreams.

Day 264/365

Wade Lagoon is located at the Cleveland Museum of Art, near Case Western Reserve University, in University Circle. Between the lagoon and the museum are several sculptures and a water fountain. We were the only people with a dog in tow. For a while, I thought dogs weren't allowed, but we never came across a sign that growled, "NO DOGS ALLOWED."

The walk around the pond reminded me of a miniature Tidal Basin (Washington, DC) with its flowering trees and neoclassical marble architecture. There were several people with very large camera lenses and lighting umbrellas taking pictures of the flowers and couples.

My appreciation is balanced by my concern with the farmers and their budding trees, as the inevitable return to normal overnight temperatures in the 30s will create havoc.

- Cassaendra

Pistachio

Day 263/365

The cupcake of the day today at A Cookie and a Cupcake is pistachio! I really enjoyed the filling, light and whipped with orange zest. We also bought a lemon cupcake that may be my breakfast.

- Cassaendra

A Cookie and a Cupcake
2173 Professor Ave
Cleveland, OH 44113
Tel: (216) 344-9433

Clover

Day 262/365

It's not green gummi bear, but a holdover from Saturday's festivities -- a plastic cloverleaf.

- Cassaendra

Showers of Flowers

Another unusually warm day in mid-March with temperatures in the mid-80s (°F) where normal highs are in the mid-40s. 

Day 261/365

This week is considered the ideal time to attend the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, DC as the blossoms are at their peak concentration this week. It was almost a year ago when we packed Akemi for a day trip to view the cherry blossoms. Temperatures were in the 20s then!

How quickly time flies. Once again, I am also reminded of our fleeting existence.

- Cassaendra

Come Back!

I feel gypped! Where are my March snowstorms? At this rate, we may not have our April snow either. I don't think I'm alone in hoping for a few feet of fluffy snow before we have to deal with summer. 

Day 260/365

*crickets*

- Cassaendra

Baltic Chicken

Our neighbor belongs to Fresh Fork Market's winter program. Unable to keep up with the meat delivered, he gave us ribs, ground beef, a whole chicken, and Italian sausage, in addition to chicken sausage from Baltic Country Meats out of Baltic, OH.

Day 259/365

Addictive on its own, the chicken sausage has a flavorful blend with a wonderful blend of pepper, maple syrup, sage, and mustard stuffed in a natural casing. A failing of many sausages, at least to me, is a result of too much pepper, maple syrup, or sage, producing a pepper-hunk, too sweet sausage, or bitter sage-meat. The snap of a natural casing sausage means a lot to me, also.

Adding bird's eye chili peppers to the leftover cabbage from our corned beef dinner, gave our lunch a bit of a zing. On subsequent visits to the refrigerator, I was tempted to cook more up to snack on.

For dinner, I plan on chopping one sausage into small pieces to add to a spring mix of salad greens with artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, carrots, asparagus, and sunflower seeds. We have some oranges to make salad dressing.

- Cassaendra

Top o' the Day

Celebrating St. Patrick's Day, A Cookie and a Cupcake made several themed cupcakes. The two pictured here are their Guinness and Bailey's Irish Cream cupcakes, vanilla cakes with Guinness and Bailey's Irish Cream buttercream filling, respectively.

Day 258/365

Featured yesterday were Pot o' Gold cupcakes. I haven't tried them, but they are pretty. When sliced, the cross-section displays the colors of a rainbow. I missed the green velvet cupcakes.

- Cassaendra

A Cookie and a Cupcake
2173 Professor Ave
Cleveland, OH 44113
Tel: (216) 344-9433

Hold Still

A rare shot of Akemi without her curious nose sniffing its way toward the camera lens. With the string of warm days, she will begin blowing her coat soon.

Day 257/365

A somewhat random thought just slipped into my head. One of my favorite mob quips from Everquest in the Plane of Hate: "Hold still, this will only hurt for an eternity!"

- Cassaendra

Cuyahoga Rowing

Day 256/365

I didn't realize a rowing team practiced along this stretch of the Cuyahoga River. They can be found near the green vertical lift bridge.

- Cassaendra

Get Fuzzy

Day 255/365

Mr. Fuzzy/Squirmles?  Sour gummi worms? Is there anyone familiar with this plant that could tell me what this is? I'm curious, but not enough to scare the person living here by knocking on his/her door, camera in hand.

- Cassaendra

Vegetarians, Don't Clickie

I warned you...

Day 254/365 - Simmering, simmering

Our first attempt at making corned beef went off without disaster.  We bought our cured hunk o' meat at Costco, so cooking it -- even without a meat thermometer -- was easy peasy.

Bug cooked some potatoes, celery, carrots, and cabbage also. This was a wonderful meal, but I swooned when I took the first bite of my sandwich made with a slice of sour dough bread spread with spicy brown mustard and Kewpie mayonnaise.

Day 254/365

I didn't realize (or bothered to look up) until today that corned beef, the most popular dish associated with St. Patrick's Day, at least in North America, is not customarily eaten in Ireland as one is led to believe. Gleaning from several sites, so I can't say this is 100% true, the reason was mainly economic.

It was only when I moved to the continental US that I realized the extent corned beef played in the holiday celebration. In Hawaii, the day consisted of wearing green (or orange) to avoid getting pinched. That's it. There was probably a parade. Maybe there was a bigger to-do and I was oblivious or traumatized from some overzealous pinchers. Perhaps the Irish population was so scant not to demand something better.

We'll definitely make corned beef again, quite possibly from scratch. Tonight's batch is all gone. 

- Cassaendra

Crocuses

Day 253/365

While not being a fan of spring, as it is just another reminder that summer's oppression will arrive all too soon, a row of adorable crocuses in a sidewalk planter drew a smile from my curmudgeonly aura for a few moments.

- Cassaendra

30 Degrees

Typical of spring, the temperatures can fluctuate from day to day by 30 degrees (°F) or more. Yesterday, walkways were devoid of human life. I suppose that is a wee bit of an exaggeration. It still annoys me that I only see a few dogs out when there is a chill in the air. There was a glimmer of life pulsating along suburban sidewalks as temperatures were in the 30s.

Day 252/365

Today, much like the weather two days ago, temperatures were in the 60s, sunny with a light breeze. If people weren't sunbathing at their local coffee shop tapping away at their laptops or cell phones, they were probably scrubbing their grills judging from the scent of lighter fluid.

- Cassaendra

Better Days

Akemi really loves her stuffed animals, if you equate obsessed with love. She isn't aggressively possessive over them. If I play with one of her toys, she wants to play with the one I am holding even though she has one between her paws. If I take a toy from her, she waits patiently for her toy or runs off to find another toy, usually less than 2 feet away with the zoo of stuffed animals we have scattered in every direction on the floor.

Day 251/365

One of Akemi's favorite pastimes is to capitalize on weakness. I suppose it can be seen as obsession. If there is an imperfection, she will fixate on that spot, regardless of which way the object is oriented, until it is not in a condition the manufacturer intended.

After dealing with squeaky and crinkly dog toys that last for 20 minutes or less, I gave her one of my stuffed animals that I received as a gift several years ago from Bug, a Winnie the Pooh autumn leaf scarf plush. It has been 1 year and he is still alive! Obviously, he has seen better days. This could also be a testament to how well Pooh was manufactured, except...

We discovered the key to consistently long lasting dog toys, at least for this shiba: buy human plush toys. How are they different, aside from price? They do not have an obvious goal for a dog to obsess over -- get the noise making thingie out and destroy it.

All of her stuffed animals last for months now, even a cheap ape holding a flower and weird red lips on its face, gotten from an after Valentine's Day discount bin for $2. We also rotate her toys so she forgets about that little thread she has been gnawing on that is magically holding the doll together.

- Cassaendra

Stumped

What can this be? 

Day 250/365

It reminds me of lava flow, electric field, and a wee bit of those Wooly Willy and Dapper Dan magnetic filing toys from years ago. What does it look like to you?

Day 250/365

It's a tree stump.

- Cassaendra

Spring Forward

Mid-spring arrived on Thursday with temperatures in the upper 60s (°F). Barren planters along storefronts seemed out of place. Although, in these parts, a few more sputtering bouts of snow are expected over the next two months.

Day 249/365

While we walked Akemi later in the afternoon, we met at least 30 dogs when we typically see only 5 dogs or less during standard winter weather.

Funny? Weird? Sad?

- Cassaendra

Perilla

I realize this sounds random...as a result of not being able to get service at Sonic in Parma, we bought perilla leaves at the Korean grocery store.

Day 248/365

Since we were at the dog park, we decided to swing by Sonic (just 15 minutes yonder). It had been many months since our last visit, so I thought we could share a chili cheese coney.

We sat in the stall for someone, anyone, to acknowledge us. After watching the blinking button for over 5 minutes, I didn't feel like waiting any longer, so I asked Bug to forget about it. The Korean grocery store was along the way home, so we stopped by for perilla leaves, crab stick, and more sauteed shrimp!

- Cassaendra

My Goodness

Celebrating St. Patrick's Day, A Cookie and a Cupcake will be featuring a few cupcakes over the next couple of weeks. The featured cupcake today was an orange cake with chocolate buttercream filling and Guinness buttercream topping. 

Day 247/365

As is typical, their cake is a delight -- moist, with a prevalent orange flavor, one of my favorite types of cake. I have never had Guinness, so I cannot describe how closely the topping resembles drinking a pint, but it emanates a boozy scent and has a faint bitterness.  The shamrock sprinkles add a pretty contrast.

According to their blog, upcoming cupcakes are green velvet, rainbow with gold coins, and Irish Creme. I look forward to trying all of them.

- Cassaendra

A Cookie and a Cupcake
2173 Professor Ave
Cleveland, OH 44113
Tel: (216) 344-9433

Sea Monkeys

Day 246/365

Until today, I've never had mareun saewoo bokkeum, sauteed dried shrimp. I've had a similar side dish made with dried anchovies at our favorite Korean restaurant, Seoul Garden, in Parma. Crunchy, sweet, and salty, with a punch of shrimp and toasted sesame flavor, are addictive.

Thus far, I've popped a few, as is, sprinkled them in my salad, and incorporated a few as a creamy salad made with surimi, cucumbers, and roe for temaki.  I'm sure these would be great in an omelette!

- Cassaendra

Time Passed

In the foreground is the Forest City Savings and Trust Co. building built in 1903. In addition to banking traffic, its entrance also welcomed travelers as it was one of the now defunct subway stops that traveled along the Veteran's Memorial Bridge (Detroit-Superior Bridge) into Downtown. Today, Massimo da Milano, an Italian restaurant, lives in the former bank's space.

Day 245/365

Veteran's Memorial Bridge is a beautiful bridge, so I'll swing by some time to attempt to capture its beauty. Since I don't have open access to the underbelly of the bridge, here are pictures during the Ingenuity Festival several years ago.

- Cassaendra

March Madness

Melt has a sandwich of the month along with theme sandwiches interspersed for 1-2 days throughout the month that are coordinated with the Cedar-Lee and Capitol Theaters. This weekend, "Fletch" is being shown so their weekend sandwiches are the Underhill's chicken fried steak and steak melt sandwiches ($13). As soon as Bug heard "chicken fried steak," his stomach decided that Melt was where we were having lunch this weekend.

In order to avoid a long wait, we rushed through our errands and arrived at the doorstep of their Independence location 4 minutes past their scheduled opening time. The place was already jamming as we walked through the threshold with only four empty tables out of 40-50 tables in the restaurant. Within 5 minutes of being seated, the remaining tables were filled.

Day 244/365 - Fletch

It was obvious at first glance the Fletch melt was a fork and knife affair, but I would not be persuaded to eat it in a proper manner. On my first bite of the sandwich, I grappled with the chicken fried steak, trying to bite into it. Instead, the entire steak pulled out of the sandwich, so I left it on Bug's plate.

While the bite I kept had a tasty deep fried batter, I didn't want to deal with it anymore and, instead, enjoyed the super gooey provolone, sausage gravy, and garlic mashed potatoes as it oozed all over my hands, face, and mouth. I love messy food as long is it doesn't get caught between my teeth. Had they pounded the beef a bit more, this would have been another flawless sandwich.

My heart was set on the March sandwich of the month when I found out it was the Reuben melt ($10). With St. Patrick's Day coming up, a corned beef special was not a surprise.

Day 244/365 - Reuben

The sandwich was incredibly delicious and well constructed. The corned beef was (thankfully) lean and appropriately seasoned. The sauerkraut had enough texture and flavor that didn't resemble mass produced overly crunchy and ultra-tangy crud. It may have been the euphoria talking, but it had a rounded mellow brownness. The Swiss cheese and Russian dressing were a wonderful complement of sweetness and piquancy that bound the contents together.

I am sure most people love their slaw. Not being fond at all of raw onions, I may overlook a little onion flavor but with the abundance of raw onions used, onions are all I taste. Instead of the cole slaw side, I substituted an order of New England clam chowder for $1. As you can see above, it was Manhattan clam chowder, which was all right.

All this food and I still contemplated dessert? You bet! (I packed away 1/3 of the corned beef sandwich-half and 1/2 of the mashed potato-gravy-provolone sandwich-half in a box)

Day 244/365 - Almond joy

As always, Melt's monthly bread pudding special is a creative decadence both in flavor and presentation. Their almond joy bread pudding is a warm concoction of chocolate and coconut flavored bread pudding baked with coconut, chocolate chips, and almonds that sits atop a chocolate-almond sauce, sprinkled with coconut flakes, toasted coconut, and almonds. Additionally, it is served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, and two chocolate fish cookies.

This time, the bread pudding was powdery, presenting more like a cake than bread pudding.  Texture aside, this was delicious with a lot of coconut love.

While less than ideal, it was still a fun, delicious, and fantastically messy adventure to Melt. I look forward to our next excursion!

- Cassaendra

Melt
6700 Rockside Rd
Independence, OH 44131
Tel: (216) 520-1415

SOS

The same old message, day after day. 

Day 243/365

The past few hours, our television has been beeping out a wind warning with gusts as high as 48 mph through tomorrow morning. I don't hear a thing!

- Cassaendra

Squeaky Brakes

It was a bit chillier today than yesterday being in the 40s (°F) instead of in the balmy 60s, but we went to Edgewater Park anyway as a different scent-adventure for Akemi. She was quite excited even before we parked the car. I was almost concerned our brakes had suddenly gone bad with all the squeaking.

Well, her squeaks were drowned out by the laughter in my head as I was reminded of the movie, "Gymkata," when we parked near the pier. The scene involves Kurt Thomas' (American Olympic gymnast) character awing (mowing) blood crazed villagers with his flying feet as he happens upon a stone pommel horse in the town square.

Day 242/365 - cement pommel horse?

By the way, I actually liked "Gymkata" when I was a kid. I also loved "Megaforce," because "good guys win...even in the '80s."

The park was littered with green cans with printed directions. Even from afar, it was obviously military/government issue. I've always loved the succinct and structured format of military instructions, seemingly taking into account the lowest common denominator. Apparently, these cans were primarily used for filling and dispensing water.

Day 242/365

There are even directions on how to re-use this can as a can -- commode, toilet, john, dunny, ... by putting a bag in it and going to town.   

Water, anyone?

As we approached this lonely willow, it appeared wan compared to how robust it looked when Akemi was 11 weeks old. Kids were drawn by her cuteness. Not only was she a puppy, she was a shiba puppy.

Day 242/365

In just a few more months, its fluffy plumage will return.

- Cassaendra

Retro Rooter

I'm not sure what this style of art is called (1950s retro?), but I love it! It is partly the reason why I adore Hands off My Dinosaur's designs.

Day 241/365

I hope someone got their plumbing issue rectified...

- Cassaendra