Lemon Ginger Yogurt

Snowville Creamery's lemon ginger dessert yogurt was extremely popular for several weeks through Fresh Fork Market, so it was unavailable unless special ordered. Perhaps a ton was ordered or many got their fill recently. To my surprise, we were able to procure a 16 oz tub without special ordering.

Lemon ginger yogurt + Ikea lilac Godta bowl

Silky in texture, the lemon ginger yogurt is subtly sweet with a subdued citrus-ginger flavor. The tang is pleasant, not jarring. I can see why this is labeled as a dessert yogurt.

If Snowville Creamery sounds familiar, perhaps you've had Jeni's ice cream? Their sweet cream is sourced through Snowville. 

- Cassaendra

Snowville Creamery
Pomeroy, OH (near Parkersburg, WV)
Available through Fresh Fork Market, Heinen's, Whole Foods, and select Giant Eagle supermarkets.

Mango Munchies

Mango chipotle jam

Monkeypod Jam mango chipotle jam from Kaua'i is fantastic feasting with a spoon to sate a sweet craving. The chunks of macerated mango with a hint of smoky heat also works well as a sandwich spread.

For a quick dinner tonight, I spread chipotle mayonnaise and mango chipotle jam on a wrap with leftover smoked chicken, cucumber sticks, diced orange and yellow tomatoes, and a pinch of fresh ground black pepper.

- Cassaendra

Catwalk

Here's an earworm that wriggled its way into my head when I walked across this crosswalk. If you know this song relatively well, you'll know why. :)

- Cassaendra

Happy Belly

On a corner along Detroit Avenue, Happy Dog is easy to miss. Parking is along the street and at two small lots across the street, an open lot and at another business' lot (available after business hours weekdays and all day on weekends).

Happy Dog storefront

Aside from hearing about $5 make-your-own quarter pound hot dogs, what really light a match under us to visit for lunch was finding out they had pinball machines. Funky reason, I know.

Medieval Madness is a castle siege with a cool castle in the upper left corner of the playfield. In X-Men, Magneto manipulates the pinball when it passes through the center.

X-Men and Medieval Madness pinball machines

Ordering off their menu is similar to ordering sushi, or if you're familiar with ordering at a make-your-own spot, via rectangular slip of paper with an immense number of toppings [50] to consider. Choices run from the traditional to creative: ketchup, apricot chutney, black truffle honey mustard, Yuengling sauerkraut, pimento mac and cheese, yellow mustard, chow mein, peanut butter, ...

Chorizo chili, nacho cheese, Spanish onions, sriracha, fried egg

It took us a while to decide what we didn't want on our dogs. Bug ordered chorizo chili, nacho cheese, Spanish onions, sriracha, and a fried egg with his hot dog, while I ordered chorizo chili, pimento mac and cheese, and Momocho habanero sauce.

The dogs are made by Blue Ribbon Meats, a local company that sources its meat in Ohio. Veggie dogs are sourced elsewhere.

Pimento mac and cheese with chorizo chili

Chorizo chili with pimento mac and cheese in a super soft white bun fulfilled my chili dog craving. I was pleased the macaroni had texture, a concept (pasta cooked al dente or at least with some semblance of texture) that is lost at many places. In the event the Momocho habanero sauce was flames-bursting-from-all-orifices hot, I ordered it to arrive separately. Fortunately, it was a pleasant heat.

The wieners, plump and not overly salty, were heftier than expected, which is silly since a quarter pound dog is a quarter pound dog. Toppings were appropriate so I could appreciate all the ingredients.

Tater tots with bourbon pork and beans

Tater tots and fries are $3 and offered in a similar manner to their dogs. Sauces are available for free and toppings are $1.00. I wanted to try the bourbon pork and beans on a hot dog, but didn't want to smother mine with too many toppings, so I ordered it with our tots along with ancho chile coffee barbecue and Jamaican jerk mustard mojo sauces.

Jamaican jerk mustard mojo, ancho coffee barbecue, and Momocho habanero sauces

While the ancho coffee sauce was interesting, sweet and smoky, I prefer the spicy stone ground mustard with the tots. I wonder what hot dog toppings would go well with the coffee sauce.

After our visit, I read about a basement with more games! There was no doubt we would return to try more tasty hot dog combinations, but our curiosity is substantially piqued.

- Cassaendra

Happy Dog
5801 Detroit Ave
Cleveland, OH 44102
Tel: (216) 651-9474

A Night in Hakata

Just another night in Hakata near the train station.

Department stores have oodles of restaurants. Train stations have a plethora of food options. The Hakata station has a couple of large department stores attached to the train station. The food options are mind boggling.

I can't wait to try Pietro (left) some time when I visit Hawaii. The udon restaurant to the right was mediocre. My father's udon was oooverdone. How does one overcook udon other than on purpose? Fortunately, I ordered ebi tendon (shrimp tempura over rice).

Basement

We ran into family and had an after dinner snack at one of the basement department store - train station restaurants. I was still full so I ordered a small bowl of mentaiko (spiced cod roe), famous throughout Japan. At the table, one can have takana, spicy shoyu-pickled mustard greens, a regional condiment, at your hearts content. With the salty roe and salty salty takana, the large mound of rice and tea were appreciated.

Mentaiko

For an after after dinner snack, we headed upstairs to one of several department stores buzzing with activity even though it was later in the evening. How could anyone ignore this dessert case at Fugetsu?

Dessert case

Chestnuts are one of my favorite Japanese dessert ingredients. How could I pass up pureed chestnuts, chopped chestnuts, and a whole chestnut (inside), in a chocolate cup?

Mont Blanc

I didn't.

- Cassaendra