Land and Sky

My father makes the best fried rice. I think it's because he lives life fully and, as a result, seasons without restraint -- but not with reckless abandon on either. Garlic, Spam, peas, eggs, onions, salt, pepper, beni shoga, and a healthy dash of furikake provides a wonderful fusion of salty, sweet, nutty piquancy in every bite.

Fried rice

Breakfast was to have been a light meal, but it was quite filling. For a mid-morning snack, I was tantalized by two flavors of Japanese Kit-Kat bars, pumpkin and vanilla. My father mentioned that Kit-Kat is very popular in Japan, a bit by chance and a bit by marketing genius. By advertising the bars with the slogan, "kitto-katsu" (go ahead, say it out loud), students and anyone attempting to overcome any challenge will "surely win" (literal translation). Neat, huh?

After we made our visits and did some shopping, we embarked on our journey to Japan. Our meal on our Hawaiian Airline flight was to have been Japanese curry with rice, then we were informed it would be Hawaiian barbecue pork. We received barbecue chicken and rice with edamame and bamboo shoots.

Airline lunch

The grilled chicken marinated in shoyu was neutral-good, neither dry nor moist. The rice was overcooked, but adding edamame and bamboo shoots is a good idea, perhaps with a little shoyu, mirin, and shiitake. Of course, I didn't eat the salsa (raw onions). Dessert was a cloying and semi-fluffy pineapple cheesecake slice. A drink that I often miss, the taste of Hawaii, passion-orange-guava juice, was offered throughout the flight.

- Cassaendra

Unlucky

We recently went for breakfast at Lucky's Cafe in Tremont.

Short version:
We won't return.
1) Food is decent.
2) Service sucks.
3) Prices are laughable.

Long version:
We ordered biscuit with sausage gravy ($14) and pierogi with sauerkraut (~$19) -- price of my pierogi dish was calculated from the total check of $40. No drinks were ordered (I'll discuss this later).

Biscuit with sausage gravy

First, the flavor of each dish. Scallion biscuits and sausage gravy together were fine. Texture was fine, neither under nor overcooked, floury, greasy, nor lumpy. Bug thought it was all right, but not out of this world. The one cube of potato I tasted, tasted like...a potato. It wasn't as crisp as I would prefer. I didn't want to take another cube or I would have eaten one-fourth of them.

My pierogi were all right. I should have known better than to order something new from the menu. There probably wasn't much time to perfect the platter. The pierogi were doughy and bland. I admit that I am being picky on this point, but I also prefer pierogi to be crisp in such a way that they have a light crackle on the front end of the bite, followed by a chew, similar to gyoza.

The corn and peppers were all right. Texture was at least spot-on, crisp. The sauerkraut was fantastic - not too sweet or sour. The orange rind sprinkled atop was a creative idea. We took this idea home when we made our batch of red cabbage sauerkraut.

Pierogi and red cabbage sauerkraut

The service wasn't serviceable. I'm not sure why I left a tip. I usually walk out of a restaurant if we are not acknowledged within 5-7 minutes and it is sufficiently staffed; what we have done here previously.  If we're interrupting someone's day by our presence, then why bother?

Bug was very patient and asked me to calm down. We waited 15 minutes before we were acknowledged and inquired about our drink order. As a result, even though he wanted to order coffee with his breakfast, he decided against it fearing that he would end up choking down his meal on a bone dry coffee mug.

Granted their niche is local sourcing of ingredients. Even if the potatoes, wheat, corn, cabbage, and grapes, were organic and sprinkled with droplets of Himalayan water from a leaf, this breakfast experience wasn't worth $40.

We're lucky to be in Cleveland where there are an abundance of restaurants to not have to return to unsatisfying establishments.

- Cassaendra

Lucky's Cafe
777 Starkweather Ave
Cleveland, OH 44113
Tel: (216) 622-7773

Breakfast

Panera bread is a hit and miss affair with us. My first visit over 10 years ago was enjoyable with a well made sandwich. Five years ago, several ingredients were out and the service, or lack thereof, left a bad taste so we didn't feel a need to return.

Before we set out for our drive to the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, we decided to grab a bite to eat. Actually, this was going to be my second breakfast (shh!). Panera was on the way.

Sausage egg panini

We ordered sausage and egg panini and sausage gouda egg souffle. I took a few bites of the panini. It tasted like it looks - a bit dry. The egg was not bland, fake tasting, nor rubbery as many other fast food restaurants.

Sausage gouda egg souffle

My sausage gouda egg souffle, on the other hand, was much tastier -- saltier, buttery, flaky, and warm. I would order this again, but the price teeters at just barely acceptable, around $4.50, for a pastry around the size of a hockey puck.  

- Cassaendra

Panera Bread
17090 Royalton Rd
Strongsville, OH 44136
Tel: (440) 846-0377

The Coffee Pot

Since I'm not a fan of American breakfast foods, I know very little about area restaurants with the best biscuits and gravy, chicken and waffles, home fries, and so forth. Bug had a serious craving for biscuits and gravy, so I read reviews online for a couple of hours and decided on the Coffee Pot in Lakewood under the assumption that all breakfast places serve biscuits and gravy.

Intrigued by what a "banana can" was, I ordered the Banana Can shortstack (~$3.00). Bug ordered the Don ($6.85) -- bacon, sausages, eggs, home fries, grits, and a choice between toast or shortstack. They didn't have biscuits nor gravy, and yes, I felt bad. Numerous mentions were made online of their amazing toast. Bug chose the shortstack.

The Don pictured without pancakes

Grits, bacon, and sausages were fine; although, you really have to try to mess them up. Good eggs and home fries, on the other hand, are pretty subjective. I didn't try the eggs, but I couldn't stop pecking away at the home fries. The potatoes were crisp and addictive, with an appropriate amount of chopped onions, salt, and pepper that even a raw onion hater could appreciate.

A shortstack is merely two thin discs of pancakes where one actually fills up on toast and coffee, right? Not here. Firstly, toast is not served by default. It is either part of a platter or ordered ala carte.

You can, toucan

Primarily, these flat cakes are hefty. They don't look like much sitting on a plate without context, but I was barely able to finish half of my order even after sharing a few pieces with Bug. As for the "can" bit, I expected it to mean that a can was used as a template to shape these flapjacks. The circumference was awfully large. Coffee cans?

When my plate arrived, I noticed two firm, brown protrusions. Playing surgeon, I excised the objects. Hah, pecans. The pancakes were fluffy and moist, with a sufficient smattering of banana chunks and pecans. I was excited with the prospect of enjoying them as leftovers. Since we eat pancakes less than once per year, we don't have syrup. However, we always have a jar of Nutella sitting in our cupboard.

Guess not

The service bordered along mediocre to fair. Our server was nice when she came around. Bug's coffee mug sat empty at the edge of the table for over 5 minutes, after our order was placed and condiments were dropped off at our table. Meanwhile, another table had their coffee warmed up. Additionally, our food sat at the counter for 5 minutes just a few feet away while she fidgeted behind the counter, hovering around one of the couples until they coughed up their payment.

I would have been loved to walk into the kitchen and leave the cook a tip. One day, restaurants will pay servers a standard wage. If the restaurant doesn't normally fill 3 tables at a time or customers have a habit of eating and running, then my apologies for being overly critical on service.

As for Bug's opinion, he proclaimed that we will no longer eat standard American breakfasts at a restaurant unless we have guests in town or we are on the road. At least we didn't go the restaurant I read a review on that served circular-punched toast as biscuits. Livid would not begin to describe Bug if that arrived at the table.

- Cassaendra

The Coffee Pot
12415 Madison Ave
Cleveland, OH 44107
Tel: (216) 226-6443

Last Copper

Breakfast was made up partly of leftovers from dinner last night; namely, the last of the Copper River salmon. The majority of the ingredients were from our Fresh Fork Market bag -- zucchini, beet greens, and tomatoes from last week; lettuce, radishes, and eggs from this week.

The pan-fried salmon was warmed on the stove with a teaspoon of shoyu and black pepper, then sprinkled with shichimi togarashi. The fried egg was dusted with shiso furikake for a bit of salted tartness. Crisp lettuce, peppery radish slices, sweet tomatoes, and seaweed salad satisfied my need for something cold and crisp. The sizzling zucchini and red peppers were sweet and crisp. Steamed beet greens (originally with sliced beets) were too beautiful a shade of maroon to not include. Its addition was also an easy way to serve 5 items instead of 4 (bad luck - some habits are hard to break).

Day 363/365

After breakfast, I had a taste for ayran, a savory Turkish yogurt drink. In our bag this week, we also received a quart of Velvet-View yogurt. With a much thinner consistency than most factory yogurts, this is best poured rather than spooned into a receptacle. Also, it is not as sour. Hooray!

I didn't feel like taking out our 64 oz carafe blender to make 1 cup of ayran, sacrificing the froth. Instead, I mixed a pinch of salt into my cup of yogurt. Additional water was unnecessary since the yogurt was already velvety. A wonderful cap to breakfast.

- Cassaendra

Fresh Fork Market

Breakfast

While preparing this breakfast took 10 minutes longer than my morning regimen of a bowl of multigrain Cheerios, Trader Joe's High Fiber cereal, sliced banana, and chia seeds with soy milk, this was three times the amount of food I normally eat, but it hit the spot. As a result, I walked into work relaxed and sated for some time, which equated to being happy for some time.

Day 315/365

The salad was prepared with tomatoes, hearts of palm, kalamata olives, and cucumbers with olive oil and black pepper.

Curry powder, crushed red peppers, and turmeric were mixed into the egg. The center concoction consisted of red pepper, Hebrew National hot dogs, asparagus, mushrooms, crushed red pepper, black pepper, and smoked salt. On the far end, salsa with parmigiano reggiano, a mess on a plate but tasty.

For a sweet bite, a strawberry with a few crushed morsels of our favorite chocolate bark from Lilly, Azteka -- dark chocolate, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, ancho chile, cocoa, Hawaiian black salt.

We recently tried Hebrew National's hot dogs for the first time and are quite satisfied. I read somewhere a couple of years ago that quality was better some years ago. That must have been impressive. Cutting into a wiener (I'm Asian, after 2 packs, I have yet to eat these hot dogs as hot dogs in a bun), I was surprised by the texture and density.

Considering effort versus gain, this is well worth the 10 extra minutes. I ought to do this every morning, or at the least every Monday morning. 

- Cassaendra

Sausage Egg Casserole

At the end of each year that we have been a member with Costco, they have distributed a cookbook. This is the first recipe we decided to try of the numerous interesting recipes in their cookbooks.

Day 273/365

Inspired by the vegetarian recipe, Cheesy Veggie Sausage Breakfast Casserole, in A Decade of Cooking the Costco Way contributed by MorningStar, we used a meat breakfast sausage, added red peppers, altered the type of cheese and amount, removed green onions and several ingredients used as garnish.

Ingredients:
1/2 lb turkey breakfast sausage
8 large eggs
1/4 c milk
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/5 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 c cottage cheese
10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and thoroughly squeezed
1 c red pepper, chopped
2 c shredded Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheese

Directions:
1. Cook breakfast sausage in a frying pan, break into small pieces.
2. Drain grease from cooked sausage. Spread across paper towel and pat to absorb extraneous grease and cool.
3. Preheat oven to 325°F.
4. Grease or spray 9"x13" casserole dish with oil or nonstick spray.
5. Beat eggs in a large bowl, then mix milk, oregano, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
6. Mix cottage cheese, sausage, spinach, red pepper, and cheese to the egg mixture until incorporated.
7. Pour bowl ingredients into the baking dish and bake to desired firmness (35-45 min).

I ate my servings with salsa, while Bug ate his with chipotle Tabasco. This was a colorful and tasty dish. Plus, I didn't have to pick out any onions.

We will try an egg substitute next time to gauge if the flavor and texture hold. Why pack on the fat and cholesterol if the flavor remains the same?

- Cassaendra

Crunchy

Day 183/365

Salads aren't exactly winter food. Raised in warm weather climate and fortunate to have a mother who prepared meals every day with flavor, texture, color, along with nutrition, I can't go long into the winter without cool, crunchy, and colorful foods - a contrast to winter's warm stews and baked casseroles.

As soon as my eyelids fluttered open this morning, a craving for salad stirred, so salad it was for breakfast. While the eggs were being boiled, I assembled the salad and toppings -- sliced cucumbers, baby carrots slivers, a handful of spring mixed greens, and fried strings of summer sausage, followed by toasting pecans, and a dusting of shichimi togarashi and crushed black pepper.

The dressing was a mixture of tahini, miso, rice wine, grated cucumber and baby carrots, black pepper, onion powder, and a dash of shoyu. I admit that I was pleased with the slightly sweet, salty, sour, and nutty flavor. The texture of the grated vegetables mixed with the onion powder gave the illusion of grated onions. In hindsight, I should have used some orange zest to add a citrus spark.

My crunchy cool craving was satisfactorily sated.

- Cassaendra

Aloha Oe

This trip to Hawaii was the longest stay of all of my visits back home, yet it felt like my shortest.

Each morning, I woke to a similar view of the city lights and traffic below. Thanksgiving morning was an exception, as it had considerably less traffic.

 
Day 170/365

I couldn't ask for better weather, low humidity, low 70s during the day and upper 60s at night. When it rained, as always it was just a mist that passed as quickly as a thought to look up at the sky.

While my father and I spent a lot of time driving, shopping, visiting with relatives, and walking together, breakfasts were one on one time. The world was streaming by outside, but it felt like time paused while my father prepared breakfast, I fixed the table, and we ate.

Day 170/365

On Sunday, we shopped for papaya since I had not eaten good papaya in over 15 years.  I forgot how sweet, juicy, and tender they are. We also kindly received two freshly picked jabong.

Jabong is also known as pomelo and is the parent of the grapefruit, of which it is a hybrid with an orange. The fruit we received was over a foot in diameter and weighed several pounds. It looked like a gigantic citrus fruit from the time dinosaurs roamed.

Under the smooth yellow to pale green skin is a thick white pith. As is common with citrus, the fruit separates in discrete segments. The bitter membrane is translucent and removed since it is rather tough and bitter.

Day 170/365

Unlike it's offspring, jabong has a sweet citrus flavor with a faint bitter aftertaste. Not being a bitter food fan, I enjoyed eating this and probably ate 2/3rds of the gigantic fruit.

For lunch, we visited Hank's Haute Dogs, where I enjoyed the spicy alligator andouille hot dog. My father was impressed with his Chicago hot dog down to the neon relish, and commented that it was actually better than his.

As dusk approached, we discussed what to eat for my last meal before I flew back. With no chance to eat Okinawan food in the Midwest, I emphatically requested Okinawa soba with his homemade rafute, broiled, marinated, then braised pork belly. As a result of the cooking method, the slices had a robust flavor, was tender, and pretty healthy. Sun Noodles makes a great powdered pork broth and their fresh noodles are packaged with a light coating of oil.

Day 170/365

Over the weekend, we stopped by St. Germain Bakery, where we picked up a baguette for banh mi. Since my father makes do chua (Vietnamese pickled daikon and carrots), there is always a jar in the refrigerator. He makes it with a slightly spicy zing.  As the noodles were cooking, he toasted the bread. Kewpie mayonnaise was used to dress the sandwich.  

The meal was flawless - delicious and made from the heart. We talked, looked through old pictures, and watched television together until it was time to leave.

- Cassaendra

Breakfast at Home

On my visits home, weekday breakfasts are usually salad greens made by my mother or father. It is an excellent and positive start to the day!  I feel energized, not sleepy.

Turkey Day Breakfast

Thanksgiving morning, the salad consisted of cabbage, spring mix, luscious Hamakua tomatoes, broccoli, celery, radishes, Maui onions (sad face), Kona oranges, Fuyu persimmons. I don't recall ever trying Kona oranges prior to this. They are very sweet, pale yellow, with a lighter citrus flavor. The persimmons were firm and delicious -- nothing like the ones I get in the Midwest that are either firm and bitter or extremely squishy, sweet, and flat in flavor.

I picked Pietro ume (pickled plum) dressing. While Pietro's sesame miso dressing is my favorite for lettuce salads and marinades, the ume dressing pairs perfectly with cabbage salads contributing nutty, tart, sour, salty and peppery flavors.

On Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, we ate leftover Chinese chicken salad from our Thanksgiving luncheon the day before, as well as locally grown tomatoes, celery, radishes, red peppers, and slices of juicy Japanese pears from Tottori. No, not those forest creatures [Totoro] nor the flushing toilets with bidets from Japan [Toto].

Day 168/365

On Sunday, my father made fried rice with leftover multigrain rice, Spam, Portuguese sausage, peas, garlic, onions, Hamakua eggs, red bell peppers, furikake, beni shoga (red pickled ginger) with slices of Tottori pears. As much as I dislike onions, this was delicious. The beni shoga was the scene stealer, however. With just a pinch, it brightened the meaty and slightly salty dish with a pickled bite.

My father and I went to Marukai, a store that specializes in Japanese groceries and sundries, on Saturday. It had been years since I ate fresh chichidango and manju. As soon as my eyes caught sight of these treats sitting on a table, my grubby fingers clawed them into our basket post-haste.

Day 168/365

The flavor of chichidango is difficult to describe to anyone who hasn't had mochi. Describing them as "rice cakes," one conjures the puffed rice patty that tastes like Styrofoam. These "cakes" are sweetened, but not very sweet, with a smooth texture and discrete bite (not chewy or stringy). I noticed flavored varieties like coconut and fruit, but I prefer these as-is.

The purple color of the sweet potato manju likely comes from using Okinawan sweet potatoes that are naturally purple. The intense color may have been augmented. When eaten fresh, as these were, the flaky crust is heavenly.

It has only been a week since I returned from Hawaii. As I continue to process my pictures, reliving each moment, it feels like several months have already passed. It probably doesn't help that I traveled from temperatures in the low 70s with frequent trade winds, spending time with my warm and enthusiastic family, to mid to low 30s with bone chilling wind gusts dropping the temperatures to the 20s, everyone bundled up, rushing around with their nose to the ground.

- Cassaendra

First Watch

Day 113/365 - Utensil wrap

Recently, I was given a $15 gift certificate by a coworker to Last Watch, a breakfast and lunch cafe. While $15 doesn't sound like much for two people, it covered most of the bill. All we paid was ~$2 and the tip.

Prior to eating at First Watch, Bug had never tried cholesterol-free eggs. This was the perfect opportunity to check them out without having to invest in a carton.  He ordered the Acapulco Express omelette -- chorizo, green chiles, onions, avocado, cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses, topped with sour cream, and salsa. Omelettes come with a side order of potatoes and an English muffin.

Day 113/365 - Acapulco Express omelette ($7.99)

I deliberated between the grilled turkey (turkey, bacon, Monterey Jack cheese, ranch dressing on sour dough) sandwich, beefeater (roast beef on Parmesan sour dough) sandwich, which Bug had also wanted to try, and the veggie burger (brown rice, Peppadew peppers, onions, and carrots with lettuce, avocado, and tomatoes on a wheat bun).

Bug nudged me toward the veggie burger. His logic was that, of the three sandwiches, it was the one I would least likely order paying out of my own pocket. Sound logic.

Day 113/365 - Veggie burger and Italian wedding soup ($7.99)

The restaurant was busy from the time we walked in at noon until we left. We were seated with our menus less than 5 minutes after I submitted my name. The table was still damp from being just wiped down. Initial service was a bit slow. With all of the traffic, the dining room appeared clean. At first, it was distracting feeling everyone walk by through the floorboards.

Once we received our pitchers of water with lemon and coffee, and placed our orders, service was quick. Our server was polite. She asked how we were doing twice and dropped off our check two-thirds into our meal. My platter was removed when I was finished, as Bug was nearly finished with his meal. His plate was taken just as he set his fork down with his last bite.

Bug was disappointed with his omelette. It wasn't poorly made technically. His dissatisfaction was related to the scant amount of chorizo, which made its flavor indiscernible amongst the other ingredients. The flavor and texture of the lightly seasoned potatoes, as well as the English muffin, were fine.

My veggie burger was a bit bland, perhaps thrown off because I asked for it to be excluded as I do not eat raw onions. The patty had a nice texture and tasted mostly of mushrooms. The lettuce, tomatoes, and avocado were fresh. I smeared the slightly spicy Santa Fe sauce on the bun. This helped the blandness a little. The smokiness of chipotle would have boosted this burger tenfold.

The Italian wedding soup was all right. It has been my experience that pasta and rice in soups are frequently grossly overdone. It was no different here, so I've learned to accept this as status quo at midline restaurants.

Bug's opinion of his experience -- average food (not gourmet, nor of poor quality), average price (not cheap, nor expensive), average service (neither poor nor excellent). He felt that his meal wasn't prepared any better than he would have. In the realm of breakfast/lunch restaurants, e.g., Denny's, IHOP, Bug would choose IHOP. The thing is, we haven't gone back to IHOP in over a year and have no plans on returning.

I felt the food was all right. Leaving a pitcher of water and dropping off the check without having to hunt down our server were big pluses for me. I would like to return some time to try their Crepeggs (crepe), one of their specialties, specifically the turkey dill Crepegg (turkey, spinach, mushroom, tomatoes, [onions,] Monterey Jack cheese with hollandaise sauce and dill).

- Cassaendra

First Watch
1431 SOM Center Rd
Mayfield Heights, OH 44124
Tel: (440) 684-1825

Jaunt to Jordan

Bug woke me up this morning at 5 to start making korokke (croquettes). By 8:30, he was hungry and asked me what I wanted that I wouldn't normally be able to get since he is rarely awake this early (or late) in the morning.

I plugged into Google, "breakfast Cleveland." The 2nd choice that came up was Jordan's Family Restaurant in Parma, so I went to their website. We more or less won't go to a restaurant if they do not have a website with a menu. Surprises are fun when it's a birthday present. They aren't so fun when you're hungry.

I glossed over the breakfast listing which was quite lengthy, down to their offerings that I wouldn't be able to get so early in the morning. Ooh, fattoush!

We hopped into the car and passed some spun out cars along the way because of the snow. For being near Chevrolet Boulevard, right next to the not-as-bustling Chevy plant, the snowfall, and the awkward time -- late for the early peeps and early for the unshaven masses, we were surprised to see the parking lot full.

Walking in, I was pleased at how bright the decor was. It has the feeling of a restaurant run by a woman, with plants, bright walls that weren't a depressing shade of blah, lots of snowlight, and clean tables and seats, reminiscent of a sun room.

Our server greeted us brightly and was gracious, allowing us quite a bit of time to figure out what we were going to eat. Bug couldn't decide because he was trying to decide between a few dishes he wanted to try, which is always a good sign. He also took a peek at the lunch/dinner menu and was intrigued.

We ordered:


- The Greek ($6.95), skillet w/ cubed potatoes, tomatoes, feta, gyro meat, and onions, with 3 large eggs over easy and 2 slices of buttered toast and jelly


- The Irish ($6.95), skillet w/ cube potatoes, bell peppers, Swiss cheese, and corned beef (ordered w/o onions), with 3 large eggs over easy and 2 slices of buttered toast and jelly


- side order of biscuits with gravy ($3.95) and home fries
- coffee ($1.25)
- apple juice ($1.95)

Bug gave me a few pieces of the gyro meat, which was yummy, as expected. I am not a western breakfast fan, so I let the oozing yolk run over my potatoes, and removed the white, as I'm not too fond of the strong sulfurous flavor of egg whites. I picked through all of the corned beef, ate whatever lightly seasoned potatoes that were attached, and found myself still stuffed. I wasn't surprised to find a few slivers of onions in my dish. :P The apple juice hit the spot for me.

Bug thoroughly enjoyed his Greek skillet and biscuits with country gravy. He also didn't mind our pretty Lebanese server.

When we paid, we bought a few pieces of baklava. The hostess handed us a card taking 50% off our next dinner entree.

Bug is itching to return for their country fried steak (Mondays) and some other dishes. I am curious to try their Lebanese offerings, in particular, their fattoush.

- Cassaendra

Jordan's Family Restaurant and Catering
11575 Brookpark Rd
Parma, OH 44130
Tel: (216) 267-5353