I am a HUGE fan of Chopped! I could sit through a 6 hour marathon of the Food Network's cooking competition show and still want more. So when I heard that one of my favorite judges was coming to The Greenhouse Tavern for a cocktail party with Chef Sawyer, I was so excited!! @$19 it was an affordable treat.
Amanda Freitag joined forces with our own Jonathan Sawyer to create a menu of tasty nibbles perfect for the rooftop bash. They were teasing us with Tweets about the menu earlier in the day and it was superb.
Grilled Pimento Cheese Sammies
w/ smoked bologna, brioche & tomato jam
Green Plantain Tostones
w/ punchy green sauce and lime
Heirloom Beet Borscht
w/ horseradish creme, micro greens and edible flowers
Herb Roasted Potatoes
w/ french onion dip and herbs
Curried Caraway Carrots
w/ turnips, celery leaf, cucumber yogurt & spices
Corn on the Bone
w/ kim chee butter and micro daikon
75 Day Aged Beef Sausage Doubel Down
w/ kohlrabi fennel salad, almonds and dill soubise
w/ bleu cheese, licorice, and pine nut breadcrumb
Shiso Belly Roll
w/ smoked BBQ pork belly, lemon aoli & radish
Zucchini Keftedes
w/ chef's garden zucchini, dill, feta & lemon
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| From left: plantains, pork belly, borscht, and carrots |
Unfortunately, I only saw and tasted 7 of the 10 items. I could never get my hands on the main thing I was dying to taste: Grilled Pimento Cheese Sammies. And trust me, I was looking every where for it! So either they didn't make enough to go around or they were REALLY popular and never made it to the tables. The Zucchini and 75 Day Aged Beef Sausage Double Downs were impossible to find too.
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| plantain tostones - so good! |
What I did get to taste, I loved. I never eat corn on the cob in public but am really glad I made an exception for the Corn on the Bone with Kim Chee Butter. It was a taste sensation!
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| Our adorable hostess Amelia Sawyer serving up Corn on the Bone |
They also had signature cocktails for the event:
1. Chef's Special Smash made with tequila, raspberry puree, lemongrass, ginger and "pretty girly flowers" - the lemongrass and ginger kept it from being TOO sweet.
2. Lemon Verbena Aged Rum Mojito Shooter Bomb - just enough kick yet refreshing.
I tried Point Nude Beach Summer Wheat and it's a new favorite. If you are a wheat beer fan, you should check it out.
I was really hoping to hear Amanda talk to us about Chopped or her other activities but she and Chef Sawyer only spoke a combined 5 minutes which was disappointing.
At least I got to snap a quick shot afterwards as she was making her way back to the kitchen...
Overall it was a fun night - we got to try some unique small bites and enjoy them on The Greenhouse Tavern's cozy rooftop patio. If you haven't been up there, you need to get there while the weather is good.
As we headed back to the car, we spotted this super cool GuitarMania tribute to Cleveland's own Superman!
And since we were still a little hungry, we headed to Hodge's for cornbread a bite. We tried out the new Pish Sticks - breaded and deep fried pulled pork. Yes, you read that right. And they were DELICIOUS! Super crunchy and juicy on the inside - you really need to get some in your mouth now.
They need to get a better sauce (it comes with some sort of tartar) but other than that, it is a delicious twist on the aquatic version.
It was an all around great summer night in the CLE!
Grilled Pimento Cheese Sammies
