gourmet guide 2009

edited by Ivan J. Sheehan
photography by Ken Mengay

Cookies and Cupcakes

Believing there is always room for dessert, Cleveland’s Tremont neighborhood happily saved room for A Cookie and a Cupcake. The diminutive, brightly colored storefront is a shrine to the inimitable, childlike glee that accompanies devilishly sweet treats. It is the delicious baby of Syndee Klingenberg and Wendy Thompson, whose penchant for laughter and joviality is reflected in whimsical desserts that belie the duo’s fine dining pastry pedigree.

Inside the 455-square-foot space, a glass display case is filled with a kaleidoscopic selection of cupcakes, cookies and more, with custom cakes in the front window and a countertop filled with thousands of sprinkles. “Everything is done here that you can possibly think of,” says Klingenberg. “If you can dream it up, we can do it.”

Working 15-hour days, and rotating Sundays, Klingenberg and Thompson work with one small baker’s convection oven, which churns out an average of 100 cupcakes per day and as much as 600 in a day. A Cookie and a Cupcake opened last October, but it was an idea that began years ago.

“My mom used to wake up to me baking in the morning all the time, whether it was pancakes or muffins… I was always making something,” says Klingenberg. “I’ve been doing it since I was able to turn on the oven – I’m short, so probably since I was five.”

Klingenberg grew up in Sagamore Hills, where she still visits her parents every Sunday, bringing desserts. “I’m pretty sure they are tapped out on cupcakes at this [point],” she says. “We’re a cookie family – dessert in our family has always been cookies, or ice cream.”

Klingenberg graduated from the culinary program at Pennsylvania Culinary Institute. “As culinary students, we’re taught to go by our palate,” says Klingenberg. “Pastry is 99 percent chemistry and math.” In that regard, Thompson is Ms. Wizard.

Thompson was raised in North Olmsted, went to Magnificat High School in Rocky River and studied photojournalism at Kent State University. Like many in the food service industry, Thompson’s career began at the front of the house, eventually moving to the kitchen where she was given pastry duties at John Harvard’s Brew House in the flats. She enrolled in Pennsylvania’s pastry program when she was 24.

“As soon as I got my hands on creating beautiful pastries, I knew I wanted to create dishes like that,” she says. “You can do a lot more artistically with [pastry] than you can with green beans and a steak… my heart was set on pastries.”

Upon graduating, she honed her skills at the Bertram Inn and Conference Center, before moving to Lockkeepers in Valley View, where she was promoted to executive pastry chef after less than a year. Soon thereafter, Klingenberg took a position at Park City Diner, later joining Thompson as part of Lockkeepers’ pastry team. The pair continued to work together when Lockkeepers became chef Dante Boccuzzi’s eponymous restaurant. Naturally, the two started kicking around ideas.

“We wanted to do something fun,” says Thompson. “We didn’t want to do anything super traditional like bear claws, Danish; we didn’t want a bakery like that.”

While driving through Tremont, Thompson noticed a “for rent” sign. “It was Valentine’s Day or the day before, and I called [the landlord] that night and left a message,” she says. “The next morning, he called us back, and we looked at the place, and we signed the lease that day.”

“We thought ‘the rent is perfect, the neighborhood is perfect, the clientele we want is perfect,’ so we jumped on it,” says Klingenberg. “We actually had the place about six months before we started doing anything with it.”

Today you will find cookies, classic (chocolate chip, oatmeal, peanut butter) and creative; brownies, including turtles and blondies; a rotating selection of macaroons; specialty cakes; and 12 types of cupcakes, such as the espresso version with chocolate cake soaked in espresso, sweet caramel mousse center and a coffee-flavored liqueur buttercream; and the German chocolate cake variety, featuring a moist chocolate cake with gooey coconut-pecan filling and topped with brown sugar buttercream. The pair also offers a “24-hour cake” for those special events that sneak up on you.

This summer, sidewalk seating, mini cupcakes with exotic flavors and a beverage bar, with coffee, lemonades and fresh berry drinks will be launched. “There will be custom-made tables, and each one is a little art piece, with two benches and two chairs,” says Thompson. The steel tables will feature burned-on images, including a cupcake fighting a dinosaur. Local artist and Cleveland-native Jason Radcliffe, who recently started his own design company named 44 Steel, having done work for Lola and Lilly Handmade Chocolates, among others, designed them.

“Everything from scratch… even our frosting we cook – there’s no shortening; it’s butter and natural ingredients,” says Thompson. “There are no mixes, no shortcuts. Being pastry chefs, we knew we wanted to do something different, and make it worth people’s while to come and spend $2.50 on a cupcake. We like being affordable.” Ain’t life sweet?

For more information, visit www.acookieandacupcake.com, or call 216-344-9433.

Slow Food

Slow Food Northern Ohio is one of 850 Slow Food chapters in the world. The organization helps promote northern Ohio’s foods, farms and culinary traditions. Want to be part of a growing movement? Kari Moore, one of Slow Food Northern Ohio’s chapter leaders, offers 10 reasons to join.

• To join one of the largest international networks of food activists with more than 100,000 members in 132 countries committed to improving our food system and supporting a more delicious and sustainable future.
• To celebrate and protect the pleasures and diversity that the world’s best foods offer us.
• To encourage a new type of agriculture respectful of the environment, of human beings and of taste.
• To get acquainted with your local food community at seasonal feasts, farm tours, taste workshops and other fun events that honor the important people who grow, harvest, produce, deliver and prepare food for our tables.
• To support Slow Food’s local, national and international programs, such as Terra Madre, The Ark of Taste, Presidia, Slow Food in Schools, Renewing America’s Food Traditions, Slow Food Nation and more.
• To learn more about important issues and policies impacting our food system through Slow Food’s websites and publications, The Snail and The Slow Food Almanac.
• To connect with local sources of good, clean, fair food from local farmers and artisan producers.
• To network with other like-minded food businesses and food community members.
• To enjoy discounts on Slow Food events and merchandise.
• To live slow and promote food that is good, clean and fair.

For more information about Slow Food Northern Ohio, visit www.SlowFoodNorthernOhio.blogspot.com, or e-mail slowfoodnorthernohio@gmail.com.

Farmers Markets

Since moving to Cleveland in 1990 and becoming the cofounder of the North Union Farmers Market, Mary Holmes has visited farmers markets from Vermont to California, as well as many in France. Over the years, she’s learned a few things about shopping at a farmers market:

• Bring lots of cash, but not more than you are willing to part with, because you will probably spend it all.
• If you have a favorite shopping basket or bag, bring it along, but it’s not necessary as the farmers have bags (and change).
• Try to keep it simple: cash in one hand and bag in the other. Juggling can get in the way of your fun.
• Unless you already have your favorite farmers, take a stroll through the market before you buy, so you can begin dreaming about what’s for dinner while seeing who has the best prices.
• Don’t look for bargains or try to negotiate prices: These folks picked all night and got in their trucks to drive to the market at 5 am. They deserve your money.
• One summer, I had a lot of fun trying to buy at least one thing each Saturday that I had never eaten before (gooseberries, venison, ground cherries and more).
• Don’t be shy about asking a farmer or someone standing next to you how to cook something that you’re interested in trying. If the farmer doesn’t know, shop somewhere else.
• If it’s early spring and someone’s selling bedding plants, or if it’s fall and melons are in season, bring a wagon.
• Buy flowers.
• When you come back next week, bring a friend or a child; you will double your fun.
• To get started, visit www.cityfresh.org, www.coitmarket.org, www.cvcountryside.org, www.hudsonfarmersmarket.org, www.kammscorners.com/farmersmarket and www.northunionfarmersmarket.com.

Cocktails

Since November 26, 1996, those with discerning palates and an appreciation for cocktail artistry have enjoyed relaxed evenings inside the warm, elegant environs of the Velvet Tango Room. Cool jazz provides the sultry soundtrack for owner Paulius Nasvytis and his talented band of bartenders as they fashion classic cocktails that recall all the romance and swagger of a bygone era. For the uninitiated, Nasvytis offers a quick guide to the five major cocktail families, and the tipples that exemplify them.

• Fizzes and Flips: A late 19th century–era cocktail that incorporates the use of eggs. A Ramos gin fizz is a perfect example, as is eggnog.
• The symbiotic relationship of wine and spirits is best illustrated by the Manhattan. Properly made, it is indeed an iconic American cocktail.
• The aviation cocktail epitomizes the trinity of two liquors with a citrus base.
• The whiskey sour – and all of his friends in the sour family – benefit from the addition of a sweetener to round them out.
• Carbonated beverages usher in the more casual “highball” style. The dark and stormy is a great example, and bourbon and ginger beer is a terrific way to take the edge off.

For more information, visit www.velvettangoroom.com.

Kitchen Equipment

Bologna native Loretta Paganini and her daughter Stefanie Paganini know a thing or two about being in a kitchen. The mother-and-daughter team is the driving force behind the Loretta Paganini School of Cooking, and the International Culinary Arts and Sciences Institute (www.icasi.net) in Chesterland. Here, Stefanie offers five kitchen essentials that they agree (and two that they don’t agree) every budding chef needs.

One really good chef knife: We prefer German-made with a full tang. Mom likes a Santoku and I am a classic chef ’s girl. We both prefer an 8-inch knife – but ultimately the chef knife should be one that feels comfortable in your hand and handles well for the way you chop. It must be sharp. It really makes a difference chopping with a quality knife, rather than using one from a set of 12 that comes with a wood storage block for only $9.99.
Web exclusive kitchen upgrade: Throw in a quality paring knife for peeling fruit, small chopping jobs and, of course, creating beautiful garnishes.

Microplane grater: The classic style is really the perfect kitchen tool. It not only grates cheese and chocolate beautifully, but it is ideal for zesting. Mom even keeps an extra one in her kitchen in Italy. I love that the company keeps coming out with new colored handles.
Web exclusive kitchen upgrade: A mini Microplane is perfect for grating spices like cinnamon and nutmeg.

Metal bench scraper: Mom loves it for working with bread dough and cutting equal pieces of pasta when making pasta from scratch. I love mine for working with short doughs, such as pie dough that warm hands can ruin. Also, it is great for using to clean up your counter, as it helps scrape up those sticky bits without scratching the surface.
Web exclusive kitchen upgrade: Get a flexible plastic one as well. My grandmother says you can tell how good a pastry chef is by how little product he or she leaves in the bowl.  A plastic, bendable bench scraper allows you to get every last bit of goodness out of your mixing bowl.

A heavy-bottomed stainless steel pan: The heavy bottom protects the food from the heat of the stovetop – it allows the heat to distribute evenly as opposed to having hot spots on the bottom of the pan. Stainless steel does not react with the food in the pan, so your tomato sauce won’t taste metallic, and your pastry cream won’t turn green.

Thermometer: The inexpensive simple stick thermjjjhometer is the most versatile. With more people cooking at home, it is important to cook meats, sauces, etc. to the proper temperature. Digital thermometers make reading that temperature easier.
Web exclusive kitchen upgrade: Add a candy thermometer. They are super for candy making and monitoring exact oil temperature for frying anything from egg rolls to doughnuts.

Differing Opinions

Loretta says a flat whisk for sauces is a must-have in the kitchen. I say a balloon whisk is better to really get air into your batters and whipped recipes.
Web exclusive kitchen upgrade: Have both.

Loretta uses Silpat silicone baking sheet liners for cookies and cakes, and for making fun things like sugar decorations and frico (parmesan crisps). I love the laziness of parchment. I always line my baking sheets with parchment. If I could do commercials for parchment paper, I would. Nothing sticks to it, and I can throw it out for super-easy cleanup. I also do a lot of chocolate work, and use my parchment for making disposable paper cones.
Web exclusive kitchen upgrade: Have both.

For more information, visit www.icasi.net.

Cheese

Brandon Chrostowski has spent more than a decade working in numerous capacities at some of the world’s finest restaurants, from Paris to New York. Certified by the Court of Master Sommeliers, he brings a wealth of knowledge and polished service as manager of L’Albatros Brasserie + Bar (www.albatrosbrasserie.com) in Cleveland, where he also supervises the cheese program. Here, Chrostowski shares his passion for fromage with tasting notes and wine pairings for some of his favorites. For more of Chrostowski’s picks, visit our web exclusive content.

soft cheese
Constant Bliss – Despite the name, it is a rather unpretentious cheese named after a Revolutionary War scout. This double crème is decadent, rich and complex, and if you bite the rind it’s as if you were eating a fresh mushroom. It is the type of cheese to have an affair with! Raw cow’s milk, Jasper Hills Farm, Greensboro, Vermont.

Wine Pairing: Full-bodied Champagne or pinot blanc from Alsace.

semi-soft cheese
Tomme Crayeuse – A fantastic, earthy-rinded cheese from the Rhône Alps. It ages in two caves, each with a different temperature and humidity, allowing the lactic acids to marry and become something fruit-like in complexity while rather chalky at the core. Probably the most requested cheese at L’Albatros. Raw cow’s milk, Savoie, France.

Wine Pairing: Rhône wine, a syrah such as Côte Rôtie or St. Joseph.

firm cheese
Sottocenere – An eyebrow will always rise when this cheese is described, and for good reason. It is sexy. Fresh black truffles are shaved into this cow’s milk cheese to create a symphony. From the moment it’s sliced the fragrance becomes apparent and irresistible. Rubbed in ash and Eastern spices, it will make you clench your fist and whisper “more” into your loved one’s ear as only Sottocenere can do. Pasteurized cow’s milk, Veneto, Italy.

Wine Pairing: Valpolicella.

hard cheese
Midnight Moon – A goat’s milk Gouda, reminiscent of brown butter and caramel. Really. Created by American cheesemaker Mary Keehan of Cypress Grove in California (you may be familiar with Humboldt Fog), but made in Holland, this cheese is perhaps the most snackable and addictive cheese on the cheese board. Perfect for those who crave the pleasure of something simple yet full of flavor and texture. Pasteurized goat’s milk, Arcata, California.

Wine Pairing: A jammy California red, such as zinfandel.

blue cheese
Bayerischer Blaushimmel käse – It was love at first taste with this blue. An overwhelmingly fatty cheese that still manages to retain its creamy figure with a not-so-pungent blue taste, it commands another bite. And why not? The texture does not require much chewing but rather slight pressure with the tongue while it melts away. Its availability is limited, so if you see it in the market, grab at least a pound. Raw cow’s milk, Germany..

Wine Pairing: Beerenauslese riesling.

Wines

Ten wines to try in your lifetime (in no particular order) by Marianne Frantz

Salon Champagne, France – Handcrafted using 100 percent chardonnay from the grand cru village of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Salon is a cult Champagne. This house makes just one wine, and only in excellent years. Salon is aged and released when ready to drink – 10 years is typical. Delicate walnut aromas along with persistent bubbles make this sparkler a sought-after sip.

Royal Tokaji Essencia, Hungary – The rarest of all Tokaji wines, Essencia is made just a few times a decade. Grapes are left on the vine to rot and shrivel like raisins. The sugary juice takes six to eight years to ferment, but the caramel and apricot flavors are worth the wait. One vine makes one glass. Prices start around $30 per ounce, or $15.15 a sip.

Anything from Domaine de la Romanée- Conti (DRC), France - One of the greatest producers in the world, DRC makes pinot noir from the grand cru vineyards of Echézeaux, Richebourg, La Tâche or Romanée-Conti, and chardonnay from Montrachet. Owing most of their success to the region’s terroir, the wines are balanced, complex and silky in texture. Grab a glass when and if you can.

Château Margaux, France - A first growth Bordeaux, Château Margaux is simply stellar. Rich and balanced, the wine marries power and femininity with cabernet sauvignon leading the dance. I tasted the 1985 years ago with Serena Sutcliffe, Master of Wine and head of Sotheby’s international wine department. It was fantastic then, and I would not pass up a chance to taste it again in my lifetime.

Robert Mondavi Reserve To Kalon cabernet sauvignon, Napa Valley – During the 1980s, Robert Mondavi changed our world by traveling across the country educating Americans on the art of food and wine. With many wines to choose from, if you have not sipped a cabernet sauvignon from the To Kalon vineyard, you really have not tasted Mondavi. A must-try bottle from the Father of American Wine.

Wegler Bernkasteler Doctor spätlese, Germany - There is no better way to realize the beauty behind riesling than to taste a wine from one of the top vineyard sites in Germany, such as the Doctor vineyard. Spätlese on the label means extra ripeness in the grape. The final wine shows how this darling of a grape can pack a powerful punch.

Vintage Port of Your Birth Year, Portugal - In most years, port is a multiyear blend. In great years, producers declare a vintage and craft a wine solely from grapes of the current year. If you are lucky enough to have been born during a vintage-port year, you owe it to yourself to try a glass. Recent vintages include 1985, ’83, ’80, ’77, ’75, ’70, ’66, ’63, ’60, ’58, ’55, ’50, ’48, ’47, ’45, ’35 and ’27.

Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia, Italy – Rich in history and flavor, Sassicaia started with cuttings of cabernet sauvignon taken from Château Lafite- Rothschild. The wine rocked the government and jump-started the Super Tuscan phenomenon by including French grapes in Italian-made wine. Irreverence, coupled with complex aromas and silky tannins, places it firmly in my list of wines you must try.

Château Petrus, France – Whoever said merlot cannot make quality wine (thanks to the 2004 film Sideways) obviously never tasted a drop of Château Petrus. One of the few Bordeaux biggies crafted almost entirely from merlot, this iconic, right-bank wine produces just 4,000 cases each year. Power, depth and richness are three good reasons to give it a try.

Rosé from Around the World – If you have not tried good quality, dry rosé, do so this summer. Fun and festive, rosés offer a great way to beat the summer heat without breaking the bank. Get going on this top 10 list by uncorking a chilled bottle with friends. Here are a few suggestions: Dona Paula malbec rosé, Argentina; Domaine Ott, France; Gran Feudo rosado, Spain; Lenotti Chiaretto Bardolino, Italy; Domaine Skouras “Zoe”, Greece. Cheers!

Marianne Frantz is the founder of the Cleveland Wine School. Frantz is a Certified Wine Educator, holds a Diploma in Wine & Spirits from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) of London and earned the Advanced Sommelier qualification from the Court of Master Sommeliers. For more info, visit www.clevelandwineschool.com.

Herbs

For decades, the Jones family has been farming the land in Huron, Ohio, cultivating an appreciation for traditional methods, working with nature rather than against it, and educating many in the process. Farmer Lee Jones shares his 10 favorite herbs, offering some ways to incorporate them into your own culinary endeavors.

Root Beer Leaf: This is one of my alltime favorite herbs, with a flavor profile that combines licorice, clove, mint and a hint of black pepper. It has an authentic root beer taste that makes me remember childhood treats. The large heart-shaped leaf is tough when eaten raw, but I love to use it as a wrap for white fish to infuse the essence of root beer. The leaf can also be cooked in sauces, sliced and fried for a garnish, or muddled in a culinary cocktail.

Fernleaf Lavender: This lavender variety has silvery green leaves on a long stem topped with bunches of tiny blue flowers. Used conservatively in cooking, it adds a complex flavor akin to marjoram and thyme. Fresh fernleaf lavender complements sweet dishes, even desserts, and it works well in a marinade for meat, chicken or fish. My wife also makes great lemonade with it.

Pineapple Sage: Rub the leaves of this plant between your fingers and you’ll know where this sage variety gets its name. With bright red flowers, it’s as beautiful as it is fragrant. Fresh leaves are great in a fruit salad or as a garnish on a dessert. Fresh or dried, they also add a fruity flavor to teas and other drinks. My favorite is pineapple sage skewered between meat and vegetables on the grill.

Pineapple Mint: This herb pairs well with pineapple sage because of its minty fragrance and even mintier flavor. It adds a really neat dimension to a pineapple glaze on a holiday ham. The beautiful green-andcream variegated leaves can be used fresh for a simple touch of flavor and beauty on the plate.

Chocolate Mint: Another great member of the ‘mentha’ family, chocolate mint’s cocoa flavor is evident on the palate. Like mint chocolate but without the calories, it’s a perfect match in chocolate desserts and sorbets. The brown and purple–hued leaves become more fragrant and flavorful when dried to make a refreshing tea.

Orange Mint: With similar uses to the other flavored mints, this variety has a citrus fragrance and a subtle, pleasant orange aftertaste. I like to use orange mint in a sauté of spring vegetables like peas and carrots. It also gives a special twist to mint jelly for lamb dishes or the everyday mojito.

Thai Basil: This herb is a sweet basil with a peppery anise taste. Thai basil has a stronger flavor than other sweet basils, but even more flavorful than the dark green leaves are the pretty clusters of reddish- purple, licorice-flavored flowers. Thai basil is commonly used in Asian cooking, but it can be substituted for other sweet basils in Italian dishes like eggplant Parmigiana.

African Blue Basil: I’m partial to African blue basil because it originated in Ohio. It has gorgeous leaves with a splash of purple, and pink or lavender blooms. With sweetness and a trace of camphor, it adds a bold flavor to sauces and other savory dishes.

Lemon Balm: True to its name, lemon balm has an intense lemon taste and aroma that is wonderful in teas, candies and fruit dishes. It is actually a member of the mint family and pairs well with other mints. One unique characteristic is its reported antibacterial properties.

Sweet Aztec: The leaves of this herb are so tasty and sweet that I like to pick ’em off the plant and eat ’em like candy. This is a good one because you get the sweet without the sugar, which is great if diabetes or weight control is an issue.

For more info, visit www.chefs-garden.com.

Local Fruits and Vegetables

For more than 75 years, Heinen’s stores (www.heinens.com) have served as the region’s preeminent local grocer. Working with more than 50 Ohio farms, produce buyer Terry Romp supports local agriculture and encourages customers to buy local. Romp shares 10 of his favorite local fruits and vegetables, and when to look for them.

Fruits

Quarry Hill Orchards peaches (late July through early September). The absolute best thing about summer in Ohio is the return of peaches: sweet, juicy and bursting with flavor. Don’t forget to wear a bib!

Polter’s Berry Farm (June). Normally, Ohio strawberries look like midgets compared to their California cousins – not Polter’s. They are beautiful to look at and delicious.

Burnham Orchards apples and cider (September to October). The orchards give Heinen’s the cream of the crop, and their “cloudy” cider has all the apple pieces in it. Oh, so sweet!

Burkholder Vine Crops melons (late July through mid September). If you are a melon lover, Harvey Burkholder’s honey rock melons are not to be missed: sweeter, juicier and more flavorful than any cantaloupe you have ever had.

Rhoads Farms blackberries (mid July through August). Pie fans will appreciate these plump beauties. Look for the wooden pints this summer.

Vegetables

Same-day sweet corn (July through mid September). Our local-Ohio growers are up with the sun, harvesting the best milk and honey bicolor varieties. You will find the freshest corn at Heinen’s stores each afternoon.

Chef’s Garden/Farmer Lee Jones heirloom tomatoes (mid July through mid September). Jones grows two sizes for us, the toy box and cherry. You can find these in wooden quarts and pints. More than a dozen mixed varieties are available, each with an interesting flavor profile.

Amish Country candy onions (mid June through mid August). These white or red onions stand out with their tall green stems. They are very mild and sweet, great for the grill.

K.W. Zellers & Son lettuce and herbs (June to September). There is nothing better than fresh summer salads – in the fields one day, and in our stores the next.

Green Field Farms organics (June to September). This cooperative of Amish families grows awesome tomatoes, peppers and summer squash, all certified organic and delicious.

Beer

Erich Lasher is resident beer expert and oenophile at La Cave du Vin (www.lacaveduvin.com) in Cleveland Heights. His passion for fine brew is contagious, and he has helped refine the palates of many. Here, he shares a few of his favorites to get your beer exploration started. For Lasher’s expanded notes on other beer styles, go to our web exclusive content.

German Pilsner : Pilsner was developed in the Czech town of Plzen in the 1840s by a group of brewers and citizens who founded the Pilsner Urquell Brewery. German Pilsner tends to be lighter in body with a sharper, more bitter hop presence than its Czech counterparts.

Try: Victory Prima Pils. Full head, golden yellow in color, floral and citrus on the nose with bracing, not overwhelming, bitterness on the palate; light, crisp and refreshing. If I had to mow the lawn, I’d be drinking this while doing it.

Lambic: These exciting beers are spontaneously fermented with wild yeasts to which whole fruit is often added. Light in body, incredibly effervescent (or completely flat), these can be beautifully stinky with vinegar, horse blanket and barnyard aromas.

Try: Cantillon “Lou Pepe” kriek (various vintages available). Made with two-year-old lambic and cherries aged in small French oak barrels, which impart a slight vanilla- bean flavor that has to be tasted to be believed. It has massive sour cherry, lemon, flower and a little bit of spice aromas. It explodes with mouth-puckering cherry and pleasant yeasty funk. This is about as complex as beer gets.

Witbier: This Belgian style of wheat beer is generally light bodied, unfiltered and brewed with various spices and usually orange. This style is refreshing and perfect for summer.

Try: Hitachino Nest White Ale. The citrus and spice on this beer is intense. The smells of orange, lemon, coriander, pepper and clove emanating from the glass could fill a room. This beer is a bit drier than most examples of this style, so it’s not cloying, is very refreshing and pairs well with many foods.

Belgian Pale Ale: Much less bitter than their British or American counterparts, these approachable beers are a great starting point for those unfamiliar with Belgian beers.

Try: Orval Trappist Ale. This beer throws a massive white head that smells of banana, spice, biscuit/yeast, straw, orange and a touch of barnyard. On the palate, there’s green apple, leather, pepper and dried fruit with a layer of lingering citrusy bitterness. This is complex and beautiful stuff.

American Imperial Stout: Is it possible to make a more powerful beer than the mighty Russian Imperial Stout? You bet. These stouts tend to be drier with lots of cocoa and coffee flavors, often infused with other ingredients with dramatic roasted flavors.

Try: Jolly Pumpkin Madrugada Obscura “Dark Dawn Stout”. This beer literally made me take a step back after trying it. This has a lighter body than most, with pleasant carbonation. Espresso dominates the nose with just a hint of fruitiness. In the mouth, more espresso, and beautiful cherry, plum and currant with a touch of roasted malt.

Quadrupel: The big daddy of Belgian beers. Rich, intense, complex and very high in alcohol, these will keep you warm all winter. The history of this beer is a bit hazy, but it certainly owes a debt to the Trappist ales Rochefort 10 and Westvleteren 12.

Try: St. Bernardus Abt 12. Brewed in Watou, West Flanders, in traditional Abbey style. Aromas of caramelized sugar, raisins, dried figs and apricots soaked in brandy; rich, creamy mouth feel. Fruity and warming with loads of spice; ginger-banana bread quality. At 10.5% ABV, this packs a wallop.

Old Ale: Originally named so for being stored in brewery vats for one year or even longer, these are malt driven ales that range in style from caramel, nut, maple and tawny port-esque to a slightly leaner, lowacid style.

Try: Thomas Hardy’s Ale. Named in honor of the famed English author, this beer is the perfect candidate for aging. When young it exhibits loads of rich caramel, roasted almonds, toffee and a touch of sour apple. As it ages, it takes on a more mellow vanilla, pecan and raisin profile. When to drink is up to you.

Chocolate

It was not until the mid-1700s during the Industrial Revolution, when production and advertising united, that chocolate became the global phenomenon it is today. Nearly three centuries later, two talented culinarians are making chocolate history in Cleveland’s Tremont neighborhood.

In March 2005, at the Romeo and Juliet statue in Central Park, Josh Montague proposed to Amanda. Josh, a native of Old Brooklyn, and Amanda, who grew up in Parma, met while working at Lockkeepers restaurant in Valley View. Amanda studied culinary arts at Johnson and Wales, while Josh did the same at the Culinary Institute of America, later earning his bachelor’s in business administration from Cleveland State University.

In the Big Apple, the newly engaged couple visited reputable chocolate shops, including Jacques Torres and MarieBelle. “We saw what true European chocolatiers looked like, and what they were doing,” says Josh, who was most recently the executive chef at the Tremont Tap House. “We loved it, and we realized that Cleveland had nothing like that.”

After scouring the Tremont neighborhood, the couple settled on Starkweather Avenue as the spot to open Lilly Handmade Chocolates. Patterned pink walls – which match Amanda’s colorful coif – make for an energetic atmosphere, punctuated by the unmistakable scent of chocolate and the impressive selection of specialty wine and beer. “Beer goes great with chocolate, and this is a beer city,” says Josh. The chocolate making takes place in plain view, allowing a sneak peek into the art of tempering chocolate (which happens often, as tempering dark chocolate is a seven-hour process), molding and creating transfers.

“If I’m creating something at that moment, like a ganache, I’ll let people taste it,” says Amanda. “We wanted [Lilly Handmade Chocolates] to be like you were in Manhattan, or Paris, or Chicago, or San Francisco. I think we captured that with the look and the edge, and definitely the products.”

Customers will find only the finest chocolates used at Lilly, namely Callebaut and Valrhona grand cru chocolate, crafted in the Rhône’s Tain-L’Hermitage district of France. Transfers are created using edible cocoa butter, and you won’t find any preservatives. “We treat each piece like a little piece of art,” says Josh.

Amanda dreams up most of the recipes and flavor combinations, but it hasn’t always been so sweet. “This is all trial and error – lots of cursing, lots of crying,” she says. “It’s not easy: It took a long time to get where we are, and I am still tweaking things.”

Customers will find nearly two dozen chocolate confections: a generous pour of Maker’s Mark, with milk chocolate and buttered pecans attractively packaged in a rectangular-shaped shell with gold plaid transfer, in the Southern Gentleman; while the Heather, named for the Montagues’ neighbor, Lucky’s Café/Vine & Bean Café owner Heather Haviland, features cayenne pepper and dark chocolate in a shell adorned with a pink flower transfer. The Mike, named for Cleveland’s beloved Iron Chef, gets a salty kick from bacon, and plenty of sweet with organic maple butter and milk chocolate. “

We can’t wait until the summer when we can get local raspberries; truly local honey,” says Josh, who also has plans for a honey truffle of the week, and chocolates with cured local fruits, including apples.

The couple found a creative (and decadent) use for the leftover chocolate from the tempering machine: chocolate bars. The Bliss Bar is different day-today, with Amanda recreating her favorite chocolate bars with some typically inventive twists, such as a dark chocolate and ginger-spice almond bar.

“As corny as it sounds, I want to make people happy; I want to make people feel good,” says Amanda. “That immediate gratification when I give [someone] a piece of chocolate, and they put it in their mouth and smile – that’s awesome.”

For more information, visit www.lillytremont.com, or call 216-771-3333.

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