morning thoughts: exasperated

have you ever tried to make something, and you know it needs something, but you can't figure out what? and then you just start mindlessly adding things until now there's too many things and you can't take the other things out? case in point: my first attempt at cheesy grits. the final product somehow included 3 different kinds of cheese, cumin, sour cream, apples, onions. i can't even look at that list. they weren't horrible i guess. i now see how frustrating it can be to, say, open a restaurant where you have to endlessly develop and tweak recipes until they're perfect. but what if you add something else? will that make it more perfect? the bottom line is, don't have your first attempt at cheese grits be your experimental one-- it will only make you unnecessarily question life decisions.

Home for the Holidays part 2: Southside Tremont

Sesame Crusted Yellowfin Tuna with Seaweed Salad, Sweet Soy, Cucumber Wasabi and Tangy Orange Sauce

After attempting to cram all of the restaurants I went to while at home into one post, I decided that I just couldn't do it-- each restaurant had its own unique atmosphere and food that I want to take the time to highlight! On that note, I'll go in chronological order, starting with Southside, a restaurant located in Tremont right outside of Cleveland, Ohio! This quaint little bar and restaurant prides itself in what I would like to call modern american pub food. The restaurant itself had an industrial feel, and has both an indoor and enclosed outdoor seating area. I love Tremont for its food and culture, giving this Cleveland suburb the slightest hint of New York if I may say so myself, with big name restaurants (and some of my favorites) such as Farenheit, Lolita, and Momocho. My dad ended up recommending Southside as an easy place to grab lunch on our way home from my Thanksgiving pilgrimage to Whole Foods (yes, I drive 45 minutes to go to the nearest/nicest Whole Foods when I'm home, get over it!) I would like to mention that I went for lunch and was incredibly disappointed that I couldn't get any of their dinner entrees (DIVER SCALLOPS) which sounded amazing. I'll have to go back for dinner! Also, this was my first official meal where I ordered a Sangria (pictured above) LEGALLY! I had just picked up my new ID from the DMV, and they didn't even card me! Figures. 

Above is the appetizer I shared with my mom-- sesame crusted yellowfin tuna with a cucumber wasabi and a tangy orange sauce. We also shared crab bisque, but I didn't get to take a picture of it. Basically, it was crab bisque. Pretty much all bisques to me are the same (at least for now). 

What I liked: As you can see, the presentation of the Tuna was absolutely beautiful. The tuna was just seared to you got the crunch of the sesame seeds but the silky texture of the raw tuna. The different sauces were delicious, but were also deceiving as I didn't love them mixed together-- the tangy orange sauce worked well on its own (maybe with the soy sauce) on the tuna, and the cucumber wasabi also worked well but on its own. The seaweed salad was seasoned quite well, giving a different but unique flavor to the dish. 

What I didn't like: There wasn't that much. I understand it was an appetizer, and I understand that they give you the seaweed salad, but there were only five pieces of tuna. Coming from New York that might sound shocking, but I've been to restaurants that give you an entire huge filet of tuna for about the same price! I guess they needed space for the presentation? I don't know. I just felt a little cheated, because I absolutely wanted more! 

Duck and Goat Cheese Salad with mixed greens, sweet corn, marinated onion, tomatoes, toasted pine nuts and warm balsalmic dressing

For my main course, I chose the duck and goat cheese salad (two of my favorite things combined onto something resembling a healthy entree?! I'll take it) and was surprised by the amount of toppings on it initially. But then I remembered--- I was not in New York anymore. I was in Cleveland, my hometown, the reason for my addiction to ranch dressing-covered everything, the reason I put every single condiment on my hot dog, the epitome of hodge-podge cooking. I completely understood-- you can only have so much lettuce-- this was a substantial yet eclectic combination of flavors and textures, but it brought me right back to my humble Ohio beginnings. 

What I liked: After the above ode to toppings, 'I can sum up my feelings by saying that I loved the toppings. Sorry mixed greens, but you're pretty much the same on any salad. The duck was tender, goat cheese creamy, and the pine nuts gave the salad the texture the salad needed. I loved the idea of the warm balsamic vinaigrette, which definitely made the salad more appealing to me. 

What I didn't like: Although I loved the toppings and loved that there was an abundance of toppings, I would say that I wish there had been a little bit of a better balance between the flavors. Sometimes I felt like the duck would over power the other vegetables, and then the goat cheese would overpower the balsamic. It became quite a task to get that perfect bite. 

Overall, I give Southside a 8 out of 10. Their missteps were small, but they ultimately knocked down their score a few points. I would definitely return to Southside to try something different-- I was completely enticed by the entire menu!