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! 

Bar Americain: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Wild Sea Bass with Roasted Corn Sauce, Cockles, Summer Squash, and Thyme

After a week of contemplating and self-reflection, I have decided to finally post my true feelings on Bar Americain, Bobby Flay's modern american restaurant in midtown Manhattan. I will preface it with one disclaimer: I really do love Bobbly Flay, I love his recipes, I love the different shows he's involved with on Food Network (and I'm not just saying that because I work there) and I would love to grab a beer with him. Well, he would have a beer I assume, but I would probably have a cosmo. ALRIGHT-- other than that, here we go. To start off, I went all out for this meal-- My main course was wild striped bass, with a roasted corn sauce, cockles, summer squash, and thyme with a side of asparagus... all things I love. It had been a rough week and I needed some me time and a splurge on my meal. I had met up with my friend Thea who also has a very picky palate, so I knew regardless of what I thought, I was in for a treat with her review as well. She chose to have the Filet Mignon, which came with a house made steak sauce, and an order of the cauliflower and goat cheese gratin (which the waitress highly recommended, deeming it the best side on the menu). We hit this meal home with banana, walnut, and hazelnut crepes with a clementine butter. Any time with Thea is a good time, so I would say we definitely left with good spirits. Here is how the night panned out:

What I liked: If you ever have a chance to peek inside Bar Americain, I suggest to do so as it is beautiful inside. Its very dimly lit, with warm lighting and unique lighting... it almost had a sort of fancy modern hotel feel, but I was okay with that. The service was great as well--  I get nervous going into some restaurants as a college student, as I have had experiences before where the waiters get quite snoody and stand-offish because they automatically think they won't tip you well or that you'll be obnoxious... yet our waitress was very helpful, nice and informative throughout our meal. As for the food, the bread they bring you is AWESOME-- some sort of cornbread with spice in it-- the cornbread was always warm coming out, and the spice was very subtle and gave you a peppery afterthought almost-- a good combination. I really loved the sauce the seabass was in, and the flavor of everything was quite good. Finally, the crepes for dessert were excellent. I wish I had gotten a picture. They were presented as three mini crepes surrounded by the clementine butter. I loved the butter as it gave the crepes a sweet yet savory touch that is unlike anything I've ever had before. I would definitely recommend them.

What I didn't like: Oh jeez here we go. If you are going to put your name on a restaurant, like Bobby Flay has with Bar Americain, I expect an almost unquestionable level of quality-- like the man himself is back there grilling up a steak for you. This may be naive of me to say, but in a restaurant where you are paying that much to eat such a caliber of food, the socks of every customer should be blown of by how good the food is. For me, this was not the case. Yes there were a few stand out items, but overall, I was sorely disappointed. The bass was fine, but the way it was prepared (skin side super crispy) made it difficult to cut and eat-- something I don't want to have to deal with. Maybe I just don't like the way it was prepared, I don't know. The fish was fine, but there was nothing that really blew my mind with it. Also, the menu advertised the "summer squash" as part of the dish, which was almost undiscoverable in my dish. The vegetable had been chopped so finely that I could barely taste it. I understand that there is an artistic quality to presenting the food, but if I can't taste part of the dish, it was a fruitless attempt. The cockles were cockles, very small, but overall couldn't complain about them I suppose. My side of asparagus was undercooked for my liking, and the green peppercorn sauce that came on them didn't do really do anything either way to help/hurt them. Overall, my main course, which is the most important part of the meal, was just kind of on an "eh" level. Thea also had some comments about her steak, which was extremely over charred on the outside (she asked for it medium or medium well I believe) and the "highly popular" cauliflower and goat cheese gratin left something to be desired. We both decided it would have done much better with some parmesean added to it and a bit more seasoning-- it was very bland for something that should have been so awesome. 

Overall Rating: 6 out of 10-- I mean I'm being a bit harsh on my critique, everything was okay, and was definitely better than a microwave meal. On a scale of tinos sandwiches, though, I would rather have the 6/7 #4's from tinos for the same price I paid for my one meal at Bar Americain. 

I suppose thats about it. Regardless of my opinion on the food, I still had a great time with a great friend. And we milked our approximately $130 paycheck for all it was worth, asking for more bread to take home, multiple boxes of matches, and filling out the survey in which they ask for your birthday (which I hope brings a discount to Bobby's restaurants?! maybe?!) The restaurant is convinient for theatre go-ers that are grabbing a bite before a show, but otherwise, I would say Bar Americain is over-priced and overrated. After reflecting on my splurge, I probably wouldn't go again and spend as much money for such a mediocre meal, which I'm really sad to say because, like I said before, I love Bobby Flay. I guess I'll just have to stick to Mesa Grill on Union Square.