Restaurant Review: Michael Symon's Bar Symon

Bar Symon
32858 Walker Road
Avon Lake, Ohio
Phone: 440-933-5652
Topping my list of things to do while in Cleveland was dining at Michael Symon's Bar Symon. Located only 15 minutes from my Dad's house, there was absolutely NO WAY that I was leaving Ohio without a visit to Bar Symon. It's not every day that you can dine at the restaurant of an Iron Chef.

Bar Symon is very welcoming, open, and airy with both indoor and outdoor seating. Due to the stifling heat, we chose to sit indoors. I quickly noticed that there was some 80's rock n roll playing and chuckled to myself. Clevelanders love their rock and roll and Michael Symon is no exception. The music added a great ambiance. Lucky for us, we had arrived just in time for Happy Hour, which is from 5-6:30 Monday through Friday.

Our waiter, who was very attentive, briefed us on the Happy Hour specials and then brought out the house bread and butter. The house bread was a very crusty bread, quite possibly a sourdough. I was so busy trying to decide on my entree that I forgot to ask. Whatever kind of bread it was, it was delicious! We gobbled it up in no time.

My husband ordered the Sriracha Wings ($5 during Happy Hour) for his appetizer. Let me just go ahead and say right now.....those damn sriracha wings were the very best chicken wings I've ever ate, hands down! I have no idea how they got them to be so tender, but the meat just fell right off the bone. The flavor of the sriracha was remarkable. I found I had to restrain myself from sucking on the chicken bone. The wings were probably the highlight of the meal, sounds crazy I know, but there were absolutely remarkable.

I chose the Pierogi appetizer ($5 during Happy Hour). The power of the pierogi lives on in Cleveland and chosing the pierogi appetizer was a "no brainer" for me. The pierogi appetizer was brought out in a cute little silver bowl with 3 pierogi, cabbage and a drizzling of stadium mustard sauce. I have mad love for both pierogi and mustard and was in total and complete pig heaven with this appetizer. The homemade pierogi were filled with potatoes and cheese and went so well with the mild flavored mustard sauce. Everything about the pierogi appetizer was so well balanced and flavorful. I enjoyed it more than words can say.

For his entree, my husband ordered one of the specials of the day, the grilled Rainbow Trout served with Grilled Rapini ($14). Seasoned with garlic, the trout was cooked to perfection and my husband found it to be both meaty and light at the same time. He thoroughly enjoyed it.

I also ordered one of the specials, the Smoked Pork Tacos w/ Tomatillo Salsa and Pickled Chiles ($14). When the plate arrived I did a double take. There were 3 huge pork tacos on the plate, each one brimming with smoked pork, tomatillo salsa, pickled chiles and cilantro. The meat was perfectly juicy and tender and I really loved the spicy heat of the pickled chiles. Those tacos were perfectly seasoned and packed with flavor. I didn't even touch the salt shaker.
(NOTE: The lighting where I was seated wasn't too great and the picture of the tacos really didn't do them justice, so I decided to leave it out).
My entree also came with my choice of side dishes and I chose the Jalapeno Creamed Corn. The creamed corn was flavored with jalapeno and was loaded down with cubes of pancetta. A very hearty portion for a side dish. I wish I would've had more room in my belly.

For dessert, my husband ordered the Warm Chocolate Cake with Cherry Compote and housemade Tahitian Vanilla Ice Cream ($5). The warm oozing chocolate cake contrasted beautifully with the cool vanilla ice cream. Upon first bite you could tell that the chocolate cake was made with dark chocolate which really contrasted with the sweet cherry compote. This was a luscious and perfectly balanced dessert which we would happily order again on a return trip.

I ordered the Beer and Pretzels dessert($5), which was recommend by the waiter. I'm sorry to say that the picture of this dessert did not turn out at all, but it was absolutely fantastic. The Beer and Pretzels dessert consisted of two scoops of Housemade Guiness Ice Cream, fudge and caramel sauce and was topped off with crushed pretzel rods. This dessert was fantastic! A perfect example of sweet and salty, creamy and crunchy. This is the kind of dessert that warrants a trip to Bar Symon all on it's own!
My husband noticed that they were offering autographed copies of Iron Chef Symon's new cookbook, Live to Cook, for $35, so he bought me one! It was the perfect ending to a perfect meal.

Dining at Bar Symon was sheer delight and I highly recommend it if you live in the area or happen to pass through. The food was bursting with BIG FLAVOR and everything was cooked to perfection. I thought the prices were more than reasonable and some were actually a downright value. We found the wait staff to be both helpful and attentive and loved the casual, yet upscale atmosphere. This is the kind of place where friends can meet over drinks and appetizers OR you can saddle up and have a terrific three course meal. Either way, you WILL NOT leave disappointed.

As for me, I'm already scheming a return visit!!

Pasta with Bacon and Breadcrumbs

You know how you arrive home from vacation to find that you have virtually nothing to eat? You're craving good home cooked food because you've been eating out A LOT and you don't feel like running to the store? This recipe is perfect for that situation. I almost always have pasta, bacon and breadcrumbs on hand. This was the perfect meal to make after a long ride in the car with two kids. It goes together quick, easy, pleases everyone and best of all IS NOT ROAD FOOD. Amen to that!

Pasta, bacon, toasted breadcrumbs, garlic and red pepper flakes.....does it get any better than that?

Pasta with Bacon and Breadcrumbs
Adapted from Mark Bittman's Kitchen Express
Boil salted water for pasta and cook it, reserving some of the cooking liquid. Meanwhile, cut bacon into small pieces and fry it in a bit of olive oil until just crisping; remove from the pan and add two or three minced garlic cloves to the pan; cook over fairly low heat, turning until just fragrant, a couple of minutes. Toss in a cup or so of breadcrumbs and a pinch of red pepper flakes; cook, stirring, until the breadcrumbs turn golden (they go fast). Toss the pasta and the breadcrumb mixture along with the bacon and a little of the reserved liquid. Top with some more olive oil and a bit of chopped parsley or basil.

Notes/Results: We cooked one pound of whole wheat rotini with one pound of sliced bacon. It ended up being a good pasta to bacon ratio. I would definitely double the garlic and sprinkle in quite a bit of red pepper flakes next time. The pasta was great and disappeared in one setting!

This is my submission to this week's Better With Bacon theme over at IHCC!

I'll be skipping the Popsicle of the Week feature this Monday so that I can post about my trip to Michael Symon's Bar Symon. My husband and I were able to go without the children and had a wonderful time!

Poppee's Popcorn North Ridgeville, Ohio

Poppee’s Popcorn, Inc.
38727 Taylor Parkway
North Ridgeville, Ohio 44039
Phone (800)452-3235
Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 5:00pm EST

We just got back from our week long vacation up in northern Ohio. We had a lot of fun visiting with my Dad and childhood friends. We also had time for a lot of other fun things: Cedar Point Amusement Park, Cleveland's West Side Market, dinner at Michael Symon's Bar Symon, and lots 4th of July fireworks and celebrations. There are always a million things I want to do when I go back for a visit. One of our family traditions is to go to Poppee's Popcorn, aka Jenny's Popcorn, in North Ridgeville, Ohio.

I first discovered Poppee's Popcorn while on my way to work years ago. Poppee's was located right by my office, where I used to go to work every morning. Back then I always rode with my windows down and every morning I would drive by and smell the sweet scent of caramel corn wafting from their popcorn factory. One day I decided that I had enough of "just smelling" the popcorn and I decided to go in and see what they had to offer.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I walked into Poppee's, but what I found tickled me to death. Poppee's sold HUGE 5 pound bags of their popcorn!! I had never seen such a huge bag of popcorn and I had to buy one, if only for a joke. That 5 pound bag of popcorn is ABSOLUTELY HUGE! No matter who you are, you have to laugh when you see it. It is at least 3 feet tall and about a foot wide. In fact, the entire bag is just about as big as my nine year old daughter.

To make a long story short, the very first 5 pound bag of popcorn was a HUGE HIT and everyone requested another and another. We've been buying those 5 pound bags of Poppee's Popcorn for the past ten years and it has become a big family tradition. Not only is it a fun thing to buy, it is economical ($7 for 5 pounds), and it's delicious.

We always pack the car a special way so that we have enough room to bring back 2 five-pound bags with us to Kentucky (my in-law's request a bag too)! This time around we got 2 five-pound bags and a pound of cheese corn. I highly recommend Poppee's if you live in the area or even if you are passing through. The kids go absolutely crazy for it and adults like it too. Either way, I couldn't resist sharing the picture of all that crazy good popcorn goodness!

Can't wait to get back into the kitchen and catch up on all my blog reading! Looks like you all have been making some great things.

Hippie Rice Salad

I saw this recipe in Mark Bittman's How To Cook Everything Vegetarian and it tickled me. Hippie Rice Salad. It caught my eye for a few reasons. The first being that it was a healthy recipe, the second being that it reminded me of my parents. When my parents were first married, they lived in a renovated school bus which they parked on a farm on Maryland's Eastern Shore. The picture below was taken on my parent's wedding day. My Dad was carrying my Mom over the threshold of the school bus, which was home to them.

As a young couple, their alternative lifestyle was lots of fun for them. They parked their school bus on a farm with an old farmhouse, where several other couples lived. From what I hear, they had the time of their lives. They all lived on the farm for a couple years. Once the babies came, people starting going their own ways. My parents sold the school bus, left Maryland, moved to Ohio, and had me!

My parents gave up a lot of their old lifestyle in order to start a family, BUT healthy food was still a big part of their life. We never ate processed food and we rarely ate out. Although my parents continued to eat meat, vegetables were king. We snacked on them all the time. One of our favorite all-time snacks were green onions. We used to go through bunches of green onions, dipping them in a little salt and eating them on their own. It sounds funny to me now, but they really tasted great that way and I still love them today.

This healthy eating made me rather naive about the world around me. When I started school, I discovered Spaghettio's, Ho-Ho's, Cheese Crackers, juice boxes and all kinds of other processed junk. I had no idea what any of it was, but I learned quickly. Naturally, I wanted what all the other children had and relentlessly begged my Mom for all sorts of treats. Every once in awhile she would cave in and buy it for me, but for the most part, she stood her ground.

Here's to my parents for sticking with it over the years, teaching me how to eat real, wholesome food. This Hippie Rice Salad is something that I know they would like (and it even has green onions)!!

Hippie Rice Salad
Adapted from How To Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman
3-4 cups cooked brown rice, cooled
1/4 cup chopped scallion (green onion)
1 small or 1/2 large red or yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
1 cup cooked and shocked broccoli florets
1/4 cup toasted sunflower seeds
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 to 1/2 cup Vinaigrette (recipe directly below)
Red Wine Vinaigrette:
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons good wine vinegar, or more to taste
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large shallot, cut into chunks (optional)
Combine all the ingredients except the shallot in a blender and turn the machine on; a creamy emulsion will form within 30 seconds. Taste and add more vinegar a teaspoon or two at a time until the balance tastes right to you. Add the shallot and turn the machine on and off a few times until the shallot is minced within the dressing. Taste, adjust the seasoning; and serve.
To make the Hippie Rice Salad:
Put the rice and all the vegetables in a large bowl. Drizzle with vinaigrette and use 2 big forks to combine, fluffing the rice and tossing gently to separate the grains. Add salt and pepper, taste, adjust if necessary. You may want to add in more vinaigrette if necessary. Right before serving, sprinkle the sunflower seeds over the top and serve at room temperature.

Notes/Results: This is a terrific recipe and holds very well at room temperature, making it perfect for picnic baskets, this week's theme at IHCC! I found some gorgeous orange bell peppers at the market and decided to serve my rice salad in the bell pepper cups. It was delicious. Everyone enjoyed the slight nutty crunch from the sunflower seeds. Hippie Rice Salad was a total hit! I would definitely make it again.



I am submitting this Hippie Rice Salad to my friend Deb at Kahakai Kitchen for her weekly Souper Sundays roundup. I am also submitting this recipe to I Heart Cooking Clubs in honor of this week's Picnic Basket theme.

My family and I will be leaving for Ohio tomorrow morning to visit with my Dad and some of my old friends. I'll be back in about a week!! I hope everyone who is celebrating the 4th of July weekend has a safe and happy time!!

Popsicle of the Week: Sour Plum

Introducing my favorite popsicle yet: Sour Plum! Who knew? I'll be the first to say that I am not a self-confessed plum lover. I like them, but I don't love them. However, I do love anything sour and these popsicles fit the bill perfectly. I was lucky enough to find some little, underripe red plums at the Farmer's Market this past weekend. The little plums were just a tad bit bigger than a cherry, very cute.

I bought a container of the sour plums, just under 1-1/2 pounds for $6. These popsicles were going to be some of the more expensive ones, but I knew that I had to snatch up those plums. I knew that I wasn't likely to find them again. I'm so glad that I did as these are my favorite new popsicles. If you happen across some little baby plums, definitely gather them up and make these popsicles.

Sour Plum Popsicles
Adapted from Ice Pops by Shelly Kaldunski
Makes about 9 popsicles in the Zoku Quick Pop Maker
1-1/2 pounds underripe red plums (do not peel, skin is the tartest part)
1/3 cup superfine sugar
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
pinch of salt
Cut the plums in half and remove the pits. Place the plums in a blender or food processor. Add the sugar, lemon juice, and salt. Process until the mixture is completely smooth.

If using conventional molds, divide the mixture among the molds. Cover and freeze at least 4 hours. If using sticks, insert them into the molds when the pops are partially frozen, after about an hour, then continue to freeze until solid, at least 3 more hours.

If using an instant pop maker (such as the Zoku) follow manufacturer's instructions.

Notes/Results: Wow! These popsicles are sour, sour, sour...almost like those little sour candies that you buy in the store. They had a very soft almost creamy texture and I loved them. If you love sour things, this is the popsicle for you! I did alter the recipe from what was in my book. The recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of lemon juice but I found that it wasn't enough and ended up using 1/3 cup lemon juice, which suited my taste. The recipe also calls for you to add in 1/3 cup water and I left it out. I didn't want to water the popsicles down.


I am submitting this to Two for Tuesdays!

Also, one of my very favorite local joints, Wallace Station in Versailles, KY, will be featured on Diners, Drive-In's and Dives tonight at 10pmEST on Food Network. I featured a post on them which you can find HERE. It is a very charming place, with lots of character and terrific food featuring local ingredients. Can't wait to see it on TV tonight!!

Green Bean Salad with Charred Onions

Every summer, my Mom plants green beans and we eat them like crazy all through the month of June. Last week was the third picking and we were looking for a new way to serve them up. I decided to get out Mario Batali's new book, Molto Gusto, and quickly found a great recipe for a green bean salad that can be served either warm or at room temperature.

Mario's green bean salad begins with blanching the green beans and then adding them to a dry skillet with charred onions. Once the beans and the charred onions are mixed, they are dressed with a dressing made from balsamic vinegar, orange juice, and extra virgin olive oil. Mario says the salad is best served if the beans are allowed to stand in the dressing for at least 10 minutes and I definitely agree. This green beans grew even more flavorful as they were allowed to soak up some of the tangy, orange-flavored dressing.

Green Beans with Charred Onions
Adapted from Mario Batali's Molto Gusto
Serves 6
Kosher salt
1 pound young green beans or haricots verts
2 medium sweet onions, such as Vidalia or Walla Walla
1-1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1-1/2 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Maldon or other flaky sea salt
Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot and add 2 tablespoons kosher salt. Add the beans and blanch until crisp-tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain in a colander and cool under running water; drain well.

Halve the onions lengthwise and trim off the ends. Cut lengthwise into 1/2 inch wide slices. Heat a dry 12-inch saute pan over medium-high heat until very hot. Add the onions and saute until charred in spots but still crunchy, 4-6 minutes. During the last minute or so, add the beans, stirring and tossing to warm them through. Transfer the beans and onions to a large bowl.

Whisk the balsamic vinegar, orange juice, and oil together in a small bowl. Pour over the beans and onions, tossing to coat. Let stand for at least 10 minutes, or up to 1 hour, before serving.

Sprinkle the beans with Maldon salt and serve.


This is my submission to Souper Sundays. A weekly roundup of soups, salads and sandwiches. Click HERE to view today's roundup!

This is also my submission to Reeni's monthly Side Dish Showdown.

Angel Food Cake with Coconut Ice Cream and Mango Sauce

This week at I Heart Cooking Clubs the theme is Summer Lovin'. What better way to celebrate summer than with ice cream, right? I've been eyeballing Bittman's recipe for Coconut Ice Cream for a long time and thought this was the perfect chance to make it. When I was through making the ice cream I had 6 leftover egg whites and thought it would make a great start for an Angel Food Cake. Feeling on a roll, I went ahead and researched Bittman's sauces and decided to go ahead and make a Mango Sauce. I ended up with a very summery, tropical dessert that was light and delicious!

The coconut ice cream was made with both heavy cream and coconut milk. It was a very thick and creamy custard-based ice cream with little shreds of toasted coconut running through it. I kept wanting to dress it up and turn it into a fancy ice cream sundae, but it was best served on it's own with more toasted coconut on top. I enjoyed the ice cream, but my favorite of all three recipes was the Angel Food Cake and the Mango Sauce.
Coconut Ice Cream
Adapted from HTCE by Mark Bittman
2 cups cream, milk or half and half
1/2 cup sugar
6 egg yolks
1/2 cup dried unsweetened shredded coconut, toasted in dry skillet until lightly browned if you like
1 cup canned or fresh coconut milk
Place the cream and 1/4 cup sugar in a heavy medium saucepan. Heat, stirring occasionally, until steam arises from the cream.

Using a whisk or electric mixer, beat 1/4 cup sugar with the egg yolks until light yellow and thick, 2 to 4 minutes. Beat 1/2 cup hot cream into this, then gradually stir this mixture into the saucepan with the remaining cream. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring almost constantly, until the mixture reaches 175 to 180F, or is slightly thickened; do not boil. (There will be a thick coating on the back of a spoon, one that will hold the outline of your finger after you pass it through).

Stir in the coconut and coconut milk. Pour into a covered container. Chill to 40F (you can hasten this process by setting the bowl in a large bowl filled with a mixture of ice and water; stir occasionally), then churn in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's directions. Serve immediately or freeze; use within 2 days, "warming" in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes before serving.


Let's talk about Angel Food Cake for a minute. Do you love it like I do? I find it so irresistibly light, delicate, and sweet. You can eat it on it's own, which is perfectly delicious or you can pair it with almost anything. You can even serve it toasted. What a wonderfully versatile dessert!

Bittman's recipe calls for cake flour, which I can almost never find. Did you know that with a little work you can make your own cake flour? For every cup of cake flour needed: Sift one cup of all-purpose flour twice. Remove 2 tablespoons of the a/p flour and add in 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. The cornstarch has to be incorporated extremely well. The final mixture of a/p flour and cornstarch will need to be sifted at least five times. It was a little bit of a process, but I found it much easier than running all over town for cake flour.
Angel Food Cake
Adapted from HTCE by Mark Bittman
1 cup (about 4.5 ozs) cake flour, sifted
1 - 1/2 cups sugar
9 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Preheat oven to 325F. Sift together the flour and 1/2 cup of the sugar.

Beat the egg whites until foamy. Add the salt and cream of tartar and continue to beat until they hold soft peaks; the tops of the whites should droop a little bit when you remove the beaters. Beat in the remaining sugar and vanilla and almond extracts and continue to beat until the peaks become a little stiffer.

Gradually and gently fold in the flour mixture, using a rubber spatula or your hand. Turn the batter into an ungreased 9- or 10- inch tube pan (not one with ridged sides) and bake 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the cake is firm, resilient, and nicely browned.

Invert the cake onto a rack and let cool for about an hour. Cut carefully around the sides of the cake and remove. Cool completely around the sides of the cake and remove. Cool completely before slicing with a serrated knife or pulling apart with two forks. Angel Food Cake is best the day it is made; it becomes stale quickly (although is wonderful toasted).


I saved the best part of this dessert for last....the Mango Sauce. The Mango Sauce is perfectly delicious. Absolutely wonderful. I super duper highly recommend it!! It was great with the Angel Food Cake.
Mango Sauce
Adapted from HTCE by Mark Bittman
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups mango, pitted, peeled and diced
Combine the water, sugar and butter in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan and cook over medium-high heat, shaking and stirring, until the mixture is thick and syrupy but not browned.

Toss in the fruit and cook over low heat until the fruit begins to break up and release its juices, about 4-5 minutes, possibly longer. (You may required a little more water). Serve warm or at room temperature. This sauce keeps well, refrigerated, for up to a week.

Notes/Results: Each of these components were great on their own, but paired together they made a wonderful tropical dessert. I enjoyed the ice cream, but was really impressed with the Angel Food Cake and especially impressed with the Mango Sauce. I will definitely make the cake and the Mango Sauce again. I left my Mango Sauce chunky, but it would also be just as tasty and probably more visually appealing if pureed into a smooth sauce.