So remember that horrendous trip to Cleveland? There were two shining moments in the whole snowy mess--my lunch and dinner appointments that day. Thankfully they went well; that was, after all, the reason I was in Cleveland.
Initially, I was going to drive to western PA for a meeting, but the person I was to meet called and said he would be happy to meet me. Thank goodness, otherwise, I would have been found on the side of 80 in a snow bank. Since he was driving to meet me and was getting off at noon, he couldn't arrive before 2:00 for our lunch. No problem, I said and proceeded to polish off the commercial coffee pot that was full earlier that morning (you know the ones with the lever that you press on the top) just to pass the time. The morning proved to be ample opportunity to search for an appropriate place to lunch. It was more difficult than I initially thought it would be, because so many places close between lunch and dinner. I needed a nice place that was nice and that served food for those random people who want to eat a meal at 3:00.
I found a place called L'Albatros that looked awesome. Zack Bruell is the head chef there in addition to three other restaurants in Cleveland. L'A has a fairly Italian perspective, so I chose Table 45, on of Bruell's other restaurants in the area because of it's global fare.
We arrived and the restaurant was dead...I mean there was probably a game of yatzee going on in the back among the bored servers. The decor was very modern, but not so modern that it felt cold. The tables had pine-colored tops and dark placemats; aside from this, there was very little contrast to the sleek lines, brown chairs that look like they are from the 60s or 70s, and frosted glass. Check out the pictures. We sat at a table near the window and had a view of a snow-covered square. Some would have enjoyed the view; it, however, was a constant reminder that I had packed inadequately (I did check the weather and nowhere did it mention over eight inches of snow) and that I could very well be stuck in Cleveland.
We had to take a moment of silence to decide what we wanted to order; otherwise, the menus would have remained closed and we never would have eaten. Weirdly enough, we each decided to order a soup and a fish dish.
I gravitated toward the sweet potato soup, despite the fact that it included curry in the title. I'm not normally a fan of anything curry, because I think it tastes the way a new car smells. I was feeling adventurous (or ravenously hungry, since it was mid-afternoon) this particular time and ordered it despite its curry-ness. The soup was good. Good, not great. My mother spoiled me as a kid and whenever we had anything with sweet potatoes, she removed the strings. It was very simple, all you have to do is run the beater through the cooked sweet potatoes, and the strings will get stick on the metal prongs. Simple. Takes maximum five minutes. This soup did not have the strings removed, and that bothered me. Aside form that, the soup was good...curry and all. The other soup, which was the daily special, was a thin, cream-based onion soup garnished with chives, and they both enjoyed it. I have to admit, I did not expect a white onion soup.
I ordered the salmon which was cooked perfectly. The outside was seared and crispy, and that seared all of the juices in the fish. It was served alongside a tempura futomaki roll and boiled bok choy. There was a side of "spicy aoli" that I thought could have been spicier. The other fish ordered was the mahi mahi with a veracruz sauce--like a tomato, olive, caper stew--and asparagus. Everything was delicious; I don't think you will go wrong with anything from this restaurant, or I dare say, any of Bruell's others.
Since I don't have pictures from this trip and the ones linked above are copywrited, I will decorate this blog with a few stories from the meal and trip to/from the restaurant.
1) The man I met was a doctor. And he loves being a doctor. He was a bit late to pick me up, because he had a procedure that ran late. You're probably asking what type of procedure. It was your standard polyp removal, as it was particularly large and required a bit more time.
I have asked doctors how do they separate themselves from the blood and the guts and he sees it as a job, a process...just as you are able to sort your files without getting queasy. Well, he doesn't quite understand that not everyone can disconnect themselves from the gory thoughts. Fortunately, I have a strong stomach and was able to handle the description of the procedure and allllll of the details...at the table! He even took pictures and offered to show them to me. After lunch and more GI talk, he dropped my off at the bed and breakfast and hopped out of the car. As I was walking toward the sidewalk, he opened the back of the SUV and said, "Wait, you have to see the pictures!"
2) After lunch and several waters, I went to the restroom while the valet was bringing the car; when I came out, the Dr. was nowhere to be found! I saw him just a few minutes later, and he had a small bag from the gift shop in his hand. In the car he passed it to me, and I opened it to find a shot glass adorned with the Cleveland skyline. Did I mention this was a work lunch date? Shot glass, really?
I also received a box of chocolates from the world's largest chocolate store and an antique vase.
3) Finally, we were leaving the restaurant, and he had accidentally clicked his home address in the GPS, so we were riding around the wrong side of the tracks for ten minutes, before he realized the destination was two hours away--the B&B was only 2.5 miles from lunch.
Hope you enjoyed the potpourri from lunch, and if you ever find yourself in Cleveland, go to Table 45.
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