Molly Woo's Asian Bistro

Molly Woo’s Asian Bistro
Polaris Fashion Place
1500 Polaris Parkway
Columbus, OH 43240
http://www.mollywoos.com/

Molly Woo's is one of the exquisite dining concepts owned by Columbus based Cameron Mitchell Restaurants. It is an Asian Bistro attached to the Polaris Fashion Place Mall in Columbus, OH. Cameron Mitchell offers a variety of upscale restaurants specializing in Asian and Italian cuisines, as well as steak and seafood. Visit the Cameron Mitchell website to learn what makes each of their concepts unique and how much emphasis they place on quality food and excellent service.

Now onto my experience at Molly Woo’s…

Let’s talk about atmosphere for a minute. The surrounding definitely sets the mood for your dining experience. When you enter a nice restaurant, you expect a nice atmosphere. How about walking into a room that has red lanterns hanging from the very high ceiling in all different sizes and amazing Asian artifacts decorating the walls? That is what you’ll see when you walk into Molly Woo’s and it really makes for a grand welcoming when entering their large dining room.

Now let’s talk about service. When you sit down in a nice restaurant, you expect to be taken care of in a respectful and efficient manner. Our servers name was Melanie and she couldn’t have been any sweeter. She was very attentive to our table and extremely patient and helpful to me when I was having a tough time deciding what to order. Since we had never been there before, she took the time to explain the menu and how we could change most of the dishes to our liking if we didn’t want all of the ingredients or if we wanted the heat of the spiciness toned down. The manager also stopped by at one point to let us know that the ribs we ordered as an appetizer were not cooked to the chef’s liking and since it would take another hour to prepare, he generously offered us another choice at no charge. This is definitely a place that goes above and beyond to make sure you have the best dining experience possible.

Finally, let’s talk about the food. Absolutely delicious!! My son and his friend ordered the Firecracker Chicken, which is a wonderful, tasty blend of crispy fried chicken and shredded carrots in a sweet Thai Chili Sauce. My son’s friend does not like carrots, so they were happy to leave them out. The Thai Chili Sauce had just the right combination of spicy and sweet and both boys loved it.

After going back and forth between several of the dishes that caught my attention, I decided on the Pineapple Curry Shrimp. This sweet and spicy concoction is made up of spicy wok seared shrimp, pineapple, green peppers, onions and tomatoes smothered in a coconut curry sauce. Have you ever eaten something so delicious that you don’t want to put your fork down? This was one of those times for me. The sweetness from the pineapple and coconut milk mixed with the spiciness of the curry really blended well together.

Needless to say, we thoroughly enjoyed our dinner at Molly Woo’s and are likely to return for another tasty meal. Maybe I’ll try their sushi next time…

The South Side (Tremont Restaurant)

The South Side
2207 W. 11th St.
Cleveland, OH (Tremont neighborhood)
http://www.southsidecleveland.com/

I am pleased to introduce the first 'Guest' post to my blog. Thank you to my brother for providing the following restaurant review. Sounds like a great place to visit and enjoy a relaxing meal on a sunny afternoon. Please enjoy!!

We’ve never been to The South Side in Tremont, but it turned out to be an enjoyable casual dining experience overall. After checking out the full menu on their website, we made our way down there on a sunny Friday afternoon to take advantage of the outdoor patio. There was plenty of on-street parking, which is no big surprise for one o’clock in Tremont, and we found a nice spot under a shady tree in front of a house where a local artist was working on his latest sculpture on the porch. Dining in Tremont is only partially about the dining, after all.

The entrance to the three-story brick building on W. 11th seems a little dark and overgrown, but once you cross the front door, you’ll see a long, modern barroom with about a half-dozen tall, wooden tables along the opposite wall from the bar. The décor is bare brick, stone, and wood, with the curvy, marble bar as the centerpiece of the room. To the left is the main dining area/indoor patio, another room highlighting the restaurant’s natural décor. There are another 8-10 lower wooden tables and a fireplace for those colder days. From the indoor patio, a set of wide glass doors opens to the outdoor patio that takes up the corner of W. 11th and Fairfield. Outside, there are another 10 or so large wooden tables, some with umbrellas, that are secluded by large bushes outside of a tall, black, iron fence. During our lunch, a local resident said “hello” to the server and nearby patrons, claiming not to be “peeping, just passing by.” So, there is some privacy, but it doesn’t completely exclude the color and uniqueness of the neighborhood. The outdoor patio is decorated on one wall with a large Scott Radke mural, a former local artist whose work is ubiquitous in Tremont (and around town). The two-sided fireplace also opens to the outdoor part of the patio. It’s a nice, open area for a laid-back lunch or evening out.

For our meal, we started with a couple of drafts, Blue Moon and Dortmunder, from their fair list of beers on tap. They have the usual line-up of Great Lakes local favorites, plus a few other craft beers and domestics. They have a decent-sized full menu, but we ate kind of light since it was lunchtime. I won’t bore you with the details since you can just check it out here: South Side Menu, but suffice it to say that there’s something for just about everyone. An appetizer of fried mozzarella “moons” was a pretty satisfying way to start the meal. Three lightly-breaded and tastefully-seasoned half-circles of quarter-inch thick slabs of cheese were accompanied with a slightly sharp marinara and fresh greens. It was just enough to take the edge off of our hunger before our main dishes arrived. For the main course, I had the “homemade black bean veggie burger” and my dining companion had the “capresa sandwich.” The burger was about an inch-thick patty of mashed black beans, corn, peppers, and other veggies. It came on a large roll with tomato, lettuce, and onion with a side of fresh-made fries. As a vegetarian, I’ve tried different restaurants’ takes on the “veggie burger,” and this was one of the better ones. It certainly was homemade as claimed (many of them are not) and was not ruined by overseasoning or too many conflicting vegetable flavors, which can be the case with a lot of restaurants’ veggie burgers. It also held together pretty well for such a large burger, again not the case with some others. The fries were pretty good being fresh cut, but there were a couple that could have spent another few seconds in the fryer. On the other side of the table, they served up a “capresa sandwich” which is a version of the popular Italian caprese, fresh mozzarella with olive oil, fresh tomato, and basil on a salty roll. The South Side’s featured ciabatta bread, fresh balsamic greens, and roasted tomatoes and was piled generously with the fresh mozz. The portion was good-sized, and there were no complaints about the taste. A side of newly-cut potato chips accompanied the sandwich, and although they were crisp and relatively light, they could have had a little more flavor. Overall, the food was tasty, filling, and made with quality ingredients—definitely an enjoyable bistro dining experience.

The service and prices were also in line with bistro dining. The service was casual, but attentive, and while the appetizers could have come sooner, there was never a wait for a refill or the main dishes. The wait staff was pleasant and agreeable overall. The prices, as well, were fair and what you’d expect for patio dining in Tremont. Our meals and a couple of cold ones didn’t run more than $35, plus there’s never a cost for parking. Besides that, you can’t really put a cost on a lazy, summer, Friday afternoon lunch in the open air of artsy, quirky Tremont. If you’re not expecting “fine dining,” check this place out—it’s a great casual place to grab a beer and a quality meal that won’t break the bank.

Triple Chocolaty Goodness!!

First, let me just say, anything with ‘Triple Chocolate’ has got to be good!! This cookie will melt in your mouth and have you begging for more. The cookie I’m referring to is Ellie Krieger’s ‘Triple Chocolate Cookie’. She has a show on the Food Network called ‘Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger’. She’s a registered dietitian and her show focuses on making healthy meals. All of her recipes include nutritional information too, just in case you’re watching those calories. I’ve tried a few of her other recipes and they’re pretty tasty too. Her ‘Honey Roasted Sweet Potatoes’ are scrumptious. Be sure to check her out on the Food Network.

Now back to the cookie. I was overwhelmed with the incredible taste of this simple dessert. I can’t believe something this sweet and chocolaty is actually good for you, in moderation of course. I’m sure if I ate an entire plateful I wouldn’t be feeling too great. The amount of chocolate that’s in your mouth with every bite is amazing. There’s cocoa powder in the dough and a mixture of dark and milk chocolate pieces in the cookie. I used Dove dark miniatures and semi-sweet morsels because that’s what I had on hand. I also omitted the pecans the recipe called for.




It’s healthy for you too, as it’s made with canola oil, which is low in saturated fat and a combination of whole-wheat flour and white flour. Whole-wheat flour has fewer calories and carbohydrates than white flour, and it contains five times the fiber, twice the calcium, and 25 percent more protein than white flour. (Source: howstuffworks)

I have to say, the best part of eating any chocolate chip cookie is having one right out of the oven when they’re hot and gooey and the chocolate melts all over the place. I’ll even throw them in the microwave throughout the week to get that fresh out of the oven experience.

This cookie is definitely a winner and I would recommend it for any occasion and any age group. My 16-year-old son loves them as much as I do.

It's Aladdin…Without the Genie!

Aladdin’s Eatery
Cleveland, OH
www.aladdinseatery.com

If you’re from Ohio, you may very well have heard of Aladdin’s Eatery and may have even eaten there. With 15 locations scattered throughout the state from Cleveland down to Cincinnati, you can enjoy their wonderful Middle Eastern cuisine in most of the major cities. But Aladdin’s isn’t just in Ohio. There are also locations in Chicago, Charlotte, San Antonio, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

They focus on fresh, healthy and affordable meals in a comfortable atmosphere. Catering to vegetarians and meat-eaters alike, they’re sure to offer something everyone will like. You can eat in their relaxing dining room or carry-out if you’re in a hurry. They even offer party trays for any occasion.

The menu here is so extravagant, that unless you have a favorite dish in mind, you will need time to decide which one to try. You will be tempted by homemade Fruit & Vegetable Smoothies, Hummos, Falaffel, Tabouli, Sfiha, Fatayer, Rolled Pitas, Salads, Pitzas and much, much more of their Middle Eastern fare. That’s not all…be sure to leave room for dessert! You will be equally tempted by their dessert case that draws you in from the moment you walk in the door. You would expect maybe Baklava at a Lebanese restaurant, but you may not be prepared to choose from a wide selection of cakes and cheesecakes. And these aren’t your traditional size cakes and cheesecakes; they are the biggest cakes and cheesecakes you have ever seen!! They offer at any given time a variety of flavors out of 26 different cakes and 28 cheesecakes, but usually don’t have them all available at the same time. All I can say is be ready to eat!! It’s at least a 3-course meal kind of place with appetizer, meal and dessert. You want to try as much as possible.

I would say that I frequent Aladdin’s maybe two or three times a year. The food is so good and so reasonably priced; it’s a great place to dine at for lunch or dinner. And there’s usually one close no matter which side of town I’m on in Cleveland. We always have to get Falaffel in some form, whether it’s in an appetizer, a rolled pita or pita pocket. These delectable, mildly spicy patties of chick peas, fava beans, parsley and scallions are deep fried in peanut oil until they are at the perfect level of crispness. Served with a Tahini Yogurt sauce and various vegetables depending on which dish you get, they are absolutely wonderful. I personally love to eat them with a piece of tomato and some Tahini. That is the perfect bite of Falaffel in my mind!! The spiciness of the falaffel, the coolness of the tomato and the tanginess of the Tahini makes my taste buds very happy!!

We also enjoy the Hummos, which is a puree of chickpeas, tahini and lemon with the addition of some spices and a drizzle of olive oil. This is served with warm pita bread for dipping. It is a great beginning to any dinner here.

Finally, I have to tell you about their desserts. This time we tried a checkerboard cake of white and chocolate cake with peanut butter mousse and chocolate mousse layered in between. They also garnished it with crushed peanuts on the outside. This was very good, but I think my favorite of the ones I’ve tried is the Chocolate Bomb cake. This is a chocolate lovers dream cake, from the inside out. You have to try it. They also have these little individual truffle cakes about the size of a baseball that appear to be very tasty. I’ll have to try one of those another time!!

So next time you’re sitting around waiting for a Genie to appear to grant you a wish, think about going to Aladdin’s for a wonderful meal of authentic Middle Eastern food and it will make you happy…even if you’re wish doesn’t come true!!

Emmmm-panada!!

I have never made empanadas before, but I will definitely make them again. These crescent-shaped delectable pillows of dough can be filled with a variety of ingredients like chicken, turkey or pork added with beans, cheese, vegetables or whatever you like, there’s sure to be at least one that appeals to your taste. There are even dessert empanadas like Tyler Florence’s Chocolate-Banana creation. This one’s going on my list of ‘Recipes I Need to Try’! Warm chocolate and bananas encased in a pastry shell?! Just think about digging into that and how wonderful it would taste?! My mouth is watering just thinking about it!!

Anyway…I digress!!

The recipe I chose (this time) is courtesy of Paula Deen which can be found on the Food Network website. (BTW…I am a Food Network junkie, so many of the recipes I write about will be from one of its shows. However, I promise to make a point of expanding my horizons and trying recipes outside of the Food Network collection too.) These Cheesiest Fried Chicken Empanadas are extremely easy to make and delightfully tasty. I chose this one especially for my 16-year-old son, because he loves cheese and it is just oozing with the stuff. Imagine a mixture of chicken, Colby & Monterey Jack cheeses, jalapeno, salt, pepper and cumin all held together by a little bit of cream cheese, then deep fried inside a pastry crust. Wow!! I think my new favorite seasoning is cumin. I’ve used it before in a vegetarian chili mixed with other spices, but having it as the sole spice in this dish was fantastic. It has such a distinct taste. My son couldn’t stop raving about the flavor.
Now it’s not the healthiest feast in the world, as it is deep fried in oil and the recipe calls for a Chili Con Queso Dip. But you can certainly bake them instead and omit the dip, as I did. You will seriously be happy with this recipe with or without the dip.

I invite you to share your favorite empanada recipe in the comments section of this post. (….and it doesn’t have to be off the Food Network website either!!)

Adios!!

It's BBQ Time!

Welcome to my first ‘Morselicious’ Recipe Challenge!

Challengers:

Michael Chiarello’s Babyback Ribs with Espresso Barbecue Sauce

Vs.

Paula Deen’s Baby Back Racks with Bourbon Barbecue Sauce

The purpose of my ‘Recipe Challenges’ will be to pit two or three recipes against each other that are similar dishes with varying ingredients. I will only choose recipes that have received rave reviews or that I deem worthy so that I am providing you with the best of the best.

Warning: this blog post may cause severe mouth watering and have you sitting in a pool of your own drool by the time you’re done reading it! So grab your buckets and towels and let’s go!

The two recipes I have chosen for this challenge are from two famous Food TV Network Chefs and both of these recipes received 5 stars from viewers who have tried them and posted their remarks on http://www.foodnetwork.com/. You can click on each recipe title above to link to the recipes and reviews.

First let me say that both sauces were AMAZING, but for very different reasons. Michael Chiarello’s ribs really packed a punch of flavor! From the liberal seasonings of salt and pepper right before you bake them to the drenching of the Espresso Barbecue Sauce as you’re grilling them. This sauce is insane! The ingredients include mashed & minced garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, cider vinegar, soy sauce, ketchup, honey and espresso. As you can tell, this guy’s not playing around. If you like a tangy, robust, rugged flavor on your ribs, this is an in your face taste that just doesn’t quit! Check out Michael Chiarello on the Food Network website and see what other recipes he takes to the next level.

Next in the ring, we have the sweet and sassy Paula Deen with her Baby Back Racks smothered in Bourbon Barbecue Sauce. You can also use dark beer instead of Bourbon, which is what I opted for. These ribs were so tender and juicy, they almost melt in your mouth like ‘Butter’! Right Paula?! Unlike Michael’s, you baste these ribs with a coating of sauce before baking them in the oven and you also cover the baking dish in foil to keep the ribs moist while they’re cooking. Once they’re ready for the grill, it’s time to get out of control with the sauce and show those ribs whose boss!! This sauce has so many great flavors in it with steak sauce, bourbon or good dark beer, Worcestershire sauce, dark brown sugar, regular or grainy Dijon mustard and red pepper flakes. This sauce had just the right amount of sweetness with the other bold and spicy flavors balancing it out. It was almost like you could taste each individual ingredient at the same time. Can you imagine the party going on in your mouth?! It was a bit milder than Michael’s, but just as good. After all, what do you expect from a sweet, southern bell but a sweet, flavorful sauce. You’re going to love checking out more of Paula Deen's recipes.

So who's the winner?! I think it's all a matter of preference. I would make either one again. Why don't you give them a try and decide which one you like best!!

Jicama - That’s ‘Hee – cama’!!

Many of you are probably uttering, “what the heck is ‘Jicama’?” That’s exactly what I heard at our office Cinco de Mayo party last month when I presented a salad with this unfamiliar ingredient in it. To everyone’s surprise, they seemed to like it. The texture and crunch was compared to that of an apple, or pear or water chestnut. The taste is light and has a subtle sweetness to it.

The Jicama is a vegetable grown in Latin America or Mexico. It is the color of a potato and has the shape of a turnip. In fact, it’s often referred to as a ‘Mexican Potato’, a ‘Mexican Turnip’ or ‘Mexican Yam Bean’. You have to cut the skin off to eat it, which is sort of a pain. However, once you reveal the edible white vegetable inside, it’s very easy to chop up any way you like.

In addition to this vegetable being a delightful snack to munch on or add to some of your favorite recipes, it’s very healthy for you (as most vegetables are)! It has a ton of Vitamin C, low sodium and absolutely no fat. A one cup serving is only 45 calories. That’s an entire cup!! Yea!!

The recipe I used Jicama in was one I found on www.foodnetwork.com, courtesy of Ingrid Hoffman who hosts a show on the Food Network called Simply Delicioso. And boy was this salad ‘Delicioso’!! It’s a ‘Mango, Jicama and Radish Salad with Peanut Dressing’ and there wasn’t much more than that. The sweetness of the mango, the crunchy consistency of the Jicama and Radish along with their own flavors atop a bed of mixed greens and cilantro smothered in a sweet, peanuty-citrus Peanut Butter & Lime dressing was absolutely wonderful. Yes, I did say Peanut Butter. It was so good, you won’t want to stop eating it!!

You can find plenty of other recipes with this delightful ingredient in them on the Internet too. Try it! You just might like it!!

Here are a few sites I found that give great explanations about Jicama:

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-jicama.htm
www.foodreference.com/html/art-jicama-history-facts.html