The Spread–Cleveland Horseshoe Casino Buffet

With my birthday coming up on Thursday, I got a great early present; the dealers were invited down to try the Spread Buffet at the Cleveland Horseshoe Casino and it was spectacular. 

Located in the lower floor of the Higbee Building on Public Square the Spread refers to both the amount of glorious food that is presented and the layout.  Tastefully decorated seating areas are located in front of long wall of food stations with a wide variety of choices.  Although the spread will seat about 400 at a time, they have managed to make the arrangement feel warm and inviting with the food being the star.

There are seven different food stations, each with a open kitchen immediately behind it so that food is a fresh and flavorful as possible.  Dishes will be rotated in and out so that they can take advantage of seasonality and local products.  I will highlight some of the favorites that I was lucky enough to try, but you will have to see what is there when you go.

The Asian station is the furthest to the right when facing the Spread, it provided a mix of different Asian cuisines done in an upscale manner; the Sweet and Sour Shrimp I tried were expertly prepared with large tail on jumbo shrimp in a sauce that was not overly sweet, but could have used a sour counter-point.  I do have to admit that I did go back for seconds on the shrimp, as they were juicy and succulent.

The next station over was the carving station, not eating meat or foul, I had to pass on the wonderful looking game hens that they were roasting, but I did try the vegetable sides and they were outstanding.  Golden breaded Okra was tasty and the creamed spinach was as good as I have had.

Next we come to the Shuffle station which allows them to mix things up.  On one side they had a do it yourself Taco Bar, which I passed on, on the other they were featuring some Cleveland favorites, fried perch and pierogies.  The Pierogies were artfully presented in a small cast iron casserole with purple cabbage on the bottom one nice sized potato pierogi topped with sour cream, showing a nice balance of care and appreciation for one of our local culinary favorites.  The fried perch were one of the real highlights of the meal.  Two beautiful small fillets were corn meal breaded and then expertly fried so that the coating was crisp with the fish inside mild and flakey; the fillets were topped with a sweet and hot sauce that made my taste buds dance with delight.

The American section had a nice variety of well prepared favorites, including clam chowder, fried chicken and salmon along with plenty of sides.  The Salad station provides a nice variety of fresh produce in nice variations, all very well done, but I was hunting for more exotic fare.

The Italian station provides great pastas, a variety of pizzas and flatbreads and another of the highpoints for me were fresh clams in a nicely seasoned broth with garlic bread sopping it up.  The clams were tender and delicious, an feat that is not easy on a buffet, while the broth soaked bread provided the perfect way to finish the savory side of the meal.

Located in the center of the Spread as you enter and exit is the desert station and it is a stunner and is probably worth a trip all by itself.  Featuring everything from woppie pies to panna cotta and gelato to bread pudding, you can be a kid in a candy store with all the choices.  What will catch your eye is the circular cooler case with about a dozen varieties of Gelato that revolve to allow them to be scooped.  I tried 4 different small scoops, with the fresh banana being the highpoint; there is a topping station if you want, but with Gelato this good there is no reason to cover it up.  Other highpoints (and there were nothing I tried that wasn’t delicious) were the Panna Cotta, providing a nice soft custard topped with fruit and a classic rendition of bread pudding with a nice cream sauce on the side.  If you really want to go into kid mode there is cotton candy machine for some spun sugar goodness.  The only downside was that I was full before I could try all of the many cakes and delicacies available.

The Spread will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and should prove very popular with anyone who wants a wide variety of expertly prepared high quality foods.  I have been to upscale buffets before, including the Seafood Buffet at Deer Valley in Park City, Utah, and this would rank at the top of my list for quality, taste and variety.  You will want to get a Total Rewards card as this will knock a couple bucks off the buffet price, plus it is the best casino rewards card available and is well worth having. 

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the great service we had at the Spread, everyone is incredible friendly and upbeat, ready to insure that you have a great meal.   The Spread is a wonderful addition to the Cleveland dining scene and there will be people coming to the Casino just for the buffet, but you should also check out the gaming upstairs, it will knock your socks off.

Umami – Chagrin Falls Asian Bistro

I have been looking forward to trying Umami Asian Kitchen in Chagrin Falls for quite a while now; I picked up a Groupon (Groupon Site is here) in March and finally got to use it just before it expired.  Located in a

prime location at 42 North Main Street in Chagrin Falls, Umami has earned a great reputation as a wonderful little Asian Bistro in an area know for its All American feel.  With a small low key storefront, you walk in to find a wonderful little place set up in a narrow building with the kitchen in back and a small narrow dining room which feels both modern and Asian while still being restrained and elegant.  

The menu, especially at lunch is rather limited, but the choices sound wonderful (you can see the menu here at Umami’s website).  My friend and I started with soup, he had the Miso, I tried the Corn and Ginger Soup that was the special.   Both came out in large square bowls, with a generous portion of soup.  The Corn and Ginger was nice with subtle flavors, but I thought the corn kernels, while incredibly sweet, were just a touch undercooked.

Next up were the Spicy Tuna and California Rolls; the Tuna was very good, although not nearly spicy enough for my tastes, the California Roll was a bit overpowered by the real Crab which tended to mute the other flavors.

My friend had the Seared Salmon and I had the Sea Scallops.  The two chunky Scallops were nicely cooked with a crisp sear and soft middles and served over a cucumber salad that nicely complimented them.

My overall impression of Umami is that I was a bit underwhelmed; the decor and the food presentation is lovely, the service was good and friendly, while the food was fresh and nicely prepared with high quality ingredients overall there was a lack of excitement or boldness.  I have a lot of experience with Asian cuisine especially Japanese cuisine and I just found Umami’s food to be a bit flat in the flavor profiles.  With a very limited menu and the prices for the amount of food I expected some fireworks, instead I got a nice, but not sensational lunch.  As always, your experience can vary.

Seoul Hot Pot - Can Not Miss

Ok, you have been watching Anthony Bourdain on the Travel Channel and you want to have a culinary adventure, but you are in Cleveland and have tried the well know Asian restaurants. Well I have a suggestion for you; head to the Near East Side of Cleveland and enjoy some of the best and most authentic Korean food in the US. After having the urge for some good Korean food for a while, I finally got back down to Seoul Hot Pot and it is as great as ever. I have been going here for quite a while. A Korean friend introduced me to it and I think it is the best Korean food around. This is one of my favorite restaurants and I don't understand why it doesn't get more attention. While the local reviewers and Zagat always cover and rave about Phenom Phen (which is also very good and a favorite) not a word is mentioned of Seoul Hot Pot. Seoul Hot Pot is located at 3709 Payne Avenue in Cleveland. If you are not familiar with the area it is part of the Cleveland Chinatown area, with Asian shops and residents moving in. Across the street is a little strip with a Chinese Restaurant and Koko Bakery where you can get wonderful Chinese bakery and good Bubble Tea. Part of the fun for me has been watching the place evolve. The story is that the Korean owners bought an existing Pizza place and kept it running, but as Korean friends would come in they would cook Korean home style food for them. Eventually they switched over and stopped serving the pizza menu, but when I started eating here the Pizza Sign was still out front (you can still see it painted over on the front of the building). They also used to have the Pizza Menu board still up on the wall of the front room; it used to hang over the Turtle tank that is also gone. Over the years the restaurant has evolved; grill tables were put in up front and the decor has been revised several times. Now while the exterior is ok, the interior is nice with wood paneling half way up the walls and nice decorative Asian touches on the walls. The tables and chairs are solid if unspectacular, with just a napkin dispenser on top. The front room has the grill tables with hoods, the back room is regular tables with a view into the kitchen. Many times the TV in the back room will be showing Korean shows. Once you are settled, you will get the menu and some barley tea (hot or cold depending on the season). Which has a wonderful nutty flavor. You can also get a Beer, domestic or Asian or Soju, a Korean rice distilled drink that can knock your socks off. The menu is fairly extensive, with much of it favoring the carniovers among us. For those unfamilar with Korean food it is far different from Chinese, with most dishes prepared simply and with bold flavors. Among my favorites are the Pajun (Seafood Pancake) which is a savory batter of egg and rice flour with green onions, small shrimp, pieces of squid and an occasional oyster pan fried to deliciousness and served with a soy sesame sauce. I also enjoy the Jap Chae, a rice noodle and vegetables dish (make sure that you let them know if you want it without any meat) and the squid in hot sauce. Be warned, the hot sauce dishes push hard on the heat, with the squid or rice cakes in a bright red sauce that will tingle the tongue. In fact be careful because any Korean food that is spicey will be extremely hot, including the Kim Chee and other spicey Banchan. Having brought my meat eater friends, I can tell you there are a number of very good meat dishes, including the beef spare ribs and the bulogi, which is a marinated beef. The beef is marinated in soy, sesame oil and garlic and brought to the table raw and you grill the meat yourself. Fun and from what I am told, delicious. There is also a good selection of soups and hot pot meals. When you get your meal you will be served a bowl of white rice and banchan, which are small side dishes to accompany your meal and my favorite part about eating Korean. The banchan at Seoul Hot Pot are especially good, most made fresh at the restaurant and delicious. You will usually get between 6-8 of these which usually include Kim Chee (marinated spicy cabbage), daikon chunks in hot sauce, marinated been sprouts, potatoes, a plain gelatain and pickles. I go to Seoul Hot Pot as much for these side dishes as I do for the main course, they are good enough to make a meal out of on their own. The food here is home style cooking, but consistently excellent. The service is good and friendly, although the kitchen can slow down when they get busy. There is usually only one server so it may take a bit to get your food, but it is worth it since everything is cooked fresh to order. I highly recommend that you give Seoul Hot Pot a try. The food is excellent and reasonably priced. The atmosphere is nice and it will be an adventure you will want to try again.