Patterson Fruit Farm - Applepalloza

Sorry things have been a bit quiet on the blog, been fighting the flu and combined with hitting some old favorites just not that much too post. although it is a little late in the season, I did want to mention Patterson Fruit Farms. Located at 11414 Caves Road, Chesterland, Ohio (see map here), this is one of the fun local places to stop and check out. Patterson is primarily an apple farm and they have quite a variety of apples available. Even better they have cut samples out so you can figure out what suits your taste. Of course there is cider and very good cider at that available. During the fall, they have all sorts of other things going on as well, with kettle corn being made, pumpkins being sold and plenty of stuff to keep the kids busy. Patterson also has a very good bakery with fresh fruit pies, donuts, apple dumplings and apple fritters. The fritters are amazing, about the size of a small moon, with big pieces of apple scattered throughout the fried dough all of which covered with a sweet glaze. For just under $2 this could be a meal onto itself. I did want to mention that the golf course behind Patterson has been converted into a public park as part of the Geauga Park system (link to the park site is here) which provides a very nice place to take in some rolling hills. If you are looking for something to do on a beautiful Fall day, consider heading over to Patterson Fruit Farms and checking it out.

Agave - Crocker Park Upscale Mexican

I know its been a bit sparse on new posts, a combination of revisiting some favorites and trying to find new worthy places. This past week was especially quiet as the motorcycle was in the shop. Luckily I got it back for the weekend, so I headed to Crocker Park in Westlake to have lunch at Agave Tequileria and Cochina. Agave is located at 20 Main Street, Westlake, near the Movie Theater. The restaurant is very sleek and modern, with a warm, darkly lit interior set off by the large bar and the wall of windows in the front. Since it was a nice day I had lunch on the small patio in front, a nice and casual set up with a good view of the people walking by. My server was nice and attentive, although she did forget to give me the chips and salsa, the other server on the patio was nice enough to bring me some. The chips were ok if nothing special and the salsa was good if a bit mild; it was thick and fresh tasting, with just a hint of heat and smoke. For lunch, Agave offers a nice small menu of items that are available for $8 (see the list here). I decided on the Shrimp Fajitas (and yes I know from watching Alton Brown on the Food Network that fajitas actually refers to Strip Steak, so that shrimp fajitas is just another American bastardization of the Spanish language). As opposed to most places that bring you the fajitas on a sizzle plate, Agave serves them up on a large plate with some pico de gallo, guacamole, rice and a small cup of beans. The Fajitas were 5 large tail on shrimp, large slices of onions, peppers and tomatoes. Although each of the ingredients on its own was fresh and flavorful, as a whole the dish was a bit soupy and lacked the punch I associate with fajitas. After some time trying to figure it out I came up with two things, first there was a lack of seasoning both on the spice end and it was missing the nice citrus contrast you get from the squeezed lime, and second not being served on the sizzle plate meant that the ingredients were just pan sauteed, this resulted in the whole being a bit wet, the peppers were way undercooked and most importantly, there wasn't the wonderful burnt/caramelized flavors you get from the hot pan. For some people having tail on shrimp might be a problem as well, especially for an item that is suppose to be eaten rolled up in tortillias. The the rice was a good Spanish style rice and the beans, while not refried, were a nicely prepared cup of pintos with a little cheese on top. I will say that only giving two small sized flour tortillas seemed a bit miserly, especially for an $8 lunch. Overall, the food was good, just nothing exceptional or memorable. Agave may be a good choice if you are looking for some Mexican food in an upscale setting and you like your food on the mild side. For me the combination of the price and the lack of excitement from the food will mean I will probably look elsewhere.