Can't be local all the time

A rainy day at the Shaker Market led to an impromptu trip to Gallucci's, an Italian import shop on the east side of Cleveland. The place is great with one of the most knowledgeable staffs out of any food place I've ever been to, even if they didn't know what bottarga (botargo) was. Don't let the Euclid construction put you off, just get on Carnegie and look for a small sign for the back entrance between E 69 and 65.

I picked up some bread, ridiculously good porchetta, and San Daniele prosciutto at Gallucci's. You can see alternating slices, starting with the porchetta on the left, pictured above. I dressed the bread with some Zinfandel/Thyme jelly from the Crocker Park Farmers Market and some French butter from The Cheese Shop, a place definitely worth stopping by when you're at the West Side Market.

That wine pictured above is courtesy of The Flying Fig, a restaurant discussed here all the time. and 55 Degrees, an Ohio wine distributor that, unfortunately, does not do retail sales. If you see a wine dinner that they're associated with I'd recommend going if you're a drinker. Last Wednesday they couldn't decide which of two wines to pair with the duck course at The Fig. Their answer, serve them both.

The sandwich was very good, although if I was doing it again I'd lay the slices out rolled thinly and going the long way, like sardines packed side by side. That way each bite would yield equal parts cooked and cured pork, both of which are delicious in their own right.

Tonight's Dinner

Courtesy of The Flying Fig. Pictures by Stuart here (it's the first six).

April 30th, 2008
Wine Dinner

•Course One•
Crooked River Smoked Salmon
On a Cornmeal Blini with Mackenzie Creamery
Goat Cheese & a Citrus, Fennel & Red Onion Salad

•Course Two•
Grilled Medallion of Lamb
With a Parsley, Garlic & Mint Salsa Verde

•Course Three•
Seared Duck Breast & Confit of Duck Leg
With Rhubarb and Local Honey, Duck Fat Roasted Fingerlings, and First of the Season Chard, Braised with Garlic & Chili

•Course Four•
Ohio Apple Crepes
Whipped Lemon Cream with Thyme

Wine Pairings TBA.

Starts at 6:30 pm
$60 per person, plus tax & gratuity.

I could think of worse. It's nice to know all the ingredients that can be local will be. This place, arguably the best bistro-style restaurant in Cleveland, has some serious food ethics.

Help me shut down The Flying Fig

To be fair, I'd be hard pressed to identify any restaurant serving less GM food than The Fig, but it's harder than I thought it would be to find a good food protest picture. I was hoping for some good foie gras pics with people up in arms, but no such luck. There was a good Korean dog eating protest picture, but it was a little too racy and open to interpretation for The CFT, which is, sometimes, a family blog.

Regardless, it should come as no surprise that this post is not really about shutting the place down for good, but instead is my effort to have the general restaurant shut down this Wednesday, April 30, 2008. Why? On Wednesday they are having a French themed wine dinner. It's $60 (I'm pretty sure), and I'm not sure what time it's starting. At this point they've got enough people to have a good wine dinner crowd, but they don't have quite enough people to justify closing the restaurant to the general public for the night.

Now the disclaimer. The food I sell at the Shaker Square Farmers Market, and which isn't a subject on this blog, will be a component of one of the dishes served that evening. That means I stand to benefit from an increased crowd. That being said, I have a day job, and I'm comfortable with the quantity of stuff I've been selling outside of this dinner. I just think the dinner will be that much more enjoyable if the restaurant only has one thing to focus on, not that the kitchen can't handle both the wine dinner and the rest of the place. I also think the dinner and drinks will be very good.

I'll leave it to you to call The Fig (linked above) and find out about the time and the menu, which has already been set and paired to the French wines being sampled. I haven't attended one of these dinners yet, but from what I've observed from the bar they look like a good time with a laid back, communal atmosphere. I know I'm biased, but I like the idea of about 80 people enjoying a great dinner in a place like this.

And here's where the above picture came from. Crazy Aussies.