Toft's Dairy

I went to Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio over the 4th of July weekend.  While we went for the roller coasters, we did not stay in the park and no matter how much time you spend there, sometimes you need to eat.  A friend, who grew up in Sandusky, recommended a couple of things to eat while we were there.  The first were the Cedar Point Fries

which I already knew about and loved,  but the other thing was Toft's Dairy.  She had mentioned Toft's Dairy in the past in reference to the fact that their serving sizes were enormous so I was interested and tried to figure out how to plan a trip there.  We noticed that it was west of town so we decided to stop when we were leaving.  While we were at Cedar Point, we also noticed that there was a Toft's Ice Cream and Toft's Custard Shop there.  We had made the decision to stop at the dairy for the full experience, so we weren't going to have the ice cream at Cedar Point, but since the custard was only listed as a mix on Toft's website and we were going to be going for the ice cream anyway, we figured that having the custard at Cedar Point was not skimping.  The custard at Cedar Point (like all food) was pretty expensive.  They offered Chocolate, Vanilla, and Swirl, which is fairly standard as custards go.  I ordered the swirl so I could try both flavors.  While it wasn't anything out of the ordinary, it was light and creamy, as custard should be, and very good.  Those of us that tried it, enjoyed it and while it wasn't the ice cream itself, it gave us a lot of anticipation for the trip to the dairy.

When we traveled to Toft's, there was a little bit of surprise for the fact that it wasn't really in the city.  This makes sense though, because it allows them to be closer to the dairy farms from which they receive their raw materials.  It was on a main road and it was pretty big, so it would have been difficult to miss.    The ice cream parlor looks like a classic ice cream parlor with a list of flavors behind the counter and the ice creams, there were about 70 flavors, behind glass and labeled individually.  The ice cream parlor was white and there were chairs (like old school chairs) against the wall opposite the counter and round tables with parasols under a tent outside.  I was warned ahead of time, that a small may be sufficient so that is what I planned on ordering.  I was having to deal with the loss of my glasses so I didn't notice that you could get two flavors with a small.  It was fine though because it was hard enough trying to choose one flavor because many looked good.  If I had had to choose two, I would have also had to consider what flavors complemented each other while barely being able to see what I had to choose from.  I ordered a waffle cone (although a cup was cheaper and probably easier to eat).  I ordered Muddy's Sea Salt Slam, a flavor honoring Muddy, the mascot of the Toledo Mudhens, the AAA affiliate of the Detroit Tigers.  The ice cream consisted of salty caramel streaks in Vanilla Ice Cream with Chocolate Covered Peanuts.  I really liked this ice cream.  The ice cream itself was sweet and salty as were the peanuts, which were plentiful and were also sweet and salty.  I am glad that my friend warned us just to go with the small, because while I finished my ice cream, there were others that couldn't do it.  Being that this is in Ohio, this isn't a place I will be visiting often, but when I return to Cedar Point, I will definitely push for making this a tradition.

Mindy's Hot Chocolate - Brunch

I have been to Mindy's Hot Chocolate several times, and have really liked what I had, but I have neither been since Mindy Segal won her James Beard Award for Best Pastry Chef, nor have I ever been for brunch, so I thought it was a good choice for my monthly brunch trip.  Very shortly after Mindy Segal won her James Beard Award, she closed the restaurant for a few weeks to do some redesign work.  Walking in, I tried to notice what had changed.  The first things that I noticed were that the sign had changed.  It is now a rusted steel sign with the long, thin letters that were ground through the sign invoking the look of dripping chocolate.  The front of the restaurant was a glass window wall that was framed to fold in several sections and open to the street.  Inside, the layout has remained the same with the bar to the right and the kitchen in the back so it wasn't a radical redesign.  The colors have changed, the room used to be brown on brown but is know an off-white with a brown trim.  Some of the seating has been changed as well.  There was some low lounge seating near the front of the restaurant where there is now a communal table that would seat 10.  The brunch menu frequently changes based on what is seasonal.  The standard omelettes, skillets, French Toast, and skillets are there, but what is used in them changes based on what is in season.  There is also coffee, juice, cocktails, and the Hot Chocolate for which the restaurant is named.  There were seven hot chocolates on the list ranging from light to dark.  I went with a mixture called Half & Half which was actually kind of like a Caffè Mocha.  It was half Espresso and half Dark Hot Chocolate and it was very good.  It was hot (of course) and pretty bitter from the Espresso and the 72% French Chocolate but it was also pretty rich and had a sweet finish.  There was also a Housemade Marshmallow that was served with it that was a world better than any marshmallow you will find in a grocery store.  While I generally split my brunch between sweet and savory, I figured that the hot chocolate, which everyone ordered was sufficient to fulfill the sweet side.  Mindy Segal creates some amazing sweets but there is also some very good savory food here, so we had to plan for that.

For my savory side, I went with some thing that seemed to have a vaguely Asian twist to it.  I had the Brunch Fried Rice which came with Hanger Steak, Broccolini, Green Eyes, Pea Shoots, English Peas, Carrots, a Fried Egg, and, of course, the Rice.  I tried it and it had a very fresh and green flavor.  It wasn't bad as it was, but it was much better after having added some Sriracha.  I really liked brunch here, but I think the dinner (and dessert) is better here.  I was going to grab a bag of cookies to go as well but I forgot.  It just means that I will have to return, but this is not a problem.

Chicago Chef Battle, Dessert Edition

Every fall, Chicago Public Radio Station, WBEZ, hosts a competition among a group of chefs and invites the public as a fundraiser.  In the competitions, they would challenge the chefs with an ingredient that they would all have to work with.  In past years, they have invited savory chefs and had them work with beer.  This year, the chefs they invited were all pastry chefs and they were challenged to create a dessert with tea.  The five chefs invited were also to create a regular and gluten-free dish, although the dish that some chefs made as their main dish was gluten-free.  The chefs were divided into two conference rooms and a demonstration kitchen.  The first chef I tried was Dinah Grossman of Cheap Tart who made a Masala Chai Creme Brulee Tart with Salty Chocolate and Raspberries garnished with Nasturtium Petals.  The thing about public cooking competitions or demos is that the presentations of the dishes frequently suffer.  In Dinah Grossman's case, other than the plates and utensils, these dishes looked very nice.  The tart had a nice crust and the chai added a spicy and creamy flavor to the tart and the chocolate and raspberries added bittersweet, salt, and tart flavors.

For her gluten free dish, she made a Roasted Kabocha Mousse with Matcha Cheesecake and Coconut Tuile.  I really liked this.  The mousse was creamy and the tea and cheesecake flavors went together well.  The Coconut Tuile added a sweet coconut crunch to the dish.

The next competitor whose stuff that I tried was Jonathan Ory from Bad Wolf Coffee.  While I did try both of his dishes, I seem only to have taken a picture of one.  He prepared a Persimmon Chai Salambo (a filled pastry similar to a long john) and an Earl Gray Panna Cotta topped with Granola.  While his dishes weren't bad, the tea flavor was at the forefront and kind of overwhelmed everything else.

In the next conference room they had Dana Cree who is the Pastry Chef at Blackbird  She only made one dish which was gluten-free and very creative in any case.  It was a Hong Kong Milk Tea with Kulfi, Pear, and Elderflowers.  The dish was kind of odd.  It was like a clear plastic version of a dish you might see at a fine dining restaurant (which Blackbird is).  The milk tea kind of reminded me of a less spicy chai tea.  Kulfi is a frozen dairy dessert similar to ice cream but denser that is popular in India.  The elderflowers added a floral element to the dish and while the pear flavor went well with the rest of the dish, I don't like the texture of pears so this kind of failed.

The other pastry chef working in this conference room seemed to be very popular and had some long lines so I went to find the last chef who was working in the demonstration kitchen.  The last chef was Ben Roche, formerly of Moto and the late Baume & Brix.  Both of these restaurants are/were very creative and whimsical and before even seeing what he was presenting, I was kind of expecting some off the wall flavors and ideas (if not presentations because of the lack of facilities and time).  For the first course, he presented a dish called White Dog Gelato (a spin on the name of one of his competitors establishments, Black Dog Gelato).  The only thing that I really remember about this dish was that the tea was in the gelato, it was surrounded with dried corn and sprinkled with chocolate chips.  I remember that it wasn't bad but really nothing to write home about and was completely overshadowed by his other dish, Bubblegum, 1969.

The dish was the whimsical creativity that I would expect from Ben Roche.  It started with Banana Parmesan Gelato sprinkled with Powdered Bubble Gum and with Bubble Gum Paper and with a side of Bubble Gum Tea.  I liked the flavors around the gelato and even with the tea but I found the tea bottle a little annoying because you could only get a couple of drops at a time.

After I had tried Ben Roche's creations, I decided to brave the crowds and try what by crowd, looked to be the most popular station, Jessica Oloroso from Black Dog Gelato.  I will say up front that I had somehow saved the best for last.  Her dishes were my favorite although I can't say which I liked more.  The first I tried was the Pumpkin Chai Brioche Sandwich with Nutella.  It was very good with all of the flavors coming through and playing well with one another.  The brioche bun was a bonus and it was very easy to eat.

The other dish didn't look quite as composed but it was still very good.  It was an Earl Gray Sundae with Chocolate Earl Gray Gelato, Figs, and Bruleed Whipped Cream.  The Earl Gray Tea tied the chocolate and the figs together and the bruleed whipped cream reminded me of fired marshmallows.

I really enjoyed this version of the Chicago Chef Battle.  I got to try a lot of good and interesting things and support a good cause at a good price.  I will definitely be back next year to try new things, support WBEZ and vote for my favorite.

caffe De Luca

I first came to caffe De Luca several years ago to participate in a salon style conversation group. At the time, it was essentially an Italian coffee shop but it also served individual size thin crust pizzas, some sandwiches and had a small listing of beers and wine. Over the years, it has expanded the kitchen and started serving some pasta dishes for dinner. I have always liked the interior of the place. It has a very high ceiling with red walls painted with a mural looking like small-town Italy. The bar is on the left side of the room and runs into the kitchen area which is semi-open and there is a stair above the kitchen leading to what looks like an apartment with clothes hanging on a line over the "alley" outside the door. The dining area is divided into three rooms inside with a patio area outside. All of the food that I have ever had here has been very good as well. The sandwiches and pizzas were simple and seasonal, and everything has a nice Italian accent. I hadn't been here for a while so I decided to make a visit one day last week. What I had forgotten after not having been here in a while is that while the service is mostly friendly, it is also very lackluster. Most nicer dining establishments have a hostess station and they will seat you. There is no hostess station here and there is also no one really to tell you to seat yourself so I have seen people walk in and stand, waiting for a few minutes to be seated before finally being told to seat themselves. Seating yourself without being noticed can also be a problem, because while it is a relatively small place, it might be a while before you are noticed.I walked in and went through the restaurant to see if there was anyone that I knew here. There wasn't so I seated myself in the front room where I thought I would most likely be noticed. It took a few minutes (but just a few) but someone brought me some water and the menus. The waitress came a few minutes later to ask for my drink order. She took my order when she brought back my beer (Stella Artois). I ordered a Tortellacci Carbonara. I have seen filled ring pasta called tortellini, tortelloni, and now tortellacci. I have never seen a difference between any of them and I don't know what the difference might be but I do know that they are good. There are a couple of types of carbonara as well. It can be made as a white sauce with cream or with wine but they both have parmesan cheese and a cured Italian pork, either prosciutto de parma or pancetta. In any case, I have never had a bad carbonara and this one was very good. It was the filled pasta with pancetta, a cream sauce, and grated parmesan. I finished my beer and my entree and waited for someone to check on me. The bus boy asked me if I was interested in another beer when he came to pick up my dishes but I was not. I assume that he told the waitress that I was done because when she finally showed up (in the time that I waited, a couple walked in, seated themselves, waited, and eventually left because no one came with water or menus.) she brought me the bill. I did find it a little irritating because I was interested in dessert which is another something that they do very well. I looked and while there are several things on the menu that piqued my interest, I went with the tiramisu. Tiramisu is a dessert of coffee-soaked ladyfingers topped with mascarpone and cocoa. What's not to like? This was also topped with strawberries and garnished with dark chocolate. It was very good. After I got my bill, I paid and left. While I like the ambiance of the place and they have someone that really knows what they are doing in the kitchen, I must remember that the service here is very casual and can take some time. It isn't somewhere that you would want to go to if you are in a hurry or want great service.

Mindy's Hot Chocolate

Mindy's Hot Chocolate has been on my list for a while but the fact that a friend gave me a Restaurants.com gift certificate for Christmas pushed me to go. Unfortunately, the date that I picked was a day that I couldn't use it so I definitely have to go back (I did know this before I went so it wasn't a surprise or a really big deal). I loved my dinner there so it doesn't bother me a bit that I have to return. The building is brown and the name on the window is kind of stretched as if it were dripping. The entrance is on the right side of the building as is the bar which stretches toward the back. There is a lounge/waiting area in the front and the kitchen is in the back. The room is done in various shades of brown and was lit in candle light. The two top tables were set along the wall opposite the bar and the tables for four were angled and in the center of the room. Hot Chocolate is listed in several places as a dessert bar and with a five time James Beard nominated pastry chef running the operation (Mindy Segal) it very definitely is that, but it is much more than that. While there is no question about having dessert when you come here, you shouldn't neglect the savories as they are very good as well. I came here on February 12 so it was pretty cold so I started things off with one of the six hot chocolates, which was served with a house made marshmallow. I had a Medium which had a touch of dark chocolate and a hint of caramel. For my appetizer, I had shrimp and grits and it was savory beyond belief. I like shrimp and I like grits but I didn't expect it to be as good as it was. The grits were very creamy, the shrimp were Tiger Shrimp but it also contained Cremini Mushrooms, Red Onions, bacon and smoked tomatoes. For my entreem while there was duck on the menu (I always order duck if it's on the menu), I went with the pork chop. It was breaded, brined and grilled with housemade pork sausage with sauerkraut, apples and fennel. I don't think I have to repeat that it was very good but I will anyway. If I hadn't been at Hot Chocolate, I might have said that I had a very good meal and skipped dessert. As this place is known for it's dessert though, it wasn't an option. I ordered a box of cookies to go because I had heard they were very good. I did consider saving some to share but after seeing and trying them, this wasn't an option either. The box came with about a dozen cookies of several different varieties. All of the cookies were different so I couldn't try one and save another, I had to try them all and because I had to try them all, there was none to share. All of this though happened in the next couple of days after I went there. My dessert that I had there was called Thoughts on a Peanut Butter Cup and I wish I had thought about taking a picture of it because it was something to see. I did find a picture on the web of it so here it is. It contains peanut butter mousse and "peanut butter cup", milk chocolate hot fudge, Concord grape syrup, with peanut butter cookie dough truffles. After that meal, I have to say that I am glad that I was unable to use my discount coupon because it gives me an excuse to go back.