Are You Ready for Pronto?

Back in the summer, I had my yearly trek to the National Hamburger Festival in Akron.  It was there that I tried the Green Machine food truck's Italian Burger.  It was by far my winner that year.  It was delish!  Sundried tomato, balsamic caramelized onion, pesto aioli, smoked provolone and prosciutto on top of an Angus beef burger with lettuce and fresh tomato.  Seriously, what's not to love?  It probably sounds like too much, but it wasn't.  In fact, here it is...

Oh yes, look at that beauty!  I was hard pressed not to order it when I went to Pronto, the brick and mortar restaurant that was once the Green Machine.  It was on the menu.  But having had it once, I wanted to try something else.  And I'm also trying to be healthier so a burger and all those extras was probably not the best idea.

But before I get to ahead of myself, Pronto is located at 223 East Highland Road, in Macedonia, OH 44056, where Fat Casual BBQ was once located.  They are open Tuesday thru Saturday for lunch and dinner, closed Sunday and Monday.  It's small and quaint and only seats about 35 tops.  There is even an in house bakery for all the desserts.  The restaurant is billed at Modern Italian American Cuisine and to be honest, the lunch menu doesn't reflect that much.  Which is not a complaint, because the food was damn good.  I haven't been there for dinner, but the menu for dinner does have more Italian fare.  Chef Scott Wnek studied in Bologna, Italy so I can see that there is an Italian flair, just not exclusively Italian food.

I decided on the Vegetarian Sandwich, which was roasted eggplant and roasted tomatoes, arugula, balsamic reduction and garlic herbed goat cheese.  Simple, done well and delicious.  It was to be served with fresh cut fries and pesto aioli dipping sauce.  I asked for a side salad instead and for a small extra price, it was no problem.  It's that pesky healthier eating I mentioned earlier that made me do it!  

The man went with the Cuban.  A little bit of a different take, but a Cuban none the less.  Ham, dijon mayo, pickles, swiss cheese, moho sauce and pulled pork.

He got the fries and while it definitely looked like other plates that went by had a lot more fries, he was ultimately satisfied with the amount he had.  And that pesto aioli?  Fugget about it!!!  That's the stuff right there!  I took a bite of the sandwich and it was pretty damn good.  I liked mine better, but he said the same thing... he liked his better :)

And because the man has a sweet tooth, and there is an in house bakery, he had to try some dessert.   Yeah thanks, I did mention I was trying to eat healthier!  After speaking with our waiter, he went over to the bakery counter to scope out his choices.  He came back with not one, but two desserts!  A pecan bar and a lemon bar.  That probably sounds kind of dull but both were anything but dull.  I mean, come on... look at this thing of beauty!  It's a pecan bar dipped in chocolate!

Rich, nutty, buttery and Oh. My. God!!!  So incredible and the price was right at $1.99 (which was also the price of the lemon bar).  It was so good.  I had one bite.  OK, maybe two.  But I was good!   And the lemon bar did not disappoint.  It was tart and sweet, but not too sweet.  With a buttery crust and luscious filling.  Again, I only had a bite, or two, but loved both!

I think it's safe to say I'll be going back to Pronto!

Edited 3/7/14 - And go back we did!  A week later.  It was just as good as the first trip.  Want to know what we had?  Of course you do!

 

The first week we were given a coupon for a free soup with the purchase of an entree.  This week I was thrilled that the soup of the day was Butternut Squash Bisque.  Oh it's one of my faves and this was one terrific version.  There was a hint of nutmeg and finely chopped walnuts on the top.  *sigh*

 

The man decided he could not resist and had to get the Italian Burger that we had at the Burger Festival.  Can you even stand it??

 It sounds like a lot going on, but it is marvelous and does not detract from the deliciousness of the angus beef.  It has sundried tomato pesto aioli, smoked mozzarella, basil pesto aioli, crispy prosciutto, balsamic glaze and arugula.  It's served with fresh cut fries with basil pesto aioli and he was much more pleased with the amount of fries he got this time.  

Now feast your eyes on this!!   This was a special of the day and is not on the regular menu.  It's the Beef Tenderloin Salad.  Yes, salad.   Inside this glorious tower of decadence is arugula dressed in a balsamic dressing with a perfectly rare (but served cold) slice of beef tenderloin, one in each onion ring.  It also has sliced grape tomatoes, horseradish cream and balsamic reduction.  This was incredible!

And because the man always has to have dessert, he went over to the bakery counter again to check things out. This week he opted for the big ginger cookie (served warm and scrumptious!).

 

And the big chocolate chip cookie with an Oreo in the middle.  Also served warm.  It was melty and yummy and so comforting.  

Check out Pronto... I promise you won't be sorry!

A Night Out at Aladdin's

For several weeks now Nick and I have been wanting to go to Aladdin's for dinner. It's not a place we frequent, but a place we really love. Something always comes up and we have ended up not going. But yesterday Nick was determined that come hell or high water, we were going to Aladdin's! And we did.

Aladdin's came into existence in 1994 and has grown by leaps and bounds! Now in seven states and with 28 locations, it still has that local feel to it that we love. As the day went on and anticipation was building, I couldn't wait to get some of their succulent grilled meats and dip it into that insanely good garlic sauce. Oh my... calm down woman.

We went to the Hudson, First and Main location, even though the Highland Square one is closer. This way we can scope out the other restaurants that are there that we may want to try sometime. We were seated right away although there was a pretty good crowd.

To start, Nick had the China Mist Traditional Black Tea and I had the China Mist Green Tea. Both were very good.




We couldn't decide what we wanted for an appetizer. They all sound so good! But we had gotten hummus last time, so we crossed that off. I was leaning towards the, Dawali but once Nick saw the Falaffel, that was that. My husband is a notorious lover of all things chick pea. I forgot to take a pic, but as luck would have it, Aladdin's website had a picture of it and it did look exactly like this.



The falaffel were so incredibly delicious. They are a little fried piece of heaven. Ground chick peas and fava beans, mildly spiced with parsley and lots of garlic. They come with pitas and a yogurt tahini dipping sauce.

I had lamb on my mind so for an entree I chose the Mediterranean Lamb Plate. The marination and the grilling of the meat is to die for. It's juicy and tender, cooked to absolute perfection and it comes with that crazy garlic dipping sauce I mentioned earlier. I absolutely love garlic, but the first time I had that sauce I almost went into orbit! But then I took a second bite, and third and I was hooked! Now it's a must whenever we go to Aladdin's. It also comes with rice. But it's not any old white rice scooped onto your plate with an ice cream scoop! This rice is soft and fluffy, every grain separate. It has crunchy vermicelli in it and is topped with sauteed pine nuts, almonds, and cinnamon. It's so good on its own but I like to add some of my tahini yogurt sauce to it too.




Nick had the Mediterranean Shish Kabob Plate, which is exactly like my lamb plate only his plate has beef instead. Everything else is identical.

The portions are just right. Not too much, not too little and when dinner is over I'm feeling just right. Nick on the other hand, he's a dessert guy. We chose together from the huge dessert menu, thinking that I would have a few bites, but when that mouth watering Brownie Cheesecake arrived, I was just too full to partake. Nick assures me it was heavenly!




So another wonderful meal at the fabulous Mediterranean restaurant Aladdin's. If you have on in your area, give it a shot! You won't be disappointed.

It's Smoker Season!

Ever since the weather broke, and it really really did finally break, I've been dying to get out my smoker. You may recall that last time I smoked a few times. I did a pork shoulder and ribs. This year I was determined to do a beef brisket. Well that day was finally here on Memorial Day, just this past Monday. I bought a small brisket (about 4 and a quarter pounds) because it was only going to be Nick and I.



I decided to dry rub it and let it sit in the fridge overnight. Unfortunately I cannot be too precise for you with my dry rub because I started with a base that was already mixed for me. It was a pepper kind of seasoning blend that a friend gave me in a bag so I don't know the name of it. At any rate, I started with that, added about 1/4 cup of brown sugar, and then just eyeballed the rest of the things I threw in (probably about 2 Tablespoons each). I added cumin, dry mustard (smaller amount of that), kosher salt, paprika and garlic powder.


I rubbed it all over the brisket, front and back and then put it in the fridge, covered, overnight.



I had read online that brisket takes about an hour per pound on a smoker. I probably will up that figure to an hour and a half per pound. I kept it on for a little over four hours.





When we lift that lid off the smoker, every time it's like a glorious revelation. I always hope to hear a chorus of "ahhh!" from the heavens. The aroma is insane. The meat looks beautiful. And we can't ever wait to get it in the house and dig in. This time was no exception.




The bark on the outside was nice and dark. I let it set for about 15 minutes. 15 minutes of torture mind you, as we circled that brisket like we'd never eaten before in our lives. And when I started slicing it, we couldn't keep out hands off it! Nick even said, "we're just going to end up eating it all before we even sit down at this rate." So we calmed down, I started to slice it on the diagonal and plated it up.





I served it with a pretty standard macaroni salad I make and some baked beans (that I didn't make).






It was juicy, tender and delicious. But I did think it needed a longer cooking time. I put it in a low oven the next day for 2 hours and it was even better!

Alas Poor Burek....

One day, I was driving down Graham Rd. in Cuyhoga Fall, OH and passed by Kiflis Bakery. I have never been in there and quite frankly I'm a little confused by the place. They have signs for gyros and they have signs that state "Walnut Strudel made us famous" Gyros are Greek. Strudel is German. Kiflis itself, I believe, is an Hungarian dish. I don't know what to make of the place. Maybe it's just a melting pot of stuff.

At any rate, I was driving by and they had sign out front that said, "Fresh Burek with Beef today." I was intrigued. Just what is burek? Right away I got out my cell and called my friend Madonna. She is the most knowledgeable foodie I know. So I asked, "hey, what is burek?" She didn't know, but we decided I should go in and find out and give it a try. After hanging up, I called another friend, Elaine. She's Lebanese and knows way more about cuisine of that area than I ever will. I struck out again. She didn't know either.

Well by this time I was close to home and decided it would have to wait for another day. I looked online to see if I could find out what the heck burek is. Wikipedia had a whole ton of information. Confusing information really. It seems like it is from many many places, but generally the area along the Adriatic, but not exclusively. Many many counties have their own versions of burek. I welcome an education on this dish, so please right me if you know about burek.

So fast forward to this past Saturday. Nick and I were heading to Kreiger's Farm Market and had to go past Kiflis. Wouldn't you know the fresh burek sign was up again! This time I wouldn't be passing it by. We went in and the aroma in that place was heavenly! We went straight to the warm case and saw the burek for the first time. It was round and coiled. So for $4.95, you get this large pastry filled with beef or with cheese (the two they had available on this day). We bought beef.



Burek. I finally bought it and got it home and was ready to dig in. I split in half and Nick took half and I took half.



The level of deliousness here is off the charts! The meat is so savory and flavorful. Truly, if I didn't know it was beef, I would have thought it was sausage. It was amazing. I was so enamored with this dish that I didn't even pay attention to the spices and herbs that were used in the meat. I was just too busy enjoying it. The phyllo was flaky and crispy, but tender inside. The meat the perfectly cooked and not the least bit greasy. Nick said at first that he wasn't going to eat his whole half because he wanted to have something else too. But after the first bite he said, "I think I'm going to eat all of this."

So the moral to the story is, if you see a sign that says, "fresh burek today" don't hesitate! Now I can't wait to try the cheese one and the spinach and cheese one.

Not your Mama's Braicole

Even though I made sauce this week, I decided not to use it for my braicole. Oh by the way, I believe braicole means stuffed and rolled meat. I used very thin beef, which even actually says braicole on the label.

Lay the meat out flat and then brush with a nice Dijon mustard. To that, sprinkle with seasoned bread crumbs and herbs. I have an enormous amount of sage in my garden, so I chose to use that. Just chop it up and sprinkle it over the bread crumbs.





The next step is to roll up the braicole. Start at the short end and roll. When you get the end, affix with a toothpick to hold them together.





With about two tablespoons of olive oil heated up in a pan, place braicole into the pan and sear on each side. The meat is very thin and won't take long to brown on each side so watch it carefully and turn after a few minutes. Lift carefully so you don't tear the meat.




When completely browned, remove from the pan and set aside. Take the pan off the heat and add 1/2 cup of white wine and then put pan back on the heat. You've seen chefs on TV do this a million times. Stir the wine around the pan and pick up all the browned tasty bits. After a few minutes, add a cup of stock to the pan. If you have beef, use beef. But if you only have chicken, that works too. Then add two cloves of sliced garlic and then add the braicole back into the pan. Cover and let the braicole cook in the sauce for about 20 minutes, then add more chopped fresh sage.




If you like a thicker sauce, you can continue to cook it down or help it along with a little slurry of corn starch and water (about a Tablespoon of each, mixed and added to the pan slowly while it simmers). Or you can leave it as is. I prefer my sauce thickened.




It's tender and delicious. Serve with pasta, or potatoes or even over egg noodles. You can't go wrong. Just remember to take out the toothpicks!