La Scola

La Scola
5375 Airport Highway at Reynolds Road
419-381-2100
Monday through Friday.: 11 - 10
Saturday: 11 - 11
Sunday: 4 - 9


Owned by legendary Toledo restaurateur Gus Nicolaidis, with management by Moussa Salloukh, and culinary leadership of Chef Chris Dewart, La Scola combines the talents of these three restaurant veterans in a new and warm setting.

The team transformed the former "Bungalow" into a romantic and friendly space with the addition of dozens of black and white photographs featuring well known Toledo families. The bar is large and, along with a lounge area with comfortable leather seating, accommodates the crowds waiting for a table.

We called ahead to advise the staff that we were running late on an 8:30pm reservation. We waited in the bar for about twenty minutes for our table. It was fun to check out all the old photographs and all of the people who came to La Scola for the Saturday night of a holiday weekend.

Once seated, we were a little disappointed to be moved to the meeting room in the back. Typically, those with reservations get prime seating and we would have preferred to wait a little longer to be able to be seated in the main dining room. Also, as Toledo is a pretty casual town, other restaurant owners in Toledo have reserved back dining rooms as a great place for those patrons who prefer to wear athletic attire to fine dining establishments. This option allows everyone to be served, but it honors the "special occasion" diners by putting them in the main dining room and surrounding them with other guests who prefer to dress up a bit for fine dining. With all of that said, we found the meeting room to be pleasant, with a soothing fireplace in the background.

We started the meal under the recommendation of our server to try the Calamari la Padella ($8.95) and the Bruchetta Formaggio ($7.95). The calamari came in a light red sauce with roasted bell peppers, shallots, herbed olive oil and fresh tomatoes. We asked our server to bring us some bread to mop up the savory remnants of the sauce. The bruchetta is a signature version and should probably be renamed "Ciabatta Formaggio" as it was made with thick slices of ciabatta, rather than the thinly sliced and toasted pieces of bread that are typical of bruchetta. It included pesto sauce as well as alfredo sauce. My table mates enjoyed this new interpretation of a classic Italian favorite.

After placing our order, we were quickly served our salads. We sampled the house salad, made with mixed greens, grape tomatoes, croutons and Gorgonzola cheese with a sweet white balsamic vinaigrette ($3.95) and the Caesar salad ($3.95). While the portions were ample, none of the salads came with the home made croutons listed on the menu. With the heavy traffic that evening, I would suspect the kitchen simply ran out of croutons earlier in the evening. I'm sure this will be resolved quickly.

For dinner, I ordered the pasta vognole ($15.95). Described as "Chopped fresh sea clams in garlic and olive oil (white) or garlic and tomato (red) with linguini and crostini", I was again surprised with a variation on the dish. Typically, white clam sauce is clear. It is made with olive oil, garlic, parsley and a little red pepper. The clams are sauteed in the seasoned olive oil and then some of the water from the pasta is added at the last minute to thicken the sauce. At La Scola, the clam sauce was made with cream. My plate did not arrive with the promised crostini. One of my dining companions noticed that the pasta had been broken in half in the kitchen (sacrilege in Italy) and we agreed that the noodles were not served al dente. This is the first month that the restaurant is open and I suspect that the pasta consistency will improve as the chef gets accustomed to the timing for feeding these large crowds.

I noticed that with the exception of the marinara sauce, all of the pastas are made with cream sauce. Again, this is a spin on classic Italian. Pesto sauce and Bolognese sauces are not made with cream in Italy. Ever. On my second visit, I asked the waitress about this, and she explained, "This is how they make bolognese in the North of Italy". It would be more honest to say, "Toledo diners prefer more subtle flavor and adding cream accomplishes this". Adding cream to standard pasta sauces is a trick Chef Dewart probably picked up while working at Ciao! or Rosie's Italian Grille and while it is neither authentic nor my preference, it does sell more pasta in Toledo.

My friends ordered the Veal Piccata ($18.95), Bistecca Toscana ($24.95), Filetto di Manzo ($26.95) and the "Costolette di Agnello", a special Australian double-boned lamb chops with chanterelle and morel mushroom demi-glace, served with Gorgonzola polenta ($24.95). The veal piccata was terrific and all of the beef and lamb entrees were served exactly to the temperature preferences requested.

I returned for lunch a few weeks later. I ordered the Margherita Pizza ($8.95) and a Caesar salad ($3.95). The pizza was less than adequate. The crust was soggy. I would expect this to be improved as the kitchen staff gains more experience. On this visit the Caesar salad came with the homemade croutons. However, the dressing does not have the distinguishing essence of lemon or anchovies found in Caesar dressing. My dining companion ordered the Manicotti ($7.95) which is rolled pasta filled with herbed ricotta cheese and served with a trio of marinara, alfredo, and pesto sauce. The presentation resembled the flag of Italy and was charming. However, the earthy blend of fresh basil, garlic and pine nuts that defines pesto sauce was completely absent. The pesto at La Scola is a light green alfredo sauce with a hint of basil flavor.

The dessert menu is extensive. None of the desserts are made on site. We ordered the Torta di Cioccolata ($6.95) and the special Tiramisu served in a balloon wine glass ($6.95). The torta was attractive and tasty. The tiramisu was a marscapone and chocolate frappe, however it looked pretty in the glass with two lady fingers sticking up out of it. I recommend saving your calories for the entrees.

Coffee at La Scola is strong, rich and served in a coffee cup with a paper liner and a saucer garnished with three whole coffee beans. Chocolate covered coffee beans or a traditional biscotti would be even better.

La Scola is a great American restaurant with an Italian theme. The steaks and chops are terrific, and the menu contains clever Italianized names for American dishes such as "Reubenetta" (Reuben Sandwich) and "Il Cuneo" (wedge salad). Eating real Italian food at La Scola is like looking for real Australian cuisine at Outback Steakhouse. That doesn't make it bad. I just hope to manage expectations for Italians or Italio-philes looking for the real thing. Regardless, American steakhouse cuisine is always a winner in Toledo. La Scola will be packed with long waits and a loyal group of regulars for many years. I will return to enjoy the ambiance and its virtues as a steakhouse.

“Glass City Gourmet” is a chronicle of one woman's attempt to cook, eat, diet and entertain with both flair and whimsy while based in Toledo, Ohio. I encourage you to read on as the "Glass City Gourmet" attempts grand recipes, samples locally owned restaurants, visits indigenous markets and humbly pursues her quest to be formally recognized as the official "Glass City Gourmet".

Chocolate Challenge

I love a challenge. I am a competitor. As much as I hate this label and the evil connotations often associated with it there is no denying my genetic predisposition to win.

When the opportunity to compete for the "Top Chocolate Chef" arrived with the prize being a seat as an official judge for the Junior League of Toledo's first "Chocolate Soiree", I knew I had to make a run for it.

I spent a few days intermittently contemplating my options. After scanning a few cookbooks for chocolate confections, I decided to try my hand at Champagne Truffles. My recipe comes from the James Beard Foundation Book Award winner, "Savor the Moment: Entertaining Without Reservations" from the Junior League of Boca Raton. It was a Junior League contest, and I figured this might be a good fit.

After several botched batches I learned that in making truffles:
1) temperature counts
2) don't second guess a call for "semi-sweet" chocolate - ever
3) fine champagne makes great truffles

Here's the recipe and the adjustments I made:

6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 c (1/2 stick butter, chopped
3 tbs. heavy cream
1 egg yolk beaten
3 tbs champagne
1/4 c. unsweetened baking cocoa mixed with 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Combine chocolate, butter and heavy cream in a medium saucepan. Cook over low heat until the chocolate melts, stirring constantly (I found that a double boiler is a better choice for better control of the heat). Stir a small amount of the hot chocolate mixture into the egg yolk; stir the egg yolk mixture into the hot mixture. Cook over medium heat for 2 minutes longer, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and stir in the champagne. Spoon into a small mixing bowl. Chill for 1 hour or until completely cool, stirring occasionally.

Beat at medium speed for 1 minute or until the color lightens and the mixture is slightly fluffy. Chill for 3 minutes longer or until the mixture holds its shape.

Shape into 1 inch balls by scraping a small ice cream scoop, melon baller or spoon across the surface of the chilled mixture. Place on a tray lined with waxed paper. Chill until very firm.

Roll truffles gently in the cocoa and cinnamon mixture. Place in decorative cups to serve.


A few tips:
1) I used Belgian chocolate and Moet & Chandon White Star Champagne. After all, you should never use champagne you wouldn't drink or chocolate you wouldn't eat!

2) After rolling the ganache into small balls, freeze it. When it comes out of the freezer it is easier to get a smooth round, globe-like shape before coating it.

I did my best to set up a pretty display and "sell" my confection by explaining the origins of the truffle and the joys of chocolate ganache. Unfortunately, I didn't win. I was told that I lost by 1 vote to a chocolate and strawberry struedal bar. Oh, well. It was a fun challenge and great to catch up with old friends.

Second place. C'est la vie.

“Glass City Gourmet” is a chronicle of one woman's attempt to cook, eat, diet and entertain with both flair and whimsy while based in Toledo, Ohio. I encourage you to read on as the "Glass City Gourmet" attempts grand recipes, samples locally owned restaurants, visits indigenous markets and humbly pursues her quest to be formally recognized as the official "Glass City Gourmet".

Great Sushi at Sori Sushi

Sori Sushi
5236 Monroe Street
Toledo, Oh
419-720-7640


There is nothing more exciting than a new and fabulous restaurant opening its doors in Toledo. In a town where sushi restaurants are becoming as common as falafel shops, it is always exciting to find a star.

Enter Sori Sushi and prepare to be dazzled. Chef Kenny Ro is a 25 year veteran to Sushi preparation. Chef Ro shared the highlights of his career include working for the top rated sushi restaurants at both the Luxor Hotel and the Tropicana in Las Vegas. Most recently, he worked for five years at Yoko Restaurant in Toledo.

Sori Sushi features a large and diverse menu. Sushi, teriyaki, bento boxes, soups, Asian appetizers, dessert and a variety of other special items complete the ambitious menu. Chef Ken Ro and Sori get fresh fish from Chicago and Columbus, daily. You can see, smell and taste this high quality immediately.

Upon being seated at the sushi bar, Chef Ro presented us with a complimentary amuse-bouche. This delicate combination of crab meat, cucumber and a light nutty sauce was a preview of the sublime flavors to come. My dining companion and I started our meal by ordering the spicy tuna bowl. This was a special preparation of fresh spicy tuna, roe, and a light portion of finely sliced green onions. It was served with a second bowl containing sticky rice. It was an extraordinary mix of tastes and textures.

Next, we sampled the house Sori Roll ($8.95). Named after Chef Ro's wife Sori, it contains spicy tuna, salmon, red snapper, and crab all artfully arranged and wrapped with cucumber. The cucumber provides a subtle crunch and delicate flavor contrast to the sashimi. We also ordered a Spicy Tiger roll ($9.50) that contains shrimp tempura and is topped with spicy tuna and avocado. It was excellent. Finally, we ordered the white tuna sashimi. The pieces were served on a bed of shredded daikon. The presentation was beautiful and the fish melted in my mouth. On Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, sashimi is .99 per piece for dine in orders.

Second only to the cuisine is the artwork in the restaurant. Sori Ro studied Asian Art techniques while attending college in Seoul, South Korea. Her art ranges from modern mixed media, to traditional script paintings, and more traditional crafts. There are beautiful prints, paintings, as well as small framed leaf arrangements that form whimsical animal shapes. I particularly enjoyed the alligator and elephant dried leaf compositions near the sushi bar. It will be tough to keep the restaurant open and not end up selling the art from off of the warm, butterscotch colored walls.

Sori Sushi provides great sushi at reasonable prices in a pleasant atmosphere.

You will be seeing me regularly at Sori Sushi.

“Glass City Gourmet” is a chronicle of one woman's attempt to cook, eat, diet and entertain with both flair and whimsy while based in Toledo, Ohio. I encourage you to read on as the "Glass City Gourmet" attempts grand recipes, samples locally owned restaurants, visits indigenous markets and humbly pursues her quest to be formally recognized as the official "Glass City Gourmet".

Sakura Saga Continues

It's been over a month since my last entry and a variety of opinions on my review of Sakura continue. I spent the month of October traveling through Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand. Articles to follow.

Recently, it was pointed out to me that a number of the dissenting posts had come from the same "IP" indicating that a group of friends sharing the same computer has been writing comments. Suspicions aside, I'm glad that my honest and personal opinion has led to dialog on this new restaurant.

Glass City Gourmet is not a commercial website. I am not compensated for my opinions. Therefore, I am not beholden to advertisers who might expect only generous reviews.

I did return to Sakura on Wednesday, October 3rd to meet a friend at the bar for lunch and found the strong smell of fish and lackluster sashimi still present. I would agree with one of the comments that Fujiyama and Kotobuki offer superior sushi in clean and odor free environments. This is my opinion. You don't have to agree with it. You are welcome to post other opinions.

“Glass City Gourmet” is a chronicle of one woman's attempt to cook, eat, diet and entertain with both flair and whimsy while based in Toledo, Ohio. I encourage you to read on as the "Glass City Gourmet" attempts grand recipes, samples locally owned restaurants, visits indigenous markets and humbly pursues her quest to be formally recognized as the official "Glass City Gourmet".

Sakura: Japanese Steakhouse

Sakura Japanese Steakhouse

5294 Monroe Street

Toledo, OH

419-843-1300

Toledo shines with the simple elegance of sushi restaurants! For years, Kotobuki was the only Japanese restaurant in the area that served sushi. If you are over 30, you may remember En Japanese Steakhouse that opened and closed in the 1970s, only to come back as a strip mall steakhouse and sushi spot a few years ago.

Now, there are about 10 sushi restaurants, a few take out locations and sushi has been added to the menus of most steak and fish restaurants around town. Add the grocery stores offering fresh sushi and one would assume that maki rolls and tempura are surpassing hamburgers and french fries as the great American meal. This doesn't necessarily qualify any of us as experts in sushi, but I think we are all learning more about the properties of raw fish.

Recently, Sakura opened on Monroe Street near Franklin Park Mall. Locally owned and operated, Sakura offers a full sushi menu and the showmanship and fun associated with a Japanese steakhouse. The owner, Vince Li, is originally from Hong Kong but he has lived in Toledo for the last 12 years. He also owns the China 1/Tokyo Grill in the strip mall between Monroe Street and Sylvania Ave (where they meet near Secor), and the China 1 in Sylvania in the Major Magic's strip mall.

Li and his team did a terrific job converting the space from a sports bar to a Japanese Steakhouse, with a pleasant and Eastern influenced ambiance. At the entrance, guests cross a small wood bridge over a Japanese fish pond with a stone fountain. The bar is directly in front of the door and the sushi bar is to the left. I suspect that the layout is well designed and conducive to a quieter dining area when the bar is full at night.

The main dining area is surrounded by lacquered bamboo fencing with Asian inspired arches. The raised and semi-private tatami eating area is charming for those who don't mind removing their shoes and sitting at these special low tables. However, this area does not include the hibachi grills. There is also a private dining room with four hibachi stations to accommodate up to 50 guests.

My companions and I sat outside of the main dining area in a booth and decided to try the sushi. We ordered the Kamikaze ($9.25) , Volcano ($10) and Toledo rolls ($10.25), some white tuna sashimi ($2.75/piece), as well as an order of Chirashi Sushi ($13.50). There was a $2.50 additional charge for each soup. I ordered the mushroom broth which was rather salty but featured thinly sliced mushrooms and scallions floating in the broth. The miso soup was standard fare. The green tea was a lightly steeped brew and served hot in traditional stoneware cups.

The sushi was adequate. While the rolls and sushi were artfully arranged the color, texture, and quality of the fish in the Chirashi was uncertain. There is a vibrancy to the color and a particular shine on fresh sushi that is unmistakable. These qualities and the expected texture of raw fish were absent from the sashimi. It should be noted that Sakura uses white pickled ginger, rather than pink, so the lack of color should not be a concern for diners accustomed to the pink version. After the meal, we decided to walk over to the sushi bar to inspect the fish and found the smell of old fish present. Just as it is in American fish houses, the scent of raw fish in a clean sushi restaurant should be imperceptible.

Unfortunately, Sakura falls short as a sushi destination. I am optimistic that the Japanese Steakhouse menu is much better as it is the central focus of the restaurant. While we ate our lunch, there were three or four families sitting at the Hibachi tables enjoying the slicing and dicing and interactive entertainment that is so much a part of the Japanese-American steakhouse tradition.

For my next visit, I will try the steakhouse menu or enjoy a bowl of soup in the tatami seating. However, I am reluctant to send anyone here for sushi.

“Glass City Gourmet” is a chronicle of one woman's attempt to cook, eat, diet and entertain with both flair and whimsy while based in Toledo, Ohio. I encourage you to read on as the "Glass City Gourmet" attempts grand recipes, samples locally owned restaurants, visits indigenous markets and humbly pursues her quest to be formally recognized as the official "Glass City Gourmet".

9/21/07: The Glass City Gourmet wishes to thank Kango for his comments about this review (See comments). The text in green reflects efforts to make the original message about my experience at Sakura clear to readers. In the original text, I had NO concerns about the color of the pickled ginger. I mentioned it because one of my dining companions had not seen white pickled ginger before, and I hoped to make it clear to readers that this is not a problem. I apologize for not stating that clearly. As for the consistency of the sushi, there are many terms to describe sushi. "Firm" is a relative term and I now know to be less specific in describing sushi that does not match my previous experiences.

Yo Yo Girl

The annual physical.

For some, this evokes dread. For me, it generally signals the start of allergy season or the need for a laundry list of prescriptions for a pending overseas adventure.

I decided to knock mine out in a one day flurry of appointments. I starting first with the snatch quack, moved on to the primary care physician at lunch and ended with a stop at a podiatrist's lair after work ended. I'm proud to report that I am blessed with good health...low blood pressure, low sitting pulse, low LDL cholesterol, elevated HDL cholesterol, seasonal allergies well controlled, and female functions in line. My feet look pretty good. I managed to end up with a big fat shot of cortisone on the top of my right foot for some inflammation and nerve pain. While it was most unpleasant to take the shot, I feel much better now.




Here's the bad news: my weight is fluctuating too frequently. I've never claimed to have a stable body weight. I gain and lose the same 10 lbs over and over again. But this time I was busted. Caught by the pros. Not one, but two clinicians picked up on this and declared, "no more yo-yo-ing". The definitive order: Get that last ten pounds off and keep it off. For good.

This is not good news to a girl who loves to cook and eat.

I always thought that keeping the weight radius tight would work. Not so.

"The term "yo-yo dieting" was coined by Kelly D. Brownell, Ph.D., at Yale University, in reference to the cyclical up-down motion of a yo-yo. In this process, the dieter is initially successful in the pursuit of weight loss but is unsuccessful in maintaining the loss long-term and begins to gain the weight back. The dieter then seeks to lose the regained weight, and the cycle begins again."

Oh, crap. That's me. I'm fortunate not to have this compounded by obesity. I know this. However, the impact of these weight fluctuations on the metabolism, mood, digestive system and the heart occurs regardless of the size of the person.

So, this time I guess I'm going to have to get serious about making permanent lifestyle changes. Ugh. I've struggled with this stuff since I was a teenager. I was a pretty serious athlete and my high school coach used a caliper to check body fat percentages and declare necessary weight loss amounts. I'm not blaming him for this problem. But it definitely set the stage for life as a woman obsessed with numbers.

On many levels it pains me to think that while so many people in other parts of the world worry about whether a next meal might be available, I'm regulating intake in a land of abundance. It's ethically and maybe even ethnically embarrassing. I am Jewish. There are whole generations who would find this situation offensive.

As I start the new year, I wish my friends and family a year of peace and happiness. I pledge to restore my health with dedication to a new lifestyle.

“Glass City Gourmet” is a chronicle of one woman's attempt to cook, eat, diet and entertain with both flair and whimsy while based in Toledo, Ohio. I encourage you to read on as the "Glass City Gourmet" attempts grand recipes, samples locally owned restaurants, visits indigenous markets and humbly pursues her quest to be formally recognized as the official "Glass City Gourmet".

Tailgate Revisited

Friday night was a shopping and cooking fury as I made preparations for the big tailgate. I got a late start, heading to the store at about 7:30pm to fill a basket with all the necessary ingredients.

A trick I learned from my favorite caterer of all time is to write your shopping list on a piece of paper divided into quadrants for each section of the grocery store. In other words, instead of just writing the list of ingredients (one recipe after another), you take the time to put the dairy items from each recipe in a list of dairy stuff, the veggies in the produce list, etc. This makes for fairly speedy shopping and prevents me from having to go back and forth for ingredients that somehow got missed along the way.

By 9pm I was unloading groceries at my Mom's house. As anyone who has ever been to my place knows, it is a galley kitchen and there is no multi-tasking in a galley kitchen. So, with the mega granite kitchen at my disposal I had enough space to work like an octopus on methamphetamine. Simultaneously, I boiled red skins, blanched green beans, baked chicken for my sandwiches, cooked up the marinade for the artichoke and mushroom salad, sliced and marinated the veggies for my roll ups, whipped up the sauces for the roast beef sandwiches, and sliced and diced like a pro.

Presto!

In two hours I had three prepared salads and all the trimmings for the interior of three different kinds of sandwiches. Oh, how I love a large kitchen...six burners, two ovens, a large double sink for fast clean up, a vegetable sink with disposal, about 15 yards of solid granite counter top and a double door stainless steel fridge to hold everything! Yowsa!

The next morning, all I had to do was buy some booze. The list of salads is on the last entry. For the sandwiches I ended up making:

1) Roast beef with horseradish/cream cheese/sour cream spread, alfalfa sprouts, and cranberry/orange relish on Italian bread.

2) Turkey, pepper jack cheese, sprouts, and guacamole on pumpernickel bread

3) Roasted chicken with marinated mixed vegetables rolled into either tomato basil or spinach basil flat bread.

I served water, iced tea and do-it-yourself cocktails of lemonade, raspberry vodka, ice and a handful of fresh raspberries to float.

The menu was a hit. Coupled with a basket of enormous homemade chocolate chip cookies from my cousin, Gail and a tray of assorted mini brownies (chocolate toffee bars and the good old fashioned nine layer bars you may remember from childhood!) made by my Mom - this was one helluva tailgate!

Too bad the weather didn't cooperate. I ended up serving the whole thing indoors...and then caravanned over to the theater to watch the BF perform in Harvest Theatre's "Taming of the Shrew" at the Ottawa Park amphitheater. For those of you who love Shakespeare, you can catch the show this Saturday or Sunday at 3pm (The amphitheater is located at the corner of Midwood and Kenwood, behind the Police Station in Ottawa Park).

“Glass City Gourmet” is a chronicle of one woman's attempt to cook, eat, diet and entertain with both flair and whimsy while based in Toledo, Ohio. I encourage you to read on as the "Glass City Gourmet" attempts grand recipes, samples locally owned restaurants, visits indigenous markets and humbly pursues her quest to be formally recognized as the official "Glass City Gourmet".

Party Preparation

I've decided to have a little party. My friend is playing Baptista in Harvest Theatre's presentation of "The Taming of The Shrew" for the next two weekends. I thought that the best way to draw a crowd to Shakespeare in the park was with a clever invitation and a tailgate party.

It's been awhile since I've had to compile the names and addresses of sixty happy people...and it always takes longer than you expect it to take. I found some cute invitations at Hallmark and sent them through the printer. I finished the cards and realized that no one has any idea where the Ottawa Park amphitheater is and probably wouldn't know to bring a chair. I took a road trip to find the theater and create some decent directions. I can only pray that this left handed genius typed up the directions in a way that others can follow.

I was foolish enough to think that 5 boxes of 8 cards would be adequate for my ever-growing invitations list. I ended up making a second batch using pre printed stationery from Kinko's. Half way through printing the Kinko's version my printer got testy and decided to start eating invitations. I'm not kidding here. This happened six times when I realized that this could only be a six round bout or I'd end up short a few invitations again.

So I packed up the whole mess and went to Kinko's to beat on one of their printers. Copy, cut, paste, and use the tray feed to print two invitations at once. Brilliant. I wondered why I'd spent so much money and time on the Hallmark kind. This is the joy of entertaining when you don't do it all that often. Honestly, it is fun to play with this stuff and problem solve on the fly.

Now that the invitations are in the mail (less one or two that ended up purely as emailed attachments because I couldn't find current snail mail addresses...) I could move on to the menu.

Here's what I'm thinking:

pesto potato salad (contains red skins, green beans, green onions, grated parm, and pesto)
corn and cherry tomato salad (contains corn, cherry tomatoes, chopped celery & red onion, fresh arugula and a lovely balsamic vinaigrette with chunks of bleu cheese)
2 types of sandwiches (these are still open for debate)
fresh baked cookies (I might cheat on these!)
bottled water, iced tea, and a premixed lemonade, vodka and floating raspberry combination

Now I'm thinking about props:

Borrow a six foot table and linens
Borrow a few baskets to line and fill with half sandwiches
borrow a big tub for the soft drinks
borrow a big cooler for the loose ice
borrow a big cooler for the lemonade concoction

Oh, no. Who has parties that doesn't already own all the props? I DO! That's who! I didn't register for practical entertaining gear. Park Avenue table service doesn't play in a parking lot.

Anyway, tonight having a test run on the salads. I'm taking them to a pot luck for the holiday weekend and making sure they gain approval from the discerning palates of gourmet friends before I make them in bulk. Stay tuned for more...

“Glass City Gourmet” is a chronicle of one woman's attempt to cook, eat, diet and entertain with both flair and whimsy while based in Toledo, Ohio. I encourage you to read on as the "Glass City Gourmet" attempts grand recipes, samples locally owned restaurants, visits indigenous markets and humbly pursues her quest to be formally recognized as the official "Glass City Gourmet".

Peach Melba

The luscious combination of poached peaches with raspberry coulis and vanilla ice cream was conceived by Auguste Escoffier, the French chef most noted for updating and popularizing traditional French cooking methods - as well as serving techniques - in the 1920's and 30's. He named the dessert after opera singer Nellie Melba, an Australian born soprano.

The story goes that Mr. Escoffier heard her perform in London and was inspired to create a desert in her honor. Rumor had it that Ms. Melba loved ice cream but didn't eat it very often for fear of damaging her vocal chords. The warmed sauce and peaches were combined to take the cold edge off the ice cream and present a special treat for the opera singer.

While descriptions indicated that the original Peach Melba sauce was made with raspberries, currant jelly, sugar and cornstarch, I found a recipe from Nigella Lawson and followed it to the letter.

Peach Melba

For the Peaches
3 cups water
3 1/2 c. superfine sugar
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
8 peaches

For the raspberry sauce

3 cups raspberries
1/4 c. confectioners' sugar
juice of 1/2 lemon

to serve
1 large container of vanilla ice cream


Put the water, sugar lemon juice and vanilla bean into a wide saucepan and heat gently to dissolve the sugar. Bring the pan to a boil and let it bubble away for about 5 minutes, then turn the pan down to a fast simmer.


Cut the peaches in half, and, if the pits come out easily remove them, if not, then you can get them out later. Poach the peach halves in the sugar syrup for about 2-3 minutes on each side, depending on the ripeness of the fruit. Test the cut side with the sharp point of a knife to see if they are soft, and then remove to a plate with a slotted spoon.

When all the peaches are poached, peel off their skins and let them cool (and remove any remaining pits). If you are making them a day in advance, let the poaching syrup cool and then pour into a dish with the peaches. Otherwise, just bag up the syrup and freeze it for the next time you are poaching peaches.

To make the raspberry sauce, puree the raspberries, confectioners' sugar and lemon juice in a blender or else a food processor. Sieve to remove the seeds and pour this fantastically hued puree into a jug.

To assemble Peach Melba, allow two peach halves per person and sit them on each plate alongside a scoop or two of ice cream. Spoon the raspberry sauce over each one, and put the remaining puce-tinted sauce in a pitcher for people to add themselves at the table.

“Glass City Gourmet” is a chronicle of one woman's attempt to cook, eat, diet and entertain with both flair and whimsy while based in Toledo, Ohio. I encourage you to read on as the "Glass City Gourmet" attempts grand recipes, samples locally owned restaurants, visits indigenous markets and humbly pursues her quest to be formally recognized as the official "Glass City Gourmet".

Lamb is Love

Maybe I'm getting so attached to food that I'm substituting romantic feelings for a Pavlovian response to rare meat? Or, maybe there's nothing tastier or sexier than a perfectly grilled lamb chop. Either way, I had a half a dozen small lamb chops waiting in the fridge and had no intention of freezing them.

Bone Sucking Worthy, Grilled Lamb Chops with Fresh Herbs

1/4 c. olive oil
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 c. red wine
1 bunch fresh rosemary, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
6 baby lamb chops, 1 inch thick (I prefer the French cut)
salt and freshly ground pepper

In a glass dish, mix all of the ingredients. Add the lamb chops and marinate at least 4 hours, turning after 2 hours to marinate both sides.

Prepare the grill. Season the chops with salt and pepper to taste. Grill over high heat until medium rare, 2-3 minutes per side.

Eat immediately. Put down your knife and fork and use your hands while you gnaw the meat off those bones like a robust man playing Henry VIII in a B movie!

“Glass City Gourmet” is a chronicle of one woman's attempt to cook, eat, diet and entertain with both flair and whimsy while based in Toledo, Ohio. I encourage you to read on as the "Glass City Gourmet" attempts grand recipes, samples locally owned restaurants, visits indigenous markets and humbly pursues her quest to be formally recognized as the official "Glass City Gourmet".