Great Lakes Brewing Co. | CLE

The Cleveland crew and I kicked off a night of brewery hopping through the Ohio City neighborhood's Market District with award winning craft beer and hearty local fare at Great Lakes Brewing Company.  The evening begins with a pitcher of Dortmunder Gold, a smooth lager that strikes a balance between sweet malts and dry hops. What follows are terrific appetizers including Smoked Chicken Wings, Brewers Barley Pretzels and a Sausage Sampler Plate. The beer sampling continues, I was a fan of both the Burning River Pale Ale with assertive citrusy cascade hops and the Holy Moses White Ale, a limited release Belgian wit spiced with coriander, orange peel and chamomile. 

The Stilton Cheddar Ale Soup made with Dortmunder Gold is thick, smooth and ultra cheesy. It makes for a solid entrée alongside a lighter Roasted Red and Golden Beet Salad with bib lettuce, feta, fresh basil, olive oil and red wine vinegar. The Pretzel Chicken proves an inventive entrée with classic sides of mashed potatoes, green beans, relish and a Burning River Pale Ale Mustard Sauce. For dessert, the warm Raisin Bread Pudding and made-down-the-street small batch ice cream is a sweet ending paired with the Alberta Clipper Porter featuring notes of bittersweet chocolate and fresh raspberry.

We spent the rest the evening just up the street at Market Garden Brewery and later Nano Brew. Local owner and brew-master Sam McNutly leads our behind the scenes crawl, we sample a ton of his excellent beers and it makes for a really fun night out in Cleveland.

Great Lakes Brewing Company

2516 Market Ave

Cleveland, Ohio 44113

Bronwyn | Union Square

In Somerville's Union Square, Bronwyn serves a fresh take on the food and drink of Germany and Eastern Europe. The deeply wooded interior is warm and rustic, bedecked with handcrafted treasures from the region, notably a mash up of tall, regal looking wooden chairs. The biergarten is open now that we've reached the warmer months! 

The girls and I put a serious dent in the menu. I was really impressed with everything we ate and drank. It all felt so original, so refreshing and much needed. In order of appearance.....

Giant Haus Bretzel | spicy horseradish mustard 

Pierogi | haus-made ham & cheddar cheese dumplings, sweet pea relish, mint

Thüringia Pickled Eggs | habanero mustard

Spätzle | classic schwabian pasta, spring ramps, red onion marmalade, comte cheese

Sieben | Citadelle Gin, Cocchi Amaretto, Aperol, Grapefruit, Sparkling Riesling

Smokey Bone | Templeton Rye, Creme Yvette, Green Chartreuse, Jerry Thomas Bitters

Schmaltz | chicken & pork fat, cracklin, pickled onion, rye bread

Okocim Premium Pils Bresko Poland | light, well balanced hops, biscuity flavors

Schnitzel à la Holstein | pork schnitzel, soldier bean ragoût, soft boiled egg, white anchovies, capers

Mini Wurst Plate | Cotechino - pig skin, cinnamon, clove / Currywurst - pork, veal, curry / potatoes, sauerkraut, haus mustard 

Reibekuchen (unpictured, but amazing) | horseradish potato pancakes, rhubarb chutney, dill crème fraîche

Bronwyn

255 Washington St

Somerville, MA 02143

city round-up | Tamo, Stoddard's, West Bridge

 A look at where I've been sipping and grazing as of late.

TAMO | Seaport District

Recently I attended a new menu preview at Tamo in the Seaport Hotel. Guests can enjoy cuisine and libations at the contemporary bar or on comfy living room couches with waterfront views through the lofty floor to ceiling windows. Tamo is a perfect spot to pop in and relax if you find yourself in the Seaport District. We stayed well into the evening enjoying many appetizers, glasses of wine, port and delicious desserts. 

My favorites included:

Fire Tini | fire puncher jalapeno vodka, atsby vermouth, olive brine. 

BBQ Roll | tempura fried California roll topped with BBQ eel. 

TAMO Crisps | green thumb farms potatoes, roasted garlic, goat cheese, herbs

Prosciutto Meatballs | marinara and mozzarella

Crispy Chinese Eggplant & Calamari | salt ‘n pepper, hot peppers

Stoddard's | Ladder District, Downtown Crossing

A post long-workday watering hole - Stoddard's Fine Food & Ale exudes a classic historical opulence with pressed tin ceilings and antique gadgets on display. At the the mighty, hand-carved bar enjoy cocktails, a huge selection of beer on draft, and maybe some hors d'oeuvres...

Deviled Eggs

Whiskey #4 | rye, melleti amaro, orange, cassis, bitters

Warm Pretzels | Dijon mustard

West Bridge | Kendall Square

The kitchen at West Bridge in Kendall Square links sophisticated French cooking with New England comforts. The cocktail program is excellent, as well. A couple must orders:

Egg in a Jar | duck egg, hen of the woods mushrooms, pomme puree, crisp skin

Heatwave | mezcal, averna, ginger, lime, jalapeno. 

An End to Feral Days | aged cachaca, amaro, sherry, bitters.

Red Hook Brewery | Portsmouth

An hour north of Boston on the New Hampshire seacoast lies the quaint city of Portsmouth, established in 1623.Situated near the mouth of the Piscataqua River, the downtown area offers picturesque waterfront views and throughout winding streets and brick sidewalks exists a mecca of fantastic local shops, restaurants, bars and more. I've traveled up here often to visit college friends, my Alma matter (University of New Hampshire) campus is located 15 minutes west in the tiny town of Durham, so I've got a definite connection to the area, as do some of my Boston blogger girlfriends. We decided a day trip was in order and with others in tow who had never been (!!) we headed up last Saturday where our adventures commenced with lunch at Red Hook Brewery. I had not been to the brewery since the summer of graduating (2006) and spent lots of time here in college (my 21st birthday dinner, among other blurry occasions!) Red Hook is the quintessential craft beer of the region, not to mention the breweries Cataqua Public House serves up some seriously tasty pub style food. The ten of us gals shared a plethora of appetizers starting with a Basket of Sweet Potato Fries ($7) and a Baked Jumbo Pretzel ($4) with homemade honey mustard dressing. A definite favorite were the Fried Artichoke Hearts ($8) dusted in seasoned flour and deep fried, served with a caper aioli. The Spinach and Artichoke Dip ($10) and the Hook Pilsner Infused Hummus ($7) are both delicious with grilled pita points, carrots and celery.We also noshed on oven baked Potato Skins ($9) loaded with Monterey Jack cheese and crumbled bacon, and Grilled Buffalo Chicken Strips ($10). All of it was even better than I remembered, from the superb food, to the clean tastefully decorated space, to the buttery brown couches, I was definitely re-living some great memories and had a blast making new ones.
The majority of us ordered our beer in the form of a Sampler Tray ($7); this is a fun and inexpensive way to enjoy the range of styles offered. A generous pour of ESB, Pilsner, IPA, Copperhook, Blackhook and Winterhook come on the sampler's circular platter with the color underneath corresponding to the menu description. We embarked on a brewery tour after lunch, I had somehow never been on one despite all my visits here. After all these years, it was finally meant to be! Tours cost $1 and run at various times on the hour, lead by a spirited guide, followed up with pitchers for sampling a number of varieties. My college girlfriends and I were always big fans of the Blonde Ale, a refreshing and thirst quenching blend of lightly roasted barley and a touch of wheat. The Longhammer IPA (India Pale Ale) is bold and meduim bodied, with a distinct bitterness as a result of adding hops both in the beginning and end of the fermentation process. Strong aromas and flavors of pine and citrus are prevalent. The Winterhook is a festive dark brew with rich malts and spicy hops. Roasted chocolate notes impart smoothness and finesse. This beer has been released for 27 seasons, the recipe changing slightly each year. I also really enjoy their ESB (Extra Special Bitter) a traditional British style amber beer that has been brewed since 1987. It balances sweet caramel malts with spicy and citrusy hops. I purchased two six packs (IPA and ESB) at the gift shop - I forgot how much I miss drinking this beer! Red Hook is not widely available in Boston, so I'm thrilled to have a small supply on hand. The Portsmouth blogger tour didn't end here, an afternoon shopping and wandering downtown was followed up by a fantastic meal at Black Trumpet Bistro, stay tuned for my review!

Cataqua Public House

35 Corporate Drive

Portsmouth, NH 03801

*Red Hook is now Cisco Brewers Portsmouth*