Summer Menu At Reddstone

If you are a social media junkie like myself, you have probably been hearing about Reddstone all over Twitter lately. They are one restaurant that clearly understands how to engage their followers. It is one thing to post your special events, send out tonight's menu special (which I do enjoy seeing both)...but when I see local restaurants actually TALK to their audience and ENGAGE their audience, my little social media heart shines. So kudos to Reddstone.

Last night, Reddstone took the bull by the horns. They invited local food bloggers to come for an exclusive (and free) tasting of their new summer menu that they will unveil on June 15th. About 15 of us gathered for the tasting, some that I knew by face and all that I knew by name. It was great to see fellow bloggers that I consider friends, and wonderful to meet some for the first time in person. Poor Tom, over at Exploring Food My Way, was such a good sport sitting at a table with all women and putting up with our in-depth conversation about Reddstone's ladies room! Three and half hours seem to fly by, and our fun was over before I knew it. On to the food...

We were supplied with a menu listing of our five courses:
1st Course- Rare Salmon Lettuce Rolls with salmon carpaccio, radish sprout, sweet soy, chili-miso dipping sauce

2nd Course- BBQ'd Duck Confit Sliders with daikon slaw and poblano creme fraiche

3rd Course- "Slice of America" All American Burger with grilled sirloin, American cheese, pickle slices, and Reddstone special sauce

4th Course- Shrimp & Soba Noodles with mixed veggies, creamy peanut sauce and pickled napa cabbage

5th Course- Braised 5 Spice Short Ribs with kim chee potato latke, plum sauce and crispy leeks

I was immediately looking forward to several of the courses, but my first reaction was to be happy that the salmon lettuce rolls were first so that I could get them out of the way. For 27 years, I have lived my life believing and claiming that I HATE salmon. Last night, that all changed. The refreshing and slightly sweet roll, dipped in the flavor-packed chili-miso sauce, was my favorite of the evening. At the end of the night, the chef did explain that he made the rolls prior to our arrival so that we could be served the first course quickly (appreciated!) but that when it hits the summer menu they will be made-to-order, therefore allowing the lettuce to remain crisp and fresh. The soy sauce had softened the lettuce slightly in our version. The soba noodles took second in my opinion (very good), but someone at our table correctly made the point that the flavors were nothing that we haven't tasted before. Both the duck slider and the burger were moist and enjoyable. They are what you would expect for high-end bar food. The poblano creme fraiche on the sliders was something different, and balanced nicely with the sweet BBQ sauce. The only clunker of the evening was the 5th and final course- the short ribs. When tasted alone, I did like the plum sauce and the crispy leeks. However, the short rib itself and the potato latke were over salted and left us all a little disappointed. This dish needs some work before it makes its debut on the menu. Salt aside, it was a very difficult dish to taste cohesively. When you cut into the meat, it crumbled the shredded latke pancake underneath.

But I don't like to dwell on the bad, so I will walk away from the evening remembering the delicious dishes that we were so fortunate to preview. Their cozy patio is also fantastic and really enhanced our experience. I can already picture "R" and I settled in there for an evening of dinner and drinks. This much is certain- I will be back, and soon. Thank you again to Josh Kabat and his staff for hosting us. The service and communication was amazing. I will happily be your guinea pig anytime!

Reddstone
1261 West 76th Street
Cleveland, OH 44107
(216) 651-6969