Bite Buff: Birthday at Light Bistro

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Birthday at Light Bistro

Last Friday night led us to Washington Place Bistro, but the birthday celebration did not end there. My gift to "R" was dinner out and a comedy show, and of course the comedian that he wanted to see (Carl Lebove) was in town the same weekend as his birthday. So Saturday night we headed out as well, this time to Light Bistro in Ohio City...one of my favorites.

We took the Chevy Cruze and valet parked for the first time at this restaurant. Street parking usually isn't too hard to find in this area since the restaurant is tucked away from busy West 25th Street, but it was a chilly (okay, frigid) Saturday night and we were struggling to find a spot. Luckily, the valet is complimentary at Light...so that meant that we just needed to come up with tip money. Totally worth not having to park and walk that night!

We settled into a table in their (relatively) newly renovated space in the back of the restaurant, which includes a fireplace and a nice view of their new retail wine shop. I love Light Bistro's menu. It is right up our alley, as we love to share several small plates and sample a lot when dining out. Chef Mathlage's "Progressive American Tapas" is usually perfect for this, but that night we decided to just share one appetizer and then order from the entrees section of the menu. Which I had never done before.

We started with the Grilled Flatbread with wild arugula, Lake Erie Creamery goat cheese and lemon ($12). The flatbread was prepared and cooked well, and I loved how simple he kept this dish. Each of the three ingredients were allowed to shine through on your palate, and the blended flavor was clean and simple. It also arrived in a white paper bag, which was a fun presentation.

"R" ordered the Pan Seared Grouper with pulled pork and ricotta ravioli, ham broth, and corn ($26). The group had a great sear to it, and he really enjoyed the dish. I don't really like ham, so the flavor was slightly off for my taste. I had the Braised Short Ribs with goat cheese farro and julienne root vegetables ($23).

Umm...wow. This dish was wonderful in my opinion. The short rib fell apart with just a gentle touch of the fork, and the subtle flavor of the goat cheese farro made for a perfect combination bite. I was loving this dish.

It felt like the night couldn't get any better, but then I took CLEShopaholic's advice and got the Coffee and Donuts dessert. Coffee ice cream paired with house-made, fresh, fried donut balls that were then finished with cinnamon and sugar. With a ramekin full of chocolate sauce to dip in, this dish was complete. What a way to end the meal!