Cooking with Supreme Sauce

A friend introduced us to a locally-made sauce from Micah Specialty Foods. Their Supreme Sauce can be used as a marinade, salsa, or cocktail sauce. There is a mild and a medium.

We bought the Medium to play with in the kitchen, and it has a wonderful subtle heat to it without being overly spicy. 

If you're unsure where to start when cooking with it (like us), they have a handful of recipes on their website. Including one from Cleveland chef Doug Katz. We used it to create our own version of their Jolloff Rice and Plantains (an authentic West African dish) with scallops. 

The rice was so tasty, and we had to add an extra drizzle of sauce on top of the scallops because YUM.

I love the story of how this husband and wife duo got started with this business, and their commitment to not only sourcing ingredients locally but also employing men and women from Shaker Square, Cleveland Heights and Larchmere. This includes a focus on hiring formally incarcerated employees to give them that second chance. 

Go check this sauce out for yourself. You can purchase it directly on their website, Amazon, Giant Eagle's Market District, and a long list of other specialty markets local to Northeast Ohio.

Dang Good Foods

These are not my favorite posts to write. When I have a disappointing experience at a restaurant, I drag my feet in sharing that with you. But, it's important to be authentic and real over here, and sometimes a spot just misses the mark for us. 

In the quest to complete my 2021 To Dine Challenge list, we headed to Dang Good Foods in Lakewood next. You can pre-order online (a huge bonus in these pandemic times), but can't schedule for a later pick-up (would be great!). So we ended up with a late lunch around 2:00PM one Saturday, because we were nervous about missing out on a featured item with limited quantity available.

We started with an order of the Steamed Buns (Set of 3, $10) with Pork.

Then split two dishes, the Lor Bak Png (Braised Pork Belly Rice) ($15)...

...and Wonton Mee (Dumpling Noodles, choice of Wet or Dry). Dry pictured. This is the dish that cannot always be found on the menu. Dry comes with the soup on the side, and Wet comes with everything in the broth.

We felt the same about all three dishes. They were all totally fine, but just fine. It wasn't a takeout issue, I assure you. I take that into account, and know that textures and quality of the food will decline in the trip home. Overall, they just lacked the bolder flavors that I was expecting. It was all prepared well, but fell bland for us. 

This is my first (I think?) experience with dishes from Singapore. So maybe the seasonings and sauces are intended to be more delicate than other Asian cuisines I've grown to love? I'd love for you to share your experience or insight.

But this meal did not leave us wanting more, sadly. Super cute little restaurant with a sweet story of how the owner started this business, so check it out for yourself. 

Dang Good Foods
13735 Madison Avenue
Lakewood, OH 44107
(216) 785-9321

Parilya Food Truck

Filipino food is hard to come by in Northeast Ohio. Ever since I was introduced to lumpia years ago at the Night Market Cleveland, I was hooked.

So, when I learned of the Parilya food truck in 2020, I knew it needed to make my 2021 To Dine Challenge list. You can follow them on Facebook (linked above) or Instagram to track their upcoming locations. They are routinely at the Lakewood Truck Park, so we hunted them down there for a chilly outdoor picnic.

Of course, there had to be an order of Veggie Lumpia (4 for $6). A little thicker than the version I remember from Night Market, but just as tasty! Don't skip them. Beef version available too.

We shared an order of the Pancit ($5)...

...and Chicken Tocino ($10) with Fried Rice. They suggested adding on an egg, and I see why. Do it!

Overall, I thought the food was really good, and totally worth the outdoor picnic in 25 degree weather. Hey, the sun was out, that's all I need! 

For those of you comfortable dining indoors, Lakewood Truck Park also has indoor seating and bar available. 

We were so happy to get out for some Filipino food, and were rewarded by it living up to expectations. This is one food truck we'll keep tracking!

CLE Biscuit Heads

I think I first saw CLE Biscuit Heads pop up on my friend Meghan's Instagram, and those biscuit sandwiches immediately had me drooling.

With a permanent residency at Six Shooter Coffee on Waterloo Road, you can get your hands on one seven days a week from 7AM - noon. But, they travel around each weekend doing pop-ups in different neighborhoods, so you want to give them a follow on Instagram or visit the website for updates. You have the ability to pre-order on their website, and pickup for pre-orders was between 8-9AM. The pop-up went from 8AM - noon. 

This past Sunday, they partnered with Sixth City Cycles & Plants in Old Brooklyn. I was thrilled to finally have a super convenient location, and we also got to combine the outing with dropping off my bicycle for a tune-up and browsing the extensive indoor plant selection. Is 18 plants too many for one house? Asking for a friend...

The menu can be slightly different at each pop-up, and we both went with The Sammie ($7) with Bacon, Egg, and (choice of) Pimento Cheese version. Dining Deals Alert! 

Just look at that thing.

The biscuit is incredibly buttery and dense, which held up well with keeping everything contained. My complaint with most biscuit sandwiches is that often the biscuit crumbles too easily and eating it can become a disaster quickly. This was not the case here. I also really enjoyed the Pimento Cheese flavor and creamy texture on it.

I think the Old Brooklyn response was a good one, because they did sell out almost an hour in advance. Fingers crossed that means they'll come back soon!