May Dinner in the Dark is an Amp 150 Homecoming

May’s Dinner in the Dark at Amp 150 featured dishes from Rocco Whalen, Michael Lyons and Matt Danko, pastry chef at The Greenhouse Tavern. But the big reveal was the homecoming of Dean Max, the Florida chef who opened Amp 150 in 2009.

Tempura Soft-Shell Crab

Max brought a little taste of Florida in the form of soft-shell crabs that he dipped in tempura batter and served with pickled vegetables, a puree of local ramps and asparagus, and a spicy Korean-inspired sauce on the side. The tempura batter added a welcomed crunch to the delicate crab and the puree was refreshing along with the pickled vegetables. 

Slow-Roasted Lamb Belly

After a blueberry acai sorbet palette cleanser from Jeff Jarrett, the Amp 150 chef who co-founded Dinner in the Dark, diners were treated Michael Lyons’ dish. He prepared lamb belly that was marinated for two days and then slow roasted and served with pureed sunchokes and a spring salad. 

Rehydrated Rye Bread Cake and Caramelized White Chocolate

Danko’s dessert was a rehydrated rye bread cake, caramelized white chocolate, an amoretti and honey crumble and sweet soy sauce. The rye bread cake was surprisingly moist and the sweetness of the white chocolate was offset by the soy sauce. It was a delectable ending to the evening’s menu.

Nate Fagnilli of Crosswinds Grille and Dan Hawrylak of Amp 150 also served up delicious dishes.

Ticket proceeds from this Dinner in the Dark will go to the Butterfly Memorial Gardens in Stow. For more information, visit their Facebook page.

Keep an eye on Dinner in the Dark's website for information on June’s event.

Cleveland Browns Score a (Culinary) Touchdown

As Brandon Weeden and Co. were warming up in Green Bay last night for their second preseason game, I was stretching out my taste buds at Cleveland Browns Stadium. My goal? To taste all of the new gourmet food options on the club level from three of Cleveland's most popular chefs — Michael Symon, Jonathon Sawyer and Rocco Whalen.

While season ticket holders, who were also invited to the event, lined up as B Spot chef Matt Harlan served up Lola fries (sprinkled with rosemary and sea salt) and the Fat Doug (a burger with coleslaw, pastrami, Swiss and mustard) — I headed to the newest concept, Sawyer's Street Frites.

Chef Sawyer, who was on the line, paused to chat with guests while sporting an awesome Browns hat, posed for pictures and even kicked back with a cold one. "This is a dream come true for both me and Rocco," he said. "We've been dreaming about doing this since we could sit upright."

I grabbed one of Danko's Donuts — a sweet and yeasty beast of a dessert topped with a sticky but delicious sauce — and the gravy frites. An avid cheese connoisseur, the cheese curds are what did it for me. The spicy gravy mixed with the creaminess of the cheese somehow kept the fries crisp instead of soggy, which I wasn't expecting. This was the one dish I completely finished and even contemplated getting more of. (Trust me, it tastes better than it looks.)

Rosie and Rocco's had the most options of the evening with a variety of salads, pizzas and meatballs. Rocco also worked the line, dishing out a variety of meatballs that guests could either sample solo or eat in a sandwich. Knowing that these meatballs were inspired by his mother's recipes, I had to try them.

While Momma Rosie's Meatball with veal, pork, beef, parmesan and marinara was tender and juicy, the one that caught my eye was Rocco's Mozzarella Meatball with fresh basil and parmesan. Lucky for me, I was eating alone, so I was easily able to sneak off into a corner and drink some of the tangy sauce. It was that good. 

Regardless of how the Browns do this year or how much it rains and/or snows, I know I will continue to sport my brown and orange and cheer on the home team — especially with dishes like this to comfort me along the way.