Bar Symon Meets Dogfish Head

Here's the thing; I'm not a "foodie".  I don't like anyone calling me a foodie either.  It sounds like something you say to a baby for crying out loud.  "Jason want some foodie?  Here comes the choo choo!"   I will Never say "Om nom nom nom" because frankly it makes anyone that says it sound like an asshole.  I don't use terms like "my palate" or for that matter talk about the contrasting flavors of the __________ to the _____________.  It's just not my thing kids.  I eat, and from my frame I do it pretty well.  What I know is what tastes good.  I also know people watch far too much food television.  I don't think it is a bad thing because without the Food Network Bar Symon might have never been made.  I just think it turned a nation of folks into Professors at Le Cordon fucking Bleu.  I am not a Professor.  I am a blue collar Clevelander with 40 years experience eating everything this town has to offer.  I lucked out and got to take part in a food pairing at Bar Symon with Dogfish Brewery last night.

Bar Symon is located in Avon Lake in an unassuming strip mall on Walker Road.  A giant metal pig sign beckons you in to know you are coming into the realm of the Cleveland king of pork, Michael Symon.  However while Symon physically was there this was pretty much all about Matthew Harlan tonight who runs the kitchen at Bar Symon.  His influence was felt in the all the dishes served.  The bar itself is a vast open space with high ceilings with tables, booths, and patio seating options.  The decor is elegant yet cozy.  The bar itself is a decent size and can fit I would think around 20 people.  They have well over 20 beers on tap as well as a ridiculous selection of bottle choices.  They range from a $2.50 PBR draft to a $65 bottle of Cantillon Lambic and everything in between.  The crowd was hard to gauge but it was more 40's than 30's.  I kind of felt young there which is a good feeling pushing 40 myself.  It was more of a social gathering kind of thing than a packed out bar, but than again this was a Monday night.  I imagine this was not a good gauge for the normal clientele.  Tonight though was about the food.  Five courses paired with five Dogfish Head beers.  My mind was only on the prize that was to come.

The first course was a little cocktail hour sort of thing.  The beer was DFH 60 Minute IPA.  The food choices were sweet roasted almonds, seasoned popcorn, little pork sliders, pork cracklings, and kielbasa.  The beer was a nice smooth drinking beer.  It had a nice fruity hoppy taste.  It was the perfect compliment to the kielbasa at the very least.  I think biggest standout on the tables were the fresh crispy cracklings.  More or less we are talking a fresh delicate pork skin lightly seasoned, less crisp than the bag variety and full of flavor.  If you are a pork rind fan you'll never want to go back to the bag.  Everything else was good but nothing was standout.  Then again this was just finger food to tide everyone over for the next 4 courses to come.  Being born and raised Polish I was not very impressed with the Kielbasa sorry to say.  I am completely biased on the subject though as my one true kielbasa love can only be found at State Road Meats in Parma.  The next best I have tasted was from Chef's Choice Meats in Berea.

The second course was DFH Red & White and Linguini w/Shrimp, mussels, tomato, oregano in Red & White sauce.  This was the start of the goodness.  I was expecting a very small plate but this was a very good size.  The pasta itself was incredible.  It was full of flavor, light and very refreshing.  The sauce had a nice mild tomato flavor with hints of the Red & White beer.  The shrimp and mussels were cooked to absolute perfection.  The sauce had such great flavor I wanted to steal dinner rolls from a table a few feet away to sop it all up.  The Red & White was probably my least favorite of the beers.  It is fermented in pinot noir juice.  It just wasn't enough of a beer flavor to me.  It was more like a wine that was pretending to be a beer or vice versa.  I was able to get through like half a glass.

The third course was Roast Walleye with carrots, beets, shiitake and fennel.  It was paired with Pangea.  The Pangea was a nice ale with a hint of ginger spice to it.  The beer is unique as it is made with ingredients from all 7 continents.  It was a perfect choice to go with the fish.  The walleye was light, and tender with a little crispness from the skin.  Normally I am not a fan of the walleye (I know shoot me).  It tends to be a little too high on the gamey side for me.  That was anything but the case for this amazingly done fish.  The taste was perfect, the Pangea infused sauce was exquisite.  The carrots were tender and sweet like candy.  The shiitake mushrooms were unfortunately sparse but the flavor was certainly there.  The shredded beets were a little too small and seemed to be overpowered by all the other strong flavors of the dish.  All in all this was an amazing light and refreshing course.  

The forth course was served family style.  It was a slow roasted rump roast with celery root mash, Dogfish gravy and Onion Rings.  It was paired with DFH Indian Brown Ale.  It was a hearty ale that went very well with the slow cooked roast.  The celery mash was wonderful.  The texture was creamy and flavorful.  They were rich with butter and seasoned just right.  The roast was, in a couple words, fucking incredible.  This was so tender you could cut it with a spoon.  The edges had the perfect browning and the inside was a perfect pink-brown color.  It was tender without that soupy texture you get from slow cooking at home.  The Dogfish gravy was rich with flavor and went well with the mash.  The onion rings fell a little short.  They lacked flavor and seasoning.  They were served on top of the roast which made them absorb some of the juice which took away some of the crunch.  Honestly they didn't ruin the meal by any means but they were just kind of blah.

The fifth and final course was paired with DFH Midas Touch.  It had a nice honey flavor and was as close to actual mead I have ever come.  The course itself was an amazing apricot brown sugar sorbet that was just melt in your mouth delicious.  I have never had a frozen dessert that tasted so creamy and decadent.  It was the perfect ending to the evening.  The honey peach crisp wasn't sweet enough for me.  However I have never been a fruit pie guy so I don't have much to compare it too.  I just didn't care for it that much.  I did enjoy the roasted blue cheese it was served with though.  It kind of gave it a little more flavor and made it kind of unique for me.  It's probably something I would never order off the menu though so take it for what it is worth.

See, that wasn't so painful to read right?  After reading through it I just decided I am not really a food critic.  I am more of an overall vibe, people and band critic.  That being said I had a great time.  I am sitting in this restaurant with Iron Chef Michael Symon.  Matt Harlan is an amazing Chef himself.  I was so amazed when each course came to the table I even forgot to take pictures of it.  The presentation alone was so amazing I forgot the $1,000 machine that is usually strapped to my arm anywhere else.  That's just how good this was.  Bar Symon is a great place to dine and I sat across the table from and dined with the Jonathon Sawyer, the Chef-Owner of The Greenhouse Tavern.  It was like eating with a fucking rock star.  I had incredible conversation and a great night out with the wife.  That's my real review for you right there.  I ate tons of incredible food and hung out with one of the biggest buzzworthy Chefs in Cleveland right now.  I was able to shoot the shit with Matt Harlan the man responsible for this feast between courses and that was pretty cool too.  So did I have a good time?  I had a momentous evening out for a Monday on the outskirts of Cleveland drinking incredible beer and eating amazing food.

On to the social commentary part though now.  No one really shares meals like this anymore.  Where else in the world can I sit at a table of six complete strangers who all turn out to be amazing people from different walks of life?  Applebees?  Fridays?  Hell no.  It takes an event like this to get people together, to talk about life, Cleveland, beer and food.  Food is that one thing we all have in common.  It is the thread that can sew together completely different personalities.  If someone said people are going to really read your shitty blog and it will be in print one day I would have laughed at you a couple of months ago.  If you told me I would be essentially breaking bread and toasting glasses with Iron Chef Michael Symon and Jonathon Sawyer I would have said get the fuck out of here.  Strange things happen with food as the common bond.  The real pairing here were the people for me.  That is what made the meal.  I thought I would be stuck with a bunch of stuffy armchair Iron Chef Judge asshole types.  I was pleasantly surprised.  Cleveland you never cease to amaze me.  You are a melting pot of culture and I love you for what you do to me.  

I would like to go back to Bar Symon on a non-event night.  The big board specials look amazing as does the entire menu.  They serve brunch on Sundays as well.  The layout of the restaurant itself is open and spacious.  It appears to be very handicap friendly.  The patio is very large with fire pit.  Even the patio makes you forget you are in a strip mall in Avon Lake.  Be prepared to wait a bit during peak hours.  I didn't ask about reservations but the website says "for parties of 6 or more".  Happy hour is a buck off drafts and some discounts on some bottles.  The bar is spacious and looks very comfortable, but seating is limited so get there early because once people get in there they don't want to leave.  You can get an incredible meal here for less than $20 or a burger for $11.  Brunch will run you around $10.  The service for the event was fast, friendly and courteous.  The staff was also very knowledgeable about the menu options.  Bar Symon is an oasis in Lorain County that offers affordable dining options for everyone.  You will not be disappointed, go check them out.