Scavenging for food

As the Alpha male of the household I fulfilled my role today as hunter-gatherer. I made the grueling 2.5 mile trek to the wilds of Tremont where I boldly snatched meat, cheese, chocolate and beer from the hands of local establishments.

Here you see some of the bounty I brought back to the family lair. The locally produced cheese and grass-fed beef are from Fresh Fork Market. We sampled the cheese today and the Swiss is good, while the Gouda is great.

A bit about Fresh Fork. It began in 2007 as a prize-winning concept developed by a group of Case Western Reserve students. Their goal was to make it easier for local restaurants to buy food from local farmers. The idea has evolved to the point where now individuals like me—and you, if you live in the Cleveland area—can buy eggs, meat, cheese, vegetables and more, on a weekly basis.

The way it works is you sign up for a free membership, check the week's inventory online, place your order, and pick it up on Friday afternoon. The food comes from farms within 75 miles of Cleveland and is in storage for no more than 24 hours, so it's fresh. Today was my first purchase from Fresh Fork, and so far I'm liking it.

Sweetness

Conveniently located right next door, Lilly Handmade Chocolates has amazing choices for chocolate lovers as well as beer and wine enthusiasts.

I picked up a new brew from a new Cleveland micro brewery, Indigo Imp. Haven't tried the Blonde Bombshell yet, but it sounds good:

An American blonde ale with a smooth malty taste, moderate hop bitterness, and slightly fruity and nutty aftertaste.

We enjoyed the Framboise, Belgian beer flavored with raspberries, with the onion-kale-cheddar quiche I made for dinner. Good stuff, all of it.

And the candy. At $2 each I only sampled two pieces, but the flavors are remarkable. Each piece is beautiful to look at as well, with unique shapes, colors and patterns. The Lilly has an exotic perfumey flavor which I liked, although I'm less happy with the white chocolate. A little too bland. Probably not what I'll say about my other choice...

Yep, I asked, and there really is bacon inside. Haven't tasted this one yet (maybe I'll have it for breakfast tomorrow).

While the prices will probably keep me from being a regular customer, I love places like Lilly. It's a small operation obviously run with love by people who care about what they make and sell. I wish them great success.

I know exactly where to go if I ever need a truly special and unique gift for a chocolate-lover. The beer selection, exotic labels from small breweries around the world, would give you weeks of sampling if you tried them all. The wine choices, although I paid little attention to them, are I'm sure equally special. If you can't get to Tremont to indulge your chocolate addiction, Lilly can ship them to you.

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