FIRING FUSION
SHAKER SQUARE'S FIRE KEEPS IT SIMPLE
by Lisa Chamberlain: August 29 - September 4, 2001
"Let?s groove tonight share the spice of life baby slice it right we?re gonna groove tonight ?"
It?s as elementary as earth, wind and, most importantly, fire. Thank goodness for that. The new groove in food has arrived on Cleveland?s East Side ? the simply elegant, back to basics, something-old-but-kinda-new groove. And it?s been a long time coming. The fusion food trend has gone from hot to tepid to downright cold. And you know what happens with most cold fusion experiments: what we thought would provide infinite energy turned out to be a lot of hype. Hype that penetrated so far and wide you could practically get a sesame-encrusted, seared Ahi tuna sandwich with wasabi at Old Fashion Hot Dogs. It was getting a bit ridiculous. Along comes Fire to save us from the likes of Caribbean shrimp with allspice, curry and pineapple served over cilantro-wasabi soba noodles in Thai peanut sauce (a cultural byproduct of the New Economy boom times: "just throw it all in there, no recipe necessary!").
Maybe it's the economic "slowdown," or maybe it's the energy "crisis" that inspired Chef/owner Doug Katz to return to the first known form of energy harnessed for food preparation. Either way, Katz (who himself advanced fusion food here in Cleveland as the chef at Moxie) hasn't reinvented the wheel. He's just repurposed fire via brick and tandoori ovens and applied it to time-tested crowd pleasers, such as roasted chicken and redskin potatoes ($18), or even a burger and fries ($14). Doesn't sound too exciting? The menu notes that there are many other ingredients, so be sure to ask your server. If you don't, there will definitely be some surprises. The Atlantic cod, clams and creamed corn ($21) had a distinctive coconut flavor, which I found delicious, but would have been quite a shock to my mostly coconut-averse family. Even still, it's not the surprise ingredients, but the simplicity of the cooking technique - utilizing extremely high temperatures - that makes the food come alive. Rendering the outside crispy and the flavors sealed within, the firing method is applied quite beautifully to the duck confit ($21). The dish was tried on two different visits and was perfect both times. (Served with spaetzle, you could say there's just no getting away from fusion cooking. But anyone who serves traditional German dumplings as a side dish to a classic French entree is a minimalist with a sense of humor. Besides, the Europeans are even fusing their currencies, so how much of a distinction is there left to be made?)
Of course, the use of intense fire isn't just applied to main courses. Take, say, the clay oven bread with roasted pepper and garlic aioli. The Indian-style dough is made from a yogurt base with the oven adding a distinct smoky flavor. Even the non-fired appetizers apply the simple-but-elegant theory. How many times have I had the cocktail party version of prosciutto and melon? I wasn't going to order it, but my dining partners thought otherwise. Again, old favorites are exactly that when they're well prepared with the freshest ingredients. Speaking of old favorites, this brand-new restaurant is situated in historic but recently renovated Shaker Square. After a two-years-long redevelopment effort, the area is teeming with life for the first time since I can remember. So, if there were still a debate over change, as opposed to maintaining the same-old-same-old, that argument should now be put to rest. The first visit to Fire (where Arabica used to be) happened on a beautiful summer evening; we took full advantage of outdoor seating for maximum people-watching. (The service was less than impressive on that particular night, but we chalked it up to being a very new and very busy place. Indeed, the second visit yielded much better results, even though it was just as packed.)
But don't dismiss Fire?s immediate success as just a flash in the pan. It's more likely to be a long, slow burn. This can be attributed to the fine job that Katz has done, as well as the transformation of Shaker Square from a dog-eared haven for bluehairs into a destination point that's now in competition with Tremont and Ohio City for the hipsters. In fact, Hiroshi's much anticipated Sushi on the Square finally opened up last week just across the way...