Take a Food Tour of Northeast Ohio

NEO Food Tours is Northeast Ohio’s premier culinary tour and event company – designed for those who enjoy great, local food as well as learning the unique story behind a neighborhood. Experience the flavors of Cleveland and Northeast Ohio with our guided tours. We’re perfect for both the tourist exploring Northeast Ohio for the first time, as well as seasoned locals hoping to discover something new.

Click on one of the tour types to embark on your next culinary adventure and then check out our blog below to see what else we’ve been up to!

Posted in tours

2012 Signature Food Tour Dates Announced!

NEO Food Tours 2012 Signature Season PR.doc

Posted in Events, tours, Uncategorized

Spring Updates

Just a few Spring updates for all of our NEO Food Tour fans!

-For a really great review of our Battle for Battery Park in February, check out Foodie Dreamer’s blog: http://dreamingofthenextbite.com/2012/03/10/battery-park-wine-bar-cleveland-ohio/

-Sadly we are postponing the Gluten Free Tour due to logistics challenges with a couple of the restaurants we are working with. We are very much committed to hosting this event (as I have a family member whose been a celiac for over 10 years now!) and will be announcing a new date for the Gluten Free Tour soon.

-We have been busy planning a really great schedule of events for 2012, currently we are taking a two week Spring Break, so we can get out and visit some of the great restaurants, farms, and other places in Northeast Ohio.

We will be back in early April with a few announcements for the upcoming 2012 season! We hope everyone is able to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather we are having!!

Sincerely,

-Todd Gauman

President, NEO Food Tours

Posted in Uncategorized

Favorite Gluten-Free Recipes

This March, NEO Food Tours calls all foodie adventurers and those with gluten-allergies to join us on our first Gluten-free restaurant tour.

Before we explore which Cleveland restaurants are serving up delicious gluten-free dishes right in our own backyard, we asked two NEO Food Tour explorers to share their favorite gluten-free recipes with us.

Even if you don’t have Celiacs or a gluten allergy, you’ll enjoy their recipes for Gluten-free Chili (perfect for getting over the Superbowl blues!) and delicious Polenta Pizza.

“There’s Always Next Year” Three Bean Chili

by Alicia Hansen at Poise in Parma

INGREDIENTS:

1.25 pounds of ground meat (beef, turkey, chicken, lamb, etc.)
2 (14.5 ounce) cans of “zesty” petite diced tomatoes (included onions & peppers)
1 (15 ounce) can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 ounce) can Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 (29 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen whole kernel corn
1 heaping tablespoon of garlic, finely diced
2 Japones chile peppers
hefty sprinkling (to taste) of salt
hefty sprinkling (to taste) of ground black pepper
hefty sprinkling (to taste) of cumin
hefty sprinkling (to taste) of cayenne pepper
hefty sprinkling (to taste) of paprika
hefty sprinkling (to taste) of cinnamon

METHOD: In a slow cooker set to high, combine all ingredients. Cook in slow cooker on high for approximately six hours. Monitor the cooking process by stirring the chili every 2 hours. Ensure meat is all the way cooked through before serving. Serve with gluten-free toppings bar, options include:

avocado
brown rice
corn chips (make sure they’re gluten free!)
scallions
cheddar cheese
sour cream

Polenta Pizza

by Amy Thacker at @AmyPaints

INGREDIENTS:

1 package polenta (the kind in the tube)
1 cup marinara sauce
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

METHOD: Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray a baking sheet with olive oil. Cut the polenta into 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick slices (depends on your preference) and place them on the baking sheet. Cover the polenta slice completely with about a tablespoon of marinara sauce. Then place a generous tablespoon of ricotta over the marinara onto each slice. Sprinkle the top of each slice with some shredded cheese. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Place under the broiler for about 5 minutes or until cheese is glowing golden.

Posted in Friends

Guess Who’s Judging the Battle For Battery Park?

NEO Food Tours Announces Local Celebrity Judges for February Event!

Cleveland, Jan. 11, 2012 – Join us when Battery Park Wine Bar and Reddstone go plate to plate to see who will win the Amazing Technicolor Spatula next month.

Our guest panel of judges features:

Chris Hodgson, Chef/Owner/Restauranteur of Dim&Den Sum and Hodge Podge Food Trucks and the up-and-coming brick-and-mortar restaurant Hodge’s.
Elaine Cicora, Arts Editor for Cleveland Scene Magazine
Joy Roller, Executive Director of the Gordon Square Arts District

Our panel will bring their unique knowledge of Cleveland and its culinary scene through Q&A as well as their commentary.

Get your tickets before they sell out by going to: http://batteryparkbattle.eventbrite.com/

Posted in Events

Focus on Foodies: Joe Gramc

Happy New Year! For our first Focus on Foodies of 2012, we sat down with Joe Gramc.

Joe, who ventured out with us on last Spring’s tour of Tremont, is an avid explorer of Cleveland’s restaurants, neighborhoods and night life.

You can follow his adventures on Twitter @JoeG2001, where you may see a tweet or two about the unusual but delicious dishes found in many of Cleveland’s restaurants.

What’s your favorite food or local restaurant?
There are so many great restaurants spread throughout Cleveland it’s hard to pick just one. I love the creative and unique. The restaurant I most frequent is the Greenhouse Tavern, which is home to my favorite dish, the Fifth Quarter. Next time you are in there, ask about it.

Why do you love Northeast Ohio’s food scene?
Many of the chefs and restaurants in the area recognize and appreciate the bounty of goods available to us locally. There are tons of local farms within 100 miles of Cleveland, growing not just fruits and vegetables but producing pork, beef, and all kinds of food products made with local ingredients. I also find many of the chefs very passionate about their work. They are often very willing to share their experiences and their passion for food, just ask.

How do you spread the “culinary gospel” of Northeast Ohio’s great food scene?
I love Twitter, it is a great tool for both finding and sharing information about everything from great restaurants to breaking news. Some people seem to enjoy when I share the food I’m eating and the restaurants I go to, probably because I’ll try just about anything. Think
of it as a version of the TV show from the Travel Channel Bizarre Foods, but my
own Cleveland edition.

What’s your favorite Northeast Ohio neighborhood?
Ohio City is becoming a great night life spot. And East 4th is home to my favorite restaurant but I’d say that Tremont to me is the best mix of restaurants, shops, and walkable space with a neighborhood feel. Hopefully soon my place of residence as well.

What’s your favorite non-food aspect of Northeast Ohio?
The weather, believe it or not, and the history. As nice as it might be to live in San Diego, the change of seasons is always something to look forward to. I wouldn’t mind a shorter winter but I enjoy the snow.

Cleveland was once a great city and has many great historical landmarks to prove it. While I don’t expect Cleveland to ever return to being one of the 5 largest cities in the country again there are plenty of great things happening and hopefully it will get Cleveland off the bottom of all those ridiculous lists Forbes likes to put out.

Posted in Friends - Tagged focus on foodies