Strip | Strawberry Shortcake

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Life has become a little complicated this month what with finding new jobs, moving, and being ill, so I've put my plan for a cross-country strawberry shortcake pilgrimage this summer on hold. Rest assured, these little setbacks haven't prevented me from gobbling up strawberry shortcake whenever I come across it.

My latest find is offered at Strip, an independent steakhouse in Avon Lake, OH. It's a unique version of my favorite dessert, featuring a large slice of angel food cake with a dollop of strawberry cream (strawberries whipped into cream until it's airy), a scoop of french vanilla ice cream, sliced strawberries, and whipped cream. It's not a light dessert, but it is so delicious that I thought of the biscuit version I had at Howley's in West Palm Beach only halfway through the bowl.

The verdict? I prefer an old fashioned biscuit base or even a chiffon cake base for my strawberry shortcake. The biscuit provides a more savory counterpoint to the strawberries' sweetness, but Strip's rendition is definitely worth eating again.

If you go on a weekend, call them or go to their website for reservations. The restaurant is housed in a restored barn in historic Olde Avon Village, a neat place to visit if you're in the area and would like a boutique shopping experience in a quaint, rustic setting.

Strip Steakhouse
36840 Detroit Road
Avon, OH 44011-1570
(440) 934-9900

Shortage of Strawberry Shortcake

Photography skillz. I don't have them.

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I haven't found a GREAT version of Strawberry Shortcake in any restaurant since eating Howley's strange version in West Palm Beach, FL a year ago. They served up a pint of sliced strawberries and freshly-made whipped cream on two huge buttermilk biscuits, and yes, it was phenomenal. Since then, I've always had to make my own, which usually didn't end well.

Case in point: I forced a foodie friend of mine to make me a quick strawberry shortcake a couple of weeks ago, the result which is pictured above. It's a terrible photograph, but you get the idea. We used those little pre-made cakes found next to the strawberries in most grocery stores, and just cooked half a pint of strawberries with a bit of sugar. She pressed the mix through a sieve and poured it over the rest of the berries. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't a proud moment in baking history, either.

I'm rather close to embarking on an epic pilgrimage across the South to find "The Best Strawberry Shortcake in the Land" this summer. Partly for the love of the shortcake, and partly for penance.

In the meantime, I've made myself feel better about already breaking my Spring resolution (you know, try to stick to seasonal produce) with this little gem:

(1) The term "artificial flavor" or "artificial flavoring" means anysubstance, the function of which is to impart flavor, which is notderived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetablejuice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plantmaterial, meat, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentationproducts thereof. Artificial flavor includes the substances listed in172.515(b) and 182.60 of this chapter except where these are derivedfrom natural sources

This is for those who consume McD's strawberry milkshakes, or Fruit Roll-ups, or strawberry-flavored candies. Have fun with those artificial flavors, 'k?