Urban Farmer’s helping us settle the age-old Looney Tunes debate: rabbit season or duck season? Turns out, it’s both.
Executive chef Vishwatej “Vishu” Nath’s rabbit and duck pierogi appetizer ($14) is his way of honoring Northeast Ohio’s Eastern European roots, which he learned about as he visited restaurants to get a sense of what we eat.
“I wanted to understand what people like up here,” says Nath, who’s lived in Cleveland for four years. “Almost every place I went to had pierogies on the menu. I was like ‘Oh, this actually a pretty cool tradition.’ ”
His elevated take on the classic starts by taking local rabbit and duck that have been marinating in herbs and grinding them with mozzarella, more herbs, onions and garlic, before stuffing the mix in pierogi dough. The rich, game meat-based entree comes served alongside caramelized onions, a decadent au jus, fried quinoa and a bright citrus cream.
“It’s an homage to the traditions in Ohio,” Nath says, “and to our local farmers and ranchers.” 1325 E. Sixth St., Cleveland, 216-771-7707, urbanfarmercleveland.com
Click to read our Cleveland Pierogi Guide, a taste of 25 of Cleveland's best pierogies.
