Why? Weekends!

It was another great weekend in CLE!  On Friday night, a couple CLEfriends introduced us to their favorite Chinese restaurant – Chin’s Pagoda.  It’s always interesting to try someone’s “favorite” place – for my CLEfriend, his family would always take him to Chin’s and his memories of it are as strong as his love for the food.

But Chin’s isn’t just good because of the nostalgia factor.  The food was genuinely a cut above your average Chinese food.  We ordered the family style dinner and stuffed ourselves with wonton soup, egg rolls, pork fried rice and 4 different entrees (pork lo mein, sweet and sour chicken, sesame chicken, and orange chicken).  We left Chin’s full and with plenty of leftovers for the next day.

From Chin’s, we headed over to Corks Wine Bar.  The atmosphere at Corks is quiet and intimate – I like being able to actually hear who I’m talking to – and the wine list there is outstanding.  We enjoyed a bottle of 7 Deadly Zins as the perfect end to the week.  I always enjoy downtown Willoughby – so many fun locations within walking distance and it has that cute, small town feel to it.  Also, I noticed that Corks has a great deal that I’ll be checking out on an upcoming Tuesday – $20 for a bottle of wine and an appetizer.

On Saturday morning, Hungry in Cleveland and I headed down to the West Side Market to work on one of my Blog-olutions – shop at the Market once a month. The Market is one of the best answers you can give when asked “Why Cleveland?” This bustling (even in the cold) Ohio City landmark will be celebrating its centennial in 2012.  Last year, the Market was named Best Food Lover’s Market by Food Network.

First, Hungry in CLE and I perused the produce.  I had some things that I knew I needed to buy and other things just jumped out at me.  That’s one of the best things about the Market – unique, fresh items that will simply jump out at you when you shop there.  The great-looking green peppers prompted me to add stuffed peppers to this week’s dinner menu.  I also bought Brussels sprouts in another attempt to get CLEguy to like them.

We then headed inside to The Cheese Shop.

Mmm...cheese

The helpful staff let us try several different varieties before we finally made our selections.  After stops to buy garlic parmesan bread and some sweet treats, we headed over to Ohio City Pasta.  Hungry in CLE selected two varieties of ravioli – pumpkin and Cajun crawfish – while I picked two kinds of gnocchi – porcini mushroom and sweet potato.

After all this shopping, we were “hungry in CLE,” so we headed over to Crepes De Luxe.  We each enjoyed the Citrus Creme crepe, a blend of lemon curd and marscapone cheese that is light and fresh.

Go to the West Side Market for their great food, the fact that it’s a Cleveland institution, and for the interesting people (make time to talk to the vendors).  It’s a fabulous way to spend a Saturday morning!

To keep the fabulousness going, I headed over to Lilly Chocolates for some sweet treats.  I chose a mixed box of six truffles to take to CLEparents’ house before dinner for CLEmom’s birthday.  Of course, all the truffles were a hit…the hardest part was not eating them all before we got there!

Mmm...chocolate

Today, CLEguy and I decided to create our own version of Melt at home.  We whipped up some homemade tomato bisque and fired up the panini press.  Using our fancy bread and cheese from the Market, we created a really yummy dinner.

Fancy Grilled Cheese and Tomato Basil Soup

To cap the weekend off, Hungry in Cleveland and I have a volunteer meeting at our alma mater, John Carroll University (yes, we do just about everything together).  One of the best answers for me to “Why Cleveland?” is being close to the people and places that were important in my past and being able to still give back to them.

What new answers to “Why Cleveland?” did you discover this weekend?

Why? Friday Inspiration!

This week’s inspiration comes courtesy of last night’s activities.  First, the Ohio Blogging Association hosted a blogger meet-up at Amp 150.

 

 

I have been wanting to try Amp 150 for awhile, plus I always have a great time with the CLEbloggers.  It was great getting to meet in person some CLE-ers whose writing and tweeting I love.  We also got filled in on some exciting upcoming events from the CLEbloggers in attendance, including Twestival on March 24 (follow TwestivalCLE for CLE-specific info).

In attendance at last night’s event:

Poise in Parma (our wonderful organizer of last night’s fun)

Hungry in Cleveland

Cleveland Food and Brews

Happiness is a Hot Pierogi

At Home in CLE

Cooker Girl

The Chubby Cook

Clue Into Cleveland

A Slice of Kiwi

KaseyCrabtree

The hospitality at Amp 150 was fantastic – we had wonderful, friendly, entertaining service and great food and drinks.  My cocktail of choice was the blackberry mojito - a nice taste of summer on a February day.  Chef Ellis Cooley provided us with flatbreads, wings, and homemade potato chips to snack on to start, then a selection of his favorite “small bites” dishes later.

I also ordered the velvet mushroom soup and the Hunter’s sausage risotto from the menu.  All I can say is – order the soup.  It will change your life, it’s that good.  Creamy and almost frothy with truffle oil on top – delicious!  The risotto was a stand-out dish as well.

Soup, Risotto, and Blackberry Mojito at Amp 150

Chef Ellis came and chatted with us a bit.  He told us that he was drawn to CLE from Miami because of the CLE food scene – so many great chefs doing wonderful things and being committed to using locally-grown, fresh ingredients.  Everything on Amp 150′s ever-changing menu is local and as fresh as can be.

Chef Ellis Cooley and Alicia from Poise in Parma

From Amp 150, Hungry in Cleveland and I headed down to Suite Sixx for Ladies Bite Out.  This event included champage, mini cupcakes from A Cookie and a Cupcake (if they’re mini, it’s OK to have 4, right?), other sweet treats, and a cooking demonstration from local chefs Matt Mytro of Stove Monkeys, Jeff Jarrett of Palate Cleveland, Chef Mia of Chinato, and Ellis Cooley of Amp 150 (hey, we just saw him!).  I’ll leave the recap to Hungry in Cleveland, but I will say this was a fun, sweet way to end a great evening.

The Sweet Treats at Ladies Bite Out

Chef Ellis told us at the Ohio Blogging event that the camaraderie between chefs in CLE is particularly strong.  Personally, I think everyone in attendance would say the same thing about the camaraderie between CLEbloggers.  We all help each other, promote each other’s work, and realize that we all love CLE and want to share that love.  And that’s inspirational – that CLE is a city full of great people doing amazing things (chefs, bloggers, and everywhere in between) who understand the value of supporting each other’s work and finding satisfaction in the successes of the whole.

Have a great weekend! Do something inspiring!

Why? Dinner in the Dark!

On Monday night, CLEguy and I attended this month’s Dinner in the Dark event at Melange. 

Dinner in the Dark is an organization created by chefs Brian Okin, Ellis Cooley of AMP 150, asnd Jeff Jarrett of Palate Cleveland.  Each month, Dinner in the Dark gathers six local chefs to create a six-course dinner.  The chefs and the menu are not revealed to the diners until that evening, hence dining in the dark.  In fact, our menus simply had a picture of the animal or vegetable highlighting each course. 

Proceeds from Dinner in the Dark benefit a local charity.  This month, the proceeds from Dinner in the Dark benefitted The Rose-Mary Center.  The Rose-Mary Center serves children and adults with autism and other intellectual disabilities.  The Rose-Mary Center serves 40 children at its facility in Euclid, as well as operating seven community group homes housing fifty-one adults.

CLEguy and I had the pleasure of dining with Tom Salopek and his wife.  Tom works for Blue Ribbon Meats and supplies to many of the chefs and restaurants not only at Dinner in the Dark, but across CLE.  A CLE native and true fan of the city, Tom regaled us with stories of his favorite restaurants and also told us he just bought his season tickets for the Indians.  Tom and his wife also have a very special connection to this month’s Dinner in the Dark, as one of their sons is a resident at a Rose-Mary Center group home.  People like the Salopeks are a great answer to “Why Cleveland?”

Moving on to the food, our precursor to the six-course dinner featured an amuse bouche created by Adam Bostwick, co-executive chef at Melange.  We were served a Buffal0-wing style frog leg.  To compliment this course was a cocktail called Trouble with Truffles.  The cocktail and wines for the evening were selected by Joseph DeLuca, owner of Beverage Resources and an all-around entertaining wine guy.

The frog leg was perfectly breaded – light and crispy.  The Buffalo and bleu cheese sauces were the perfect compliment and made you think you were eating a chicken wing.  The cocktail was more challenging to the palate.  It was a mix of white truffle-infused vodka, beet juice, and carrot juice.  Served in a champagne flute and rimmed with coarse salt, I initially expected a fruity, raspberry-like drink.  While the cocktail was not my favorite, CLEguy drained his glass.

Our first course came from Melange’s other co-executive chef, Matt Creighton.  This dish was a hot and sour soup with a pacu rib, bamboo mushrooms, and crispy rice noodles.  It was paired with a Balletto Pinot Gris from Sonoma.

Pacu is a wild fish, farm-raised in Brazil and is a relative of the pihranna.  It’s ribs are meaty and look like pork ribs.  The consistency of the fish reminded me of swordfish.  The hot and sour soup was fantastic.  As the broth was poured in our bowls, the rice noodles snapped, crackled, and popped as they melted.  Each spoonful of soup brought different flavors – from earthy to spicy.  The Pinot Gris was the perfect compliment to cut the spicy flavor of the soup.

Our next course was prepared by Brian Doyle of World’s Fare Culinary catering.  Chef Doyle confited rabbit in duck fat and created a delicious pate served with carrot and ginger emulsions.  As the Chef pointed out, this course is a rabbit in a garden.  The carrot and ginger emulsions were the perfect compliment to the rabbit and the pate’s texture was spot on.  This course was paired with a P.B. Hein Syrah, which was our second favorite wine of the evening.

Our third course was courtesy of Eric Wells of Skye Larae’s Culinary Services.  Skye Larae’s specializes in dinners for two cooked in your home, so I hope CLEguy kept one of their business cards!  This course featured a mixed greens salad over a sourdough crouton, with miso vinaigrette dressing and citrus fruit.  The salad was fresh, with a bright taste thanks to the vinaigrette and fruit.  This course was paired with a Los Loros Torrontes.

Our fourth course came from Chris Hodgson of Dim and Den Sum.  This course was an individual-sized lobster pot pie, with micro thyme greens on the side.  It was paired with a Willowbrook Pinot Noir, which was by far our favorite wine of the evening – smooth and bold.

The lobster pot pie was delicious, with large pieces of lobster, potatoes, vegetables, and a light cream sauce, topped with a fluffy puff pastry dough.  The micro thyme greens added the perfect freshness to the dish.

Our fifth course came from Ben Bebenroth of Spice of Life Catering.  Chef Bebenroth prepared a hardwood grilled pork chop, served over a sweet potato puree with poblano pepper sauce and topped with beans.  This course was paired with a Blue Nose Zinfandel, a delicious wine that matched the course perfectly.

The pork chop was perfectly done – tender and juicy.  The sweet potato puree was smooth and had just the right amount of spice from the sauce.  This was CLEguy’s favorite course of the evening (and it would have be mine, too, but I waited to vote until the end).

Our final course came from Katie Pickens of Lola.  Dessert consisted of a meyer lemon tart and sorbet, served with salted caramel sauce and grilled grapefruit.  This course was paired with a Cloudy Cape Sauvignon Blanc.

The dessert was perfection – a great blend of tart and sweet.  The tart filling was smooth and creamy, the crust was flaky and buttery, and the salted caramel and grilled grapefruit provided a great balance to the dish.  Chef Pickens told me she was nervous about preparing dessert, since she usually prepares savory food.  But she absolutely knocked this dish out of the park and this was my favorite course of the evening.

So, “Why Cleveland? Why Dinner in the Dark?” Great food, from talented local chefs, who not only care about their craft but about their community…what better answer could there be?!

Why? Twitter Twenty!

A great answer to “Why Cleveland?” is the fact that we have so many engaged, active, and excited residents…people who are passionate about CLE and want to share their thoughts and opinions.  Another great answer to “Why Cleveland?” is having media outlets like Cleveland.com and the Plain Dealer foster the conversation about CLE by using social media to give CLE-ers a voice in their community.

For the last month, I’ve been enjoying following Cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer’s Twitter Twenty.  This is a group of 20 CLE-ers with a presence on Twitter, who discuss a different CLE topic each week.  Last month’s Twitter Twenty even inspired a previous blog post.

So, when Alana from Cleveland.com asked if I’d be a part of this month’s Twitter Twenty, I jumped at the chance.  And who wouldn’t?  Check out the company I’m in (info taken from the Cleveland.com list and participants Twitter bios)…

Cavalette23: Weeping May Endureth For A Night, But Joy Cometh In The Morning–Avid Cavs/Browns/Glenville/Kent State/OSU Fan/Season Ticket Holder/FreeLance Journalist

CleveKids: Our mission is to inspire and enable those young people who need us most to become productive, caring, responsible citizens.

consumerati: Journalist, Content Strategist & Sidewalk Social Scientist Tweeting about Culture, Media and Marketing. Tweeting about Call Tracking for pay @mongoosemetrics.

danielcollins:Creative print design, functional websites, and distinguished brand identities with a strict attention to simplicity, quality and clarity of message.

DTWilloughby: News about events and businesses in downtown Willoughby! Go Downtown Today!

hungryincle: Lover of all things Cleveland, especially food. Join me as I blog about my culinary adventures through the CLE! Follow your heart, fulfill your hunger. (I love anything I get to do with Hungry in CLE!)

jasonlansdale:  Marketing Associate at Cleveland Clinic. Interests: technology, healthcare, open government, sports, indy music, film, golf, food, rugby. Tweets are mine alone.

jeffsiliko: User Experience Pro. Founder of Blazmo Digital Studios, work full-time, CLE sports, devoted hubby and soon to be a father of 2 under 2!

jnomina: If you aren’t qualified to write about anything – write about everything

kaseycrabtree:  Long-time Radio DJ, now job seeking for B2B Account Exec position w Social Media, Media or MarCom. Creative Northwestern Alum, Social Media enthusiast, Blogger.

katieheddleston: Registered Dietitian, Blogger, Foodie, Nanny, Freelance Writer, Gluten-Free Half Marathoner. (Another great CLEblogger and CLEfriend)

kpaulmedia: publisher, poet, old school webmaster… Go, #cleveland, go! #216 #CLE #media

mikeammo: Marketing Professional, Proud OU Alum, Cleveland sports fanatic and car guy. Enjoy my personal tweets, take my pro tweets seriously. WARNING: I tweet a lot.

morgan_jody: I’m just a crazy and wacky girl, looking to get by in this crazy thing we call life!

railbirdj: Contributor to the Cleveland Indians @G9Sports site, purveyor of ridiculous opinions, and haver of awesomesauce. At your service

seanski82:  Young professional in the advertising/marketing world, living in the wonderful land of the CLEVE. I like food, people, my family, boats, nuggets and music. (Another fellow CLEblogger)

taawd: Communications professional, heavy social media user, music lover, all-around good guy. #HappyinCLE

timmybennett: Ordinary average guy. Big fan of Cleveland, friends and family, sports, bad music, karaoke, playing rec sports, going to and being in weddings

 

This week’s topic is which movie should win Best Picture at the Academy Awards on Sunday.

If you’re on Twitter you can follow along with the Twitter Twenty all month with the #CLE20 hashtag in our tweets.  And of course, you can individually follow all the Twitter Twenty.

If you’re not on Twitter, you can still participate in the conversation by following our weekly topics on Cleveland.com.  There will also be a weekly promotional section with part of the #CLE20 conversation on Fridays on Page A2 of the Plain Dealer.

Join the conversation!

Why? Weekends!

So, from 60 degrees back to cold and snowy all in one weekend…you’ll never get bored with the weather here! Just another answer to “Why Cleveland?” right?

This weekend started with a walk at lunch to enjoy the fine weather and the return of Dim and Den Sum to the streets of CLE. I also got to meet a fellow CLEtweep, JohnAFay.

Dim and Den Sum are back...spring is coming!

Dim and Den Sum is a CLE-based gourmet Asian fusion food truck. And if you have yet to experience it, the food is crazy good. I found the truck (courtesy of their iPhone app – these guys know how to work social media) at East 9th and St. Clair on Friday afternoon. The chefs had a great week, after being named Food Truck of the Week in the USA and also being named one of the 25 Restaurants Cleveland can’t live without.

CLEguy chose the PBLT, which is a sandwich of braised pork, bacon, lettuce, tomato and sirachi mayo. The verdict? Messy, but oh so good. I selected the Chicken Yum Yum, which is pieces of fried chicken served over corn bread, pickled diakon and carrot, and topped with mae ploy sauce. The chicken breading was outstanding and the sauce added just the right hint of spice – southern and Asian cooking all from the corner of East 9th and St. Clair!

Dim and Den Sum is currently looking around CLE for space to open a restaurant, but I will be loyally following the truck until then.

Friday evening, CLEguy and I headed to the Warehouse District for happy hour at The Barley House. The Warehouse District has done such a great job at maintaining its status as a hub of restaurants, bars, and fun in downtown CLE. It was great to see so many CLE-ers out and about enjoying the unseasonable temperatures.

While at the Barley House, I enjoyed one of my favorite beverages, a Black Raspberry.

This drink is half Guinness and half Lambic’s Framboise. I was introduced to this by Hungry in Cleveland and it quickly became a drink of choice. It perfectly cuts both the sweetness of the Framboise and the heaviness of the Guinness. Delicious!

After happy hour, we decided to stay in the Warehouse District for dinner. We headed across the street to Sushi Rock, to enjoy some of their incredible calamari, as well as a couple rolls. My new favorite is the Cobra roll, which includes some very tasty BBQ eel.

Saturday was a lazy day, which was just fine by me. Today, CLEguy, CLEparents, and I headed to one of my favorite Cleveland Independents restaurants – Paladar Latin Kitchen and Rum Bar. This restaurant is bright and open and makes you feel summery, even when it’s snowing outside.

Paladar is offering specials through Fat Tuesday (March 8th) in celebration of Carnaval, so check them out. Our mojitos were half-price today! After some of their fantastic guacamole, served with traditional tortilla chips as well as plantain chips, we moved onto to our entrees. CLEguy had ropa vieja, braised beef with rice and plaintains. I had the mahi mahi, served over grilled sweet potato and plaintain hash.

Paladar was the perfect cure for the chilly, snowy weather outside. All this good food, plus weather that keeps you on your toes, made for another great weekend and more good answers to “Why Cleveland?”

So, what new answers to “Why Cleveland?” did you discover this weekend? And are you ready to discover even more at Downtown Cleveland Restaurant Week?

Why? Friday Inspiration!

This week’s Friday inspiration comes from a family who suffered a tragic loss, but are turning that loss into something meaningful for the community.  I got an e-mail from a long-time CLEfriend telling me about a fundraiser for the Ehrbar Angels Foundation.  Not only did I want to attend and donate, I wanted to do what I could to bring attention to the Foundation and it’s purpose.  I would like to thank my CLEfriend, as well as Laura Ehrbar, co-founder of the Ehbar Angels Foundation, for speaking with me anout the Foundation and contributing to this post.

On April 28, 2010, Erin Ehrbar, then 17 years old, and her brother Andrew, 13, were heading to school like any other morning when a tragic car accident took both of their lives.  While pulling out of their driveway, their car was broadsided by a fellow student.  The driver has been indicted and will be sentenced next week.  Erin and Andrew were both tissue and cornea donors.  In addition, Drew donated five organs which saved three lives. 

Recently, Laura Ehrbar and her husband Chris have started the Ehrbar Angels Foundation.  In Laura’s words, “We feel compelled to keep Erin and Andrew’s memory alive and the limited time they were given here on earth was lived to its fullest and we want to make sure every child has the opportunities they would have had but did not get to accomplish.”

Erin attended Highland High School and one of the Ehrbar Angels Foundation’s goals is to raise money for scholarships for two graduating seniors from that school.  Laura told me, “The criteria for these scholarships are for students much like Erin and Drew–ordinary kids, who embody community and family and giving back to this world.” 

The Foundation will also sponsor 8th grade students attending a Washington, D.C. trip.  Drew would have been in 8th grade this year and attending that same trip. Finally, the Ehrbar Angels Foundation will be working with the State Highway Patrol on innovative education and decision-making courses targeted at teen drivers.  While the family suffered a tragic loss, the Ehrbar Angels Foundation seeks to honor the memories of Erin and Andrew by helping children just like them. 

So, what can you do to help? The Ehrbar Angels Foundation is having a fundraiser on Friday, March 4 from 7-10pm at Anthony’s Restaurant and Sports Bar.  The cost is $30 per ticket for pizza, wings, beer, wine, and a basket raffle.  A great deal, a fun time, and a wondeful cause! If you can’t attend, but would like to contribute, the Foundation is accepting checks and/or donations for the raffle.

Also, the Ehrbar Angels Foundation is in the start-up stages.  If you have fundraising ideas, venues, or other suggestions, the Foundation welcomes your thoughts and efforts.

To contact the Ehrbar Angels Foundation, you can simply drop me a line at whycleblog@gmail.com and I will pass it along to Laura and Chris.  Thank you in advance for your generosity in helping to remember two wonderful CLE kids and enriching the lives of other CLE kids in the process. 

Have a great weekend!  Do something inspiring!

Why? Candlelit Dinner!

I don’t generally do posts just about food.  While I love to talk about the restaurants around CLE, I try to leave the straight-up restaurant reviews to some of my fellow CLEbloggers, like Hungry in Cleveland, Cleveland Food and Brews, and Bite Buff.  However, after doing a guest post for Cleveland Food and Brews, I got bit by the restaurant review bug.  So, without further adieu, here’s the scoop on my amazing Valentine’s Day dinner.

CLEguy took me to Molinari’s, which had a special five-course, candlelit Valentine’s dinner.  The atmosphere in the restaurant was perfect for romance – softly lit with taper candles, with the wait staff outfitted in black, white, and red.

Our first course was an amuse bouche of tuna crostini with tapenade, paired with a Naveran Brut Vintage Cava.  The champagne-style wine was light, refreshing, and not too sweet.  The tuna crostini was delicious – I almost wished for more than just a bite, although there was plenty of food to come.

Our second course was a seared sea scallop on top of a leek risotto cake with a caper buerre blanc.  The scallop was perfectly cooked and the leek risotto cake had a wonderful, fresh taste.  While the caper buerre blanc was a bit salty, the wine pairing for this course (a Zenato Pinot Grigio) helped to cut the saltiness.

 Our third course was a duck ragout with roasted grape tomatoes served over polenta cake.  This was by far my favorite course.  As you can see, the portion of duck was generous.  The ragout had a delicious, peppery bite that complimented the smoky, gamey taste of the duck.  The polenta cake was firm enough to stand up to the duck, yet not chewy or overdone.  The perfect bite for me included polenta, a roasted tomato, and duck!  This course was paired with a Marchesi Di Barolo Barbera Monferrato, a smooth red wine with a lot of berry notes.

Our fourth course was veal braised in red wine, with carmelized fennel and portobello mushrooms.  The veal was fall-apart tender and the red wine sauce perfectly matched both the veal and the mushrooms.  While CLEguy and I both tried the carmelized fennel, neither of us were huge fans.  Perhaps if it had been incorporated into the dish, rather than simply served on the side, we would have felt differently.  This course was paired with our favorite wine of the night, a Cal Blanca Red Toro.  This wine reminded me of Zinfandel, which is one of my favorite red varietals. 

Our dessert was a roasted pear panna cotta with hazelnut creme anglaise.  I love chocolate, but it was refreshing (to my palate and my expectations) to see a Valentine’s dessert not involving chocolate.  The panna cotta was the perfect texture and consistency…firm enough to hold together, but still smooth and creamy.  The pears were roasted with a slight hint of cinnamon and both incorporated into the panna cotta, as well as being served on top.  Also, I would eat the hazelnut creme anglaise on just about anything, it was that good.  This course was paired with a Marchesi Di Barolo Moscato D’Asti.  While I’m not a fan of sweet white wines, this was the perfect compliment to the dessert.

Overall, the ambiance, the service and attention to detail, the amazing food, and of course the company, made this a perfect Valentine’s dinner.  I highly recommend putting Molinari’s on your must-try restaurant list!

Why? Weekends!

This CLE weekend went to the dogs – in a good way!  Our Friday night started out at Happy Dog, where CLEguy and I were joined by Hungry in Cleveland and HIC’s BF.

We started with some fine craft beers off Happy Dog’s extensive beer menu – I had the Bell’s Winter Wheat and CLEguy had the Breckenridge Vanilla Porter.

For our hot dogs, CLEguy and I modified selections we found on the “Suggestive Weiners” menu.  CLEguy and Hungry in Cleveland each got peanut butter on their hot dogs and, while it may sound weird, it’s actually quite delicious.  But my favorite part of the meal were the tater tots, served with a variety of sauces.  Be sure to try the black truffled honey mustard and the Brazilian chimichuri.

It's a Happy (Dog) Meal!

After dinner, we all headed to Madison Square Lanes for the Smooches & Pooches bowl-a-thon to benefit Secondhand Mutts.

For more information on Secondhand Mutts, you can check out my earlier post on the organization.  The bowling alley was packed with people contributing to this great cause, along with sweet pooches to adopt.  Being that we already have two pups at home, CLEguy and I passed on the adopting, but not the petting.

Team Why CLE? may not have been the best bowlers, but we had a lot of fun.  Many thanks to CLEblogger friends Hungry in Cleveland (and her BF), Poise in Parma, and Healthy Heddleston for participating with CLEguy and me!

Go Team Why CLE?

We also ran into fellow CLEbloggers Things I Luurve and Cleveland Food Goddess.  After bowling, we headed to Merry Arts Pub & Grille to watch the Cavs finally snap their losing streak.

On Saturday, CLEguy and I continued the dog-themed weekend by indulging in the “Puppy Love Spa Package” at Spa West.  After enjoying complimentary champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries, we were treated to an hour-long couples massage with whipped hot chocolate body cream.  Complete indulgence, so relaxing, and a great way to kick off Valentine’s weekend.

Later that evening, we attended a surprise birthday party for a dear CLEfriend at Marotta’s.  The restaurant is part of the Cleveland Independents, which I’m always happy to support, plus I got to use another coupon from The Deck, a deck of cards with $10 coupons to 52 Cleveland Independents restaurants.  The Deck is a great deal and a fun way to check out some new restaurants.

The food at Marotta’s was outstanding and the service was not at all rushed, even considering the small size of the restaurant.  CLEguy and I started with a specialty appetizer – a trio including traditional bruschetta, foie gras, and tapenade.

There should be another foie gras in the picture, but I couldn't wait to try it!

For our entrees, CLEguy chose the veal saltimbocca and I had the lobster ravioli (a special that night).  The lobster ravioli was not at all what I expected – instead of ravioli stuffed with lobster, the dish was ricotta ravioli with a provencal sauce with bay scallops and rock shrimp, crowned with a split lobster tail.

It was amazing!  I highly recommend Marotta’s for a cozy, traditional Italian meal.  After bottles of chianti and fabulous conversation with some new CLEfriends, we headed home, having discovered and rediscovered many answers to “Why Cleveland?” this weekend.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Why? Winner Time!

Just like the Cavs finally won last night, someone is finally going to win the “Cleveland Ethnic Eats” giveaway.  According to random.org, the lucky winner is Commenter #42:

“smitten in cleveland”

Congratulations, smitten!  Please drop me an e-mail at whycleblog@gmail.com and let me know where to send your prize.

Thanks again to Gray & Company, Publishers for donating the prize for this giveaway.  And, thanks to all who entered! Even if you didn’t win, hopefully this piqued your interest to explore CLE’s ethnic food scene (perhaps with the help of Laura Taxel’s book).  Look for more reader giveaways soon!

Disclosure: Gray & Company sent me two copies of “Cleveland Ethnic Eats,” one to use for research and one for a reader giveaway.  The opinions in this post are my own.

Why? Friday Inspiration!

My “Cleveland Ethnic Eats” Giveaway ends Friday, February 11 at 11:59pm!  Enter now and check back on Saturday, February 12 to find out if you’re the winner!

I grew up on a street that has a view of the CLE skyline.  When I was a kid, on the 4th of July we could watch the fireworks from downtown from lawnchairs pulled onto the driveway.  CLEmom and I used to go to the lighting of Public Square every year on the day after Thanksgiving.  I would visit Bruce the Talking Spruce, shop at the Twigbee Shop, and marvel at the magic of downtown.  CLEgrandpa took me to the Policeman’s Museum at the Justice Center.  I grew up with CLE.  I thought downtown was the most amazing place in the world.  I wanted to be a part of it.

When I moved away (twice), I would know I was home as soon as I saw the CLE skyline.  I used to hope the plane would get diverted into that crazy flight path over Lake Erie, so I could see the city as we circled back to Cleveland Hopkins Airport.  That’s what always got me.  That’s when I knew I was back.  To this day, my favorite part of any day is seeing the CLE skyline.  It wakes me up in the morning.  It’s a shining beacon at night.  It’s a reminder that I’m home. 

Our CLE skyline has changed with the times.  It’s representative of what CLE truly is…a strong foundation rooted in history and tradition (the Terminal Tower) mixed with growth and hope for the future (Key Tower, the Federal Courthouse).  Downtown is constantly changing, reinventing itself, with the addition of the Medical Mart, the casino, and many new businesses and residences.  Yet, the CLE skyline, even as it changes, reminds us that we’re home…in a city that knows the importance of its past and the opportunities of its future.

The next time you need inspiration, just look to the skyline.  I know I will be.  Have a great weekend!  Do something inspiring!