Why? Fahrenheit!

The other night, CLEmom and I had dinner at one of my favorite restaurants in Tremont: Fahrenheit. Sometimes it can be hard to stand out in an area so saturated with great places to eat, but Chef Rocco Whalen consistently delivers delicious, inventive cuisine in a cozy, lounge-like atmosphere.

We started by splitting a pitcher of Raspberry Crav.

This delightful concoction is a mix of Cleveland’s-own Crav vodka, raspberry puree, lemonade, and simple syrup. It was the perfect blend of tart and sweet.

Next we split potato “nachos” with goat cheese fondue, thyme, scallions, and bacon. Just that ingredient list alone should make your mouth water!

The nachos are thin, spiral-cut potatoes, fried until crispy. The potatoes are then covered with a creamy goat cheese sauce with an appetizing peppery bite. Fresh herbs and bacon top off this fantastic appetizer. The sauce was lighter than I expected, enabling me to eat even more nachos. By the time we got to the end, the last potatoes had lost their crunch, though – we’ll just have to eat faster next time!

For our entrees, CLEmom selected the pork tenderloin and I chose the fennel sausage ravioli.

The pork was coated in mustard and coffee and served on top a bed of maple glazed sweet potato. Garlic spinach and toasted macadamia nuts added spice and crunch. This dish was surprisingly sweet, even in bites without the sweet potatoes. The pork was incredibly tender and the sweetness really worked with this dish.

The fennel sausage ravioli was delicious. The pasta was light and perfectly cooked. The fennel flavor came through in every bite, but the cheese and the olive oil flavors still managed to shine. Topped with roasted red peppers and bitter broccoli, this dish put me squarely in the clean plate club.

Despite being stuffed, we decided to split dessert…

We chose the chocolate lava cake, served with Tahitian vanilla ice cream and chocolate whipped cream. The ice cream, whipped cream, and cake together made for one heavenly bite. The cake was very rich and I’m definitely glad we split this sweet treat.

Fahrenheit stands out among Tremont restaurants for its fresh, delicious fare, with a focus on local ingredients. The service is relaxed and cordial and the atmosphere is luxurious, yet comfortable. What a great place to spend an evening!

Why? Weekends!

It was a low-key weekend, but considering that the next few are going to be all kinds of crazy, I’m OK with that. Friday night, while starting to get ready for a weekend of family gatherings, I was keeping an eye and an ear on the Thomecoming. Jim Thome’s return to the Indians has energized the Tribe fan base in a much-needed way. Friday night’s game was sold-out and I’m sure the fans that packed Progressive Field were reminiscing about 1995 as much as I was. The excitement and enthusiasm pulsing through the crowd is a great thing for CLE.

Our Saturday started with a neighborhood block party. CLEguy has lived in this neighborhood for seven years, but as the (relatively) new kid on the block, I was looking forward to the chance to meet everyone.

There were hot dogs and hamburgers, side dishes and desserts to share, and plenty of neighborhood gossip. I tried out great new recipe #1 of the weekend: strawberry lemonade bars. These treats were refreshing and summery: shortbread crust and lemon custard with pureed strawberries. Just make sure you keep them refrigerated! Oh, and I used more strawberries than the recipe called for too!

At the block party, I also got to play my first round of frisbee golf. There are no pictures of it. I was that bad.

After that, we hustled home to get ready for dinner with the CLEparents. On the menu: barbecued ribs, corn, potato salad, and watermelon margaritas.

We had both Carolina (spicy, with a lot of vinegar) and Kansas City (smoky and sweet) ribs. Having never made ribs before, we were a little apprehensive. We marinated the ribs all day in vinegar, honey (from the Emerging Chefs’ ReHival dinner), cayenne pepper, and olive oil. Then we slow-baked them in the oven for a couple of hours with some BBQ sauce on them. Last, we threw the ribs on the grill for a quick crisping. They turned out great! We all dove right in and completely forgot to take pictures until 2 of the 3 racks were gone.

Also, I don’t recommend white shirts and ribs…

Dessert was blueberry pie, made with blueberries we picked ourselves. Overall, a delicious, summery, fresh meal!

On Sunday, CLEguy and I had “Entertaining the Family: Part 2″ as we had his family over to celebrate summer birthdays. 

Since we were going to have kids in attendance, not to mention lots of different palates, we decided to create a taco bar.

Chipotle’s got nothin’ on us! We had seasoned ground beef and chicken, along with homemade guacamole, homegrown peppers and tomatoes, black beans with jalapeno, and all the traditional taco toppings.

It was another great, fresh meal, with a communal pass-the-cheese-and-salsa feel. Absolutely a winner for a big group with diverse tastes.

After dinner, the kids decided to head outside and liven up our driveway with sidewalk chalk…

It looks a bit like crime scene outlines, but with a cheery “Happy Birthday” above.

Then came dessert. I had been plotting a kid-friendly dessert, but little did I know how much the adults would love it too. I made cake ball lollipops.

I chose dark chocolate cake, combined with cream cheese frosting. The cake balls were dipped in either white or milk chocolate and decorated with sprinkles. A couple notes if you check out the recipe above:

1. I simply hand-rolled the cake balls, rather than using a melon baller. I found it easier, although messier.

2. I left the cake balls in the freezer about a half hour longer than the recipe called for, to let them set up enough to be dipped in chocolate.

Everyone loved these fun and tasty treats. They were bright and cute and they actually tasted good, too! Definitely a must-make for parties!

So, that was my weekend. A lot of good family time, which is always one of my biggest reasons Why CLE! What new answers to “Why CLE?” did you discover this weekend?

Why? Guest Blogging for Clue Into Cleveland!

Today I’m guest posting for the fantastic and fun Amanda of Clue Into Cleveland while she clues into vacation.

Image Souce - http://clueintocleveland.files.wordpress.com/

I met Amanda through the Ohio Blogging Association and am so inspired by her love and enthusiasm for CLE. Besides being a blogger, Amanda is also super involved with Playhouse Square Partners; she’s a newbie runner; she works with NEO Food Tours aside from her 9-5 job; and she’s a wonderful friend.

So, hop on over to Clue Into Cleveland and check out my guest post, along with all of Amanda’s great insights into our city. Thanks for letting me guest blog, Amanda!

Why? Puppypalooza!

Hi, Why CLE? readers. CLEpup here. I wanted to tell you about my fun night at the Indians game. Yup, I got to go to the ballpark for Puppypalooza, sponsored by the Indians, the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District’s Pick Up Poop (PUP) campaign, and the Cleveland Animal Protective League. As a rescue pup myself, I give the APL two paws up!

First, I got to walk around a fair. I didn’t win any prizes though. My mom tried to get me to go into the puppy pool, but I was a little scared of it. Then came the puppy parade around the field. I thought this was my big chance to help out the Tribe – the people say they need some #batmagic – so I tried to get into the dugout and the bullpen. Put me in Coach, I’m ready to play!

Look at me, I could be center field

After the parade, we headed up to the Budweiser Pavilion, which was where all the pups were for the night. I saw lots of other dogs that I had to make friends with. One knocked over my water bowl, but I stole his puppy treat, so it all worked out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here I am with my mom and dad. I’m not much a lap dog, but I wanted to see what was going on, so I had to sit up there. People all kept howling like the dog next-door for this one player. I think his name was Chew.

This nice lady kept coming around with treats and I had lots of water, too.

Then my mom said we had to go meet Slider. That Slider is the strangest dog I’ve ever seen.

I talked to my new friend Jet about it and we both agreed that Slider passed the sniff test – eventually. My mom knows Jet’s mom, so we can be friends too. I also got to see my Aunt Beth and Uncle Enzo.

Then, mom and dad got these:

They ate most of these things, but I still got to taste some. They were better than my puppy food.

Pretty soon, I got really tired and had to take a nap.

I love my Tribe, even though people said they didn’t win. Sometimes I don’t win at tug-of-war, but it’s OK. Maybe if they had let me play too…

I hope my mom and dad take me to the ballpark again!

***Disclosure from CLEgal: I was offered two human tickets and one dog ticket to attend Puppypalooza in the (relocated for the event) Social Suite. Much thanks to @tribetalk for the opportunity. As always, all opinions are 100% my own. Or CLEpup’s, as it were. And yes, I am a crazy dog lady.***

Why? Emerging Chefs ReHival!

One beautiful Friday night in CLE, this city girl got country out at Meadowlane Farms. The occasion? Emerging Chefs ReHival dinner featuring Chef Kimberly McCune of Vine and Dine. Chef McCune is born and raised in Geauga County, the daughter of a bee-keeper. Not only was local honey a predominant theme for the evening, but everything we ate was sourced within 50 miles of Meadowlane Farms.

Our evening started with browsing a farmer’s market while nibbling on our welcome snack – a “Face Meat Sammy,” featuring Adam’s Reserve Cheddar, honey white bread, and jowl. The jowl tasted like bacon and this face meat sammy would make one tasty breakfast sandwich!

CLEguy, CLEguy’s dad, and I then headed into the main event. This was one of the prettiest and the most relaxed venues Emerging Chefs has used.

Everyone sat at picnic tables covered with gingham table cloths and set with rustic, yet still elegant, placesettings. This was country casual dining at it’s finest! We also had a view of the Longhorn roaming around Meadowlane Farms.

Aside from CLEguy and his dad, we were joined for dinner by Poise in Parma, Cleveland Food and Brews, CFBgal, and Eat Drink Cleveland. What a great group to share a meal with! We also got to say hi to Brewers Daughter and The Journeyman Cook.

Our first course consisted of drumette confit with honey BBQ and hot sauces and farm egg foam with chive infusion and a buttermilk biscuit.

The wings were delicious – a bit salty, but juicy and fall-off-the-bone tender. You didn’t even need the sauces to add flavor. The sauces were creatively served in little droppers, so you could add just what you wanted to your wings. Both sauces were great, although my preference was for the sweet tang of the honey BBQ.

The egg foam with chive infusion was smooth and creamy. But our table had some trouble figuring out the best way to eat it. I found dipping my dense, yet still moist, buttermilk biscuit in the foam allowed all the flavors to come together.

This course was paired with “The Queen’s Nectar,” which was a combination of blueberries, honey, lavendar, lemon, and citrus vodka. Delicious and refreshing!

Next up came a course of Meadowlane Farms steer tartar and a terrine of longhorn, chicken livers, and pork, served with a crostini. This course was paired with my favorite cocktail of the evening – a shot of Cleveland’s own Crav vodka paired with a shooter of pickles and juice. Think a Bloody Mary without the tomato juice…

The steer tartar had a wonderful seasoning and the microgreens on top were fresh and delicious. However, the texture of the tartar was a bit off. It was not chunked, nor was it completely ground. Despite the great flavors, this dish had an unusual texture and, for me, made it my least favorite of the night.

The terrine was good and the chicken livers were really the star of that dish. I could have used more crostini, which added a nice texture to the bites of terrine.

Next up was a course that all of us loved – none as much as Poise in Parma, though…

This was a caprese salad with backyard tomatoes, Micelli’s creamed mozarella, micro herbs, and balsamic. The course was paired with a simple peach sun tea. Many of our courses were served family-style, which led to Alicia from Poise in Parma stealing the entire bowl of salad. In fact, the servers were kind enough to bring us a second helping of this delicious course.

The salad was very rustic and fresh – the tomatoes were sliced large and the mozarella was in sizeable chunks. I don’t think I’ve ever had such delicious mozarella. And the way the cheese blended with the balsamic created almost a creamy dressing. This also won CLEguy’s dad’s favorite course of the night.

Our next course had our entire table buzzing just from the smells eminating from the kitchen. Rabbit confit was combined with ricotta gnocchi, bacon, and spinach for this delectable dish.

The smoky flavors of the rabbit and bacon paired perfectly, without the bacon overwhelming the dish. The texture of the gnocchi was very dense and slightly crisp on the outside. The spinach added a nice freshness to the dish and helped cut the natural saltiness of the meats. CLEguy and I agreed this was our favorite course of the night and I could have easily eaten the entire bowl.

Next up was a Lake Erie walleye cake with corn aioli.

The walleye cake was light and flavorful. The corn incorporated into the cake added a nice texture and sweetness. I could have easily eaten 10 of these bite-sized cakes. This course was paired with a perfectly summery watermelon slush – a simple beverage of watermelon, honey, and ice.

For our last course, Meadowlane Farms longhorn was thinly-sliced and served on top potatoes and creamed sweet corn.

The beef was cooked well and was very flavorful. Some of the pieces were a bit fatty and hard to chew, however. The corn, potatoes, and mushrooms added fantastic flavor to the dish. CLEguy said it was the best creamed corn he’s ever had and I concur. While there was a foie gras component to the dish, I don’t think I got enough of the sauce to really be able to taste it’s rich flavor.

This course also featured the debut of ReHive Ale, a beer created by Chef McCune at Buckeye Beer Engine.

The beer was hoppy, with a delicious honey sweetness. It is easy-drinking and a deceptive 8% alcohol content. It will soon be available for retail sale, so stay tuned!

We were fortunate to get to chat with Chef McCune, who is a gracious and humble hostess. Each place setting was gifted with a jar of Chef McCune’s father’s honey. Chef McCune also gave our table ReHive Ale t-shirts, which are absolutely adorable.

Sampling local honey

Modeling our ReHive Ale shirts

Brad gets up close and personal with nature

I also got to catch up with Chef Amy Ryan, our instructor from our Viking School cooking class, who is one of Chef McCune’s good friends. All in all, the setting, the commitment to fresh local food, the quality of the meal, and the great company made this my favorite Emerging Chefs event thus far! You can check out Cleveland Food and Brews’ review here and Poise in Parma’s review here for more takes on our delicious evening.

***Disclosure: I was invited to attend Emerging Chefs’ ReHival with a media pass. CLEguy’s and CLEguy’s dad’s tickets were not included. While at the event, Chef McCune gave us ReHive Ale t-shirts. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.***

Why? Pier W!

So, this post is a bit delayed, but I’ve been a busy, busy blogger with lots to tell you about. Last week, we celebrated CLEguy’s birthday at Pier W. This is honestly one of the most breathtaking restaurants in the area. If this view doesn’t make the case for why we need more lakefront development, nothing ever will:

There is something about enjoying a fantastic meal with a view of the water and the skyline that just enhances the entire experience. We started out our meals with cocktails and oysters.

CLEguy and I both tried the basil martini. We both were impressed with the fresh basil taste, but the simple syrup made it a bit too sweet for CLEguy. I also recommend the Pier W – a delightful combination of vodka, champagne, and Chambord. Also, for you wine lovers, Mondays and Tuesdays feature 30% off select bottles of wine.

The oysters were delicious and served with a Bloody Mary cocktail sauce and a cucumber mignonette. The cocktail sauce needed a bit more zip, but the cucumber mignonette added a great tang to the oysters.

As the sun set over Lake Erie, we debated our entree options, as just about everything on the menu sounded fantastic. CLEguy chose the seared diver scallops and I selected the pan-roasted haddock.

The scallops were perfectly cooked and incredibly tender and delicious. They were served with a potato and basil risotto and fennel and sweet onion marmalades. The risotto was the most interesting component of the dish. Instead of the typical risotto texture, this was small cubes of potato in a delicious pesto sauce. Absolutely yummy, although not what you usually expect from risotto.

The haddock was served with lobster mashed potatoes, lobster and lemon butter sauce, sweet peppers, and asparagus. I loved everything on this plate. The lobster mashed potatoes had large chunks of lobster and the sauce was slightly creamy and completely fantastic. Haddock is a mild white fish and it’s flaky texture melted right into the sauce and potatoes. I enjoy fish and would have liked this dish just as much with a meatier fish, such as swordfish or mahi mahi. That said, the haddock stood up to the other components surprisingly well.

Being a birthday and being us, we couldn’t pass up dessert. CLEguy had the white chocolate Godiva cheesecake and I had the blueberry lemon Napoleon.

The cheesecake was rich and creamy. The berries complimented it perfectly. And the little chocolate Happy Birthday sign was perfectly Pier W – classy. The blueberry lemon Napoleon was the perfect summer dessert, even though when trying to slice through it, I shot a blueberry across the table. The lemon custard was light and refreshing, the pastry was crisp and flaky, and the entire dish was a great combination of tart and sweet. It was also the perfect size – big enough to satisfy, but small enough to fit after all the other food!

All in all, Pier W provided a wonderful setting for CLEguy’s birthday celebration. The fantastic food, gorgeous views, and attentive, yet unhurried service make this a must-go-to restaurant (again and again).

Why? Upcoming Events!

There are so many fun things going on in CLE these days, it’s hard to keep up! Here’s a rundown of some great upcoming events and how you can participate:

Want to watch Hodge Podge Truck on “The Great Food Truck Race” with lots of other excited Clevelanders? Then come down to Market Garden Brewery on Sunday, August 21. Starting at 6pm, a cavalcade of CLE’s finest food trucks will be serving up their delicious food and showing their support for Hodge Podge Truck. Then, at 9pm come inside for specials from Market Garden Brewery and the viewing of the next episode of “The Great Food Truck Race.”

The RTA Bar Crawl is happening Saturday, August 27 starting at 1pm. The group will meet at Market Plaza in Ohio City and head out from there to University Circle/Little Italy then to Larchmere/Shaker Square then to East 4th Street, returning to Ohio City at the end of the Bar Crawl. You can join the group at any point in the Bar Crawl. This is a great way to get to know your city and it’s public transportation options better, have a lot of fun, and have a guaranteed designated driver!

Image Source - RTA Bar Crawl Facebook Invite

On Tuesday, August 30, Touch Supper Club is hosting a Farm to Table Supper at the Stone Garden Farm in Richfield. Aside from great food, there will be a bonfire, live music, Richfield hand-rolled cigars, and the debut of the Touch Supper Club Food Truck! Tickets are $70 and can be purchased here.

To add to your Labor Day weekend fun, check out the Jak of All Trades Fest hosted by Jakprints on Saturday, September 3 from 12pm to 7pm. Jakprints is taking over the MidTown District with live music, food trucks, pop-up stores, an art installation, a complimentary beer garden, kids’ activities, and more! Jakprints will also be raffling off an HP Touch Pad, with proceeds to benefit MidTown Cleveland Incorporated and Community Greenhouse Partners. If you want to attend, you must RSVP by Sunday, August 28, so click on the link above today! For more info on Jakprints, check out this post from Clue Into Cleveland.

Get your om on! On Saturday, September 10, lululemon athletica is hosting Salutation Nation at 9am at Omni Properties in Woodmere. This is a free, all-levels yoga class – all you need is your mat and water.

Emerging Chefs are partnering with Ingenuity Fest to present “C4 – 4 Chefs, 4 Nights, 4 Styles, 4 Foodies” from Thursday, September 15 through Sunday, September 18. The featured chefs are Matthew Mathlage of Light Bistro, Jeff Jarrett of AMP 150, Brian Rosander of Rosander, and Pete Joyce of Bistro on Lincoln Park. You can purchase tickets here for individual dinners for $55 or a four-pack for all the dinners for $175.

Image Source - emergingchefs.com

In case you’re feeling fall-like already, the Cleveland Botanical Gardens are hosting the second-annual RIPE! Fest from Friday, September 23 through Sunday, September 25. This festival celebrates the best in local farming and cooking, plus bluegrass music, an on-site farmers’ market, arts and crafts shopping and more. The festival runs from 11am to sundown each day. Tickets are $7 for Botanical Gardens members and $12 for non-members.

So many great things happening in CLE! Where will you be?

***If you know of a great upcoming CLE event, email me the info at whycleblog@gmail.com***

Why? Weekends!

It was another busy weekend in CLE, so let’s get right to it. On Saturday morning, CLEguy and I had our engagement pictures taken. I am dying to see the proofs, but I already know Heather from New Image Photography did a fantastic job. She made us feel so relaxed…half the time, I didn’t even know she was taking pictures. We went to Fairport Harbor Beach, which is not only beautiful, but also has a stretch of beach that is open to dogs. We took the CLEpups and they loved every minute, even if they weren’t the most cooperative photo subjects. This is a great place to take the fuzzes to play!

Saturday evening, we headed to The Greenhouse Tavern for dinner and to celebrate the filming of “Unique Eats” at the restaurant. As you may have heard, the Cooking Channel’s “Unique Eats” show was in town to film some of the finest our city has to offer in restaurants. It was great to be at The Greenhouse Tavern to witness the filming and to lend support to what is certainly one of our finest and most inventive restaurants.

Our meal started out with a complimentary appetizer, which every table received that night as a thank you for attending the filming. Our appetizer was foie gras steamed clams, which were delicious. The clams were tender and the foie gras sauce was incredibly rich.

CLEguy and I decided to split the 4-course Chef’s Tasting Menu for dinner. This is a wonderful way to try a bit of everything on the menu. We chose the bacon-wrapped peaches, the duck pasta, the chicken fried lamb steak, and the pommes frites.

I am not a huge fan of peaches, but the bacon wrapping changed my mind! The duck pasta was my favorite of the dishes we chose. The duck skin cracklings added a wonderful texture against the smooth, rich pasta. I almost licked the plate. The chicken fried lamb steak was also excellent – crispy and not greasy. I highly recommend dipping the pommes frites in the veloute that comes with the lamb steak – divine! All in all, another home run dinner at The Greenhouse Tavern and another example of why they truly deserve the honor of being featured on “Unique Eats.”

Sunday, I did two things I’ve never done before: 1. I practiced yoga and 2. I was interviewed on the radio. Just another example of how much my life has changed in the last year or so and the amazing directions your life can go in if you let it…

On Sunday morning, I attended Practice on the Preserve, hosted by Cleveland Yoga at Patterson’s Fruit Farm. This was a free 75-minute yoga class in celebration of the third-annual Cleveland Yoga appreciation day.

While the weather moved the class inside, the room was still buzzing with energy and excitement when we arrived.

CLEguy has practiced yoga for years. He and so many of my yogi friends have been trying to get me to try it. But, fear of looking like a fool or not knowing what I was doing held me back. I am so glad I finally tried it, though! The poses I was able to do made me feel strong and capable and proud. The girl on the mat next to me helped me through a couple of the tougher poses and made me feel part of a community. There were people of all ages, sizes, and ability levels practicing. Then came the moment I had been dreading. I got myself into a pose (I can’t remember the name of it) and I promptly fell over. I mean, I bit it hard. One of the teachers who was standing nearby laughed and said, “That was awesome.” And I laughed too, picked myself up, and continued on. I can’t wait to attend my next yoga class!

After class, we got to snag some yummy eats from The Chubby Cook, who was providing sustenance for hungry yogis.

Scott, Alicia, and Michelle served up Arnold Palmers, gazpacho, and delicious open-faced veggie sandwiches with hummus, feta, tomatoes, and sprouts. Light, healthy, and flavorful…I can’t wait to try more of The Chubby Cook’s fare!

After yoga, I headed over to WKC 1420 AM for the inaugural Emerging Chefs radio show. The Emerging Chefs partners – Michael, David, and Rick – chatted about recent CLE culinary happenings. Then, Chef Kimberly McCune talked about Friday’s upcoming ReHival Farm-to-Table dinner, which sounds absolutely mouth-watering. I got to talk a bit about the blog, what I love about CLE, and my thoughts on being a “boomerang.” It was a really fun experience and just another great way to share my love of CLE. The Emerging Chefs radio show will be on every Sunday on 1420 AM from 3-4pm, so check it out for an inside scoop on foodie buzz.

It was an amazing weekend and I think this sign I saw at Practice on the Preserve sums it up better than I ever could:

Why? Ohio Blogging Association and the Tribe!

It was another beautiful night in CLE last night! The weather was perfect for the monthly Ohio Blogging Association meet-up, especially since this month’s meet-up involved catching an Indians game.

Before heading to meet my fellow bloggers, I got some pictures of the “Avengers” set under construction on East Ninth Street. It looks pretty amazing and I can’t wait until next week when filming begins!

We began our evening with drinks and dinner at Wonder Bar. The happy hour at Wonder Bar is outstanding – especially the $3 drafts. Only $3 for a Thirsty Dog Whippet Wheat or Rogue Chocolate Stout is an outstanding deal. CLEguy and I also decided to get dinner there. We split the “Skinny Dipping” and the monthly pizza special, which was a pesto pizza.

“Skinny Dipping” are chicken drumettes, lightly fried and served with a peanut butter and jelly sauce. The drumettes were meaty and juicy and the breading was light and not overly salty. The peanut butter and jelly sauce was spicier than I expected – perhaps a hint of chili in there? Whatever it was, it was delicious!

The pizza had a nice, thin crust and a fresh taste, but I would have liked a little more pesto sauce on the pie. Overall, the pizza was good, but not too remarkable. The drumettes, however, have me wanting to try some of the other inventive choices on the menu.

From there, we all headed to the game. Also in attendance at this month’s meet-up were bloggers and tweeps from:

Poise in Parma (our organizer and hostess – read her recap here)

MojaMala2

Hungry in Cleveland

Peace, Love and Bagels

FireSide Symphony

Clue Into Cleveland

Cooker Girl

@KaseyCrabtree

It was a beautiful night at the ballpark! Plus, we got free t-shirts, modeled here by “Husbandnonymous” (as named by Clue Into Cleveland):

Mr. Poise in Parma, CLEguy, and Mr. Clue Into Cleveland

It’s always great to connect with the Ohio Blogging folks, share our love for CLE, and cheer on our Tribe!

The next Ohio Blogging Association meet-up is happening on Thursday, September 22. We will be happy houring at The Chubby Cook. Check out the Ohio Blogging Association Facebook page for more details!

Why? Sara Bareilles!

Last night was one of those nights I just wanted to put my arms around CLE and give it a hug. Yes, I’m a big cheeseball.

Before my evening activities even started, I had a quick nail appointment after work. While I was getting my nails done, the girl next to me started talking about how much she loves the CLE. She’s a college intern who spent her summer working in Cleveland and had nothing but good things to say about how the city is so fun, how much there is to do every weekend, and on and on. It was totally unprompted and made me so happy to hear someone come to our town and genuinely love it. She saw in a 3-month span so many of the great things we CLE fans talk about all the time. And in 3 months time, she probably has a deeper appreciation for and love of our town than some of our own residents do. What a great start to my evening!

From there, I headed to one of the best that CLE has to offer: The Greenhouse Tavern. The weather was beautiful (it hadn’t started to storm yet) and East 4th Street was jumping (and on a Tuesday night). I met up with the always fabulous Alicia from Poise in Parma for some pre-concert eats. As per usual, the food was outstanding, the drinks were tasty, and the whole experience got our night going on the right track. Seriously, before summer is out, get to The Greenhouse Tavern and order a GHT Bike Drink. It’s a combination of Greenhouse Tavern’s own lager and Myer Lemon soda. You can taste both the lemon and the beer in this light and refreshing drink. It reminds me of a really tasty Summer Shandy. Also as per usual, the conversation flowed as freely as the Bike Drinks, from CLE to jobs to our crazy schedules to family to my wedding to…you get the point…

After dinner, Alicia and I made our way to House of Blues to see Sara Bareilles in concert. Her Cleveland show was sold-out and the crowd was definitely excited for the performance. I had never heard of the opening act – Raining Jane - but I will be purchasing their album for sure! From the cello to the electric guitar, the four women of Raining Jane had a unique sound that their website best describes as “eclectic rock-folk.”

Their energy and the spririt of their songs was the perfect precursor to Sara Bareilles.

Sara rocked out for a solid show covering her hits, songs off her new album, and cover songs as well (including a fantastic cover of Mumford and Sons’ “Little Lion Man”). She was charming and sassy and just everything I’ve come to love about her music personified. It was definitely a “women rock” kind of concert. Sara told the crowd she was fighting a cold and, if that’s what her voice sounds like with a cold, I can’t even imagine without. She absolutely belted her songs!

From random lovers of CLE to a packed East 4th Street to a fabulous dinner to spending time with someone who has become such a great friend to a rockin’ concert, it was one of those nights I want to put in my pocket as the embodiment of Why CLE? for me.