Why? Weekends!

***A bit of blogkeeping: Have you entered to win a $50 gift card to Earth Fare? Check it out! Remember, you can tweet daily for additional entries.***

It was a fun, busy, sunny weekend in Cleveland! Friday evening, I had a good old-fashioned girls’ night out with one of my most favorite girls: my Mom!

It started with a manicure at Anthony Vince Nail Spa, which offers not only a huge amount of space for manis and pedis, but also a bar! Anthony Vince is open later than most salons on Fridays, which makes it a perfect weekend kickoff spot to get pampered.

From there, we did some summer shopping around Crocker Park, then enjoyed cocktails and a yummy dinner at 87 West. We both love 87 West’s sangria, which is a perfect summer sipper. We also shared the decadent lobster nachos and the ahi and avocado tartar.

It was a perfectly laid-back, fun start to the weekend!

Saturday morning, after getting my downward dog on at Harmony Yoga, I got my BBQ on at the 2nd annual Red, White & BBQ Rib Fest in downtown Willoughby. Matthew and I met up with friends Rich and Rachel for some fun on Erie Street.

There was live music, lots of booths paying tribute to our troops on Armed Forces Day, and of course tasty ribs and beer. We chose ribs from Willoughby Brewing Company and found them to be tender, meaty, and flavorful. The weather was perfect for an outdoor festival, too! It’s really starting to feel like summer.

It was a busy Saturday, as we were then off to Tammy and Frank’s place on Saturday evening for their first roof-top gathering of the summer. We were also helping Frank’s kids and Alicia carb-load for the Cleveland Marathon 10K, half, and full the next day!

I’m pretty sure you don’t need to carb-load if you’re not actually running, but I wasn’t taking any chances! Tammy and Frank put out an all West Side Market feast, with three different kinds of Ohio City Pasta and sauces and sweet Italian sausage from M&M Foods. Plus, there was plenty of wine for those of us not running! It was a delicious and at times hilarious evening!

Sunday, I tried a new yoga class at Harmony Yoga called yoga sculpt. Think of it as lots of abs, leg, and arm work with weights, with some sun salutations thrown in too. I’m not sure this would be an every week class for me, but I can definitely see mixing it in every once in awhile.

We also had Matthew’s dad over for dinner and grilled up some tasty mahi mahi with sauteed vegetables on the side. This made a perfect light, healthy summer dinner. Click here for the recipe, which calls for swordfish, but I could only get mahi mahi fresh, so I went with that instead.

How was your weekend? Did you participate in any Cleveland Marathon (cheering or running)?

Why? Earth Fare Solon!

I don’t know about you, but I try to make grocery shopping a once a weekend occurrence. I go, I load up for the week, and that’s that. Last Saturday, I got a chance to check out the brand new Earth Fare in Solon. I could definitely get used to shopping there!

Earth Fare’s food philosophy ensures you get food that not only tastes good, but is truly good for you: no high fructose corn syrup; no artificial fats, colors, preservatives, sweeteners, or flavors; no bleached flours; and no antibiotics or synthetic growth hormones.

I love this idea! For me, quality is much more important than quantity in food. Give me a full-fat, but all-natural, cheese any day over something fat-free and full of artificial ingredients!

Earth Fare’s meat and seafood department has tons of fresh choices, as well as experts who can help you not only select the perfect steak or chicken, but also tell you the best way to cook it.

Throughout the store, you’ll find specifically-marked local items, which means they came from 100 miles or less from that store. I saw some great local finds, including products from Hartzler’s Family Dairy, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, and Fat Head’s Brewing.

Earth Fare has a large wine department, with wines that cost $15 or less specifically designated.

There’s also a large prepared foods section, with soups, a salad bar, made-to-order sandwiches, pizzas, sushi, bakery, frozen yogurt, and more.

Three days a week, the prepared foods section at every Earth Fare has some special deals: Burgers for Bucks happens on Sundays from 12-3pm, with $3 burgers and $1.50 sides; Good Ole Days happens on Tuesdays from 4:30-7:30pm, with a half chicken, mashed potatoes, and veggies for $7.99; and Family Dinner Night happens on Thursdays from 4-8pm, with free kids meals with the purchase of a $5-or-more adult meal.

After my tour, I stuck around to get my weekend grocery shopping done. You can sample just about anything in the store, so you know before you buy that you’re getting something tasty!

Since we were pretty stocked up on the basics at home, I got a lot of impulse buys, like Jozsef’s Premium Paprikash Sauce, freshly-made honey roasted peanut butter, and Thrive Farmers coffee.

So, to help you get your grocery shopping done healthily, deliciously, and more economically, I have a $50 Earth Fare gift card to give away! The gift card is good at any Earth Fare (there’s also one in Fairview Park if that’s more convenient).

Here’s how to enter: you can do one, two, or all three options, just leave a SEPARATE comment for each.

1. Tell me what you are most likely to buy even if it’s not on your grocery list.

2. Follow @EarthFareSolon and @WhyCLE on Twitter and leave one comment letting me know you’re following both.

3. Tweet the following phrase:

I entered to win $50 to @EarthFareSolon from @WhyCLE and you can too: http://wp.me/p1fb9r-1uP 

You can tweet daily for additional entries, just leave a separate comment each time you tweet.

The giveaway will close on Wednesday, May 22 at 11:59pm and the winner will be announced the following day. Good luck!

***Disclosure: I was invited by Earth Fare Solon to tour and blog about the new location. In exchange, I received a $50 gift card for myself and a $50 gift card to give away. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.***

Why? Upcoming Events!

***A bit of blogkeeping: Congratulations to Gauri (Comment #1), randomly-selected winner of 2 general admission tickets to the Marc’s Great American Rib Cook-Off and Music Festival. Please check your email and respond by the end of the day or a new winner will be chosen.***

As we head toward summer, there are a ton of great upcoming events to take advantage of around the Cleveland area.

Red, White & BBQ Rib Fest

Saturday, May 18 at 12pm

Erie Street in Downtown Willoughby

Image Source – seriouseats.com

Downtown Willoughby presents the second annual Red, White & BBQ Rib Fest. From noon to 8pm, Erie Street will be turned into a pedestrian mall lined with restaurants serving up tasty BBQ and libations. Willoughby Brewing Co., Lure Bistro, Olivor Twist and many other Downtown Willoughby favorites will be participating. There will also be two stages with live music from eight different local bands and artists. Red, White & BBQ falls on Armed Forces Day and will be honoring our nation’s heroes by asking all attendees to donate $1 to the USO of Northern Ohio.

Recruit Cleveland Alumni-Only Career Expo

Thursday, May 23 at 11am

Veale Center at Case Western Reserve University

Image Source – hirecleveland.eventbrite.com

If you’re an alumni from John Carroll University, Cleveland State University, Case Western Reserve University, or a host of other local schools (see the graphic above), you are invited to attend a career fair with job opportunities from over 75 local employers, including the Cleveland Clinic, PR Newswire, Huntington Bank, and more. Admission is $10 for VIP early access and featured resume placement or free for all other alumni. Space is limited! For more details and to register, click here.

Woof, Wag and Wine

Saturday, June 1 at 1pm

Grand River Cellars

Image Source – lakehumane.org

An event that combines pups and wine? Be still my heart! Bring your pup along for a tour of Grand River Cellars, a wine tasting, live music, auctions, and more. Admission is $15 and includes your wine tasting. Proceeds benefit the Lake Humane Society. Click here for more information.

13^thAnnual Race for the Place

Sunday, June 2 at 8am

Beachwood Place

Image Source – touchedbycancer.org

Get out, get moving, and raise money for The Gathering Place, a community-based cancer-support center. There is a 5K chip-timed race or a one-mile fun walk, as well as family activities in the Celebration Village. Join honorary cancer survivor chair Jim Donovan, University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center, and The Gathering Place for this great event. Registration ranges from $10-30 depending on age and event. Click here for more information and to register.

15^thAnnual Farm to Table Benefit

Cleveland Botanical Garden

Monday, June 3 at 5:30pm

Image Source – cbgarden.org

Join 20 Cleveland chefs, from restaurants such as Spice Kitchen and Bar, Crop Bistro, and The Greenhouse Tavern, for a strawberry-inspired farm-to-table tasting event. At 5:30, there will be a panel discussion on “Berry Benefits,” then from 6:30-9, let your tastebuds explore the different tasting stations and enjoy live music on the Garden’s Geis Terrace. Tickets are $100 ($85 for Garden members) and proceeds benefit Green Corps and the North Union Farmers Market. For more information and to purcase tickets, click here.

10^thAnnual DePiero Family Charity 5K Run and 2K Walk

Saturday, June 8 at 8:30am

Byers Field

Image Source – deandepiero.com

Join former Parma Mayor Dean DePiero for a 5K race or 2K walk, along with refreshments and raffles, to benefit the Cleveland Courage Fund, recently established to raise money for Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus, and Michelle Knight. Registration is $20 and the first 300 registrants receive a t-shirt. Click here for more information and to register.

Piggy Stardust & the Flavors from Mars

Wednesday, June 19 at 6:30pm

The Beachland Ballroom

Emerging Chefs, Chef Brian Doyle, and Chef Brian Rosander have teamed up to create a rock ‘n roll glam foodie event. A multi-course dinner, cocktail pairings, and live music from Vanity Crash, along with the cool surroundings of the The Beachland Ballroom will make for an evening not to be missed. Tickets are $75 and can be purchased by clicking here.

Farm to Table Garlic Dinner

Saturday, June 22 at 5pm

Thaxton Garlic Farm

Join Thaxton’s Organic Garlic and Hudson’s Restaurant for a delicious farm-to-table dinner experience showcasing vendors from the Hudson Farmers Market. The dinner will include a cocktail hour, tour of the garlic farm and neighboring alpaca farm, and a five-course dinner with wine pairings. Tickets are $125 and proceeds benefit the Hudson Farmers Market. Click here to purchase tickets.

What upcoming events are you looking forward to?

***Disclosures: I am the VP of Special Initiatives for the John Carroll University Cleveland Alumni Chapter. Also, I was invited by Emerging Chefs to attend Piggy Stardust with a complimentary media pass, but declined due to scheduling conflicts. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.***

Why? Weekends!

For every weekend that hands us gorgeous weather, there’s one that hands us, well, less gorgeous weather. That’s OK, though! We didn’t let the rain and coolness dampen our fun!

Friday night, we chilled at home with what is a not-often-enough Friday ritual of homemade pizza, a bottle of wine, and catching up on the DVR.

I’m completely addicted to Scandal and, as a DVR watcher, need to stay spoiler-free until I can catch up with the show, which is not usually easy! I somehow managed to avoid the spoilers and was completely shocked at the end of the episode.

On Saturday, I got in my morning vinyasa flow at Harmony Yoga. I’m also part of Team #yogaallthelivelongday, which you can read more about here, so I’m committing to practice at least a small bit of yoga every day (more to come on this, I’m sure).

After that, I headed to check out the new Earth Fare in Solon. Stay tuned later this week for a post on that and a giveaway to go along with it!

To round out the day, Matthew and I went to his college friend Jenn’s house for the first BBQ of the summer. I think it’s great that Matthew, Jenn, and Jody have maintained their friendships for so long! On the way to Jenn’s, we drove through Matthew’s alma mater, Kent State University, for a little more college nostalgia.

Plus, weekend BBQ’s with friends are one of my favorite things about summertime. Even though the weather wasn’t too summery, I still sipped a beer or two and got ready for lots of grilling and cornhole ahead this season.

Sunday, we celebrated Mother’s Day by taking my Mom to brunch at XO Prime Steaks.

The brunch menu was a nice mix of breakfast and lunch items. Mom and Dad went the breakfast direction with apple and pear crepes and lobster eggs benedict, respectively. Matthew and I chose lunch, with blackened salmon and wild mushroom ravioli. Matthew and I also shared a very dense, but tasty, white chocolate, raspberry and macadamia bread pudding for dessert.

Everything was delicious and it was a nice, relaxing afternoon for Mom!

I grabbed another yoga class on Sunday evening. I generally have a tougher time practicing in the evenings, but find my energy level is definitely better on weekend evenings than during the week.

How was your weekend? Did you celebrate Mother’s Day?

Why? Fresh Fork!

***A bit of blogkeeping: Have you entered to win two tickets to the Silver Spoon Awards Party? Check it out! Remember, you can tweet daily for additional entries.***

It’s time to share more Fresh Fork Market goodies (two weeks’ worth) and recipes!

What We Got:

1 grassfed beef roast

1 quarter peck cameo apples

8 oz bag mixed salad greens

1.5 lb bag of oats

2 lbs grassfed ground beef

1 lb pasture raised ground pork

1 lb smoked turkey breast

1 jar roasted red peppers

Pizza Dough Balls – 2

Barbecue Sauce

1 lb Italian sausage

8 oz Monterrey Jack cheese

1 bag mixed greens

1/3 lb ramps

1 quarter peck Fuji Apples

1 bottle Sunflower Oil

1 dz Eggs

What We Made:

Slow-Cooker Pot Roast (click here for the recipe)

I love how tender meat cooked in the slow cooker is. I also love the ease of throwing some things in the slow cooker, setting it, and coming home to a delicious meal. This simple recipe made a great dinner, paired with mashed potatoes. I substituted seasoned salt to add a bit more kick.

The Very Best Meatloaf (click here for the recipe)

The name of the recipe didn’t oversell. This made a delicious, moist meatloaf. I used half beef and half pork (no veal) and instead of making the recipe glaze, I substituted the Clark Pope barbecue sauce.

Creamed Corn with Cornbread Crumbs (click here for the recipe)

This is a recipe used at Red the Steakhouse, so I was sure it would be good! I used cornmeal for the breadcrumbs. This was delicious, even with our frozen Fresh Fork corn, so I can’t wait to try it with fresh corn this summer!

Brat, Beer and Cheese Soup (click here for the recipe)

We love making soups out of our Fresh Fork ingredients. They’re easy, tasty, make great leftovers, and …on and on. Matthew did the first grilling of the season and grilled up the chicken brats for the soup. Delicious!

Homemade Bread

This is a simple recipe that we use for both pizza crust and bread. 3 cups of flour, 1 1/2 cups of water. 3/4 teaspoon salt, and one packet of yeast. Mix well and let sit for 2 hours covered with plastic wrap with holes punched in it. Bake at 465 degrees for 30-40 minutes for bread. I mixed in Italian seasonings and topped with parmesan cheese.

What recipes have you been trying lately?

Why? Silver Spoon Awards Party Giveaway!

In recent years, Cleveland has landed a firm spot on our nation’s map of cities with great restaurants. Through Food Network appearances by Chefs Michael Symon, Jonathon Sawyer, Chris Hodgson, Rocco Whalen, Kimberly McCune, and more, Cleveland is making its mark.

This summer, Chef Chris Hodgson is returning to the Food Network to compete to be The Next Food Network Star.

Image Source – clevescene.com

But, you don’t have to just turn on your TV to catch up with Chef Hodgson. From his restaurant to his food trucks, “Chef Hodge” is a familiar face around Cleveland. And he’ll be showing that familiar face in the VIP Room at one of Cleveland’s premier food events, the 19th Annual Silver Spoon Awards Party, happening Wednesday, May 15.

Image Source – poiseinparma.com

The Silver Spoon Awards Party is a strolling food and wine tasting event, featuring many of this year’s Cleveland Magazine’s Silver Spoon Awards winners, such as Deagan’s Kitchen and Bar, Chinato, Melt Bar and Grilled, and more.

Image Source – clevelandmagazine.com

Chef Hodgson will bring his comfort food with a twist and his Food-Network-ready personality to shine in the Silver Spoon VIP room, along with Spice Kitchen and Bar, Great Lakes Brewing, and Watershed Distillery. Having just been at Hodge’s this past weekend, I have to say that Chef Hodgson is creating some of the tastiest and most fun food in town.

The Silver Spoon Awards Party is sure to be a night you won’t want to miss! Plus, proceeds from the evening benefit the Arthritis Foundation, Great Lakes Region, Northeastern Ohio.

Image Source – clevelandmagazine.com

Tickets are $85 for general admission and $135 for VIP admission and can be purchased by clicking here. Or, you can enter to win two general admission tickets right here!

Here’s how to enter: You can do one, two, or all three of the possible entries, just be sure to leave a SEPARATE comment for each entry.

1. Leave a comment letting me know who your favorite Cleveland celebrity chef is.

2. Follow @SilverSpoonCLE and @WhyCLE on Twitter and leave one comment letting me know you’re following both.

3. Tweet the following phrase and leave a comment letting me know you tweeted:

I want to celebrate CLE’s food scene at @SilverSpoonCLE with @WhyCLE! Enter to win two tickets here: http://wp.me/p1fb9r-1s9

You can tweet daily for additional entries, just leave a separate comment each time you tweet.

The giveaway will close at 11:59pm on Sunday, May 5 and the winner will be announced the following day. If you have won another blogger’s Silver Spoon giveaway this year, you are ineligible to win this giveaway.

Good luck! And for another chance to win, check out Cleveland’s a Plum’s giveaway.

***Disclosure: I was asked by the Arthritis Foundation of Northeast Ohio to help promote the Silver Spoon Awards Party. In exchange, I will receive 2 VIP tickets for myself and 2 general admission tickets to give away. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.***

Why? World of Beer!

What do you get when you combine bloggers, beer, and burgers? A whole lot of fun! Last Wednesday, I met up with some of my favorite blogger gals to check out the recently-opened World of Beer in Lakewood.

World of Beer boasts a large bar area with two sets of taps, giving you plenty of space to check out all the diverse beer options.

I couldn’t narrow down my choices from the draft list, so I ordered a flight of Belgian beers. You can tell your server a style of beer or a particular beer you like and World of Beer will build you a flight around that.

World of Beer doesn’t have its own menu, but we were able to order dinner to our table from Eddie n Eddie while there. This is a winning combo! I chose the low country fried chicken with truffle honey, which was delicious! I only wish Eddie n Eddie had mashed potatoes as a side option, as they would have paired perfectly with the chicken.

You can also order take-out at World of Beer from Jimmy John’s, Donato’s, or Dave’s Cosmic Subs, if that’s more your style.

It was a fun night with some great friends and great beer! I would definitely recommend checking out World of Beer. There’s something for every beer taste! Where do you like to go for a good craft beer?

Why? Detroit Shoreway Happy Hour Holla!

It’s time for the second installment in my monthly Happy Hour Holla series. Last month, I rounded up some of the best happy hours in Tremont. This month, let’s head to Detroit Shoreway and Gordon Square.

XYZ the Tavern

Image Source – xyzthetavern.com

The Hours: Monday-Thursday, 4-7pm

The Drinks: $5 select craft beer draft and a slice of pizza, $7 daily shot and beer specials, Whiskey Wednesdays with four 1-oz. pours of featured whiskeys or bourbons

The Eats: $5 slice of pizza paired with a craft beer draft, 1/2 –off slices of cheese pizza on Mondays

The Catch: None

Luxe Kitchen and Lounge

Image Source – luxecleveland.com

The Hours: Monday-Friday, 5-7pm

The Drinks: $5.50 select cocktails, $3.75 select wines, ½-off select drinks

The Eats: $6 personal-style pizzas, $6 snacks

The Catch: Happy hour prices available in the lounge only

Stone Mad Pub

Image Source – facebook.com

The Hours: Monday-Friday, 4-7pm

The Drinks: $2 select domestic beer, $3 select cocktails, $4 select wines, $4.50 Guinness

The Eats: $5 appetizers

The Catch: None

Spice Kitchen and Bar

Image Source – facebook.com/spicekitchenandbar

The Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 4-7pm

The Drinks: $6 daily specialty cocktail, $5 select wines, $3 select draft beer, discounted select bottled beer

The Eats: Discounted select appetizers

The Catch: Happy hour prices available in the bar area only

The Harp

Image Source – the-harp.com

The Hours: Monday all day, Tuesday-Friday, 3-7pm

The Drinks: $1 draft beer, $2 domestic bottled beer, $5 specialty cocktails, $5 select wines

The Eats: $5 appetizers, fish basket, or burger

The Catch: None

This is just a sample of some of the great places in Detroit Shoreway and Gordon Square to enjoy an after-work adult beverage. Cheers!

What neighborhood should I happy hour holla in next month?

Why? Market at the Foodbank!

***A bit of blogkeeping: In the wake of yesterday’s tragic and senseless acts in Boston, here are some ways you can help. Thoughts and prayers go out to all those impacted by the explosions.***

So, weekend recap part 2: on Sunday, Matthew and I headed to Market at the Foodbank. This fundraiser combined amazing local chefs and great auction items all at the Cleveland Foodbank’s impressive warehouse facility. You got to both enjoy the event and see firsthand where your donations supporting the Cleveland Foodbank go.

We met up with Kimberly, Amanda, and their menfolk and started to peruse all the yummy food options.

There was so much good stuff to nibble, from vegetable sushi rolls and Asian noodles from Parallax to AMP 150‘s pork belly to some of the best deviled eggs I’ve ever had from Press Wine Bar.

Hands down, my favorite savory dish of the night was the lamb burger from Grovewood Tavern.

Market at the Foodbank brought the sweet treats too. We loved Slice of Heaven Cakes, which had delicious cakes as well as an adorably creative table presentation. Mitchell’s Ice Cream never disappoints and I think the Toasted Pistachio may be my new favorite flavor. Plus, they had this adorable celeb scooper:

Aside from all the food, there were some amazing silent auction items up for bid that evening.

Matthew and I won the bidding for an overnight stay at Washington Place Inn, plus tickets to Cleveland Botanical Garden and Western Reserve Historical Society, plus a basket of Sub Rosa Tea. A great prize and the money goes to a great cause! Talk about a win-win!

If you’re interested in getting involved with the Cleveland Foodbank, join the YP Pantry or just check out the general volunteer information for ways you can help.

***Disclosure: I was asked by the Cleveland Foodbank to help promote Market at the Foodbank. In exchange, I received 2 general admission tickets for myself and 2 general admission tickets to give away. I am also a council member for the Cleveland Foodbank YP Pantry. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.***

Why? Weekends!

***A bit of blogkeeping: Congratulations to Julie @ROJRunning (comment #26), randomly-selected winner of 2 general admission tickets to MedWish’s Band Aid Bash. If you didn’t win, you can still purchase tickets by clicking here.***

It was such a busy weekend that I’m splitting my weekend recap into two posts. Tomorrow, I’ll recap all the I’m-still-full goodness of Sunday’s Market at the Foodbank. Friday and Saturday were pretty great too, though!

Friday evening, Matthew and I met up with friends Nathan and Lane for dinner at Ballantine. Despite Ballantine’s large craft beer selection, I couldn’t resist ordering a strawberry jalapeno mojito. I guess I’m hoping if I order patio-style drinks, it will be patio-style weather too!

For dinner, I had the crab and shrimp po boy sandwich, with crab salad, beer-battered shrimp, and hot sauce. The sandwich was good, but the standout was the rosemary and garlic fries.

We couldn’t pass up Ballantine’s adorable mini-dessert cart, with tiny pecan pies, red velvet cupcakes, raspberry cheesecake, coconut macaroons, and carrot cake.

Note our awesome server Lee’s photo bomb

It was a fun and tasty start to the weekend!

On Saturday morning, I braved the crowds and crazy Cedar Road traffic to attend the grand opening of the Microsoft Retail Store at Beachwood Place Mall. First, I snagged a Microsoft t-shirt in my favorite color, being handed out to everyone waiting in line for the opening.

At the ribbon-cutting, Microsoft awarded software grants to three local organizations. The YMCA of Greater Cleveland and the Boys and Girls Club of Cleveland each received $250,000 grants and Junior Achievement of Greater Cleveland received a $1 million grant! It’s great to see a huge, national company caring so much for local organizations.

Image Courtesy of Microsoft

Then, it was time to head into the store. The Microsoft employees made a tunnel of high fives and excitement as people headed in for the first time.

The store has a little bit of everything, from computers to smartphones to gaming systems to accessories. The staff at the Microsoft Retail Store are very friendly and super enthusiastic about the new location. Go check it out for yourself!

Saturday afternoon, as part of the Microsoft grand opening festivities, there was a concert featuring Kelly Clarkson! I will confess to being a huge Kelly Clarkson fan, so I was pretty geeked out about this show since I first heard about it.

Despite it being chilly and rainy/sleety, the show was awesome! I’ll definitely be singing Kelly Clarkson songs for awhile after that. Plus, Kelly just seemed so down-to-earth, including laughing off the fact that her fly was unzipped for the entire first song. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, right?!

How was your weekend? Did you check out the Kelly Clarkson show or the Cleveland Flea’s opening weekend?

***Disclosure: I was invited to attend the Microsoft Retail Store grand opening with a media pass. As always, all opinions and music addictions are 100% my own.***