Thursday, April 26, 2018

Weekend Bites

Well, it's now waaaay late in the week, but I still had to share what Mr. H and I were up to last weekend, because it was a good one. At one of our stops on Saturday, someone asked how our day was and what we had been doing. We listed it all off, and they said "Wow, that's like a perfect Cleveland day." I agree.

It all kicked off on Friday evening with one last stop at Coquette Patisserie. This lovely French-themed shop is closing its doors this Saturday with a farewell event. We've loved this shop, and just had to take the opportunity to enjoy their macarons, oysters, and wine one more time to say goodbye.
Waking up on Saturday morning to the sun streaming through the windows and this adorable face staring at me was a great start to any day!
Mr. H and I hurried to get out of the house, and headed to the West Side Market for breakfast at Crêpes de Luxe. Grabbing a crepe and heading upstairs to look out over the market is one of my favorite Cleveland sights to see.
Then, we threw our groceries in a cooler and headed to The Cleveland Flea for the first outdoor market of the year. But, that also gave us the opportunity to pop in to the nearby VNTG Home for the first time. I could browse for hours through their vintage wares. I found some great two-toned chargers that I can't wait to bust out for a dinner party!
Then we wandered down the street to the flea.
I picked up some "plant killer friendly" succulents for my bathroom. Fingers crossed.
After the flea, we headed to Old Brooklyn Cheese Company because it was National Raw Milk Day and they had some great samples going all day long.
After a quick stop home to drop off our purchases, we then headed over to Brewnuts for my first visit. More on that later! I do love that there are a handful of great shops to walk to in the Gordon Square Arts District, including the newer Oceanne Jewlery storefront. Even though I had just purchased a necklace from them at The Flea earlier that morning (shhhh, Mr. H was using the bathroom at the time), I couldn't resist a pair of earrings from the new collection.

This was all before 1PM! So, we hit our bed for a nap, and gained enough energy to head out for a nice meal at Cork & Cleaver Social Kitchen to check out the Spring Menu and cap off the perfect Cleveland day.

As you can imagine, I did almost nothing on Sunday after that busy day! Just lots of puppy snuggles, and our weekly chores to prepare for another week. What's your "perfect Cleveland day" look like?

Monday, April 16, 2018

El Rinconcito Chapin

El Rinconcito Chapin finally opened back up in Old Brooklyn in a much larger space (formally Coney Island Company) on Broadview Road. They had been operating out of a small space for a while, and I had just started to hear about them and their Guatemalan cuisine before they closed. It took many months, but then they opened their doors at the new spot around the holidays.

Mr. H and I just had the chance recently to pop in. We had to take it to-go, because they were about to close early for a family emergency. That's when you truly know it's a family-run business!

What I instantly loved was the picture menu (for most items) behind the counter to help guide you.
We wanted to try several smaller items and do some sharing, so we ordered the Ejotes Empanizados which is queso fresco wrapped green beans breaded and fried with salsa, rice, and beans ($10).
This was a dish I wasn't familiar with, but it reminded me of a chile rellenos.

We also got the Chapin Sampler, which allowed us to try small portions of several appetizers on the menu, like Chuchitos, Dobladitas, Mini Pupusa, Planto Frito, and Yucca Fries ($13).
The last thing we tried was an order of the Chile Rellenos ($10.50). You can get either beef or cheese stuffed poblano peppers with salsa, rice, and beans.
This was the only dish that I really didn't care for. I wouldn't order it again, but everything else I would happily get on our next visit. Plenty more to try on the menu too!

There is ample parking available, as they have their own lot. It's very close to the zoo, and absolutely casual and family-friendly (as it was also a former Arby's location).

El Rinconcito Chapin
3330 Broadview Road
Cleveland, OH 44109

Tuesday, April 10, 2018

Cleveland Brew Bus

Anyone else feeling like last weekend was soooo long ago already? I have a case of the Tuesday Blues today, I think. Maybe because Mr. H and I got to do something different and pretty fun on Saturday evening, the Cleveland Brew Bus.

You get to hop on board a small bus (maximum group number is 20) for a craft brewery tour and tastings all around Cleveland. You get picked up at the new Market Garden Brewery production facility. They have several tours to choose from, and multiple options every weekend as long as there are enough riders. We were on the New Breweries Tour, which includes three stops, tastings of four samples at each stop, gratuity for the brewery servers, and a pretzel necklace.

Our first stop was The Jolly Scholar, located on the Case Western Reserve Campus.
They probably had my favorite beer tastings of the night at this stop, but the worst food. Mr. H and I shared the Crab Rangoon Stuffed Mushrooms, and they were pretty awful, if I'm honest.
Next up was a stop at Nobel Beast Brewing Co. over on Lakeside very close to the WKYC TV-3 station. Mr. H and I were having a great time!
But, of course we were, since we were with good buddies celebrating this guy's birthday!
Along with our four samples here...
...we ordered dinner. The chef came from Spice Catering Co. (and other impressive gigs), so there is a lot of farm-to-table and local ingredients used here.

We shared the CLE Corndog ($7) with Deejay's smoked kielbasa, spent grain batter, honey beer mustard, and caraway kraut.
And the Grilled Bologna ($12) on a Challah bun with gnar-gnar, smoked thousand island, roasted garlic, and cheddar.
Much better than the food at our first stop.

Nobel also had my favorite setting of the evening.
Our final stop was the only brewery that we had been to before, Terrestrial Brewing Company in Battery Park.

They had my least favorite beers of the night, but I did get to try the new brew made with Kool-aid (tart with a fun green glow) and they also had Founder's Breakfast Stout on draft. Lots of pooches wandering around this stop too, so that was a highlight of the evening!
It was a great way to spend a Saturday evening with friends, seeing some breweries that we hadn't been in to yet and pushing us out of our comfort zone to try some brews we wouldn't normally order on our own.

The owner of Cleveland Brew Bus was our tour guide, and she's very knowledgeable about the craft beer industry and Cleveland beer scene. I think she said she and her husband took over the business in 2014. She got us in and out, and on time, which is no small feat when dealing with 20 adults consuming beers and having fun!

Cleveland Brew Bus
Leslie Basalla
(216) 773-2567
tours@clevelandbrewbus.com

Friday, April 6, 2018

Legacy Village's Restaurant Week 2018

Check out Legacy Village’s Restaurant Week, which returns Monday, April 9 to Sunday, April 15. During the festivities, guest can enjoy three-course prix fixe dinner menus for $25 per person at participating Legacy Village restaurants; or $38 per person at The Capital Grille.
Restaurants participating in Legacy Village Restaurant Week include Bar Louie, Brio Coastal Bar + Kitchen, California Pizza Kitchen, The Capital Grille, Granite City Food & Brewery and The Melting Pot. Special prix fixe menu pricing does not include gratuity or tax, and full menus of all participating restaurants are always available.

Personally, I want to check out The Capital Grille. I've heard good things about it, but haven't been yet when shopping over in that area. I also see a stop at Nordstrom Rack while I'm there!

After enjoying a prix fixe meal during Restaurant Week, diners will receive an entry form to complete to be entered into a drawing for a Legacy Village Restaurant Prize Package that includes a $50 gift card to each of the six participating restaurants. Additionally, Legacy Village will select a diner from each night of entries to win a $50 Legacy Village gift card. Entry forms include a coupon that can be redeemed for free Valet Parking (one time use) from April 15 to May 15, 2018.

Disclosure: I was provided with a gift card to use during Restaurant Week in exchange for this preview post. All opinions stated are 100% my own.

Tuesday, April 3, 2018

Ticket Giveaway: Market at the Food Bank 2018

Mark the date for Market at the Food Bank on Sunday, April 29 from 6 – 8:30 p.m. in the Greater Cleveland Food Bank’s Distribution Center.
The annual Harvest for Hunger benefit features delicious cuisine from more than 50 of Northeast Ohio’s best restaurants and beverage purveyors. Guests mix and mingle throughout the evening while enjoying musical entertainment, local celebrity chefs, and bid on exciting auction items, while helping to alleviate hunger in our community.

More than $300,000 was raised last year in support of our hunger relief efforts. Market at the Food Bank provides the Greater Cleveland Food Bank the opportunity to showcase its tremendous facility and the amazing work being done to provide access to nutritious meals for those in need in our community.

This food and wine event always includes a handful of my favorites, and a few new-to-me spots to check out. Some of the stations that I'll be sure not to miss are:
- BRIM Kitchen + Brewery
- EDWINS Leadership & Restaurant Institute
- Nomad Culinary LLC
- Strip Steakhouse
- Zack Bruell Restaurant Group

General Admission tickets are $127, and VIP tickets are $202. You can purchase them online here.

Or, you can enter this giveaway to win two General Admission tickets! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway The random winner will be selected on Saturday, April 7th. Good luck!

Disclosure: I was provided with four General Admission tickets in exchange for hosting a giveaway and a post-event review. I am a former employee of the Greater Cleveland Food Bank. All opinions stated are 100% my own.

Monday, April 2, 2018

Euclid Fish Co.

After touring the Glidden Point Oyster Farm in Maine last summer and hearing that they had recently started shipping to Euclid Fish Co. in Mentor, Ohio, we knew that we'd make our way out there eventually to check out their Market. Well it took until this weekend to do so, as we don't find ourselves out that way often. But, it was worth the drive.
The Market carries several cases packed with ready-made items, like crab cakes (about 5 flavors), salmon jerky, coconut shrimp, breaded shrimp, croquettes, seafood salads, dips, salmon meatballs, and so much more.
They also offer plenty of pre-seasoned fish and seafood items that are ready to take home and cook easily, like crab-stuffed mushrooms, spinach and feta salmon burgers, stuffed fish filets, and more.
In addition to these cases full of pre-cooked or pre-seasoned items that you can grab and go, they also have coolers with frozen foods like soups, sauces, Ohio City Pasta Co. raviolis, dips, raw seafood, and again...so much more.

They also have lunch and dinners to go, and a catering menu.

This is all on top of the fresh fish displays. All sorts of fresh fish, oysters, shrimp, crab legs, lobster tails, mussels...the list goes on. However, we did notice that the pricing on fish by the pound was higher than what we typically pay at Classic Seafood or Kate's Fish.
We picked up King Crab Legs, Jalapeno Crab Cake, Lobster Cake, Coconut Shrimp, Crab and Artichoke Dip, Lobster Pot Pie, Salmon Jerky, and a Blood Orange and Pepper seasoning. Some of it went in the freeze or pantry, but the items that we snacked on this weekend were tasty and simple to reheat or bake.

While we won't replace our almost weekly trips to Classic Seafood or Kate's Fish, I do see us traveling out to Euclid Fish Co. for the ready-made or pre-seasoned items if we plan to do one of our favorite "appetizer nights" at home or we have guests staying with us. The quantity of items they have outweighs the others, and we saw a few unique items there that I haven't seen before. We'll also be calling ahead to set aside some Glidden Point Selects! I need a local source in my life, they were that good.

The Market is open Monday - Thursday from 10AM - 5:30PM, Friday 9:30AM - 6PM, and Saturday 9AM - 4PM.

Euclid Fish Co.
7839 Enterprise Drive
Mentor, OH 44060
(440) 951-6448