In n Out Burger! Evan Eats Cleveland…and travels too!

I have not eaten much lately (since the extraction of all of my wisdom teeth, the healing is going slower than anticipated/hoped….if I can make a life recommendation that isn’t about food it would probably don’t develop a cyst on your jaw at the root of a wisdom tooth, no matter how fashionable it may seem).

I traveled to Tahoe for a work training, since yes teachers work in the summer, not that I’m complaining it was ridiculously beautiful. I am currently sitting in the Reno airport waiting to go home (for the record the Reno Airport is not ridiculously nice, except for the amusement of there being slot machines everywhere and they seem to be very comfortable in decorating like the 1970s.)

Most of my meals were covered by the conference, which had an open bar and surprisingly good food. I had never had a calamari steak before. A little chewy but I didn’t hate it.
The teacher in my group from California made me promise that I would go to In n Out Burger before heading home, and I have heard a lot about it from most West coast people. Annie, one of the best people in the world, drove over from Sacramento to spend time with me and also reiterated that I should give it a try.   

I went to the location a few miles from the airport. I wasn’t particularly hungry/had to return my rental car so I had to go get a late lunch (after already having an earlier lunch).

The menu is simple: burgers, fries and shakes- very much like Five Guys (although they do not have the abundance of burger topping options).
The place was PACKED, but they seemed super efficient and took my order within a minute of walking in. I then had to wait for awhile as the called out order numbers. There was a drive through but it seemed to be going very slow.  I was number 48 and that kinda annoying thing happened where they went “46…… 47…… 50… 51…. 49…..53………..48”.  I was rather impressed by how reasonable  everything was priced, for some reason I thought it would be more expensive.   As EVERYONE has told me I ordered the fries animal style. This is a melted cheese sauce, chopped grilled onions and a special sauce which is pinkish and like 1000 Island dressing.

I can’t really complain as I ate them all even though I wasn’t that hungry. I think the fries on their own would have been just okay, so the recommendation was sound.  I also got a chocolate milkshake, it was thick and chocolatey, nothing particularly amazing but a good fast food shake, it was also very filling and I really only got it so i could talk about it here (#foodMartyr )   Animal style 

I got a regular cheeseburger (the double burger was only a tiny bit more). It was good, the patty was a decent size and I liked that they put 2 pretty thick tomato slices. They used the same sauce as the animal fries, so it was a little less impressive now. A good burger, although I would have liked more options in toppings (also I didn’t know what came on it when I ordered so I didn’t know what to expect.  I really liked how they packaged things/didn’t just throw the fries in a bag, the employees seemed to really take pride in their job. I didn’t finish the burger…. i had to rush to the airport and didn’t want to take the rest with me and risk it getting over my rental car….so I rushed to sit here with my delayed flight

It was good. I was satisfied but it was super hyped-up so there was a little bit of high expectation that is hard for fast food to live up to. I’m glad I tried it and it is definitely a good burger place.  I do prefer the fries at Five Guys (don’t hate me Californians).

    Overall Tahoe is gorgeous, I love the mountains and huge pine trees.  Some of my wonderful friends sent me an amusing  video review of a pizza place in Cleveland that they went to without me. It was a thorough, thoughtful and completely un-sober review   Emerald Bay is breathtaking.

Tremont: Ginko happy hour and Tremont Scoops

Laura and I both get equally excited about trying out new places to eat in Cleveland ( I like to think it’s because we both have good taste).  On Tuesday we went to Tremont to try Ginko (Dante’s Sushi place located between his namesake and Dante’s Next Door).  To get there you have to go down a rather odd stairway that is not nearly labeled clearly enough, that seems to be going to nowhere. As we descended to the subterranean location Laura pointed out that it is a BEAUTIFUL day outside, not humid or too hot, but we were running away from the weather to the sushi basement. 
Once you get to the bottom of the stairs you enter through two sets of doors and are instantly in an incredibly Japanese feeling location. The space is surprisingly small with low ceilings. There is a huge bar in the middle with a majority of seats (about 30 or so) around the outside. There are only a handful of tables around. The hostesses/waitress are incredibly attentive and friendly (and noticeably pretty/wearing a ton of makeup). They bring you a warm towel to wipe your hands.   There are lots of lacquered red and stark black walls with gold accents.  A television plays nearly pornographic anime in the corner but I pay little attention to it as I am there to feed on artsy sticy-rice coated treats. The chefs behind the bar seem very proficient as they quickly make lots of photogentic rolls.   Warm towels Happy hour from 4:30-6:30. 

I just don’t eat it a lot if sushi and it can be very pricey to try lots of different types. Growing up,  the only places around that served sushi were more all-encompassing generic Asian places. I always loved hibachi (and the safe familiarity of it) too much to pass it up and work on developing my sushi pallet.

As much as I love taking the suggestions of wait staff… there is something I enjoy  even more (that I’ve had the opportunity to do very few times in my life).  It is  a fantastic moment when the waitress came around simply get to say I’ll have one of everything (from the  not too large happy hour menu…but still).  I totally recommend the happy hour if you just want some simple, good sushi without going broke. It was pretty much a perfect sized meal for the two of us to split. 

First up were the appetizers: edamame and a Miso soup. I’m sure there can be bad edamame, but as long as it’s fresh and steamed well they are pretty hard to mess up. I have no complaints and enjoyed the perfect amount of flaky salt. The miso came in a bowl with a lid, a vessel if you will. No spoons were given as we were told to sip. I am unsure if we paid for 2 or if they split one portion or gave us one for free, either way I feel like it was satisfying portion. It was light but flavorful and had a few cubes of tofu at the end that were a surprise. Simple, good, typical.

We got the 4 rolls on the happy hour menu. A tempura veggie roll, classic tuna rolls, crunchy spicy tuna and the roll of the day; avocado and salmon (YES!). 

The sushi was made quickly by incredibly skilled chefs. As we ate we saw them make some very unique and beautiful rolls. I have heard many people say this is some of the finest sushi in Cleveland.  As a cheap, introductory visit to the restaurant I was very pleased, but did look at other artsy and eel-topped pieces with envy.

I liked the rolls. The salmon was so perfect that any attempt to describe it would be pointless. I liked the tempura vegetable as well. It was very flavorful and surprising although I cannot actually say what the vegetables were. The tuna was good and the spicy had a slow after burn.  We both ate rather substantial sushi dinners for a total of 30.00. I am more than okay with this price, especially at a wonderful high-end location.   Huge thanks to Laura for teaching me something new. Instead of trying to balance a tiny glob of wasabi on every roll which never works out well for me… take a little portion and MIXING IT IN THE SOY SAUCE! This disperses the flavor without it being overwhelming.

Also, in following with my Townhall post, I am about 84% sure I used the women’s restroom. They were not labeled very clearly and men’s rooms do not typically have full length mirrors. I was a little embarrassed for not knowing (and I did take a year of Japanese in undergrad!)  which is which? That mask is pretty gender neutral. 

“I only get  ice cream when I’m with you”

Sadly Laura is not the only person who has said that to me. Far from it. I carry on the responsibility of supporting local ice cream shops.
I wanted to go to Churned/Cookie and a Cupcake because I appreciate the odd ice cream flavors (like Peach White-Zin. Sorbet, Savory Cantaloupe, Avocado Blackberry and the smokey Campfire). Unfortunately they were closed so we went to Tremont Scoops, ice cream that I have not had before! Apparently they do exsist.

It is a pretty typical ice-cream parlor. There are mostly typical flavor, everything is white and pink and there are two swings inside for sitting.
We both got a flavor called “This $#&% Just Got Serious”. Salted Caramel Icecream, Salted Chocolate Fudge Pieces and Salted Cashews.  

  Free sprinkles do not make up for the disappointment of Cleveland sports. But I put that cone #AllIn my belly. 

Very good. Very Salty.

Overall, I liked it. Most of the flavors are what you would expect but the Salty Seriousness (and a banana peanut butter Elvis flavor) were a little more out-there.

A good happy hour deal and ice cream with a fun friend I don’t see nearly enough will always equate to a great evening.

  Laura opted for sprinkles… She is a true basketball fan. On Thursday morning I got all four of my wisdom teeth out (including one with a rather large cyst around the root…. So eating well will take a brief hiatus, eating ice cream will continue though).

Vegan night at Townhall

Matt W. and I wanted to go out to dinner.

I have been wanting to try the Puerto Rican place in Gordon Square for some time. He was on-board with this and we decided to meet for dinner at 7ish. Turns out, despite being open for dinner, they close at 7. Plan B was the Black Pig on W. 25, I’ve heard good things and never been there. Closed Mondays (why is this a thing?). At this point it was monsoon-ing and Town Hall seemed like the easiest option.  There was a rushing stream of water 7 inches deep in the parking lot. My cheap flip flop ended up falling apart later that evening from the wading.

If you have never been to Townhall on W. 25,  you know that there is a LOT going on. Half the place is a huge bar; they have an incredible back patio, there are high tops and booths and it is dark and loud.  Lots of things appear to be made from reclaimed wood and has the modern/industrial feel. The other half is more of a coffee shop, there is a walk up coffee/juice bar as well, but there is also a performance space, board games to be played and a coke freestyle machine (for some reason). Every Monday is Vegan night with a special menu.  Monday is also craft beer night where all 36 drafts are just 3 dollars. Weds are Paleo night (because some people still want this?), Thursdays offer a burger and milkshake or draft for 12.00- the milkshakes are made with Mitchell’s Ice cream FYI.

    

The menu is random and has many fonts and colors… there was also the draft list which looks like a 7 year old decided to make a pretty Exel file and the vegan menu. The low lighting makes it even harder to decipher all of this. Honestly, I have noticed that there are always people using phones as flashlights.

My issue with Townhall is they cater to a young professional/kinda Bro-ish crowd that isn’t always there. Looking around it seemed like there were lots of families and older patrons. The loud music and vibe don’t really coalesce with the group of diners. They were playing (silently) 80s movies on the TVs which was an odd change over typical sports that I have seen there.

All that being said, the food is good and worth it.

I have been to Townhall before, and I have decided that if I am reviewing a location I have already eaten at that I am going try new items. However my normal choices are worth mentioning. the chicken curry noodle bowl is a huge portion for 10.00 and has a nice heat to it. Townhall has wonderful sweet potato pancakes during weekend brunch and their house-made veggie burger is phenomenally satisfying.

Not being much of a beer drinker I ordered a cider, as I often do. The B. Nektar with Lemon and Ginger. It honestly reminded me of an herbal tea I used to drink for sore throats, so it felt oddly healthy for an alcoholic beverage. The smell of ginger is rather strong, but it ended up being a good way to cut the spice of my meal. Matt got the Twin Sister IPA (but kept calling it something else).

I ordered 2 items off the vegan menu (Do not order the vegan chicken wings…my brother made that mistake and it is  just odd pieces of tofu).  I got both the chili and the Beer-battered avocado tacos (9.00). The tacos came with Chia seeds, black-bean & corn salsa, vegan cheese and a cilantro-lime vinaigrette. When they arrived I pulled a piece of “cheese” off and sampled it. My first thought was “there must be some mistake, this actually takes like cheese” despite the texture and non-meltingness. When I read “beer-battered avocado” I was expecting something heavenly. It was good, but essentially just tasted like avocado. They were light and the citrus was a good flavor combination. Not bad by any stretch and if someone would have just given me them I would have been happy. I think I was expecting something slightly more transcendent and they were just adequate. The tortillas seemed almost-stale, especially since everything inside was so soft.

Matt did not go vegan and ordered the burger. The menu calls it a grass-fed Kobe Cheeseburger with 8 oz Beef. organic white cheddar, onion, arugula, rosemary aioli, pickle. It also comes with the fantastic/never enough fresh cut truffle fries (12).  If you are anti-gluten you can get it with a lettuce bun.

“They had me at aioli”  ~ Matt

He and I share this sentiment, oddly I dislike the idea of mayo but if it is referred to as “aioli” I am TOTALLY on board.

The burger is good and Matt had more to say about the  overall menu design.
Then I tried the chili. I am in no way a vegan, but I do generally prefer meatless chili. I don’t want soup to be greasy. This one was very tomato heavy with means and a great kick that was spicy but not painful. I’ll admit that I have a somewhat lower tolerance for heat, so this was perfect. It was love and I already was thinking about coming back with my brother for him to try it. I practically yelled at the server that the chili was great and he nodded knowingly, informing me that it is award winning.  I am glad that I am not alone in realizing the superiority of this dish, but part of me is disheartened I didn’t stumble onto some unknown gem.

Side note: if you are a male and you need to urinate,  Townhall has some of the most interesting urinals I have ever seen. Sorry if this is poor taste for a food blog. Also I had to wait for other gentlemen to leave so I didn’t come up as super creepy.

In conclusion: go to Townhall. try the chili or a burger. There are lots of beers and the patio is great (I wish it hadn’t been rainy).  Due to the crowds I have learned to avoid it on Friday/ Saturday evenings. Its a little dark and loud but the food is generally good and worth it. Also Matt W. is a fantastic dinner companion, and now we need to figure out how to record our ridiculous conversations while eating 😛

Phoenix Coffee

I must atone for going to a chain restaurant, I made up for it by going to one of my favorite Cleveland local coffee shops, Phoenix. There are 4 locations. I frequent both  the Coventry and Lee Road ones (I have an issue with trying to get grading done at home… as it quickly devolves to me just watching Hulu with a pen in my hand).

The odd thing about my frequency of coffee-house visiting is that I really do not like coffee. I don’t drink normal coffee. ever. My dentist  even commented that my teeth weren’t stained enough to be a teacher. I prefer teas,  a mocha or fancier drinks, to which I only drink when I’m at a coffee place.

  The Lee Road location will make you an iced matte tea with coconut syrup. It is not on the menu, but it was made for me and I have since asked for it. Because I don’t consume a lot of caffeine I get a little wired/crazy eyed when I do.

So today I ordered one of the current specialty drinks, the Lavender Bergamot tea latte. It’s kinda like a typical chai, but one that came from white people culture (so not as spiced).  It’s made with Earl Grey and a house made lavender syrup.  Due to the 101% humidity (we are underwater and it is raining) I got it iced, which I regret for the reason that the lattes are so pretty/photogenic with the latte art.

They say that taste buds mature/change as you age. I believe this. I used to loath lavender as a flavor. I felt like it was putting mature lady florally perfume in consumables. I take it back, recently lavender has become a delightful addition to drinks, pastries and ice-cream.

So one of the other reasons I like Phoenix coffee is that there are lots of regulars and the employees are fun, quirky individuals who can and will talk to you about anything.  Nate, who I used to work with at the zoo, works at the Coventry location (but is sadly moving to Colorado…boo).  He then made me a pretty latte so I could photograph it. Woot. 

I am told the coffees here are good if you are into that kind of thing 😛 The blue moon roast is super dark and bold… not my words. Support local businesses that have a cool vibe and don’t mind you sitting for hours.  There are lots of outlets  for computing and a variety of seating options and they do fun things like open mic night.

I also really needed something to eat. I got a gluten-free banana muffin with chocolate chips. It was an odd/dry consistency.  Probably because it needed gluten. *RANT TIME* I love gluten and hate when people hate on it. If you take out anything from your diet your going to feel better, that doesn’t mean you have a medical intolerance. Stop consuming sugar or meat or coffee and you’ll probably feel similar effects. The plight of people who genuinely have Celiac disease shouldn’t be seen as trendy. Science proves gluten sensitivity isn’t real….
end rant.

Luna Bakery

I could eat crepes nearly everyday. They are all the good things about omelets or sandwiches or pastries. I feel a little bit like Linda from Bob’s burgers (watch the Mazel Tina episode in Season 4 if you don’t get that reference, and then watch the entirety of the series). This feeling pushed me towards going to Luna.    Luna has beautiful pastries and a wide assortment of crepes. You order at a counter and then they bring the food to you. I felt I needed to order 2 things for more to photograph and talk about. There was one piece of quiche left and I can see why so many people ordered it.

  Bacon, scallions, sweet corn and Jarlsberg. $4.50 for a really big piece.  Often times I feel like quiches (is that the plural?) are just omelettes in a pie crust. This one was not that. It was soft and almost mousse- like in consistency. The bacon was peppery, the corn was crunchy and I will definitely order it again.  I wanted to eat every little crumb, and in my dainty attempt to shovel it all in my mouth a piece fell on the ground. We sat outside and within seconds a lovely European sparrow came over to indulge (these intercontinental birds have such good taste). She was so into it she didn’t seem to care that I was only 9 inches away.  The specia:, a southwest chicken panini (it could also have been ordered as a crepe- I’ll save my judgement).  Inside was roast chicken, tomatillo salsa, queso fresco and jicama slaw. It came with a side of quinoa, which Dominick  had never tried before- he liked it and I welcomed him to the world of trendy pretentious grains.  His panini was lovely in color. The slaw had a terrific crunch and everything melded rather seamlessly (I guess now is a good time to note that if you opt to dining with me, I will most likely try your food). The multi-grain bread and tomatillo made the whole thing a filling but ultimately  it seemed like a pretty healthy dish.  I also ordered a sweet crepe (last time I was here I had a savory one, which I liked but wasn’t crazy excited about). I could have chosen any as they all seemed delicious. I picked the Lemon Curd with berries.

  I will be the first to admit, I really despise the word ‘curd’. Probably because it comes from the word ‘curdle’, which is for dairy not the fruit curd. That being said, that word is the ONLY complaint I have about the dish.  It was tart and lovely, the berries were perfection. It was refreshing and a satisfying size (which means it was ultimately too big, but I ate it all eagerly).  The inside was warm and reminded me of lemon meringue pie, but better because ‘crepe’ isn’t technically a dessert.  It was $7.00 I believe and worth it.   I may have licked the plate #classy
  Also, I honestly enjoy watching crepes being made- does the batter spreader have a fancy name? it should.    And can this be on my wish-list for my future home Quinoa, quiche and crepes…. go to Luna and sound fancy. (I wonder if they call their regular customers Luna-tics?)

ALSO:

A quick note. I saw Jurassic World. I could write a few pages about the plot holes, scientific implausibility and ultimately how entertaining it was. I’ll spare you all those opinions for now. Before hand we went to a Max n Ermas (going to a chain restaurant is slightly against my beliefs, but I didn’t pick it and was running late anyway).  I got the avocado Cobb salad.  it was pretty, but the avocado was ‘meh’/oddly bland.

Also,  and more importantly, I have decided to attempt to an audio blog when I dine out with Matt W. He and I have very similar taste in podcasts… it could be terrifically terrible or horribly funny.

DinOmite and PICCA DILLY. June 10.

This blog was conceived as a way to keep me occupied and give me something to create during my weeks of freedom. NOTE: I did really enjoy teaching/ my year/ my classroom, but I’m excited to have some days that are not completely about  grading or 15 year olds.

Jurassic World comes out this week, specifically tomorrow at 12:01. The first one made a pretty profound impact on my life as someone who loves biology, action movies and zoos. I am excited to see it. I am not expecting much except cool effects. So I guess you can say I’m excited to be disappointed?

In celebration of this movie I have dubbed this week Dino-week. On Sunday we watched the classic film that started the franchise (I knew I couldn’t convince friends to watch the Tonys with me anyway). Today we went to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, they have a new exhibit about giant sauropods (long-necks) in addition to the normal skeletons.

(you can judge us for our theme night, but keep in mind Laura Dern plays a paleobotanist in the movie, we are still cooler than that). Joining me today: Patrick (a frequent dining partner and friend since High school), Luke and Matt P.   After being cultured we went to the newly opened DynOmite Burger and Sushi in the Uptown area. We were able to walk there from the museum.  I pretended it was Dino-Mite to stay in concert with the theme. This is a Zack Burrell place, so I was expecting it to be decent (better than Lost World).
Immediate Thoughts: the building is long and triangular.  Since it was a lovely night the glass walls/doors were opened creating a large indoor/outdoor patio. It was pretty cool open-concept layout that uses the odd space well. We sat at a table inside and the large fan overhead kept us cool. We all were in the mood for burgers and all settled on signature burgers. I asked our waiter which one he would suggest, besides the “Big Zack” which he described as a large undertaking and has chili-cheese fries on it. All the other burgers were named after Burrell restaurants.   Matt and Luke both ordered the signature DynOmite burger: Jalepeno, red onion, pepper jack and spicy mayo.

Patrick ordered  the Chinato: Mortadella (which I always forget what it is, for those of you like me, it is a Italian bologna/pork sausage… I just googled it). mozzarella, balsamic onions and tomato mayo.  I was eyeing this one on the menu. He didn’t order fries… so no pictures turned out appetizing. 

  I took the waiter’s suggestion and went with the L’Albatros. Caramelized onions, peppers, swiss and a bearnaise mayo. I liked it better than the namesake restaurant, which I may need to try again.

All of us got normal fries as well. Except Patrick who was having a lame/healthy moment. The burgers were a good size, but not enormous. For a hot day, I don’t think i would have wanted more red meat.  All of our burgers were $8. The fries were incredibly crispy and perfect. They came on neat, and very heavy, plates.

Observations: Fries/side dishes are additional $2.50.  But ultimately worth it. We all finished our plates. Patrick liked the sweet pickles that came on top. Luke said he would order his again and it had heat but was not too hot. Mine was a good combination of sweet and savory. My burger was delicious but it was messy. Oozing onions and sauce everywher, I had to struggle to keep the patty between the bread.

I asked for a side of BBQ for my fries and was charged .50 for them.  (I stole a menu- which is just paper…I guess it does say that sauces are extra in the part about building your own burger). I wish I would have ordered some sushi just to try it out. I like Parallax and how it has upscale new-American and sushi fused together, so the restraunteur does have a handle on that. But the burger and fries were a perfect portion. They had a pretty impressive beer/cocktail list, but since it was so hot and humid I felt like water was fine.

Overall: good burgers. Kinda unique. Fun location. Not too pricey. We all ate everything and left satisfied. Go, but maybe not on a date ( due to messiness)

Cool thing: Mike Mitchell (of Mitchell’s ice cream fame came in to eat while we were there… I was the only person who recognized/fan-girled over him). He is a local biz owner who likes the city, ice cream AND the environment… so obviously I know who he is.  I did feel a tad weird with him sitting outside as we crossed the street to go another ice-cream seller.

  

Picca-dilly (picca-dillaposaurus?)

If you are unaware there are multiple locations of picca dilly, however the one in uptown is different.  This one is not a frozen yogurt/add toppings and weigh it type. They use liquid nitrogen to freeze your ice cream on the spot. With fun flavors like Ghiradelli Mocha and Fig with Honey, I am obviously a fan. They take the base and mix in the liquid Nitrogen in front of you. It’s cool and more than a gimmick. The extreme cold causes the cream to freeze very fast and without ice crystals. It is extra creamy and decedent. The portions are a good size, the store has a fun restored-art feel to it and you get free fudge or caramel swirl.   giggle giggle…cool!

I have tried a few things and CANNOT deviate from the Caramelized Banana base with roasted strawberries and fudge. It’s like a fancy banana split.  It is that good. They sell local art and the workers are always very pleasant and eager to explain the process.
Downside: I ate it all. I have been a few times.  It has never been particularly busy but it does take a while to make each ice cream, so I could see there being a wait if more people were there.

Overall, I totally recommend it and often take people there (Luke and Matt were first timers, I have made Patrick go with me in the past), it’s good and novel and you get so see some science! I am super proud of this pic.

The About Me/This blog/What you are in store for….

I considered learning to kayak or sculpt this summer. Eating is a better hobby.

I wish I could say that I was a precocious foodie of a child. I would like to think that I was an adorable 5 year old who was adventurously ordering from all cuisines. That is, regrettably, not the case. I was a rather picky eater who was raised by parents who were rather safe in their eating habits. TGIFridays was considered fancy dining (but I will defend those sesame Jack chicken strips, they are darn tasty).  I  had never tried naan or pad-Thai  until I went to college. I  remember being incredibly intimidated to go somewhere new or order anything where I didn’t already know exactly what to expect. But, how many chicken parms can one order?

I thank Bravo’s Top Chef, and later Iron Chef, and Alton Brown among other cheflebrities, (if that is not a term already I am totally coining it) for introducing me to the wonderful diversity of food.  In the guise of a competitive reality show I learned the basics of cuisine and dining, and I still get excited if I have the chance to visit any of these chef’s establishments. It has since worn off on my family too, who I no longer have to beg to go anywhere new or  semi-adventurous.

I am an educator so I like to share and learn. I teach biology but also have a background in music.  Eating is a wonderful mix of both sides of my brain. Color,  taste, presentation and creativity meld well with the chemistry, culture and environmentalism.

Being someone who is rather indecisive, I typically struggle  picking  out what to order…as someone who likes food, I am nervous of ordering the wrong thing

I love asking a waiter what the best thing on the menu is, and simple responding “yes! that!”

….Which brings me here. I was a teenage bloggers who enjoyed the excitement of sharing my life via livejournal and valued the experience. Now I am a 28 year old teacher who simply wants to document the development of a passion.

I have been in Cleveland since May of 2009 (although I grew up in the Youngstown area…yay Canfield?) so I am pretty familiar with the city. I fell in love with the food scene of this great city in recent years.

The rules I am setting forth for myself:

• Try new things. Even though I go to many places I tend to be a little set in my ways when I find something I love.
• Drag people along with me. Dining alone, like seeing movies alone is okay, but I relish the opportunity to share my opinions and thoughts. (relish…ha. ) If you are friends or family and want accompany me on a foodquest let me know, especially if you are  opinionated and/or willing to pick up the check  ;P
• Avoid using too many puns
• Take the advice of the waitress/waiter as often as possible. When something is recommended to me, especially if it is a side or cheaper entree I get excited, because that means it truly is tasty.
• Not go broke… or gain weight.
• Use this as a way to express myself, grow and maybe even meet new people.

Soo00, dig in!

Almost Summer.

As I get a hang of the site/countdown to summer, here are some food pics I have taken around Cleveland. Enjoy.

Breakfast Hash, Washington Place     (also- please take note at how amazing my photography is in this photo. I wish I could eat all my meals outside on a lovely patio)  Lemon Souffle Pancakes, Fire. Shaker Square . So good, but soo small.   Champagne Sorbet and Strawberry Ice Cream. Sweet Moses. Gordon Square. I kinda hate that the sorbet was a seasonal flavor.   Pot roast. Edwin’s. Shaker Square  I honestly don’t remember the name 😛 Rum and lime and mint. Porco’s. Ohio City  The most amazing gouda backed Mac N Cheese. Deegan’s. Lakewood  Happy Dog. Yes there is brie on this hot dog. I believe this was the Uptown location. Chicken ‘n waffles with some awesome buttery goodness. Deegans (again!)