A Night Out in Cleveland

This past week I've been downtown a lot. First we celebrated my sister Ashley's birthday beginning the night with private dining at Blue Point. Service was a bit slow (I think because we were separated from the other patrons), but the cocktails and food were delic! The fire on the river martini, lobster bisque, and filet oscar were oh so good (and I generally am not a huge soup fan)! I would have preferred crustier bread (yes, crustier is an official 'food critic' term), but I guess one is hard pressed to get everything they want!

After stuffing our faces, we headed to Pickwick & Frolic for a Burlesque show and ended the night at The Vault (I was really blown away with how the bar managed to seem so big and intimate at the same time). I was expecting a long line and a high cover and was pleasantly surprised that there was neither - just don't dance on the furniture +Ashley Keene ). The Vault could have been lifted right out of a bigger 'more popular' city, and would be a great place to bring guests (you can actually hear each other speak inside the venue which is always something I appreciate!)

Packing even more into the weekend, Ashley and I attended Pippen on Sunday (not one of my faves and judging by all of the sexual innuendos I'm wondering how many parents left the performance shocked and/or upset - there were a lot of kids in attendance). Oh, and please don't think I didn't like the show because it was a bit risque (I loved Hair) - I just wasn't overly impressed with the soundtrack or plot line.

Can I pose what seems a really obvious question? If you are a restaurant housed inside the second biggest theater district in the country why in the world are you not open every time a show is playing? Otto Moser and Sung's House?!?! We popped in to Bin216 and while I love the sophisticated decor - sleek leather and tufted walls - the service leaves a lot to be desired as does the menu (my cosmo was terrible too). Ummm - I would like to meet the person who is ordering a single deviled egg for $1.50?!? Seriously!

 Ash and I went with the slider - it was good - but left us starving...

So we went hunting, searching, traversing the city for more food (it really shouldn't be this hard should it?!) We only had an hour after our failed prior attempts at eating so our limited choices became even more limited. We stopped in Parnell's Irish pub which had no food, only drinks. Isn't that against some kind of Pub law? Finally, we made our way to District and life was suddenly rosy again. I ordered a French25 but our bartender Wayne asked if he could concoct an original libation - what choice had I but to oblige :) Here it is:

Since  I love labels, I demanded a name for this pretty drink - should you ever want to order one it is known as the 'blushing Krisitna' - obviously named for the color, not a characteristic. Ash and I split the seafood risotto. If if weren't for the less than crusty bread (again!) it would have been a perfect dining experience (although the bread did come with several condiments so that made me smile).

Already looking forward to "Dirty Dancing" and our next dining experience. Cowell and Hubbard +Ashley Keene ?

Best Birthday Ever!

My sister +Ashley Keene orchestrated a surprise birthday celebration with some of my best girlfriends +Gina Speelman, Kate, Shannon, and new friend Lisa. And yes, I know some of you are confused thinking I have already celebrated my birthday - but I like to really honor the whole month of my birth :) Narcissistic - probably. Fun - hell yeah.

The night began when my brother-in-law Scott drove Ash and I to an undisclosed location in the white out blizzard that we had Saturday night. Destination revealed: East 4th.

http://www.ballanwood.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Lola.jpg

Love love love this area. We were able to walk to all three of our special spots which became especially appreciated since I had on open toed high heels and was trudging through 3 inches of snow.

First Stop: Lola.

Hooray! I love fancy new restaurants to try! Here our some of the dishes we tried:

Bread and butter: crusty and perfect! I like that they kept it straight up simple - crusty white bread and no flavored butters. I hate when places mess with the bread and butter - I don't like my bread and butter to taste like a dessert!
Scallops: leek, sweet potato, bacon, mustard, lemon $29
Lamb Shank: fennel, turnip, fingerling potato, vadouvan $30
Agnolotti: chestnuts, winter squash, brussels sprouts, parmesan $26

Everything was good - I didn't really have a basis of comparison for the scallops - are scallops supposed to taste a little bland? The lamb was tender enough to fall right off the bone, but a bit salty. My favorite dish by far was Katie's Agnolotti - it was delic!

I also have nothing but good things to say about the staff. Friendly, attentive, and willing to put up with a table of obnoxiously loud girls :)


Second Stop: Hilarities at Pickwick & Frolic

1st comic was pretty funny and I was happy to hear Game of Thrones quoted!
2nd comic was hilarious! I love how he fed off of the audience so material seemed fresh, natural, and not scripted. (I have a phone call in to Hilarities to find out the name of the first two comics we watched)
Headliner: Andy Kindler - so not funny it was awkward and I actually felt sorry for him. I found myself asking 'huh?' throughout most of his set.


Third Stop: Society

I am seriously obsessed with this place. I want it to be my new watering hole, although I am too lazy to drive downtown to frequent it as much as I would like. The establishment has a speakeasy feel. Here's a little history on the word pulled from Wikipedia: "According to an 1889 newspaper, 'Unlicensed saloons in Pennsylvania are known as 'speak-easies'. They were 'so called because of the practice of speaking quietly about such a place in public, or when inside it, so as not to alert the police or neighbors.'The term is reported to have originated with saloon owner Kate Hester, who ran an unlicensed bar in the 1880s in the Pittsburgh area town of McKeesport, Pennsylvania.^"

After we entered the frosted doors (albeit a more conspicuous entrance than most bars of this type) a capped gentleman took our names and directed us to the basement.

We welcomed ourselves to a private room, took some pics, and then joined the crowd to order some hand crafted cocktails including Death in New York and Moscow Mules. I loved our equally cute and edgy waitress and the eclectic crowd.

The band Rick and Sharona had us dancing the night away to favorites such as "Downtown," "You're So Vain," "Sweet Caroline," and "Brown-Eyed Girl." 

Attaboy East 4th! Attaboy!