As 2011 comes to an end, 100 things I am thankful for

It is not an easy feat to come up with 100 things I am thankful for.  Here's my list and they are NOT ranked in order:

1.  Dudo
2.  World wide distribution of Guinness
3.  Gap jeans that make me look skinny
4.  Fresh Fork Market
5.  My Pontiac Vibe
6.  Moell's Auto Repair
7.  My cloche hat and a pair of sunglasses
8.  My company on my late nights out
9.  Online shopping
10. Baby Cheapskate on Facebook
11. Hinkai
12. The ocean
13. Cigars (specifically Cohibas)
14. Officer Whitehair
15. Mitchell's Ice Cream
16. Fall leaves and pumpkins
17. The Get-Go Station on my way to work
18. Bullet proof vests
19. Lou Malnati's The "Lou"
20. Otani's sushi
21. skirt suits
22. Trader Joe's
23. courage
24. Pearl Jam
25. WVIZ PBS
26. Lilly Handmade Chocolates
27. Best boss ever
28. Sunnyside pizza from Bar Cento
29. My brother Bryan and my sister-in-law Kandra
30. Upromise and Ohio 529 accounts
31. Christmas clearance sales
32. Finally buying a house
33. Dr. Brian and Gateway Animal Clinic
34. Malley's Chocolates
35. A good baby daddy ;-) and a good mate
36. retailmenot.com
37. Moving Ahead Solutions moving company (one of the best finds of the year!)
38. God
39. My guardian angel who I keep very busy
40. Southwest Airlines
41. Memories of Washington D.C. trips
42. West Side Market
43. Ergo baby carrier
44. My sissy
45. text messaging
46. Saigon Cafe on East 4th Street
47. Danny's Deli
48. Sharing buried feelings
49. Gino's Shoe Repair
50. Kohls' sales stacked with coupons
51. DV Christmas party
52. My high heel knee high boots in black and brown
53. Hartzler Family Dairy and Snowville Creamery
54. Dodge Charger rentals
55. Beabe cooker
56. covered attached parking
57. Clients who are respectful and appreciative
58. Bick, Flick, Rich, and a handful of caps
59. Data plan on my cell phone
60. My imagination
61. Yearly cookie and ornament exchange
62. Memories of my mom
63. Aunt Tina and Uncle Jim
64. Sherwin-Williams paint
65. My sarcastic nasty sense of humor
66. Long coffee breaks at the CC
67. Curious George
68. Rodes (for my freedom and for booze)
69. SouthLAnd
70. My bitchy attitude
71. Menage a Trois Merlot
72. Dudo's laugh when I tickle torture him
73. The Cleveland Indians
74. True Blood
75. League Park
76. baby resales
77. Elizabeth Videc Photographer
78. Jackie Stripes and his willingness to join me anytime I ask
79. That we are employed
80. Being a Scorpio
81. Adam, Judie, Jenn dinners
82. Baby Signing Time
83. ARF's Monster Mutt Dash
84. Payton dog
85. Candy Cane Joe Joe's
86. The truth (is there such a thing?)
87. Sonicare Toothbrush
88. SB 5 smackdown
89. Facebook to keep in contact with friends near and far
90. Community, the best comedy on TV
91. My ipod (and hopefully Apple sends my replacement soon)
92. Michael Symon
93. My colleagues on a long list of federal cases
94. Squeeze packets of baby food
95. Bittersweet Symphony
96. Sokolowski's
97. Kielbasi and sauerkraut
98. yellow mustard
99. Others' good judgment when I drink mine away
100. The pursuit to find what's missing

Happy New Year everyone!  Make 2012 the best yet!

Chocolate, Chocolate, Amazing Cleveland Chocolate

I LOVE chocolate.  I cannot stress this enough.  If you want to get me a present for any holiday, occasion, or just to say "thinking of you, thanking you, or just to say hi" then chocolate is the gift to give me.  My intern, Jackie Stripes, took me to a little place called Lilly Handmade Chocolate in Tremont several months back.  I am in love with chocolate all over again.  I have been there several times, but I will tell you about one particular visit.

 All rights reserved JMB 2011.  A small visual of JS's tie.

On Friday afternoon in celebration of Cleveland Beer Week, Jackie Stripes and I went to PUMPKIN A’ PALOOZA at Lilly Handmade Chocolates located at 761 Starkweather Ave. in the Tremont neighborhood of Cleveland.  Owners Amanda & Joshua Montague hand made four of their chocolate creations to pair with four pumpkin beers.  The chocolates were phenomenal and the beers were great to taste side by side.  As I have mentioned previously, I love pumpkin beer, but having the opportunity to sample them without slugging down a whole bottle is priceless.  I did find my favorite pumpkin beer of the season at Lilly's: Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale.  Unfortunately, it was in short supply and I could not purchase an additional bottle to take home.


What? what? what? Do you ask?  Yes, Lilly also sells different fine craft beers and wines.  I try to stick with just chocolates since that's what makes my heart sing.  But the combo of chocolates and alcoholic beverages makes a man's gift giving job a lot easier, don't you think?

All rights reserved JMB 2011.

Lilly Handmade Chocolates is amazing.  Their little pieces of chocolates are a creation to see and taste.  Each is a combination of a different shape, color, and pattern.  Some of my favorites include: After Midnight (bitter stout and dark chocolate), Cinnabunny (Vietnamese cinnamon, ground ginger, clover honey, dark chocolate), and Shweetie Pie (vanilla bean butter caramel, roasted almonds, white chocolate).  I am so glad I do not live in Tremont, because I would be there all the time.  I plan to buy my mother-in-law a small sampler for Christmas...just so I can be justified buying one for myself!

Challenge Accepted! In search of the best soul food in CLE

Ah the powers of Facebook.  Not only did a social media network bring the Original Asian and I back together after a four year hiatus, but Facebook is where I get my news AND new challenges.  Yesterday I ate at Angie's Soul Cafe truck that was parked downtown near the Galleria on East 9th Street.  Angie's Soul Cafe has a store front in three locations, but none are close enough to walk for lunch.  www.angiessoulcafe.com/
The food is pretty good for coming out of a truck.  Not too mention living in Cleveland does not yield that many soul food establishments.   It nice to roll out of the building I work and get a decent smothered pork chop and greens for a reasonable price.

After lunch, I posted on Facebook that I am a soul food freak...which is completely true.  The Husband and I plan our vacations according to where we can get good Southern cooking.  So, we have pretty much vacationed in the south exclusively.  Heck, I decided I am moving to Savannah, GA the week after I retire with or without my family.

Living here in CLE, the soul food we eat, I cook myself: shrimp and grits, greens, black eye peas, cornbread.  Yesterday, a friend from high school asked me via Facebook where is my favorite place to get soul food in Cleveland.  For a split second, I was going to answer her...but then I realized I couldn't.  I do not have a favorite place to get soul food in Cleveland.  I have not tried enough establishments to give a recommendation on the best soul food restaurant in my opinion.  So, Christina, in the words of Barney Stinson: Challenge Accepted!  Because I am putting the kolachky caper to rest, I will be actively seeking out the best soul food in Cleveland.  Yum.

The (Almost) Perfect Kolachki has been Found!

If you have been reading from the beginning, you would know I have been on a quest for the perfect kolachki.  I remember a huge tray my Croatian grandmother bought every Easter and Christmas from a bakery somewhere in the Vine Street area on the eastside of Cleveland.  She has passed and my brother and I are sure the baker is no longer in business.  I went out in search of a kolachki that was as similar in taste and appearance as I could find.

I am forever grateful to Officer Whitehair for finding the perfect tasting kolachkis that were sitting right under my nose since May.  (I am also eternally grateful for his friendship, advice, and guidance, but that is a little overkill for a post about the (almost) perfect kolachki.)
And the honor goes to...Drum roll please....Baker Rhea.  http://www.bakerrhea.com/  (She spells it Kolacky.)

This summer I belonged to a CSA, Community Share Agriculture.  Every Saturday I drove to the Frostville Museum Farmer's Market in North Olmsted to pick up my share of fruits and veggies for the week.  http://www.olmstedhistoricalsociety.org/Farmers_Market.html  I would pass other vendors and sometimes purchase a new loose leaf tea or can of pickles to try.  One weekend this summer the family and I went to visit my in-laws and I could not make it to pick up our crop share.  Officer Whitehair graciously agreed to pick up my fruits and veggies.

A few days later, I stopped in to see Officer Whitehair and pick up my veggies.  He hands me a second bag that contains a small tin pie pan.  I look at it and it contains a batch of small kolachkis.  He told me that he saw them at one of the stands and he thinks I should try them.  At first I was skeptical.  They are smaller than the perfect kolachkis that are burned into my memory.  The pastry also appeared darker in color.  But then I tasted them.  They are near perfect!  Every filling is delicious, not too sweet.  The pastry is crispy as opposed to doughy and not too flaky.  I love them.  I ate the entire pie pan before I pulled the car in the garage.  I have since bought several batches of kolachkis from her.  She even made an all nut kolachki pie tin, my favorite.  My brother approves of Baker Rhea's kolachkis as well.  I hate to admit this, but since the CSA is now over, I purchased a few tins and put them in the freezer for when a kolachki craving attacks.

Because of this wonderful find, I decided to venture to another stand with baked goods, Two Chicks that Bake.  They bake out of their Grafton, Ohio home and sell only at Farmer's Markets.  Currently, Two Chicks that Bake do not have a website or Facebook page.  They make cookies, bars, and scones (so no kolachki competition here).  I am absolutely in love with their bakery.  They use ingredients that are available during the season.  For example, early in the growing season, they made blueberry lemon scones, which were out of this world.  Last week I purchased pumpkin drop cookies, a pecan bar, a pumpkin scone, and an apple cinnamon scone.  I cannot wait to go back this weekend to get more for the freezer.  Dudo and I like to share a scone for breakfast one day a week.  I HIGHLY recommend their scones and cookies.

This is what I like about Cleveland.  Small local bakers that sell at Farmer's Markets are surpassing the bigger competition.  When you find something you love, you hang on to it.  Well, Baker Rhea and Two Chicks that Bake, I intend to hang on to you.

Bang Bang goes the Gun

Everyone needs to relieve stress from one time to another.  Some people exercise by running or riding bikes in the Metroparks or tip a few back at a local watering hole.  I enjoy doing those things as well.  Sometimes though, I like my stress busting time to also leave me with a sense of empowerment.  That is where the gun comes in.  The activity that fits the bill is going to a shooting range.  Let me explain how a scared Dem ended up with a .45 in her hands.

In my previous professional life, my company included those that carry around guns for a living...a.k.a. police officers.  Well, one day an officer stood very close to me to show me something on my computer screen.  I broke out into a cold sweat just because his service revolver, which was in his holster, was within arms' length of me.  Right then and there I knew I had to remedy the situation.  I asked a colleague whom I knew to own a gun to take me shooting.  On a warm fall afternoon, we traveled down I-77 to Route 82 and into Stonewall Ltd. Gun Shop & Pistol Range.  http://www.stonewallrange.com/

Upon entering, there are weapons in every nook and cranny of the gun shop portion.  You walk up to the counter and you can rent a stall to shoot by the hour.  You can also rent everything you need including a weapon, ear, and eye protection.  If you need targets or ammunition those are available for purchase too.

Of course I like to bring my own eye and ear protection.  Germs...yuck.  Once assigned to a stall, you put on your eye and ear protection, go in, put up your target, inspect your weapon, load your magazines, and have at it.  My co-worker is an experienced gun owner.  He would only let me shoot using his gun, you guessed it, a .45.  I hated it.  I am not petite, but I am by no means big enough to handle that gun.  After that, I decided a call to Officer Whitehair was in order.  Not only is he good about finding klochkies, but also weapon safety.

The thing I like about Stonewall is the staff.  If you want to come in, rent a stall, shoot, and check out all while being left alone, they will not engage you in unwanted prate.  However, if you have any questions at all, the staff is very knowledgeable and willing to help.  I once was waiting to check out and overheard the discussion with a couple in front of me.  They wanted to rent a gun and purchase ammunition to shoot.  There was something strange about this couple.  The staff member told both of them if they could properly pick up the weapon, load it with an empty clip, and remove the clip, then they could rent the gun.  From the way the gun was pointing when she picked up the gun, it was evident that they had no idea what the heck they were doing.  The clerk told them until they could properly handle a weapon, they were not permitted to rent from the store.  This is exactly the type of place I am glad to patronize.  I feel safer knowing that they care as much as I do about safety.

Since then, Officer Whitehair has given me proper instruction and the Original Asian and I went to relieve some stress, laugh, and throw back a pint at an HB establishment afterward. 

The Original Asian 2011 All rights reserved.  Cannot use without express consent from JBM.

I now feel comfortable with a gun.  I have a line of spent casings in my office.  One for each time I blow off some steam at the range.  There is something so liberating about aiming at a target and finding out that you may have hit it once out of five.  I jest, of course.  Ok, no, not really.

Now if you would like to check it out, by all means, please do.  I think everyone should learn how to handle a weapon.  I do not believe everyone should have a gun, but that's a political debate not ripe for this blog.  But please find someone who can give you proper instruction.  Not knowing what you are doing puts you and everyone else at the range in jeopardy.

CLEVELAND BEER WEEK!!!! A celebration of craft brews

Two things that I like very much combined and celebrated in the same week?  That's Cleveland Beer Week 2011 which is slated to begin October 14 through October 22. 

http://www.clevelandbeerweek.org/
This is the third annual event that begins in less than two weeks.  I was on board right from the very first year...except so was Dudo.  I found out only mere weeks before that I could not join Cleveland Beer Week 2009.  Ah well, now that Dudo is here, it is time to enjoy the festivities!

I am a stout and porter type of girl.  I also enjoy ambers and the occasional lager or ale.  IPAs?  You can keep them.  I am not one for hoppy beers.  How did this girl who was raised by non-drinkers come to enjoy dark robust flavors?  It happened in two steps: First, I went to the University of Dayton.  There I learned to drink.  I drank Beast Light.  And sometimes Beast or Beast Heavy or Beast Red depending on how the night had progressed.  It was quite a step up when my two friends and former roommates, Linda, Linda, and I ordered three kegs of different Leinenkugel beers for our joint graduation party.  After graduation, I made my way back to Cleveland for three torturous years of law school.  I actually gave up drinking my first year of law school.  I wasted a perfectly good year of drinking and according to my law school transcripts, I have nothing to show for it!

The second step occurred when my two law school friends, Lynda and Dar, invited to me to hang at the Winking Lizard on Huron with them.  The Winking Lizard is the mecca where I learned about beer.  How fortunate are we to have Winking Lizards all around the Cleveland area? 

http://winkinglizard.com/
Not only is the food not to shabby, but anyone can learn about beer.  I enrolled in the The World Tour.  My friends and I shared beers and everyone helped buy them off my list.  By the end, I realized that all I wanted were the porters and stouts.  I did not finish the tour because back then, you had to drink every beer from the list and there was no way I was going to waste my stretched-already-too-thin law school budget on IPAs.  Years later, I celebrated my 30th Birthday at the Winking Lizard Lakewood with friends, fam, and some really drunk co-workers.  These days we go there for some dinner, beers, and the many football games broadcast on their TVs.  I understand that the Lizard has revamped the Tour so you can complete the tour drinking beers more to your preferences.  If you have not visited your local Winking Lizard, I suggest that you do.

Anyway, back to Cleveland Beer Week!  (By the way, the Winking Lizard participates in Cleveland Beer Week, of course.)  There are so many events for Cleveland Beer Week, there is no way one person could ever attend them all.  There is an opening dinner, beer pairings, beer tastings, beer brunches, etc, etc, etc.  You can find the Cleveland Beer Week catalog here: http://www.clevelandbeerweek.org/calendar/calendar.aspx
The catalog is great because you can search by date, or neighborhood, or even preferred breweries.  Some events require advance ticket purchase such as the Grains vs. Grapes: The Ultimate Matchup at the Crowne Plaza or advance reservations for Founder's is Food at Lilly Handmade Chocolates in Tremont.  Other events include tastings at local Heinen's (Yay to them for participating!) and special kegs of brew tapped at your favorite eateries.  Lots of establishments are participating!  I'll be heading to B-Spot Crocker Park on one particular evening.  There really is something for everyone during Cleveland Beer Week.

Our wedding anniversary fortunately coincides with Beer Week and I decide to plan our celebration.  The Husband and I will relive our pub crawl college days with the more adult Liquid Beer Hunt beginning at the Winking Lizard Lakewood.  I cannot think of a more appropriate celebration for the two of us.

What is the best part of Cleveland Beer Week?  Not only can you learn about some new beers and some old favorites from brew masters and others, but you can sample the delicious foods that Cleveland offers at our awesome restaurants.  If you think I am going to Dogfish Head on the Southside at Southside, 2207 West 11th Street, Cleveland, OH 44113 in Tremont without having their chicken and waffles, you obviously do not know me.  Come on out and celebrate with me Cleveland!

***I feel compelled maybe because of my first job, or maybe because I worry too much, but please enjoy Cleveland Beer Week responsibly.  Have a designated driver or call a cab.  As the title of this blog suggests, Life is Too Short, so don't cut yours or someone else's short because you drove drunk.  Public Service Announcement concluded.

It's been a while...and we all scream for ice cream

I cannot believe my last post was in June.  Boy does time fly when you're having fun.  I have found a few new places and visited some old ones too.  Today is the first day of autumn...my favorite season here in CLE.  There's the cooler weather, the high school football games complete with the marching bands, and the beautiful fall leaves.  I can't forget warm cider, local orchard apples, and Browns football games.  One of my favorite parts of autumn is pumpkin beer.  I love tasting all the different breweries and picking my coveted beer of the season only to selectively forget and start again next fall.

Something I absolutely love any time of the year is ice cream.  My favorite ice cream in Cleveland is Mitchell's Homemade.

http://www.mitchellshomemade.com/

Two brothers, Pete and Mike, started the company in Rocky River and they have additional locations in Westlake, Solon, and Beachwood.  I read on facebook that they recently purchased the old abandoned Moda night club on West 25th in the Ohio City area and will turn that into another retail location and their kitchen.  While some businesses move out of Cleveland, others like Mitchell's are moving in.

They make their own flavors and some of them they use local ingredients when available like Lake Erie Creamery goat cheese, strawberries, etc.  Speaking of Lake Erie Creamery, if you haven't tried their goat cheese, you must.  I love it.  I could eat it plain.  The cheese is smooth, creamy, and never dried out.  Believe it or not people, but Lake Erie Creamery makes and delivers their own cheese right from CLE.  They are located at 3167 Fulton Rd. in Cleveland.  Because I am the only goat cheese lover in my house, I order a little bit from a vendor at the Westside Market.  Unbelievable goat cheese.

http://www.lakeeriecreamery.com/

I digress.  The ice cream flavor I like the best is the Mint Chocolate Chunk.  It is natural mint with huge chunks of chocolate.  I also like banana cream pie, key lime pie, chocolate peanut butter pretzel yogurt, coffee chocolate chunk, and strawberry.  When my husband used to travel, I would have ice cream dinners.  He doesn't travel very often these days, which is good for the family and good for my waistline.

Here's a picture of Dudo having his first taste of Mitchell's ice cream with his Aunt.  Being a banana lover, he had the banana cream pie. copyright JBM.  Do not use without express permission.


HOLY MOSES...I mean SWEET MOSES.
I also had the wonderful pleasure of having an ice cream lunch this summer.  My intern, Jackie Stripes, took me to Sweet Moses Soda Fountain & Ice Cream Shop.  It's located at 6800 Detroit Ave. in the revitalized Gordon Square Art District area of Cleveland.  http://www.sweetmosestreats.com/ The inside of the ice cream parlor reminds me of the stories my Grandma used to tell me.  I bet if she was still here, she would say it looks pretty darn close.

My picture does not do the place justice!  As you can see from the picture to the right, I ordered the Shoreway Sundae made with one scoop of coffee, I substituted another with the Belgium Chocolate, hot fudge, toffee pieces, nuts, whipped cream.  It was heavenly.  I will definately come back for another taste.  Everyone who has gone there loves it.  Maybe if I wasn't so infactuated with Mitchell's, I would go there more often.

I'm not the only person having crazy adventures in Cleveland

Several weeks ago, the stupid newspaper in Cleveland ran a story about a blogger who formerly loved Cleveland, but has since moved part time to LA and has created a blog about how much he hates Cleveland.  It's ironic since the article I read stated his wife still lives here and loves Cleveland.  This is exactly why I created this blog.  Here we have a Cleveland hater who does nothing to help the situation.  Complain about the politically leadership?  Well, do something about it!  Get out and vote, sway other voters, help on a campaign.  My other source of angst is the newspaper itself.  Why is the focus to always put down Cleveland?  Do you feel you get more readers when you dog the City and promote laissez faire individuals who hate the City?  My goal, no lie, is to make a competitive news media outlet for Cleveland.  How that goal will be achieved.  I have no idea...yet.

Anyway, through the amazing powers of Facebook, a friend of mine posted a link I want to share.  This person is drawing 100 drawings of Cleveland and puts a short little blurb under each picture.  Here's the website http://juliaincleveland.tumblr.com/   You can also purchase a print of any of the drawings on Etsy.  I found the website fascinating and I really appreciated someone else's positive outlook of Cleveland.

Super Popular Mom n' Pop Diner/Deli...Joe's Deli, of course!

I again apologize, but I had another trial that took all of my strength, energy, and attention.  I am not exaggerating when I say all my strength and energy.  I ended up with a horrendous sinus infection a week and a half before the trial.  Preparing for the trial that week was misery to say the least.  So, one day before work, I stopped at one of the best Delis/Diners in Cleveland...Joe's Deli on the corner of Wooster and Hilliard.

19215 Hilliard Blvd., Rocky River, OH

Why did I stop at a diner before work when I was so sick that I was barely able to pull myself out of bed and dress myself?  Because of the healing powers of Joe's Deli's matzo ball soup and giant chocolate chip cookies.

I was introduced to Joe's Deli by a police officer friend of mine.  (On an aside, I was introduced to some of my favorite places by police officers.  They eat out all the time while working.  They know where to go and where to avoid.  Ask a police officer for a suggestion, you might be pleasantly surprised.)  The restaurant  looks old and a little dated.  However, there were people waiting everywhere for a table.  We waited about 30 minutes before sitting.  The waiting area is right in front of a display case that houses  the most delicious deserts you have ever seen.

I ordered the latkes and corned beef.  The potato pancakes were large and the corned beef was moist, delicious, and lean.  I took over half home which I used the next morning as corned beef hash.  Yum.  There is almost always a wait to sit at Joe's.  Everyone eats there, the young and the old.  Now, my husband and I always order the corned beef sandwich and a quart of the matzo ball soup to go.  The food is always ready on time.

Back to my horrendous day.  I walked into Joe's Deli looking like death warmed over.  I ordered a quart of the matzo ball soup and the chocolate chip cookie.  Here's my breakfast/lunch at my desk.  Remember, that is a quart of soup.  The cookie is larger than it appears. =)  It is crispy and buttery with the right amount of chocolate chips.  I ate the entire thing and I was able to make it through the day.

I have eaten other things from Joe's: sandwiches, other soups, salads.  However, I am a creature of habit.  Once I found my trifecta: corned beef, matzo ball soup, and the chocolate chip cookie, I refuse to deviate from these comfort foods.  Every person I have told about Joe's Deli complains about the wait, but absolutely loves the food.  Fortunately, the owners Joe and Jeanette are building a new building on the other side of the parking lot which will accommodate more people at once.  I, and many others, are so very happy that they decided to remain open for business while construction occurs.  There may be less parking, but there's more than enough delicious home cooking to go around.  Check it out, you will not be sorry.

Pho Sho!

Friday lunch was a wonderful surprise.  East 4th Street has come into its own at the hip restaurant row in Cleveland.  To me, the movement started when Iron Chef Michael Symon open his restaurant Lola on East 4th.  As I recall, Pickwick and Frolic opened first.  It has a restaurant, martini bar, and Hilarities comedy club.  I remember in law school when I would walk by, East 4th was a rundown alley with this new place.  There are tons of places now: Lola, Flannerys, Wonder Bar, Corner Alley, Chocolate Bar, The House of Blues, the list goes on.  If you are visiting Cleveland, you MUST go to East 4th Street.  You will not believe the amount of fantastic eateries in a small proximity.

Today, my intern Jack and I set out for lunch with no place in mind.  We had no destination set.  Our feet took us to East 4th Street, which is strange since it is not close to the office.  There were hundreds of people eating outside in the patio areas of each restaurant.  Nothing popped out at me for lunch, until I was right up on the sign, Saigon Vietnamese Restaurant & Bar.  Hmm...  The memories came flashing back.


2061 East 4th Street, Cleveland, OH - www.saigoncleveland.com
One of my very dear friends from my grueling, tortuous days at Cleveland-Marshall College of Law is Lynda.  She opened my eyes to her Vietnamese culture by taking me to the Asian district in Cleveland, East 40th and St. Clair area.  We shopped and ate strange, but oddly yummy fare.  After graduation, Lynda took me to the Vietnamese district in the Washington D.C. area.  There I had my first Pho.  It was a large bowl of beef, rice noodles, green onions, bean sprouts, and broth with tasty flavors.  She taught me you eat it with the spoon in the left hand, chopsticks in the other.  Pho is a great cheap eat.

Remembering my last bowl of Pho with Lynda, I decided to take Jack there.  Saigon is a fancy, up-scale place for Pho.  The interior is modern and in line with the surrounding restaurants.  It was packed, but we were seated immediately.  As we passed a booth to our right, Jack said hello to Mark Shapiro, the General Manager for the red-hot Cleveland Indians.  Jack is like that, he engages everyone in conversation.  It's a quality I admire.  Seeing someone of high importance at the restaurant gave me an immediate boost of confidence that our food would be good.  Jack had never had Pho or any Vietnamese food for that matter.  Boy was he in for it.  We both ordered the P3, the Beef and Beef Meatball Noodle Soup and I ordered hot tea.  The tea was piping hot and flavorful.  We were served rather quickly with a very large bowl and a side of bean sprouts, jalapeno slices, and two sauces.  I grabbed my spoon and chopsticks and dove right in.  Hours later, as I write this, I am thinking about my first slurp.  The Pho was warm, comforting, and delicious.  The broth was aromatic and infused with many herbs and spices.  After eating 3/4 of the bowl, I squeezed a little lime that came as a condiment.  That little bit of acidity changed the entire composition of the broth.  The meat was tender and seasoned well.  I did not like the meatballs.  But, that is my fault.  I did not like the meatballs when I had it in D.C., but I forgot how much I disliked the dense texture and ordered it again.  Jack liked the meatballs so to each his own.

I ate that ENTIRE bowl.  I loved it.  I wish I could go back right now for another one.  Alas, Dudo is asleep so I'm not going anywhere.  Funny thing, as we exited Saigon, the street was a ghost town.  It had rained heavily in the short time we were eating.  Ah that Cleveland weather.  If you are in the mood for Pho or would like to try it for the first time, I highly suggest Saigon.  It's fresh, delicious, and you can make it as hot or mild as you like.  I know I will be there again...very soon.

Three Kolachkis before Easter

I apologize for this tardy post.  I was engaged in trial last week.  Now with my head somewhat clear, I can move on to very important matters...kolachkis!

(The box was full of kolachkis or "dainties" as Michael's Bakery called them at the Westside Market.)

I only had four days before Easter to find the best kolachkis in Cleveland.  Unfortunately, I did not find them.  However, I do have a clear favorite of the ones I tried.

On Wednesday before Easter, I went to the Westside Market before work.  The Westside Market is another whole post in and of itself which I will tackle at another time.  For those of you who are not aware, the Westside Market is one of the oldest free standing markets in the U.S.  You can go there Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday to get everything from produce, meats, cheese, candy, Steve's Gyros (which has been featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives so the wait time is ridiculous), crepes, and coffee.  I like to head there before work on Wednesdays and pick up veggies and my favorite bread.  But, more on that later.

I went to the Market for two Internet recommended kolachkis, Vera's Bakery and Michael's Bakery.  I found Vera's quickly because it is in the center.  They only had about two dozen available.  I picked up a dozen.  The majority was nut and two pineapple, not sprinkled with powder sugar.  Nut is my favorite, followed by cheese.  I then searched for Michael's Bakery.  I was about to give up and get a cup of coffee at City Roast Coffee when I realized that the stand was across from the coffee stand.  Duh.  Anyway, they had an entire box.  They had some huge looking ones that they called kolachkis.  I don't like big kolachkis; it's mostly dough.  The box they had were called 'dainties' but they looked exactly like the ones I had at my Grandma's house for Easter.  I also had to wait 10 minutes in line for my turn.  If you hear other Westside Market workers ordering their morning pastries from there, you assume that it's better than the average.  I was excited so I ordered two dozen in a variety of raspberry, apricot, nut, and cheese.

I brought them into work and dove right in.  They were decent, but not memorable.  In the morning I preferred Michael's.  By the afternoon, I liked Vera's better.  Both had dough that was light and tasty, but not overpowering.  The downfalls was the fillings.  They were not as flavorful as I hoped.  Vera's nut and two pineapple did not have robust fillings.  They were good, but not what I was looking for.  Michael's raspberry kolachki was good, but the rest had somewhat bland fillings compared to the kolachkis in my dreams.  Do not fear, I did not let those kolachkis go to waste though.  I shared about four out of three dozen and the rest disappeared as I prepared for trial.

Now I have a very good friend...I will call...Officer Whitehair.  We go to lunch at some of Cleveland's ethnic or out-of-the-way eateries.  Because he read my blog, he brought me a huge container of assorted kolachkis from K&K Meat Market in Warren Village Shopping Center in the Westpark area of Cleveland.  I like going to K&K for meat and their chocolate chip cookies are good when I had pregnancy cravings.  Their pre-made food of stuffed cabbage, fried chicken, and kielbasi and sauerkraut are awesome.  It's very good food.  K&K is a family owned shop for many, many years.  Love it.  Anyway, these kolachkis were the best out of the three.  The dough was light and moist.  The former cookies lacked moisture.  The kolachkis were sprinkled with power sugar too.  Most importantly all the fillings were yummy.  I would definitely eat these again.  After eating half the container without sharing one, I realized that my perfect kolachki had more of a cream cheese taste to the dough.  The dough is made of cream cheese after all.  But these were very good.

Now that Easter is over, I will put my kolachki search on the back burner.  I plan to hunt for more in the coming months, but right now, my waistline is tattling to the world of my weak will power.

Please remember that I am searching for a kolachki that I remember from my childhood.  The above mentioned kolachkis were delicious in their own right.  If you like kolachkis, I implore you to seek these and others in Cleveland to search for your favorite.  Ethnic food is what kept this place going for decades and will continue to do so for decades to come.

Sunshine Smunshine

This post isn't about an adventure, but it is something I should address to get it out of the way...the weather.  If you like lots of sunshine, Cleveland isn't the place for you.  Move out west to Cali or AZ.  I have plenty of friends who did (but then you have the heat/earthquakes/floods/etc to deal with).  Shoot, if you need another kick in the Cleveland crotch, you can search on Forbes.com for a lovely national article which lists Cleveland as one of the worst winter weather cities.

I volunteered to walk the dog last night.  I zipped up my coat tight and put on my winter hat despite the fact that it is April.  It was dreary and overcast with a chilly slight breeze.  If I didn't know the date, I would have expected to go home to read Dudo (pronounced Dude-O) Sleepy Hollow and cook up some hot apple cider.  We all have a choice: either complain about the weather or revel in it.  Typically, I would complain.  I love to complain.  Who doesn't?  Complaining about the weather also brings people together.  When you are alone with someone you barely know, what do you talk about?  That's right, the weather.

Today I accompanied two of my favorite people in my office when they took some outdoor pictures for an upcoming matter.  Afterwards, our "smoke" break consisted of a walk to Starbucks.  The frigid wind sweeping across cold Lake Erie and into my face was accentuated by the soaking raindrops.  I have heard lots of people here complain about the weather today.  They are ready for spring.

I have decided not to complain the last few days, but to revel in this weather.  Why?  I love cold rainy days.  My best creative work was crafted when the skies are gray, cold, and threatening.  I do not think I ever wrote one good poem during a sunny day.  Maybe others do, but my creativity spawns from despair.

Not only that, some of my favorite memories are from cold rainy days.  Back in my high school days, I remember scaling a cliff with a jar of salamanders in my sports bra in the Cleveland Metroparks with my friend Heidi.  We spent hours tromping around the woods looking for insects and animals for my Biology and Indpendent Study of Ecology courses.  Do you think students in AZ in the late 90s had the opportunity to do these things?  No, at least the ones in Scottsdale had to be indoors between the hours of 10 a.m and 5 p.m due to the heat.  Hands down I take a blissful rainy Cleveland day as opposed to the buzz of the florescent lights indoors elsewhere.

One last observation, because of the crazy weather, Clevelanders cherish sunny days.  Absence really does make the heart grow fonder.  I read time and time again on facebook about all my friends' plans when the sun is shining.  Clevelanders put aside housework or DVRed shows to go out for a run, grab a beer with friends on a patio, or cook out with family.  Yes, snowy and rainy days stink, but it makes the sun that much brighter in Cleveland.

Life really is too short to hate Cleveland.

I have thought of starting a blog for quite some time.  Why?  Two reasons: 1) infuriating print media and 2) kolachkis.  Don't worry, I will explain.

First, I am not a fan of the print media here in Cleveland.  I find it one-sided, biased, and usually wrong.  That's right, I believe all the fact checkers were the first to be laid off when the economy fell in the downward spiral.  Several months ago, for no good apparent reason, I was called out by name in an article regarding my job.  (I guess now is as good as time as any to let you know that my alleged full-time job here in Cleveland is attorney.  Really, it's being a mom though.)  For some reason, all the media negativity has continued to trickle down to those who post on the internet.  I used to read everyday how horrible Cleveland is and what a terrible waste of space it is and we should bulldoze the entire place...etc, etc, etc.  I cancelled my subscriptions, stopped reading blog posts, and refused to watch the news.  I've been much happier.  So, instead of having everyone cut off the internet to avoid Cleveland haters, I thought why shouldn't I create my own space to show those who care how cool Cleveland really is.

The second reason is Kolachkis.  For those of you who do not know, it is a pastry type cookie that my Grandma used to purchase from one particular Croatian bakery for Easter.  It is Holy Week this week to those who are Christians, such as myself, and I wanted to track down some kolachkis to bring to Easter dinner on Sunday.  I am having a hard time finding "Cleveland's best kolachkis" on the internet.  Then I came across another blog who posted a recipe for making your own kolachkis.  I go all over this City, east, west, and south for food, fun, work, and entertainment.  For example, I will probably try out 3-4 bakeries throughout Cleveland this week in search of my favorite kolachki.  I thought it was about time I shared my crazy expeditions for anyone who would like to read about them.

Life is too short to hate on Cleveland.  My wonderful mother died of cancer when I was 20 years old.  She was a life long Clevelander.  My grandmothers were as well.  I loved their traditions and stories of Cleveland past and I try to keep them alive as much as possible.  I want to share my loves and excitements to in turn, help others stop hating on Cleveland.