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.