Salt+

 We had our book club last night at Salt+.   It's a lovely tapas/small plate restaurant.   Between us book clubbers, we got to try the majority of the menu.  Pictured above is the chicken liver pate with sweet pickles.

Here is the calamari.

This is a golden beet salad.

Marinated manchego cheese with bread.

Grilled shrimp.

Mini pork pies on citrus salad.

Meatballs.

Angel food cake with lemon curd.  It was nicely crispy.

Butterscotch pot de cream.   It was a rather large portion that we got to share.

Chocolate ganache.  

I'm going again to try their brunch this weekend.

Lala Custom Cake

A new cake shop opened the other week and I finally got a chance to go.   Lala Custom Cake is located near Fear's Confections and Ice Cream Joy.  It's quite the dessert corner now.   I've missed having a cupcake shop nearby.

These are the right size.   They have lovely buttercream frosting and the cake is a bit on the dense size.  You know you are getting a treat just from the small size and heavy mouth feel.  I liked these.

Top row: Cookie dough, lime, chocolate mocha
Bottom row: Chocolate salted caramel

Definitely worth a stop in.

Burgers 2 Beer

 We went back to Burgers 2 Beer yesterday.  We could keep going and still not try everything on the menu.  They are quite creative.  Pictured above is the Luther Burger.  Yes, that is a donut being used as a bun.   It had honey pepper bacon and American cheese.

I had the Breakfast Burger.  That's an egg, honey pepper bacon, hash browns, and hollandaise sauce.   It was a bit too much for me to finish, but only slightly.   I have to really compliment the chef on the macaroni and cheese.   It wasn't too salty and had the right amount of creaminess.  Until next time!

Burgers 2 Beer

Yesterday we had lunch/dinner at Burgers 2 Beer.  The restuarant occupies the corner where Eddie & Eddies was, and then later Cerinos.   I really like this place.  They have a vast menu and a friendly, casual atmosphere.   Pictured above is my Like Butta Baby burger.   Truffle oil infused with bacon, brie, and fried onions.  Yummy!

Steve had the Vampire Hunter burger.   It's very garlic filled with pepperoni.   Also tasty!

Here is a picture of the burger selection on their most recent menu.   We are definitely coming back.

Heathers: The Musical

We just got back from seeing Heathers: the Musical at the Beck Center for the Arts and I feel compelled to write this review right now!  I have never seen the movie it is based on, but I do know that it's a cult classic with tons of high school drama.   This show is phenomenal.   The first two weekends are sold out in this regional premier.   I predict an extended run!   It has mature content, so our usual Sunday matinee was a Sunday night show.  Do not bring your kids and hold on to your hats and your hearts!

The story follows Veronica Shaw, a high school outcast who falls in with the popular girl clique, the Heathers.  They are Heather Duke, Heather McNamara,and Heather Chandler.   Veronica is seen as valuable because of her forging ability for things like hall passes and report cards.  She gets in and popular, then her life goes crazy.   Death, death, and more mayhem ensue.

This reminds me a bit of Sweeney Todd.  I came out of act one singing, "We All Deserve to Die" from that show.   This show is absolutely dark, yet somehow uplifting at the end.   Please please go see it.  You won't be disappointed.

Anniversary Dinner: Voodoo Tuna

 Tonight we went out to Voodoo Tuna to celebrate our anniversary.   It's wonderful to have a sushi place so nearby.  Pictured above are salmon sashimi and banana unagi rolls (our favorite roll from this place).

 We also got the white tuna sashimi, dragon roll, and Cajun bacon rolls.

 Here is a closer view of the white tuna.

 They gave us some free Asian pear cheesecake to celebrate!   The fruit was warm and drizzled with caramel sauce.

 Since we last visited, Voodoo Tuna has completed the murals on their wall.  The art is beautiful and a tad bit quirky.

I really like this place.   It's too bad they aren't open on Sundays.   Weeknights are fairly quiet and it's easy to get a table right away.

Shining City

We just got back from seeing Shining City at the Beck Center.  It is a play, an hour and a half in length with no intermission.   Four players on stage.   A man comes in to see a therapist because he has been seeing his late wife in his house.  The play alternates between the inner turmoil of the man and the difficulties in the life of the therapist.  

These people are pretty screwed up.   I had trouble relating to them.  The person I related to the most was the ghost, Mari.   I did end up crying because of how messed up all of these relationships are.  The moral is value the people you have while they are there in your life.   I really appreciate my relationship after this one.

Southern Cafe

Steve and I decided to get soul food at the Southern Cafe on Friday.   The restaurant is only 3 weeks old!   It's so new that they don't have a sign yet as the time of this entry.   It's on Detroit across from the Phantasy club.

Steve had chicken and waffles.   They offer your choice of type of meat and come with grits.   The waffles are red velvet.   Delicious with their maple syrup and hot sauce!

I went with the fried perch.   Entrees come with two sides.   I had the collard greens and cajun cream corn.   The fish is delicously crispy and in just the right portion.  The corn was flavorful.   I wasn't crazy about the collard greens, but I got to taste the candied yams and those were terrific!    It was Thanksgiving perfection.

We wanted to order the peach cobbler and the Louisiana style caramel cake but we couldn't eat any more!   A treat for next time.   If you live within 2 miles of the restaurant, delivery is free.   I encourage you to check it out.

In the Heights

I missed the Broadway tour of In the Heights when it was touring a few years back.   Fortunately for me, the Beck Center is playing it right now!  Tickets are sold out and it's amazing!  

It's about a Spanish speaking neighborhood in Washington Heights.  It combines wonderful dancing, the story of a community, and rap/hip hop.   You should go see it!

Cleveland Vegan

Hi everyone.  I decided to have a leisurely brunch this morning at Cleveland Vegan.  I got the pick 3 items for brunch deal at twenty dollars.  No animal products were used in the making of my food, but it looks too decadent to be true!  Pictured above is a banana peanut butter chocolate chip waffle with coconut whipped topping.   It felt like dessert to me!

I usually don't eat much fruit, but today I ordered the seasonal fruit bowl.  In today's selection, there was a mix of pineapple, bananas, apples (I think), and some citrus with seeds.  I think an orange.

Lastly, I had some smashed avocado toast.  It had some sort of sprouts on it.   I really enjoy savory stuff at breakfast, so this really balanced the fruit and waffle.

The Spitfire Grill

Yesterday, Steve and I saw The Spitfire Grill at the Beck Center.  I didn't read anything about the show.   I didn't know what to expect at all.  It's a very touching musical.  We follow one girl, Percy, as she moves from Detroit to Gilead, Wisconsin, fresh out of a five year prison term.   Lots of things are left a mystery, which works extremely well.  

Percy ends up working at the Spitfire Grill for Hannah, who has wanted to sell the place for years.   No one is looking into buying a restaurant in such a economically depressed location, but things end up in very surprising ways.  

My favorite musical number is Out of the Fire and into the Frying Pan.   It's one small part of the large story, but I can really relate to it.   I recommend seeing this show.

Roxu Fusion

Hi everyone!   Steve and I just got back from dinner at Roxu Fusion.   For a while, there was a great famine of sushi in Lakewood.  Now, with this place and Voodoo Tuna, it's really convenient to get your fix.   As of this entry, Roxu has only been open for 2 weeks.   We arrived at happy hour and got seated right away.

With the happy hour prices, we decided to try a variety of things.   We ordered some maki rolls and steam buns.

Here are pictures of the menu:

We ordered the dragon roll and the salmon avocado roll.   It was pretty good.   Personally, I like my salmon not smoked, but these were tasty.  Also, the rolls are huge!   I think I would prefer 8 smaller rolls to these 6 big ones.  They're a bit big for the mouth.

These are the salmon rolls.   Lots of salmon roe too.

The dragon rolls had eel, avocado and midori sriracha sauce (midori is Japanese for green).   Nice kick to them.

This is a ginger margarita.  Steve enjoyed it.

My favorite part of the meal was the steamed buns!   They came in two pieces (perfect for sharing) with what we thought was a light salad.   Turns out the salad is a minute slaw, which was extremely tasty!   Usually, I think of slaw as being overly sour/fermented.  This was light, flavorful, and crunchy.

These are the Wagyu Strip steam buns.

The meat was tender.  Good flavor.

The Tuna bun was nicely seared and spicy.  I really enjoyed it.

However, my absolute favorite was the Pork Belly bun.  Perfectly crispy and savory.   I will definitely be ordering these again!

To end our evening, we ordered the Cheesecake Souffle.   That was really nice.  Served garnished with two Pocky sticks and glazed with a light mint and in cherry hibiscus syrup.  Really nice presentation:

The next time we visit, we're going to try chicken and waffles and some other dishes.   Worth the visit.

Melt Bar and Grilled

Last night we were out celebrating a friend's birthday at Melt Bar and Grilled.  We were at the original location.  Fortunately, on weekends the parking is free.  I decided to try something new.  Pictured above is the Fried Green Tomato BLT.   It had romaine lettuce, cheddar cheese, and pork belly.   Really yummy!   I'm looking forward to eating the other half of my sandwich later.

Steve ordered the Backyard BBQ with pork.  It had barbecue sauce, sharp cheddar, and onion rings.   Again, there is enough food for later.

It seems that each time we go to Melt, we are able to pick two sandwiches and then narrow it further with help from the wait staff.   If you love grilled cheese, you should definitely go here!

Fear's Confections: Brownies and Peanut Butter Sponge Candy

I stopped in to Fear's Confections today because I wanted chocolate.  Mmm.   Pictured above are the new peanut butter sponge candy and a biscoff cookie coated with chocolate and caramel.

I got three brownies.  For Steve, who loves coffee, I got the Graveyard Shift flavor.  It has espresso and almonds.   The green one is new to me, Pistachio!   I managed to get a corner piece too!  Yum!   The After School Snack (PB&J blondie) is for later.

Looks so great on a plate!   For those of you outside of Cleveland, Fear's Confections does online order fulfillment.  Check out the geek chocolates!   I've had the Doctor Who set several times.

VooDoo Tuna: Part 2

We just got back from VooDoo Tuna.  It was another good time.   We ordered things that we wanted to last time.

Here are the lobster nachos.   It has lobster, guacamole, and rice as a dip with large fried noodles around the side.  It's drizzled with a sweet soy sauce.   The chips are brittle, so I recommend using the spoon to serve the dip.   Very yummy!

We ordered the banana eel rolls again and tried the crab rangoon rolls.   Those were nice with cream cheese, crab, tempura, and scallions. Our favorite definitely is the banana eel though.

This is the Voodoo Ramen.   It's nicely spicy.  We didn't eat it right away, so the broth soaked into the noodles.   I loved the roasted chicken while Steve preferred the andouille sausage.   Compared to traditional ramen bowls, the soup content was less, but it was still wonderful.

This place is quickly becoming one of our favorite restaurants.  I can't wait until they have a dessert menu!