Provenance

Yesterday, Steve and I were at the Cleveland Art Museum and stopped for lunch at their restaurant, Provenance.  It made a nice break in our day of exploring different centuries of art.

Here is a photo of their menu:

They have a pre-fixe menu based on a collection of art currently on display.   I decided to have the brie and bacon burger with the grilled onions.   The meat was so tender it just fell apart!   The garlic fries were very tasty.  They were just the right level of crunchy.

Steve had the steak salad.   It was served with "bacon jam" which was sweet and just bacon-y enough.   He really enjoyed it.

Our meals were so filling that we didn't have room for dessert.   Here is a picture of the dessert menu:

The restaurant does a high tea in the winter months, so we'll definitely be back to give that a try.

Tabletop Cafe

Steve and I spent part of our weekend at the Tabletop with some friends.   It's a new board game cafe/bar that opened just the other week.   They have a nice selection of games to play.

Here is a picture of their front counter:

It costs five dollars for a play all day pass.   The place was funded by a Kickstarter.

This is the Cleveland Sunshine smoothie.  Very orange and banana.

Steve had the Coffee Banana smoothie.   Self explanatory.

These are the Avocado Pear bites.  They have blue cheese and honey too.  Very tasty.

Lastly, this is the Club Awesome.  You can add chips for fifty cents.   It was yummy.

I think we played at least 4 games.   It was a good time.   The cafe is very close to the West Side Market, so I imagine finding parking on a Saturday would be very difficult.  Definitely worth a visit.

VooDoo Tuna

We just got back from VooDoo Tuna!  Tonight is actually their grand opening.  They occupy the space vacated by Sakura a few years ago.   I've missed having sushi available in Lakewood.   VooDoo Tuna specializes in fusion foods.

The decorations of the restaurant are modern.   Canvased lights in alternating colors and a zigzag patterned wooden floor.   It feels very sleek.  Goes well with the type of food they serve.

As of this blog post, they do not have a full website yet, so here are images of their menu:

As you can see, they list traditional items first, followed by their fusion offerings.  We went with 3 fusion maki rolls and an order of salmon nigiri.  If you ask for sashimi or nigiri "VooDoo Style" they serve it with a nut/fruit pairing.  

The bottom left and top right corners are the Pecan Salmon rolls.  They have kale, fresh salmon, and pecans served on top.   I love salmon, but these were a bit plain for my taste.   I couldn't really taste the honey.

The bottom right corner is the Jamaican Bacon roll.   It's served with fresh salsa on top.   Steve loves salsa, so he enjoyed these.  

The top left corner was our favorite!   Those are the Banana Unagi rolls!   Absolutely tasty!   Banana makes a great pairing with eel.   The outside is tempura fried and the rolls are served warm.   You should definitely try these.

And of course, salmon nigiri.   Nice presentation and not skimpy on the ratio of fish to rice.   There wasn't any surprise wasabi between the rice and fish, which is good for me.

I can't wait to go back again.  We want to try the Cajun Ramen and the Lobster Nachos.

Fear's Confection: Truffles!

We stopped by Fear's Confections tonight because I felt like having chocolate.    To my surprise, there are now truffles!   Sorry about the picture quality.  My camera hasn't been the same since the software updated.   In the picture above are a couple of milk chocolate space invaders, orange rosemary truffles (bottom left hand corner), a key lime eyeball (upper left hand corner), a couple of lavender truffles (immediately to the right of the orange rosemary ones), lemon truffles,a strawberry balsamic truffle, a pomegranate heart, and a raspberry creme.

Oh, and we got a rainbow brownie!   Like a regular brownie but more fun because of the sprinkles.   Yay!

The Young Man From Atlanta

We just got back from the Beck Center.   We saw The Young Man From Atlanta.  It's all about grief and loss in the 1950's, societal expectations, and communication.

The family featured in this play has lost their only son, Bill.   A job loss for Will, the breadwinner and the ensuing monetary trouble brings their lack of communication to the surface.  The title character was Bill's roommate (and implied lover).   Lily Dale, the wife, is often alone.

The play is extremely well acted. however I just left the theater feeling sad.  I felt really bad for all the characters and their inability to express what they really thought and feel to whoever needed it most.   I guess you could think of it as grieving people who need comfort, but then are denied it or allowed it at lesser level than required.

Try The World: Argentina

It's no secret that Steve and I are quite adventurous when it comes to food.   That's why we subscribed to Try The World as soon as we saw the advertisement.   It's similar to Loot Crate, but instead of nerdy nick knacks, they send you a bi-monthly box of delicacies along with cultural information about the country of origin.   Our first box arrived on Tuesday and we finally got to enjoy more of it today at breakfast.

The Argentina box came in an unassuming brown box.   I was really surprised at the print on the inside of the packaging.

The first thing you see upon opening is the cultural leaflet on Argentina.  It suggests a playlist to listen to and a few recipes to try with the items shipped.

Then you have description of the foods:

The first thing we tried were the cookies.   No real effort on our part.   Instant gratification and mild coconut flavor.

For breakfast this morning, we put on the playlist and made pancakes.   We then topped them with the Dulce de Leche jam and quince spread.

We also tried the tea.  I was pleasantly surprised to find three different types in the packaging.

Steve had the mango and I had the dulce de leche with red fruit.   Both are nice.

The last three bottles in box are savory items that will require more meal planning.   A marinade, an olive paste, and some wine sauce.   I'll post again once I've done something with them.

I'm looking forward to the next box already!  This is so fun!

The Oak Barrel

Steve and I went to the Oak Barrel the other day for dinner with friends.   I had a rather filling lunch earlier and wasn't sure what I was going to order.   I decided to go with the Amish Chicken and Waffles pictured above.   That's blackberry maple syrup in the cup and cayenne butter on the chicken.  It was yummy.   The cayenne butter was more spicy than what I am used to though.

Steve ordered the Duck Confit Mac n Cheese.   It was really savory.   In hindsight, we should have switched dishes.  I really enjoyed this pasta and Steve was more into my chicken and waffles.

The Oak Barrel has normal sized portions.  We were even able to bring  little bit of Mac n Cheese home.    I'd visit again.