Pier W

I can't believe that it's been a year since I started this blog!   One amazing year of delicious food and superb theatre has gone by so fast!

We went out to Pier W to celebrate our wedding anniversary tonight.  I keep a list of restaurants that I want to visit, and this one had been on there for a while. Our anniversary is a great reason to go someplace new.

The restaurant is located right off of Lake Erie.  The building is actually suspended right from the cliff side.  You should go to the website and check out the pictures.  We drove into the parking lot and were expecting a building.  Instead there was this little glass hallway with a red carpet that leads downstairs to the restaurant.

We started off our meal with some bread.  

 The bread on the right is sweet seeded honey wheat bread.   The bread on the left is a crusty Italian bread.   The butter in the foreground is a sweet honey lavender butter.  In the back of the plate is a more savory basil pesto butter.  We both liked the wheat bread best.  I liked the basil pesto butter, while Steve liked the honey lavender.

My appetizer was the Coquille St. Jacques, truffled diver scallops served with Fuji apples and truffle nage.  They were extremely tender and flavorful.

Steve had the Braised Angus Beef Short Rib Pierogies.   The sauce was tasty, and it was interesting to have something other than cheese or potato in a Pierogi.

Steve had the Almond Crusted Golden Trout.   It's funny that I looked at the menu this afternoon and was able to guess exactly what he would order.  It's served with a lobster bratwurst (yes lobster), vanilla citrus marmalade and fennel slaw.   The fish was flavorful, and the bratwurst was decadent and juicy.  I can't picture serving it on a bun.

Our server suggested the Walleye Tempura.  It was served with asparagus and green beans, fresh ginger aioli and a ponzu sauce.  It wasn't that greasy for a tempura dish.   Very tasty.

Each of us end up packing half of our meal for later, so let's call it four meals.

However, we couldn't leave without dessert.   We split the Warm Chocolate Truffle Cake (pictures at the top of the page), served with raspberry swirl ice cream, hazelnut brittle, and chocolate sauce.  It just melts in your mouth.  The warmth of the cake was a nice contrast to the ice cream.

They also gave us a little vanilla almond cupcake when they found out it was our anniversary.  The "Happy Anniversary" signs were made out of white chocolate.  

We're going to have to go back to try their brunch sometime.

War Horse

Today we saw War Horse, the first touring Broadway series play I have seen.  It's amazing!   A drama about the special relationship an young man, Albert, has with his horse.  Originally, the horse, named Joey, was purchased by his father trying to outdo his uncle at an auction.  The family really can't afford it, so the plan is to sell Joey later.  Eventually, the horse is able to do plow work in the fields and his family says they will let Albert keep Joey, but his dad ends up selling the animal to the English army to go fight in France at the beginning of World War 1. The boy enlists in an effort to go find his beloved pet.

Okay, I bet you're thinking, why would a war drama about a boy and a horse be in the Broadway rotation?   Simple.  Puppetry magic.  All the animals on stage are puppets from the Handspring Puppet Workshop from South Africa.  The horses are huge constructs that take 3 puppeteers to operate.  One person runs the head from a stick to the side of the horse.  The middle person controls the horse's breathing and front limbs.  The hind puppeteer controls the tail and back legs.  It is amazing how realistic the horses are.  Even though you can see the puppeteers, the motions are so true to life that it's easy to forget the people are inside.

At the pre-show talk, we were told that Joey was introduced to the Cleveland Mounted Police Force.  The real horses were completely fooled and greeted Joey as one of their own.

War stories aren't exactly my favorite subject.  I even had difficulty watching all the intense battles in Lord of the Rings.  I liked this show though.   It is truly theater magic.

The Original Pancake House

Today we had a little time to have a meal between activities, so we stopped in at the Original Pancake House.  I had driven by the restaurant, but never gone before.   The hours are pretty strange, only from 7:30 to 2 or 3 in the afternoon.   We told the wait staff that we had someplace to be and they actually got us out of the restaurant with time to spare!

Pictured above are the banana pancakes we split.   The order had 8 pancakes, so we each had 4.  Nice mild banana flavor and not excessively sweet.

The pancakes were served with tropical syrup (the orange liquid on the right) as well as butter and standard maple syrup.   My husband really liked the tropical syrup. which we were told contained a blend of orange and lemon juices and sugar.   I liked the maple syrup best.

At the waitress's suggestion, we ordered a side of "the best bacon in Cleveland."   There were originally 4 pieces on the plate, but we each took one before I remembered to take the photo.  Thick cut and very tasty.

The menu at the Original Pancake House is pretty extensive.  Many of the egg dishes come with 3 pancakes!   This is definitely the type of place where you'd want to split your meal with a friend or take it home for later.  I can't wait to go again!

The House of Blue Leaves

I just saw the House of Blue Leaves.  It's funny that the Beck Center would feature two works that feature mental illness in a family context simultaneously.  This play is about a zookeeper, Arnie, who dreams of being a musician for Hollywood movies in the 1960s.  He lives with his wife, Bananas, who suffers from schizophrenia.  Arnie currently has a relationship with their downstairs neighbor, Bunny, because his wife is so different from the woman he married.  Bunny and Arnie plan on leaving for California while committing Bananas to a mental institution.

This play has many madcap moments of comedy, but it is a black comedy.   I wish it had been more of a funny play.  You do feel for the characters.  The actors emote extremely well.  But overall, I feel that this is more of a tragic story.  The show runs until April 21.

Waffle House

After a long day of shopping, we decided to stop by at the Waffle House.  We don't usually get to stop in unless we're seeing family.  The food service is fast and the food is tasty.  Pictured above is one of their classic waffles.

I actually ordered from the value menu.  I wasn't very hungry, so I had the waffle with hash browns, served with a drink.  The menu item is actually a bowl of grits, but you're allowed to substitute for the hash browns.  I also had them add cheese and mushrooms for a little bit more.   The menu calls this hash browns, scattered, covered, and capped.

My husband felt like ordering a salad, so he had the Chicken Apple Pecan salad. 

Breakfast is always tasty, and it's great that the Waffle House serves it twenty-four hours a day.  I have fond memories of going to the chain when my family drove to Florida when I was a kid.   I'm glad we decided to eat there tonight.

Benihana

Today we went out to Benihana with family.  We had never gone before.  Admittedly, sushi is one of my favorite things to eat.   My husband was also curious about the chain because it was heavily mentioned in Chuck, the television series.  Apparently, one of the main characters has a dream to be a chef at Benihana's.  We saw it at the mall, and we just had to go.

We just happened to arrive during Happy Hour.  I thought Happy Hour only happened on weekdays.  The rolls we ordered were about half price due to the Happy Hour specials. 

The picture above is a Dragon Roll.

Here are some California Rolls.

The tray above is a Rainbow Roll.  The other one is the Crunchy Shrimp Roll.

I also ordered a Salmon Hand Roll.

The prices were extremely reasonable.  I highly recommend going during Happy Hour, which goes until 5 pm on Saturday.

Next to Normal

We just saw Next to Normal at the Beck Center.  Absolutely amazing!   I don't think I've cried so hard at a theater in my life.  The story is that powerful.  It is a rock musical.  The music is completely appropriate to the feelings expressed in the story.

Next to Normal is about a woman with bipolar disorder and how it impacts the life of her family.   It shows the struggles she experiences with medicines and treatment.   This is a very real portrayal of life with a loved one with mental illness.   I highly recommend seeing this show.  It is playing until April 21.  Also, bring tissues.