The B Spot

The B Spot is one of my husband and I's favorite restaurants.  It is owned by Cleveland's very own Iron Chef, Michael Simon.  Chef Simon believes that bacon makes anything better.  I'd have to agree!

We ordered the vanilla bean apple pie bacon milk shake.   It's probably the fifth time we've ordered it.  Unfortunately, I forgot to take a photo of it.   It may sound weird, but it's wonderfully delicious!   The flavors blend perfectly, and the bacon topping adds a fun crunchy element.  One shake can easily be split by two people.  For a few dollars extra, you can have alcohol added to your shake.

These are the Lola fries.  They are seasoned with rosemary and sea salt.  The B Spot has 6 different sauces available on the table, but these are positively delicious plain.  Thin and crispy, one order can be shared by two or three people.

My husband ordered Mr. Porky, a brat with pulled pork, jalapenos and shredded cheddar cheese.

I had the Lola burger.   It has a sunny-side up egg with bacon, pickled red onions, cheddar cheese and mayo.

The B Spot has perfect portion sizes!  The prices match too.  The menu features lots of interesting choices as well as more traditional selections for the less adventurous.  Additionally, the restaurant has an extensive beer collection.

The Cradle Will Rock

I just saw a rarely performed musical at Oberlin Summer Theater Festival.  The Cradle Will Rock is about unions in the 1930s.  A wealthy couple uses their money to manipulate people.  The newspaper editor, musician, artist, doctor, and dean of the college basically bend over backwards to do things for Mr. and Mrs. Mister.  There is quite a bit of slapstick and political humor.   I recommend reading the provided history of the musical. The show is 90 minutes without an intermission with free admission.

Bar Cento

We went out for pizza at Bar Cento today.   We ordered their Sunnyside pizza which has provolone cheese, pancetta, eggs, and black pepper on a crispy thin crust.   Yummy!  The pepper really adds something to this pizza.  Two people, six slices, no leftovers.   It's just the right amount of food!

Homecooked Meal at Joe's with Friends

Today a friend was passing through town on the way to visit family, so we went out to Joe's for a home cooked meal.

I got the chicken noodle soup again, but I should have gotten what everyone else ordered:

This was the German dumpling soup.  It was creamy and cheesy.  

This was my cranberry-orange muffin tonight.  Again, it was warm and delicious.

For my dinner, I had the country fried chicken dinner, shown here with mashed potatoes, green beans, and garlic mayonnaise.  It said in the menu that there would be three pieces, but I actually got four!   This was the first fried chicken I've had in a long time that wasn't from a fast food chain.  It was nicely crispy, and the meat fell right from the bone.  The garlic mayonnaise was a great addition to this dish!

My husband had the baked orange roughy.  He called it tasty.

My leftovers barely fit in the box! (front container).   I'll call this a total of four meals.

But we also ordered dessert:

My dessert was called France.  It was milk chocolate layer cake with white and milk chocolate mousse layers.   Those are chocolate curls on the top.   I had to take the last bit of my cake home.

My husband got Forbidden, a dark chocolate cake made with pudding.  It was really shiny and tasted very fudgey. 

Restaurant Marrakesh

We went to a Disney Park for the first time since 1997!  Specifically, we went to Epcot, which was my favorite park since I was a kid.  It's a very educational park, with the science leaning Future World and the culturally diverse World Showcase.  We called the week beforehand and made reservations for dinner in Morocco at Restaurant Marrakesh.  There was belly dancing as entertainment with live music!

It was noted on the menu that the national dish of Morocco is couscous, so we ordered some.  This was my chicken couscous.  The chicken was tender and juicy, and the texture of the pasta was just perfect.

My husband ordered the lamb shank couscous.   He really enjoyed it.

If we had realized how large the portion sizes were, we would have shared a dish.   Walking around a theme park, there isn't much you can do with leftovers.  If we had the means, I would call this four meals.

Birthday Cupcakes!

Today we picked up cupcakes to celebrate my husband's birthday!   We wanted to try some of Main Street Cupcakes' sophisticated confections, and figured that a birthday was the perfect excuse!  The sophisticated creations have to be special ordered by the baker's dozen (hence the bag to the side in the picture).  These are Irish Car Bomb:  Chocolate Stout Cake filled with Bailey's and an Irish whiskey filling, and topped with Bailey's Buttercream Frosting and a drizzle of chocolate.

 Here's a closer look at them.  They got slightly squished by the lid because I couldn't resist buying these:

Left to right:

First row:
Pineapple Orange Crush: White cake with fresh pineapple and oranges covered in a light orange buttercream and garnished with a cherry buttercream
Strawberry Margarita: Strawberry Margarita style white cake covered in delicious strawberry frosting

Second Row:
Cassada: White cake filled with vanilla cream and fresh strawberries mixed with preserves topped with vanilla buttercream.
Mel's Banana Split: Vanilla cake baked with pineapples, and bananas, topped with both vanilla and strawberry buttercreams and garnished with a fudge drizzle

You may ask, how the heck are the two of you going to finish 17 cupcakes?  Not to worry!  We're sharing with friends.

Legally Blonde The Musical

I just got back from the opening performance of Legally Blonde The Musical at the Beck Center for the Arts.  Wow that was fun!   I have my doubts about movies made into musicals.   I really liked Legally Blonde as a movie with Reese Witherspoon, and I was afraid that the show wouldn't meet my expectations.  However, once the show started, my qualms disappeared and I really enjoyed myself!

I had seen the lead actress, Caitlin Elizabeth Reilly, in the Marvelous Wonderettes! at the Beck.  She does a smash up job as Elle Woods.  The character evolves from a stereotypical sorority girl with a heart pining full of love for her ex-boyfriend, into a mature, sensible woman and serious law student. 

There are changes between the movie and the musical, but all of them really add something to the storyline.  My only criticism is that Elle initially is so bent on winning back her ex that she neglects to study, while in the movie she is studious on her own.  However, the main male lead, Emmett, Forrest, encourages Elle to delve into her books, as well as deepening their relationship early on in the first act. 

The Delta Nu sisters appear as themselves at UCLA, but also appear as a "Greek chorus" in Elle's imagination to help advance the story.  This imaginary chorus is distinguished from the real girls by their entirely white wardrobe. 

Watch for the Brook Wyndham exercise video!   I was impressed at the singing while working out!   Also, that girl has some serious muscles going on. 

Le Petit Triangle Cafe

We tried a new restaurant today with friends, Le Petit Triangle Cafe in Ohio City.  It's a cute little cafe specializing in French food.  The restaurant's atmosphere is modeled on Parisian cafes.

Escargot, with garlic, butter, parsley - We got to try the snails that our friends ordered.  Very tasty and tender.  They aren't something I would order on a regular basis though.

Pissaldiere, "French Pizza" with caramelized onion, olive, tomato, Parmesan   - This appetizer was also drizzled with a balsamic vinegar. 

Croque Monsieur, ham, Gruyere and bechmel sauce served warm on grilled challah,potatoes - This is technically the Croque Madame because the fried egg on top.  The cheese was nicely chewy and the bechmel sauce was mild and creamy.   I would order this again.

My husband ordered this: Cassoulet, classic casserole of slowly simmered duck, chicken sausage, white beans and vegetables, served with a side salad.  I could definitely taste tomato in this dish.

I had the Bananas Foster crepe for my dessert.  The vanilla bean ice cream was tasty, and complimented the caramel and bananas really well.

My husband had the Orange Trio Crepe, featuring orange honey, orange slices, nutter, and Grand Marnier whipped cream topping.  

 The portion sizes were just about right.   We left the restaurant full, but not painfully so.  With the leftovers, I'm going to call this one 4 meals total.   This place would be fun for just tea, coffee, and dessert.