Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella

Steve and I just got back from seeing Cinderella at Playhouse Square.   I was really expecting to dislike it.  I don't have a very good history with Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals.  Steve and I actually met because of mutual rejection of a famous production.   This new production is absolutely delightful!  It takes the classic music from the 1960s production and combines it with a new book that gives the work a wonderful depth.

I grew up watching the original television musical.  The new book makes it extremely accessible and endows it with snarky wit.  There is an addition of a new character and a subplot.   It really reflects today's cultural paradigm.

The quick costume changes truly seem magical.  There are three of them to look out for.   I recommend binoculars if you are seated in the balcony.  I could easily watch this show again.

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.

Mango Brie Grilled Cheese

I know that many of you wonder if I ever eat at home with the dizzying number of restaurant posts that I have written.  Yes, I do.  I just don't cook very much.  What I cook is very specialized.   Pictured above is my mango brie grilled cheese.

Grilled cheese sandwiches are wonderful.  There are so many ways that you can vary them.   Some people stick with American cheese and white bread.  That's fine, but I prefer to be more adventurous.

I use Trader Joe's Multigrain Country Bread.  I like the bits of oatmeal and other grains in it.   It also keeps very well in the fridge.   When we buy it, we put it right in the refrigerator.

Belletoile is my favorite brie.  It's extremely rich, a triple creme rather than the usual double creme.  I like snacking on it but it makes for an indulgent grilled cheese.

My family brings these dried mangoes home from the Philippines.   They are by far the best I've had.   The ones you can buy at the Asian grocery stores and Trader Joe's are okay, but these are just sweet and perfect.

To make this sandwich, turn your stove top to medium and use your favorite frying pan. While the pan is heating, slice the brie and arrange onto the bread.   I don't cover the entire surface because it can get very runny when heated.  I leave about a half inch margin all around the perimeter of the cheese free.   Cut the dried mango into bite sized chunks and arrange with the cheese.  You can leave it in strips, but you'll find yourself pulling them out whole when you bite into the sandwich.   Cutting it with kitchen scissors works best.

Put a small pat of butter in the heated pan and disperse over the surface.  Immediately add your sandwich.   Brie doesn't take long to melt, so it shouldn't take more than 2 minutes.   Transfer the sandwich to a plate and put another square of butter in the pan.   Repeat cooking on the other side.   The surface should be golden brown.

The sandwich goes very well with a glass of milk or a glass of white wine.  Enjoy!

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!

Cowell & Hubbard

Last night we went out for dinner at Cowell & Hubbard in the Playhouse Square district downtown.   That was fun.   There was a lot of variety.  Pictured above is my order, smoked porchetta.   It's basically pork belly served with a very savory polenta and red cabbage.   Extremely rich and delicious.  I got to have the rest today for lunch.

Steve had the skate wing.  It was supposed to have artichokes, but they ran out.  Still, it was good.  I can't remember what they did as a substitution.

They serve their bread with olive oil and pink salt.   It's more of a crusty type of bread, but with large bubbles of air in the center.

It was nice to try someplace new.  Maybe we'll stop by the next time we see a show.

American Idiot

We got to see American Idiot at the Beck Center this past Sunday.  I had wanted to see the Green Day musical last year when it came through town, but our schedule just didn't allow it.   This production is the first regional production for Northeast Ohio.   It was really good!

It's not a musical like Mamma Mia where they take a bunch of songs and jam them into a story (nothing against Abba).  The musical is the driving force of the story.   There isn't a ton of dialog and the lyrics pretty much convey what is happening in the show.

It's the turn of the century, the middle of the George W. Bush presidencies.  Three young men yearn to leave their small town with their guitars to the big city.  The first is detained by an unexpected pregnancy.  The second makes it to the city, only to be lured by the attractions of the military,  The last finds love in the city, but ultimately falls into drugs and loses the girl.

The Beck Center did a great job on the minimalist set.   It makes me think of Rent or Stomp with all the scaffold for the actors to climb.   The colors used on the costumes were thoughtfully used.   Most characters are in muted red, white, and blue.   Important characters stand out in bolder shades.   You'll know them when you see them.

Definitely make time to see this show.   The music rocks and hearing it transformed into a chorus of voices is amazing!

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.