Try the World: Spain

Hello everyone!   Our latest Try the World box arrived on Thursday.   This time, the country is Spain.  We haven't gotten to open any of the products yet, but I am definitely looking forward to it.

They changed up their packaging a little.  No special fold out box this time.   Now there are packing peanuts in a regular box.   The old packaging didn't have any buffering materials.   I wonder if others had their boxes damaged in shipping, hence the change.

This box has two types of sweets in it.  Pictured below is the citrus crumble cake.

The other sweet item was the almond cookies.

I've had almond cookies in Chinese restaurants before.  Looking forward to trying this take on them.

Now this should be interesting.  It's rose jam.   Not a fruit, but a flower.   Maybe I'll make some sort of pancake to eat this with.

This cute tin contains hot paprika.  I'll have to find some good recipes to use it with.

This tomato paste should go well with toast or pasta.

Extra virgin olive oil from Spain!   I've heard that many olive oils sold in US markets aren't really olive oil.   Can't wait to see if there is a difference.

Lastly, we got a can of mussels in pickle sauce.   I'm not sure the best way to eat these, but they look intriguing.  

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!

Ken Ludwig's A Comedy of Tenors

Steve and I just got back from seeing Cleveland Playhouse's premiere of Ken Ludwig's A Comedy of Tenors.  It was amazing!  I laughed so hard.  It's the sequel of Lend Me a Tenor, which we got to see this past season at the Beck Center.  

It's another wild romp of mistaken identity and operatic hi-jinks.  Ken Ludwig is a great Cleveland playwright and I'm very lucky to have seen his work.  I don't want to spoil too much here, but it's really worth seeing for the level of shenanigans.  Go see it!

Emerald Necklace Inn

Steve and I just got back from having tea at the Emerald Necklace Inn.  It's a cute little bed and breakfast that serves tea ending at 3 pm.  Reservations are required.

The restaurant is in a small house off of the main road.  It has a few doors, one of which is for the bed and breakfast portion of the Inn.

It's very quaint.

The furnishings inside are very cute.   Lots of floral motif.

We both ordered the High Tea.  It's $25 per person and comes with an endless pot of tea, soup or salad, quiche and fruit, scone and bread plate, three finger sandwiches, and dessert plate.

Our meal came with a complimentary chilled Strawberry Champagne tea.   It came in a little shot glass rimmed with pink sugar.

Steve had the Queen Diamond Jubilee white tea and I had a caramel flavored black tea.   It was nicely presented.  I should make a point of ordering an herbal tea when I go to tea rooms that use unfiltered pots like this.   The tea continues to get stronger over time and can get bitter if you don't consume it fast enough.

I had the tomato vegetable soup while Steve had the house salad.

The assortment of sandwiches and breads was traditional.   If you aren't into cream cheese or mayo, you probably should avoid the sandwiches.   I like both of those things.

Top level:  pumpkin bread, cranberry bread, and blueberry scone
Bottom level: chicken salad, egg salad, and cucumber sandwiches (far back)

Here is the fruit cup and broccoli tomato quiche.  

And here is the dessert plate:

They also have a small shop where you can buy tea accessories and various teas.   I'm glad we stopped in today.