Kinky Boots

We saw Kinky Boots this past Sunday.  It was the last night of it's stay here.   Usually, we see shows on the first Saturday, but we had a scheduling conflict.   So, I can't tell you to see the show while it's still in town. . .

However, I loved it!   Music by Cindy Lauper and a compelling story.  Small town, English family run shoe business finds new niche market for sexy women's shoes for men.

It's based on a true story too, but with some story embellishment.  There are two main characters, Charlie who inherits the shoe factory and Lola/Simon, the drag queen cum shoe designer.

The shoes save the factory and turn small town life on its side!

I love a good drag queen musical.  They're fun.  And this one has plenty of heart.  It's not all about the glamour and fashion.   It's also about being true to one's self and accepting others for who they are.  

Toast Cleveland Wine Bar

We went out with our theater enthusiast group for dinner at Toast last night.   That was fun.   What attracted me was their tasting menu.   For 40 dollars, you can have three items off of their menu.  We didn't actually order it because we were able to get happy hour prices.   Pictured above is peanut butter and jelly fois gras.

I decided to post pictures of the menu this time.  Hopefully it'll give you an idea of what it's like to be there.

Steve and I both had the burger.  That was yummy.   The chips are a little vinegary though.

Steve had the shrimp arancini.  It was in a nicely creamy sauce.

We also had the chef' choice cheese board.   Everything was drizzled in honey!

Our dining companions also had the chef's charcuterie board and oysters.

It was a fun night out.   We might go out more often and find happy hour deals.  Certainly a good idea if you want a high amount of variety in your dining choices.

Lend Me a Tenor

Last Saturday, Steve and I went to go see Lend Me a Tenor at the Beck Center.  That was amazing!   I laughed so hard.   It's one of the best plays I've seen at the Beck in a while.  It takes place in Cleveland in the 1930s.   The opera company is putting on a production of Othello, and the Italian tenor is late.   Miscommunications occur, medications get overdosed, and it appears that the star has died.   This leads to mistaken identity, a non cast member fulfilling a dream of being on stage singing an opera, and lots of laughs.  

Seriously, go see this one.   You won't be disappointed.

Clementine's

We went out for tea yesterday at Clementine's.  That was fun.  It's in a cute little historic area in Olmstead Falls.   It was busy because there was a bridal shower going on, but it was definitely worth the trip.

I had the ice wine black tea.   It was grape like.

Steve had apple peach herbal.   It was nicely fruity and sweet.

We also each had the afternoon tea service: a scone (raspberry), some fresh fruit, and jam with clotted creme.  

Steve had the meatloaf cupcake.  It was good and enough for leftovers later.   It's not an actual cupcake, but meatloaf shaped like a cupcake with mashed potato icing.

I had the Brown Sandwich.   It was a French bread with mushrooms, bacon, tomato, turkey, and cheese sauce.   It had a side of pasta salad.   I took home half of it.  Very yummy.

We didn't have room for dessert but it certainly looked delicious!

Dirty Dancing: The Classic Story on Stage

Steve and I just got back from seeing Dirty Dancing.  Admittedly, I haven't seen the movie on which the play is based.  But I enjoyed it.  The year is 1963 and family vacations lasting the whole summer are a thing.   Girl meets noble dance instructor, romance ensues along with mistaken trust on the part of the family.

The dancing was really wonderful.   Excellent choreography.  I'm usually a bit skeptical of movies turned into plays, but Dirty Dancing was well executed.  I can see why people love the movie so much.

I call this a play with music because it's all about the dance.  There are only two vocalists (pictured above) and they sort of float in and out of scenes as needed.  It works.

If you love the movie, you will definitely enjoy this.  If you haven't, you still will.

Peace, Love, & Little Donuts

I stopped in to Peace, Love, & Little Donuts to check it out.   I was impressed by the flavor selection.   Glad that I stopped in.  The ones pictured above are the Funkadelic type with the most creative flavors.

Top row: Maple Bacon, Blueberry French Toast, Cereal,Raspberry Truffle

Middle row: Samoa, Hopscotch, Chocolate Pretzel, Strawberry Shortcake

Bottom row: Cookies and Cream, Orange Creamsicle, Dirty Worm, Chocolate Covered Cherry

The decoration is pretty fun too.   

Definitely going back soon.

Coquette Patisserie

Madge, Steve, and I went out to have tea yesterday at Coquette Patisserie.  That was really fun!  We had visited before for their macarons, but we really wanted to try their tea.   For nineteen dollars per person, you got all kinds of things to sample as well as a pot of tea each.

This is March's menu.   I really enjoyed everything, but I was most surprised by the raspberry cream puff.  It was filled with this decadently creamy pink filling!   I'm really glad that I had it last.

The teas we had were lavender peppermint herbal, English breakfast, and an orange blossom green tea.

Here is a closeup of the tray.   From left to right we have the ham sandwich, zucchini quiche, French vanilla macaron, chocolate triomphe, and finally the raspberry creme puff.

The brioche was lovely too.   Those are the blueberry jam, orange cinnamon butter, and pear ginger jam.

As you can see, the presentation is wonderful!

Madge and I both got larger quiches afterwards.

This one is ham with gouda.

And this one has shiitake mushrooms.

We also got more macarons because I love pistachio flavored stuff.  These were just perfectly salty sweet.

Tea is only on Sundays.  You should definitely go!