Ohio City, OH

A good friend of mine puts out a weekly newsletter on food and drink that I rather enjoy, so in a sign of admiration and appreciation, I'm going to straight up rip-off his format for this post (thankx!). So here it goes:

Eat, Drink, Repeat-Bandito Edition

If the text is in yellow it is a link. Go for it.

Volume 1 Issue 1: May 27, 2008. Coming to you from Cleveland, Ohio, The City of Food.

Would you like to subscribe or unsubscribe? Then start or stop reading.

Friends who like food and drink? I like food and drink too. We should hang out sometime.

Eat

• My parents came up for this holiday weekend, which means that I tend to eat. A lot. They got in around 7:00 after a twelve hour drive, and the close proximity and a lacking sense of adventure made The Parkview Niteclub an attractive option for my road-weary parents. Everyone rather enjoyed their simple sandwiches and burgers, even if my mother was shocked that I not only ate roasted red peppers, but quite enjoyed them as well. An appetizer of country-fried asparagus was also uniformly praised.

• I had to work Friday and my scheme to leave early was completely thwarted by The Man, so my plan to take my parents to Lola for lunch was dashed upon the rocks. Tear. For dinner we ventured out to Auburn to visit my aunt, who also happens to be caterer and a chef for private families. She also happens to make everything better than I can, even when I'm using her own recipes. Friday was no different, with a belly stuffing meal of bacon wrapped-pork tenderloin, country green beans, and the completely delicious surprise of cheese grits. Dessert was a lemon-blueberry pound cake with the perfect glaze that I stole the recipe for so I could go ahead and not make it as well as her.

• Saturday was a day jam-packed with eating activities. Brunch at Latitude 41 was quite nice. My experiences there have been uneven, but Saturday morning was probably the best time I've been there. Momma raved about the Pizza Benedict she ordered and then gave half of it to me (it was pretty good) and liked my plate of pan-seared oatmeal with fruit compote that she sampled. Dad was quite contented with his fare of eggs, pork, and bread that comprise the standard Special at Latitude.

• We met at the home of some family friends for lunch on Saturday, where I was introduced to the wonderfulness that is a cut of beef from Mr. Brisket. The roast was home cooked, but the cut of meat was exceptional. The best part is that after you've spent hours slow roasting your work of beauty, they offer to keep it a work of art by slice it for free. (something I'll have to remember before hacking mine to bits next time)

• Sunday was the culinary highlight of the weekend. Whenever my parents are in town, we always have brunch at Lucky's at least once, and Sunday we got there early to avoid at least some of the rush. The amount of praise I could heap on Heather Haviland and her fine establishment would leave my fingers raw and bloody (besides, it's deserving of it's own, separate post), but I will say that my mother, after stating that she holds her macaroni and cheese in rather high regard, said Heather's was the best she's ever had.

• After we recovered from our brunch-induced food coma's, we headed over to a cookout hosted by the one and only Mr. Cleveland Epicure himself. We had a plentiful spread of cookout staples such as coleslaw, grilled veggies, corn-on-the-cob, campfire potato packets, and expertly grilled steaks. The good food was consumed by good friends, outdoors enjoying the good weather. My parents departed early from the party with full bellies, higher cholesterol, and eased consciences.

Drink

• Friday night we went over to Stone Mad to check out what is probably the best display of craftsmanship on the Cleveland bar scene. Everything exudes class, from the woodwork, to the handcrafted glass light fixtures, to the (literally) tons of stonework outside. If you haven't been, you really should think about getting out to this gem on the near-west side. My parents were so impressed that my momma decided it was an occasion to have herself a Cosmo. (seeing my mother having a drink is about the same as seeing Halley's Comet during the daytime)

• After seeing the Indiana Jones flick on Saturday, we stopped by The Old Angle to grab a small bite to eat (and for me, a beer). The place can get a little loud, but we arrived at the perfect time, in between crowds. We shared a few things off the appetizer list, and I savored an Aventinus, which I had the good fortune to find on special at $4 a bottle

• While the rest of my family runs on coffee like trucking runs on diesel, something about the beverage leaves me nervous and twitchy. So while my parents enjoy their high-test lattes from whichever coffee house were at, I'm left usually perusing the board for a drink that won't give me an anxiety attack. Sunday at Lucky's I decided to give the Green Tea Latte a go, and while I never developed the jitters, it just wasn't what I was looking for. So the search continues.

Repeat

• Saturday morning we woke up early to get to the North Union Farmers Market in Shaker Square to see what we could find. My mother was disappointed with all of the plants she found, not because they were of bad quality, but because she couldn't take them all with her. It really is a nice place to shop, from the great quality food stuffs to the lush greenery to the lovely handcrafted items. We picked up a couple of killer pies, some great organic cheese, and I distracted my father long enough to buy him a glass money clip for the upcoming Father's Day. And if the market is interesting enough for our very own Michael Symon to browse through, as he was doing Saturday morning, then I'm sure you might be able to find something as well.

• After we left the market, we swung back to the west side, and popped our heads into the Glass Bubble Project over on W.25th. After seeing their work on display at Stone Mad, my parents wanted to see what else they had to offer in their workshop. They were delighted to find that not only could you purchase pieces already made by the laid back crew of artists (and I mean offer you a beer for stopping in laid back), but they offer very reasonable classes where you can craft your very own whatever-you-want and take it home.

• Also on Saturday (Saturday was what I'd call busy), we stopped down at the Superior Via Duct for the Bridge and Subway Tour. Three times a year (the Saturday of a summer holiday weekend), the office of the Cuyahoga County Engineers opens the lower level of the Detroit-Superior Veterans Bridge to the public, and since it's completely free, there's no reason not to check it out. It was quite interesting to walk along the bridge, with the traffic right above your head, and the river visible through the grating that you walked on. Maybe not for those skittish of heights, but for those that are, you can go underground into the remains of the subway station that was part of the old Cleveland Trolley system. It was definitely a treat for my mother, because my grandfather was an iron-worked who worked on many of the bridges that connect our beloved city. Even if she only made it half-way across.