Jack Flaps Downtown Cleveland

I don't think there is anything better on a Saturday morning than a nice, leisurely brunch with good company.  And I don't think there is anything better on a Friday afernoon than learning that a popular Ohio City brunch spot has opened a new downtown location.  You guessed it, Jack Flaps recently opened a second restaurant in the 5th Street Arcades in between Prospect and Euclid.  And it's sooooo good.  While I was delighted by the taste and presentation of my meal, I might be even happier that visitors and locals alike aren't forced to flee to Ohio City and Tremont to eat the most important meal of the day - but let me tell you, I will be fleeing from Lakewood to eat at Flap Jacks many times in the near future!

Platform Beer Co.

The sun's shining, it's Saturday and it's debatable whether or not you need to wear a jacket today - stop what you're doing and head to Platform Beer Co.'s patio immediately.  I visited for the first time last night and will DEFINITELY be making my return trip as soon as possible; I think it just might be my new favorite spot in Ohio City.  I loved the industrial feel of the interior, the laid-back staff, the young(er) crowd and, of course, the outdoor patio that seems to have been built for people like me that want to bask in that warm orangey-yellow evening sunlight with a cold beer in hand.  On the hipster scale, it's probably the closest you can get to Portland without physically being there.  But hey, we all know that embracing our hipster side is what's finally making Cleveland "cool" to people who don't actually live here. Though we were planning on only staying for happy hour, we ended up ordering dinner from the Cleveland Pickle, which sets up shop there on Friday nights.  Since they don't have a kitchen, Platform brings in different Cleveland foodie favorites each day of the week that offer a condensed version of their regular menu.  Kind of a like a food truck, but minus the truck and inside instead of on the street.  I must say my Clevelander sub and kettle chips were a perfect match with the Platform Speed Merchant IPA.  Now what are you doing still reading this?  Go, as you are, right now.

An Afternoon in Ohio City: West Side Market and Great Lakes Brewing Co.

So we're not exactly getting the spring weather that we hoped for.  Um, what the heck Ohio, 27° and it's almost April?  Regardless, it's a sunny beautiful day, and one of my favorite places to go on a Saturday is the West Side Market in the Ohio City neighborhood.  For some reason, every time I step inside I instantly feel like I'm somewhere else...or maybe more like I'm living back in Florence again and visiting the Mercato di San Lorenzo for some fresh vegetables and ciabatta bread.  Okay, I'm officially daydreaming - back to the West Side Market.  On the weekends, it's always bustling with with people; you literally have to shimmy sideways sometimes to get through the crowds.  But if you time your trip just right, at about 3:30 in the afternoon, all of the vendors start to mark down their prices because the West Side Market is closed on Sundays and they have to get rid of their produce for the new week.  You'll get the best deals on the freshest produce around!

Rocky River Brewing Co.

My favorite thing in the whole wide world might be Friday Happy Hour.  There's just something about the feeling of freedom from the work week and excitement for the weekend's festivities that pair perfectly with a good beer and equally delicious food.  Howie and I have our old standbys, Deegan's Kitchen and Bar ($3 drafts til 7!) and 16-Bit Bar+Arcade ($1 off beers and we can channel our inner hipsters), but we also love trying new restaurants and bars.  Like Rocky River Brewing Company. I've been to RR Brewing Co. a few times since late fall and it's never disappointed!  It's kind of like a miniature version of Ohio City - super great food for reasonable prices with craft beer brewed in-house - but without all of the chaos typical to West 25th St.  Not saying that you won't have to wait for a table if you come after 6, but it won't be a 2 hour wait like everybody's probably had to suffer once or twice in order to eat at Great Lakes Brewing Co. or Market Garden.  

Brite Winter Fest

I know that you can tell it's absolutely freezing outside just by looking out the window...and that it's actually colder here than on Mars today... and that you're going to think I'm crazy for advertising an outdoor event in Cleveland in the middle of February...but you have to go to Brite Winter Fest tomorrow in Ohio City.  It's an amazing night filled with bonfires, food trucks, beer, crowds of people and a ton of live music, all set up at various places throughout Ohio City.  I braved the elements this same time last year, and had the time of my life!  When we live in a city that has winter for 6-7 months out of the year, we might as well embrace the season!  Besides, the high tomorrow will be 37 degrees, which is about 45 degrees warmer than today.  Yikes!  If you get cold, I can name at least 5 breweries in walking distance of the festivities, one of which is releasing the Chillwave (or "Schill"wave, as I like to call it) Double IPA tomorrow, just in time for the festival!  Brite Winter starts at 4:00 p.m. tomorrow in Ohio City, and lasts until 11:00 p.m.  Be sure to check out the awesome Ohio City bars afterwards!  See you there!

Here are a few pictures of last year's event from the Brite Winter Fest official website...enticed yet?

The West Side Market: A Perfect Saturday Afternoon

This past week’s temperatures have made it difficult to discern whether we’re in Cleveland or the Arctic Circle, so I felt obligated to take advantage of the beautiful sunshine on Saturday afternoon.  One of my favorite things to do on the weekend, especially in nice weather, is make a trip to the West Side Market; my other favorite activity regardless of the weather, is to make a killer meal!  Since I got a new Crock Pot for Christmas, I decided to try a recipe for slow-cooker Philly steak sandwiches and baked garlic rosemary french fries, and get most of the ingredients at the West Side Market.