1) Congratulations to entry #34 – Megan Kilway! You won two tickets to CIFF’s Get Shorty Film Feast. Please reply to my email by January 26 at noon ET to confirm you can still attend.

Don’t have your tickets yet to Get Shorty on January 29? Tickets can be purchased here. You’ll have a great evening out, while helping to raise money for CIFF 39.

2) A note about today’s blog post: At various points in both of our careers, Scott and I worked in some form of customer relations. Because of this, we love seeing examples of businesses that go out of their way to provide stellar service, especially in response to a misstep. No one’s perfect; it’s how a business handles a mistake that truly demonstrates the value they place on their customer relationships.

I say all of this because of a recent experience Scott had at Pier W. He asked me if he could share it on the blog. Take it away, Scott.

There was a saying I often heard as a child:

“It’s not your mistakes that define you, but how you deal with those mistakes.”

Most of the time I find sayings like that trite and indefinable in real life, so when I come across an actual example of it I take note.

Amanda and I have been big fans of Pier W for some time. I’d long been interested in going thanks to the billboard that towers over the Shoreway (especially when the modern ad fell off and the awesome old Pier W ad was visible for a few days).

It’s one of the few places around Cleveland where this Jersey boy can get really good seafood. I was hooked after my first sip of lobster bisque at a happy hour.

Add to their food the lakeside location, view of Cleveland’s stunning skyline, an incredible layout (love the glass elevator that goes past a fish tank!), and live pianist tickling ivories with superhero movie theme songs, and you have one of the coolest places in Cleveland.

It should come as no surprise that when it came time to plan Amanda’s birthday dinner, Pier W was at the top of my list.

Unfortunately, a customer service glitch kept our group from having dinner there that evening. Amanda’s birthday still turned out fine, but like all plans gone awry one does feel somewhat hardened to what threw things off. I loved Pier W, and I didn’t want to have a smudge on my opinion of it. But that was the fact of the matter.

Thankfully, that issue will not be what defines Pier W for me. I reached out to the restaurant, and after I explained to General Manager Mark Kawada what happened, he was determined to make sure what went wrong was put right.

Shortly after the start of 2015, Amanda, I, and a small group of friends were able to have that birthday dinner at Pier W.

Iced Seafood Tower, Lobster Pappardelle, Chocolate Mousse Cake

It was an incredible time, and this was thanks to the wonderful customer service of Mr. Kawada and the staff at Pier W. He was determined that one bad experience would not define my view of the restaurant.

His above-and-beyond work paid off. I could not have a higher opinion of Pier W than I do right now. It was a mistake well fixed. (The free glass of champagne that Pier W is giving all of their guests for their 50th anniversary didn’t hurt.)

As grateful as I am to Mr. Kawada, let’s not forget the true star of our dinner at Pier W: Succulent raw oysters, the Iced Seafood Tower, the salty juices of Alaskan Crab Legs, and of course the lobster bisque.

I know Amanda thoroughly enjoyed the Maine lobster pappardelle she ordered. It’s the addition of ingredients like red peppers and French green beans in the pappardelle’s rich cognac sauce that sets Pier W’s dishes above others.

We were all delightfully stuffed, but that didn’t keep us from some delightful dessert. Chocolate mousse cake for myself and refreshing housemade sorbets for Amanda..

I’m thankful Mr. Kawada was able to put Pier W back in my positive thoughts, because the idea of going through life without any of that again makes me very sad.

So that is my delicious illustration of a trite – but important – saying. Pier W has redefined itself to me as not only a fantastic Cleveland dinner spot, but a true believer in excellent customer service.

I can’t wait to go back and recommend the restaurant to anyone looking for a special night of exquisite food and service that matches. If you go during the first 100 days of this year, you’ll also get a free glass of champagne (and flute to take home) in honor of Pier W’s 50th anniversary.

Because I love any chance to pen a limerick, here’s one dedicated to Pier W:

There once was a man who liked seafood,
And desired some that was real good.
So he tried very hard not to drool,
As he looked at the menu of Pier W,
And when there he’s always in a fantastic mood!

Steak from Urban Farmer in downtown Cleveland

It’s been a while, I know. Between work and PlayhouseSquare’s Partners board kicking into high gear, I haven’t had time (or residual energy) to blog here.

That doesn’t mean I haven’t been blogging. I’ve been busy the past couple of months over on PR Newswire’s Beyond Bylines blog.  (If you’re a blogger, feel free to check out a few of my recent blogging tip articles here, here and here.)

All of this has meant a lot of late nights and working through lunch. I’m not complaining, though. Ever since Urban Farmer opened in the Westin attached to my office building, I have a delicious and terribly convenient go-to for a late after-work dinner or happy hour.

Enjoying a summer happy hour at Urban Farmer

Scott and I have worked in the Penton Media Building for eight years and with the exception of the occasional restaurant in the Galleria like Winks, dinner near work usually meant walking to PlayhouseSquare or E4th Street. Especially if we were in the mood for something special.

Although that 15-minute walk isn’t the worst, I sometimes think twice about it when it’s February and a few feet of snow or ice coat the ground.

With Urban Farmer, the trip consists of one elevator ride and a short walk down the hallway into the Westin.

It’s not only the convenience that makes Urban Farmer amazing.

From a blogger dinner a couple months ago to numerous happy hours and lunch meetings, Scott and I have thoroughly enjoyed exploring their menus. Scott even picked Urban Farmer as his birthday splurge for the year — and there were no complaints from me about having to go there again.

Even if you’re not a steak fan, Urban Farmer offers something delicious like this lobster with tomato, avocado, and verjus sorbet

Here are my five favorite picks when I eat there:

For Lunch: The roasted pork bbq sandwich. One of the best sandwiches I’ve had. Wonderful BBQ flavor, juicy. The brussels slaw really complements it.  While I’ve heard wonderful things about their fries from Scott, my recommendation is to go with their salad for your side. Always delicious with seasonal vegetables and quinoa on top.

For Happy Hour: This is my favorite time to go to Urban Farmer. I recommend sitting in the lounge seating instead of at bar. You’ll have table service and still enjoy the happy hour specials.

To drink, try a salted honey beer for $5. This drink is perfect — gin, pilsner, lemon and a honey rim. I wish that it was on their regular dinner drinks menu.

Pair that with: their deviled eggs topped with a large chunk of house bacon and maple; their bangers and mash dish with chicken cherry sausage and potato puree; and the bbq pork shoulder, shrimp and grits. Three fantastic small plates that range in the $5-$7 range.

For a Special Occasion: Go ahead and splurge. Urban Farmer’s steak selection rivals some restaurants’ wine menus. If you can’t make up your mind, go with the New York Steak Tasting (6 oz each of White Oak grass-fed, Creekstone corn-fed and Ohio Proud twenty-one day dry aged).

For the Non-Steak Fan: Although Urban Farmer really shines at steaks, they offer excellent pork, chicken and fish dishes. I actually went with a flounder special for Scott’s birthday and as someone who grew up eating fresh flounder we had just caught off a boat, this dish blew me away. I also love pairing a couple first courses and sides, such as the lobster, tomato, avocado, and verjus sorbet, their prime beef tartare, or creamed spinach gratin.

Save Room for Dessert: I never save room for dessert. Sweets are great, but I’d rather another serving of oysters instead. Not at Urban Farmer. Ever since they served their Great Lakes Barley Custard at the blogger dinner, I’ve been hooked. It’s a mild flavor with an undertone of hops.  And to top it off, a crunchy honeycomb.

Urban Farmer’s Great Lakes Barley Custard

In addition to their food, I love disappearing into Urban Farmer’s beautiful surroundings after a long day. The restaurant designer has created an atmosphere that perfectly encapsulates the Urban Farmer name.

While of course it feels like a posh restaurant you’d find in any city – be it Cleveland, Philly or New York, there are elements that make you instantly comfortable like you’re sitting down to dinner with friends in a warm, comfortable farmhouse.

And although the restaurant isn’t actually that large, it feels huge with at least 4 or 5 interconnected spaces, all a little unique in their decor to one another.

Two of the spaces in Urban Farmer

I love it because there’s a level of familiarity whenever I dine there, but I also feel like I see the restaurant with fresh eyes each time. Which is good, because I plan on dining there a lot.

Urban Farmer is open seven days a week at the Westin in downtown Cleveland. They offer breakfast, lunch, happy hour and dinner Monday-Friday. On the weekends, join them for brunch and dinner.

If you’re looking for a special way to celebrate New Year’s Eve or Day, join them for dinner on the 31st before heading out to your NYE party (dinner will be served til 11pm) or enjoy a hearty brunch on January 1.

Disclosure: I attended a dinner for bloggers a few months ago at Urban Farmer, but have visited the restaurant a few times since to get a feel for the rest of the restaurant and their other dishes. All opinions are 100% my own.

Team Sawyer is turning to the eastside and taking over the space that used to house Sergio’s in University Circle. Inspired by dishes from northern Italy’s Trentino region, the plan is to open by May of this year.

What sets Trentina apart from the team’s other restaurants is that this is the first one they are opening on their own. As they wrote on their Kickstarter project: No outside influences, just us.

Unsurprisingly, Trentina’s Kickstarter  funded at nearly double their original goal, netting $39,583 from 206 backers.

Disclosure: I contributed to the Kickstarter because I think it’s a great idea for a restaurant and, as someone in the process of launching a comics label with my husband, appreciate the desire to have something that’s yours.

In addition to helping raise funds for Trentina, the Kickstarter was an excellent way to include the community in the restaurant’s creation.

Although the Kickstarter may be over, you have another way to contribute to Trentina thanks to their partnership with MOCA Cleveland.

A visit to one of MOCA’s Family Nights sparked an idea for the design of Trentina. As Amelia writes on Chef’s Widow, “What if our community built an art installation that could be viewed year round at the restaurant?”

Through April 12, visit Cleveland’s Museum of Contemporary Art for INTERMISSION: Community Chandelier Project where you can help build the chandelier that will hang in Trentina.

Scott and I recently dropped by MOCA’s free first floor to add beads to the wire strings that will construct the chandelier.

When the chandelier is complete, color beads will represent the entire community who came out to show their support. A plaque will hang in the restaurant detailing the community’s effort and the history behind the project.

The Trentina chandelier project will continue through April 12 during the museum’s hours:Tuesday-Sunday, 11–5 pm; open until 9 pm Thursdays; and closed Mondays. MOCA staff confirmed late last week that the only date the project won’t be available is March 28.

While you’re at MOCA, take some time to also explore the museum’s current exhibits and upcoming events.

The 2 exhibits at MOCA through June 8 are DIRGE: Reflections on [Life and] Death and Sara VanDerBeek’s solo show looking at Cleveland’s landscape and the changes it’s undergoing. A list of the museum’s other programming, including lectures, performances, and hands-on activities, can be found here.

Admission to the museum is free for MOCA Cleveland members and children 5 and under. General Admission is $8 ($6 Ages 65+, $5  Students with valid ID).

The first Saturday of the month is free for everyone and features special programming. The next one on April 5 includes a 15 minute Target Talk, led by museum staff who share their personal reflections on the exhibits, ArtSquad activities for families with kids 10 and under, and a free bookbinding workshop offered by the Cleveland Institute of Art. And, of course, Trentina’s community chandelier and other projects on the first floor are always free.

Photo tweeted by @sos_jr at last night’s Ohio Blogging Meetup

There were only a few things that would make me venture out of the house into yesterday’s snow storm. Dinner at The Oak Barrel was one of those things, especially for Ohio Blogging’s latest meetup.

When I looked out my office window halfway through the day and saw the snow pelting downtown, I was second-guessing this decision. However, Scott and I actually lucked out after leaving around 5:30. It had stopped snowing and the roads were clear.

We were rewarded for this decision by a delicious dinner and good company.

At the recommendation of pretty much everyone at our table, I ordered Chef Demetrios’ Dr. Pepper Braised Pork Shank. I was *this close* to ordering my usual go-to of mac and cheese or steak, especially because the bacon-wrapped tenderloin with bleu cheese whipped potatoes and duck confit mac and cheese sounded so good.

Dr. Pepper Braised Pork Shank from The Oak Barrel

However, I’m glad I went with the ultra-tender pork shank. Sitting atop garlic mashed potatoes, the juices from the meat and the sweet-and-spicy soy chile jam saturated the potatoes. A hearty serving of succulence, it was well-worth the under-$20 price. Even better on my wallet, we took advantage of The Oak Barrel’s Wine Wednesdays with a half-priced bottle of Sauvignon Blanc.

Because of the weather, our meetup group was smaller than usual. However, this allowed for more indepth conversations with people I don’t always get to see like Stuart and Julie Smith from sosAssociates.com and Valerie from Motherhood in Progress.

Before I get to my round-up of last night’s bloggers, I want to share 52 Weeks of Cleveland’s remembrance of Sean Kilbane, co-owner of Happy Dog. Over the weekend, Cleveland lost someone who was not just doing great work within the local restaurant, bar and music community, but had made an impact on individuals and groups like Secondhand Mutts with his constant generosity and friendliness. Hot Dogs, Frostie’s, and Pinball is a beautiful reflection.

What I learned from the bloggers at Ohio Blogging’s Oak Barrel Roundtable

1) Last month, the Cleveland Public Library opened up their new TechCentral MakerSplace. Anyone with a library card can now access laser engraving, 3D printing, photography, videography and graphic design technology. sosAssociates.com was at the TechCentral MakerSpace’s grand opening and has more information about this great addition.

2) Although Scott and I love our two full-of-personality cats, I do occasionally worry about how we’ll need to prepare Chloe and Cupcake when Scott and I adopt children. Fortunately, Motherhood in Progress shares some very good tips about how to get your cat ready before and after a baby’s arrival from her own recent experiences.

3) East and West sides met last Saturday for Believe in CLE’s yoga event at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Nearly 800 yogis took over the museum’s beautiful atrium, and Poise in Parma was invited to assist the class. Read her recap on the mat: #believeinCLE at the Cleveland Museum of Art.

4) The Cleveland Institute of Music and Severance Hall have joined forces to showcase the young talent of the CIM Orchestra in one of Cleveland’s most stunning spaces. WhyCLE? is hosting a CIM@Severance giveaway. Enter to win two tickets to their concert on February 12.

Stay up-to-speed on the next Ohio Blogging meetup at facebook.com/ohblogging.

It’s time to bust out the noisemakers and confetti. 2013 is days away from taking its final bow. How are you planning on celebrating New Year’s Eve?

If you don’t have plans yet, try one of these three parties in downtown Cleveland:

Society Lounge’s New Year’s Eve

Scott and I recently made our first trip to Society Lounge on E4th, and as we learned at their Repeal Day party, they know how to throw one classy celebration. Fine cocktails, music, a beautifully nostalgic setting. If you want to reminisce about the past while celebrating the future, join them on December 31. Lounge singer Phil Turk will be performing from 10:30pm to 1:30am, accompanied by a champagne toast at midnight. General tickets are no longer available; however, you can pick up $75 VIP tickets which include your own private table and a bottle of champagne for every two tickets purchased. See the flyer below for more information and call 216-781-9050 for tickets.

New Year’s Eve at Pura Vida

Dinner reservations are available at Public Square’s Pura Vida from 4 til 10pm. After 10, a house party takes over. Party with Pura Vida and enjoy appetizers, an open bar, a DJ, champagne toast at midnight and breakfast buffet at 1am. Tickets are $100 if you have a dinner reservation earlier in the evening ($125 if you aren’t dining before the party). VIP lounges with bottle service and a personal host are also available. Reservations are required; email Katie@puravidabybrandt.com and see their flyer below for more information.

Cleveland Rocks New Year’s Eve on Public Square

Of course, the biggest party in downtown Cleveland will be Cleveland Rocks New Year’s Eve on Public Square. With special guest Drew Carey, Ohio Homecoming will bring more than 15 food trucks, local DJs, and electronic dance music group Krewella to Public Square for this outdoor NYE festival. The event will also feature live ice sculpting, a beer garden, fireworks and a countdown at midnight. This free celebration starts at 6 p.m. on December 31 and leads up to midnight. A portion of the evening’s proceeds will go to Ohio Homecoming’s Village Project. Learn more at www.ohiohomecoming.com (click on ‘Events’).

If you can’t make it downtown for NYE, there are parties going on throughout the Cleveland area. Check out WhyCLE and Anchored in CLE for more New Year’s Eve ideas.

Disclosure: Ohio Homecoming emailed me about blogging about Cleveland Rocks New Year’s Eve after I had already decided to write this post. The choice to blog about these three events is 100% my own.

Society Lounge was hopping with people dressed to the nines in honor of Repeal Day

When Society Lounge opened a short walk from my office, I badly wanted to go. However, with most of our post-work meetings happening on the other side of downtown and the now-6 degree weather keeping me from wanting to walk anywhere, I hadn’t had a chance to get there yet.

Well, I can’t think of any better reason to go than to celebrate Repeal Day.

When I opened my mailbox last month to find a glittery art-deco-inspired invitation to their Repeal Day party, Scott and I dug out our “finest” pearls and top hat to raise a glass in honor of the 80th anniversary of Prohibition’s end.  Make that four glasses because the cocktails were that good.

Love this mural splashed along the wall when you walk into Society Lounge

So we found ourselves on E4th last Thursday in front of Society Lounge’s velvet ropes, frosted glass door and doorman. If anyone’s watching Mob City right now, it reminded me a bit of the old, glitzy night clubs featured in TNT’s new series. The front entrance has a flair for the dramatic, which gets you in the mood for what awaits at the bottom of their staircase.

As the hostess took our coats and opened the door to the lounge, we were immediately enveloped by its nostalgic glamour. Low lighting and dark colors. Rich, plush couches and chairs. A large, beautiful bar as the centerpiece.

Combine excellent ingredients and handmade syrups with the bartenders’ attention to detail and flourish, and Society Lounge has a recipe for success

And why shouldn’t the bar be the centerpiece? Because behind it stood a small army of skilled bartenders.

The event’s menu featured drinks from the Prohibition era. Popular classics like the Old-Fashioned and French 75 were served up, along with El Presidente (which is very fun to say after a couple of drinks), Monkey Gland, and Scofflaw.

Fitting for a Repeal Day party, the menu had both pre- and post-Prohibition Old-Fashioneds. Although I’m happy I tried the pre-Prohibition’s rye, sugar cube and bitters recipe, I’ll take the dressed up Old-Fashioned I know and love.

Our first drinks of the evening at Society Lounge, a French 75 and Monkey Gland

The Scofflaw, though, was far-and-away my favorite of the evening.

Thankfully, the menu shed some history on this new-to-me drink. When anti-saloon members held a contest to come up with the best word to shame Volstead Act violators, boozlag, hooch-snipper, and law-loose-liquor-lover were only a few of the 25,000 entries that poured in. However, scofflaw beat them all out, and in doing so birthed a new cocktail at Harry’s New York Bar in Paris.

Made of rye whiskey, dry vermouth, lemon juice, and Society’s house grenadine, what I loved about this drink was how unexpectedly smooth it was. Although there was that delicious, sharp bite of rye, the sweetness balanced it out and made it a very too easy cocktail to drink.

Maybe the Prohibitionists were right — being a scofflaw leads to this.

The bartenders’ attention to detail combined with the fresh-squeezed juices and made-from-scratch syrups made each drink a work of art. Sadly, they were fleeting masterpieces since we sipped them up quickly.

Society Lounge’s full menu is organized by type of alcohol, so whether you prefer vodka, gin, whiskey, brandy, rum, tequila, or all of the above, you’ll quickly find a cocktail to your liking, as well as tapas to go with them.

They even offer a Temperance Menu if you want to take in the experience minus the booze. WhyCLE and baby-WhyCLE celebrated Repeal Day with The Buzz (local honey, grapefruit, and orange water) and The Brown Cow (house-made root beer syrup, heavy cream, and soda water).

Jen was kind enough to let me taste both and although I loved the strong taste of honey in The Buzz, I would go back to order The Brown Cow. How can you say no to a rootbeer float minus the ice cream headache?

A swing band and dancers added to Society Lounge’s nostalgia

The swing band, dancers, and a champagne toast were the final touches for the perfect Repeal Day party.

I’m not ready to give up modern comforts (or, you know, medical advances) to go back in time to the 1930s; however, an after-work trip to Society Lounge is perfect for a quick fix.

Society Lounge is open Monday through Saturday at 5pm. Check out their entertainment calendar to see who’s performing. Upcoming events include piano players, jazz singers, and swing bands. They also are offering some great music and champagne toast specials for New Year’s Eve. Call 216.781.9050 to purchase tickets for this limited capacity event.

Disclosure: I was invited to attend Society Lounge’s Repeal Day party with a guest. My opinions are 100% my own.

Grab a seat at the Katz Club counter for a better diner experience

Growing up in South Jersey, the classic diner was a way of life for Scott, and while attending college in Philly, they quickly became my primary source of food throughout the week.

Pulling up a stool at the counter for some quick breakfast or grabbing a corner table for midnight dinner with friends — there are few restaurant experiences that instill comfort in me the way a diner does.

Since moving to Cleveland, I’ve missed the Llanerch, Melrose and Harvest diners of the old days. Fortunately, the Katz Club Diner in Cleveland Heights has come to my rescue.

Located in the old Dottie’s space, Katz Club Diner embraces the roots of the two classic Pullman diner cars it calls home. The cars, which originally came here from Pennsylvania and New Jersey, house a 48-seat diner, a quick service carry-out coffee and bake shop, and a late-night bar car offering craft cocktails, beer, wine, spirits, and appetizers.

Inside the vintage Katz Club diner car

Every detail inside the diner cars is perfect: The sleek silver of the outside. The retro-lettering of the Katz Club sign. The vintage train and cityscape photos of Cleveland embedded above the luncheonette counter. Updated (and infinitely more comfortable) versions of classic diner chairs. And a small semi-private seating area in the car’s front alcove.

Stepping inside the Katz Club Diner is like being instantly transported from Cleveland Heights to South Philly.

The classic diner design is complemented by its menu items. Matzah Ball Soup perfect for a rainy winter day; an incredibly succulent mushroom, bacon, swiss burger on a buttery housemade bun; and cold meatloaf sandwiches like my mom makes are tasty fare.

Memories of those dishes are making my mouth water as I type; however, I think my favorite dish I’ve tried so far is the pan-fried chicken with tomato-mushroom spaghetti casserole. Normally I don’t gravitate to chicken dishes, but the spaghetti casserole sounded too good to pass up. I’m glad I was right.

Pan-fried chicken and tomato-mushroom spaghetti casserole at Katz Club Diner

The thin chicken fillet is lightly seasoned and crispy around the edges. It’s paired with homestyle spaghetti tightly wound with fresh and juicy mushrooms and topped with cheese. On their own, each was fine, but I recommend mixing bites of spaghetti and chicken together.

As I sat there eating it, Scott commented on the huge grin that had spread across my face. The combination of everything on my plate and the way you had to disassemble the spaghetti casserole struck me as something that would have been my favorite dish as a kid.

And that’s what I love about Katz Club Diner. It’s unpretentious comfort food and childhood favorites made from scratch with local ingredients and great skill — whether that means baking all of the buns and pastry counter items or curing the bacon and corned beef in house. You can read about some of the local farms they source their ingredients from on the Katz Club blog.

This attention to their craft includes their coffee. You won’t find burnt, instant-heartburn-inducing coffee at Katz. The coffee and espresso come from local small-batch provider Rising Star Coffee Roasters. And it’s made by the diner’s well-trained barista staff. French press, latte, cappuccino, iced – you can find your caffeine fix at Katz.

Rising Star Coffee’s Andre adds a filter as he prepares for a coffee pourover at Katz Club Diner

A few weeks ago I was invited to the Katz Club for a demonstration of the pourover technique they offer. It’s a manual brewing process from Japan. Katz’s coffee counter manager Theresa and Rising Star’s Andre walked us through the process.

It involved a thick, hand-folded filter, precise temperatures and timing, followed by a carefully observed pour of water over the coffee. In addition to being a lot of fun to do (watching the coffee “bloom” was very cool), the end result was worth the work.

Coffee blooms at the Katz Club Diner’s pourover station

As a tea-drinker, I preferred the cup of pourover coffee over standard brewing. The thick filter went a long way to producing a cleaner, smoother texture similar to a cup of tea. This in turn brought out more intense flavors from the coffee. We tried Panama and Nicaraguan beans; the flowery Panama was my favorite.

You can learn more about pourovers and other techniques by attending Katz Club’s new brewing workshops – the first is on Saturday, November 16th at 2:00pm.  Contact information to learn more can be found here.

Whatever you choose from Katz Club’s coffee counter, add a pastry or other sweet treat.

Regardless of the brewing method you prefer, make it better by pairing it with a fresh pastry, cake or pie from the coffee counter. I’m partial to their much-improved take on the frosted pop tart, while Scott – an Oreo-addict – loved their oversized, Halloween-themed cookie sandwiches.

If salty is more your style, try Katz’s $5 On-the-Go Breakfast Special. Enjoy a 12 oz. cup of Rising Star with house-cured bacon, farm eggs and cheddar on a housemade english muffin. While it makes an excellent breakfast, you can pick the special up all day, just like the diner’s other breakfast items.

Although some people may raise an eyebrow at making the hour drive from Avon Lake to Cleveland Heights for a cup of coffee and food; the distance to the Katz Club Diner is much shorter than driving to Philly, and I get an even better diner experience.

Disclosure: I was invited to Katz Club’s blogger pourover demonstration, where I received a few cups of coffee and dinner. I also received a gift card to use in the future. My other dining experiences were at my own cost. All opinions are 100% my own.

Guest blogger: www.DogsintheCLE.com

First of all, I want to thank Amanda for letting me guest post on her blog. As a blogging newbie I am excited to be featured on her blog – one of my favorites to read to find out what’s going on the CLE.

One of the reasons I started blogging about dog-friendly places in Cleveland was to find more places I could take my dog. Before I got a dog I had no idea the guilt that I would feel leaving him for long periods of time. Lucky for me I have discovered there’s enough dog-friendly places in Cleveland that it’s possible to spend your day with your dog and still get out and enjoy the city.

Cleveland parks are among the most dog-friendly in Ohio, bars and patios spread across the city welcome dogs, and tons of local businesses cater to the dog-loving crowd. Here’s my rundown of how to spend a day with your dog from sunrise to sunset and still get everything you need to do accomplished:

Pomerian-about-town Hunter and his buddy Sampson enjoy brunch at Luxe

BREAKFAST/BRUNCH

Any weekend or day off should start with brunch, at least in my opinion. There are lots of great patios to take your dog, but for an everyday dog-friendly brunch, you can’t do better than Lucky’s. This is one of my favorite brunch spots in Cleveland, and the casual patio is great for hanging out with your dog. It does get crowded on weekends, so your best bet is to go early or on a weekday. If you’re spending the day with your dog on a Sunday, Luxe and Rocky River Wine Bar, two of the best patios on the west side, also hold dog-friendly brunches.

SHOPPING

Have some shopping to do but don’t want to leave your dog at home? Bring a friend along and hit up Crocker Park with your dog. The outdoor shopping complex welcomes dogs, providing a “Fido Station” with bags to clean up after your dog. Although I’ve heard that you can bring your dog into some stores if they’re in a bag or carrier, if you do plan to do more than window shop, you may want to bring a friend to hang out with your dog. There are a lot of outside seating areas to hang out, and Aladdin’s and Chipotle will allow you to eat on their patios with your dog.

If you need to get some grocery shopping done, you can make a stop at one of the local farmer’s markets with your dog. The Downtown Farmers Market in Public Square, Gordon Square Farmers’ Market and Tremont Farmers’ Market are all dog friendly. Tremont Farmers’ Market, held on Tuesdays, also hosts many dog-related vendors and holds a Dog Daze of Summer event featuring speakers and dog demos.

Crocker Park makes it easy for shopping dog-owners to pick up after their pup

EXERCISE

Hate to leave your dog at home when you go to the gym? Thank Dog Bootcamp is a dog-friendly workout option held on Wednesday and Thursday evenings and Saturday and Sunday mornings either at South Chagrin Reservation or Beachwood City Park. In the winter months, they move indoors. My dog and I tried this recently and loved it! It was great to be able to work out with my dog. The boot camp also focuses on dog obedience, so it’s a great way to work on training your dog as well.

DINNER

On the west side some of my favorite dog friendly dining spots are Nano Brew in Ohio City and Clifton Martini and Wine Bar in Lakewood. Not only is the food delicious at both places, but the patios are large enough to feel comfortable hanging out with your dog while you eat. For a list of dog friendly patios check out: http://www.dogsinthecle.com/#!patios-bars/c1c2t

Disclaimer: Since I live on the west side, this dog day is very west-side focused. But don’t worry, if you’re an eastsider there’s still plenty of dog-friendly things to do. Some of the best spots for eastsiders to spend the day with their dog – Holden Arboretum, Fairport Harbor for swimming and Legacy Village for shopping.

Ann McDonald blogs at www.dogsinthecle.com. At the age of 14 she was finally successful in convincing her parents to get a dog (a crazy beagle named Daisy) and it’s been a love affair ever since. When she’s not checking out dog-friendly spots with her curious and social Pomeranian, Hunter, she can be found planning trips she can’t afford and thinking about what she is going to eat next.

Because this week’s a little crazy, Scott stepped in to blog about it. With his love of meat, I think it was the perfect match! Remember to also enter my Dishcrawl’s Neighborfood giveaway.

Scott at a Greenhouse Tavern patio party and pig roast

Oh, Cleveland, how much do I love meat?  That’s not a rhetorical question, start guessing!

See, I’ve always been a fan of meat. But if you’ve ever had the “privilege” of dining with me (quotation marks added by Amanda for sake of accuracy), you’ll know my past preference for carnivorous cuts was far from adventurous.

My orders of steaks, burgers, ribs, fillets, and others were always safe, straightforward, and plain.

Cleveland, you’ve shown me the better path.

It wasn’t until moving out to the wonderful North Coast that I began trying – and enjoying – a larger variety of styles and preparations of meat.

“It’s just ground up and raw beef with an egg in the middle? Sure, I mean, it must be – oh my! This is good!”

“This is a bowl of sliced and fried pig ear, you say? Sure, I mean, it wouldn’t be served if it wasn’t – wow! Where has this been all my life?”

Greenhouse Tavern’s BBQ Half Pigface

During my time here one of my personal prophets for “Food I Should Have Been Eating” has been Chef Jonathon Sawyer and the sanctuary that is The Greenhouse Tavern.

You don’t think just anyone could get me to eat part of a pig’s face, do you?

From that first nibble on their rooftop patio to splitting an entire order with Amanda for her birthday, I now daydream about the next time I will be able to enjoy their BBQ Half Pigface. It’s a divine treat far beyond what I would have ever tried eating a decade ago.

Because of this you’ll understand I was quite excited when I learned one of my own food prophets would be hosting The Prophets of Smoked Meat Dinner & Book Signing on June 18.

Author Daniel Vaughn’s book – The Prophets of Smoked Meat: A Journey Through Texas Barbecue – has me salivating from the cover alone.

The debut title in the Anthony Bourdain Books line, it’s a comprehensive guide to all styles of Texas BBQ including recipes, photos and tales from the road.

The Prophets of Smoked Meat: A Journey Through Texas Barbecue    by Daniel Vaughn

Chef Brian Goodman from Team GHT and Noodlecat will also be at the dinner, and since the menu already features The Greenhouse Tavern’s BBQ Half Pigface along with a Whole Roasted Ohio CAB’s Head, I can’t wait!

The dinner goes from 6pm to 9pm and tickets are $85: eventbrite.com/event/6869311295. Your ticket purchase not only includes dinner with Daniel Vaughn, but you also get a signed copy of his book.

And here’s your chance to win 2 tickets to
The Prophet of Smoked Meat Dinner & Book Signing!

How to enter: Do one, some, or all five of the entries. A separate comment is needed for each.

5 Easy Ways to Enter the Giveaway
**You must leave a separate comment on this post for each entry**

1) Mandatory Entry: Check out Greenhouse Tavern’s menu and leave a comment with the item you love or want to try most.

2) Follow @thegreenhouse and @ADHicken on Twitter and leave a comment on this post telling me you did.

3) If you’re a fan of Clue Into Cleveland on Facebook, leave a comment on this blog post letting me know. If you’re not yet a fan, you can become one here.

4) Tweet the following and leave a comment letting me know you tweeted:

I want to meat and eat @TheGreenhouse’s Prophets of Smoked Meat Dinner. Enter @ADHicken’s giveaway to win 2 tickets: http://wp.me/p2Ukr0-258

You can tweet once per day for additional entries. Just leave a separate comment each time you tweet.

5) Subscribe to Clue Into Cleveland via a feed tracker like Bloglovin’ or Feedly and leave a comment letting me know you did. This can also include signing up to receive email notifications in the top-right “Subscribe” section of this page.

You have until June 13 at 11:59PM to enter. On June 14, we will select a winner using Random.org and will announce the winner’s name on Clue Into Cleveland. Remember to leave a separate comment for each entry – good luck!

**You can also enter Poise in Parma’s giveaway for more chances to win!**

Disclosure: I was invited to attend this event and give away 2 tickets on my blog. My opinions and the choice to post about this event are my own. Book cover photo from facebook.com/thegreenhousetavern.

“Virginia is for Bowlers” and other lessons learned on our Eastcoast roadtrip

11 days, 900 miles, and too many guest beds/couches/air mattresses to count.

To celebrate the start of summer and a few family milestones, Scott and I packed up the car last week and began the Great DiGiandomenico-Hicken Roadtrip of 2013.

As much as I love the home we’ve built in Cleveland, it had been a while since we reconnected with family, friends, and the places we came from.

With Scott’s parents celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary and my sister celebrating her birthday last week, we figured the timing was perfect for this kind of trip.

So off we went to our first stop – Culpeper, Virginia, where my sister lives.

Cedar Fair’s Kings Dominion, one of our stops while in Virginia

This historic town is a fun place to getaway. I love downtown Culpeper, where you can find a tea room, many antique, wine and olive oil shops, and a new performing arts space. Civil War buffs will also love the area’s driving and walking tours.

Cafes, a local farmers market, and laidback BBQ restaurants make for good eating.  Plus, Culpeper is home to Virginia’s only legal moonshine distillery – Stillhouse Distillery at Belmont Farms.

However, I think one of the nicest things about Culpeper is its proximity to a lot of other great attractions in the region. And for this year’s visit, we decided to take advantage of that with a daytrip to Kings Dominion.

The Eiffel Tower – a classic Kings Dominion attraction and Intimidator 305 – their newest coaster

Before my love affair with Cedar Point began, there was Kings Dominion. This was back when I was a kid and it was owned by Paramount featuring plenty of Hanna-Barbera goodness like Smurf Mountain and Yogi Bear’s Cave.

Now its owned by Cedar Fair so those Platinum Passes we have to Cedar Point come in very handy when we visit Virginia.

Although the park has changed a lot, it was great getting some ridetime on the very first rollercoasters I ever rode, as well as a new-to-me coaster – Intimidator 305.  This coaster-ode to Dale Earnhardt gave Millennium Force a definite run for its money. And it’s soft over-the-shoulder restraints could be put to good use on other rollicking rides like Maverick.

Nothing calms me as much as this view from my parents’ porch

After a busy day at the park, Scott and I were off to the Northern Neck to unwind with my parents for a few days.

There is nothing as calming as sitting on my parents’ porch and taking in their view of the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay. I love being able to just disconnect and recharge.

My parents know me well, though, and we weren’t sitting around for too long.

Glassblowing demonstration at the Jamestown Glasshouse in Virginia

Knowing my love of the Glass Bubble Project in Ohio City, they took me to the historic Jamestown Glasshouse. In addition to preserving the remains of the original glasshouse, the National Park Service has created a replica and produce unique glass products there every day.

We watched them blow beautiful cobalt vases and bought a handblown double cruet for our dining room.

Celebrating Gabbie’s birthday with Iron Man 3 and bowling at Splitsville.

Of course, the real reason we were in Virginia was to celebrate my sister’s birthday. I can’t really call Gabbie my little sister, because for as long as I can remember she was one of those sisters who always looked out for you even though she’s younger. One of the most loyal, unselfish people I know.

I don’t get to Virginia often for her birthday. But after the fun we had during her movie-and-bowling-birthday-day, I think I’ll be back each year for it!

A quick breakfast the next morning and we were Philly and New Jersey bound.  A layover in Philly gave us a really wonderful day of catching up with college friends over dinner and wandering around the city.

A highlight of our trip was reconnecting with our theatre roots.

Before I got involved with PlayhouseSquare Partners, I honed my love for theatre in Philly – first at La Salle University’s Dan Rodden Theatre, then in the Marketing department at Walnut Street Theatre.

Clockwise: La Salle University Campus, Walnut Street Theatre, and Llanerch Diner filled with memories from our theatre days in Philly

I loved being able to visit La Salle’s campus and see my former colleagues at the Walnut where I was welcomed with my old nickname “A-Bomb”. Scott and I even grabbed lunch at the Llanerch Diner, which was our post-rehearsal, middle-of-the-night dinner spot in college – back before it was featured in Silver Linings Playbook.

A walk down South Street gave me a chance to pick up a couple comic books from Atomic City Comics where my love of comics was rekindled years ago and try out Brauhaus Schmitz – a fantastic German bierhall and restaurant.

Delicious smoked trout sandwich, spaetzle and Freigeist Gose at Philadelphia’s Brauhaus Schmitz

We ended our trip in New Jersey to celebrate Scott’s parents’ 40th anniversary. I’m very lucky to have Bob and Betty Hicken as my in-laws. Not just because they’ve always been fantastic to me, but also because they set such a great example of marriage for Scott.

In honor of their anniversary, Scott and his sister Laura surprised them with a dinner at The Red Lion Inn, where Scott’s parents and grandparents both dated.

As we sat at dinner, I thought about how excited I am for his parents and grandmother to move out to Cleveland soon. Because no matter how much fun we had at the different places we visited during our vacation, it’s the people – our parents, sisters, friends – that made this trip so great.

And we’d have fun with them wherever we are.

The DiGiandomenico and Hicken families