Enter to win a Cleveland Bike Tour for you and 11 friends

With my last two “fun in the Cleveland sun” giveaways, we’ve checked out upcoming concerts and gone to the beach. This next one is for the active Clevelander:

I hide indoors during the winter. So once the sun starts shining and temperatures rise, I like to get outside as much as possible: dragging Scott on walks, taking a swim at our pool, and – after last year’s bike tour of downtown CLE – hopping on a bike.

Biking used to make me nervous; I had one too many falls growing up. But when the Ohio Blogging Association went on a bike tour, Anne Smith of Cleveland Bike Tours not just taught us a lot about the city, but was also incredibly patient in getting newbies like me comfortable with biking. (My recap of the downtown Cleveland bike tour)

Anne Smith of Cleveland Bike Tours leading a downtown Cleveland tour

Anne’s Cleveland Bike Tours company has been around for a couple of years. If you’re on Twitter, you may know her as @BikeCLE.

A boomerang who grew up here and eventually moved back, Anne shares her love for CLE by taking Clevelanders and tourists on tours of downtown, the east and the westsides:

The Ohio City bike tour takes riders throughout Cleveland’s artisan neighborhood. It starts and ends at the Glass Bubble Project with other stops at the Westside Market, Franklin Castle, Great Lakes Brewing, community gardens, Franklin Circle Church, Monroe Street Cemetery and more. Visit gltc.eventbrite.com for more details and specific dates.

Cleveland Bike Tours stops at the Fountain of Eternal Life Cleveland War Memorial

On the Downtown Cleveland bike tour, explore the city’s historic districts. Stops include the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, PlayhouseSquare, Public Square, the Old Stone Church, Progressive Field, Erie Street Cemetery, and the Great Lakes Science Center. Visit gltc.eventbrite.com for more details and specific dates.

Cleveland’s cultural center is the heart of the University Circle bike tour. The basic tour rides by museums, through Little Italy and Case Western Reserve University. An extended tour also includes a ride along Cleveland’s cultural gardens and a visit to the Rockefeller Greenhouse. While Ohio City and Downtown are suitable for riders of all levels, University Circle is slightly more difficult. Call (330) 532 – 8687 for details and reservations.

Bike rentals are available to take on CVNP’s Bike Aboard and the Towpath

Everything is included in the price of the tour ($40) – bikes, baskets, bells, helmets, and water.  Cleveland Bike Tours also handles non-tour bike rentals that you can take on Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad’s Bike Aboard and the Towpath.

For my last summer fun giveaway, I’m giving away one bike tour for up to 12 people. The winner can choose from the Ohio City, Downtown or University Circle tours and be joined by 11 of their friends or family. (Other details about the tour: Expires October 31, 2013. Must give 48 hours notice. Valid only on the weekend. Must use the whole gift certificate at once. You can not split tours.)

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) Leave a comment with which neighborhood you’d like to tour. If you win, you can still choose to attend a different tour.

2) Follow @BikeCLE and @ADHicken on Twitter and leave one comment on this post telling me you did both.

3) If you’re a fan of Clue Into Cleveland on Facebook, leave one 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 one comment letting me know you tweeted:

“I want to @bikeCLE! Enter @ADHicken’s giveaway to win a #Cleveland bike tour for you and 11 friends: http://wp.me/p2Ukr0-28h”

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 one 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 July 17 at 11:59PM to enter. On July 18, I will select a winner using Random.org and announce the winner’s name on Clue Into Cleveland. Remember to leave a separate comment for each entry – good luck!

Disclosure: Photos courtesy of Cleveland Bike Tours. In exchange for posting about these tours and hosting a giveaway, I was invited to attend a tour. My choice to host this giveaway and opinions of Cleveland Bike Tours are my own.

Mushroom and Leek Cake at Cleveland Museum of Art’s Provenance

With the expansion of the East Wing, the renovation of the 1916 galleries, and the addition of the beautiful Ames Atrium, the Cleveland Museum of Art has been elevated in recent years from a revered cultural institution to a work of art itself.

To complement the stunning renovation, the Museum has also rolled out community programming like its interactive, 12,000-square-foot Gallery One and monthly MIX Nights.

It was hard to think of anything that could make the Cleveland Museum of Art even better, until Provenance opened at the end of 2012.

Provenance at the Cleveland Museum of Art features a 3-part dining experience: a moderately-priced open-kitchen Cafe, Catering by Provenance, and a 76-seat fine dining restaurant and lounge.

The bar and lounge at Provenance

Through a partnership with Bon Appetit Management Company and Fire’s Chef Douglas Katz, the Cleveland Museum of Art has created a menu of locally-sourced, globally-inspired options for visitors.

After recent trips to the museum and nearby Botanical Garden, I’ve enjoyed grabbing quick bites at the Cafe. (My recommendation: try a claybread sandwich with lamb, hummus, eggplant, cabbage, and yoghurt sauce.)

But I hadn’t had a chance to try the restaurant until a few weeks ago. And lately I’ve been making up for lost time.

Left to Right: The ladies at Bloggers Night; Cured Meats and Cheeses; Scallops

Our first visit came earlier this month when Scott and I were invited to blogger night at Provenance. There we joined Cleveland’s a Plum, WhyCLE, Eat*Drink*Cleveland, The Dawg’s Dish and All Lacquered Up for a few drinks and some delicious bites.

We started with a selection of cured meats and cheeses, an excellent warm-up for the dishes that were to come.

Provenance’s Chef Partner Douglas Katz and Executive Chef Matthew Jankowski

As Chef Katz came out to introduce Executive Chef Matthew Jankowski, they brought with them a sampling of their talents: succulent, seared scallops; a mushroom and leek cake; and the winner of the night in my books – fingerling potato topped with shaved duck.

A finely-made Manhattan and their Thyme and Ginger cocktail had me equally impressed with Provenance’s drinks menu. The refreshing Thyme and Ginger will be especially welcome as we head into summer.

Provenance Manhattan

I was excited to learn during the blogger night that Provenance is open for brunch every Sunday in addition to lunch and dinner throughout the week.

So Scott and I checked out brunch at the museum this weekend. Spoiler: It was just as delicious!

Provenance’s brunch menu elevates traditional breakfast dishes like eggs and french toast with fresh, seasonal ingredients such as sweet onions, confit tomato and leek salad, and roasted garlic aioli.

Ranging in price from $16-$22, each entree also comes with a bounty of treats from the Chef’s Table.

A sampling from the Chef’s Table at Provenance Brunch

With buttery croissants, sweet blueberry scones and cinnamon rolls, house-made jams, and a fluffy gruyere biscuit, it was difficult to avoid filling up before our main course.

But with a Lump Crab Quiche and the Provenance Benedict on their way, we managed to save room.

In addition to camembert, caramelized onions and a herb custard, the quiche featured large chunks of fresh crab meat. It was paired with a shaved fennel and citrus salad.

Lump Crab Quiche at Cleveland Museum of Art Brunch

I’m not a huge fennel fan, but I loved how the fruit slices and citrus flavor balanced it out.

Scott has somehow gone 30 years without trying eggs benedict, but the herb-roasted trout that accompanies the Provenance Benedict called out to him.

I snuck a couple bites and really enjoyed the crisped texture and slightly smoked taste of the trout combined with the rich poached egg. And the colorful carrot salad that came on the side featured the absolute freshest-tasting carrots.

Provenance Benedict at Cleveland Museum of Art’s Brunch

Whether it’s brunch, lunch or dinner, the Cleveland Museum of Art, Chef Katz, and Bon Appetit have achieved a culinary masterpiece.

And I’m giving away a chance to indulge with a $100 gift certificate to Provenance!

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

1) Leave a comment telling me what’s your favorite part about the Cleveland Museum of Art.

2) Follow @ClevelandArt 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: “I want to enjoy fine art and dining @ClevelandArt’s Provenance. Enter @ADHicken’s giveaway for a $100 gift card: http://wp.me/p2Ukr0-223” Get an extra entry each day for tweeting! (Each day you do this, you must leave a new comment.)

5) Subscribe to receive Clue Into Cleveland blog posts in your inbox or feed reader like 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 this Friday, May 17 at Noon to enter. I will select a winner using Random.org and announce the winner’s name that afternoon on my blog. Remember to leave a separate comment for each entry – good luck!

Disclosure: I was invited to attend a blogger night at Provenance with a guest and provided a $100 gift certificate to give away on my blog. My opinions about this visit as well as brunch are 100% my own.

It’s no secret, Scott and I spend a lot of time together. A LOT.

We carpool and work together. We share most of our hobbies like model train and comics collecting. And in what I think may test both our patience, we’re starting to write a comic book together.

Not to say everything’s the same (he has his vintage video game collection and he puts up with my hockey obsession). But for all the fun we have together, Scott married a worrier. And sometimes I worry we’re going to fall into a rut.

Although I know it’s unwarranted. we decided to mix things up last weekend by declaring Saturday ‘Cleveland Date-rday’ with a cross-town date of our favorite things in our favorite city.

At Alex Bistro, getting a night-cap after Date-rday

With the cold weather breaking (finally!), Scott and I were excited to start our days again with a walk to the lake. One of the reasons we decided to move to Avon Lake was being two blocks from Lake Erie. With views like this, how couldn’t we?

Lake Erie last summer in Avon Lake

It was then off to the eastside for the Cleveland Botanical Garden’s Big Spring. The birds and the bees will put a spring in anyone’s step and the Garden’s new Spring show has plenty to go around.

CBG has super-sized the season with colossal ladybugs, towering flowers and enormous garden tools. I felt like Alice in Wonderland, stepping into this world through the Garden’s giant flowerpot:

Cleveland Botanical Garden Big Spring Entrance

Although the beautiful scent of flowers hit us first, it was the colors I was most entranced by. You forget how brown everything gets during Winter, until it’s set against the colors of Spring.

Big Spring is a fantastic show for families with plenty of activities for children – a clubhouse for tea parties, an indoor garden hedge maze, and the Toadstool Theatre where young guests can dress up as bugs and put on a show:

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That’s only what’s indoors.  Outside, the Hershey Children’s Garden has been dressed up with more to do!

Don’t get me wrong, though, adults will find their own fun.

Cleveland Botanical Garden’s Chameleon

Last time we were at the Garden for Glow, we forgot to pay a visit to the Glasshouse’s Madagascar exhibit. Not this time! It was good to catch up with the Garden’s chameleon, frogs and giant tarantula.

And out on the patio, Scott and I faced off in a fierce battle of oversized checkers (there’s chess, too, if that’s your game of choice).

We could’ve played checkers all day but ended up calling a truce

Big Spring is at the Cleveland Botanical Garden until Sunday, April 28. Besides their normal schedule on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, the Garden is open Mondays 10am-5pm and late on Wednesdays and Fridays til 9.

Tickets are $8 for children, $12 for adults and FREE if you’re a Cleveland Botanical Garden member.  Learn more and buy tickets at cbgarden.org/big-spring.aspx.

Of course, no trip to University Circle is complete without us stopping by the Cleveland Museum of Art – even a quick one for an early dinner at Provenance.  A bottle of Pinot Gris and a claybread sandwich with lamb, hummus, eggplant, cabbage, and yoghurt sauce – delicious!

Great Lakes Theater’s Much Ado About Nothing is at the Hanna through April 14.   (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)

After dinner, we headed back East for our last stop of Date-rday.

When I saw Blithe Spirit in February, we heard about Great Lakes Theater’s Much Ado About Nothing.

With my excitement bubbling over for Joss Whedon’s film adaptation in June, Great Lakes’ 1920s-set production was a must for me.

And it should be a must-see for you too.

M.A. Taylor (left, as Verges), Dougfred Miller (center, Dogberry), and a member of their motley watchmen (right, Austin Blunk) in Great Lakes Theater’s Much Ado About Nothing. (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)

A spritely charmer, Much Ado about Nothing delights with quick-witted performances, smart twenties fashions, and Eric Damon Smith’s jazzy rendition of “Sigh No More” (which in my opinion must now always be accompanied by a ukulele and nautical wear).

Much Ado was also further proof that Great Lakes’ Laurie Birmingham (as Antonia / Sexton) and David Anthony Smith (Don Pedro) can do no wrong. If their performances don’t put a smile on your face, Dougfred Miller and M.A. Taylor’s Keystone Kops will.

Much Ado is only playing through April 14 so get your tickets now for Shakespeare’s “battle of wits and wills” at greatlakestheater.org/tickets/shows/much-ado-about-nothing.

The only thing that could make me more lovestruck than the Bard was splitting this rich slice of tiramisu at Alex Bistro after the show. Their Curtain Closer cocktail was pretty sweet too.

Tiramisu at Alex Bistro

I’m going to call it and say our first Date-rday was a success.  From east to west to downtown, Cleveland is for lovers.

Whether it’s your first or five-hundredth date, where do you like to go in Cleveland?

Disclosure: I had been invited to attend the Botanical Garden with a guest in exchange for sharing my experience. All opinions expressed here about Big Spring, anything else we attended, or how much I love Scott (just seeing if he reads this far) are 100% my own.

Theater Ninjas’ The Excavation at Cleveland Museum of Art

From Good People and Much Ado… to next week’s War Horse, Scott and I have been spending a lot of time in theatre seats lately.

And as impressive and enjoyable as all of these shows have been, sometimes you need a palate cleanser. Something that’s a bit off-the-wall, that you’re not really sure what to expect from at any moment.

Enter Theater Ninjas’ The Excavation, currently “on loan” to the Cleveland Museum of Art as part of The Last Days of Pompeii exhibit.

The cast of Theater Ninjas’ The Excavation

You don’t really see a Theater Ninjas show, you experience it.

According to their website, the Theater Ninjas are “architects of out-of-the-ordinary experiences” creating “innovative, exciting theater events that use the power of the human body to tell stories.”

And I learned just what that means when I attended their performance of The Excavation at the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Scott and I got to the museum a little early that Friday night. Fortunately, it’s the Cleveland Museum of Art, so there’s always something to do. After enjoying Gallery One, we made our way into the Atrium where the performance takes place.

Part of its interactive charm, characters from The Excavation mingle with the audience

While a few of us were meandering around, we ran into the Artist who led us on his tour of the contemporary galleries. Two parts irreverence, one part art history, our Ninja tour guide shared his offbeat insights not only about the art on the walls, but also the trashcan by the elevator.

As our guide took us back to the Atrium, we could see it was about time for the performance to begin. Once there, we noticed a few characters filtering into the waiting crowd – we met Luigi an archaeologist and a young lab assistant named Edith.

Gradually, all of the characters made their way to a platform in the center of the Atrium where they gave us a taste for what we were in for that night.

Like The Last Days of Pompeii exhibit, The Excavation explores how the ancient city of Pompeii lives on in our modern imagination. Why are we still so fascinated with the lives we never knew, trying in vain to piece together stories from the buried rubble?

We never did find out where she was going – just one of many reasons to catch a repeat performance of The Excavation

Unlike a traditional play, The Excavation has no seats and no single stage. Instead, short, interactive vignettes take place throughout the evening in all corners of the Atrium.

A hallway becomes a lecture hall, an escalator a lovers’ quarrel – with the actors fully responsible for setting the scene, not able to rely on stage dressing.

I loved the intimacy of it all – during each scene, you’re fully engrossed in what’s going on as the actors are performing just for you and a small handful of other people.

It’s important to note, though, that you will not be able to experience all of it in a single visit.  As with a Choose Your Own Adventure book, you can choose where you go and which performances you see, but at the expense of missing others.

The good news is that all performances of The Excavation are free, so multiple visits are highly encouraged and easy on the wallet.

Theater Ninjas’ The Excavation at Cleveland Museum of Art

While the performances had us laughing all night (The Vettii Brothers puppet show is a don’t-miss if you’re into pun-y groaners), don’t be mistaken that Theater Ninjas is doing this just for chuckles.

There’s an underlying layer of sobering and at times scary reflection about our obsession with Pompeii thousands of years later – and what it says about the modern human condition.

Jeremy Paul, Artistic Director of the Theater Ninjas, wrote in the program notes “It is a performance rooted in the idea that human beings are frequently, blindly and joyously wrong about mostly everything…The thesis of The Excavation is that we can never truly know Pompeii, but through attempting to do so, we might inadvertently learn something about ourselves.”

Credit is due to the Cleveland Museum of Art for partnering up with Theater Ninjas to provide this unique programming. It’s a smart complement to the Last Days of Pompeii and I would love to see similar programming based around future exhibits.

The next performance of The Excavation is this Friday, April 12 in the Ames Family Atrium. 

This is followed by performances on April 28 and June 12.  The shows this Friday and June 12 start at 7pm; April 28 starts at 2pm.

Additionally, stop by the museum for Ninja Days April 14, 19, 21, and 25 and May 3, 5, 10, 12, 17, and 19 (3-7pm on Fridays, 12-4pm on Sundays).  During Ninja Days, characters from The Excavation will be around the museum, performing scenes and bringing the art on the walls to life.

No two Ninja Days will be alike, so visit often. Just like performances of The Excavation, Ninja Days are free.

Learn more at theaterninjas.com and clevelandart.org.

Valentine’s Day is only a couple days away. If you go out to celebrate, WhyCLE has Cleveland Valentine’s events for every sense and Bite Buff has some delicious dining options for you.

Me? Scott and I keep it quiet on Valentine’s Day because we celebrate our anniversary the following week.

This year, we’ll be checking out the new Die Hard movie and then picking up a dinner for home. After last week’s Ohio Blogging Meetup at Whole Foods Cedar Center, we have some inspiration.

Whole Foods Market Wine Buyer Audree Sinnett and Sweet Designs’ Ines Rehner

This was Ohio Blogging’s 3rd annual trip to Whole Foods. And as last year demonstrated with a pizza making contest, they always have something delicious up their sleeve.

This time around the theme was “Chocolate Three-Way” featuring a selection of chocolate-infused tastings.

Chef Sarah Schoenberger’s Chicken Enchiladas and Mole Sauce at Ohio Blogging Whole Foods Meetup

First up, a chicken enchilada with traditional mole sauce. Whole Foods Chef Sarah Schoenberger hit this right on the nose. While the enchiladas were excellent, the slight burn of the mole with a hint of chocolate was what won me over.

And the corn and black bean salad they paired with the dish was so great I snagged a to-go box for lunch the next day.

Then it was time for something sweet. Whole Foods brought in Ines Rehner from Lakewood’s Sweet Designs.

At Lakewood’s Sweet Designs, Ines Rehner creates delicious tasting and looking treats like chocolate shoes and handbags

After moving from Croatia to pursue her dream of opening a chocolate store, Ines taught herself how to make chocolate blends in her kitchen at night.

Since opening Sweet Designs’ doors in 1995, she has expanded to her current location on Detroit Ave. There she makes more than 100 different artisanal chocolates. truffles, hand-dipped fruits, nut clusters, and caramels.

A selection of Signature Chocolate Bars from Lakewood’s Sweet Designs

At the meetup, we tried a variety of selections including chocolate covered strawberries, truffle-stuffed chocolate figs, and a few of her signature chocolate bars. My favorite was the pumpkin-seed-covered chocolate bar.

Ines even shared a bit of professional advice on how to eat chocolate-covered strawberries: After dipping the strawberry, cut off the stems, than halve the strawberries long-ways. Useful knowledge in time for Valentine’s Day!

Whole Foods’ Market Wine Buyer Audree Sinnett played matchmaker with wine and beer pairings. We enjoyed a selection of Iron Horse Wedding Cuvee, Sam Smith Chocolate Stout, Sexual Chocolate and a bonus chocolate liqueur.

Iron Horse Wedding Cuvee, Sexual Chocolate Wine, and Sam Smith Chocolate Stout

Honestly, I couldn’t pick a favorite from Audree’s choices. The Iron Horse was a delicious sparkling Blanc de Noirs. The Chocolate Stout when mixed with Framboise resulted in a rich fruity combination I need to keep on hand at home. And the chocolate liquer proved a very unique treat – chocolate melted in vodka, aged in oak barrels. Thick, creamy and luxurious.

While I couldn’t try the Sexual Chocolate because of my red wine allergy, Scott did grab a bottle for its awesome label:

SLO Down Wines’ handcrafted label for their Sexual Chocolate wine tells the blend’s backstory.

This excellent evening was put together by Whole Foods Community Manager Lisa who plans  events and outreach efforts like these:

Every Thursday from 4-6pm, the Cedar Center Whole Foods hosts a Whole Deal with Morag! cooking demo. Tomorrow is a wine pairings dinner featuring Argentinian wines. And on Feb. 27, stop by for an Italian Cheese class at 7pm.

More events can be found on the Whole Foods Cedar Center calendar.

Elizabeth and Steve from Lake County Visitors Bureau with Kimberly, Chris and Hans

While the food was a nice bonus, the real reason I enjoy going to the Blogger Meetup each month is to catch up with old friends and meet new ones. At this month’s Meetup:

• Always JAM in CLE – Jessica’s Recap
• @BeautyNewzFlash (+ husband)
• @CharitUrbanista
• Clue Into Cleveland (That’s me! + Scott)
• Cooker Girl
• Eat*Drink*Cleveland
• It’s a Hero (+ husband Chad and baby Ari)
• Lake County Visitors Bureau (+ boyfriend Steve)
• Lane Baldwin Photography
• Life Lyn Style (safe travels in Seattle, Lyn!)
• Our Journey
• Poise in Parma (+ Hans and Aunt Kathy) – Alicia’s Recap
• Rust Belt Runner – Holly’s Recap
• Smitten in Cleveland (+ Mr. Smitten, aka Chris)
• Wearing Mascara
• WhyCLE – Jen’s Recap

If you’re a blogger, want to start a blog, or a blog supporter, check out one of the Ohio Blogging Association’s upcoming events.

In March, we’re volunteering at MedWish. If you read my recent post about MedWish International, you know I’m really hoping to make it on March 19.