Fortunately, there are a few things going on in Cleveland between now and February 23 to wet your Jump Back whistle.

Get a Clue! Trivia Night

Jump Back Ball is hosted each year by PlayhouseSquare Partners, the theatre’s young professionals group.

However, Partners doesn’t stop there.  From our annual OSU tailgate to theatre outings, dine-arounds and putt-putt in the Palace, we’re busy year-round with events for Cleveland’s under-40 and young-at-heart crowd.

Our next event is Thursday, Jan. 17: the first annual Get a Clue! Trivia Night at Black Dog Kitchen & Bar in downtown Cleveland.

Sign up with a team or individually for a night of themed trivia rounds with prizes for the winners.

The evening starts at 6:30, trivia at 7.  Tickets are $25 for general public ($20 for Partners). Each ticket includes a buffet, 2 drink tickets for beer, wine and select liquor and entry in the trivia contest.

Call Molly Franz at 216-640-8416 to order tickets and learn more here.

Friday Nights at Noodlecat

Chef Jonathon Sawyer of Noodlecat and Greenhouse Tavern will be serving up delicious fare at this year’s Jump Back Ball VIP party.

But you can get in on the Noodlecat fun at their new Friday Night event series:

#karaokeCAT is back next Friday, Jan. 18! Scott and I had a great time when Cleveland’s A Plum hosted Noodlecat’s first Karaoke Night in November.  This time around, Jen, Alicia, Kimberly and I are hosting the January event.

Stop by for some singing (I’ve heard Jen will buy a sake bomb for the first person to sing a Richard Marx song) and hang out with bloggers from the Ohio Blogging Association who are coming out for our monthly meetup.

Karaoke starts at 9pm with Noodlecat’s Late Night Happy Hour Menu available 9-11pm. Their $2 steam buns are my favorite happy hour special in the city.

Maybe monster movies are more your thing?  In addition to karaoke on the third Friday of every month, join them tonight, Jan. 11 and the second Friday of every month for Monster Movie Night.

Tonight’s movie is GODZILLA (the 1954 release). DESTROY ALL MONSTERS (1969 U.S. release) plays Feb. 8 and GODZILLA, MOTHRA, AND KING GHIDORAH: GIANT MONSTERS ALL-OUT ATTACK aka GMK (2001) is March 8.

Monster movie screenings begin at 9pm on the second Friday of every month. At tonight’s screening, Noodlecat will give away a $50 Noodlecat gift card to the person with the best Godzilla costume.

Rock out with the Bands of Jump Back Ball

One of my favorite parts about Jump Back Ball is dancing my face off on the State Theatre stage.

Jump Back 2 Spaces will feature performances by two local party bands:  SWAGG on the mainstage and Velvet Shake as the last night band.

You can get a preview of what they’re bringing to the party by checking out these upcoming performances:

SWAGG

• Friday, Feb. 1 at Avenue Tap House
• Saturday, Feb. 9 at Blind Pig
• Friday, Feb. 15 at The Distillery

Velvet Shake

• Friday, Jan.11 at Hooley House in Brooklyn
• Friday, Jan. 18 at Willoughby Brew Co.
• Saturday, Feb. 2 at Brother’s Lounge in Lakewood

This week was all about upcoming events in Cleveland. I didn’t get to a bunch so if you have an event you’re looking forward to, share it in the comments section below!

This is part 3 in my Jump Back 2 Spaces series. Check out my previous posts:

• Part 1: Getting into Character
• Part 2: Jump Back Hair-spiration with ONE Styling and Dino Palmieri

Disclosure: I am co-hosting Karaoke at the Cat and splitting compensation with my co-hosts. I am also a member of the PlayhouseSquare Partners board. However, the choice to share these events is my own because I have enjoyed them previous to any affiliations.

Noodlecat opens today! 234 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44115

The mystery started this Spring — iloveNoodlecat popped up on Facebook with Clevelanders ‘liking’ it’s enigmatic, noodle-slurping cat without knowing much else about it. A short time later, a youtube video of Noodlecat’s travels started making the rounds, revealing that a Jonathon Sawyer-helmed Japanese-styled noodle shop would open on Public Square this summer.

Well, the wait is finally over. Noodlecat brings its ramen, soba and udon noodles to Cleveland starting today – July 19!

However, before the grand reveal, the restaurant opened its doors early to host Brick & Mortar Pop-Ups – an opportunity for local chefs who don’t have a brick-and-mortar kitchen to have a temporary home, serve up a delicious dinner and preview the new Noodlecat space.

Inside Noodlecat, you'll find a very simple, clean approach to design. I love the stools and work-bench tables, an intentionally laid back environment for noodles.

In June, Lee Anne Wong from Bravo’s “Top Chef” hosted the first of the events with Easy Japaneasy – a selection of “fingers, sticks and slurp.” I was sad I had to miss it; however, for photos and reviews of the event, check out a couple of the recaps from Cleveland Foodie and Cleveland Food and Brews.

Thankfully, Scott and I didn’t miss their second Brick & Mortar event with Chris Hodgson from Dim and Den Sum and Hodge Podge food truck fame. I’m a huge fan of his street fare (who isn’t, right?) and was glad NoodleCat made it possible for a sit-down-restaurant experience of his food.

For Hodgson’s Brick & Mortar Pop-Up, the Food Truck Master of the Universe served up 4 courses, each his own twist on the Asian-inspired fare we’ll find at Noodlecat once it opens. But first, we started with an amuse bouche of an oyster flavored with mushroom.  Combined with the Boo Sauer (more on that tastiness later!), it provided a fresh, clean taste to kick things off.

First Course: B.E.L.T. Steam Bun with hard-boiled quail egg

After this teaser, the first course was a B.E.L.T. Steam Bun. The dish featured house smoked pork jowl, quail egg, pickled heirloom tomato, and mizuna paired with a sweet soy glaze. The tender, salty jowl, the soft, subtle bun, and the single, hard-boiled quail egg all had distinct tastes and textures. For the first few bites, I enjoyed the flavors separately. However, the way the glaze united everything is what really won me over about this dish.

Second Course: Rib-eye Taco

As much as we liked the first dish, the second dish was something else altogether – rib-eye taco with pickled diakon, carrot, cucumber slaw, and candied ginger. When it came out, the tortilla was overstuffed with the marinated meat — not a problem for Scott and I because we honestly couldn’t get enough of it. The marinated meat was possibly the most tender, richest rib-eye I’ve ever had. The richness in the meat was tempered by the ginger and pickled vegetables. Scott – a self-proclaimed meat-o-phile – went so far as to describe this as the tastiest dish he’s ever had and loved savoring it so much that he joked afterwards that the rest of his life would be a little emptier now that it was gone. 

Third Course: Orange "Chicken" on a bed of crispy popped wild rice and stewed mustard greens

However, Scott’s spirits lifted when I reminded him we still had two more dishes to enjoy. The third course was titled “Orange ‘Chicken’ (kinda, sorta, not really).” Chef Hodgson replaced the traditional chicken with orange-glazed, crispy sweetbreads.  It was so well-executed, you could hardly tell the difference.   However, my favorite part of the dish was the crispy popped rice. I didn’t really know what to expect and was pleasantly surprised by the crispy, almost smoky taste. Each rice kernel popped at every bite. It was an interesting contrast to the stewed mustard greens that accompanied it.

Fourth Course: Peking Quail on Soba Noodles with a juicy "Quick" Pickled Egg

The unlikely texture of the rice was nothing to prepare us for the final dish – by far the most adventurous of the evening for us. Soba noodles and miso broth provided a nice base for the bowl. They were accompanied by a dollop of kimchi slaw, peking quail and a “quick” pickled egg. Along with the kimchi, the pickled skin of the egg provided a very vibrant color to the gray soba noodles. Before breaking the whole quick-cooked egg in the soup broth, I’ll confess the kid in me took a few moments to play with my food. I may have been just a tad bit captivated by poking a hole in the egg with my chopstick and then watching the hole seal itself back up with the liquid interior. Similar to the first course, there were a lot of great distinct tastes in this noodle bowl playing off of the soba base.

After 4 courses that were wildly different from one another (and wild in their own right), we ended with a piece of ginger coated in chocolate. This didn’t just clean the palate nicely but provided a sweet bite of dessert.

To pair with the dinner, guests could order a drink from their beer, cocktails or teas menu. When we sat down, we were told Noodlecat had just gotten its liquor license.  Perfect timing because the drinks Dean Sauer put together were amazing! There were three cocktails to choose from — a Melon Chuhai, a Boo Sauer and a Collins Cloud.

After the cocktails we saw at Brick & Mortar, expect this bar to be serving up some drinks you won't want to miss.

It was a tough decision but I ordered the Boo Sauer which featured a 12 year Yamazaki whiskey, maple syrup and citrus – his own twist on a whiskey sour.  While the whiskey had a slight bite, it wasn’t overpowering. The freshness really amplified the flavors of the rich dishes – in particular the rib-eye. I hope something like this will be on the Noodlecat dinner menu because I’ve discovered a love for the occasional whiskey sour thanks to it.

While I didn’t have a chance to try the Melon Chuhai or Collins Cloud, I learned from talking to a couple of staff members during dinner that Sauer is planning seasonal chuhais with different spritz flavors. Watermelon was the evening’s flavor – a fittingly refreshing choice for the heat we’ve been having. Guests at the table next to us ordered the Collins Cloud, Sauer’s twist on a Tom Collins which featured Watershed Gin, a berry reduction and egg white foam. From the reactions I overheard, this was a definite winner and with my love of gin, next on my list to try.

The evening was rounded out by excellent service from our waitress Liz. This is definitely what I’ve come to expect from eating at Sawyer’s Greenhouse so I was glad to see it at Noodlecat as well. Liz and everyon there was helpful, friendly and clearly loved food as they didn’t mind and even seemed to enjoy explaining all of the work that went into the dishes and drinks.

A very happy Noodlecat

After such an enjoyable preview of the space, I’m excited that Noodlecat is finally here. To celebrate tonight’s grand opening, Dogfish Head Brewery will help host a Beers and Buns Happy Hour — pairing three Dogfish Head brews with ginza buns.  For the first week, Noodlecat will be serving lunch, then adding dinner the second week.

Check out their current menu online. There are traditional and Tokyo noodle bowls, but I know I’m most looking forward to the Ohio Beef Brisket Yudaya-Jin Ramen. It comes with matza ball, chicken broth dashi, carrot & picked dill.

Although it’s a mystery no more, you can keep track of Noodlecat’s travels by liking iloveNoodlecat on Facebook, checking out noodlecat.com, and following @Noodle_Cat on Twitter. And if you’re like me and are looking forward to more Brick & Mortar Pop-Ups, follow them here and @BrickNMortar216 to stay up to date.

I hope you’ll join me in slurping some noodles soon!

Disclosure: While we were there, we were surprised with one complimentary dinner. As always, though, the opinions in this post are 100% my own.