These are a few of my favorite things...

I suppose that no matter where you live, you've got your "favorite" places to eat/visit. Every person in every city in every part of the world has their own favorite things. I've been thinking about this since I posted about India Garden and the like.

A fellow blogger posted about the Rockefeller Garden here in Cleveland, and it made me think of the Franklin Park Conservatory in Columbus. Cleveland's COSI is the Great Lakes Science Center. I suppose if I were to post every experience comparison between Columbus and Cleveland here, it'd be a pretty long post at some point, maybe when I've had a little more time under my belt here. Why does it matter? Why spend hours waxing poetic on all the places you've been in City A and compare them to the places you've been in City B? What if you've traveled and spent enough time in 50 cites to compile a list resembling one great clusterf**k of an algebraic equation? It's a whole new city, a whole new experience! Quit f***ing it up by comparing it to everything else!

...Because it helps make wherever you are feel a little more like home.

I suppose I'll spend a lot of time exploring the city when it's nicer out, subconciously finding Cleveland alternatives to Columbus favorites. There have been some differences here, however. When I lived in Columbus, I didn't have a favorite local band. There are a couple here that I'm particularly fond of, though. I really enjoyed To Be A High Powered Executive and Machine Go Boom. Both bands have evidently broken up.

Sometimes I wish I didn't live in Little Italy, and sometimes I'm really glad that I do. The thing about Little Italy is that it's a small-ish neighborhood with nice restaurants and really nice people. Some people here evidently hate black people though I've not seen any evidence to support this. If it's true, that's a shame.

It's such a secluded little area smack in the middle of a great big city, and it's almost too easy to stay close to home. When I lived in Columbus, there were a lot of nice bike paths. Now, I hardly know where any of them are and that worries me a little (I plan to ride in several cycling tours this Spring/Summer). I'll figure it out, right? Everything will be O-K.

...Right?

Many friends I've made here so far don't seem to share the same interests as I do, and a great deal seem to shrink away when met with the prospect of hanging out with a bonafide couple. A girl I spent my first few months hanging out with is 11 years younger than I am and seems fairly fixated on drinking. Don't get me wrong, I loves me a good drink or two... But nothing makes you feel more crotchety than leaving the bar at 8:30, announcing that you've got to be at work in 12 hours. Another friend spends a great deal of time in the Mayfield Smoke Shop, brooding over a can of diet Red Bull and a pack of Marlboro Mediums. No thanks.

Am I not doing this right, or something? Is there such a thing as a platonic personal ad?

"30 year old female, in a relationship seeking friendship, fun, and conversation (by the way I really don't want to have sex with you, thanks)"

Must there truly be an ulterior motive to everything? Does a meetup for coffee and conversation really imply a want for some "NSA" lovins'? Yes, I'd like to check out that new sushi place down the street. No, I don't want you to put anything in my butt.

I suppose we're all a little crazy, or that we'd have to be - to survive. Seal said so. Perhaps I'm becoming some elitist r-tard in my "old" age. Maybe I should go to Craigslist and post an ad that says "Seeking Friends - Must have a very high or better musical taste rating with me on last.fm or you can just go die in a fire"...

Nah. I think this happens when you've lived someplace for 29 years and then you move someplace new. One is too used to having their friends simply exist, when in reality those friendships were cultivated over many years. My next door neighbor in Columbus had been my senior prom date in high school, and he didn't move there intentionally from what I can tell.

I really do like it here, I just feel a little awkward, still.

* A note: The reason for the DP (double post) action today is because I had meant to submit the India Garden post last night and instead went to bed with my browser open. Go me.

Cruising for an Indian Buffet

I really wish I had the fortitude to post every day like Alexa et al... I'll have to work on that.

Jeff and I are heading to Washington DC in about a week. We're going to be tourists and then hit up Columbus for a St. Patty's Day party his parents throw every year. Sometime before we go, I'm actually going to get furniture! I'm thinking of throwing a little foodie party when I have places for people to sit. I've lived in Cleveland for six months and I have no living room furnishings.

Onto the food...

I've had some fantastic Indian food in Cleveland at Cafe Tandoor, and have found numerous Lebanese restaurants that are also pretty amazing. While Cafe Tandoor is quite nice, I have been missing a little Indian buffet in Columbus called Taj Mahal. You could go on the weekends and eat some pretty damn amazing Indian food for$7.99.

Until now.

Oh. My. God. Becky...
*clears throat*
No, seriously. I had found a small ad for a place in Lakewood called India Garden. They advertised a lunch buffet for $8.99, so I mentioned it to Jeff. We love visiting Lakewood restaurants (Angelo's Pizza, Melt...) and thought we'd give it a try. When I sat down with a plate of naan, a samosa, and some amazing chicken curry - I looked at Jeff and said "I think we've found our Cleveland Taj". Do not pass up this little restaurant. We waited for about 5-10 minutes to get a table because they were packed. There was a wait for a short time after that because people just kept coming in.

The staff is friendly and very willing to answer any questions about the food. Jeff and I loved this place and are planning to head back very soon.

They include Mango Lassi (a yogurt drink) with the buffet, too. The kheer is the best that I've had (outside of my own, which is crazy...I know).

Battuto

Word around the street is that it's NOT going to be Battuto, that Valerio's is just moving closer to the main drag. Bummer.

Time for NCIS!

When one door closes...

Battuto is coming back to Little Italy this March. I never got to go, but have heard good things from another blogger. I hope it's as good as she remembers! The word is that Valerio's is closing and that the owners are taking over Battuto. Now, as far as I know this is just a rumor around the neighborhood - but things are definitely stirring at the former Battuto location on Mayfield here. Keep your fingers crossed, CF!

There's also a new market opening up called Spuzzillo's Market. Lots of things happening in March! Ooh, and La Barberia in Little Italy has a sale on the 25 oz. Bed Head shampoos and conditioners - $9.98 each!

I got a care package from Columbus this weekend that I affectionately call the "Big Box 'O Nostalgia". It contained the following:

- Two candles from Paul Robinett, one that smells like a campfire and one that smells like pipe tobacco. If you get the chance, check these candles out. There's not a single one that doesn't smell really good!

- "Malties" which are the modern version of Horlick's Malt Tablets. Little discs of malted goodness.

- A bottle of Gee, Your Hair Smells Terrific shampoo. I hadn't used this stuff in nearly 25 years. Good times.

(As a side note, I have eaten nearly all of the Malties. I am sad now!)

Lush Cosmetics is at it again with a new massage bar called Strawberry Feels Forever. I was glad to learn that there's a Lush shop right in Cleveland, at Beachwood Mall. You owe it to yourself to check this place out. I know that I normally write about food and whatnot, but most of their products are so natural that you could probably eat some of them.

Here's some food news. Jeff had stumbled upon a website called SuperCook which allows you to enter what is currently in your fridge. In most cases it will come up with several recipes you can use to make a yummy dinner. This has saved my butt more than once!

Here's one recipe I found that I absolutely love. I tweaked it a bit, but I think it's for the better.

Baked Spicy Orange Chicken

- 1 lb of boneless chicken tenderloins, or chicken breasts cut into strips
- 1 cup of orange juice
- 1 teaspoon of fresh garlic, minced
- 2 to 3 teaspoons of ground ginger (Whole Foods has this in a jar and it's AMAZING - and inexpensive!)
- 2 tablespoons of Roland's Pineapple Chili sauce (at Marc's) or 2 teaspoons of Siracha (adjust to taste)
- 1/2 cup of low sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup of orange peel

Mix all ingredients (except chicken) in a bowl. Put chicken in with marinade/sauce and allow to sit for at least an hour, overnight is fine. Remove chicken from the bowl and place on a baking sheet. Bake for about 30 minutes (less or more, depending on the medium of chicken you use) or until brown. Remove and plate over rice.

I took the rest of the marinade and added a teaspoon of cornstarch. When it was well blended, I tossed it into a pan to simmer and thicken. Make sure it simmers. Pour the sauce over the chicken and rice. Baby corn and water chestnuts make a nice addition as well.

Enjoy!

Snowpocalypse is upon us!

Since I moved to Cleveland, we've had a few snow storms. I would comment to a neighbor about the severity of the storm and would often be met with a laugh and a comment like "HA! This is nothing! Welcome to Cleveland!"

This is bad, isn't it? Does it get much worse?

There was something awfully terrifying about being on the Healthline this morning. The sound of the wheels spinning as we tried to depart from a bus stop was something even my earbuds and an Okkervil River song couldn't drown out. I spoke to several friends in Columbus who have told me that they've had some ice, and that a lot of businesses are closed today. As adults, we don't get many snow days, do we? And if we do, they're usually in the form of a self-inflicted "mental health" day.

A friend of mine taught me how to text people. Before moving to Cleveland, I didn't have a lot of use for text, and didn't even know what the hell T9 Word was. This is a fascinating innovation, but it can also "drunk text" for you when you're perfectly sober. When I got on the bus this afternoon to go home, I texted a friend and said:

"Wow, the cup is scary. I hate to get home."

He responded, "It's okay. Don't let the cups get you down!" probably thinking I was being Dadaist or that I had gone insane from an overdose of snow. What I had meant to say was that the bus was scary, and that I have to get home. Do not worry, dear readers - I assure you that my drinking glasses do not intend me any harm.

We're going to see Slumdog Millionaire and eat at Cafe Tandoor this Friday. I like to torment Jeff sometimes by looking at him in shock and saying; "Wow! You're taking ME on a date??!" to which I get an equally silly look (picture the Mentos thumbs up expression) and a laugh. I'll get pictures and post a review when we return.

Hey... What are you doing on Saturday? Nothing? Well, I suggest that you go to see this young lady at the Beachland Tavern:

This is my wonderfully talented cousin, Chelsea Williams.

She's on her first tour, and has a couple of shows before she comes to Cleveland this weekend. I'm really hoping for a good turnout, for her sake. People need to hear how awesome she really is (and I'm not just saying this because I babysat her when she was little!)!

All bets are off for Sunday, I guess. I'm sorry, but I'm just not much of one to go all silly for football. Jeff will be glued to the TV and I may be persuaded to come out to watch the commercials, but that's about it.

I may ask if he'd prefer to hang out here so I can make some football-y snacks. Little Italy needs a butcher shop so I don't need to hoof it to Alesci's in this muck. I'd like to make a nice sub sandwich - it's really been a while since I ate one of those.

Dinner at L'Albatros

After reading several reviews of La Dolce Vita and La Strada, I have been wondering if I am capable of providing a fair review of either location. I am not particularly close with Terry Tarantino, but I am friends with much of the wait staff at LDV and many of those who work at La Strada. In a way, La Dolce Vita is sort of like my own little Cheers.

I don't think I could give a non-biased impression of Terry, or the staff. I can tell you truly that the food is fantastic, and that it's a fun little restaurant. The fruit drenched in triple sec that comes at the close of your meal is a nice little treat, kind of like getting a free manicure with a spa treatment.

I walk by the restaurant every time I get off the bus after work. I wave at the bartender. Sometimes, the hostess will come out and greet me. I haven't been there lately, however. I have been going to the gym a lot, and can't seem to justify a fattening (but incredibly delicious) plate of Fettuccine Fellini after running for a half hour. Go figure.

We made it to L'Albatros the day after it opened and I'm just now getting around to posting about it. Unfortunately, I wasn't really sure how to use my new camera and a lot of the photos didn't turn out the way I'd hoped, but I'll do my very best.

Jeff and I went to L'Albatros on opening night. They weren't that busy when we arrived, but that could have easily been due to inclement weather - it was one of the first crappy nights of the season.

The decor was minimal and the tables looked very sterile. Jeff wondered if the dining room could have been more romantic if the lights had been a little lower. Had the restaurant been crowded I would have agreed with him. The tables were close together in some spots, which might be annoying if you were on a date and wanted to completely immerse yourself if conversation with your date.

Our waitress was incredibly friendly, and helpful almost to the point of being annoying. We took our time with the menu since there were many things that looked like they would be good. She stopped to see us several times, to see if we had decided. In my opinion it was a little excessive, but much better than the alternative of a missing waitperson.

Jeff ordered the Onion Soup Gratinee for an appetizer, and I ordered the Chicken Liver and Foie Gras Mousseline. The soup was amazing, and the mousse had a creamy, decadent texture I had not been familiar with before. If anything, the mousse needed salt. L'Albatros had a generous cup of Fleur de Sel on each table with a charming little spoon - in retrospect I didn't think to use it. I wanted to experience the food as the chef wanted me to experience it.


For the entree, Jeff ordered the Sauteed Skate Wing and I had the Hanger Steak and Frites. I had a bizarre fascination with ordering steak frites ever since Anthony Bourdain mentioned it on A Cook's Tour.

Jeff's dish was explained as having the texture of a scallop, which was correct. It had a mild flavor, but the texture put me off. I don't think I could have eaten the whole thing. He seemed to like it, however and that's what is important.

The skate was our waitress' suggestion, and had been informally named as the house special, according to several other people that we knew who went in the weeks to follow.

This is fine, but I had to wonder if the static suggestion was due to insufficient information on the many other dishes featured on the menu.

The steak was amazingly tender and cooked just right. I haven't had much experience with fries but there have been many other foodies who have raved about Lola's fries. I plan to try them as soon as possible. These fries were nice, and the right thickness for my tastes. They were lightly salted and not greasy at all. I cleaned my plate that night, and that's something I rarely do.

When my meal was gone, I was a little sad that I couldn't eat it anymore. This was a simple and classic dish that I wouldn't mind having on a semi-regular basis - it's a good thing my personal trainer doesn't read my blog, she'd have a fit!

I've actually been wanting to go back for some time now, if only for the soup we had at the start of our meal.

I'd like to give the wait staff another chance as well. Many of our questions about various menu items went unanswered, as the staff simply didn't seem to be familiar with much of it.

A chef friend of mine recently went and commented that certain things needed to be tweaked, that they needed a bit more "practice". He ordered the Terrine and said it wasn't seasoned at all, he noted. After his comment I wondered if I had been correct about the mousseline.

On our visit we inquired about several of the desserts. Aside from the obvious ones (cheesecake, berries and creme anglaise) our server did not seem to know much about the desserts, either. Disappointing - but forgivable considering it was opening night, I suppose.

We chose the Pineapple Tarte Tatin, if only because Jeff and I really like pineapple. It wasn't a bad decision!















The tarte involved a puff pastry circle with a pineapple ring on top of it. There was coconut ice cream on top of the ring, and a sweet cache of caramel in the hole beneath the ice cream. Once again not wanting it to disappear, we ate it slowly and frequently commented on how good it was.

The sweetness was natural and not overkill at all. The pastry was light and fun to eat, though the dish was a little messy. We were given forks and spoons to eat this one, as the server had described it as "complicated".

I'd never had a complicated dessert before, and I had always imagined that a complicated dessert would somehow involve shellfish - I joke, only because shellfish tend to be complicated to eat. The tarte is not a first date dish, nor is it one to indulge upon if you're worried about sticky fingers or potentially having a caramel décolleté.

Andy Dombrowski greeted us on our way out and asked how everything was. I spoke honestly, for the most part. I didn't mention the lack of menu knowledge, that wouldn't have been fair. It would have been like telling your kid that they stink - the first time they try to ride a bicycle.

If you haven't visited L'Albatros, I suggest that you do. It was a fun and moderately priced experience I plan to repeat as soon as possible.

Oh, and they have cocktails with Absinthe. (yum!)

Thanks for reading!

Cara and the Amazing Technicolor Peacoat

The title refers to my multi-colored attire while hiking. Olive green, fluorescent orange, purple, gray and denim blue. I announced to Jeff that I looked like a homeless woman. He denied it.















This is a pretty dark picture, but it fits the mood. It was one of the first significantly snowy days in Cleveland and the darkly-lit La Dolce Vita was perfect.

It was icy tonight, so much that on several occasions I feared for my life while walking home. I feared for my safety due to other drivers, not myself with treadless shoes.

Jeff and I are going to L'Albatros tomorrow night. I'm curious about this restaurant, mostly because I've managed to survive 30 years without ever having any French food. I will post a review with pictures tomorrow night.

Jeff and I went hiking with some of his family members the day after Thanksgiving. It was a nice little hike, though I have to admit I was a little hesitant to hike considering what an ass I made of myself on Cascade Mountain in August.

We had a blast and the weather was great. This horse seemed to pose for me when I took this picture. It'd be a good hike when the leaves were changing.

Being in places like this make me wish I lived farther away from the city. I really do like Little Italy, however. There's something about it that I'm sorry to say I'll be tired of at some point, but that's not for many years. I hope I don't live here long enough to take it for granted. It's bound to happen at some point, but I enjoy the fact that I still see this little stretch of road through the eyes of an enlightened tourist.

I beg my mother to come here and visit. I tell her she'll love it.
She tells me that Cleveland is intimidating and that I shouldn't have moved. Do I have buyer's (renter's) remorse? No. Not in the slightest. Even though riding the RTA is an adventure in itself, and sometimes I feel almost painfully alone - I really do like it here quite a bit.

I'm doing a two-day 150 mile bicycle tour in August with the company I work for. I am really looking forward to it.

I remember the first week I lived here. I strolled down this street and sat on the swings at Brush Park and felt like a little kid. I was thankful to have friendly neighbors and people to watch over me. I live in a house (though it's not all mine) that is free of insects and filth.

I think I've finally started to find my niche.