Winter Chowdown 2012!

Without plans this Saturday? Mark your calendars because March 3rd the Winter Chowdown returns!

What: food truckchow down marathon!

Where: 940 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH 44103-3744 (back parking lot of the Agora Theatre & inside the Agora)

When: 4pm-10pm

Who:

Umami Moto
StrEat Mobile Bistro
Dim & Den Sum
Seti’s Polish Boys
Sweet! Mobile Cupcakery
and more!

More info here!

Luxe

What every good Clevelander really wants to know is where’s the booze! I must admit that the number one way I go about choosing a new restaurant is to pick one with a good happy hour- and we’re not just talking drinks here. Happy Hour is an inexpensive way to take in the atmosphere, the clientele, the prices, the cuisine and last, but certainly not least- whether this is place to stop back again because they serve one hell of a dirty martini or have great draft prices! There are many places that I want to revisit as ode to this blog and share with you their amazing HH, so I figured I would start with Luxe. Luxe, located in one of my *fav* neigbs- Gordon Square area, is hott. And when I say hott, I mean, sexy. Sexy lighting, decor, waiters, the works! And the foods not too bad either… actually that’s an understatement because the food is amazing! I had walked by Luxe many times, but was always turned off by it because it just didn’t seem like my kind of place. I thought that it was too expensive for my cent-savvy foodie tastes and due to the finely dressed business persons always gazing out the window, martini in hand, I figured I would just be better heading to Happy Dog for a cheap dog and a beer. Letting my ridiculous judgements hold me back no longer, I met a friend there for happy hour after work and beat myself up for a second after looking at the HH menu and realizing I had been missing out on one of the best Cleveland HH!

Both Photos via luxecleveland.com

 

Now I know you’re all wondering what exactly it is that I’m talking about, so let me just lay it out for you:

 

HH Hours: 5-7pm

For $6 you get 2 for 1 draft beers- anything from Arrogant Bastard IPA to Pabst Blue Ribbon

For $11 you get 2 for 1 martinis of your choice

For $6 you can eat 3 lamb meat loaf sliders or pulled pork sliders, a devilishly good Guinness burger with chocolate BBQ and caramelized onion, a large bucket of fried eggplants and hand-cut sweet and gold potato fries, and a few other selections I know I’m failing to remember

For $7-9 you can get a 12″ or 14″ pizza a good selection to choose from including Grilled Mediterranean Chicken or Eggplant Parmesan

* Just keep in mind that HH applies only to the lounge/bar area, which is pretty big, so no worries about missing out!

 

Luxe also offers lots of events with a specially prepared menus. They also have a Sunday Brunch (10am-3pm) and if you’re just stopping in for a romantic dinner, the regular prices aren’t too shabby (expect to double the price of the HH menu). HH at Luxe really is the way to go… in fact all this talk of it has me anticipating my next trip there… perhaps after work today 😉

 

6605 Detroit Avenue Cleveland, OH

216-920-0600

Hours: M- W 5pm-10pm; Th 5pm-11pm; F-Sat 5pm-12am; S 10am-10pm

Laissez les bons temps rouler Cleveland!

Mardi Gras/Fat Tuesday/Shrove Tuesday may be a New Orleans original, but one day out of the year, Cleveland kitchens stir their pots to smell like Louisiana! Last week when Mardi Gras rolled around, my stomach ached for Fat-tuesday flavors. I wanted crawfish, gumbo, cornbread and of course lots of booze. I immediately googled “mardi gras specials cleveland” and to my surprise was a little disappointed with my results. Not that many restaurants were offering up good deals or delta meals. However, my search results did not keep me from my own search of Mardi Gras eats. Working downtown, I ate at Zocalo, which is actually a Mexican restaurant and tequila bar. Zocalo is not only one of my favorite spots for post-work happy hour (hello, theirs starts at 3pm), but had a bang up Mardi Gras menu, including the Gumbo & Jalapeño Cornbread ($8) I enjoyed for lunch and $4 Hurricanes. They even gave out beads, no flash dance required!

Following work, I quickly began looking for my next Mardi Gras venue. Venturing not far from downtown, I met up with friends at Hoopples, another Cleveland favorite of mine. Tuesdays at Hoopples consist of $3 for 2 tacos. For Mardi Gras, they had special $5 for 2 Gumbo tacos that were insatiable. They also had crawfish by the dozen– the real reason Hoopples was a Mardi Gras must. It was the first time I had ever tried crawfish. I have always been intrigued by them and was excited to get down and dirty on these Fat Tuesday favorites. At $6 a dozen, they were the perfect price for trying out something that I later decided were not for me and although crawfish are not my kind of fish (or bottom feeder), the flavors and experience were superbly enjoyable!

On the east side, Paladar offered up Mardi Gras specials, although I did not make it out to that neck of the woods. All in all, Mardi Gras did laissez les bons temps rouler (let the good times roll) and brought with it one of my favorite culinary times… Lent! I know it’s hard to believe, but yes, Church Fish Fry season is now upon us! Keep posted for these heavenly updates!

Meet Me in Cleveland!

Who says we’re the mistake by the lake?! Cleveland ROCKS and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise! This blog is designed to let you in on all the awesome gems Cleveland has to offer: foodies, beer & wine enthusiasts, destination seekers and bargain hunters alike!

Taylor Krankowski grew up 20 minutes outside of Cleveland. She currently lives on the Cleveland West-Side with her gorgeous boyfriend and their pug and boston terrier. She enjoys steals, deals and delicious meals!

 

CHEERS!