Yay for the weekend! The weather here is beautiful and I’m going to make this quick so I can get out and enjoy it. Last night the Mister and I finally made it to Paladar and enjoyed a delicious dinner al fresco before meeting my parents at the movie theater to watch “Up” (which is adorable by the way – a must see!).

Paladar is a trendy Latin Kitchen on the East side of Cleveland. It has become one of my favorite spots for when I’m craving something different. The decor is trendy and sophisticated and makes you feel 10x cooler by simply being there – which is a big plus, for dorks like me!

Inside Paladar (image credit: cleveland.metromix.com)

Paladar interior (image credit: cleveland.metromix.com)

Paladar’s menu is pretty extensive and would be sure to please even the pickiest eaters.

Paladar Menu

The Mister and I split the following to start:  Ceviche Trio

Ecuadorian Shrimp Ceviche
Steamed Shrimp, served chilled and tossed in a Citrus Marinade with Fresh Avocado, Pickled Garlic, Tamarind and Housemade Plantain Chips

Tuna and Watermelon Ceviche
Sushi Grade Tuna diced and marinated in our Sweet Chili Vinaigrette tossed with Sweet Honeydew and Watermelon, Fresh Basil and served with Housemade Yucca Chips

Coconut-Lime Salmon Ceviche
Fresh Atlantic Salmon thinly sliced and marinated in Coconut Milk & Lime Juice tossed with Diced Pinapple, Sliced Red Onions, Cilantro and accompanied by the traditional side of Popcorn

Ceviche Trio

Next, we each ordered one of the restaurant’s homemade guacamole. The restaurant actually has a guacamole bar where avocados are peeled and masked with other fresh ingredients to make various flavors of tasty guac.

I ordered chef’s specialty flavor – roasted red pepper.

Roasted red pepper guacamole

The guacamole is served with a variety of fresh chips including: Plantain, Yucca, Malanga & Tortilla Chips.

Paladar chips

All of them were amazing, but my favorites were the plantains and yucca chips.

For our ‘dinner’ we each ordered a bowl of soup. I went with the Gazpacho. It was full of flavor and also served as a great ‘chip dunker!’

Gazpacho soup

Check out that housemade crouton!

It was so nice to unwind after a busy week and soak up some sun.

Check out the beautiful view I had!

All the dessert I need! (he also makes me 10x cooler!)

Now we’re off to the gym and getting some breakfast with my father in-law at our favorite spot, First Watch. Tonight we’re heading to Pittsburgh to see Coldplay and take my brother and his girlfriend (who I LOVE!) out to dinner. I’m sure I’ll have some fun events to report

What are all of you up to today?