Thank you, Mama, for giving up your Saturday so that I could have a date with my husband. Our marriage thanks you.

Inspired by the rustic simplicity of Italian cuisine, Chef Paul Minnillo offers rustic Italian food to his new culinary venture in Cleveland, Ohio. From Flour’s larder, he creates his own house-cured meats, hand-crafted artisanal cheeses, pastas, neopolitan wood-fired pizzas and rustic Italian specialities. Flour seeks the freshest locally raised and homegrown products harvested at their seasonal peak.

Sounds lovely, no?

Wait till you see the food.

But first — check out the interior! I felt sexier simply walking in.

And trust me, I need all the help I can get.

After perusing the menu, I decided to start with the asparagus, while the Mister settled on the meatball skewer.

Seasoned with Parmesan and garlic chips, these asparagus spears were some of the best I’ve eaten.

And the Mister was quite pleased with his selection — so fun to eat!

Knowing I’d have to sample a dessert (and likely much of the Mister’s dish), I chose the lighter route with the ohio honey crisp apple salad, featuring
spiced almonds+smoked blue cheese (I subbed for mozzerella)+crisp prosciutto+aged balsamic.

It did not disappoint. The salty prosciutto was perfectly balanced with the sweet apple + almonds and the mozzarella rounded out the dish with a creamy finish. I am going to try and re-create this at home – delicious!

Luckily, the Mister’s pizza was portioned appropriately — meaning, more than enough for me to snag a few pieces.

flour isn’t kidding when they say their pizza is the real deal. Baked to perfection and wood fired, the crust was thin, but still doughy and soft — just the way I like it!

For dessert, we went with the waitress’ recommendation — apple crisp.

My only regret is that we didn’t order two — and that I saved the last bite for the Mister — now if that isn’t love, I’m not sure I know what is…

Thank you, flour, for making me look sexier for my husband and providing us with deliciousness. We’ll be back.

Clevelanders – Have you been to flour? Non-Clevelanders – what dish looks tastiest to you?

Consider this my proclamation to you all that it is one of my favorite restaurants ever. Home of many birthday dinners and celebratory occasions, the Blue Canyon has a cozy and inviting atmosphere, much like an upscale, rustic retreat – and its food is even better. I’ve never met a dish I didn’t love.

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The Mister and I have shared so many incredible dinners, laughs and conversations at Blue Canyon - in fact, we first talked about getting married “one day” over lunch on the restaurant’s beautiful patio!

So you can imagine my excitement when I learned the owner and chef, Brandt Evans was opening a new restaurant in downtown Cleveland.

From the website:

“Pure Life.” Not just words, but a philosophy. Chef Brandt Evans is proud to offer his latest vision – Pura Vida Restaurant, located in downtown Cleveland, on Public Square. Pura Vida offers a unique and inspired atmosphere serving dishes that Chef Evans says “live for today.” Chef Evans uses the finest and freshest local ingredients from a myriad of trusted sources – many of which are exclusive to Pura Vida.

The Mister and I met my dad, my brother and his girlfriend for dinner before an Indians game earlier this summer.

I could immediately tell that Pura Vida was going to be a bit different from Blue Canyon.

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So modern and sleek! The lighting changed colors with the music, creating new ambiances with each fade in/out.

After enjoying a delicious summer salad featuring fresh berries, goat cheese and sunflower seed brittle, I realized I forgot to snap a photo.

Luckily, I still had my main course to capture.

One of the most innovative dishes I’ve had to date, what you see here is a “jar.”

Duh.

Let me elaborate. Pura Vida offers several jar selections, which are served with grilled bread. Each jar is layered with different ingredients, creating the perfect combination of flavors and forming a unique “spread” to enjoy with the grilled bread. I chose the bbq tofu & vegan chorizo jar, which was also layered with grilled scallion pesto and roasted tomatoes.

It is a new goal of mine to sample every single jar that pura vida has to offer. This was so fun to eat and incredibly delicious.

So while pura vida looked sleeker and more trendy than Blue Canyon, they certainly have one major thing in common — mind-blowing food.

Now if only I could make up my mind on where to celebrate my next big occasion…

Take a look at Pura Vida’s extensive menu, what would you have ordered? What jar should I try next? IAnd how can I con the Mister to take me there for breakfast one morning this week?

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From good ol’ Wiki:

Seaside is an unincorporated master-planned community on the Florida panhandle in Walton County, between Panama City Beach and Destin. The town has become the topic of slide lectures in architectural schools and in housing-industry magazines, and is visited by design professionals from all over the United States.

While Seaside is fun to visit, I have a feeling that all that perfection might get tiresome afterawhile and a dorky klutz like me would stick out like a sore thumb. But that doesn’t mean I can’t take advantage of the town’s perfection while I’m there!

Figure A: The Pizza Bar.

After getting stuck in the rain (guess you aren’t so perfect after all, Seaside!), this pizza joint spoke to the Mister and I like a message from the Lord himself. And we’re not ones to ignore the Lord.

The Pizza Bar was a cool, hip place to dry off from the rain and recharge our batteries.

As I evaluated the menu, I immediately knew that I wanted the Farmer’s Market Pizza, topped with market veggies and arugala. One might even say it was in God’s plan.

Thank goodness.

Anyway, we paid another visit to Northstar this past weekend. This time, we decided we’d see what they could do with lunch.

No disappointments here.

Salad contained: mixed greens, dates, goat cheese, roasted chicken, almonds, corn, avocado and tomatoes (reminds me of another salad favorite!). Served with a huge chunk of freshly baked bread that I’m fairly certain Jesus himself might eat every day up in heaven. No butter required — and how often do I say that? Correct answer: never.

The simple fact, really, was that I was too lazy to walk back up to the counter and ask for some. Instead, I scarfed down the bread and then realized that just this once, I didn’t miss the butta. Could it be because I was too busy dipping it in the lemon oil vinaigrette dressing? Or calculating how much I would need to fix myself a bath of it? You betcha.

Happy Tuesday! Are we loving this weather or what?!

This weekend, the Mister and I had tickets to West Side Story (Tony was awful and we left at intermission, but that’s not the point of this post). We took advantage of Bean’s babysitter (thanks, Mama!) and made sure to grab dinner beforehand.

The Mister was in charge of the reservation and he selected SASA, located in Shaker Square.

SASA is Cleveland’s first izakaya. Known in Japan as a restaurant and bar that serves savory tapas style dishes, izakaya is a cross between a sit down dinner and a night at the pub. It’s a warm exchange of friendship, food, and drink.

We started with the DRINK

Hot tea — yea, we’re lame. But this was some of the best hot tea I’ve ever had. Liquid caramel? Yes. Please.

Next up? Avocado Salad. The Mister also ordered potstickers, which he gobbled down before I could snap a photo.

The avocado is hiding in the back mixed with delightful “green goddess dressing.” This salad was so fresh and flavorful – I could have eaten 3 more.

Finally – SUSHI. I kept things simple with a California roll, while the Mister enjoyed spicy tuna and yellowfin + scallion.

You really can tell a huge difference when a sushi restaurant uses fresh ingredients. The Mister and I agreed this was some of the freshest sushi we’ve had in Cleveland. The rice was also cooked to the perfect consistency — perfectly chewy, not gummy or dry!

I would have loved to stayed and ordered more little plates and drinks, but we had a show to catch (turns out we should have stayed!). Next time, we’ll make sure stop in when we have more time — there were so many delicious dishes to choose from.

Have you been to an izakaya?!

The Mister and I made a special date to enjoy what has now become my favorite lunch in Cleveland…

Located in the Historic Warehouse District, the ChopHouse is a comfortable steakhouse complete with handcrafted beer brewed on site, carefully selected wines, small batch bourbons and a fine array of single-malt scotches.

Can you spot the Mister?!

While I didn’t partake in the “hops,” I did enjoy quite a delicious spread.

Each meal at the Chophouse is prefaced with honey glazed cornbread — and really, should you really start dinner/lunch any other way? I think not. I of course took this over-the-top by adding more butter. Good thing I stopped at one piece. Balance, people, balance.

But it was OK because I had this baby on the way.

The Chop Chop Salad — mother of all salads. Contained: crisp greens, grilled chicken, garbanzo beans, roasted pumpkin seeds, gouda, sundried blueberries and avocado.

And this is what makes a long work week bearable – knowing that every now and then I have a lunch date waiting for me — with an amazing salad, of course. And cornbread, lots of cornbread. With an extra side of butter

What lunch do you enjoy to make it through a tough work week? Do you pack something special? Make a trip to starbucks? Take a fancy lunch with friends? Share!

One of those restaurants? Mario Fazio’s.

The fact that I have been living within 15 miles of this restaurant for my entire life sickens me. I think about all the fresh-baked garlic bread I’ve been missing and my lip starts to tremble. Then I realize I’d also probably be about 15 pounds overweight. Hmmm, I think it’d still be worth it.

I was first introduced to Mario Fazio’s at the Mister’s cousin’s wedding shower. I was immediately taken its welcoming, fresh atmosphere and as soon as I tasted the food, I knew Mr. Fazio and I were meant to be. Fate brought us together and the buttered garlic bread kept bringing me back (doesn’t it always?).

Marios Fazio’s makes EVERYTHING in their own kitchen and every single dish is homemade.

My favorite part of any meal at Mario Fazio’s is the fresh-from-the-oven garlic bread and Italian SALSA! Chips and dip? NO THANKS! Not when I can enjoy buttery bread with salsa made from fresh tomatoes, onions, olives and other delicious seasonings.

Forgive the poor lighting, I was getting a bit romantic as I sang sweet Italian arias to my bread. Too far? Never.

And if you think the bread looked good, just wait until you see one of my favorite salads in the world.

Mixed greens topped with provolone cheese, walnuts, grapes, strawberries and grilled chicken.

So simple, so refreshing, MINE.

I could eat it every day. And lucky for me, I can!

But alas, I’ll try and keep myself limited to only a few visits every month or so — I’m not sure my hips would welcome the extra jiggle

In any case, these delicious photos may perk you all up!

The following photos were from Friday night’s dinner at Fire in Cleveland’s Shaker Square.

We started with popovers, served with honey butter.

Me. Oh. My. These were incredible. It was basically a small version of torture knowing that each of us only got one. My advice? Play it safe and order at least two orders of these bad boys. Luckily the Mister happily gave me a portion of his knew what was good for him and forked his over to the pregnant lunatic

We also ordered a cheese plate.

As always, I loved paring the cheese with the berry preserves – such a lovely combo! I must remember this next time I’m entertaining (which is far and few between, but now that the Mister and I are moving to a bigger place, I see more hosting in our future )

Up next: the Main Course!

I ordered the seafood vera cruz, which was composed of steamed halibut, mussels, scallops and calamari served on top of seasoned rice. This was fantastic! I must find out the spices and ingredients that made up the sauce in this dish — addicting!

When I wasn’t scarfing down my food, I was admiring Tom’s pork chop – look at that baby!

Jess decided to go with the halibut, served with clam and potato chowder. She was kind enough to let me snag a bite and it was mouthwatering.

The Mister went with the Barramundi, but the picture must have looked so delicious that my camera decided to eat it.

Due to the celebratory nature of the dinner (the Mister’s last b-day hoopla!), we had to go out in style with dessert.

I ordered the popcorn caramel sundae.

No words. The server explained that they make huge tubs of butter popcorn and somehow use the “juices” to infuse this ice cream with buttery popcorn goodness. The ice cream is then topped with caramel, nuts and caramel corn. Salty, buttery, creamy, sugary — what else do you need out of life?

OK, that’s an understatement. I ADORE cheese. I CRAVE cheese. I DREAM in cheese. You get the point. Me and cheese are pretty tight.

For all you other cheese lovers out there, what if I told you I had a brilliant idea? A restaurant where the focus was: cheese. Gouda, cheddar, provolone, blue, you name it, it’s on the menu! Then what if I told you that the featured dish would be a GRILLED CHEESE sandwich — 20 different ways. Grilled cheese and veggies? DONE! Grilled cheese, onions and pierogies? DUH! Grilled cheese with bacon and fried egg? PLEASE! The list goes on…

You’d probably be pretty stoked, huh?

Too bad someone else already thought of it.

MELT.

Lucky for me a NEW location just opened up in my neighborhood (the original is on the West Side).

Melt in numbers:

5: people in our party (me, the Mister, mom, dad, bro)

90: minutes we were told the wait was

3: times we fed the parking meeter

6: times I nagged my mom to ask how much time was left before we got to sit down

1: times she actually asked

115: minutes we actually waited

3: times the Christmas Story played (the run it on a loop in the TVs)

20: plastic lawn ornaments I counted (before I lost track)

24: Grilled cheese sandwiches to choose from

12:  times my stomach growled

3: Sandwiches really I wanted

60: minutes we waited for our sandwiches

3: times I tried to convince my family it’d be worth it

8: iced tea refills

5: happy tummies

Was it worth it? For me, yes. While the wait was really annoying, it gave me time to catch up with my family and spend quality time together with minimal distractions (other than my growling stomach). The food was, as expected, delicious.

I ordered the Grilled Peanut Butter, Banana and Cream Cheese Sandwich.

Dear Melt, next time, don’t skimp on the peanut butter, OK? After waiting for a few hours, I think I deserve more than a tablespoon. Otherwise, delish.

The Mister ordered the West Side Monte Cristo, which included honey ham, smoked turkey, swiss, american, beer battered and mixed berry preserves

He compared it to an orgasm. I had a bite and tend to agree. TMI? It’s OK we’re all friends.

My brother ordered The Big Popper, which had fresh jalapeno peppers, cheddar & herbed cream cheese, beer battered and mixed berry preserves.

I can’t remember what my dad ordered. And I didn’t dare get within his personal space to investigate — I know better than to mess with a hungry man

My mom was a whimp and ordered a salad. Don’t bother, I already made fun of her. 

Which sandwich would you have chosen or what would make up your perfect grilled cheese sandwich?

Certified as the first Green restaurant in Ohio, the Greenhouse Tavern uses environmentally friendly ingredients and utilizes recycled materials, highly developed models of composting and alternate sources of energy. In addition, the restaurant promotes the farm to plate movement by working with local farms and farmers to provide the freshest, local produce.

Check out those lights and how they’ve utilized bicycle tires!

Everyone at the table decided to take advantage of the tasting menu. The tasting menu allows you to pick a 1st course, a second course, a main course and either a side or dessert. You get all of this for only $39! Yes, it can seem a bit pricey for one person, but look at just how many different dishes you get to try! And when you go with a big group it’s even more fun- as long as your crowd is OK with sharing

For my first course, I chose the breakfast radishes, which were served cold with butter, lemon zest & sea salt. These were so refreshing! Incredibly crispy. The heat of the radish was balanced out nicely by the smooth, creamy butter and salt.

My next dish was grilled artichokes and sauteed mushrooms. I’m not sure what sauce or seasonings were used, but they were incredible! I had a hard time sharing this dish with outhers.

My main dish was… interesting. I had absolutely no idea what to expect. The dish was called Puttanesca. Puttanesca is a type of sauce made with tomatoes, capers and OLIVES. Call me insane, but I HATE olives. Of course that would have been nice to know before I ordered the dish. To be fair, I did not ask if the dish had olives in it. And at this point I should probably mention the amazingness that is The Greenhouse Tavern staff. They were all so incredibly helpful and also brought over a few complimentary dishes to make sure our table got the full tasting experience. Anyway, back to my Puttanesca. Aside from the fact that olives make me want to heave, I enjoyed this dish as much as I could. The roasted tomatoes were cooked perfectly and created sweet explosions with every bite. Those few bites alone made the dish worth it. Best dish I tried (and sadly don’t have a photo of): Half Roasted Chicken in Brioche Bread.

Oh dear. There are no words. I will be going back to order this dish for myself. And there will be no sharing, I assure you.

Instead of ordering dessert (the horror!) I ordered beluga lentils. Best decision I made. Why? Because these were addictingly succulent. Well, and everyone else was pretty much full by this point, so I had most of their dessert. They don’t call me a genius for nothing. Oh wait, they just don’t call me a genius at all.

Unfortunately I don’t have photos of the incredible desserts — which is probably a good thing, since you all think I’m a pig already – why add fuel to the fire?

One of the things I loved so much about this meal was the fact that I WAS NOT uncomfortably full afterwards! How nice to enjoy so many different dishes and not feel sick! I chalk this up to The Greenhouse’s perfect portions – just right for tasting and enjoying, without over doing it.

This was an incredible meal, enjoyed with my beautiful family set to a soundtrack of laughter and great conversation. I really can’t think of a better way to spend an evening. Too bad my Mister had to miss out. Oh well, now we get to go again

Have you taken advantage of a tasting menu before? What was your experience like?