Show Cleveland Some Love

Photo by Erik Drost. 

It's time to give Cleveland the love it deserves.

We've just got back from a long weekend up on the banks of the Erie and had a great time. In fact, we found some many things to do and places to eat that we definitely need to go back. But so many people thought we were mad for going there. So if you've tended to dismiss Cleveland as not being worth a look (and I admit I was one of those at one time), here are a few reasons to think again.

Places to Go.

We drove up from Lexington, KY on a Friday, arriving in Cleveland at about 3pm. Time to check in to the hotel and take a quick breather before heading out to our first stop.

Cleveland Museum of Art. Courtesy of ThisisCleveland.com.

Cleveland Museum of Art. By far, one of the better art museums I have been to, the Cleveland Museum of Art houses a magnificent collections that includes works by Dali, Picasso, Van Gogh, Monet, and many more of the masters. Whether your taste leans to ancient Greek, far Eastern, medieval religious, contemporary American, or sculpture, the museum will have something to whet your appetite. We had not bought tickets to the Yayoi Kusama exhibition and it was sold out by the time we got there, but that didn't matter as there was still so much to see. Be sure to check out the William Morris room. The Cleveland Museum of Art is open Tuesdays through Sundays from 10am. Admission is free. There is a charge for parking. 

Courtesy of ThisisCleveland.com and Rock n Roll Hall of Fame.

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. If you're a music lover, you can't visit Cleveland without spending some time at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame so that was our first stop on Saturday. As with the Museum of Art, there is something for everyone. The museum starts downstairs with early blues and works its way up several floors, charting the history of popular music. Along the way you'll see exhibits and memorabilia from such greats as Elvis and Jimi Hendrix, and covering such events as the Summer of Love, the rise of punk, and much more. See who has been inducted on Level 3 and cast your own vote for who you'd like to see in the next class. (Votes for Warren Zevon from the both of us!) And on the higest floors, you can see a series of exhibits about music on TV and music video. But for us, the highlight was the musical performances. The Power of Rock Experience is a short film by Jonathan Demme that shows some of the induction highlights and which closes with a mindblowing guitar performance by Prince. In another theater, a four hour recording from Madison Square Gardens plays on a loop. Stay and watch the entire show or just sit and enjoy a few clips. (The Mick Jagger and Fergie performance with U2 is excellent). Plan to spend at least a couple of hours here but you'll probably want to linger and recapture favorites from your youth. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is open daily from 10am to 5.30, with later hours on Wednesdays. Buy tickets online before you go to save a few bucks.

Courtesy of ThisisCleveland.com

A Christmas Story House. Author Jean Shepherd may have grown up in Indiana, but anyone who has seen the movie adaptation of his beloved book will recognise this house, used in the filming. Take a tour of the museum and the house and see tons of memorabilia from the Christmas classic, including of course the infamous major award lamp. After looking around, buy your own leg lamp or bunny suit in the neighboring gift shop. Or book an overnight stay. The house is open every day with the first tours at 10.15am.

Lincoln Park, Tremont. Photo by Daniel X. O'Neil. 

The house from A Christmas Story is in Tremont, which was convenient for us since our next Saturday adventure was a food tour of the area with Taste of Cleveland. For three hours our guide Fallon shared the district's history with us as we stopped off at several local restaurants to try their wares. Taste of Cleveland also operates food tours in the city's West Side Market and Little Italy. If you remember, we took a food tour with Taste Indy a few years ago. This is run by the same folks so you won't be hungry by the end of the evening.

Community artwork in Tremont

Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. On Sunday we faced the drive back to Kentucky but we weren't ready to leave just yet. A brochure in the hotel room mentioned that Cleveland's zoo had one of the largest collections of primates in the nation. Enough said. The zoo is set on 183 acres and is nicely laid out. We got there at opening time, which as great as we were able to chat with one of the keepers and learn more about the snow leopards. The selection of animals was impressive, and because the zoo was so spacious, it never felt overcrowded. We spent a little over three hours here, but could have happily lingered for longer.

Where to Eat.

We enjoyed some great dishes so below are the restaurants that featured on our food tour and another excellent discovery. 

Der Braumeister. Our first evening in Cleveland, good beer was a given. But what we also wanted was some good German food. Der Braumeister did not disappoint on either count. The traditional wooden decor took me back to my summer spent working in Bavaria. The servers were very knowledgeable about the beer and were spot on with their suggestions. Meanwhile, the food was wonderful. We started with some lox and cream cheese. Then, Nic had the sauerbraten with spatzle while I had a sausage plate. Lastly, although stuffed to the gills, we wouldn't resist sharing a slice of strudel, fresh from the oven.

The SouthSide, Tremont. The first stop on our Taste Cleveland tour of Tremont was this restaurant and bar on West 11th. And despite having lived in Kentucky for 17 years, it took my first trip to Cleveland for me to try chicken and waffles, complete with a rich maple butter, maple syrup and hot sauce. Apparently they have one of the best Bloody Marys in the city but I've never been able to face drinking anything with tomato juice.

Parallax, Tremont. Further along West 11th, Parallax is the flagship of a series of restaurants around the city owned by renowned chef Zach Bruell. Its menu offers fusion seafood and sushi. We were treated to tempura green beans and hanger steak pot stickers. Fallon tells me the cocktails are also very good.

Ty Fun, Tremont. Next stop was Ty Fun, and don't fret about the pronunciation. We were told that chef and owner Sunny Ting pronounces it one way, and his sister and co-chef pronounces it another! We got to taste the chicken satay and a sweet chicken curry which also featured Sunny's homemade tofu. Needless to say, both were delicious.

Tremont Scoops. You can't have a food tour without dessert, so our final stop in Tremont was Scoops for ice cream. Be sure to stop by for a cup or cone if you find yourself in the area. Vegan and dairy-free offerings are also available.

Although our stay in Cleveland was short, we managed to pack a lot into it and we enjoyed it all immensely. I had honestly expected a grimy industrial city. Instead we found a vibrant city with plenty of great attractions and some fabulous dining choices. And since there are still lots of other places there to explore, I believe a second trip may be in my future.

Courtesy of ThisisCleveland.com

Eating Our Way Around Indy

I've been to Indianapolis a few times, but usually just as a stopover on my way to Chicago. While I've raced around the Indy Speedway, enjoyed the works of Georgia O'Keeffe at the Museum of Art, and toured the Medical History Museum (highly underrated and well worth a visit), I've not spent much time exploring the local restaurants. So I was pleased to head up there this past weekend for a food and walking tour. We ate and ate, and then ate some more. It turns out that Indianapolis has some great food!

The Rathskeller

Our tour started at 3pm at The Rathskeller, where we were greeted by our guide Dani.

The German House was built by the city's German community in the 19th century. Its goal was to provide one location for their many social, political, and sporting clubs. Renamed the Athenaeum during World War I, the building now houses a YMCA, several theatre companies, and many other organizations. It is still home to the Rathskeller restaurant and beer garden.

Heading inside, we took our seats in the large event hall, ready for the first portion of our feast. I have never had a light German meal, and this was no exception. In addition to the beer of our choice, we were treated to plates of fresh pretzels, complete with two types of mustard, one of which gave the sinuses a good cleaning!

Then came the serious food - a plate featuring our types of sausage, sauerkraut, rotkraut, and spaetzle.

It was all delicious. I had fully intended to pace myself, having read the reviews of the tour and knowing that we had more food stops ahead of us. Let's just say once I tried the food, all hopes of pacing vanished.

The Rathskeller Sample Plate

One of the beautiful historic properties of Lockerbie Square.

Following our hearty German sampler was an opportunity to walk off some of our recently ingested calories with a stroll through the historic Lockerbie Square. Here Dani shared the history of the many charming houses in the neighborhood.

One stop along our route was the James Whitcomb Riley Museum Home. Famous poet James Whitcomb Riley, creator of Little Orphan Annie, lived in the home as a lodger for several decades. We were shown around the first floor, and I fell in love with the highly polished and very impressive stove. I believe if I were to rip out all of the appliances in my tiny kitchen, I may just have room for such a beast.

The Peachy Pig and Sweet Potato Fries at Ralston's

The tour's second food stop was Ralston's DraftHouse on Massachusetts Avenue. At 4pm on a Saturday afternoon, the place was a-hopping.

In an effort to pace myself, I decided to skip the beer. (I had heard that the margaritas at our next stop were not to be missed). However, Nic ordered a cherry mead ale that was as full of flavor as it was color.

The dishes provided for us on this stop consisted of two types of flatbread and sweet potato fries.

No soggy tomatoes in this ratatouille!

The Peachy Pig was topped with pulled pork, cheddar, ginger, cilantro, and a peach-chipotle reduction. The combination of pork and peach is one that I plan to do myself on a homemade pizza.

I was a little more reserved about the Ratatouille Flatbread... until I tried it. Usually ratatouille is one of those-take-it-or-leave-it dishes for me, overly swimming in stewed tomatoes. This was far beyond my expectations, with the perfect blend of eggplant, peppers, onions, squash, and tomatoes, topped with cheese.

The sweet potato fries were a tasty side, and came with ketchup and cinnamon cream cheese.

I could have happily spent more time at Ralston's soaking up the atmosphere, but we had more exploring to do, and so on to the next.

After admiring the architecture of the Murat Centre and stopping to say hi to Kurt Vonnegut, we continued our way along Massachusetts Avenue to Bakersfield.

Indianapolis' most famous son.

Before I mention Bakersfield, I should note some of the benefits of doing a tour like this. Obviously, the food is a highlight; you get to try samplers at places you may not have tried before. You also meet a fascinating variety of people, and have the added bonus of a knowledgeable guide to tell you the history of the area. But another benefit is that you have a table waiting for you. Take for example Bakersfield. They do not take reservations and on a Saturday evening, they are filled to the gills. They do keep a space for a tour though, meaning that we were able to walk right in and find the food ready and waiting.

Chicken tacos

 Aiming for a vibe similar to its namesake city in California, Bakersfield prides itself on three things: tacos, tequila, and whiskey. Dani had told us about the excellent margaritas and she was not wrong. It may well be the best margarita I have ever tasted, surpassing the ones I had in Mexico and even the ones at my favorite local Mexican restaurant. If you find yourself in Indy, go and order a margarita at Bakersfield, stat!

To accompany our drinks, we were presented with platters of chicken and fish tacos, both delicious.

Fish tacos at Bakersfield

 The fish was particularly surprising. All too often, I come across fried fish that has gone soggy. These pieces of fish were firm with a crisp batter. Very nice indeed.

And finally, we reached our last stop: The Flying Cupcake bakery. Given my choice of cupcakes, I picked out a bananas foster but took it with me for later enjoyment. For now, I was stuffed.

So how would I rate the tour? Excellent. Dani was a wonderful guide. Each of the food stops was a delight. If I had to pick a favorite dish, I would probably say it was the Peachy Pig, but that is a tough call, because I did enjoy everything. I actually can't wait to go back to Indianapolis to revisit some of my new food discoveries.