- Holly: You know those days when you get the mean reds?
- Paul: The mean reds, you mean like the blues?
- Holly: No. The blues are because you're getting fat and maybe it's been raining too long, you're just sad that's all. The mean reds are horrible. Suddenly you're afraid and you don't know what you're afraid of. Do you ever get that feeling?
- It's one of my favorite movies...and there's no other way to express how I feel. It's one of those days, weeks, months, years where I just want to lay in bed with a glass (or bottle) of wine and watch Breakfast at Tiffany's. It's supposed to be a happy time. Yet, I am anything but. You see, I am graduating from undergraduate college this year. Next week in fact. I got my dream job, like seriously THE perfect job for me. I got a cat. My boyfriend is amazing and I am looking into buying a condo or a house. I eat well, I dress well and I have a roof over my head. So, the mean reds... You know those times when things just don't go your way. It's been one of those years. I am such a blessed and fortunate person and I appreciate everything I have and everything I get. But, sometimes, it's just like...world, cut me a break.
- Everything will be ok in the end, if it's not ok, it's not the end. In the grand perspective of things, it's really not that bad and it could be worse.
Friday, May 6, 2011
The Mean Reds
Monday, February 21, 2011
Liquid Planet
Cleveland is such a tease. 60 degrees last week and 25 degrees this week.
The soup was really good on a cold, icy day. It was hot and well-flavored. The salad was ok. I enjoyed it, but it was a bit too salty and sweet. I'm picky about overbearing flavors (probably why I don't like onions).
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| A different kind of beauty found in nature |
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| Winter Wonderland |
Despite how beautiful snow and ice can be, I am, as I am sure many of you are, ready for Spring. Driving in this weather is insane, but I made the trek out with my friend Mare to Liquid Planet for some take-out dinner. We're both nutrition majors and Liquid Planet is our newest obsession (last year we were all about Teahouse Noodles). I eat there almost every week and usually get the same thing but I got something different today! Delicious Saturn salad and Tomato-Basil soup with Cheese Ravioli. The salad had mixed greens, green and red peppers, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, cheese and smoked chicken salad. It usually comes with red onions, but I have an aversion to onions. I usually get the Neptune salad which is similar to the Saturn but with tuna salad instead of chicken salad.
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| Saturn Salad with Poppyseed dressing |
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| Tomato-Basil Soup with Cheese Ravioli |
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| Chips Ahoy Reese's cookies |
I finished the meal with two of another one of my most recent obsessions. I never grew up on chocolate chip cookies but I am obsessed with these Chips Ahoys as an adult! Yum!
Hope you all had a wonderful Monday and I look forward to sharing my week with you!
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Lazy Girl's Saturday Night -- Pesto Pasta
What's a lazy girl to do on a Saturday night when her boyfriend is busy and she's too cheap to go out? Why, make her own pesto pasta dinner of course! I've been so obsessed with pesto recently for some reason -- today was literally the third time I've had it in the past 2 weeks. I considered ordering take-out, but some of these dinners are so expensive! Like 15-20 dollars per entree. I'm in college! That's not going to fly. So, I decided to make my own pesto!
I ran out to Murray Hill Market and picked up some basil, extra virgin olive oil, mushrooms, arugala, pecorino romano (they didn't have parmesan at the market) and...well, I was trying to save money but they had Jeni's Wildberry Lavender ice cream! Totally worth the $9.99 a pint. Anyway, I had some leftover walnuts from banana walnut pancakes I made last week and since I already have garlic powder, I decided not to buy fresh garlic. I was really happy with the way it turned out! It's not a traditional pesto recipe but it was delicious. All of the pesto ingredients (basil, olive oil, garlic powder, walnuts, kosher salt, ground pepper, pecorino romano) were thrown into a food processor for about 5 minutes, then I sauteed the arugala and mushrooms in olive oil and tossed it all together with some whole grain penne pasta. I heated a Cheese-filled breadstick and poured myself a glass of merlot and dinner was ready!
Not to lecture, but I was just so proud of myself with this pesto! Walnuts and olive oil are amazing sources of vitamin E and omega fatty acids. This meal has plenty of fiber and protein too. I would definitely consider this a healthy luxury meal.
And last, but certainly not least, Jeni's Wildberry Lavender ice cream! This is my favorite flavor because I am an avid lavender fan. Other flavors that I've enjoyed are the Riesling Pear, Salty Caramel and Dark Chocolate. Most Jeni's locations are in Columbus...but, for all you Clevelanders out there, JENI'S IS COMING TO CHAGRIN FALLS. I had actually considered applying to work there after graduation -- haha, a job is a job!
Happy Saturday readers!
I ran out to Murray Hill Market and picked up some basil, extra virgin olive oil, mushrooms, arugala, pecorino romano (they didn't have parmesan at the market) and...well, I was trying to save money but they had Jeni's Wildberry Lavender ice cream! Totally worth the $9.99 a pint. Anyway, I had some leftover walnuts from banana walnut pancakes I made last week and since I already have garlic powder, I decided not to buy fresh garlic. I was really happy with the way it turned out! It's not a traditional pesto recipe but it was delicious. All of the pesto ingredients (basil, olive oil, garlic powder, walnuts, kosher salt, ground pepper, pecorino romano) were thrown into a food processor for about 5 minutes, then I sauteed the arugala and mushrooms in olive oil and tossed it all together with some whole grain penne pasta. I heated a Cheese-filled breadstick and poured myself a glass of merlot and dinner was ready!
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Breadstick, pasta and merlot |
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| Close up of the pasta -- I might've gotten overboard with the cheese haha |
And last, but certainly not least, Jeni's Wildberry Lavender ice cream! This is my favorite flavor because I am an avid lavender fan. Other flavors that I've enjoyed are the Riesling Pear, Salty Caramel and Dark Chocolate. Most Jeni's locations are in Columbus...but, for all you Clevelanders out there, JENI'S IS COMING TO CHAGRIN FALLS. I had actually considered applying to work there after graduation -- haha, a job is a job!
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| Delicious!! http://jenisicecreams.com/index.html |
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Mia Bella
So I wasn't able to convince Turk to go to Washington Place last night and by the time we were getting ready to go out, it was too late to go to yoga. Instead we went down the street to Mia Bella.
Mia Bella is a mediterranean-italian restaurant that opened last year in Little Italy. We'd been there once before and loved the food and the adorable atmosphere. This time, I was less impressed. The restaurant is owned by the sweetest lady and her son is the chef. Turk and I both ordered the same things that we did the last time we were there and this time the food wasn't as good. Maybe it was because they were less busy?
I ordered the Pasta Verde which is penne pasta tossed with spinach in a pesto sauce. Turk had the Gnocchi Alla Romano which was gnocchi with vegetables in a oil based sauce. We split an eggplant parmesan appetizer.
Mia Bella is a mediterranean-italian restaurant that opened last year in Little Italy. We'd been there once before and loved the food and the adorable atmosphere. This time, I was less impressed. The restaurant is owned by the sweetest lady and her son is the chef. Turk and I both ordered the same things that we did the last time we were there and this time the food wasn't as good. Maybe it was because they were less busy?
I ordered the Pasta Verde which is penne pasta tossed with spinach in a pesto sauce. Turk had the Gnocchi Alla Romano which was gnocchi with vegetables in a oil based sauce. We split an eggplant parmesan appetizer.
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| Eggplant Parmesan Appetizer |
The appetizer was amazing. Probably one of the best eggplant parms I've ever had (Trattoria's tops my list!). It had a nice amount of mozzerella cheese with the actual eggplant slices and then sweet ricotta cheese on top. The sauce was flavorful and tangy and a really nice fried eggplant flavor came through.
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| Pasta Verde |
The Pasta Verde was good, but I've had better pesto sauces (off the top of my head, I would say that La Dolce Vita has a better pesto sauce). I am extremely picky with pastas though...I like my noodles al dente. The first time I ordered this, the pasta was perfect. This time, for some reason, the noodles were soft and limp. Not at all to my liking. The sauce also was not as flavorful. I would definitely try it again because I loved it the first time I ordered it.
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| Gnocchi Alla Romano |
Turk ordered the Gnocchi which was a very good gnocchi. The pasta was tender and had a nice bite to it. The tomato sauce was flavorful and it had plenty of vegetables and yummy kalamata olives in it.
On a side note, I picked up this week Scene when I noticed the cover headline was "The 25 Restaurants Cleveland Can't Live Without" by Douglas Trattner. Definitely an interesting read and now I have 25 restaurants to visit and review! The 25 restaurants are (with the ones I've been to in red):
1. Flying Fig
2. Tommy's Restaurant
3. Bar Cento
4. Crop Bistro
5. Lolita
6. Lucky's Cafe
7. Melt Bar and Grilled
8. Michaelangelo's
9. Superior Pho
1. Flying Fig
2. Tommy's Restaurant
3. Bar Cento
4. Crop Bistro
5. Lolita
6. Lucky's Cafe
7. Melt Bar and Grilled
8. Michaelangelo's
9. Superior Pho
10. Sokolowski's University Inn
11. Amp 150
11. Amp 150
12. Parkview Nite Club
13. Dante
14. Dim and Den Sum
15. Fire Food and Drink
16. L'Albatros Brasserie
17. Moxie
18. Slyman's Deli
19. Great Lakes Brewing Co.
20. Farenheit
21. Li Wah
22. Nighttown
23. Sergio's in University Circle
24. Greenhouse Tavern
25. Momocho
Be sure to look for this week's Scene to read more about each restaurant. I definitely look forward to returning to all the fantastic restaurants that I've been to and to going to all the restaurants I haven't been to! Thanks Cleveland for having such a wonderful restaurant scene!
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Sinful Colors -- Beautiful Girl
It's a beautiful day in Cleveland, OH. All it takes is a wonderful 55 degrees to make every face light up with a smile.
I can only hope it stays this fantastic for a long time! According the weather.com though, it'll be back in the 30s on Saturday :(
I couldn't resist this Barbie pink nailpolish that I found for $1.99 at Walgreens! Beautiful Girl by Sinful Colors.
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| sunlight on melting snow |
I couldn't resist this Barbie pink nailpolish that I found for $1.99 at Walgreens! Beautiful Girl by Sinful Colors.
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The formula is a 3-free formula which is great but it smelled funny. Like funnier than all the other nail polishes funny. This photo was taken outside and I had used a base coat, 3 coats of Beautiful Girl and one coat of Seche Vite on top. The color is really fun and girly, but the formula just really wasn't my favorite. I guess I've been spoiled by OPI and China Glaze which usually covers the nail completely with one coat. A lot of other users love Sinful Colors, so maybe it's just an opinion thing?
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| Outside -- Natural light |
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| Inside |
What do you think? How do you like this color? Have you ever tried Sinful Colors?
Turk is coming over later tonight and I'm hoping to convince him to go to dinner at Washington Place Bistro with me! It's Wednesday aka 2 for $40 night. I love this restaurant. They just opened in December (I think) and they replaced Baricelli Inn. I've gone once for 2 for $40 and another time for happy hour. The food is so great and you really can't beat a bottle of wine, an appetizer and 2 entrees for $40.
Also tonight is $5.00 yoga at The Yoga Room Cleveland. If the weather holds up, I might opt for a walk outside instead but The Yoga Room has wonderful classes and $5.00 is an amazing price for 1.5 hour vinayasa yoga class.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Valentine's Day Dinner
On the day when all the couples go out for a romantic dinner, I decided to cook dinner for Turk and myself. I have to admit, after finding out that almost EVERYONE I know went out, I kind of regret cooking dinner (I cooked for 2 hours!), but Turk loved it. And, I kind of loved it too...I love cooking and it was really fun planning the menu and making my little apartment romantic with some jazz music (check out Esperanza Spalding) and wine. So, what was on the menu? Lemon chicken, Roasted winter vegetables, Sweet pea risotto and, for dessert, brownie pudding with Haagen-Daaz Five Vanilla ice cream and strawberries. I even made a special stop at The West Side Market in Cleveland for the ingredients. And I picked up a dozen red roses for the table. I have a funny story for that, but first, here's the final table:
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| The table is all set |
Anyway, the chicken was a roast chicken from Whitaker's at West Side Market. I also got 5 lemons from the market that were so amazing and juicy. The recipe is one from Ina Garten. So easy and absolutely delicious. I have to rave about Whitaker's too because the chicken was so fresh and tender, not to mention that they had already cleaned out the insides for me and put all the giblets in a little plastic bag in case I wanted to use them. Because of the food safety precautions necessary for chicken, I really appreciated how clean and professional Whitaker's was. I added some butter to the recipe, but I would definitely leave it out for a healthier meal...hehehe. It was a holiday though!
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| Yummy chicken all ready to go into the oven |
The Roasted winter vegetables were also an Ina Garten recipe. Also a very simple recipe, I bought carrots, parsnips, butternut squash and sweet potatoes from the West Side Market and just sliced them and tossed them lightly with olive oil, kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. They were baked in the over at 425 degrees for about an hour and were absolutely delicious! I love root vegetables!
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| Prior to being cooked |
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| Sweet Pea Risotto next to Roasted Winter Vegetables |
Dessert was AMAZING. Turk said it was probably his favorite dessert that I've ever made...and that's saying a lot. Brownie pudding from Ina Garten. If you couldn't tell, I just love her! Absolutely delicious. It had a nice crunchy brownie crust but the inside was ooey and gooey. We ate it hot from the oven with some fresh strawberries and vanilla ice cream. The brownie pudding almost seemed undercooked, but it was perfect!
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| Fresh out of the oven |
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| With strawberries and ice cream -- aka ready to be eaten! |
It was a really nice meal. Turk was definitely surprised when he came over. I guess he was just expecting to eat on the couches in the living room with a movie on the tv. Hehe.
Anyway, about the roses...I went to the floral section just to check out the options and found gorgeous red roses. I wanted them, so I figured I would just buy them. As I was walking away with a dozen red roses, a lady asks "Would you like those wrapped so they look nice for your friend?" After an awkward silence, I just responded, "Well, actually, I'm buying them for myself." Hahaha, I'm not good at lying and was really taken aback so I just told the truth. There is nothing wrong with buying flowers for yourself! Hope you had a wonderful and lovely Valentine's day!
Anyway, about the roses...I went to the floral section just to check out the options and found gorgeous red roses. I wanted them, so I figured I would just buy them. As I was walking away with a dozen red roses, a lady asks "Would you like those wrapped so they look nice for your friend?" After an awkward silence, I just responded, "Well, actually, I'm buying them for myself." Hahaha, I'm not good at lying and was really taken aback so I just told the truth. There is nothing wrong with buying flowers for yourself! Hope you had a wonderful and lovely Valentine's day!
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Potpourri Fondue Restaurant in Mentor, OH
I love fondue! I have since high school and even have my own fondue pot. But, even though I can do my own fondue, I love to go out to fondue restaurants. I've been to The Melting Pot many times and I love it every single time. However, I do not love the price! So, ever since I heard about Potpourri in Mentor, OH, I have been dying to go. Based on the website (http://www.fondue.net/), the prices are significantly cheaper than The Melthing Pot but there aren't as many options. Potpourri, though, does offer cooked meals for those who aren't into fondue. Anyway, I found online (just google "Potpourri Mentor Ohio coupon") an offer that I just couldn't refuse. A $25.00 gift certificate to Potpourri for $5.00!!!!! Given, the tip is taken out of the $25.00, but still... My boyfriend, Turk (his nickname) and I knew where we were going for dinner.
The place is a little shady on the outside. I'm not going to lie, when I pulled into the parking lot of the little strip mall, I was concerned. There's a bright yellow sign that allows passerbys to know that the restaurant is there. The restaurant itself is very dark and cozy. The tables aren't set up to allow a lot of privacy, but there are about twenty of them. I noticed also that there was no kitchen, the chef "prepared" everything in a little nook in the dining area. After a bit of waiting because any employees were nowhere to be found (we were the first customers of the evening -- they don't open until 5:00 pm), we were promptly seated by whom I assumed was the owner. We were given menus and an extensive drink list. They have a fully stocked bar and what looked like some delicious drinks. Turk ordered a Labatt Blue and later in the night had a Foster's ($4.00 each). I, on the other hand, decided to save my $9.00 and just ordered water. We ordered the Gallery of Fondue with Cheddar Cheese and fat-free broth ($55.00).
The first course to come out was the cheese, which was already pre-mixed and melted in the "kitchen". We were given unlimited white bread, rye bread and red apples to dip. The cheese was just ok. It got clumpy towards the end and I wasn't impressed by the apples or the bread. Turk loved the bread, however.
Next, we got salads. It was about half a cup of mixed greens with some delicious buttery croutons on top. Rolls with butter were also offered with the salads, but we had had enough bread during the cheese course. I got honey mustard dressing and it was one of the best honey mustard dressings I've ever had. Turk had ranch. The croutons were also very impressive...I don't know why but they were just delicious.
Our "main meal" then came out. With the broth (we guessed that it was chicken broth) we got shrimp, scallops, marinated beef, chicken, potatoes, mushrooms, onions, broccoli and cauliflower. There was a ton of food! Turk even pointed out that it was way more than we would get at The Melting Pot. The vegetables weren't unlimited, but we wouldn't have been able to eat anymore anyway. We also received barbeque sauce, sweet and sour sauce, "burmese" sauce (basically sour cream goodness), cocktail sauce and horseradish sauce. The "burmese" sauce was amazing and comparable to The Melting Pot's Green Goddess sauce. We even got an extra container of it.
Dessert was a chocolate fondue with poundcake and fruit. Potpourri only has one choice for chocolate and luckily for them, it's really good. It reminded me of a chocolate syrup and I actually saw our waitress ladle it of a container, so it must be pre-made. She added alcohol and lit it on fire at the table, and we got to roast a marshmallow each. The amount of chocolate and dippers were perfect because of how full we already were. We got 4 wedges of poundcake, pineapples, bananas, red apple slices and maraschino cherries.
The entire dinner took us about 2.5 hours. And the final bill before the gift certificate was $78.99 (that's with 2 beers). With the gift certificate, after the waitress took out her 18% tip, we ended paying $53.99 for the whole meal. That's a decent price for dinner for 2. However, if we had not had the gift certificate, $78.99 is very similar to the price of an equivalent (Big Night Out) at The Melting Pot. Given, without the beers, it would've been about $15.00 cheaper.
I personally preferred The Melting Pot. Turk liked Potpourri way more though. I think if I had not gone to The Melting Pot before Potpourri, I would think differently but unfortunately, I have already been spoiled by that chain fondue restaurant. I like how The Melting Pot has more options. I also think it's cleaner, more private and romantic, and just nicer looking in general. And since the real price difference is only about $15.00...I'm willing to pay that to get a more luxurious experience. If I'm going to pay that much for a meal, I want to be spoiled! Furthermore, when Turk and I have gone to The Melting Pot, we always shared an entree. Sure he got to eat all the meat, while I got all the vegetables (those are unlimited), but we always left very full. And with a cheese, 2 salads, an entree and a chocolate...it's about $60.00. If you sign up for their club, you get a free chocolate with 2 entrees or a Big Night Out, so you'd pay like $70.00 for a whole 4 course meal (with an entree big enough for 2).
Long story short, price wise, Potpourri and The Melting Pot were really similar, with Potpourri only being a little bit cheaper (if only water is ordered for drink). Potpourri is straight up fondue without all the frills. The Melting Pot is more about aesthetics and the experience.
Have you ever been to The Melting Pot or Potpourri? How was your experience and what did you think about the restaurant??
The place is a little shady on the outside. I'm not going to lie, when I pulled into the parking lot of the little strip mall, I was concerned. There's a bright yellow sign that allows passerbys to know that the restaurant is there. The restaurant itself is very dark and cozy. The tables aren't set up to allow a lot of privacy, but there are about twenty of them. I noticed also that there was no kitchen, the chef "prepared" everything in a little nook in the dining area. After a bit of waiting because any employees were nowhere to be found (we were the first customers of the evening -- they don't open until 5:00 pm), we were promptly seated by whom I assumed was the owner. We were given menus and an extensive drink list. They have a fully stocked bar and what looked like some delicious drinks. Turk ordered a Labatt Blue and later in the night had a Foster's ($4.00 each). I, on the other hand, decided to save my $9.00 and just ordered water. We ordered the Gallery of Fondue with Cheddar Cheese and fat-free broth ($55.00).
The first course to come out was the cheese, which was already pre-mixed and melted in the "kitchen". We were given unlimited white bread, rye bread and red apples to dip. The cheese was just ok. It got clumpy towards the end and I wasn't impressed by the apples or the bread. Turk loved the bread, however.
Next, we got salads. It was about half a cup of mixed greens with some delicious buttery croutons on top. Rolls with butter were also offered with the salads, but we had had enough bread during the cheese course. I got honey mustard dressing and it was one of the best honey mustard dressings I've ever had. Turk had ranch. The croutons were also very impressive...I don't know why but they were just delicious.
Our "main meal" then came out. With the broth (we guessed that it was chicken broth) we got shrimp, scallops, marinated beef, chicken, potatoes, mushrooms, onions, broccoli and cauliflower. There was a ton of food! Turk even pointed out that it was way more than we would get at The Melting Pot. The vegetables weren't unlimited, but we wouldn't have been able to eat anymore anyway. We also received barbeque sauce, sweet and sour sauce, "burmese" sauce (basically sour cream goodness), cocktail sauce and horseradish sauce. The "burmese" sauce was amazing and comparable to The Melting Pot's Green Goddess sauce. We even got an extra container of it.
Dessert was a chocolate fondue with poundcake and fruit. Potpourri only has one choice for chocolate and luckily for them, it's really good. It reminded me of a chocolate syrup and I actually saw our waitress ladle it of a container, so it must be pre-made. She added alcohol and lit it on fire at the table, and we got to roast a marshmallow each. The amount of chocolate and dippers were perfect because of how full we already were. We got 4 wedges of poundcake, pineapples, bananas, red apple slices and maraschino cherries.
The entire dinner took us about 2.5 hours. And the final bill before the gift certificate was $78.99 (that's with 2 beers). With the gift certificate, after the waitress took out her 18% tip, we ended paying $53.99 for the whole meal. That's a decent price for dinner for 2. However, if we had not had the gift certificate, $78.99 is very similar to the price of an equivalent (Big Night Out) at The Melting Pot. Given, without the beers, it would've been about $15.00 cheaper.
I personally preferred The Melting Pot. Turk liked Potpourri way more though. I think if I had not gone to The Melting Pot before Potpourri, I would think differently but unfortunately, I have already been spoiled by that chain fondue restaurant. I like how The Melting Pot has more options. I also think it's cleaner, more private and romantic, and just nicer looking in general. And since the real price difference is only about $15.00...I'm willing to pay that to get a more luxurious experience. If I'm going to pay that much for a meal, I want to be spoiled! Furthermore, when Turk and I have gone to The Melting Pot, we always shared an entree. Sure he got to eat all the meat, while I got all the vegetables (those are unlimited), but we always left very full. And with a cheese, 2 salads, an entree and a chocolate...it's about $60.00. If you sign up for their club, you get a free chocolate with 2 entrees or a Big Night Out, so you'd pay like $70.00 for a whole 4 course meal (with an entree big enough for 2).
Long story short, price wise, Potpourri and The Melting Pot were really similar, with Potpourri only being a little bit cheaper (if only water is ordered for drink). Potpourri is straight up fondue without all the frills. The Melting Pot is more about aesthetics and the experience.
Have you ever been to The Melting Pot or Potpourri? How was your experience and what did you think about the restaurant??
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