Why? The Capital Grille Cocktail Time!

When you combine two of my favorite things, cocktail time and The Capital Grille, you’re bound to get an amazing result!

The Capital Grille’s new Cocktail Time menu delivers the quality you’ve come to expect from the restaurant, but with more casual and price-friendly options.

Matthew and I recently got a tour of the Cocktail Time menu and can tell you that the choices would make any hour, or many hours, happy! We started with the bottled cocktails: the Nine to Five (Tito’s Vodka, fresh tangerine juice, and elderflower cordial) for me and the Churchill (Maker’s Mark Bourbon, lemon juice, and hibiscus honey syrup) for Matthew.

Both of these cocktails were delicious and perfect for seasonal summer sipping! The Cocktail Time menu also features a third bottled cocktail, the Slow Ride, with 1800 Silver Tequila, fresh grapefruit juice, and ginger syrup, as well as discounted wine and local craft beer.

We then got to taste an array of sliders, all available on the cocktail menu. Everything on the sliders, from sauces to pickles, are made in-house by Chef Anthony. The mini tenderloin sliders with wild mushrooms and herbed Boursin cheese were incredibly tender and juicy.

The candied bacon cheeseburger sliders with white cheddar and bacon jam were a tasty twist on a traditional bacon cheeseburger.

Hands-down our favorite of the sliders was the Korean fried chicken sliders. These are only available at six Capital Grille locations nationwide. They pack a nice, flavorful heat in the sauce, balanced with the peanut slaw and house-made pickles.

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Why? Cleveland Tall Ships Festival!

This weekend, you have a chance to step back in time and explore Cleveland’s maritime history at the Cleveland Tall Ships Festival. This is the first time the Tall Ships have been in Cleveland since 2013.

I had the unique opportunity to be aboard the Denis Sullivan during the Parade of Sail, which kicked off the Tall Ships Festival yesterday.

The Denis Sullivan is a replica of a Great Lakes schooner and operates as a floating classroom and goodwill ambassador for the state of Wisconsin.

The Parade of Sail featured boats from Canada, the United States, and New Zealand, some of which were crewed by children as young as 13! It was quite an impressive display!

After the Parade of Sail, I attended the Captain’s Reception and Opening Ceremony, with music from Opus 216, food, and drink.

What an amazing way to kick off the Tall Ships Festival!

Through Sunday, July 14, you can explore the festival and fleet for yourself. There will be public boarding of the ships, exhibits, live music, rock climbing, performances from the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo Asian Lantern Festival, and much more fun for the whole family.

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Why? The Capital Grille Wagyu & Wine!

By now, I think you know that I love dining at The Capital Grille. The ambiance, service, drinks, and food are always top notch. But last night, I discovered a more relaxed, affordable side of The Capital Grille that made me love it even more!

Wagyu & Wine is a promotion in The Capital Grille lounge area that runs now through November 17. For only $25, you get to choose one of three delicious Wagyu beef burgers, each expertly paired with a Napa Valley wine.

 

Seriously, this is a phenomenal deal, especially because the choices of both burgers and wine are out of this world!

I had a chance to sample mini versions of each of the burgers. The Wagyu Cheeseburger, with fried egg and Havarti cheese, is simply decadent, with the richness of the Wagyu and egg complementing each other so well.

It was paired with my favorite wine of the night: Beaulieu Vineyard Carneros 2016, made specifically and exclusively for The Capital Grille.

The Wagyu Burger with Capital Grille steak sauce, grilled onions, and Vermont white cheddar was my favorite burger of the night. This tasted like French onion soup mixed with a burger.

It was paired with Beringer Knights Valley Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2015.

Finally, the Wagyu Mushroom Burger, with soy-braised shiitake, Jarlsberg cheese, and truffle aioli. Pro tip: order a side of the truffle fries and extra truffle aioli, at which point you actually turn into a truffle!

This burger is paired with Stags’ Leap The Investor 2014.

Wagyu & Wine is a great deal not only because of the delicious flavors and pairings, but because of the high quality of both the burgers and wine included in this promotion. Stop in to The Capital Grille at Legacy Village before November 17 to experience it for yourself!

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Why? Jump Back Ball!

The 29th annual Playhouse Square Jump Back Ball is in the books and it was yet another incredible party!

This year’s theme was “From Jukebox to Boombox” and people came dressed as musicians from through the decades. I had fallen in love with this dress that I picked up at the Designer Dress Days sale and, thanks to my friend Amy’s suggestion, decided to do a play on “Walk Like an Egyptian.”

Mariah did my make-up (with almost all BeautyCounter products) and from the makeup to the headpiece to the dramatic back of the dress, I had so much fun stepping out of my usual look.

Of course, my crew all showed up looking fabulous too, from Elton Jane to Cher to a Beastie Boy to Britney and K.Fed.

Big shout-out (and a Grammy) to Anne for being a fantastic and gorgeous date!

Faction rocked the main stage while everyone munched on breakfast-for-dinner treats from Driftwood Catering, then danced their feet off.

DJ Smoov kept the late night jams flowing as the crowd spilled out into the KeyBank State Theatre lobby.

This was my ninth year attending Jump Back Ball and every year I’m blown away by what a fun party it is, but also how much hard work and dedication is put in by Playhouse Square Partners on every aspect of the evening from decor to fundraising to make this event a success.

Through Jump Back Ball and other events throughout the year, Playhouse Square Partners supports the non-profit mission of Playhouse Square, specifically the education and community outreach initiatives. And we have a lot of fun, too!

While you have to wait a whole year for another Jump Back Ball (it’s always the last Saturday in February, so mark your calendar now,) you can learn more about Partners by joining us at our Monthly Members Meeting on Monday, March 9.

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Why? KeyBank Broadway Series!

The line-up for the 2020-2021 KeyBank Broadway Series at Playhouse Square has been announced! From music and stories we all know and love, to new tales that will tug at your heart, this upcoming season has something for everyone.

Here’s what’s coming and when:

To Kill a Mockingbird is Aaron Sorkin’s adaptation of the classic novel.

See it October 3-22, 2021.

Pretty Woman: The Musical is a musical interpretation of the beloved romantic-comedy, with all the iconic movie moments, plus lots of fun songs.

See it Janaury 5-24, 2021.

The Cher Show brings all the glitz, glam, excess, and amazing music of Cher to the stage in a tale of her life, story, and legend.

See it February 2-21, 2021.

The Prom is a new musical comedy about big Broadway stars on a mission to change the world and the love they discover that unites them all.

See it March 9-28, 2021.

Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations tells the story of The Temptations and their iconic music, set against the backdrop of America’s civil unrest.

See it April 6-25, 2021.

Moulin Rouge: The Musical is all about truth, beauty, freedom, and love in this adaptation of the Baz Luhrmann movie.

See it May 5- June 6, 2021.

Hadestown intertwines the myths of Orpheus and Eurydice and Hades and Persephone into a beguiling and vibrant show.

See it July 6-25, 2021.

Season ticket packages are currently on sale online. Cleveland boasts the largest Broadway season ticket holder base in the country, with 46,000 season ticket holders! This is the best way to secure your seats for all these amazing shows and be a part of Broadway in CLE!

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Why? Bomba Tacos!

Is there anything better than a night of tiki drinks, tacos, and trivia? Last night, I met up with my friends Robin and Amy at Bomba Tacos in Beachwood for all three.

We started with an order of guacamole with roasted garlic, pico de gallo, and goat cheese. I love the variety of chips at Bomba, with plaintain, malanga, and tortilla chips.

I had the charred pineapple margarita, which is the perfect blend of sweet and savory and a great way to toast an almost complete work week!

 

For dinner, I had the Wild Ahi Tuna Poke Bowl, with chile-lime cucumbers, avocado, sesame seeds, soy-marinated jalapenos, cilantro-yogurt sauce, and mango-coconut rice.

Amy ordered a selection of Bomba’s diverse and delicious tacos and Robin had the Grilled Adobo Chicken Bowl.

For dessert, we shared the churro ice cream sandwich and the seasonal donuts and honestly couldn’t decide which we loved more!

While we ate, we played trivia, which happens at Bomba Beachwood every Thursday night, with a round at 7pm and another round at 8pm.

The questions were general knowledge, fun and challenging, and our team ended up winning! Our prize was a $30 Bomba gift card!

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Why? Weekends!

You guys, spring is in the air! Which made for a busy and fun weekend! Let’s get to it…

Cleveland Monsters Game

On Friday night, Jeffrey and I went to one of his favorite places in town: a Cleveland Monsters game. First, though, we grabbed dinner at Yours Truly.

Yours Truly is a favorite for both of us. Jeffrey loves the grilled cheese and I couldn’t pass up the Tuna Supreme, on toasted rye with cheese and tomato. A perfect Lenten dinner!

From there, it was off to the Monsters game. It was Mascot Night and there was a bobblehead giveaway (plus we ran into our friend Maddie from the Monsters Top Line Dance Team), so it was a pretty exciting night even before the ice action started.

It was also Gesu night at the game, with one of the teachers getting to ride on the zamboni and represent the school.

Monsters games are one of my favorite things to do with Jeffrey. He always has a great time, there’s lots of family-friendly fun, and the price point is really reasonable!

LOFT Shopping Party

On Saturday, I hosted a spring shopping party at LOFT at Legacy Village. As usual, the LOFT ladies made everything so fun and easy, providing beverages and sweets and just being a total treat to work with.

Before we even got to the party, though, my friend Anne and I hit a class a barre3, then grabbed Bloody Marys at Bar Louie (it’s called balance, friends.) I love how Legacy Village is a one-stop for everything to make a perfect Saturday afternoon!

I got a ton of cute spring clothes at LOFT that will work for everything from work to play to going out, all for great prices, too.

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Why? Cleveland Home and Remodeling Show Giveaway!

As thoughts turn to Spring, I’m sure there are lots of home improvement projects that are making their way to the top of the to-do list. Which is why the Cleveland Home and Remodeling Expo is coming at just the right time!

 

From March 20-22, the I-X Center will be filled with exhibitors, celebrity guests such as Ty Pennington from TLC’s “Trading Spaces,” a flower bar workshop from Blossom Cleveland, and so much more.

 

Aside from the celebrities and exhibitors, other show highlights include:

  • Woodland Escape by Lil Bear Tiny Homes to help you envision your next glamping adventure (or life in a tiny home)
  • Doggie Drive, where you can bid on your favorite dog house, designed by juniors and seniors at Cuyahoga Valley Career Center
  • White Claw Lounge where you can relax and take in the show
  • Tie Dye Workshop presented by ArtFlow where you can tie-dye your own pillowcase, dish towel, or scarf to take home

If you have a home improvement project and need a spark of inspiration, check out the Cleveland Home and Remodeling Expo. Tickets are $10 online, but if you click this link you can save $3 with promo code WHYCLE20.

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