My Four Day Birthday Celebration…

Friday March 16, 2018

Unlike last year when it snowed most of the day, it was sunny and not too cold (still heavy jacket weather, but not as windy as it’s been). After work we drove to the Giant Eagle Market District Kingsdale for the St. Patrick’s Day themed Foodie Friday. During Lent I anticipate having to give up trying one or two of the six samples (that each come with a small glass of wine) because of abstaining from eating meat on Fridays, but this week I had to pass over half the samples, so my stomach certainly didn’t have much in it to soak up all the wine. Thankfully Andrew let me have his sample of Cabbage, Carrots & Potatoes, so that helped a little. I let him have all three of my meat samples (Colcannon, Corned Beef, Guiness & Onion Pork Loin).

I should really skip Foodie Fridays during Lent, but as my birthday always falls during that season and Foodie Fridays are one of my favorite activities, I just grin and bear it (it helps if you have a snack before you go and sip some water between stations). My favorite sample was the cheese and cracker we got at Station #1 with a sample of Pinot Grigio. I also enjoyed a couple samples of Guinness Chocolate Stout Cake on our way out. Since I had obviously not eaten as much as Andrew, I bought a Cleveland (Sushi) roll for dinner, which really hit the spot.

Saturday March 17, 2018

A mostly gray and dreary (though dry) day, but the sun did come out briefly in the afternoon, so that was nice. To celebrate St. Patrick’s Day I bought a New York Reuben sandwich from Arby’s that was made in the traditional style of Corned Beef, Sauerkraut & Swiss Cheese on Rye Bread.

 

Yes, I know it would have been more authentic eating it at an actual Irish restaurant, of which Dublin (OH) has many, but I figured they would be absolutely heaving with revelers and March Madness fans.

In the evening we were invited over to my sister’s house for dinner and a movie in their theatre room. Actually, we were only invited over for dinner, but I asked if I could bring a dvd to watch after dinner. My sister okayed that suggestion and got a lengthy set of instructions on how to operate all the different remotes that operated the various bits of equipment. Andrew and I chose the two seats in the back while sharing a blanket between us (the door is usually kept closed, so it can be a bit chilly in there). 

My movie choice was “Chocolat” starring Juliette Binoche, Carrie Ann Moss, Judi Dench, and Johnny Depp. Andrew and I had obviously seen it before (perhaps a couple times), but it was the first time for my sister who said she enjoyed it. My 11-year old nephew, Carter read the back of the box and passed on it (he said it was Spring Break & I think he just didn’t fancy something of this caliber, which, to be fair, isn’t really aimed at his age group, though the kids in the movie are around his age).

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that lovely dinner my sister made for us: little barbecue meatloaves, macaroni & cheese, salad, and corn-on-the-cob. We all cleaned our plates and barely had room to sample my trio of Bundtlets my sister purchased from Nothing Bundt Cakes. Her choices were spot on with: Chocolate Choc Chip, White Chocolate Raspberry, and Confetti (actually, Red Velvet was my third choice, which she guessed, but they were all out of it, so it was that or Lemon cake, and I think she chose well). I think my favorite part is the Moorish cream cheese frosting. I made sure to scrape every bit off the knife not wanting to waste a single dollop.

Thank you Karen for a lovely evening! You’re the best!

Sunday March 18, 2018

This morning we drove to the nearby suburb of Clintonville to sample the brunch choices at a newish restaurant called Blunch. Having been open perhaps a year or so, it’s popularity hasn’t yet wained as we waited for a table for best part of an hour (the estimate was 30-35 minutes). Had it not been sunny and warm while standing outside waiting, I would have passed and gone elsewhere, but as there was free coffee and newspapers to read, we amused ourselves while we waited and waited and waited…

By the time we were actually seated it wasn’t quite noon, but by the time our food arrived it was pretty much midday, so it ended up being more of a Lunch than a Brunch, but it was definitely worth the wait. I ordered the Pancake flight, 

which was a Sweet Potato Pancake (with marshmallows and nuts), a Bananas Foster Pancake, and a Lemon Blueberry Pancake (with a mixture of lemon and blueberry sauces on top). The sweet potato was my favorite, but the Lemon Blueberry was a close second. Andrew ordered the Bananas Foster pancakes. Next time I think I would like to try the Brioche French Toast (though I doubt it’s nothing I couldn’t make at home myself).

I also enjoyed a couple mugs of the infamous Luck Bros. Coffee House coffee. I would describe it as earthy (in a good way) and smooth. Now I need to visit the Luck Bros. in person (in nearby Grandview Heights), along with their competition, Stauff’s.

What was also enjoyable about our morning outing was visiting Clintonville (and the fact that it was such a nice day), which is a nice, hip town that I’ve only ever been to infrequently, but need to visit more often. There’s a lot of very hip restaurants sandwiched between off-beat (and some run down) shops like The Magical Druid or Patty Cake Bakery.

Monday March 19, 2018

Today was sunny and somewhat warm, much like Sunday, which is why it made me so restless being trapped indoors all day at work. As soon as lunch hour arrived, I was outta there so fast! After eating my sandwich and crisps I took a nice long walk on a new trail that wound around behind a neighboring company just down the road. I ended up having enough time to do a complete loop before having to drag myself back inside to work.

After work we went to Beer Barrel Pizza & Grill, somewhere which I had only visited once and didn’t really order much. Since they seem to specialize in pizza (hence, the name), we both ordered pizzas – I had the white greens with cheese pizza

and I think Andrew had the vegetable deluxe (yes, really – minus the black olives). I tried a bit of his and it was pretty good. I only wish (on mine) there was either a little less lettuce (rocket would have been my preference), or that they had included a cup of salad dressing, or had lightly dressed the lettuce. Of course you take away some of the health benefits by doing that, but it still would have been nice. We both said we’d definitely like to come back and sample some more of the quite diverse menu (people tend to compare them to The Cheesecake Factory). I had my eye on some of the dessert drinks (I wasn’t allowed alcohol or caffeine prior to my impending surgery, so that eliminated all three of the drink choices).

After we got the leftovers home I stripped the slices of their lettuce and finished it in a bowl with some salad dressing and froze the pizza (since I will be on a soft food diet for the next few weeks). Then we finished the last few bites of the Bundtlets that my sister bought me over the weekend.

Thus ends the four day eating frenzy. Do I wish I could have eaten more? Yes, definitely (especially if there were no consequences to pay afterwards). I also wish I had remembered there are pre-surgery restrictions (having no caffeine today meant I definitely nodded off more than once!). A nice Irish coffee would have definitely hit the spot. I only wish I had ordered that on St. Patrick’s Day (the last day I was still allowed a little booze). At any rate, I really can’t complain because I had a nice sampling of entrees as well as desserts. Hopefully my waist line will decrease a little in the next few weeks. As soon as Lent is over I can’t wait to suck on some chocolate candy! (my favorite way to eat it is to savor it as I learned after my last oral surgery).

Have a great week everyone, and thank you to everyone who either sent me a card or a gift, or well wishes. I will be offline tomorrow recovering from my surgery, so I apologize if I don’t get back to you all in a very timely fashion.