Eating around Akron - Sumira's in Cuyahoga Falls - December 2011

Don't get me wrong here, I am very happy that my parents are here in Ohio with me (even though Mom is still in rehab), but cooking at home twice a day, seven days a week is getting to be a bore.  This surprises me a bit since I do love to cook, but the issue is that since it's just Dad at the house currently, he doesn't much care what's on the plate, he just eats whats there.  What he DOES expect is that SOMETHING is there at lunch and dinner times. 

Since I haven't quite yet gotten into the swing of this cooking thing twice a day, I spend a lot of time running to the grocery for missing items or forgetting things like vegetables once the main course is ready for the table.  Also, my pantry and freezer are packed and arranged for meals for one person, not two, so my stash is diminishing faster than planned.  Let's face it, I simply wasn't prepared for more people in the house.  Oh well......

My Grandmother Dessie.
Always in an apron and no
wonder - breakfast, lunch and
dinner for a farm family took up
most of her day.

This sort of coping gives me a whole new perspective on how families deal with mealtimes day in and day out, especially in the days before fast food was available to fill in when Mom might have accidentally forgotten to fix dinner one night.   How many of us grew up in a house where Monday was beef night, Tuesday was pasta, Friday was fish, etc, etc?  Now I understand more fully why my own childhood was a simple rotation of meals and not given over to creativity very often, at least not until Mom retired and began spending time reading cookbooks. 

I'm happy to report that after four weeks of this, I'm finally getting into the groove.  Lunches have become soup warmed in the small slow cooker all morning so it's ready to go when I walk in the door and we can be fed and out the door in 15 minutes to get Dad over to the nursing home and me back to work in an hour (whew!).  I'm learning to spend an evening or two each week in the kitchen prepping ingredients for both soup making and for weeknight dinners in order to have dinner over before 7pm.  It's a whole new set of dynamics for this old biddy to learn.

But I'm happy to report that I'm catching on and with any luck at all will have this ironed out by the time Mom is sprung and able to be home with us - at which time we'll be working out another new routine!

FRIDAY NIGHT ESCAPE
UPDATE: Samira's closed late in 2012

Thanks to in invitation from my friend Nancy, I left Dad a dinner of a pot pie piping hot from the oven on Friday, put my work clothes back on and headed up to Cuyahoga Falls for a wonderful dinner at Samira on the river.  Samira has been on the Old Biddy list of places to visit for quite a while but this was my first time here. 

It's a lovely building that formerly held LaFever's.  Exposed bricks and open beams lend a nice bit of nostalgia to the former mill site.  White linens and sufficiently unobtrusive wait staff make this a very pleasant place to wile away an hour or two with a glass of wine and dinner and friends. 

Sorry I didn't get any photos of my dinner (I'm remembering to CARRY my camera these days, just forgetting to actually USE it) and it was beautiful as well as delicious.  I ordered the Honey Bourbon Cured Center Cut Pork Chop served with Roasted Corn Mashed Potatoes and an Apple Onion Marmalade.  The chop was huge and perfectly cooked with a slight pinkness to the center.  I've never been served mashed potatoes with corn mixed together (on purpose) before, but it was very good with the corn lending just a hint of texture and sweetness.  The dinner went very well with the Diseno Malbec from Argentina I ordered from the short wine list.

Nancy ordered the Rock Fish special and it must have been very good because, contrary to her usual custom, she actually had the remainder of her meal boxed up to take home.  My chop was large enough to be cut up and made into a nice fried rice for dinner for Dad and I last evening and the dog enjoyed the bone.  One chop....four meals...well done Samira!

WHAT ELSE TO DO ON A COLD WINTER EVENING?
If you live in Cuyhaoga Falls and can skate, or even if you're just visiting the Front Street mall and like to watch people skate, you need to head out to see the rink on the Broad Blvd end of the mall.  Even with no snow on the ground yet this winter and temperatures still hovering in the mid- to upper-thirties, the skating rink is open and people are enjoying the brisk air. 

Skating is free for Cuyahoga Falls residents or $3 for the rest of us.  Bring your own skates or rent a pair for $3.  Everyone seemed to be having a great time and there were folks there of all skill levels. 

The rink will be open through the middle of February so come out and enjoy it whether you skate or just like to watch those that do.

Eating around Akron - August 2011

Friday night I volunteered for a good friend of mine at the Meredith A. Cowden Foundation Six Courses for a Cure at the Sheraton.

Lynne has worked with this foundation since its inception and is a mainstay in its fundraising efforts by putting together the auction for each event. Five years ago Lynne contacted Single Volunteers and we brought a few people out to handle their inaugural event. Although SVWR disbanded several years ago, I keep going back to assist Lynne and the Foundation in their efforts.

The monies raised at this fabulous gourmet event will be used to fund a medical symposium dedicated to Graft vs Host Disease, its complex issues, research, education and resources available to patients and physicians. GvHD, which is a complication of a life-saving bone marrow transplant, results when the patient’s body is attacked by the new immune system created by the bone marrow transplant. Sadly, it can cause death if not controlled. This will be the only symposium in the world solely dedicated to this malady.

Six Courses for a Cure is the result of the creative genius of Roger Thomas, Executive Chef at the Sheraton Suites, Cuyahoga Falls and Pete Olsen, a partner in Purple Feet Distributing located in Macedonia.



Meredith Cowden, Guest speaker
Dr. Steven Pavletic and
Dr. Adrianna Pavletic
Photo courtesy of Ernest J. Aranyosi

 After meeting Gerry and Marti Cowden at a family celebration and hearing the story of their daughter Meredith and her courageous battle against leukemia, Roger and Pete suggested the idea of a wine dinner to benefit the Meredith A. Cowden Foundation. Both Pete and Roger have hosted and participated in many wine dinners to raise funding for charities and worthwhile causes in northeast Ohio, specifically the Akron area.

The evening began with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres created by all of the participating chefs. The incredible six course dinner was prepared by Chef Brendan Meeker of Glenmoor Country Club, Chef Rick Carson of Nosh Eatery and Creative Catering, Chef Brian Goodman of The Greenhouse Tavern, Chef Jeff Jarrett of AMP 150, Cleveland Airport Marriott, Chef Kevin Altomare of Hudson’s and 3foodies.com and Chef Roger Thomas of Piatto Novo, the Sheraton Suites Akron/Cuyahoga Falls.

Over 100 items were up for bid on the silent auction tables and a dozen high end items were up for auction by Bob Hale between dinner courses, including a trip to Charleston, SC and a day riding in the Summit County Sheriff’s riot tank complete with shooting practice with laser and real guns.

It’s heartwarming to see a healthy Meredith in her early 20’s after learning of her illness when she was young. Leukemia is terrible, but once you think you have that cured, to find that she had to battle GvHD had to have been devastating for her and her family. Once that battle was won, the Cowdens took their energy and decided to help find a cure for the disease that nearly took their daughters life. The Cowdens are a portrait in people putting their beliefs into action and working hard to make a difference in other peoples lives.

Front Street Mall

BACK TO THE FALLS FOR LUNCH AND A SUNNY WALKABOUT
I was so taken by the walk I had last weekend on the Falls Riverfront, I decided to do it again Saturday afternoon in the sunshine. Everything looks a bit brighter in the sunshine, and the river is no exception.

This weekend was R.I.O.T. on the River and I stumbled into the festival around noontime. Sadly, there was little activity on the mall area even around the music stage. On stage was the band Red Letter, which is a pop/rock band of four siblings from Doylestown. They were joined on stage by their Dad, who was filling in on guitar for one of the brothers unable to make it this day. Their stated music goal is “to use the expressive nature of music to communicate that there is hope throughout the highs and lows of life.” Their message mostly relates to teens and young adults of this generation, bringing positive lyrics to a modern pop culture sound. I listened to most of the set and these kids are pretty talented. I hope they continue to do well.



The band Red Letter at RIOT on the River

RIOT is basically Christian Rock - young bands with good music and uplifting things to say.  They make a nice change of pace to other music which can be ugly or downgrading.  Give these people a lot of credit for putting this together - it's just a shame there weren't more folks there appreciating the performance of the afternoon.

Moving on, however, it was lunchtime and I was hungry.  Grumble belly always wins over music - no matter what the message may be.  There was a BBQ truck set up on the mall for the evening RIOT festival, but they didn't have any food ready this early so I stopped into the new Firehouse Grill I spotted last Sunday and had lunch.

UPDATE: Firehouse Grill closed their doors in 2021

The Firehouse Grill & Pub on Front Street is in the old spot that was occupied by the Cashmere Cricket a few years back. The Cricket was flooded out and finally closed two years ago, but I see it reopened on the other side of the mall. That is now on my list of “revisit places soon”.

The Firehouse is a local chain of bar and grills and I’ve eaten several times at the East Market location, my good friend Cathy is a fan of their dollar burgers. The atmosphere there is somewhat dingy and dirty, although the food is good if you like pub fare (which I do). I was hoping that the new location would be better and it was. A nice fresh space with a fully stocked bar and a few outside seats along the mall, this will make a good lunch spot as long as the weather holds.

The staff was friendly and service was good. It was a quiet afternoon so the cook was wandering and I personally thanked him for my burger. I ordered the lunch special – bacon, cheddar burger with fries – for $4.99 and it was quite good.

The only issue I had was the fact that smack in the dead of summer I was served a slice of one of those crappy hothouse tomatoes on my burger. Frankly I see no reason why a kitchen of any caliber cannot order up some local tomatoes during the peak of summer to add some real flavor to a plate.

Aside from that short rant, my lunch was excellent.  The fries are skinny and well cooked and I definitely could taste the bacon on my burger. 

SATURDAY AT D'AGNESE'S

Bev and Terri sent out an invite to join them at D'Agnese's to listen to the smooth jazz of the Stingers. The Stingers are an Akron-based band that includes Bill Brauning (bass), Bill Moriarty (keys), and (last night) Jim Yarnell on drums. Seems this group is fluid and at times includes horns and other players. Last night it was just Bill, Bill and Jim and they did a terrific job of trying to keep the attention of five women who where were busy gossiping around the dinner table (that was my group in case you didn't figure that out!).

They moved from samba and cha cha to smooth jazz and we were tapping our tootsies all evening.  By breaktime, our table was the only one populated and the guys stopped over for some lively conversation before finishing up the evening. 

The food was good, most of us ordered appetizers and shared.  There was calamari all around the table, Bev had my favorite - the roasted beets with salad - and I ordered another pizza.  Dessert was ordered all around too, with the clear favorite being the banana cheesecake.  With a glass or two of wine, good music and lots of chatter, it was a very pleasant evening indeed.

Savoring Summer

This past week was our last evening out at Porthouse Theater for the 2011 summer season.  As always, we are sad to have this come to an end and it all goes by so swiftly it's difficult to believe summer is winding down. 

The evening began with our gathering in the pavilion on a perfect summer night.  As is tradition for the final performance, the cast wandered through the crowd and entertained cabaret style. This is always fun - the kids are so talented and the crowd sings along. 

The summer series ended on a very up note with the ever entertaining Hello Dolly!  Porthouse artistic director, Terry Kent stepped into the shoes of Dolly Levi and did a splendid job.  Our group has been to these performances for several years and this is the first time we've been graced with Ms. Kent on stage.  While her singing was nothing to write home about (which perhaps was not at all out of place for the role) her stage presence as Dolly was terrific. 

Terry Kent and cast taking their bows
for Hello Dolly!

The cast carried off their roles with the usual style and grace - including a bit of a wink by Eric van Baars, who plays Cornelius Hackl. He earned a big laugh when he had a line dealing with the fact that his character is 33 years old when it's obvious he's a touch older than that.  One of my favorite Porthouse cast members, van Baars did a wonderful job in his role.  Another crowd favorite was Jessica Cope who played Irene Malloy.  Her singing voice had everyone sitting up and taking notice of her performance.

Getting out and about
Two more favorites to add to the long list of great places to eat in Summit county.  This past week I had the pleasure of meeting friends at The Office Bistro and Lounge located in the historic Temple Square district of North Akron.  I've been here a couple of times now and it gets more comfortable with each visit.  At their suggestion, I met my friends Blue and Joanne there for a catch up session after work.  Bartender Valery made my favorite Office martini, The Flirtini, which is set ablaze and topped with a shower of cinnamon sparklers.  Happy hour is weekdays 3-6pm and appetizers are half price.  I ordered the Mango & Avocado Salsa (mangos, sweet bell peppers, red onion, cilantro, peach yogurt) with fresh tortilla chips and it was very different and quite good.  This is something I'll be trying to replicate at home at some point.

Friday night I met my friend Lynne out at D'Agnese on White Pond Drive.  This place has been a variety of restaurants in the past several years and they may have hit upon a keeper in this iteration.  The atmosphere is casual chic, the service friendly and informative and the food was wonderful.  We shared one of their flatbread specials and I ordered the roasted beets appetizer as my entree.  The salad was of red and golden beets, greens, candied walnuts, goat cheese, and a fig balsamic reduction that was out of this world not only on the salad but just as wonderful with the warm bread brought to the table dipped in. The salad was as big as my head and easily could have been shared.  I'll definitely be back here again soon.


Summer Bounty
This week began the next steps in my learning curve on preserving the summer harvest.  My City Fresh shares have been abundant with zucchini and yellow squash and I will admit that I'm just not that big a fan of these fruits (and YES, squash is a fruit). 

Zucchini abandoned on my doorstep!

I've done my best to make some interesting meals with them (ie my pepperoni and yellow squash pizza) but I'm simply outnumbered.  There's only one of me and only so many meals I can make at home in a given week and this squash seems to multiply when I turn my back on them.  As if it's not enough that I get them two or three at a time in my Fresh shares, last night I came home and there was one sitting on my back steps.  No note.  Poor thing had been abandoned and I HAD to take it in.  In all good conscience, you can't leave an innocent zucchini sitting out in the big world all alone. 

My food preservation technique of choice is freezing.  Nearly anything can be frozen with some degree of success but, in my experience, not always.  Zucchini is one of those items.  I can grate it and freeze it for use in breads and cakes and it turns out fine, but I've learned that if I simply want to use slices or chunks, freezing tends to make them a bit mushy and I really cannot stand mushy foods.

To counteract that mushy-ness, last summer I turned to my food dehydrator.  Thin slices of zucchini dried to a lovely crisp chip and are easily stored in bags or containers in the pantry.  Kept this way they are perfect for tossing in soups all winter long. 

As you can see here, my first batch were a bit too thin.  These were sliced about 1/8 inch thin.  I moved up to about 1/4 inch and they turned out fine for storage.

Simply wash and dry your zucchini, use a mandoline or slice by hand to 1/4 inch rounds. 

Use a light spray of cooking spray on your trays to keep the zucchini from sticking as they dry, my first batch crumbled to pieces when I tried to pry them from the try.  Place on the dehydrator trays and process until chips are brittle. 

Once dry, store in an air-tight container.
Last year my dried zucchini went into minestrone and my beef vegetable soups. 

Medina - Akron - June 2011

Last Thursday evening was Ladies Night on the Square in Medina and Nancy invited me to drive over with her to take in the sights and have a little late dinner.  Medina truly is a charming small town with lovely shops lining the square and people wandering in and out.  The square was crammed full of things for kids to do - ring tossing, coloring contests, and other games. 

Most of the shops and restaurants lining the square were open for business and were enticing guests in their doors by serving up little munchies and wine for the adults.  We often ponder over how these little places manage to stay afloat in today's harsh economic climate. Many shops sell cutsie little decorative items that are very adorable to look at in shops, but seldom practical or appropriate for our homes.  There are times when I consider setting up little displays similar to the shops, but then I stop and think - hey, someone has to clean all that stuff - and the idea pops right smack out of my head. 

We strolled through the Potomac Bead Shop where beads hung in rainbows of colors on walls of two floors where ladies were busy working projects for Ladies Night.  We also stopped in the Medina Gem Company where they had some of the most stunning jewelry on display I've seeen in a while.  Nancy and I were both attracted to a glorious necklace that priced out at a little over $2,300.  I was embarassed to ask if they would sell me earring backs (14K gold of course), but the proprietor was most accomodating and happily sold me four clasps.  She was as nice to me as if I had purchased the $2300 necklace - what a lovely woman. 

Since dinner was the main objective of the evening, we asked for recommendations from shop keepers and were directed a little bit out of town to Thyme the Restaurant, located just beyond the main square on North Court Street.  This isn't really walkable from the square, but it's well worth the drive north to find this little gem. 

The 65-seat spot features what Chef John Kolar calls “contemporary cuisine with worldly influences”.  We didn't have difficulty in deciding to choose a table on the charming front patio but we did have some problems in choosing our dinner.  The menu is full of wonderful items such as Pan Roasted Thyme Chicken, Lobster Newburgh Fettuccini and Chipotle Cream Steamed Mussels.  We were both intrigued by the Grilled Chicken Mac 'n Cheese (although neither of us ended up ordering it).  I settled on the Warm Asparagus salad and a small Italian pizza - both delicious paired up with the Malbac wine I ordered.  I'm not sure what Nancy ordered but it must have been good because when I stole a glance at her plate it was completely clean. 
 
Although it had threatened rain all evening, we'd spent the entire time walking the square under sunny skies.  It only begin raining during our dinner and we moved to a table away from the edge of the patio, but it really was a lovely setting and a terrific meal.  A perfect summer evening. 

DUCKY DAY
Saturday morning was Canal Day at the Cascade Locks Park, "Akron's Urban Park".  Set over at the new Schumacher Cascade Mills site, which is located on North Street across from the Mustill Store, there were a few dozen craft vendors set up and several tents with things for the kids to do.  Today was the Park's annual springtime fund raiser and their 4th Duck Derby. 

CLPA has a unique partnership with Metro Parks, Serving Summit County and the City of Akron allowing them to promote the historical value of the park while also encouraging residents of Summit County and beyond to get out and about and enjoy nature. Their stated mission is to preserve, protect and promote Cascade Locks Park along locks 10-16 of the Ohio & Erie Canal.

I've been volunteering for these annual events for many years, as early as the second picnic back in 2002.  They've morphed a bit from ice cream socials to barbecues, and now into Duck races in the canal.  This little park association is truly a grass roots organization and the people are like a family.  I've enjoyed being a peripheral part of them for so long and look forward to staying involved for many years to come.

CHICAGO!
Saturday night I went to Chicago!  No,  not the town, the stage play.  Saturday was the first of our ladies summer season at Porthouse Theater and the show was Chicago!  We had a lovely evening for our regular picnic and performance.  This year there are 11 in our group (we seem to add one or two each summer).  We all brought along some food to share and some wine.  We have tables reserved in the pavilion (in case of rain) and we set up in there. 
 
This week we had shrimp, meatball sandwiches, sushi, waldorf salad, ginger cookies, rice krispie treats, melon in proscuitto, pasta salad, little meatballs, orange fluffy salad and 4 or 5 bottles of wine.  Yee goodness, we ate well!  Conversation flowed nicely as did the wine - and I'm not intimating one had anything to do with the other. 
 
What I like about this group is our diversity.  Although we're all about the same age (40's - 60's), we come from many backgrounds and everyone has something to contribute to the conversations. 
 

This is our 5th summer at Porthouse enjoying picnics prior to the show and this seems to have caught on to many others in the audience.  The first couple of years we did not reserve spaces and yet had no difficulties finding tables on the grounds.  Each summer there seems to be more and more tables set up, each with a brightly colored umbrella for their patrons to use.  This summer there is even a new pavilion for additional seating - and they're all filled! 
 
I think this is a fantastic way to stretch a simple theater experience into a full evening of enjoyment.  That being said, our next performance in July will find us over at Sarah's Vineyard prior to the show.  As much fun as it is to prepare our own picnic, it's just as much fun to let someone else do the pampering! 
 
This week the show was phenomanal!  Directed by Terri Kent with choreography by Mary Ann Black, the production was lively and well done in the space allowed.  The music was wonderful under the direction of Jonathan Swoboda.  There is a terrific full review by blogger and local critic Roy Berko here.  My personal opinion is that Dylan Ratell who played Mary Sunshine stole each scene he was in - yes, WOW!  Also, although I thought Ms. Black's portrayal of Roxie was spot on, she felt miscast in the part that seemed to require a younger actor. 
 
I'm looking forward to our next performance which will be The Sunshine Boys.  Anyone out there who hasn't had a Porthouse experience yet needs to get out and get there!

Eating around Canton - Gervasi Vineyard - June 2011

MUSIC IN THE VINEYARD

Patio at Gervasi

Saturday evening I'd been invited to join friends at Gervasi to hear our friend Stan Miller perform.  Both the setting and the entertainment were lovely. 

I've been to Gervasi a couple times already and by far the best place to enjoy the place on a warm day is on the patio.  With views of the lake and lawns where people are playing cornhole and boccie ball, it's a very tranquil setting.  They've recently built new B&B's across the lake and while I think it's sort of screwed up the view, I'm sure it's a quaint location for an overnight retreat.

Meanwhile we enjoyed some wine, a salad and some pizzas.  The food here is good but the menu on the patio is limited.  The menu inside is more adventurous and quite delicious.  The wines are OK but a bit sweet for my own taste.  The main attraction here is the setting and, for us, the entertainment.

We met Stan Miller a year or so ago at Riverside Wine Bar out in Kent and met Terri at the same time.  Stan and Teri are good friends and I've been invited often to hear him perform around town.  Stan plays sax and sings, mostly an easy listening set of tunes ranging from rat pack favorites to cool jazz and does them all quite well.  

Stan MIller at the microphone



Saturday was a bit special as he'd been asked to sing a special dedication to a young couple to set the mood for a marriage proposal (she said yes) and it brought tears to eyes all around the patio.  After a beautiful song that I don't think I'd ever heard before, the young man got down on one knee and proposed.  It was really very romantic.  Well done by him and by Stan.

By 10 pm the sky had been lit up by distant and then not-so-distant lightening and the skies opened up a torrent shortly thereafter making the drive home challenging.  Joke was on me since I got home and there was no sign of rain here.  Too bad it chased us out of Gervasi for the evening.

Massillon evening stroll - May 2011

Most people living in the Akron/Canton area would no more consider a weekend getaway to Massillon that they would to Ravenna.  No disrespect to those in Ravenna or Massillon, but tourism isn't exactly the first thing that comes to mind when considering either of these close-to-home cities.

Thanks to an invitation by a co-worker who co-manages the Hampton Inn in Massillon, I was to spend Friday night at the hotel to do a sort of inspection of the property.  Believe me, I'm no secrect shopper, but Alan figured it's always good to have a fresh pair of eyes when considering overall property cleanliness, staff hospitality, etc. 

I invited my friend Nancy to join me since she is a world traveller and always good for an opinion or two.  Neither of us had been to Massillon for more than an evening a couple of years ago when a few friends ventured down for an F Scott Fitzgerald event at the local library and a showing of The Great Gatsby at the old big screen theater.

Before heading south we both did a little research to find out what we might find to fill our evening and although the pickings were a bit slim, we did manage to have a very pleasant evening.  To our favor, the weather cooperated with us and it was a warm, dry night so that we could wander on foot until well after dark.

GALLERY OPENING RECEPTION
The hotel staff had some recommendations for dinner and we already knew that we were going to visit the MassMu (otherwise known as the Massillon Art Museum) for a gallery opening of their Studio M exhibit by local artist Diane Belfiglio.  We had been to the MassMu during our last visit to veiw paintings on exhibit by Zelda Fitzgerald so we were familiar with the museum.  Located in the center of town in an unassuming building, the museum is one main gallery on the ground floor and a small gallery (called Studio M) in the lower level.  Taking in the entire exhibit space set us back about 25 minutes. 

We then contemplated walking over to the old theater which was hosting the movie 84 Charing Cross Road but determined that the evening was far to lovely to spend it sitting in the theater.

OUT FOR DINNER

We took a stroll along Lincoln Way (Massillon's main street) peering into store front windows and getting the lay of the town.  We walked back to Kozmo's Grille for dinner which is directly across the street from the hotel on First Street SW.  The food at the restaurant was pretty good and extremely filling.  We began with an appetizer of their Santa Fe chips that came with an overenthusiastc serving of jalepeno peppers.  These are house made chips topped with melted cheese, bacon, tomatoes, jalapenos, and scallions.

Nancy also had a cup of French Onion soup followed by a bowl of Cilantro-Lime Linguini with Cajun Shrimp and Scallops and I tucked into one of their Stone Hearth Pizzas, theTuscan, made with pepper jack cheese, grilled chicken, roma tomato, red onion and fresh basil and a drizzle of balsamic reduction sauce all of which was very good.

All of that being said, the service was extremely slow and disorganized.  Our waitress mananged to ask us if we were ready for refills and hadn't bothered to actually take our drink order yet.  The restaurant was not filled and yet we were seated in the back of the place next to the ladies room even though I specifically asked for a table in the front near a window.  We also had front row seats to the wait staff station where our perky little gal spent most of her time flirting with the male staff.  Good food and poor service tends to make for a mediocre meal.  If we manage to get back to Missillon at dinnertime again I think we'll find somewhere else to go.

EVENING STROLL
After dinner we dropped my boxed up pizza at the hotel and headed back out onto the streets.  We walked through the close by residential streets taking in the old Victorian-style homes and the churches along the way.  Once it got dark we stopped by the Chit Chat Coffee Shop next to the MassMu where we sat outside and listened to local sax player Patrick Munford play jazz on the patio. 

The only other two enjoying the al fresco performace was an elderly couple that kindly invited us to come back on the 4th Thursdays of each month to listen to live jazz concerts at the Senior Center.  We weren't quite sure what to make of that so we put it down to just being friendly.

BAKERY DISCOVERY

Across the square from the Chit Chat and tucked into an unassuming old building, we discovered Liebermann's Bakery.  Although it was obviously closed Friday night, we made a point to stop there on the way home Saturday morning.  This is a very popular place with people lined up out the door and taking home fresh baked donuts by the dozens.  Despite my diet I could not walk out without a small purchase of one of their delicious cream sticks.  They also had freshly baked bread and rolls but the donut display was by far the most impressive. 

Because we had to be home early on Saturday, we didn't get much chance to do some other things in town we could have done.  Massillon has some beautiful murals and some lovely old homes and churches.  It will be well worth revisiting with camera in hand.  Perhaps on Fathers Day weekend when the annual Cruise In rides to town. 

Akron and Kent - Theater Season - February 2011

Winter time is no less entertaining than summer when it comes to theater and concerts in the Akron area. Sometimes they cost a bit more since the venues are inside rather than in the great outdoors, but trust me, there are no end to the options to keep me running hither and yon over the snow covered roads.

Sixth floor theater at Greystone - new
home to the Actor's Summit Theater

Last week I took in my first play at the new home of the Actor’s Summit Theater on the sixth floor of Greystone in downtown Akron. Friends and I went for a ride in “Becky’s New Car”. This new play, commissioned just two years ago, takes place in Seattle where Becky lives and works for a local auto dealer. Although happily married, Becky accidentally becomes entangled with a recently widowed, well-to-do gentleman who gets the mistaken impression that Becky is also widowed. The confusion goes from there and Becky takes us on a sometimes amusing, but still thought-provoking journey as she finds her way through this dilemma, at times with a little help from the audience. Telling you more would be giving away the plotline and frankly I think you should see this yourself.

As always, Actor’s Summit puts on a nice show and the new location adds a touch of ambiance to the performance compared to their last location.  

After our matinee performance on Sunday, dinner was served in the third floor Garden Room. I’m used to eating lunch here on Tuesdays, so having an opportunity to try out their prix fixe menu for dinner was too good to pass up. For $25 (all inclusive, except alcohol) we had our choice of four entrées. Between the six of us we tried them all and declared all main courses delicious. Although the vegetable sides seemed under seasoned and most likely directly from a can, the rest of the meals were quite good.

GREASE is the Word!

SLIDING ON OVER TO KENT STATE THEATER

Wednesday evening completed my third in a ticket series for the season at Kent State Theater with a performance of Grease. The Kent State Theater department does a terrific job and this was no exception.  The students were energetic and most carried off the singing and dancing terrifically.  My toes tapped along to songs like "Greased Lightning", "Summer Love" and "Hopelessly Devoted to You" and I could hardly keep my hands still during the rendition of "We GoTogether" when they started with Ramala Ding Dong, Boogity Boogity, Boogity.  What fun!

Hand jive baby!

Although the live band was a bit loud and at times we had difficulties hearing the lead singers over the music, in general it was a very delightful performance.  Only having ever seen Grease in its big screen version, the stage production was an adjustment.  With limited scenery and no fancy gimmicks like car races in the waterways, the stage crew still did very well and after a while I stopped drawing comparisons to the movie version. 

I'm already looking forward to seeing some of these kids in the summer productions out at Porthouse. 

HOT BLUES AT LOCKBOTTOM IN AKRON

Wednesday night was one of those times when many good things come together to create a truly entertaining experience.  As part of an experiment for use of the new Lock 4 in downtown Akron, the City is presenting jazz and blues bands for each Wednesday night during the month of August to see if there is a good local audience for this type of entertainment.

I missed the first concert last week, but made a point to attend this week to see Aces & Eights, a blues band out of Cleveland.  My friend Nancy joined me and we ran into an old friend, Garry, as we settled on the lawn for the first half of the show.   We could not have asked for a more perfect evening, weather-wise and the crowd was friendly and lively and obviously there to enjoy the music.  By mid-concert there were a couple hundred others clapping and tapping our feet along with the band.

First, let's talk about this fantastic band.  Aces & Eights consists of Dave Morrison on harmonica and vocals, Tim Matson lead guitar and vocals, backed up by Ray DeForest and Fred Debay, and Jimmy Yarnell on drums (hope I got all those names right!).  These guys got us started on a lively mix of Chicago blues, jump blues, R&B, and soul and were joined shortly by Becky Boyd on vocals who really got our blood pumping with her strong, bluesy voice.  Check out more about Becky and Tim Matson at http://www.myspace.com/beckyboydtimmatson.

This group does not play many dates together and that's quite a shame because they are great and an obvious crowd pleaser.  They had lots of folks dancing and laughing along, in particular with a spin on a tune written by Tim Matson called Fridgedaire Man - or in this case 'Cold Fridgedaire Woman" sung by Tim and backed up by Becky and Dave Morrison.   What a hoot!  In our favor, the various members are parts of other bands that play the area regularly.  I'm gong to do my best to track down Becky and hear her sing again. 

Now to chat briefly about the venue.  I get the impression that this was an idea of Dave Lieberth, our capable Deputy Mayor, and what a good idea it is.  A smaller area than Lock 3, Lock 4 is a more intimate, friendly environment.  With all the steps built into the landscape, it's far more comfortable too.  Free parking surrounds this little park and if you can figure out your way through the Cascade deck, you can park practically on the Lock.  There was a beer and pop wagon and a Dim Sum truck on location for anyone hungry or thirsty.  The rush of the water through the canal adds to the ambiance but never overrides the sound of the music.  And best of all - it was FREE!
I think this idea is a hit and I hope they find a location to bring these concerts indoors for fall and winter.  As we all discussed at intermission, there is so much really good local talent, finding a venue where we can go to listen in Akron would be terrific rather than driving up to Cleveland and finding our way home late at night. 

HALL OF FAME WEEKEND

After all these years living in this area, it’s hard to imagine that this is the first time I’ve attended the Hall of Fame Ribs Burnoff in Canton. I vaguely recall going downtown Canton once during the festival for another reason, but certainly didn’t get to wander the festivities.  Now that they've moved to the Stark County Fairgrounds, it's easier to park (sort of), but it's isolated from any other downtown businesses so you're there for one of two things - ribs or music - which isn't a bad choice, just limiting and certainly no way to show off the newly revitalized downtown.

Friday, at the request of my friend Sandy, I volunteered at one of the beer booths for the Burnoff. It’s also been several years since I worked a beer booth (not since WAY back during my Civic Theater volunteer days) but pulling the tap came naturally enough for this non-beer drinker.  We got paid in free beer - not such a good deal for me since I don't like the stuff but it's just as well there wasn't an option to work a wine or liquor booth, there could have been huge payoffs there!

We kept our eyes on the skies as the dark clouds rolled in hoping that there would be no repeat of the lightning strike that hit the beer trailer two days before!  The gals working that day had both been leaning on the trailer trying to stay out of the rain deluge when the lightning struck and managed to exit through both of them.  Definately not something I'd want to experience!  Interestingly enough, when the reported the strike to the local authorities, the only concern was that the truck was not smoking...hmmm, no query about how the girls did.  Not cool.

We opened the booth at 10:30am but didn’t serve our first customer till a little after 11 (it WAS, after all, a work day for most attendees). Shortly before noon a band called Them Dudes set up right across the way from us and played a host of early 70’s rock music that we sang along with during our slow times. This band, out of Dover, Ohio, plays regularly at the Cheeseburger in Paradise down behind Belden Village Westfield Mall and I can see how they’d be a hit there since they liberally sprinkle their repertoire with Jimmy Buffet tunes.

The crowd was pretty tame with the exception of a group of young men that were definately still a little worse for wear from the night before.  They were our best customers for the day and luckily we did discover that they were not driving.  They were amuzing and managed to even flirt with us old gals - made the day worth the effort!

Aside from the few rib vendors and a few slushie and funnel cake vendors, this couple were here making this lovely sand sculpture.  I didn't get to see if they used a mold to make the castle turets but after spending an hour or so molding sand for my pizza oven I have a whole new appreciation for what these artists go through!  Building sand castles as a kid was never this much work.  I wonder if these folks still feel like 4 year olds with a plastic bucket by the sea.

There was a lot of gossip around the fairgrounds about the festival itself and the fact that there were very few rib vendors there (I counted 7 in total). According to most those I spoke with who have been around the festival for many years, the number of vendors seems to be decreasing each year, especially since moving from downtown to the fairgrounds. Maybe it’s time for the Festival organizers to rethink the location and put it back downtown. Especially with all of the efforts Canton has put into the revitalization of the downtown area – it seems a more natural fit. The fairgrounds are out of the way, we ended up parking in a mud pit, and sales didn’t pick up until after work hours, sounds like a slam dunk decision to me.

SANDUSKY AND BASEBALL

It's been  a couple of years since I visited Sandusky.  At that time my company was considering doing some development in the downtown area and we visited the town a few times getting the lay of the land and talking through some details.  Although our talks didn't lead anywhere for our involvement, I was tremendously impressed with their plans for the redevelopment of the waterfront and downtown. 

Fast forward a couple of years and my first trip back showed that these folks are doing a very nice job with their revitalization plans.  New condo projects, a new ferry servicing Kelly's Island and Put-in-Bay and new restaurants all along the main thoroughfare.  Nancy and I had decided to take a trip up to ride the ferry and it turned into a fun day wandering both Sandusky and South Bass Island.  We arrived early for our ferry, so we strolled up past the fountain and along Columbus Street to admire the new shops and restaurants and ogle the facade of the old State Theater (which appears to be reopening).  We made a quick stop at quaint Mr. Smiths Coffeehouse for a glass of tea and a muffin then hustled down to the wharf to pick up the ferry.  The Jet Express now leaves the dock several times a day and our boat was standing room only on the way over and back so it appears plenty of people are taking advantage of the service.

Both Nancy and I love transportation of all kinds - riding trains and ferries are part of the fun of exploring.  For us, the ride to Put-in-Bay was half the fun of the whole trip.  Once we hit town we wandered a bit looking for a golf cart to rent but since they were already all taken settled instead on taking the tram tour.  Although Nancy has been to the island a couple of times in the past year or so she was good to allow me to do this since it was my first visit in nearly 20 years.  I had not seen more of the island than just the town, so this was a treat for me.  We spent some time in the butterfly house, where I enjoyed chasing the butterflys around with my camera.  The tour highlighted a lot of the local architecture and quaint victorian homes dotted all along the island.  Many of these reminded me of homes I saw in Key West so I'm not surprised that Put-in-Bay's nick name is The Key West of the North. 

Of course there were plenty of people partying all over the island and the ride on the ferry back home was filled with far more happy people than on the way over.  Once we hit the mainland we walked back up to Columbus Street to have dinner at Zinc Brasserie.  Nancy had talked about the new Zinc opening in Cleveland and was surprised to see one here in Sandusky and it wasn't difficult to talk me into stopping there for our evening meal.  We sat on the patio overlooking the main street and waterfront and I enjoyed a great glass of Trivento Malbec from Mendoz Argentina with my Beet Salad with a Pistachio Crusted Cambozola cheese.  I blogged here a couple of weeks ago about about this fantastic cheese and was surprised to find it on a menu so had to try it.  It really made a great addition to the beet salad.  Nancy had the Goat Cheese Ravioli and it must have been good because she cleaned her plate pretty well too.

SUNDAY AT THE AERO'S STADIUM

Our company outing was Sunday at the boss' loge at the Stadium.  We made it a good ballpark experience with hot dogs, soft pretzels, popcorn and beer.  Now if only the Aero's had not lost the game 11-3 it might have been a really great day. 

I always am impressed by this ballpark in downtown Akron. In the decade since it's been built the surrounding downtown area has indeed made a comeback creating a fun and entertaining district for people of all ages.  Families come to the ballpark for the games and many of them stay for dinner after the game, then giving way at night to the UA students who flock to the area to go to the new bars lining Main Street.  Since the installation of Canal Park the area is now boasting new housing for students, a dozen new restaurants and at least as many new bars and nightclubs and more are coming on line on a regular basis.

REALLY? OH COME ON! AND A THANK YOU TO THE CITY OF AKRON

Monday’s Beacon reports that someone (let’s hope it’s just one lone individual) has been stealing plants out of various gardens supported by Keep Akron Beautiful. Just how low do you have to be to steal actual plants from a garden? Especially ones that are meant to enhance your neighborhood? As a first year gardener I could almost foresee deer munching on my vegetable plants or MAYBE some poor hungry soul stealing vegetables as they matured in the garden – but to steal FLOWER PLANTS? That’s really low.

Over the past couple of years I’ve admired the beauty of the gardens put out by KAB. They are artistic, well tended, beautiful and never fail to bring a smile to my face as I drive by on my daily grind. Each spring I anticipate the planting of the plot across from the new Metro Transit building. It’s a pop of vibrant color as I drive into the city from home each morning.

This weekend I stopped by the garden at the corner of E Market and North streets to admire the flowers and the fountain. I’ve driven by hundreds of times and never saw anyone around so was surprised to see a gentleman sitting by the fountain enjoying the cool, wet spray on a hot summer afternoon. As I snapped a few photos, the fountain reminded me of our trip last summer to Savannah Georgia where public squares are a common and prolific site, many complete with statues of prominent citizens or lovely fountains. To say that this display in Akron is more lovely is by no means a stretch of the imagination. The squares in Savannah were mostly untended and unimaginative. KAB is doing us proud here in Akron!

WEEKEND CHORES

Since it was so darned hot this weekend I stayed close to home and pretty low key just trying to stay cool. Cleaning out the garage on Saturday morning turned out to be just as much fun as it sounds…which is not much. However, since I lost a couple of good sized tree limbs in the storm last week I had another chance to play with my new chain saw. I’ve used it enough that I had to learn to tighten the chain and speaking as someone with ZERO experience with that sort of thing it was an adventure that required a long study of the instruction guide and some experimentation with the screw driver and wrenches. After about 20 minutes of reading, trying, reading again and trying again I finally figured it out and am now happy to say that I got the saw ready to go again tonight on the second limb. YEAH!

I’m not a power tool expert by any means but I sure have a lot of them handed down by Dad or purchased in an emergency (like the chain saw). Learning to use these is something that I now firmly believe every kid should be taught by their Dad (or Mum). My Dad never showed me about any of these things so they’re all scary and I’m a bit timid around them. However I’ve gotten the hang of the chop saw and the chain saw, so look out trees, here I come!

FIRESTONE COMMUNITY DAYS

This was the weekend of our neighborhoods traditional pre-July 4th celebration. Generally there is a festival, a band, a parade, a symphony concert performance, all followed by fireworks. This year there was no money for fireworks and the symphony was replace by a dance troupe. The festival was aimed at families with small kids – and there were a lot of them about! Inflatable rides for the youngest and greasy fair food for the rest of us. It was very hard not to succomb to the call of the funnel cakes. 

The most anticipation was for the parade that kicked off at 4 and lasted nearly 30 minutes with drum corps, baton twirlers, fancy cars and even a few floats. Got my hand shook by a few local politicos running for office and some candy tossed at me by folks riding in the fancy cars.

A band called Morning After played in the park at 5:30 and the performance by the Doug Varone & Dancers group kicked off at 8:45. The band - pretty good – the dance troupe, not so good. I remember seeing this same group last year when they were here for a performance at Glendale Cemetery and we left before intermission. What little I saw this year looked just like the last performance and it was no better.

Maybe it’s one of those “I’m too old to appreciate this” things, but these youngsters were not doing anything that resembled dance to me. Most of the performance was spent laying or rolling around on the stage. Even their web site main photo is a shot of a bunch of them laying on the stage. How is that ‘dance’? I’m not stodgy when it comes to this stuff - I like Dancing Wheels, ballet, hip hop – dancing of most kinds. This stuff I just don’t get and I don’t think I was alone. A survey of the crowd showed folks laying on their blankets staring up at the beautiful clear sky enjoying the cool evening.

In all it was a shame we didn't have firesworks this year.  I wonder if part of the reason was to ensure that we were all snug in our homes before too late.  Although I had totally forgotten the incident, it was on this date last summer that we had the big fight on the next street over with a hundred or so youth giving a beating to a local family.  When speaking to my journalism class last week about writing a piece on the community festival, the only thing any of them recalled about Firestone Park was the big fight.  Sad. 

THANK YOU CITY OF AKRON

I have to say that I really do appreciate the City of Akron bringing new things to us as part of the summer celebration series and I attend a lot of these shows all summer long. So far the only thing that I walk away scratching my head over is the dance show from Saturday. Everything else is huge kudos to the City for doing all of this and organizing so many fun things for us all to enjoy.

DOWNTOWN MASSILLON HOTEL

A coworker of mine co-manages this Hampton Inn property owned by our company.  Over the past few years, the going's on at the hotel have been a source of intrigue to those of us here who are not familiar with the inner workings of a small hotel.  Recently given a status of "Outstanding" by the Hilton Corporation we're all proud of the staff and it's accomplishements.  Huge congratulations to the staff and to my coworker for a job well done!