Win Tickets to the Ohio Tequila Festival

Do you like tequila?  And would you like to go to the Ohio Tequila Festival on May 1 for free?  Yeah...me, too.  But lucky for you, I won a pair of free general admission tickets and won't be able to use them because I'm going to be out of town for work.


General admission tickets include tequila samplings, free food, and live entertainment.  (I have no idea if there will be vegetarian food, sorry)  If you'd like to learn more about the awesomeness of tequila, there will be classes at the event.  Each class is $5.

Comment on this post by Saturday, April 28 at 12:01 am for your chance to win.  Note that you need to be 21 to attend the event and that you'll need to log onto the event's web site by 4/30 to claim your tickets. 

Good luck, and if you go, have a tequila shot for me!

Upcoming Vegan and Vegetarian Happenings in the CLE

As veganism and vegetarianism becomes more and more popular in the CLE, there are more and more happenings around town offering vegan and vegetarian friendly food.  And next week, there are a couple extra special events just for us herbivores.

Monday, August 15 -

Meatless Monday at Palookaville Chili in Ohio City- This is actually a weekly happening at Palookaville Chili, one of Ohio City's newer specialty restaurants. (yes, they have vegan and vegetarian chili!) Foodgazi, a catering/cooking instruction company offers a few vegan items each and every Monday right in Palookaville.

Vegetarian Mondays at Lago in Tremont - Every Monday evening, Lago offers an entire menu of vegan or vegetarian items in addition to their regular menu. 

Tuesday, August 16 -

5 Course Vegan Wine Dinner at Melange in Beachwood - $60
This is Melange's first attempt at hosting a vegan dinner. Two of the 5 courses will be prepared by Chef Scot Jones of Vegiterranean and deserts will be provided by White Flower Cake Shop.  The last time I went to a vegan wine pairing was at Bistro 185 last fall and it was excellent, and I'd imagine this one will be just as good!)

The meal will include:

• Amuse: Beet Ravioli, tofu ricotta, pickled onion, and balsamic roasted figs
• 1st course: Roasted poblano tamale, smoke corn puree, guacamole
• 2nd course: watermelon steak, cucumber salad, gazpacho broth
• 3rd course: Gardein "chicken" roulade, baby arugula, roasted tomato, smokey greens, beluga lentils, charred tomato brodo
• 4th course: Curried cauliflower ravioli, chunky walnut and herb pesto, spicy carrot oil, and golden raisin
• 5th course: Platters of assorted vegan pastries for the table (designed by white flower cake shop)

See the Facebook event page for additional details.

 

Wednesday, August 17 -

Vegan 3 Course Dinner at Bistro 185 in Euclid - $30

My favorite time of the month!  Bistro 185 offers a vegan meal monthly prepared by Chef Jakub, who is, in my humble opinion, is an amazing vegan chef.  This month's theme is "farm to table" and will feature the following:

• Ohio Corn Chowder with Jalapeno Corn Muffin
•  Local and Organic Ratatouille, Roof Top Garden Herb-Crusted Gardein, Roasted Local Fingerling Potatoes
•  Olive Oil - Lemon Cake, Grilled Stone Fruit Compote, Almond Milk Whipped Cream

 

Note that reservations are required to attend this vegan dinner. See the Facebook event page for information on how to RSVP.

Berea ARF Hump Day Celebrity Bartending Happy Hour - So, technically not a vegan or vegetarian event, but let's be honest, if you're a vegetarian, most likely, you care about animals.  I've volunteered at Berea Animal Rescue Fund for longer than I can remember, and the proceed from this event help to provide supplies and care for homeless animals who are desperately in need. 
 
More information is available on the Facebook event page.

 

Vegan and Vegetarian Night at Deagan's Kitchen & Bar in Lakewood - Let's not forget this weekly happening.  Deagan's is one of my favorite new restaurants/bars in Cleveland and I love that they offer vegan and vegetarian menu items every day of the week and an extra special menu on Wednesday nights.  Check out the Deagan's Facebook page on Wednesdays to see what specials are being offered.

Do you know about any other upcoming vegan or vegetarian happenings?  Post them in the comments if you do!

 

 

.

Celebrate the Food Truck Revolution at the C-Town Chow Down

I love food.  All kinds of food.  And I've recently become a fan of food that comes of of a truck.  Food trucks, widely popular out west for years and years and years, have finally made their way to Cleveland, and I couldn't be happier.  Sure, I'm a little biased because food trucks frequently stop at or near my place of employment, making it really easy for me to sample some of Cleveland's mobile cuisine.  But...I would make the drive to sample some great food truck grub.  And this weekend, I will!

The first ever Cleveland food truck rally, of sorts, is being held this Sunday, March 27 in Lincoln Park in Tremont from 11am to 3 pm.  Called the C-Town Chow Down, this event promises to offer live entertainment in addition to grub from more than a half dozen of Cleveland's roving food purveyors. 

The important thing to remember about food trucks is that their space is limited and they generally run out of food pretty quickly, so if you have your heart set on food from a particular vendor, you might want to get to Tremont no later than 11:01 am!

More laughs than a barrel of monkeys - Cleveland Comedy Festival

I actually think a barrel of monkeys would be sad.  And smelly.

If you like comedians - especially local comedians - you should check out the Cleveland Comedy Festival.  Being held around town now through this weekend, the festival features Cleveland's own up-and-coming comedians.  (Like one of my friends who's performing on Saturday - go Matt!) For no more than $12, you can get a taste of what Cleveland's funniest comedians have to offer.  Support some local talent and the downtown area this weekend by attending the Cleveland Comedy Festival...but hurry!  I hear tickets are selling fast!

The Bridge Project

In case you haven't heard, a neat event is being held in Cleveland today and tomorrow called The Bridge Project. The best way to describe it, I think, it to call it Ingenuity Fest Lite, since it's a cultural and arts festival held in a unique location - the Detroit-Superior bridge - lower level. It's supposed to feature arts and crafts vendors, local food vendors, and more performances than you can shake a stick at. (and did I mention, beer and wine?) My favorite juggler/stilt-walker/ball manipulator, Aaron Bonk, will be performing as "keeper of the bridge" on stilts, and for that alone, it's worth the trip.

Let's hope the weather holds out and this festival can go on as planned...hope to see you there.