THE MEAL: You wine and dine at home this date, but feel free to plan your dinner magic with a little brainstorming visit to the Great Lakes Brewing Company(216.771.4404) or the Market Avenue Wine Bar (216.696.9463), both in short walking distances. Relax on a rustic outdoor patio, sip locally-brewed beverages and figure out hors d’oeurvres, the main course and little late night dessert.

THE COST: Research some recipes that sound fancy, but are fairly easy to make (like soy-glazed salmon, pan-seared filet mignon, or lemon-garlic chicken). Visit Pinzone Meats (Stands B-4 and B-5) and grab two fresh sirloin tips for $5 a pound (about $15 per steak), which are great and cheap for grilling. Or visit Kate’s Fish (Stand F-12 and F-13) and pick up two Atlantic salmon filets for $8.99 per pound, for a healthy, late night affair. Throw in some veggies ($10) and a few Great Lakes beers ($15) and you’ve got a pretty cheap date. 

THE KNOWLEDGE: Adventurous food choices will show an open mind willing to try new things. In contrast, hunting for the perfect hamburgers between complaints about the cleanliness of the fruit will unleash the miscreant date monster beneath. Pay close attention to their urban diplomacy skills. The ability to wrangle with artful street vendors (while being funny, smart, and getting a good price) will only add bonus points to the long-term relationship formula.   

In addition to actors and celebs, Screaming Tiki features comic book authors like Cleveland's own Michael San Giacomo.

The word on the street from comic enthusiasts is that the Screaming Tiki Cleveland Super-Con (July 10-12, 2009 in the Halle Building, 1228 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland) will be the first “honest-to-God” comic book convention in Cleveland in decades. The three-day  fest, running concurrently with Ingenuity, includes comics, toys, gaming and an array of appearances by stars attached to the genre like Edward James Olmos (Admiral Adama), Sam Witwer (Doomsday), Helen Slater (Supergirl) , Michael Rosenbaum (Lex Luthor) and Ray Park (Darth Maul).

While diehard fans costumed as superheroes, chances to meet favorite illustrators and artists and the opportunity to take a trip in what is being billed as a “batcopter” might be enough to woo folks to the Screaming Tiki, locals will appreciate the hometown touch. Superman, the iconic “man of steel,” was created in Cleveland by Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel. Members of their family, including Siegel’s widow Joanne (purported to be the model for Lois Lane) are being flown—many to meet for the first time— for  a panel discussion during the conference.

Photo: DDaugherty

The Buckeye Beer Engine in Lakewood is an eclectic pub with an array of customers from novices to knowledgeable beer drinkers.  To know how the Beer Engine made it here, you have to look at how it got started.  I had the opportunity to sit down and talk with Garin Wright, co-owner of the Buckeye Beer Engine and Buckeye Brewing. I found it fascinating.

In 1997, Garin and his father, Robert, opened the Brew Keeper on Miles Road in Bedford Heights.  Garin was into home brewing and wanted to start a business where customers could come in and brew their own individual batches of beer.  When things were not going so well with the business, Robert told Garin to start brewing beer to bring in some revenue.  Even though brewing wasn’t intended to be Garin’s main focus, he truly fell in love with the brewing process.  Over time, Garin’s passion for brew on-premise waned while his passion for brewing with Buckeye increased.

Lobster mac-and-cheese . . . trust me, it tasted way better than it may look in this picture.

A few days before Father’s Day I did one of my favorite Cleveland things with one of my favorite people—I took a cooking class with my dad at the Loretta Paganini Cooking School in Chesterland (about 25 miles east of downtown Cleveland).
This is the fourth class I’ve taken at LPCS . . . the third with my dad. With a name like “Sizzlin’ Seafood” I knew we were in for a fabulous feast. Turns out, feast is an understatement for what we experienced.

The way it works is this: When you check in at registration you’re handed a copy of all the recipes being cooked during class. Then you head to the kitchen, take a seat at one of the three long tables available and start munching on the fresh bread waiting for you.  The instructor (in this case it was “THE” Loretta Paganini herself)gives cooking tips and tells entertaining stories while a variety of concoctions bubble and sizzle on the stove and a bevy of smells fill the air.

As a non-native Clevelander, I have always noticed a couple of things about the people living in this region. Specifically, (1) their pronunciation of a soft “A” is absolutely remarkable and, (2) as a whole, they’ve got a wonderful sense of humor. It’s the kind of humor that we see through the genius of Drew Carey, Molly Shannon, Steve Harvey, Tim Conway and Bob Hope – all Cleveland Plus folks.

So it’s no surprise that I found myself at Brother’s Lounge for the CD release party for comedians Ryan Dalton and Chad Zumock. Headlining the event was Mike Polk, the creator of the infamous “Hastily-Made Cleveland Tourism Video.”

Due in most part to my unabashed love of Cleveland, I can’t say that I was exactly thrilled with the video, which its hit-count reached millions. But I can say with all certainty that I’m still a fan of this local comic’s take on just about everything else. Whether it be his interpretation of guys wearing striped shirts, his version of a Norton Furniture commercial and (of course) the ode to Great Lakes Brewing’s Christmas Ale, I’d recommend one of his shows to both locals and visitors alike.

Polk is part of Last Call Cleveland, a Cleveland sketch comedy troupe whose live show is equally as fun as their extensive YouTube video collection. The group got its start with Last Call Kent, a hilarious television show broadcasted on Kent State University’s TV network. I have fond memories of my three college roommates and me laughing our socks off to their on-campus antics and pranks, Jay Walking-style sketches and uncomfortably funny in-studio interviews.

Also apart of the Kent State crowd is Ryan Dalton, a local comic who’s stand-up has turned nationwide with gigs like Comedy Central’s “LIVE AT GOTHAM.” And, if you haven’t had a sampling of his work, he’s a frequent guest on The Maxwell Show on 100.7 WMMS-FM in Cleveland and the nationally syndicated “Bob and Tom Radio Show.” Dalton also performs with The Irregulars, a four-man Cleveland-based comedy group.

Last Friday I had a foodie’s dream morning—I spent hours of my work day at the historic West Side Market, the oldest publicly-owned market in the city. The Market and I go way back—my dad and I have been regulars since I was a kid and my parents love to tell the story about a 4th grade field trip when all the kids came home with bags of candy and I bought asparagus. But I digress. 

Al Roker, the Today Show’s beloved weatherman, was in town for his niece’s graduation so, rather than take time away from the show, he set up shop and broadcast live from the Market. Having heard about the broadcast just the day before, we hurried to rally the troops in order to gather a good crowd and represent the city well on national TV. People love Al and feel he’s a de facto Clevelander—he spent five years here in the early ’80s as the weather guy for our local NBC affiliate. We spread the word through our social networking sites and did indeed get a nice following of sign-carrying Cleveland lovers. Or people just trying to get on TV. Either way, we had a good showing.

Al started the morning with a few shots from the upper balcony, not far below the 44-foot high vaulted ceiling and overlooking the beautiful market, and then came down to the floor where he moved on to shoot near Campbell’s Popcorn Stand.  Hot Sauce Williams, the local soul food institution quickly gaining national notice, came in with a buffet of delights for a quick segment then Grandma Freda’s Fresh Bake got a little Al love–he seemed to particularly enjoy the red velvet cupcakes. The morning moved quickly and before we knew it Al was gone.

Image: Timothy Kane Phography

Four decades ago, the rough and tumble action of a roller derby was considered sports entertainment–more theater than real athletic performance. Not so today:  Squads like Akron’s Rubber City Rollergirls are home to some of Northeast Ohio’s most committed amateur athletes and one of the country’s most aggressive and fun grassroots sports movements.

“Roller derby doesn’t get a lot of respect as a sport,” admits Tracy “Eighty-SixHer” Soulsby, director of PR and marketing for the Akron team. “People hear roller derby and they think back in the ‘70s when it was fake like wrestling. I still think back then it took a lot of athletic ability — because back then they didn’t wear all the protective gear. But today it requires a lot of strength and endurance. Back then a lot of it was staged, today it’s real.”

Cleveland Plus offers two great teams–the Rubber City Rollergirls and the Cleveland Burning River Roller Girls, which actually encompasses four squads including the Hard Knockers, Hellbombers, the Rolling Pin-Ups and the hilariously named Cleveland Steamers. These ladies are bringing back the skill and athletics of competitive roller skating for real this time and at a local level.

An estimated 70,000 spectators arrived in University Circle on Saturday to take part in Cleveland’s signature cultural event of the year. Cars lined Martin Luther King Boulevard from the Shoreway to Wade Oval and families watched on as 2,000 parade participants revealed colorful costumes and boisterous song and dance. From an army of Marilyn Monroes to giant PEZ dispensers (including “Pezident” Barack Obama and Elvis “Pezley”), there was no shortage of creativity in the most densely packed square mile of arts and culture in the country.

Did you attend Parade the Circle? Upload your photos here. –Submitted by RA

Wow. The summer solstice is really heating things up here in Cleveland. There are almost too many things to do this weekend. It’s Father’s Day weekend and I already have tickets to the Lake Erie Crushers on Friday, tickets to laugh along with Joel McHale from The Soup at Lakewood Civic Auditorium and reservations to see actor James Franco at the Cleveland Museum of Art. I just can’t decide where else I’ll be. Here’s a rundown of some of the big happenings:

Big Cool Cats Steve Presser (owner of Big Fun and Big Fun Cleveland vintage and collectible toy stores), Thomas Mulready (CoolCleveland.com) and singer/songwriter Denis Devito (Cats On Holiday) dreamt up this new all-day music festival—featuring everything from reggae to rock, roots, blues, Cajun, country, alternative pop, ragtime, swing, Afro-electronique, New Orleans Mardi Gras music, traditional Americana and a combination of hip-hop blended with Brazilian bossa nova at Cain Park’s Evans Amphitheater. Go for the sunshine, the music and to support some cats who generally love our city and just want to put together a fun day. Saturday, June 20, noon – 11pm. General admission $40; persons presenting a military ID, senior citizen or student ID or a Friends of Cain Park membership card are eligible to receive a discount.

Summer Solstice Celebration  Welcome the longest day of the year with an all-night party celebrating the new east wing (very cool, by the way) at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Tapas stations, bars and a few surprises. Performers include Hot Club of Detroit, Slavic Soul Party, Dan Deacon and others. Stay the whole night or just close it out ($15 only). Saturday, June 20, 5pm-2am. Reservations are requested for the 5pm and 7pm admissions but are not necessary for 10pm.

Porchfest Porches in Cleveland’s Larchmere neighborhood are being transformed into stages with free musical performances, in the first Larchmere Porchfest. Organized in part by my friend (a musician himself and marketing guy at Telarc records), Jason Linder, the idea came from an annual “porch music” festival in Ithaca, NY. There will be 20 acts, representing a variety of musical styles, performing just off of Shaker Square. Performers include Brent Kirby (from the Jack Fords), Roger Hoover, Clint Holley, Church of the Lazy Bastards, Jesse Barnez, Elec Simon, Russian Duo and Miss Melvis, garage rock. Restaurants like Boulevard Blue, Vine & Bean Cafe, Academy Tavern and Felice are opening early that day for festival-goers to dine or drink. Porchfest, Saturday, June 20, 2-6pm, concludes with a full band, plugged-in concert at Shaker Square from 6-9pm, courtesy of The Coral Company. Free.

Big Fun Cleveland

If you’ve never been to Big Fun on Coventry Road in Cleveland Heights, then, well, you’re missing out on exactly that . . . big fun! Steve Presser’s toy store includes everything from vintage toys to offbeat collectibles. Packed to the gills with good stuff like retro lunchboxes, original Atari games, iron-on tee shirt designs, GI Joe figurines, Alf keychains and novelty baby pacifiers (that look like fake teeth from the Simpsons’ fictitious “Big Book of British Smiles”), it’s hard to know where to focus your attention. The quirky shop was recently named one of Playboy magazine’s “20 Coolest Stores in America.” And no, that doesn’t have “those” kind of toys.