Tastegoer enjoying pierogi from Sokolowski's.

Hit the Taste of Tremont around 5pm. From Lolita to Flying Monkey, the neighborhood street was lined with food vendors. Colorful gelato, butter sauteed pierogi, spicy Thai noodles, saucy ribs, vegetarian lasagna, fresh peach cobbler . . . you name it, it was there to be sampled. White tented displays for civic groups, art galleries, musical acts and streetside displays from boutiques also dotted the urban landscape. Luckily the burst of rain that splattered onto Cleveland’s sidewalks around noon cleared and made for a sunny, but slightly humid, summer afternoon.

Dining on the church steps.

The 1-7pm culinary celebration was so popular that street parking was at a premium. My Corolla and I ended up curbside by the Lava Lounge–a few blocks away from the action. Highlights of the outing? Chef Rocco Whalen’s lifesize photo cutouts in a special youth “sports” section next to Fahrenheit, the huge retro mural I somehow never noticed before painted on the 806 Bistro building and the completely packed outside patio at Lago (which I heard from one festivalgoer had ”awesome sangria”). –AK