It's dark...more moonlight!

















Saturday of Labor Day weekend. That could only mean Mr. and Mrs. Mix are in from Nashville to attend the Taste of Cleveland...Yes! But the entertainment was Michael Stanley...Oh, No! Did you know "This Town is My Town"? Words cannot describe his rendition of "Purple Rain". Sarcastic arm-waving aside, it didn't resonate with me. First, Donnie Iris. Now this. I want my Cheap Trick!

So, clad in my Hasselhoff tee, I made my way down to the Tower City Amphitheater. Boy, I had lots of beer. More so than usual. Didn't realize that until I tried to open my windows when I got home. In the dark. But, here is what I ate:

Sushi from Otani

Butterfly chips from some Gyro joint

Chicken wings and cornbread from Just Like Mom's

First ever Indian food from Saffron Patch. Tandoori shrimp. The Indians like their food spicy, so I see...er, taste.

I think that was it, did I have that much beer? I must have used most of my tickets for that purpose.

Meal of Links

Finally saw Bourdain visit his nemesis, Ruhlman, on his "No Reservations" show. I gotta say, I loved it. Some people are upset that this show apparently did not represent Cleveland well. I think that'a a poor attitude. Let's face it, I thought it was a fairly accurate portrayal. I think what we're seeing here is a bunch of people who've never watched Bourdain, and a history of shows that arrive in town and disappoint. Like the time Rachael Ray went to Hornblower's. Good God! So, the kneejerk reaction ensues.

Two things though seemed out of place. The Free Stamp--hey, no one gives a shit about it. The second was unavoidable, in my opinion. Bourdain wants to take Ruhlman to a place he knows he'll dislike. Well, he can't take him to some local haunt and dis the guy's business. Fast food seems reasonable, but we're in Ohio. So, I can see where Skyline would be the choice. We do not have a local fast food giant, do we? And it's too easy to skewer Burger Head or McDonald's. On the surface, it seems OK, but it's not really Cleveland.

But I thought Bourdain walking around the industrial flats reminded me of the opening of "Baretta". Sadly, he's not gonna stumble upon some local Cleveland yak farmer who happens to be prepping tonight's family meal. So, ya gotta go with what's here. I mean, I guess it's too bad that he didn't go to another "quality" place besides Lola. For the record, I'd stack anything I've eaten at Sokolowski's or made with Sausage Shoppe items against a lot of places. And who doesn't like Hot Sauce Williams? These are really good places to eat and they do not have to be trendy, or of the wealthy clientele or highest price. I saw a comment where the Sausage Shoppe was not shown in a good light. Clearly, he was there on an off day or at least when the place was closed. Hello, the sign said closed. What, do you need, a crowd to be valid?

If you watch Bourdain's show, he is consistent with his message. Sometimes, the simplest dishes at the off the beaten path places are the tastiest and most surprising. Demonstrated that in the China episode. Same dish, two places. He made a point to say the one from the rural area was much better than the urban counterpart. I don't know why we seem to have this elitist attitude when it comes to food in this city of ours. Check out Ruhlman's blog and read the comments. Especially, Bourdain's comment about Ruhlman's use of the word "motherfucker" at Sokolowski's.

You can buy some really green cars. Unfortunately, you can't bring them to Ohio.

Randy Lerner (who was in attendance) had his biggest win as an EPL owner as the Villains dumped Chelsea today, 2-0. Big time atmosphere at Villa Park for their hated rivals. The second goal was late as Jose Mourinho could only look on.



Exercise Yard

Another day at the ballpark today. I attended with Kevin and Kevin's Dad, Richard. Well we had many beers and a couple of these pineapple upside down drinks. Needless to say, it was a lot of fun. And I was feeling not much pain and craved sleep. The Indians just did not cooperate in today's game and were shutout.

However, we did get to see parts of the Air Show. Especially good from where we were sitting, behind home plate. We had the added bonus of getting buzzed twice. Once by a solo member of the Blue Angels, the other in a formation upon their departure for the day. Very cool.

Visitor

None, it's a sunny Sunday.