Even though I spent the 4th of July running in the rain and hanging out with my cat, I was a little more social over the weekend when I went up to visit Ben in Cleveland. He used to live down in Columbus with me, but after being accepted Georgetown University in DC for grad school, he let his lease run out and decided to live at home for the last month or so before he heads east.
We try to get together every few weekends or so, really whenever our busy schedules allow. This weekend was my turn so I left the dreary, rainy weather of Columbus and drove up to see him. We ended up finally seeing Star Trek: Into Darkness, which as a part of the “Cumber Collective” (previously known as “Cumberbitches”), I was very eager to see. I would critique it the same as I did the first: really fun, great action, but a very strange story structure. Overall, I enjoyed it! And I’m glad I got to see it on the big screen. Movies like that never as fun at home on a tiny screen in your living room.
After the movie we stopped for drinks and appetizers at the Latin restaurant, Paladar.
I had “The Chairman’s Cocktail” ~ Chairman’s Reserve Spiced Rum, nutmeg, fresh orange juice, fresh lemon juice, simple syrup, served on the rocks.
And Ben had “The 1944 Mai Tai” ~ Chairman’s Reserve 5 Yr Aged Rum, fresh orange juice, fresh lime juice, curacao, orgeat syrup, served on the rocks.
We got an order of the Spicy Guacamole and Charred Tomato & Sweet Corn with the restaurant’s special blend of chips.
And then split an order of the Mango Chimichurri Crusted Calamari – it was SO GOOD. As you can see, we had already started eating before I remembered to get a picture.
I would definitely recommend this place to anyone in the Cleveland area. It’s a bit on the pricy side, but a good drink on a patio with tasty finger food is worth a few extra dollars to me – especially when I almost never eat out during the week so moments like these are like special occasions.
Later that night, we went to hang out at Chagrin Falls, the beautiful home of the creator of Calvin & Hobbs. It has a quaint little main street with cute restaurants and shops – perfect for an afternoon of strolling by the water.
Eventually it started to rain and the restaurants were all packed so we decided on grabbing some food to go from Dave’s Cosmic Subs.
The inside of the shop was awesome, and I am in love with their door! Neither Ben nor I had ever been there before so they guys that served us were great about explaining the subs and making suggestions.
I ended up taking their suggestion and getting The Grateful Dave ~ Turkey, Tomatoes, Red Onions, Mayo, Dave’s Cosmic Sauce, Avocado, Alfalfa Sprouts, and Marinated Hot Pepper Juice.
And it was AMAZING. Seriously, this is going to be my must-go sandwich shop every time I am in Cleveland from now on.
Like my wine glass? It’s Chip from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast!
We spent the rest of the weekend visiting friends and hanging out with Ben’s parents. Unfortunately, it seems I brought the Columbus rain with me so by the end of the trip, it was a pretty steady downpour and there wasn’t much we could do outside, which resulted in lots of napping – not that I’m complaining! I was a little let down that I couldn’t get out to go for a run since there are so many nice parks nearby, but oh well – maybe next time.
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How was your weekend?
What do you put on your favorite sandwich?
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