want a sure fire way to in one fall swoop make your coworkers laugh hysterically and want to slap you to shut the hell up at the same time?

talk like the cyborg/robot in the chi chi's salsa commercial below.

over and over and OVER again.




i want chicken and chi chi's.

i WANT chicken and chi chi's.

and then, when you want to grab some take out from your favorite lunch spot tastebuds repeat "i want tastebuds, i WANT tastebuds" over and over again.

all while cracking yourself, and only yourself up.

you have to watch the video to even have an inkling of what i'm talking about.

for whatever reason i do an excellent impersonation of the robot, i may as well have been the voice talent on the commercial - it's uncanny.

i'm thinking of letting people hire me as entertainment at parties and i'll only talk in the robot voice, it'll be awesome.

awesomely horrible.

i'll stop now.

good to know i'm still an annoying, immature child at heart merely pretending to be a savvy marketing professional by day.

i would like to consider myself a wedding attendee professional and each wedding that i attend has something special about it, something unique, something that i haven't seen done in a particular way.

making all of them enjoyable in their own right.

but the wedding that i attended this past saturday for my good friends anne (the giff) and chris kicked it up a notch for me because i have never been to an outdoor wedding ceremony and reception on the beach.

it (the wedding) had me at hello.

we gathered on the beach, clifton beach at the clifton club to be specific, for the short 15 minute (!) ceremony with the waves crashing on the break behind us. there ceremony flowed directly into drinks on the beach.

there was no schedule, no sit down dinner, no rules.

we drank sangira, ate when we felt like it, sat barefoot in picnic tables and watched the sunset, lounged around, danced and danced some more. it was a perfect evening with my friends and i'm so so so so happy for the giff and chris who are so in love and so happy together.

congrats anne and chris!!

now i would post the rest of my pictures, those that include the post reception party at around the corner in lakewood but those are a bit inappropriate and tequila filled.

which automatically means they're my favorite, but i'll keep those to myself.

here's to hoping that you all had as good a weekend as i did.

i know that 99% of you think that i am a wonderful, beautiful, amazing, skinny, funny and perfect human being.

(sarcasm)

well it may be a shocker for you, but in all reality i can put on quite the pair of bitch pants.

and it's because of these bitch pants that i've been having this problem where if i don't know you, or if you don't know one of my friends, i automatically don't like you. it's like i'm mean or bitchy to a new person until that said new person proves themselves to me.

i believe that some cultures have defined that as being a snob.

i might as well wear a sign that says, "yes, i'm judging you".

but if you have been reading my blog for any amount of time you know that i'm the furthest from a snob - if i was how could i have so many awesome people in my life?

(confession: i bribe them)

now for those of you that know me well and love me you are shaking your head "yes" and laughing at your computer screen cause you know what a brat i can be because you've witnessed it firsthand.

but if you know me well and hate me you are shaking your head with your middle finger pointing at the computer screen.

(let's hug it out, ok?)

obviously i want this so called snobby side of me to go away and i'm actively trying to make this change.

for example there's no reason for me to give a dirty look to the girl that one of my guy friends brought to my party, she's probably a very nice person. in fact she IS a nice person because after a few hours of being a brat to her we end up bonding over a shot of tequila and become best friends.

so why do i have to start out with the cold shoulder? why can't i just be pleasant from the get go?

oh yeah, i know why - it's because i'm that awesome and you should have to prove yourself to be friends with me.

shit...

....and now we're back to where we started from.

i've dubbed this evening tipsy tuesday because that's what me, court, hatchel and the klutz are right now.

at about 4:30pm on tuesday court and i decided that we were going to drink wine on my deck and that i was going to whip us up a nice meal to enjoy.

flash forward to 7:30pm and i'm cooking dinner with a glass of belle glos pinot noir blanc (see right) in my hand.

so this evening i made a couple of my new favorite summer meals which not only are delicious but are ridiculously easy things to put together and i think you all should make them.

summer watermelon salad
watermelon (cubed)
feta cheese (crumbled)
red onion (chopped)
fresh mint (chopped)
balsamic dressing drizzle

i cut up a half a seedless watermelon as the base ingredient, covered it in crumbled feta cheese and chopped fresh mint leaves. i add red onion because i like it but i think it can be optional. finally drizzle some balsamic dressing over the salad (i use the whole foods organic 365 brand), and toss everything together.

i think the salad tastes better chilled adding the balsamic dressing right before serving. and i know it sounds like a completely random gathering of ingredients but it's SO GOOD. try it.



peanut chicken lettuce wraps
boneless skinless chicken breasts
t marzetti thai peanut dressing
sriracha hot sauce
minced garlic
salt and pepper
bibb lettuce
julienned carrots and cucumbers
crispy rice noodles

cut the chicken into thin strips and place in a bowl. add salt/pepper, a tablespoon or more of minced garlic, and sriracha to taste depending on how hot you like it. add enough peanut dressing to heartily cover the chicken and mix. let sit for a half hour or so.

while the chicken is marinading prepare the bibb lettuce wraps and cut the carrots and cucumber.

add chicken to an olive oiled skillet and cook - i like to make sure there is plenty of the dressing in the skillet to help it simmer. once the chicken is finished let your guests make their own wraps adding chicken with sauce to the lettuce wraps, veggies and crispy rice noodles to taste then enjoy.


i highly recommend this meal combination - make it, it's tasty!

after dinner on the deck i realized that i haven't chosen the winner for my stove monkeys t-shirt giveaway giveaway contest and decided that what better way to choose than through a video!?!

now i must be tipsy on court's famous sangria because i'm letting myself be video taped, so please excuse my lack of make-up, grubby clothes, tired eyes and my hair not being done but that's me tonight and it's what you're getting.

and thanks to hatchel, the klutz and court for their awesome participation.



congrats to the winner, you loved the excitement in my voice didn't you? now go pick out your shirt of choice at stovemonkeys.com

editors note: the jerk is WEAK

while there are many perks to getting older such as being able to drink copious amounts of wine and have cheaper car insurance, there are a few things that i wish i could still do as an adult without getting looked at like i have three heads.

balance a spoon on my nose: i used to be able to do this as a child but i can't do it to save my life today. also, i may or may not have spent an hour today trying to do so.

jump on a pogo ball: i had a purple and gray one that i dominated in my garage that sat right next to my skip-it.

host a lemonade stand: this was one of my favorite past times as a child but i feel that as an adult hosting a lemonade stand could how you say, give off the wrong impression...

participate in recess: how perfect would it be if i could still take a half hour midday to play handball, swing from the monkey bars and kiss boys behind the gym.

nap time: i think my boss would get a little annoyed if i decided to saunter over to the couch across from my desk and start snoring and drooling for all our clients to see.

redeem my innocence: war? murder? rape? hunger? bills? global warming? yeah, none of those existed as a child, i think today if i just stopped paying my bills i would get into a bit more trouble than a 5 minute time out in my bedroom.

pick my nose: who am i kidding? i still do that.

not work: unless you have recently won mega millions, have a husband to support you and your children or are lucky enough to have a massive trust fund, it is generally frowned upon in society to not work - which sucks. cause i would much rather spend my summers outside playing at the beach.

play dress up: boa, hot pink lipstick and blue eye shadow, tutu, and a tiara. i'm talking pretty pretty princess mode in full effect, all while dressing my barbie doll to look like my twin.

what childlike thing do you wish you could still do as an adult?

as i'm typing this sunday night from canton i'm overwhelmingly exhausted, fighting to keep my eyes open but still on a high from how wonderful this long weekend was.

thursday (my birthday!) was about as perfect a 29th birthday as i could ask for - full of "alexa time" during the day and family and friend time at night. and thanks again to everyone for the kind wishes via blog comments, facebook, email and twitter - i was like one big social media hug. my birthday dinner at the greenhouse tavern brought many of my groups of friends and family together - my work friends, college friends, family friends, blogger friends and my mom and sissy.

we took over the whole back mezzanine at the greenhouse and all had wonderful meals and cocktails. i'm in love with the cranberry infused vodka and would drink it by the gallon if in doing so wouldn't cause me to be considered a lush.

the best part of the meal though for me was the birthday cake. my mom called the day before and asked if it was possible to make a cake for me, chef sawyer happily agreed and the result was amazing. the whole party was licking their plates wanting more - i'm thinking this cake just might need to be added to the menu.

after the wonderful time at greenhouse tavern we headed to the maproom for patron xo and additional debauchery. my favorite part by far being my mother giving narm shit for a guest post he wrote for me and a comment he made on a post about me getting a tattoo - it was hilarious. stepho (my mom) doesn't forget.


after maproom only the strong survived going to anatomy for dancing. it was fun, but weird at the same time - a bit too packed for my liking causing us to go back to maproom but not before finding a lost weave on the patio.

friday i was how you say, tired. but i headed back to canton to take sissy to the airport sending her back to nyc. i took it easy friday night simply going to see johnny depp and christian bale in public enemies with my mom. it was a good but not great movie, i think i just had such high expectations for the film that i was slightly disappointed. i would still recommend you checking it out though.

saturday was the wedding of two of my good friends erik (sweet moves) and aly in canton. it was a beautiful service and a beautiful reception with many friends in attendance - it was SO MUCH FUN.




after the reception and the multiple dance-offs between oakes and gamble everyone headed to gamble's house for an old school garage party which was hilarious because the cops got called and suddenly we found a group of 26 to 31 year old adults "hiding" in a garage. it was laughable yet semi fitting for the group of us.


after the garage party i crashed a biscuit's getting little to no sleep causing me to waste a beautiful sunday sleep on my mom's couch. but after this weekend? i think i deserved it.

back to work reality - have a good week all.

if you are looking for a daddy downer post today you have absolutely come to the wrong blog because i have nothing but awesome things to report.

actually, now that i think about it this is going to be the most sugary sweet happy post i have ever written for a few major reasons.

1. today's my birthday!! goodbye 28, hello 29 - let's go ahead and agree to make this a stellar year ok?

2. i'm 20SB's featured blogger!! <--- is a HUGE honor for me, because not only do i have some amazing company in my fellow featured bloggers, but with a member count of over 6,800 bloggers in 20SB i can't even mentally wrap my head around the fact that i have been given this honor. thank you so much to those who voted for me, seriously.

plus, i'm going to enjoy seeing that picture of my fat head on the 20SB homepage for the month of july.

3. i'm not working today or tomorrow which allows me to sleep in, go shoe shopping and get a manicure and pedicure.

4. i came home last night to a "loaded" birthday card from my yiayia and a bottle of champagne and chocolates from georgia peach and nameless - so amazing. although i wish georgia was here to drink the champagne with me.

5. i have amazing plans for tonight including a party with all my best friends and family at the greenhouse tavern where i will be drinking my face off and making bad decisions because i can do whatever i want to because it's my birthday.

i can't help but feel happy and loved today, it's like i have a permanent smile on my face!

and each and everyone of you reading this has had something to do with putting that permi-smile on my face today, and for that i thank you.

have a fabulous holiday weekend everyone - ALEXA OUT! (<-- that's for you jess)

[editors note: today is the last day to enter my stove monkey's t-shirt giveaway contest. comment here to enter!]

i have a confession to make.

remember when the "a night out with cleveland's a plum" package was being auctioned off for AAF Cleveland's charity auction?

well my biggest fear was that no one would bid on me, which thankfully was quickly squashed when i received 6 bids my first day on the auction block. the starting bid was $50 and i ended up going 14 bids later for $115.

but it's who the 14th bidder was that i feel like i need to confess.

it was my sister.

fifteen minutes before the auction closed i had a full out freak out at my desk at work. all i could think about was some random dude (and i knew it was a dude because i had a girl on the inside telling me who placed every bid), buying me.

what if he was crazy? what if he wanted to chopped me up and scatter me all over lake erie? what if he finally met me and was like "ew, this is who i spent over $100 on?".

i just couldn't do it - all my insecurities crept up.

what i didn't expect was for my friends and family to get upset with me for having my sister buy me. they were all like, "this could have been the man of your dreams! what to you have to lose? why did you even do it if you were going to chicken out last minute?"

and then i felt guilty.

but the way i see it is if the few guys that were in a bidding war for me were really all that interested in meeting me my contact information is on this blog...

so last night was the actual "night out with cleveland's a plum". my sissy and i had dinner and drinks at winking lizard with c-rossi and then headed to progressive field to watch the indians lose to the white sox. but there was one situation that i need to mention.

we watched a full out brawl occur right next to us between a 19-year-old female white sox fan and a 55-year-old female indians fan. this 19-year-old twat was hammered and acting like a child the whole game, but at one point towards the end the 55-year-old couldn't take it anymore and turned around to address the child.

words were said, arms were flailing and they were being held back by their respected groups. at that point we thought everything was going to calm down, but then the 19-year-old twat hocked a loogie on the 55-year-old indians fan.

HOCKED A LOOGIE! who does that?

classless people that's who.

it was funny because this gentleman behind us with his 8-year-old daughter was like, "hunny, see that girl over there? that's what happens when you are uneducated and disrespectful. don't be that girl, ever"

the brat ended up being escorted out. but i swear if someone hocked a loogie on me i don't know if i would be able to control myself like the 55-year-old lady did.

so there ended up being more action in the stands than on the field. ahem, indians, ahem. all in all it was a fun night out with my sissy and the being auctioned off part was an experience in itself.

but if i ever do it again, i promise to go out with whoever "buys" me regardless if i know them or not.

so currently i look like a lobster i'm so red and burnt. i think my olive skinned greek ancestors are about to disown me and send me to ireland if i don't brown up soon. but a day in the water park will do that to you - but more on that later.

friday
-headed to canton after work for a dinner with my mom, sister, thea (aunt) eros, yiayia (grandmother) and cousin mara at pete's grill and pizza in downtown canton.
-realized that canton such a small world, especially the greek community because out of the say 15 tables i knew someone at 11 of them.
-fell in love with the place after i realized that i could have saganaki (flaming cheese), drink sangria and play boccee ball at the same place. i was sold.
-headed to taggart's ice cream parlor for a bittner to wind down the night because my yiayia just needed an ice cream soda.
-fell asleep on my mom's couch which still to this day is one of the most comforting things to do

saturday
-got one of the worst haircuts OF MY LIFE!!! my hair looks like shit, all uneven, won't lay right, and to top it off instead of trimming it like we always do because i'm growing it out, she snips a hunk of the back part of my hair and goes, "an inch and a half is ok right?" WHAT?!?!? i'm still fuming and i hope i can get i fixed on friday.
-checked out the blissful's indie girl trunk show and picked up my favorite capri blue candle - volcano no. 6
-drove back to cleveland and met muffin and the klutz at the westside market cafe for lunch and shopping at the westside market to pick up some fresh produce
-headed over to the made in the 216 event in the detroit shoreway neighborhood
-layed out with the klutz on our deck, ate popsicles and read
-went to erin's house in rocky river for a mystery wine party where everyone was in charge of bringing an appetizer that began with their name. i got a double whammy of initials because i brought an almond and mandarin orange salad. (get it? A and M? - i win)
-drank lots and lots of wine but court's bottle of wine got the best reviews and she got the fabulous prize provided by the hostess erin herself

-lost my watch in erin's couch and it took half the party to get it back, it was a group effort and a success at that.


-good times had by all!!


sunday
-sissy called me at 1am to tell me that the family was going to the geauga lake's wildwater kingdom waterpark to which i promptly stopped drinking because i couldn't think about going down water slides hungover
-woke up to a cold and rainy morning in cleveland but the fam was still gung-ho about going so i hopped in the yuppie mobile and drove to aurora


-huddled under an umbrella in the rain while the kids (and my 26 year old sister) went down the slides in the pouring rain
-at 1:30pm the sun came out and our wildwater kingdom experience completely changed for the better. we had so much fun!
-from the giant funnel slide, the wave pool, the body slides and the lazy river we were running around like crazy. and it was perfect because we basically had the park to ourselves because the early rain scared the general public away. we win.


-got stupid burnt because i didn't put on sunscreen until it was too late and the damage was done
-drove back to canton for a family cookout at my mom's full of blu cheese burgers, fruit coleslaw, bacon baked beans, pineapple cake and more


-wrote this blog and went to sleep

by the way, summer is exhausting but ridiculously fun.

and to anyone who says there's nothing to do in cleveland/northeast ohio? you're nuts!

have a good (hopefully short) week - only three more days till my birthday!

i would have the kids that were going through the haunted house wait at the top of the basement stairs as i ran downstairs, turned on the record player to set the mood with vincent price's eerie prelude to the legendary michael jackson song. and i listened to that song over, and over and over again.

i remember thinking how hard it was to line up the record player needle on the vinyl just so perfectly that it started just where i wanted it to.

fast forward a few years - michael jackson had recently released his much anticipated follow up to thriller with bad but unfortunately this was a time of my life that was pretty hard for me. my parents were going through a slightly messy divorce and i recall one specific instance and memory with my father that will forever be ingrained in my brain.

he had just picked me up from my mom's in his brand new porsche convertible which was ultra cool because it had a CD player in it and he was listening to michael jackson's newest album. i remember my mom and dad were having a disagreement as we were leaving because as we were pulling out of the driveway my father stopped the car dead in its tracks in the middle of the street only a few houses down.

man in the mirror was playing in the background and i could tell my dad was visibly upset. knowing what i know now as an adult i think it was guilt that he was putting his kids through seeing their parents break up. but as the car was stopped he started repeating the lyrics to man in the mirror to me, telling me that he was going to change, shaking the CD case at me while looking me square in the eye more serious than i had ever seen him.

i will never be able hear that song and not think of that moment, especially because he passed away shortly there after.

on a happier note i still have that same CD of his sitting on a shelf in my childhood bedroom.

i have so many memories of me dancing to PYT while folding jeans at the gap, fist pumping the air to dirty diana and snapping my fingers to beat it.

on this blog alone i have posted about the king of pop here, here and here, and just a few months back i couldn't have been more excited to see a simple michael jackson cover band because the idea of hearing his music live was a dream of me.

it all sounds so cheesy to me reading this, especially because over the last ten years or so how crazy michael jackson actually became. but i choose not to think of him hanging babies named blanket over balconies but in his red pants dancing to thriller.
i guess i didn't realize how sad i would actually be in hearing of his passing.

do you have a favorite michael jackson memory?

first things first - there is a 2-year old little girl in cleveland with acute leukemia and while there have been two bone marrow donor drives in cleveland a match has yet to be found. so from now until july 3rd the gift of life is giving away free cheek swab kits to anyone in the cleveland area.

all you have to do is visit the gift of life website and input the promo code 2009CLEVE. let's help save this little girl's life!
____________________________________________________________________


i have a treat for you all today by way of a free t-shirt giveaway!

my friend matt mytro, who on top of being a great chef, also runs a cleveland based t-shirt company for the chef in all of us called stove monkeys.

matt has been generous enough to let me offer a free t-shirt from stove monkeys to one of my readers - winners choice.

to enter:
1. leave a comment telling me your favorite kind of monkey
2. make sure you include your email address if i don't have it or can't find it through your blog
3. enter by thursday july 2nd (my birthday!) for your chance to win

thanks in advance for entering and be sure to check out the stove monkey's website to see all their t-shirt designs.

this post is a part of 20SB's looking back blog carnival, and Ben & Jerry's is awarding free ice cream to lucky bloggers and readers, and um, i love ice cream so i'm participating!

my task was this: look back through my blog posts and choose one that i wrote during my first two months of blogging that shows my mindset and outlook from the onset of my blog. so i got to work looking through some early posts and i realized one thing...

i had absolutely no idea what the hell i was doing.

but one gem of a post stuck out for me that i think perfectly sums up what i was having to immediately deal with upon starting this blog.

so here's my 8th post ever out of the 400+ i've written that was originally published on january 8, 2008.

an open letter to my mother

Dear Mother,

I really like that you have decided to start reading my blog. I especially like when you call me to tell me that I have a typo. That's fun!

I would like to clarify one thing with you. I promise I know how to capitalize and punctuate correctly. Because I am choosing not to capitalize on my blog, I also promise that I am not contributing to the dumbing down of America. Not nearly enough people read my blog to start a worldwide anti-capitalization movement.

Also, if you could please alert your sister, my "tiajo", that by my blogging I am not hurting anyone, let alone myself. I will be very careful not to put too much personal information out onto the internet.

I hope this calms your overprotective motherly instinct. You are the best mommy ever, and I love you very much.

Your Daughter,

Alexa

i think i've come a long way - not so much in the voice and tone of my writing because i think that has been pretty consistent, but i've definitely blown past the "careful not to put too much personal information out on the internet" - oops. that and i now have readers/commenters that aren't my family members and childhood friends.

i went from for so long not sharing who i was in real life to shouting it from the rooftops, attaching this blog and my twitter to my full name while turning this simple hobby of mine into an unexpectedly great networking, career and friend making opportunity. solidifying my passion for social media.

but guess what? i still don't capitalize, and that's never going to change.

(sorry mom)

thanks again for reading everyone!

recently i've been having some sleeping issues.

as in i'm not getting enough of it. i just can't seem to get all comfy in my bed like i used to causing me to not get enough rest at night - and i frankly don't even need that much of it.

i can function perfectly fine on 5 hours of sleep but anything less than that is like poking the sleeping bear - watch the hell out for my cranky ass.

i'm thinking some of my issues may have to do with my random sleeping positions that i've been testing out to try to get comfortable and get back to normal.

my starting out goto sleeping position over the last couple of months has been 'alexa #1' below. it's this weird top of bed diagonal lay that gives me a perfect view of the tv and is ridiculously comfortable.


now while 'alexa #1' may be my i'm-still-watching-jimmy-fallon-trying-to-fall-asleep position i usually end up waking up in the position below - the 'alexa #2'.


the 'alexa #2' is when i'm completely face down (minds out of gutter) on my stomach, which used to give me the perfect proximity to hit the snooze button on my alarm clock before i moved it across the room.

but it hasn't been working recently - i've needed to mix it up.

the last couple of weeks i've been rockin' the 'alexa #3'.


backwards i know - literally. but i'm kinda in love with it.

am i totally weird for suddenly liking to sleep "the wrong way" on my bed?

probably.

but as long as i'm not sharing it with anyone (note the lonely and all alone stick figure) i can sleep in any position i want to.

so how do you like to sleep?

this is a special weekend recap post because i'm recapping last thursday night as well as my weekend because what happened to me on thursday is just too good to pass up.

a fabulously friendly woman named justine from the LA based brand about town contacted me and a couple of other cleveland based blogs on behalf of the gap. yes, THE gap. basically justine has been traveling around the country talking to a select group of bloggers looking to choose some as 'gap brand enthusiasts'.

funny the way that worked out because i just so happened to work at gap for almost five years. it was my first job at 17 and to say i drank the kool-aid during my time there would be an understatement. i thought (and still think) the gap was the coooooooolest.

so you could say i was excited when i got the email, and more than willing to meet up with justine and see what she had to say.

to read the rest of my gap brand enthusiast experience click on over to my new blog cleveland's a plum reviews.

go on .... click.

you know that scene in pretty woman where richard gere takes julia roberts to the opera on the private plane in the fancy dress and jewels and they have box seats and her opera glasses are broken and she is so moved by the opera that it brings her to tears?

well last night was just like that for me, except i drove to the opera in my volvo, wore a black cotton dress, sat front and center so i didn't need opera glasses, had my friend court as my companion and laughed instead of cried because the opera i saw was a comedy.

yeah, like that.

last night i was lucky enough to be asked to attend a live blogging even for Opera Cleveland's production of Falstaff which is being performed June 19, 20 and 27 in the state theater at playhouse square.

with a stop at bricco before the event, court and i got some serious VIP treatment. we were granted backstage access at the state theater (with a badge to prove it), and were given the ability to wander around taking photos and videos.

while the opera itself is in italian one is able to read english subtitles that are projected above the stage allowing everyone to enjoy the plot line and performance.

it was a surreal experience for a theater nerd like me - getting to meet the conductor, director, actors and actresses and i highly recommend checking out one of the performances!

see below for a less than 30 second snippet of a part of the first act.

after the performance (we left a little early), court and i headed to crop bistro for multiple cocktails all of which lived up to the award i gave them in yesterday's post.

we got to visit with chef/owner steve schimoler who very kindly gave us some extra treats (the perfect deviled egg and the cherry bomb) from the kitchen on top of our spring onion, roasted red pepper, carmalized onion, goat cheese and ohio maple flatbread.

with a final stop at maproom to sip on some patron xo, you can say we had a damn good evening.

welcome to my 400th post!!! we've come a long way baby...

and in honor of the blessed occasion i want to tell you all that cleveland rocks, and if you didn't already know that, catch up.

hell, i've developed my whole online identity around all that is cleveland so i better enjoy the place.

i've decided that i want to use this post to highlight a few of my favorite spots (many of them restaurants) in cleveland, some that you may not know of just so happen to be my favorites, and you should check them out.

consider this 'the best of cleveland' edition of the cleveland's a plum blog.

best cocktails: crop bistro (warehouse district)- holy heck these people know how to make some excellent libations. every time i go there i'm impressed with their original concoctions. try the my darling clementine and the missy figgy - there's bacon in it!

best lunch counter: tastebuds (asiatown)- this spot is right by my office and not only do they have hot and cold options including pizza, salads and sandwiches they make my favorite greek pasta ever topped with feta and pine nuts, um yum. there's no servers here, just get in line, grab and go - you won't be disappointed. (honorable mention: the market cafe and wine bar)

best cupcakes: a cookie and a cupcake (tremont)- i don't consider myself a cupcake connoisseur but i've tasted a cupcake or ten in my day and these hands down are the best in the city of cleveland. also, their staff is among the friendliest. try the german chocolate and the espresso variety.

best brunch: tremont taphouse (tremont, duh)- get there earlier cause this place fills up fast - thankfully now that it's warm out their large patio can be taken advantage of. try the fresh/real crab benedict with crisp tap browns and fruit.

best burger: lolita (tremont)- this burger can be considered best happy hour food as well because for only $5, during designated hours you can enjoy the lolita burger topped with bacon, fried egg, aged cheddar and caramelized onions. it goes well with a nice glass of red that runs for only $4 a glass during the hours that are happy as well. best burger i've ever had - om nom nom nom.

best guacamole: momocho (ohio city)- i've been a fan of this place and chef williams since the day it opened, because i literally dined there the first day it opened. i'm a huge guacamole fan and consider myself a bit of an expert and i've never had better guacamole. my favorite is the blue crab, corn and chipolte chili variety with the goat cheese and pablano pepper kind coming in a close second. while you are noshing on the guac try the the cucumber chile pepper margarita.

best wings: the greenhouse tavern (east 4th)- chicken wings are an american staple that many people try to put their own unique spin on. well the spin that chef sawyer puts on his version of the crispy chicken wings include jalapeno, scallions and garlic and are fall off the bone delicious. order a side of their famous pomme frites served with rosemary, garlic and aioli while you are at it too.

best thai food: ty fun thai bistro (tremont)- i order the pad thai extra extra spicy with tofu and the thai spring rolls, and while i've tried multiple entrees in my multiple visits i always go back to this thai staple but with over 60 menu options there's something for everyone. i recommend making a reservation or simply ordering carryout because this restaurant is so tiny, but what it lacks in seating it makes up for in flavor.

best soup and salad: the souper market (ohio city and lakewood)- these daily homemade soups are to die for. i get the pulled chicken noodle and the season's greens with the delicious sweet lemon vinaigrette. this place is a cleveland staple.

best pizza: angelo's (lakewood)- why oh why can't angelo's be closer to my apartment? actually now that i think about it i'm glad it isn't because i would be ordering their deep dish style pizza pie entirely too often. if you haven't tried it, GO.

best sushi: parallax (tremont)- this is actually probably my favorite restaurant in cleveland as well but something specific that needs to be pointed out about this place is their sushi. it's hands down the best in the city and while a bit pricey is worth the splurge because the spicy tuna literally melts in your mouth. ahhhh-mazing.

best beer: great lakes brewery (ohio city)- i'm not a beer drinker, i never have been. but i'm told if i actually liked beer i would drink beer from GLBC. i do know that i like christmas ale and how silly it makes me, i like the restaurant itself and the fact that good beer is getting brewed in cleveland. so ya know, drink it. (honorable mention: winking lizard for their extensive beer selection and world beer tour)

best wine and cheese store: pat o'brien's of landerwood (pepperpike)- this store has an amazing selection of wine, cheese and meats, while also being a state liquor agency, but what really makes this store break away from the pact is their customer service and knowledge. they know it all and can find it all, it's worth the trip east.

best coffee shop: phoenix coffee (i go to the warehouse district location)- this well known cleveland coffee shop with 6 locations throughout the city is the anti-starbucks. if you want the strongest coffee around, served by an eclectic group of award winning barista's this is your place.

best market: the westside market (ohio city) i mean is there really any other option? nope. i actually can't even describe this place; you just have to go and experience it for yourself. and then when you are done shopping stop at the westside market cafe for a killer breakfast/lunch.

best place to watch cleveland sports if you can't be at the game: blind pig (warehouse district)- now i'm not what you would call a "w 6th douchebag" but when it comes to weekday games the blind pig always has a great crowd gathered watching on one of their 8293 tvs.

best walk-in mani/pedi: venetian nail spa (rocky river)- if i can have a bar where everyone knows my name i can have a nail place where everyone knows my name right? the beautiful and clean decor paired with the extremely friendly staff that are always a pleasure to be around make for a great experience. shout out to my girl naya who gives the best pedicure around.

best cleveland themed t-shirts: CLE Clothing Co (check the website, yo) these original graphic t-shirts make great gifts for cleveland fans everywhere and with the magic of online ordering you can buy one today. like right now, go, buy one. with a retro style and a hustle like no other these boys are doing good things for the city of cleveland, very good things. perhaps a "cleveland's a plum" shirt will be in the mix sometime soon (more on that later...). also, aren't the models on their site hot?

best boutique: banyan tree (tremont)- this store located in the heart of tremont is what i like to call our own local department store because they have a little of everything. from housewares to babywares to unique jewelery, clothes and shoes this is the perfect stop to buy gifts for yourself and others. the shop owner christie has amazing taste and just so happens to stock the store full of my favorite things because when i need to buy a gift for almost anyone i stop at banyan tree. shop local people!

best monthly event: i got five on it, touch supper club (ohio city)- the last saturday of every month djs mick boogie and terry urban play the best old school hip hop set ever. the packed basement of touch is a straight out dance party that i've been going to for years. even though mick and terry have how you say, grown out of cleveland, the fact that you can still see them in such a small venue is tits.

best event of the summer: krusty's summer sauce camp (whiskey island)- O.M.G. this is the most ultimate awesomesauce of the summer. being held saturday, august 1st this year, this charity benefit for st malachi takes over the beautiful whiskey island (near edgewater park), for a day of full out drunken debauchery with a thousand of your closest friends. for the $40 admission you get all you can drink beer and food, live music, games and an amazing view of lake erie. you can find me by the beer truck.

best view of the lake (erie that is): the shoreway- heading west towards lakewood. you should stop off at edgewater park while you are there to take in the best view of the city as well. the shoreway is the epitome of a "sunday drive" route.

best museum: rock and roll hall of fame (downtown)- i don't care how many times i've been to this museum, i always find something new and exciting to take in. the music history and memorabilia are unparalleled. (honorable mentions: the great lakes science center and the christmas story house)

best blog: cleveland's a plum (obviously) - in all seriousness though, if you think this blog really is the best one in cleveland take a minute to vote for me in cleveland magazine's best of 2009 online ballot.

now here's to another 400 posts.

thanks cleveland.

as i type this i have "wasted" a perfectly good sunday afternoon/evening by being too hungover to function. i absolutely hate when this happens, but when the saturday events that caused the wasted sunday were as fun as they were it makes it a little easier to stomach.

but let's take a step back.

as i mentioned in last friday's post i worked the saganaki (flaming cheese) booth at my church's summerfest on friday. my mother, sissy, cousin jenna, cathy, thea susie and myself all held down the booth while screaming opa, causing a scene greek dancing, cooked and ate copious amounts of cheese all while making some money for the church. another year, another good time.

after the booth sissy and i headed back to our mom's house with carla and jenny for a night cap. which in all truthfulness are the best types of caps don't you think?

cue saturday where i was beyond booked, with three bachelorette parties and two bridal showers. but i can only be one place at a time so i participated in the giff's shower/bachelorette get together over at beaver's condo in westlake.

we started the day early with a pool party laying in the sun and drinking more champagne than one would consume on new years eve. it was a great day with friends that involved a taste test of some interesting shots...

a while back i was approached with the opportunity to taste test some new premixed shot concoctions from DeKuyper called Burst Bar Shots. i was sent three varieties - lemon drop, alabama slammer, and sex on the beach. and what a better opportunity to test them out than a bachelorette party?

and test them we did, although we had a first initial concern - they were only 40 proof alcohol, which you could clearly taste, because the shots were thick and ultra sugary. it's like they needed to kick up the flavor alcohol.

out of the three flavors i was sent (they're many more listed online) sex on the beach was best one with the alabama slammer being downright undrinkable, frankly it tasted like nyquil without the benefit of knocking you out.

i'll give the burst bar shots the convenience of having the shot being in one bottle, but any experienced drinker will probably be turned away by the taste. with that being said, high school drinkers will love the stuff cause they don't know any better.

after drunken make-up and hair-do sessions 10 of us that were still standing after 9 hours of drinking headed to the ironwood cafe. walking into this bar was hilarious because no only did we turn heads like nobody's business but we turned the bar into a dance club.




around 1am muffin and i headed downtown to meet-up with some friends for some wally world festivities at harbor inn, the event was winding down as we got there and so was i. all this girl wanted after over 12 hours of boozing was a gyro and her bed because if it's even possible to do i drank myself "sober".

"sober" is being used lightly though because sunday sure as heck didn't feel like i was "sober" the night before. dear lord no.

i hope that the giff has a blast cause i know i sure did and i can't wait for her wedding in july.

also, i have one more exciting bit of news to share. one of my very best friends poo poo had a healthy and beautiful baby boy named sam last thursday night and i simply cannot wait to meet him. congrats poo poo my friend, someone else is now going to call you mom instead of me now. xoxo.

an absolute huge part of my life growing up, and still to this day, has been my greek heritage.

being a full blooded greek i have a few guaranteed characteristics: the last item about growing up in the church is what this post is about - kind of. it's about growing up working at my annual church summerfest.

this weekend is the st haralambos greek orthodox church summerfest in canton, ohio. it's a huge deal for the church and has been going on for as long as i can remember.


sounds like the perfect evening to me and i can't wait to eat all the greek food that i associate so much with my church and my youth.

i'll probably eat a candy apple too, cause i can't go to a fair without getting one.

so what's your favorite food festival item? traditional or nontraditional.

today i'm guest posting over at everyday adventures of me in the city and because jess was so wonderful to ask me to take over her slice of the internet the least i can do it try to get people to go read it.

so to sway you to go read my guest post i have come up with a little song to persuade you.

please sing the below lyrics to the tune of michael jackson's very own Beat It.