If you’re looking to pack as much life as you can into a given day, Cleveland just might the place to give it a shot. An emerging foodie city, the arts and entertainment enclave on the south shore of Lake Erie is a moderately priced, endlessly exciting place to be these days. Just back from CLE, here’s my idea of the perfect day:
Start with an outlandishly sized Jambalaya Omelet (shrimp, chicken, ham, andouille sausage, sauce and cheese) at Grumpy’s Café in the trendy Tremont section of town. Don’t let the name throw you. The wait staff is Midwestern-friendly, and some of the art on the walls is for sale – the product of dozens of local artists who’ve made the west side of Cleveland home.
Bridge the Cuyahoga River and head for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Enter this sun-suffused temple on the shores of Lake Erie and feel the emotions flood in, the soundtrack of your life pass before your ears. Here are the physical artifacts of Elvis, The Supremes, The Eagles, and virtually every luminary who’s lit up your life. Sixty-somethings mingle with folks in their early twenties – mutually mesmerized by the music, fascinated by the physical touchstones that populates this place – including, the ashes of pioneer Alan Freed, the legendary Cleveland DJ who did more to embed rock into the public consciousness than almost anyone.
Time for dinner. Cleveland’s premier superstar chef is native-son Zack Bruell, and his latest creation is Cowell & Hubbard, down near Playhouse Square in the theater district. The food he cooks, and the places he purveys it (he has four other Cleveland restaurants) reflect the philosophy of this town: “We’re serving formal food in an informal atmosphere,” he says. “In my mind, this food can stand up to any other in the world. It’s artistic, but not intimidating.”
Nor is the theater. Cap off the day with an after-dinner evening at that theater, perhaps at nearby Hanna Theater, home of Great Lakes Theater, Cleveland’s classic company. The classic the evening this reporter visited was The Mousetrap (it runs through March 25) by Agatha Christie. Still playing 60 years after it first opened in London back in 1952, it is the longest-running theatrical production in the history of the modern world. Just don’t give away the ending. The Hanna is comfy, intimate, and audience-friendly.
Story by Jerry Chandler
(Image: Tim Balogh)
