Girls Day / Fearless Foodie Tour of Cleveland

On Friday, S, C and I all took the day off and headed east to Cleveland! Because nearly every place we stopped had something to do with food, I thought it would be appropriate to share details of our adventure here. We had a wonderful time. The weather even cooperated and we had a perfectly sunny fall day. The only thing that could have made the day better, would have been the addition of two (or possibly four, including the little ones!) amazing women who were not able to join us...

We started our day on the east side at Penzeys Spices, a spice and herb store that C has been raving about forever. We now understand why she did - it's a fantastic place! We loaded up on all the necessary (and some just-for-fun) spices and herbs. To see their complete collection, which includes everything from your basic dried basil to their own concoctions of spice/herb blends, check out their site: http://www.penzeys.com. You can order online as well!

From there we also checked out Sur la Table which was right next door. C found a food mill (!!) and S and I got ideas for the no-longer-so-far-off holidays.

After a quick pit stop at Trader Joes for some much needed treats for the mommy-to-be, we were on our way once again!

These are $2 and delicious. C bought them at TJ's and the three of us nibbled on them all day long. Super light and cheesy. Mmm!

Our next stop was at Lakeview Cemetery in Cleveland, where lots of famous people are buried including John D. Rockefeller! Here we visited the Wade Chapel, designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany. We stayed for a presentation given by the docent, and we were able to learn quite a bit about the significance of the chapel. (Side note, this is where CJ wanted to get married, but didn't...now maybe S is considering the space!!!)

After all of that education we needed snacks! We drove down the hill into Little Italy, where we visited Presti's Bakery.

We all ordered cannolli, which are amazing in Little Italy. Additionally we tried various other delights including a Peanut Butter Fudge Brownie, Pignoli Cookies and... cole slaw.

We continued headed back westward along Euclid Ave and made our next halt at Gallucci's Italian Market (http://www.gustgallucci.com/). This place doesn't look like much from the outside, but the inside is filled with European goodies from floor to ceiling. They have a deli counter with meats and cheeses from Italy, an enormous wine collection, shelves filled with various pastas and canned goods, and a lot more. We had fun looking around. We came away with items like fresh pizza dough, imported pasta, and canned chestnuts!

Next stop, West Side Market!! We started with the produce aisles and then headed into the inside market. We wandered through aisles of fresh meat and seafood, fresh breads and cheeses, and specialty items like pierogi and flavored pastas. S and C took home some of the last two items, which looked quite tasty as they were going into their bags.

We also checked out the Hansa Import Haus, which is a store filled with German imported goodies from candy to cheese to beer and wine. I took home some necessities from here! (http://hansaimporthaus.com/store/). Photo taken from car so it shows the side of the building (I forgot to take one of the front while we were there!).

Across the street is Farkas Hungarian Bakery, where we oooed and aaahed over the fresh pastries. (http://www.farkaspastries.com/). This picture was taken as the car was moving, so it isn't as clear as it could be!

We bought Pumpoleans, which are Napoleons with pumpkin custard instead of vanilla. We filled a box with treats and then continued onward!

We stopped at Phnom Phen, where C order spring rolls to take home for her and B. We will have to schedule a trip back here to check out their full menu.

Our last stop of the day was at Bier Markt where we sat and relaxed with drinks and some warmed olives. It was Friday Happy Hour, but we were there before the after work crowds showed up. It was nice to sit outside in the sun and watch the people go by.

The day was AMAZING and I wish that we could do this every Friday (with the additional four girls, of course!). It was a lot of fun to explore the city, find many of the best culinary delights that Cleveland has to offer, and just to spend time together. We will have to schedule another day very soon and continue our exploration of the foodie treasures that Cleveland has to offer!