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let’s fly with dragonfly

there is rarely a time that i pass up a dinner invite. and thanks to janet (ms. jackson, if you’re nasty), i was able to attend the media preview at dragonfly last week.

she approves.

dragonfly you ask? yes, they have been open for over a year, but this week unveiled a more refined menu and reconfigured interior.

thanks in part to marlin kaplan and the usual suspects (jeff a. and adam w.), we are now treated too a new “asian-fusion” vibe. look out for additional seafood creations and other modern plates while the class-act cocktail list stays put.

yum...potstickers.

the interior has also been revamped a bit, specifically in the main dining room where the bar stools have been converted to standard height chairs and tables. visually, the room appears larger and feels more like an actual restaurant space while maintaining the lounge design aesthetic.

the main dining room.

make sure to check out the new dragonfly next time you are in the w.25th area!

word of the day – sushi

the 90s party was all that and a bag of chips

we like to party. and by “we”, i mean nug, plum, ck and myself. and this is evident by this past weekend’s 90s dance party. about a month or so ago, we concocted the idea during a sunday funday where we discussed some of the best music, fashion and trends of said era.

while some may scoff at theme parties, i believe that decade parties are pretty much just plain awesome. the best part is obvi the music but the second best thing is the costume selection.

please enjoy the accompanying photos…

white socks and docs.

ms. plum (certified art teacher) & gangsta seanski

the belle of the ball. please note that overalls are included in this ensemble.

ck and hartzell bustin' a move.

party people!

pictures are one thing, but i think the party is basically summed up in the dance highlights video. i must note that some actions that take place are not intended for younger audiences.

word of the day – rad

this one’s a quickie

i had quite the weekend. and i need sleep. but i also need to accomplish a million things this week, so rest will most likely not happen.

rather than getting into the nitty gritty details, i will recap in “place/event — adjective” format.

friday

the sculpture center/Qian Li opening — inspiring

reddstone — juicy

saturday

sweet moses media preview — sweet (official blog recap coming soon)

crocker park with the plum — caucasian

Lexus Dark Ride event feat. Jay Sean — see photo below (courtesy of cleshopaholic)

no clue how i got up there.

sunday
78th street studios/photo shoot — flattering

word of the day – obnoxious

it went down at JBB

i know jump back ball was last weekend. and i know that i have been a bad blogger. due to being insanely busy last week (and still sick), i had no time to recap my crazy night at PlayhouseSquare’s biggest event of the year.

originally, i was going to start out by explaining how rough the night started and then get into my unexpected confrontation with an ignorant attendee. but then i got over it. instead, i would rather provide some positive images.

nug, me, lzone and moe looking like hot messes.

a little dancing with ck.

joe g. and kelly. both terrific dancers, fyi.

mark and moe. aren't they just darling. vom.

group shot - post kicking walter out of xyz the tavern.

thank you to PlayhouseSquare for providing our city with a terrific event for an even more terrific institution. can’t wait for next year!

word of the day – super

COMM-unity 2011

i must say that this past weekend was a doozy. while i should be discussing my jump back ball experience, i need to sleep on that topic so i can eloquently describe the interesting evening. but let’s just say that it involved blood, dancing and omelettes.

in the meantime, i would like to invite all of you young marketing professionals (and soon to be marketing professionals) to the first ever industry-wide cle Mar/COMM event.

NOCA, AAF, PRSA and IABC bring you COMM-UNITY 2011, which will unite industry movers and shakers allowing attendees to network, collaborate and engage with their peers.

young leaders in the industry will be available to informally discuss a number of key topics that include:

civic and community outreach-
tony madalone of Fresh Brewed Tees

blog, tweet and get linked-
alexa marinos of clevelandsaplum.com
sean szczepinski of happyincle.net (i know him)

start your own business-
dar caldwell of LaunchHouse

the deets:
date: thursday, march 10th
time: 6:00pm to 8:30pm
place: The Club at Key Center – 127 public square
who: young professionals in the Mar/COMM industry
cost: $20 by march 7th, $25 late registration and at the door

your admission price also includes a FREE head shot courtesy of Cinecraft Productions & VMCAD as well as heavy apps.

to register and purchase tickets online GO HERE, and for more information contact kate hawk at info@COMM-unityCLE.com.

alphabet soup

i should be discussing how terrific my weekend was, but i am currently watching glee (this jamie foxx “blame it” rendition is ridic) and my head is in a totally heavenly mindset at the moment. i just signed a lease on a new car, jump back ball is this weekend and i also just received some other exciting news.

but i will tell you that xyz the tavern is awesome (so is abc tavern). the cleveland museum of natural history is actually very interesting. mama santa’s pizza is the best. viva italia at our lady of mt. carmel should be on your bucket list. and the big egg is really not that big of a deal.

minus losing all of my contacts on my cell and cleaning up a huge leaky mess at the loft, i would say it was an A- weekend.

i feel like i have way too much to talk about but i think i will have to break them up into separate posts. more to come.

the only photo i have from the weekend. say hi matt and michelle!

word of the day – deal

deagan’s, BPWB, great lakes, dragonfly, plum’s and lava

due to the heavy amount of social activities last week surrounding my 24th 25th 26th birthday, i def neglected this here blog. that said, i must provide a review/commentary of all the places i visited over the past week. let’s go!

Deagan’s Kitchen & Bar – after hearing so many good reviews via word-of-mouth and the internets, i decided to make deagan’s my official bday dinner spot. my entire immediate family was present, including nugget, who once again created a personal greeting card for my enjoyment (i have received personally designed cards from nug since 2003, which should be a whole separate post). i decided to go the small plate route, which ended up being more food than i could handle. i ordered the brussel sprouts, moroccan meatballs and peking duck confit mac-n-cheese, all of which were served piping hot. we were not disappointed one bit. i can’t wait to go back for 1/2 off wine monday and taco tuesday. who is coming with!?!
Battery Park Wine Bar (BPWB) – to complete my bday evening, nug, moe and i trotted over to bpwb for a couple glasses of champagne. aside from the flavorful apps and flatbreads, they really provide you with a heavy pour, which is always welcomed. i can’t say enough about that staff as well — so incredibly kind. they even threw in a free glass for my special day. this place is seriously becoming my fav new cle hangout.
Great Lakes Brewing Company – a little beer accompanied a productive aaf meeting with the 32 below group. can’t go wrong with a little burning river ale.
Dragonfly Lounge – with lzone in hand, i was treated to a post bday dinner at this very sexy ohio city spot. having gone a few times prior, this time was a little different because the house kitchen now offers a full menu, consisting mainly of sushi and red meat. lzone ordered an array of sushi and i ordered the delmonico steak with demi glaze and bacon lardons, baked potato and asparagus with hollandaise. i also received a free miso soup, complements of the foursquare check-in!
Plum’s Palace – while this isn’t a legit dining establishment, one may disagree. after this past nye as well as this past friday night, i have come to the conclusion that alexa can actually cook! included in her spread was a mandarin orange and almond salad, au gratin potatoes, curry chicken lettuce wraps and pork tenderloin sandwiches. the meal was terrific. the company was even better. and i love living across the street from my sweet plum.
Lava Lounge – after waking up at 1:30 pm (so what, who cares?) and cleaning most of the day, i needed some grub. so nug and i headed to one of our fav tremont locations for their addictive pomme frites, cheese burgers and lava dew martinis. i am pretty sure its the sweet red onion jam and havarti cheese that make this burger so freakin’ delicious. it is truly the only burger i order in the city.

another busy week is ahead and i already have multiple dinner plans on the agenda. sometimes i wonder if i should not buy a new car and just keep that monthly payment to put towards my cle dining addiction. ehh…

word of the day – palette

2 days of nye + 2 days of lazy

i truly felt like a grade school kid last night. i basically stumbled around the house and whined about the fact that i had to wake up early this morning. these childish actions were clearly spawned from the crazy good nye weekend i had. rewind it, flip it and reverse it!

thursday – a little shopping with the cousins at white bread crocker park, followed by a stop at tj’s butcher block in lakewood to pick up a slab of meat comparable in size to the one in the flintstone’s opening sequence, and closed the night off with a visit to reddstone for the new year’s eve eve holla days festival of awesomeness hosted by the lovely lzone and plum. shout out to new cle blogger, why cle? who was also in attendance.

friday – cleaning like a fool in preparation for our first progressive dinner party, which ended being a huge success. the night started at alexa’s where we had delicious cocktails and hearty apps of awesomeness. afterwards, the group headed to our place for the entree portion of the night. we served pork loin with winter fruits, port and bacon, green beans with almonds and pommes frites. the tour ended at hartzell’s where he served chocolate dipped fruits and goodies with a side of moscow mule. we toasted the new year at battery park wine bar and danced the night away in a sea of friends. perfection.

alexa and dom. besties.

table settings are sexy.

our little menu on a paper bag. cheap chic, yo.

love this pic.

saturday – sleep, sleep and more sleep. cleaning, cleaning and more cleaning. dinner at the parkview nite club.

sunday – a whole lot of nothing.

word of the day – initiate

thanks and more thanks

gobble gobble, yo.

happy thanksgiving everyone!

i know it’s extremely cliche as millions of people tweet, blog and facebook status update the things they are thankful for on this thanksgiving thankful thursday, but i also must join in with the masses.

the things i am thankful for this year…

the nug (obvi)

my friends and family that surround me with their love, laughter and advice

the city that i live in and continue to support in every way possible

cloey

new restaurants

modern family (it is the best new show on tv)

impromptu dance parties

glad press ‘n seal

word of the day – stuffing