This year has been an interesting one to say the least. I am grateful for all the amazing people in my life, the amazing experiences I have had this past year and all the support. It hasn’t been easy all the time but we have made the best of every experience and really appreciated our time with the people closest to us.
We spent Christmas weekend totally different than we have in the past so why not do the same for New Years weekend. New Year’s Eve we had tickets to the Cavs game and went down early to grab dinner. We tried Goma owned by Dante Boccuzzi on East 4th. He is just a master mind when it comes to food. I was so excited that we could actually get in without a reservation. It doesn’t alway happen in Cleveland but in a lot of the other major cities this would never happen. There were only 2 seats at the bar/viewing area so we for sure got lucky.
I was also nervous as sushi and raw food is still something new for me and this was a great learning experience. I will write a full review this week but will say I was so impressed I can’t wait to go back and it is a must try!!!
Evan Mobley was presented with the rookie of the month before the game on New Years. It was a great game even though we lost.
We spent New Year’s Day putting away the Christmas decor since the weather was nicer in the morning and then we headed up to Brew Kettle. Are we sure it’s January in Cleveland? Still can’t get over how nice the weather was. Anyway there is a Brew Kettle location attached to Mentor mall and then also in Strongsville, Amherst, and Hudson. There beer is not always my favorite but I do really enjoy their food. This particular day I got the Winter Warmer to drink. I did enjoy this Christmas style beer because it was a little lighter than most Christmas/winter beers. It did have most of the same spices, you are use to with Christmas beers, cinnamon and ginger but then to lighten this beer up they add oranges and lemon peel and some honey.
6-way chili our way 
BBQ platter
For food I got one of my favorites the 6-way chili our way. The bowl starts with a scoop of white cheddar Mac and cheese. Then pile on a ladle of Brew Kettle’s Amber Ale chili. Topped with shredded cheddar cheese, jalapeño peppers, sour cream and scallions. It was the perfect lunch with the rain that moved in. My husband decided on the backyard sampler, which consists of 1/3rd St. Louis Ribs, a pile of pulled pork, some smokehouse wings, fries and coleslaw. My husband said his favorite part of this meal are the wings and he needs to remember just to order those. He said the ribs and pulled pork are good but the wings are where it’s at. We both also really like their coleslaw as it has a strong dill flavor.
Great Lakes Conways Irish Ale 
Sunday we had another Cavs game. Before the game we met our friends for some food from Flanney’s Pub, which is on the corner of Prospect and 4th, right across from the arena. The menu has a lot of Irish or English cuisine on it and that includes their drinks. We were lucky enough they had Great Lakes Conways Irish ale already but they also carry Guinness, Harp and Smithwick’s, which are pretty high up on me list of top picks. Conways is probably in my top 5 or 10. It’s just such an amazing beer. Thanks Great Lakes Brewery.
As for food everything sounded good so we all went with something different. My friend got their poutine which had Guinness gravy and melted cheese curds. I liked that the fries are almost like steak fries and the fries could handle the gravy and weight of the cheese, not getting mushy.
Her husband got the Chicago style Italian Beef. It looked pretty similar to what we had just recently had in Chicago. He did say one of the sides of the bun was on the mushy side which was kind of a disappointment but otherwise it was good. My husband got the Ruben. The corned beef was pretty lean and the sandwich had pretty good flavor.
I tried the Mac and cheese gratin, which is made with Gruyère and Parmesan cheese. I will admit I was not impressed and wished I would have gotten a sandwich. The Mac had good flavor but I wasn’t a fan of the elbow noodles and the portion looks big in the photo but it wasn’t really and I was pretty hungry. I have liked everything else I have had from Flannery’s and do really enjoy their food. I just would avoid the Mac.
I guess it was a good thing I was hungry since our amazing ticket rep provided us with upgrades court side. With court side seats there is a meal area in the back with food, desserts and drinks all with the cost of the tickets. I didn’t take many pictures but we had so brisket, shrimp and another type of Mac and cheese. The brisket and shrimp were really good. The Mac and cheese again just didn’t do anything for me. The desserts looked amazing but I behaved and only tried the cupcake. They also have this amazing tribute to Fred McLeod on your walk to the courtside area. He was such a great man and is truly missed in Cleveland.
The Cavs won on Sunday and it was a battle. It’s electrifying to watch them play. I respect their hard work and fight no matter how the game is going.
My cute little fur baby in her winter coat 
you would never know she really is not a fan of the snow
Well now that winter is finally appeared in Cleveland I’m hoping to get more restaurant reviews up and try some new recipes. Stay warm out there and Happy New Year! I hope everyone has a blessed year.