Over the weekend we met up with our friends for a Saturday date day in the University Circle area. There is always so much to do in this area between the different restaurants and all the museums. The museums all typically have different special exhibits to visit but the museums themselves are so great and there is always something new you find when exploring. On todays date day we visited the Cleveland Art Museum for the Michelangelo Mind of the Master exhibit and lunch at the Jolly Scholar, meaning another stamp for The Cleveland Brewery Passport.
We started at the Cleveland Art Museum, which was decorated beautifully for the holidays. The atrium in this museum is just gorgeous to begin with. I love how the light shines through and the high ceilings, but then add the decorations and its just breath taking. Even if you are not a fan of art this museum is worth visiting just to enjoy the atrium area and the everyday exhibits are always free, which makes Cleveland’s art museum special, as most have some cost to get in. Only the special exhibits cost extra. I have not tried the restaurant but it is always busy when I am there and we walked through and all the food looked really good.
The special exhibit this time around is Michelangelo Mind of the Master. It’s a look at his study of the human male body. His different drawings, parts of different drawings and how they applied to the bigger painting and statues. They tell you that he burned many of his drawings and after he passed away they only found a limited number of drawings hidden in his house. It was very interesting to learn about Michelangelo’s history, his thinking of the human body and how it applied to his art, and how he eventually got into architecture. This special exhibit is at the museum until Sunday January 5, 2020.
Now on to lunch and adding a stamp for the Cleveland Brewery Passport. The passport was such a good idea and I enjoy that it has taken us to breweries we never even knew existed. Who would have thought Case University would have a brewery on campus. Well they do and its a wonderful option for food or just for a drink. They have a full bar and tv’s, with booths and high top tables. I have been to Jolly Scholar now a couple times since taking part in last years brewery passport. I was so impressed with this little college brewery that the last couple times I have been in University Circle I stop in. Every time I have stopped in they seem to always have different beer options. This time around we tried all lighter beers, which included their Merry Crispness and Jolly Cream Ale. I enjoyed that both these holiday beers were light and flavorful.
I have tried multiple food options on Jolly Scholar’s menu all have been good choices but some better than others. Their quesadilla has been my favorite item I have gotten. The one pictured above is the Monterrey quesadilla. It was filled with chicken, cheese, mushrooms, onions, bacon and honey mustard sauce. The salad ingredients were all fresh and crisp which can be hard to find this time of year and into our deep winter. The chili has no meat in it with the option to add if you would like, which is a plus for my vegan friends. Lastly, the Jolly Hangover burger pictured above was the winner of the afternoon. The burger meat is smashed together so its a little messier than your normal burger but has tons of flavor and then they add an egg, and applewood bacon, which just makes this burger. You can’t ever go wrong with egg and bacon on top of anything. The prices here are very reasonable since its on a college campus and they have many options so everyone in your party should be able to find something they like.
I love Saturday adventures and date days with great friends and my hubby. Can’t wait to share more of these with you!!