Self-Service Wings

Let me just say before I begin this wing rating entry that the whole ranking thing is starting to catch on. The other day my sister and her Julie called me to tell me they had given a 4-wing rating to some bread pudding they ate at Sushi Rock. Feel free to use the rating system for any and all things.

On Monday we traveled to Bedford, Ohio to eat at the Wing House. A student of mine told me they were known for their wings. With a name like that, it's hard to believe, but I bought her story anyway. When we found the place on Miles Road we noticed it was right next to the Crazy Horse Strip Club, so automatically the ambiance of the place got 4 wings. Upon entering we were told everythng is self-serve, meaning that you walk up to the bar and order and you walk up to the window and order your food. When I first heard this, I was hoping we could also pour our own drinks, but that didn't seem like an option after I asked the bartender.

We walked up to the window and ordered: hot, hot garlic, cajun dry and kung fu, which was essentially teriyaki, but the name sold us. The wings came out quickly and they were hot and juicy. The hot and hot garlic werent very spicy, but they had a lot of flavor. The cajun dry were really good, though one of them did break in half, and Julie said that should be an automatic half wing deducation. I agree as well. The teriyaki was really good, but not the best I have had. There was plenty of celery, but the blue cheese had a mayonnaise taste to it, so I passed on that. Overall, with the ambiance, the ability to self-serv, the freshness of almost all the wings, along with the old married men dancing with the younger women at the pool table, I will have to give this experience a rating of three wings out of four and that includes the half wing deduction for the broken wing.

I know it's only Wednesday, but I hope everyone has a great weekend! I am off to go camping, biking and whitewater rafting in Southwestern Pennsylvania for three days. I will be back just in time for kickoff on Sunday.

This Is How I Roll

Sunday was so beautiful outside it would have been a sin to stay in all day watching football and drinking beer. Instead of doing my normal Sunday routine, Julie and I headed out on a 25-mile biking adventure through Lakewood, Rocky River, North Olmstead, Strongsville, Middleburg Heights and Parma. Part of the plan was to stop at the Nature Center in North Olmsted, because it is along our route, and I have heard great things about the view. On this particular day the center was hosting a settlers celebration/fall festival, so along with the view we also got to enjoy banjo music and fresh apple cider made right before our eyes. As we headed through Strongsville we stopped and enjoyed the picnic we had packed before finishing the final leg of our trip through Parma. We got home just in time for the Browns game AND THEN I was able to watch football and drink beer. I have included pictures to show how beautiful these trails are throughout the West and South side of Cleveland.

Why I Love Weekends By Sportygrrl

I was going to blog today about how it would be hard to top the greatness that was last weekend. I then realized I have been so busy this week that I am yet to blog about last weekend. In a nutshell, I had an incredible time with Roz on Friday night, woke up Saturday and went to my nephew's football game, spent an insane amount of time and money at Trader Joes, met my sister and Julie for drinks at the Wine Bar in Ohio City, then we attended the party of the year in Cleveland compliments of Mindy, woke up early on Sunday and made baby back ribs while watching the Browns play an incredible game of football, and capped off the weekend on Sunday Evening when my father and I broke the record for most points scored in one week in our fantasy football league.

As for the event on Saturday night, it would be a tragic if I didn't describe it in more detail. Every year, Cleveland Public Theatre throws a party called Pandemonium, which is the perfect name for this event. It is an evening of on-going comedy, music and theatrical events spread all over the campus of this west-side theatre. It also includes food from restaurants all over Clevleand and an open bar. Most people pay $100 to get in, which is why it is called a benefit, however we are lucky enough to have Mindy let us come to events like this for free. Even if I can't get in next year for free, I am going anyway. It is easily worth the price of admission.

As you can see, it will be hard to top last weekend, but this weekend is shaping up to be a lot of fun as well. I am heading to the Indians game tonight as they are about to clinch the Central Divsion. Tomorrow after biking we are going to a clambake before heading to the Roller Derby Championship bout. It's hard to say what could end up happening after Roller Derby, it's usually an adventure. On Sunday, I am going to TiVO the football games, so we can bike all of our favorite metropark bike paths before the nice weather is over. We are going to start on the Lakewood trail off of Detroit Road, head into Strongsville and then take on the Parma trail which will be about a 25-mile bike ride by the time we are finished. Yes, you read that right...I am recording football to go biking on Sunday.

Next weekend we are going on a 3-day camping/biking/canoeing trip, so both of these weekends could get trumped. Yes, you read that right...I am going camping. Wow, my life has really changed.

Goodbye Frye!

Early reports this morning from my friend Staci, a very reliable source, say that the Browns have traded quarterback Charlie Frye to the Seattle Seahawks for a sixth round pick. Keep in mind she told me this two hours before it was reported on cleveland.com. Apparently I have contacts that rival Deepthroat from the Watergate Era.

My only question now is: Why does he get to leave? After his performance on Sunday he should be made to stay here and watch every game this season just like the rest of us. After playing the worst game of his life, he is now on a playoff team. The only logical reason I could think of is that because he is from Ohio, they found the farthest destination they possibly could as punishment.

First-Time Fantasy Footballer

Julie is playing fantasy football for the first time. Actually she is watching football for the first time, so it is a lot for her to take in. I find her questions endearing, and will blog them as they come up throughout the season.

September 9, 2007:
"Do they get extra points for end-zone dances?"

Bike The Trail, Ride The Rail

I didn't come up with that title on my own. All the credit goes to the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad. This company lets you bike the towpath and then you can jump on the train for $2 and head back in the direction in which you came. This is exactly what we did on Saturday when we headed south to Peninsula and parked at the Winking Lizard (foreshadowing), so that we could jump on the towpath. From there we biked north over 15 miles to Independence and paid our two dollars to jump on the train and head back to Peninsula. It was the coolest trail we have ever biked on, but it was also the hardest trail because it was a dirt path.

After biking and being dropped off right back at the Winking Lizard we had to have wings. The Winking Lizard in Peninsula has an interesting exterior because it has held on to the origianl sign showing there used to be a nite club in that spot. We ordered a dozen spicy garlic and a dozen caribbean wings. All the wings were the largest we have gotten at any restaurant and the spicy garlic were juicy and spicy, however the caribbean wings were lacking in sauce. Overall I would give the wings three wings out of four. Unfortunately two of our wings broke, which usually means that wings aren't very fresh. In this case, the new advertising in Peninsula could be: bike the trail, ride the rail and eat wings that are stale.

It's Hard To Be A Browns Fan

Sunday started out great. It was the first week of football, so how could it not be great? My dad showed up so we could head up to the Browns game. Before the game we were going to go to the Old Angle, but it was closed. We ended up just buying sandwiches at the store and went back to my place to wait for our taxi. After an hour, the taxi never showed up. We decided to start walking toward the stadium about five minutes before kickoff. After walking over a mile, which included my ticket falling out of my pocket on Superior Bridge, we finally flagged down a taxi and got to our seat halfway through the first quarter. This was just in time to watch the Steelers crush the Browns. We left at the end of the third quarter with the game well over, but the weather was just starting up. My brother Bob was nice enough to give us a ride home, but he was parked about a mile away. This is when the rain started. By the time we got to the car, we were drenched. It was a rough opening day for me, but my fantasy team has a great chance to win. That will probably be my last Browns game of the season. I like my fantasy world much better!

Father Of The Year Award

The father of the year award goes to my brother David, who gave up his home opener Browns-Steelers tickets to go to his son's sporting event. His love for his son is my gain. I will be at the game instead of him. I am so excited for football season starting as you can tell from my picture, where I opened a bottle of champagne during the first game of the season last night.

Lieberth Go Fish

As I was going out tonight, I went down to Mark's apartment to check in with him. The following conversation took place:
Mark: "Do you have any toilet paper?"
Me: "Damn! I was hoping you did."
Mark: "Damn!"

After spending a couple hours out with Mindy, and then me chilling out at home, Mark and I had the following text messaging conversation, because apparently at this point, we are too lazy to actually walk stairs:
Me: "I've got beer, what do you have?"
Mark: "Booze and toilet paper."
Me: "Nice! Wanna share?"
Mark: "Sure."
Me: "Yay!"

Thats how you play Lieberth Go Fish.

The Carnivorous Carnie

I went to the Geauga County Fair on Saturday night and ate like there was no tomorrow. It's amazing what happens to people when they walk through those fair gates with the smell of onion rings, elephant ears, gyros and sausage coming at them. I don't even like sweets and I have tried to give up all fatty foods, but all of that went out the window when that smell hit me. Just to illustrate the gluttony of it all, picture this: I had just finished a gryo, and then was standing in line waiting for a funnel cake as I was sharing "the world's largest corn dog." This was all after I had the wings. Like a moth to light, I can always find wings and I couldn't pass up this opportunity to rate fair wings, which in this case were much better than fair. I ordered up a half dozen hot wings and they did not disappoint. While it is too late for any of you to drive to Burton, Ohio to get these wings at the fair that has now left town, I would highly recommend it if you still could. The wings were crunchy on the outside yet juicy on the inside and perfectly seasoned. They were spicy, fresh and cheap and the best part is that I got them at a fair. I would rank these wings with three and a half wings out of four.