- The Toledo War of 1835 - we clearly came out the winners on this one
- Stupid low speed limits
- Ridiculously tough enforcement of low speed limits
- Long, flat, boring 5 hour drive from Toledo until you finally reach Kentucky
- LeBron James
- Ohio State Football
- Ohio State Football fans
- etc....
Ohio generally sucks. At least, that's what I was thinking as I packed up my wagon for the 4+ hour drive along the southern coast of Lake Erie to Geauga County for work this week.
But to my surprise, it really wasn't all that bad. My customers recommended the town of Willoughby and the Willoughby Brewing Company for dinner. It is beautiful building tucked behind the shops on main street in this cute little town reminiscent of Holly or Milford. It was much bigger inside than you would think, with a dining area to the left and the bar on the right. Suspended high above the restaurant was a Lionel train track and a working, moving train. The crowd seemed to be mostly professionals coming right from the office . Dinner was fine...I had the "Bibb" Salad and a cup of chili (chili needed some more kick to it). The beer was tasty...the Moonshadow IPA was my favorite and the Pumpkinhead Pumpkin Ale was nice. Overall, a cool place to go for dinner and a few drinks after a long day at work.
But best part of the night was my run-in with a very cool chick. Tiffany sat down next to me when I was finishing up my meal and we began to chat. She's from Willoughby, but ironically went to college at Oakland University...just a stones throw from our new home in Auburn Hills. She's just starting a new job, she's planning her wedding, was in a band for a while and is just generally a fun girl to talk to. We hit if off, exchanged contact information, a made tentative plans to meet up the next evening.
Last time I was in this area (almost 3 years ago), I'd visited the Chalet Debonnee Vineyards. One of Ohio's largest wineries, I really enjoyed my visit and was interested in checking out more of the local wineries this time. I picked the Candlelight Winery in Garrettsville to visit on Wednesday after work. It was about half an hour drive through gorgeous farmland and rolling hills. The fall colors here are absolutely amazing too. And they have a very large Amish population...I must have passed a dozen buggies on my way.
The winery is cute. It has a good sized tasting room with a fireplace and a nice outdoor area lit up with white Christmas lights. One of the wines has a picture of the owners adorable little pug on the label. The young man working behind the counter was dressed nicely in a sweater and tie. I started my visit with a tasting of their wines, then settled in with a glass of their Cabernet Franc and a BBQ Chicken flat bread. I enjoyed a glass of their Riesling next, while reading the newspaper by the fireplace. It was a really nice, quiet and relaxing evening. I purchased both a bottle of the Cabernet and the Riesling before leaving.
I made my way back to Willoughby next with hopes of catching the Comedian at the Brewery. But, by time I got there, the show had already started and the seats were all full. Luckily though, Mullarkey's across the street was advertising Karaoke on Wednesday nights. And just as I was making my way in, my new friend Tiffany sent a message and said she would see me there. The pub filled up quick and we spent the rest of the evening singing and listening to classic 80's rock and country.
Thursday, I'd booked a spot through the local Parks & Rec department to take part in a cooking class. Today, we learned all about Won Tons. You can do a lot more with Won Tons than you would think! We used everything from pumpkin, chocolate, chicken salad to fruit fillings. You can deep-fry the little buggers, bake or poach them. I've learned a lot and I'm excited to get home to cook some up for my husband.
All in all, I had a really fun week in Ohio. I made a new friend, had some great beer and wine, and enjoyed the cooking class. I can easily say that I would welcome the opportunity to come back.
