Gloria Ferris

Although last Friday was bitter and cold,  Tim and I ventured out to experience something new and different. We attended our first RED an orchestra concert.  I have wanted to attend one of these concerts for quite some time, but Tim is resistant to classical music, opera, and musical theater, but I knew I had the hook I needed to get him there when I saw that Frank Zappa was featured.  We both left the concert determined to attend the next RED concert scheduled for April 14th and 15th, and I left with a new appreciation of what Frank Zappa tried to accomplish with his music.  Weird, I never thought I would appreciate someone’s music who I vowed never to listen to again after hearing the guys in the dorm across the way play Suzy Cream Cheese for the nth time thirty years ago.

Not only did we attend the concert, but we took advantage of the Cool Cleveland party beforehand.  It had been longer than I want to admit since we had attended one of these ”larger than life” parties that Thomas and Company provides for our community.  There are always new things to see, taste, and think about at these happenings.  I know that I am showing my age when I call these parties happenings, but essentially that is what they are.  The ingredients for a happening were always food, drink, music, dancing, and conversation with a certain twist.  And, that is what “happened” on Friday night.

Frist, there was fabulous treats from Gypsy Beans and Baking Company.  The stuffed roasted peppers were sublime, and although I am not usually a fan of stuffed grape leaves, Nikki has managed to add her own signature and they were simply delicious.  If you haven’t made it over to Gypsy Beans at 65th and Detroit yet, you need to do it soon.  And how does she make a simple white cupcake into so much more.  Yum!

Then, there was the dancing.  Greg and Donna of Viva Dance put on quite a preformance showing the intricacies of the Tango to an appreciative audience.  I had the pleasure of standing beside Donna’s proud sister who told me that her sister has not been dancing for that long, but she had decided to learn and do something she has wanted to accomplish her whole life.  There was no way to know that she hadn’t already been dancing for years and years.  It certainly says something for Greg’s teaching ability and Donna’s talent.   Tonight, Fat Tuesday they are again showing off their talented moves.  Check out their website NEOTango for the details.  They truly make it look so easy that you want to sign up for lessons, put on your dancing shoes, and try it yourself.

But the real surprise came at the end of the evening when hors d’oeuvres showed up from Fire on Shaker Square. Another place that Tim and I have always said we wanted to try, but haven’t.  After tasting the cheeses, meats, and chocolates from this amazing restaurant, it won’t be long before we venture out on another cold and wintry night for a dinner at Fire. 

Thanks to all of my fellow Clevelanders that ventured out on a snowy, cold evening to make Friday the adventure it was.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 20th, 2007 at 2:06 pm and is filed under Cleveland, developing community, growing an economy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.