August Events

Hi everyone here is a quick event blog between blogs.


First off, last weekend was the Car Kulture Show. There were thousands of people and hundreds of hot rods, classic cars, motorcycles and just about anything else with wheels that you'd hope to find. There was also music, photo booth van, food all over the place. However, I was with my wife and her folks so I was lazy.  Here are a handful of pictures I took and some links to see more.


http://www.lakewoodcarkultureshow.com/
Pictures from the Observer.

This Saturday we have two other big events.


First is the Pillars of Lakewood Wing Crawl this Saturday from 1pm - 7pm. People will be going to 13 different bars and restaurants and trying two different types of wings from each. The event is basically sold out but there may be a handful left at a couple bars. It's a good event that gives you a chance to check out a bunch of our Lakewood businesses and see what type of wings you like the best.

http://pillarsoflakewood.org/

Check out my blog from last years wing crawl here! BLOG

Last but not least is the LKWD Music Fest at Mahall's. Mahall's: “The LKWD Music Fest began in 2012 because we (the Mahall’s team) wanted to have a summer block party with music, food and friends in Lakewood.” Basically, there is a ton of great music, food and community fun going all day long. You should go. There is no logical reason not to. You can hear music outside and/or inside with the air conditioning. You will want to eat food at some point and you can use this to fulfill that need. You might be deaf and full from the wing crawl, then you can go bowling to work off that weight and get a drink mixed with their mixers made in the bar. So, I'll see you there.

http://lakewoodmusicfest.com/

Bar #18 and #19: Obituary

There are two bars that I wish I could have blogged about before their premature demise. Sullivan's suddenly closed its doors shortly after I began this blog. The Screaming Rooster is still open but the owner/manager has been forced to leave and there's more to a bar than decoration and beer. This blog isn't about why these bars have closed but why they were great. I present to you:

Every Bar in Lakewood Obituary Edition

Sullivan's Irish Pub

Sullivan's Pub has been one of my favorite bars in Lakewood as long as I have lived here. It brought everything you'd want out of an Irish Pub without having to worry about the thick accents. I was usually drawn to their fish and chips with ample amounts of malt vinegar for the fries. By that point I was already stuffed with their artichoke/spinach dip and boxty wedges; a must for all visitors.

The pub's beer selection was everything Irish and complimented by their purchasable mugs. The mugs came with your name of choice on it and hung from the rafts anxiously waiting your return. Beer always tastes better from your own mug, especially when you get a discount for it.

Sullivan's was a place for events. They always had Irish performers that would come adding a that extra bit of Irish to the experience. One day a year Sullivan's was the only place to be. Obviously, that's St. Patricks Day. The bar was filled to the brim with a slowly revolving hoard of green people. If you wanted a booth there was an hour wait, if you were lucky and if you made arrangements to people that had already stolen seating earlier. Basically, you inherited seating and only the tricky ever stopped standing. We would get a booth early in the day and our friends would come and be replaced as the day went on. Live music would be playing for most of the day and the food wouldn't be quick but it would be done well.

Alas, Sullivan's Pub's new owner could not keep it open. Now the keys are returned and questions remain. Will somebody stand up and take over the reigns or will it become our next dollar store? Has anybody been able to get their mugs yet? Where is Every Bar in Lakewood going to spend it's St. Patrick's Day? Remind me not to use up all the Irish bars before March. For now, I raise my glass and say cheers to the finest Irish Pub Lakewood.

Awesome: Atmosphere, Personalized Beer Steins

13368 Madison Avenue

The Screaming Rooster

The Screaming Rooster was my current regular bar when I began this blog. We celebrated birthdays with our friends and the bartenders that knew our names. It was never a question knowing somebody when we got there, simply who we would know. We even ran a fundraiser for the local animal rescue All Dog's Heaven. The Screaming Rooster was everything we needed from a bar and that included Donna, one of two owners and the only manager we knew there.

The Rooster has my favorite bar food. It's called a Fire Cracker and it's an egg roll full of chicken, hot sauce, cheese and jalapenos. They were willing to make it as hot as it sounds. Every time I went there I order them even if I'm not going to eat them there. Immediately after typing that, I got a very strong craving for them. But isn't that what an obituary is, a chance to write what makes you happy about something that's gone even if it makes you a little sad.

The Screaming Rooster had an interesting selection of bands come through their doors. They ranged through many genres of music. Even as a small venue the Rooster has been recognized as a music venue throughout the Cleveland area. Its bands have been the back drop to different Lakewood events. Last year All Dog's Heaven special needs animal rescue had a fundraiser called Barktoberfest helping out with one of their dog's emergency amputation. The event's soundtrack was provided by the Samantha Fitzpatrick Band. They played a great variety of covers and original music that helped make the event a success. On the night of the Screaming Rooster's grand finale the rock-a-billy band, The Straight 8's, kept us rocking and dancing all night long. Even when the music wasn't play there were plenty of reasons to go to the Rooster.

The Rooster had some additions that made it a good bar to visit any night of the week. They had a diverse selection of beer ranging from the domestic to craft. The Screaming Rooster also knew how to properly serve tequila. It also has both skee ball and pool in its second room. If you wanted to watch “the game” the Rooster came very prepared with more TVs than any bar I know of. This includes TVs above the bar, on the walls and in many of the booths. All this isn't why the Screaming Rooster was my favorite preblog bar. This was Donna's bar.

Donna Repasy loved her bar. She was the the type of owner that always put the extra effort into making sure her customers, employees and even the bands were happy. She was friendly with everyone that came in and always made sure you felt welcome no matter how busy they were. To understand what the Screaming Rooster was you had to be there on its final night.

Saturday, August 18^th two of Lakewood's biggest summer events squared off. As the Lakewood Pillars Wing Crawl highlighted Lakewood's Detroit Avenue bars, Madison Avenue had it's 10^th annual Lakewood Car Kulture Show. It sprawled from Warren to Hilliard full of cars, motorcycles and vendors. The Screaming Rooster and Mars Bar helped sponsor the event that brought people to Lakewood from all over the county and beyond. Donna's only complaint of the the timing of the crawl was that it would limit the amount of new customers that would visit our town by not giving them the chance of going to both great events on different weekends. Donna was always a big supporter of Lakewood businesses.

That evening the show moved the Screaming Rooster. In between the Straight 8's sets the Rooster had a burlesque show by Cleveland's burlesque troupe, The Red Hot Heathens. The Heathens used a mix of comedy, sex, props and costume to to entertain at a level beyond simple dancing mostly naked women to actually entertain. Plus there aren't enough boobs in obituaries.

The bar was packed all night long. Donna's friends and customers showed up throughout the night, sometimes just to give their condolences and thanks even if they couldn't stick around. As many tears of joy and laughter were shed that night as tears of sorrow. It was a great night that few people that attended would forget any time soon.

The Lakewood Car Kulture Show wasn't the end of the Rooster or Donna. She now manages the gigantic Two Bucks in North Olmsted and the Rooster carries on run by the other owner. The Rooster is now just a bar with a really good spicy egg roll for me. Imagine Cheers without Sam Malone, it would look the same and taste the same but that era has ended. So, if you decide that you have to try a firecracker, head over while Vicky is bartending and tell her I said hi. I won't be going back, it'd be like going back to your house after you had moved away; same place but empty. Thanks for the good times Donna.

Awesome: Customer Service, Live Music, Donna, A Billion TVs, Skee Ball, Firecrackers, Family

15527 Madison Ave

There will always be new bars coming into and leaving Lakewood. I look forward to going to our newest bar, Taco Tantos; it's supposed to be phenomenal. Today, I mourn the loss of two of the best bars in Lakewood. The Screaming Rooster is still running but under newish management and there is still the chance that Sullivan's will open again. I am glad I had the chance to visit them and in moratorium I check off bars #18 and #19.

In Search of a Wing Man

 A week ago I went for a magical four mile walk and every time I went into a bar they gave me free wings. Yes, I was one of the celebrity judges at this year's Pillars Wing Crawl. Last month I was asked to be one of the celebrity judges and asked for an interview for the Cleveland Scene. 4000 hits on my blog and 26 wings later has lead you to read this blog and me to have indigestion.

I met Lakewood Patch.com's Colin McEwen at Around the Corner. We planned to make a straight line down Detroit catching all the bars as we go. The only curves on a trip were to pick up the random things Colin left behind at most of the bars. Around the Corner had real good wings, especially their black pepper wings that stood out ahead of most of the wings of the day. They were also able to keep table service going at a reasonable rate too.

Next we made our way to the Harry Buffalo. The service was fast even though the bar was packed. I really liked their wings. They weren't the best or the most original, but I they stood out as wings I'd want to eat again. Their buffalo wings made my top 3.

After our first back track for Colin's voting sheet we went to the Riverwood Cafe. The wings and service were good. We also stole the booth from the principal of Lakewood Highschool. Luckily, we were able to finish our wings before they got theirs and quickly departed. We then quickly came back and picked up Colin's glasses.

Our next stop was Guys Pizza. The service was slow, we didn't get napkins and the batch of wings we got were almost too freezer burnt to eat. I hope, normally the wings and service are good but we were there at the wrong time.

The Booth has been one of my favorite bars that I've gone to during my blog so far. My expectations were high and I had no complaints about their wings. I especially enjoyed their Sriracha wings but I try and put cock (rooster) sauce on any food I can. Service wise the bartender was friendly and helpful and this was the only bar that trusted us to get our own wings (as a good thing.)

Next I went to the Local. I enjoyed both wings and gave them a solid score. I was disappointed that the kickin BBQ wasn't hotter but you can lose points with some people for being too spicy. I did like that my wing experience was enhanced with a fog machine!

Another one of my blogged bars was the Plank Road Tavern. Their moroccan dry rub wing was my favorite taste of the crawl and I will be back for more later. They also had the smallest wings of the crawl, which goes to show that good things can come in small packages.

This was my first time inside of Eddy & Iggy's. We spent an intermission here playing foosball. Word of advise the slim side has a gravity advantage. Also, I'm no good at foosball and lost both matches. We had real good service. The bartender took time to talk to me about their beer even though they were being hammered with crawlers. I really liked their buffalo wing, it held to a much more classic style instead of going for fancy and they hit a home run with it.

Merry Arts' wings tasted good, but their service didn't keep up. It took us a couple minutes to figure out how to get the wings (from the cook.) But since the cook was busy cooking, by the time I got the wings that were sitting out they were cold. I wasn't allowed to grab them on my own because I was informed that “You don't steal from a pimp.” The citric taste of their second wing complemented its cool temperature, honestly.

Jammy Buggers had the best actual wing meat of any of the bars we went to. I gave their buffalo wing my highest rating for that genre. They put a ton of work into their Top Secret Recipe #6 wings and it was really good but it was also a bit nutty and I don't like nutty. It was definitely an improvement over their Top Secret Recipe #5 wings that were a bit squirrelly and mildly triangle.

Last but not least was Deagans as the reigning champs (and as I am late on getting this blog done, the still reigning champs) my expectations were high. They were great. The wings were a high quality, though my batch was a little over cooked. The buffalo wings were the hottest wings of the day, I really liked them. But, even though we were sitting to the right of the taps behind the register we couldn't get anything to drink. After watching 5 different people walk in and immediately get service I decided I would raise my hand because that's what I was taught in school. Colin said he could get someone to wait on us instead. So, he tried his talking to people way and I tried mine. I won. Deagan's second specialty was real good as well.

We then trekked all the way back to our cars at Around the Corner. We wanted to hand our votes to the Pillar people because we didn't feel comfortable giving our votes directly to the bars. We stopped at the Root Cafe on the way back across town. Everybody knew Colin there and they probably have the nicest bathroom in town.

I'd like to thank the 11 bars that made wings for us and the Lakewood Pillars that put all their hard work into making a great Lakewood event. Also, thanks to Shawn Juris who invited me as a celebrity judge! It was a great day and I ate a lot of good wings. 

Saturday Celebartion!

Get ready for one of Lakewood's biggest bar event weekends. Every Bar in Lakewood has been invited to four different events this Saturday. There's a wing crawl, a classic car and music show, a pot luck, and a wedding reception (congratulations Steve and Beth!) This should be a great weekend for you to make a dent in our list of all the bars.

First off is the Pillars Wing Crawl. You'll be able to get 4 wings at each of the 11 bars participating. You'll also get to ride around in the shuttles. The cost is $20 presold, you can buy them online or at the partipating bars. You get five bucks off if you are part of the Pillars. The bars are Around the Corner, Avenue Tap House, Midtown Booths, Deagans, Eddy and Iggy's, Harry Buffalo, Jammy Buggars, the Local Bar, Merry Arts, Plank Road Tavern and the Riverwood Cafe. If you buy online you can pick up the passes tomorrow at the Local between 12:30 and 2pm. The crawl will last from 1 pm till 7 pm. Come out and try some of the best chicken wings in Lakewood and vote whose is the best. Drink beer, eat wings, it's the democratic thing to do!

http://pillarsoflakewood.org/wingcrawl/

That's not all, Madison Avenue will be rocking all day long as Lakewood throws it's 10th annual Car Kulture Show. The show runs from 10 am till 6pm. You'll get to see plenty of classic cars, including hot rods, vintage race cars and even custom made. There will also be plenty of chopper and bobber style motorcycles. There will be vendors offering everything you can think for the hot rod and cycle enthusiasts. Music will be outdoors for most of the day and move into the Screaming Rooster with the Straight 8s at 3:20. After the show ends you can catch more rock-a-billy playing Straight 8s at 9pm back at the Rooster. The Red Hot Heathens Burlesque Troupe will be performing between their sets. During the day don't forget to stop in the Rooster, Mars Bar and Beer Engine they helped sponsor this fantastic event. Make sure you stop on by, it'll be running before the crawl and it's free!

http://www.lakewoodcarkultureshow.com/

What's missing from all this awesome? Togas! The Tarrymore Tavern will be having a toga potluck party starting at 1pm on Saturday. Stop on by in your best sheet (maybe not best) and share some food, fun and buy some cheap beer. You are guaranteed to have a good time!

https://www.facebook.com/events/128865090591357/

Today's official bar is Around the Corner! Also, don't forget to buy a t-shirt from our shop, they'll be needed for a contest we'll be starting soon. Have a great weekend and go enjoy Lakewood!