Travel Guide: Cleveland

Warning! This is a photo-heavy post, so keep scrolling. Today I'm sharing my 24 hours in Cleveland! I actually can't believe I have never been since it is only 2 hours away from Pittsburgh (such an easy drive). We checked in late afternoon on Saturday. We were planning to go out and explore/have a drink, but our room at the Metropolitan at the 9 was SO amazing, we decided to enjoy champagne there. 

Look at the welcome from the Metropolitan at the 9 team... SO amazing. I felt like a princess and it was such a fun surprise. I loved the open concept of the room. The bathroom flowed right into the bed area and then there was a huge sitting area with a FIREPLACE! 

One of the things I could not get over was the Louis Vuitton inspired cake that you see above. Their pastry chef, Marvi Lou Mapa made it look just like my Speedy. I could not get over the detail- she hand-painted all of it. I'm glad to report that it was as delicious as it was beautiful! 

In our room, there were TEN windows. My apartment has 3. I could not get over the beautiful light in the room. Every nook and cranny was just filled with light and we had a nice little view of the downtown area! The downtown area was so pretty and actually reminded me a lot of Pittsburgh with the styles of architecture and history. 

Navy Dress

We got ready for dinner soon after finishing a glass of sparkling rose! We had early reservations at Adega becuase we were headed to a Cleveland Cavaliers game afterward. 

I wore this gorgeous little navy dress. It's made from a stretchy cotton material so you can dress it up or down. Although it's stretchy, I definitely suggest sizing up. I am wearing a size medium. I find that most of this brand's pieces run small, so I always size up. I paired it with one of my favorite pairs of shoes from Emy Mack here in Pittsburgh. 

Before we headed to our table, we stopped down to the bar, The Vault. I think one of my favorite things about the Metropolitan at the 9 is that it has everything you could want or need. Case-in-point, I was able to wear this dress sans jacket or tights becuase I didn't even need to leave the building. When it's just 20 degrees, that is something I really appreciate!

The Vault is probably one of the coolest and most unique bars I have ever been to. Whether you live in Cleveland or are just visiting, I urge you to check it out! It's a bit swanky with the vibe of a 1920's-style Speakeasy. The decor is over-the-top fabulous and the space is huge but feels very intimate becuase it's broken up into different 'vaults'. You could weave in and out of several vaults and it was so much fun! 

Then, it was time for dinner at Adega, which is Metropolitan at the 9's restaurant. Sometimes when I think of restaurants attached to hotels, the word fabulous doesn't really come to mind. But Adega will completely change your perception of a hotel restaurant. When you walk in, you see a warm, vibrant atmosphere that's modern but also feels familiar. 

It has an open -style kitchen so you can see the chefs working hard. There is a wall of wine that is pretty darn amazing, too. I actually met Chef Nelly at Sonesta in Hilton Head a few years ago. We had the most fabulous dinner in his kitchen there. Since then, he has moved to Cleveland and now is the mastermind behind all of the fabulous dishes we enjoyed. He had invited me to come check it out... and if Chef Nelly is cooking, you know it's going to be incredible. 

Along with the food, Michel, the sommelier paired a wine with each of the courses. I think my favorite was the Tempranillo that was served with our final dish and my favorite cocktail was The 9, which was made of Tito's vodka, Domaine de Canton, pama, and fresh lemon juice. They have an extensive wine list and it was so nice to have Michel there to educate us! 

The meal was the best I've ever had in my entire life and that's no exaggeration. We started off with a mushroom hummus that took Chef Nelly over 2 months to create. It was creamy and tart and basically everything you want in a hummus. Then we had kefta flatbread. Kefta is a seasoned meat and my aunt from Turkey makes it so I'm very familiar (I love it). The flatbread was so flavorful. Throughout the entire meal, it was hard to pace myself because everything tasted so good. 

Next was the Bolognese and oh my goodness, this was my favorite thing in the entire world. Chef Nelly ages his sauce for 72 hours before serving it. It was creamy and so flavorful. Not to mention there was homemade pasta nestled underneath the sauce. 

Lastly, there was Iberico which is not something I was familiar with. Iberico is a cut of meat from a black pig that lives on the Iberian Penninsula which spans from Spain into Portugal. In its last six months, it eats black acorns and its weight doubles. The meat was absolutely incredible. It tasted like a mix of pork belly and bacon and just melted in my mouth. If you are in the Cleveland area, definitely make a reservation for Adgea. It's so worth it. 

Post-dinner, I changed and we walked to 'the Q', which is the Cleveland Cavaliers arena. It was only a block away and lots of fun, even though they lost pretty badly. It was my first NBA game so I didn't know what to expect. Slightly like a college basketball game but definitely a different vibe. The Q was a really cool stadium, too! Can't wait to go back to another game.

The next day, we headed to Barrio for tacos and they were so good! We have a place in Pittsburgh very similar called Condado and this was right up my alley! I had actually had a reservation at Pier W, but the only time they had available was 2pm, and I wanted to be on the road by then so I ended up canceling it. I'm bummed becuase it looked so beautiful. Next time! 

Then, we stopped at the West Side Market. SO Many of you recommend this and I LOVED this. It's all different small shops with things like meats, cheeses, pastries, etc. The building is so grand and beautiful. What a great atmosphere! If you know Pittsburgh, it reminded me of an indoor Strip District. I ended up getting a few types of meat for dinner this week!

All-in-all, it was such a great trip and I hope to be able to visit Cleveland again soon!