This Thursday, May 10th kicks off the 5th year of Art Walk events from The Arts Commission. The weather.com forecast for Thursday is sunny, with a high of 67°. Perfect for strolling (or bike riding) from gallery to gallery and enjoying music, entertainment, nibbles, drinks, and the company of some of Toledo’s finest.

Download and print this handy map, grab a date or the whole family, and I’ll see you out on Thursday!

Keep cozy with carbs… I mean pasta! The next few days are going to be chilly, unlike the past couple of AMAZING weeks. My suggestion for keeping warm? A dinner with your best friend and a cocktail or two to start the night off right.

D. and I enjoyed dinner at La Scola a couple weeks ago. While writing this post I asked him about his Veal Saltimbocca, and D. replied “I Looooooooooved it!”

I chose Butternut Squash Ravioli which was the perfect bit of warm and savory goodness needed on that brisk evening. A spinach salad — that wasn’t disgustingly sweet (sadly too common) — was a great way to begin dinner.

This locally-owned Toledo gem deserves your support… as does your tummy! Warm and delicious. Pro-tip: make a reservation on weekend nights.

La Scola | 5375 Airport Highway | (419) 381-2100

D. came across something by accident this afternoon. The following are his words.

“On my way home from Woodville Surplus, on a whim I took a right on Pickle Road. I noticed a small cemetery and pulled in through the gate. On the other side, I found myself in one of the most surreal places I’ve ever been, like something out of a post apocalyptic movie.

It is a very very strange place, and worth a visit if you’re ever on the East side of Toledo.”

Willow Cemetery | 1961 Pickle Road | Oregon | (419) 698-7014

Last weekend was The Toledo School for the Arts annual “Steppin’ Out” fundraiser. We met up with friends and met some new ones at this fun event… with a shoe theme. There was a mini “red carpet” at the entrance, just for shoes worn by attendees.

The TSA students provided entertainment for the evening, while guests dined, bid on auction items…

… and drank! Congrats to everyone involved. The TSA raised over $70,000 in ONE NIGHT!

Toledo School for the Arts | 333 14th Street | Uptown | (419) 246-8732

If you simply MUST eat in the Westfield Franklin Park Mall food court, do yourself a favor and get something healthy… that tastes great! On a recent shopping trip, D. and I found ourselves a bit peckish and in need of a bite. I ordered a veggie plate that involved a little of this and a little of that–all surrounding several perfect falafel. And all of it deeeeeeelicious. The best part? Locally-owned!

Kabob It | Franklin Park Mall Food Court | (419) 720-7899

This weekend was the much-loved Havana Party thrown each year by our friends, M & K, in The Old West End.

Guests were dressed to the nines!

M & K’s attic is one of my favorite ever! Complete with a full bar, DJ booth, pool table, and even a cute little bathroom! Party revelers enjoyed Cuban cocktails and cigars upstairs…

… and an amazing spread of Latin h’ordeurves on the first floor.

The music was, of course, all Cuban. Spicy, spicy!

And no Havana-themed party would be complete without a few revolutionaries in attendance! Looking forward to the same time next year…

Thanks to A. Dow for some of the fantastic photos above.

Friends & neighbors from the Old West End attended the City Paper’s “Best of Toledo” party last night. Thanks to the City of Toledo for choosing the OWE as “Best Neighborhood” and congrats to all the 2012 winners!

We had a great time and really enjoyed a performance by Raq the Casbah.

I met up with A. for dinner and a drink last night. We had forgotten how often they host live music (mostly jazz & blues). Nice surprise!

Manhattan’s | 1516 Adam’s Street | (419) 243-6675

D. and I spent a great Friday night with new friends last week. Recent transplants from NYC, K. & C. accompanied us to dinner at The Frog Leg Inn (a short drive North of the Old West End) and an opening at The Toledo Museum of Art.

We shared some appetizers (escargot & roasted garlic with cheese), glasses of wine, and I particularly enjoyed the pasta special with cippolini onions and a brown butter sage sauce.

The TMA opening was great… all local artists, curated by Jerry Grey of Bozarts. The piece above, by Dan Hernandez, was one of my favorites. At first look it looks hardly modern…

Looking closer you realize the scene is peppered with figures from video games. Smart!

The paintings by Josh Byers were striking.

I loved his version of The Death of Marat.

The Community Gallery was jam-packed that night with Toledoans enjoying art, live music, and socializing. Take a stroll through the community gallery next time you are at the TMA! The show is up for a few more weeks.

Toledo Museum of Art | 2445 Monroe Street | (419) 255-8000
Frog Leg Inn | 2103 Manhattan Street | Erie, MI | (734) 848-8580

A new Asian grocery opened this month, in between Cricket West and Westgate. It’s large, clean, and full of delicious treats. We have been having a great time grabbing random things and bringing them home to dine. Like the above shrimp shumai/shu mai/shuumai — I guess it depends on the copywriter!

Everyone loves dumplings, right?

Here’s a suggestion: Host your very own dim sum brunch! Make a visit to Lai Lai, buy a smattering of everything, and invite your best foodie friends over. Make sure your guests bring healthy and adventurous appetites.

Lai Lai Asian Mart | 3205 W Central Ave. | (419) 725-3563

This week, D. took a tour of the new StandArt Lofts. The rectangular shaped building, which you may have noticed when driving into Downtown from The Trail or I-75, was built in 1906 for Standart-Simmons Hardware Co.

More than a 100 years later, this building has been converted into fantastic apartments… with some serious ceiling height!

The windows and exposed brick look great.

I love D.’s shot of the staircase. No worries, the building has elevators… which is more than I can say for most of the buildings where I lived in NYC. That’s luxury!

Standart Lofts | 34 S. Erie Street | Downtown | (419) 249-9800

Once upon a time there was a Vietnamese restaurant on Airport Highway. It has been gone for a long time so when we heard about a new Vietnamese joint that opened on Upton we rushed to check it out.

Pho Viet Nam is fantastic! The story is they opened about a year ago as a soul food place. About a month ago they started adding Vietnamese dishes to the menu and have gotten rave reviews from friends and foodies in Toledo. On our first visit I asked if they served banh mi (a wonderful sandwich I used to enjoy when living in NYC). They didn’t have it then… but on our next visit BAM! There it was on the menu. YUM.

You should really check this little gem out for yourselves. I’m looking forward to this Summer when we can take advantage of the sweet deck they have out front with tables.

Pho Viet Nam | 3636 Upton Avenue | (419) 720-2952

The Smoking Cat seems to have popped up all over Toledo this year. It’s certainly one of my favorite pieces of street art. Have you seen the Smoking Cat?

So excited about this… Toledo-favorite Cake in a Cup gets invited to the Food Network’s Cupcake Wars. AND WINS! We were happy to join them in a viewing party where their lips remained sealed about the outcome until it was shown on the TVs. What a night. Congrats to Lori and Dana… well done girls. Well done!

Cake in a Cup | 6801 W Central Ave # 2 | (419) 491-1104

My favorite weekend of the year is The Old West End Festival weekend! And to kick it off, our neighborhood hosts the King Wamba Parade. The best way to describe the parade is “eclectic!” I absolutely loved this old car.

For every antique beauty there were equally amazing art cars. I love the tiki wonder pictured above–a creation by OWE resident, Melanie Harris.

Parade watchers were serenaded by The Toledo Glassmen…

… and entertained by the dancing girls (and guys) of JJ Express!

This year’s King Wamba is Michael Szuberla of Toledo Grows and Queen Sancha is Rachel Richardson, activist extraordinaire.

I was most pleased by the visiting Detroit Party Marching Band.

And a party they were!

Great parade, great food, fun parties, golf carts!, and an all around great weekend. I will post video from the entire weekend shortly.