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