Our third anniversary...with Jonathon Sawyer?

 Julia and I decided to celebrate our third anniversary in Cleveland...

 

 ...taking advantage of this view at the Westin Cleveland Hotel...

...and getting a fancy 12 course dinner at Jonathon Sawyer's Trentina restaurant...

 ...a place which has (respectively) the coolest bathroom in town.

I'm sure you didn't expect this to be brought up, but it does merit a mention as the toilet seat is heated and there is a remote for front/back rinse action, fan dryer and more.  I so regretted standing during my first visit that I drank large amounts of water to give it all a second go (it was worth it).

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Okay...so let's get back to the food...here we go...

 

 We started out with a polenta "crackers" brushed with butter and served with aged meat wrapped around beans and fermented beets...

 

...continuing with a chickpea popper topped with roe and flowers...

 ...oysters on the half shell with liquors...

 

...fluke, cuttlefish noodle wrapped around steamed mussel in buttery broth (served with bread used for dunking...really enjoyed this dish)...

...gathered mushrooms...

...cut-up pasta, dehydrated olives, Ohio farm egg and smoking embers (notice the ember at 12 o'clock on the plate)...

...to where I will briefly pause.

Between and during courses, we chatted with neighboring tables.

First, we chatted with a couple taking leftovers home to one or two of their five children (combined through previous marriages).  As they knew we had one child and planned on another, they were quick to encourage us to also have five.

Another couple was made of the owners of Thaxton's Organic Garlic, who stopped by to drop off some garlic and have a drink and some small plates.  They told us a little of their relationship with Jonathon Sawyer, some of the great meals they've enjoyed at his restaurants, some great meals they shared together, and a little about the Garlic Festival in Cleveland (because that's my expertise).

It was an interesting extra layer of the experience.

Now, let's continue...

 

 ...with some strangolapreti (yummy pasta balls stuffed with cheese)...

 ...rabbit sausage...

 ...sorbetto...

 ...cake with gooseberries...

 ...brown butter panna cotta...

 ...and a macaroon.

We left the restaurant after nearly 3 hours, feeling satisfied and happy to have a looooong sleep in since my mom was watching Max back home.

The next morning, we had breakfast at Urban Farmer...

...where I had this delicious cheddar biscuit with sausage gravy, fennel sausage, a fried egg, fried chicken and lemon marmalade.  Delicious.

After some time at the Cleveland Casino, where we lost all our gambling cash (bastard machines!)...

...we finished our anniversary celebration back with Jonathon once more at Noodlecat...

...where I really love the steamed buns (I could probably live on the steamed buns).

That evening, we took a short walk to burn off the thousands of calories consumed over the past 24 hours...

...and it was a delight to be back home with Max again.