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This has been a very weird year. I’ve been disconnected from the restaurant scene because I am at high risk and have been sheltering like a pro. I’ve been doing my part in getting take-out, but oftentimes I have been relying on restaurants I regularly enjoy and have probably already reviewed. I pivoted my Instagram, which was set up to feature my food adventures, to featuring Pampered Chef products. I became a Pampered Chef consultant in July and have been cooking at home with all my fun new and old Pampered Chef gadgets. I particularly love our Air Fryer and put my VitaMix in storage in favor of the Quick Cooking Blender, because it doesn’t just heat up but cooks the soups and hot chocolate and makes other things like jam.

But I too am getting corona-weary and miss a good piece of fried fish, so I decided to shake things up and do Fish Fry Fridays again. I missed Ash Wednesday because it snuck up on me, and I wasn’t in the mood for fish yet. Nevertheless, last night I decided I needed a good fish fry and referred to the shortlist I made from the Scene’s 50 Cleveland Fish Fries to Try This Lenten Season. I whittled down my choices to a select few this year: DiCillio Tavern, Post and Beam on Snow Rd, West Park Station, the Flat Iron Cafe, the Firehouse Grille in Willoughby, the Little Polish Diner, Tavern of Little Italy, and Larder. I may or may not also grab one from Ohio City Provisions and/or Melt.

My favorite Christmas present this year is the Cleveland Independents Deck. I can’t wait to start using it. The Deck looks like a deck of playing cards and contains 52 $10 coupons for lots of Cleveland Independent restaurants.

As the Cleveland Independents website explains:

Imagine being able to save $10 at 52 of your favorite, locally-owned Cleveland Independents restaurants. Each card in The Deck features a $10 special offer from some of Northeast Ohio’s favorite restaurants. No wonder The Deck is ideal for corporate gift-giving or for anyone who loves to explore the area’s many diverse, local flavors.

* Each card features an informative description of the restaurant as well as its special offer
* Each card is a $10 Gift Certificate at the restaurant it describes
* Each card includes the restaurant’s location and phone number.
* Each card is easy to redeem. Present it to your server. It’s that simple!

I promise there will be plenty of posts on the way this year with the help of The Deck. I can’t wait to try Ponte Vecchio and Bistro 185 as well as revisit personal favorites like The Mad Greek, L’Albatros and Luxe Kitchen. If you want your own you can order it here.