Momocho has been on my foodie to-do list for a very long time. Along with Parallax, Tommy’s, Velvet Tango Room and the majority of the restaurants in Little Italy, I’ve found myself picking another locations, saying “we’ll go there next time”. But suddenly Momocho was putting itself in front of me regularly recently: first with the discovery of this Unique Eats feature, then by several others telling me of their dinner reservations for the mod mex joint. The universe was guiding me towards Ohio City and as he was feeling adventurous that night, Dad and I mutually agreed to check it out.

We were seated in the first floor bar area at a six top. Immediately you notice the mod mex influence in the artwork and décor around you:

At the far end of our six top, another party of two were sat. Turns out they had made the drive all the way from Columbus that Sunday JUST to check out Momocho after seeing it on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. That’s dedication to the name of eating well!

As we soaked in the ambiance of the bar area, we started with lime margaritas and perused the menu. Taquitos were in order as Dad and I were willing to share our dishes. It was quite difficult deciding on which to choose, but our server Brooke kindly and patiently answered all of our questions.

I decided to start my meal with the warm green bean + fennel ensalada with limon-feta-cilantro vinagretta, radish and cotija cheese:

This was as big winner in my book. The warmth of the dish made the cotija just gooey enough to make this veggie salad feel naughty. I’m always excited to see fennel incorporated into a dish, and was very pleased to see it in a warm salad option. The neat thing about this is that it could be served cold, taste just as good but give the diner another tasting experience. This is one that I hope to recreate at home!

Part foodie win and part “you go dad” moment, PIP Dad took a leap and ordered the chancho taquitos: adobo braised wild boar which was paired with pomegranate barbacoa sauce and the oaxacan red chile and chocolate mole:

Dad and I both highly enjoyed the boar which had a great flavor. His accompanying sauces were counterbalances to one another: one hot and one sweet. We found ourselves taking alternative bites of boar: one with pomegranate sauce and then one with the chocolate mole. Stab, sauce, eat and repeat. Definitely a solid, hearty choice.

As sucker for the words “fish tacos”, I ordered the pescado taquitos: a cebiche style mahi mahi served with pineapple & jicama guacamole and a tomatillo verde:

When ordering my main, I made sure to get an option that included their world famous guacamole. And now I know why it lives in infamy: that stuff was damn good. I loved the flavor of my mahi mahi and how it paired with the spice of the tomatillo verde. And those peppers and onions underneath made this veggie lover extremely pleased. Between all the food and flavors, both Dad and I had to go home with to-go boxes – also appropriately mod mex themed!

Who knew taquitos could be so filling?!

LONG STORY SHORT: Why did I wait so long to drop into this Ohio City gem?! After all this time of pushing others out of their comfort zones, I’m glad that my dad’s willingness to try a new-to-him spot helped me discover another place that I love in Cleveland. Now I just can’t wait for warmer temperatures as I hear they have one killer patio. Margaritas, guac and chips on a warm summer day? Sign me up for a return visit now!

It’s hard to believe that The Rainforest is celebrating its 20th year anniversary in 2012. I remember my first grade school field trip to the spot and the exact details of the educational activity . I was OBSESSED with preservation for months at the age of 9 and remember walking my Parma side street asking my neighbors for donations to “Save the Rainforest!!” Just shows how important educational funding can be! But as for 28 year old me, I was excited for both the education experience and the treats we’d find!

Upon entering, we were greeted with a glass of champagne (always a good thing for me) and then found our way to the Amazon Café. While the event started at 6:00PM, our arriving at 7:00PM meant missing out on a few of the restaurants as they had already run out of food – there was a hungry bunch in attendance that night!

Luckily, Paladar Latin Kitchen still had chile-spiked chocolate brigadeiros to spice up things:

…and Fahrenheit – with Chef Rocco Whalen from recent Food Network Fat Chef fame – had plenty of bacon wrapped dates, quail and sweet potatoes. I could have eaten the quail like chicken wings all night long if given the opportunity!

Creekside Restaurant & Bar came ready to serve with plenty of chicken milano, potato pancakes and various specialty tortes:

Their location down in Brecksville has one of the most beautiful patios in Northeast Ohio. The perfect spot to relax with a glass of white wine on a warm summer day – I can’t wait to get back there again!

As I saw a familiar face with Chef Jeff Jarrett behind the table, AMP 150 Restaurant & Bar’s celery root soup knocked it out of the park.

No matter what soup comes out of that kitchen, I’ve always been a fan. I hope this is on the menu the next time I visit the restaurant.

We then headed into the exhibit hall to find Tree House Gallery & Tea Room serving a key lime curried chicken with grapes and almonds:

We also found a table full of friends as Whole Foods Market Cedar Center shared tofu skewer and tropical quinoa salad:

I love when “unusual” grains such as quinoa are served at food and wine events. It was fun to see guests walk up to the table, unsure of what was on the plate, and then end up loving it. I happily chowed down on a plate of the quinoa as I catch up with their Community Manager Lisa and the rest of the team from WFM.

On the stairway landing, House of Blues had some pulled pork sliders that Hans very much enjoyed. They were also giving away tickets for upcoming events but unfortunately we couldn’t take advantage of the concerts due to scheduling conflicts. It was a nice bonus from the concert venue. Also, I must note there were plenty of bar stations around the Rainforest to keep you well hydrated – I never was without a beverage!

Throughout the Rainforest, members of the Zoo staff were presenting on various love & relationship based topics (it was the Thursday before Valentine’s Day after all) and how they occurred in the wild. From The Mating Game, to My Two Dads: Same-Sex Couples in the Animal Kingdom, they covered all the bases. They weren’t even afraid to get a bit scandalous:

We also had fun seeing creatures of all shapes and sizes – and much closer than you’d expect to as animal handlers were places around the venue introducing guests to the residents of the Rainforest.

While we were happy to meet those animals, we were excited to run into some familiar faces.

Old college friend and former intern Brendan works for the zoo – and was recently promoted! Congrats to him! While catching up with Brendan, our blog partners in crime – Team WhyCLE – appeared after a long night of texting in a space with little cell phone coverage. Who knew the tropical rainforest wasn’t covered by AT&T? (Group pic from WhyCLE’s event recap – she even included the old school 1992 Rainforest song YouTube clip!)

After a night of good eats and plenty of drinks, we had a lovely time at Animal Attractions. The Cleveland Zoological Society holds events throughout the year, so visit their website to see what’s up this Spring. I’m already looking forward to Twilight at the Zoo – no excuses, I WILL make it this year!!

Disclosure: I was provided a media pass to the Animal Attractions event via the Cleveland Zoological Society. My thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.

Interested in meeting a some of these bloggers in real life? Join us for the OBA February Cleveland Blogger Wine Tasting with Miss WineOH on Tuesday, February 21st. There are a few spots remaining – all are invited to join us! Directions to RSVP are available here.

INTRODUCING YOUR CLEVELAND BLOGGERS:

Lyn @ Life Lyn Style: I blog about my life which mainly consists of CSAs, pick your own, losing weight, exercise, and the adventures of raising healthy kids.

Kristian: I’m Kristian of OhioFestivals.net, where I document festivals throughout the state of Ohio. When I need to blog about my life that doesn’t take place at a festival (but usually involves food), then I post on my other blog, Adventures of a Trapped 300 Pound Man found at http://300poundadventures.blogspot.com

Jen @ Why CLE?: The inspiration for my blog came when I moved back home to Cleveland and people who lived kept asking why I came back. Each blog post seeks to give you another reason “Why CLE” is a great place to be!

Heidi @BananaBuzzbomb: I’m not from CLE per se, but represent Sandusky…and we travel to CLE often. I blog at http://www.bananabuzzbomb.com and often feature running/triathlon races that are held in NE Ohio.

Anna: I’m Anna and I write Diary of a Former Fat Girl (http://annarunning.wordpress.com). I write about my continuing effort to keep the weight off I lost my senior year of college and my discovered love of running.

Kimberly @ SMITTEN…in cleveland: I’m Kimberly from http://smittenincle.blogspot.com/ I have a lifestyle blog about beauty, fashion, food & home. I love to cook and eat(and drink!) and love doing it all in the CLE.

Sourire11: Life in Cleveland – I was an architect and a world traveler until my life was happily hijacked by my kids. Now the blog is mostly about my adventures with them – a fashion obsessed redhead and a baby so chill we nicknamed him the dude.  http://www.lifeincleveland.blogspot.com/

Amanda @ Clue Into CLE: My name’s Amanda. I started Clue Into Cleveland (http://clueintocleveland.wordpress.com) so that I could share the places, people and events that made me fall in love with the city when I first moved here (and what keeps me happy here 5 years later).

Heather: Hi! I’m Heather and I blog over at http://www.mile26andmore.com. I blog about balancing life while working full time, teaching at the gym, and being a good mom & wife, all the while training for a marathon (or 2!).

SarahH: I’m Sarah from A League of Her Own (http://aleagueofherown.blogspot.com). I mostly write about crafty mom stuff. However, I LOVE the CLE, having lived in this area my whole life.

Nadine: Blog-The New Black focuses on my personal Cleveland experience- food, fashion, and fun. Cleveland City Living promotes why living in Downtown is awesome! We also host the Cleveland City Living Awards where we give away $5,000 for the best Pitch For Cleveland.

Julie @ Wearing Mascara: My name is Julie and I blog at Wearing Mascara {dot} com. I just moved back to Northeast Ohio and live in Lakewood (Cleveland), Ohio. In the past 5 years, I have lived in Washington, DC, Lancastr, PA, and Pittsburgh, PA. I blog about my transition back to Cleveland, and healthy living with a feminine twist.

Crystal @ Eat*Drink*Cleveland: I’m Crystal and I started my blog Eat*Drink*Cleveland last year after constantly being asked for recommendations for restaurants, recipes and fun things to do from friends, co-workers and family.

Amie Kanengeiser: Hi!! My name is Amie and I write the food blog My Retro Kitchen http://www.myretrokitchen.blogspot.com/, where I am “dedicated to creating happy bellies one homecooked meal at a time”! When I am not writing about food, I blog about my first real true loves, my family, at My Cup Runneth Over: http://kanengeiserfamily.blogspot.com.

Holly: I’m Holly and I blog at http://rustbeltrunner.com. I have a journalism background and my personal interest is in health and fitness, so I took my writing to my blog. Rust Belt Runner showcases my journey with running, yoga and healthy eating. I moved to Cleveland in September 2011 with an eagerness to embrace everything CLE!

Jen: I’m Jen. My husband and I have a blog about building a green, energy-efficient, universally designed home in NEO. We write about how we make the choices we do, earth-friendly vendors and suppliers, and green living at http://www.dejongdreamhouse.bloghouse.com

Pengo: Hey! My name is Pengo, I am in training for the CLE Marathon, and have logged every single run since 2006 at Daddy Runs Fast http://daddyrunsfast.com. What does the 43 year-old Cleveland Heights man do to keep his joint from creaking, and how are his playlists so darn funky? Find out!

Miya: Hi! I’m Miya and I blog over at Confessions of an Almost Foodie. http://www.almostfoodie.com. I used to blog just about food… food I cook, food I order…food I love. I just revamped the blog to include other things like books, and travel and my growing road-rage. If road-rage is not an acceptable topic of conversation… I don’t know what is.

TLColson: I am MissWineOH, and my website is about wine, wine with food, wine and cupcakes, wine travel… and a little beer. I started my business because I fell in love with VA wine country, and now I explore Ohio wines (and other places) I get a kick out of finding great affordable wines and sharing them with others.

Tesa @ 2 Wired 2 Tired: Hi everyone! I’m Tésa (pronounced Taysa) and my blog is 2 Wired 2 Tired – http://www.2wired2tired.com. We have a daughter and a son who are 14 months apart and they are always wired, leaving my husband and I always tired. We love writing about travel, tech, food, family, and fun and, of course, Cleveland!

Genevieve: Hi, I’m new to the blogger world, and recently started My Cleveland Bucket List at http://bucketlistcle.blogspot.com. While I have only lived in Cleveland a short time, this city grew on me like I never expected! And it’s bittersweet having to leave, but I’m trying to fit in as many adventures as I can!

Becca: I’m Becca, and I write Peace, Love & Bagels (http://www.peacelovebagels.com/). PL&B started as a marathon training log and then morphed into just about everything else; recipes, DIY, how-to’s, things I love, my life and everything in between.

Charlene: I’m Charlene from Life in the CLE (lifeinthecle.wordpress.com). I write about exactly that – what life in Cleveland is like for a young professional, specifically in the marketing/PR/advertising community! I share about my favorite places, people and events in the CLE and also my love of advertising and marketing.

Kathleen: I’m Kathleen and I was a reporter at Fox 8 for 5.5 years. (Kathleen Cochrane…I’m now married and took my hubby’s last name) I just started blogging last month. I started reporterturnedmommy.com and I write about everything from mommyhood, adjusting to being a stay at home mom, travel, being the wife of a politician (that’s coming soon!) and much more!

Maria @downwarddog: My blog is The Daily Downward Dog and it chronicles my cool yoga experiences, most of which happen right here in NE Ohio. I also teach yoga, so I share my yoga class themes and yoga class playlists (that are full of rock and reggae – none of that airy-fairy stuff!). I also review yoga books, dvds, and clothes.

Kathleen Harrington: I am an artist living and working in the Cleveland area. I frequently paint in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. On my blog I show my work, feature local art shows and books and movies of interest to art lovers.

Stephanie: Hi! I am Stephanie from Hungry in Cleveland. Mostly I blog about food and every now and then running. It’s a fun little balance of three things I am passionate about. Check it out here: http://hungryinclevelandohio.blogspot.com/

Kasie & Bob @ theparticularpear: Hi, we are Kasie & Bob from theparticularpear.wordpress.com. We started our he said/she said food blog last year. We blog about food in NE Ohio and wherever our travels take us.

Charity: I’m Charity of http://www.flipflopgirl.com and my husband and I have a blog together at http://www.livefromthe440.com After a crazy year of a wedding, health issues and job adjustments, we’re finally getting back to blogging about all theings us and CLE!

Brad: I’m Brad from Cleveland Food and Brews. I love to eat and drink great craft beer all around our great city. I also love traveling to other places to see what they have to offer. My Food and Restaurant Site is: http://www.clevelandfoodandbrews.com/ and my Craft Beer Site is: http://www.clevelandfoodandbrews-craftbeer.com. Cheers!!!

Raizel: I blog at http://aromarama.blogspot.com about everything that smells good. You can read about essential oils, aromatherapy and a mish mash of observations about the exciting and crazy world we live in.

Sarah @ Cooker Girl: I’m Sarah, I like to cook and I love to bake. My food blog is Cooker Girl. It’s a collection of recipes I’ve tried. Most are adaptations of existing recipes from blogs and cookbooks, but I also share original recipes and family recipes.

I have been nothing but a ball of energy lately. It’s the harnessing of that energy that’s the problem in some moments…

I was treated to a wonderful vinyasa flow from one of my favorite Nishkama instructors, Yolanda:

I spent the evening simply at home with my husband – grilling out and surprising him from baked goods from a Cleveland favorite:

The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach via a rib eye steak and a cannoli.

And at at the end of a wonderful day, the discovery of what I am now obsessed with this Wednesday: