This week’s "Fresh Start" is all about recovery and convalescence. Draw whatever conclusion you will from the word: Some are recovering from a year of reeling punch-drunkenness, while others may still be nursing the night before 2011 arrived. There are many points in-between, and reconnecting with a vulnerable chanteuse, finding your gastronomic north and seeing life more clearly through art are sure to help find your center and start, well, fresh. As is customary on OhioAuthority every week, here are three of the best of what’s around for the new week.
Vital Gastro
Best kept secret for NEO’s leafy-green eaters? Simple: Deagan’s Kitchen & Bar in Lakewood. This hailed, new gastropub has earned some buzz by offering eclectic eats and microbrews, but on Wednesday nights, including this Wednesday, January 5, vegan and vegetarian menu specials are the featured bites. Specials like the ponzu-marinated tofu and soba noodle salad, vegan pierogi and more transcend ridiculously hackneyed “veggie burger” and “pasta primavera” options that area restaurants pass for varied veggie dining. Add some tasty regional brews (we think the Bell’s Christmas Ale from Kalamazoo, Michigan, is worth writing home about) and you have a perfect dining spot for your omnivores and herbivores alike. Check them out at 14810 Detroit Ave., Lakewood.
(Re)building a Mystery
Her heyday came in the late 1990s with the advent of Lilith Fair, the touring road show of female singer-songwriters, but Canadian songbird Sarah McLachlan didn’t disappear after building that mystery, so to speak. She is back on the road after a painful separation from former drummer-husband Ash Sood (see her latest effort Laws of Illusion) and the subsequent rebuilding of her life is the subject of McLachlan’s latest work. This “Sarah McLachlan & Friends” performance Wednesday, January 5 at EJ Thomas Hall in Akron marks a dénouement. The first set showcases McLachlan with songwriter friends Butterfly Boucher and Melissa McClelland, while the second showcases a sturdy greatest hits set, heartfelt songwriting and musicianship. Learn more about the gig and score tickets here.
Conceptual Space & Time
Arts Collinwood offers a chance for NEO art fanatics to reconnect with life through amazing bursts of color, geometry and use of space. Image / Object / Material: Recent Works by Christi and Jerry Birchfield kicks off with a reception this Friday, January 7 from 6 – 9 pm exploring the use of conceptual space as a metaphor for life. This brother and sister combo has an amazing handle on scope, color and form, using their work to express a number of human emotions and experiences. Soak up all their emotive installations, and then stay for an “Art de Rockus” concert featuring the bands Jukebox Value, User and Madame & the Moist Towelettes. For more info about Christi and Jerry Birchfield please visit www.christibirchfield.com and www.jerrybirchfield.com.
