Oh, Brother’s — a double date haven on Mondays!

While any night of the week makes for a great night out at Brother’s Lounge (especially on the newly-opened patio), Mondays were made for music. Brother’s hosts MOJO Big Band every Monday in the Music Hall for only a $5 admission, as well as Blue Mondays (for FREE!) in the Wine Bar, hosted by Madison Crawl.

MOJO Big Band is a professional 17-piece band that performs music from the great jazz orchestras of the past including Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Buddy Rich and many more.

Also, between 7-9pm, house martinis (in the wine bar) are only $5. It’s $5 Manic Monday mania! I know Mondays in my dictionary are spelled M-A-R-T-I-N-I.

Brother’s Lounge
Date: A swingin date sippin’ specially-priced martinis over live big band music. Be sure to wear your toe-tappers!
Pick Me Up: Every Monday at 8pm
My Place or Yours: 11609 Detroit Rd; Cleveland 44102; (216) 226-2767
Blind Date: A beautifully-restored neighborhood Pub, Wine Bar and Music Hall all in one location
Double Date: Closing time? Feeling tipsy? Walk across the street to My Friends (open happily for 24 hours a day) for an omelet the size of your head. Or pie. You like pie.
Want to Ride Bikes?: Not recommended during excess martini consumption
Cleveland Friendly: Click here for Brother’s Lounge circa 1963
No Thanks, I’m Washing My Hair: Single? Brother’s hosts a Ladies Night every Thursday. Just sayin’.

Romantic Ideas for Couples on a Budget

Julie at Positively Cleveland has your frazzled first-date brain covered with a GREAT list of romantic ideas for couples in Cleveland. Brunch dates to kite-flying adventures to showing a *crossing fingers* significant other how musically-cool and artsy-fun Cleveland can be — all at a budget-friendly investment*.

Le Petit Triangle Cafe is sooo added to my list!

*Cheap Date Cleveland holds no liability to the projection of your dating market forecast. Budget friendly or otherwise. Cheers!

Roller Skate Party!

We LOVE FREE! And we really love unique events such as Electric Roller Disco Tech. Hosted in the Leff Electric Building, this temporary event boasts a (hopefully) setting trend of utilizing vacant industrial spaces for, in this case, an electric night of fun. Fun being roller skating, of course!

I have a week to find skates! Wait. Are those roller blades still in my trunk? Man, I haven’t been at a rink since that creepy skating dinosaur at United Skates of America on the east side somewhere far out of distant memory. Did anyone else have birthday parties there? OMG, I had one every year. And once, my first boyfriend bought me a My Little Pony. Man, totally 80s…

Electric Roller Disco Tech
Date: It totally reminds me of a Junior High Skate Party!
Pick Me Up: August 28th, 2009 7-10pm
My Place or Yours: Leff Electric building, 1163 East 40th St., Cleveland, 44114
Blind Date: It’s a temporary event party — only ONE chance to experience! Which is what makes these kind of parties so cool and so fun. And while skate rental is unavailable, bringing yourself WITHOUT wheels is also strongly recommended.
Double Date: Skating, Dancing, Lounge, Pop Bar, Art, Movie AND a sunset. Dude, you’re SET!
Want to Ride Bikes?: Not unless you still carry your blades in a *gasp* skate bag.
Cleveland Friendly: Exhibit A. Taken from the lounge at the event.
No Thanks, I’m Washing My Hair: Do you remember skate nights as a kid? Grease up those wheels, and “accidentally” bump into a hottie in the rink.

Cleveland Lucky #13!

The Top 25 list of affordable cities for dating was released, courtesy of research conducted by Match.com. Cleveland comes in at a cheap & awesome #13.

Here’s the Top List:
1. Pittsburgh
2. Detroit
3. Sacramento
4. Phoenix
5. Indianapolis
6. St. Louis
7. Tampa – St. Petersburg
8. Orlando – Daytona Beach
9. Houston
10. Charlotte
11. Atlanta
12. Denver
13. Cleveland
14. Miami
15. Portland
16. Minneapolis
17. Seattle
18. Philadelphia
19. Boston
20. Dallas – Fort Worth
21. Washington, D.C.
22. Chicago
23. New York
24. San Francisco
25. Los Angeles

Cleveland = where a romantic dinner and a movie should not have to break the bank!

So, get over to one of the Cleveland Cinemas and support a local restaurant.

Summer Dates and Romantic Dinners

Though the summer has been beautiful, the end of gorgeous weather is imminent.

Flee to the Cleve blog has some wonderful end-of-summer local date adventures with its “Shatterproof Summer Dates: Five Romantic Dinners and Destinations Not Even You Can Screw Up.”

Another AMAZING example of Cleveland ideas for great summer dates… and cheap, of course! My favorite, of course, being a shopping trip to the West Side Market. Not only do you find the freshest of meats and produce, but making a homemade taste dish for two no longer means breaking the bank (or using your credit card to impress, shame!). I also love the challenge of creating dishes with a new item.

With two minds, only great things can happen in that kitchen.

And then some.

Now, by their suggestion, I need to add Nemo’s Grille to my list.

Cinema at the Square

While the dog days of August approach, I like to find my air conditioning while doing something fun in the city! Cinema at the Square is one of my favorite film events in Cleveland (behind the Cleveland Film Festival, of course)! I’m a huge movie buff, and being that “Young Frankenstein” is my favorite movie (*swoon* Gene Wilder), you will find me front-and-center (or maybe the third row) tonight at Playhouse Square’s 12th Annual Cinema at the Square. Frankenstein is FREE! All other films are $5 per ticket.

Also in the series this year: Muppets Take Manhattan, Chariots of Fire, Ghostbusters, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, among other fantastic classics!

Cinema at the Square
Date: Movie (and maybe some popcorn)
Pick Me Up: Starts tonight August 6th at 7:30pm and runs through August 23
My Place or Yours: at Playhouse Square
Blind Date: The snack bar does sell beer!
Double Date: Come early to listen to the restored 1928 Kimball organ player. Also, just like old times, there are cartoons shown before each film.
Want to Ride Bikes?: Euclid Avenue is one of the most bike-friendly streets in the city. Bring your bike light for when the movie lets out at dusk!
Cleveland Friendly: A little screen test gem from “Tootsie” (showing August 21), courtesy of imdb

[Dorothy Michaels' screen test]
Rita: I’d like to make her look a little more attractive, how far can you pull back?
Cameraman: How do you feel about Cleveland?
Rita: Knock it off.

No Thanks, I’m Washing My Hair: Go alone, and make new friends! Don’t be anxious to see a movie alone! Plus, you don’t have to share your popcorn.

Recession Especial: El Rodeo

There are a bounty of fantastic Mexican restaurants all over the Cleveland area. One of my favorites, with locations in Westlake, Mentor, North Olmsted and Middleburg Heights, is El Rodeo, mainly because of its super “Recession Special.” For $19.99, you and your date can enjoy a guacamole appetizer, two combination dinners with two soft drinks and a flan to share!

Make plans for Friday on the awesome patio, and stick around long enough to have the mariachi band serenade your hot tamale.

Arriba, indeed!

El Rodeo
Date: Casual dinner
Pick Me Up: Or they deliver!
My Place or Yours: four locations – three on the west, one out east; Hours Sun-Thurs 11am-10pm, Fri-Sat 11am-11pm
Blind Date: New menus state there is a charge for multiple baskets of chips n’ salsa
Double Date: I’ve always been a fan of Mexican and bowling — and they always seem to be near one another. Eat at the North Olmsted location, and check out Buckeye Lanes just down Lorain. Mentor has Freeway Lanes, which is on the other side of the city, so keep your margarita pitchers to a minimum.
Want to Ride Bikes?: Not recommended — busy traffic areas for all locations.
Cleveland Friendly: If you’re looking for Cleveland culture, you have crossed the wrong border.
No Thanks, I’m Washing My Hair: While the Recession Special Combo does not state specifically that it’s intended for two people, I never met a combo plate of enchiladas I couldn’t enjoy on my own. Even two dinner plates.