10 Things Going on this Weekend in Cleveland (November 21 - 23)

Local breweries such as Black Box, Great Lakes, Buckeye Brewing and Thirsty Dog will be on hand for the 17th annual MicroBrew Extravaganza that takes place from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Ariel International Center. The event is a fundraiser for the Free Medical Clinic of Greater Cleveland. Tickets are $65 in advance, $75 the day of the event. A designated driver ticket costs $50. (Niesel)

Time for the latest edition of the Cleveland Flea, a truly worthwhile flea market filled with vintage wares, oddball apparel, handmade accessories and all sorts of organic food and crunchy trinkets and furniture and stuff. Tonight’s 5 to 9 p.m. event is a special Holiday Market sneak preview and requires a $25 ticket, available online. Tomorrow, the Cleveland Flea is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday’s hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Bring bags! And cash! And curiosity! And an enabling lover! (Allard)

You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who knows more about whiskey than Whiskey Pete. The Ohio State grad has 20 years of restaurant experience and has been on a bourbon panel at the Culinary Institute in Cincinnati. He’ll be on hand tonight for the RNDC Bourbon Dinner that takes place at 6 at Music Box Supper Club. For $50, you get a four-course dinner that’ll feature a variety of paired cocktails. (Niesel)

Frank Sinatra once called Tony Bennett ”simply the best singer in the business.” Best known for his hit “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” Bennett continues to challenge himself. He recently went into the studio with Lady Gaga to record Cheek to Cheek, an album of jazz standards that includes their take on songs by the likes of George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Jerome Kern and Irving Berlin. It's a strange pairing but their voices ultimately mesh well on the album. Bennett played some dates with Gaga but for tonight's show, it'll be just him so expect to hear standards such as "Fly Me to the Moon" and "I Got Rhythm." It all goes down at 7:30 p.m. at the Connor Palace. (Niesel)

The Cavs square off tonight against the Toronto Raptors, currently perched atop the Eastern Conference thanks to excellent all-around play from guards Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan. The Cavs finally seem to have found an offensive rhythm, but they’ll need to shore up their perimeter defense if they hope to stop Toronto’s arsenal of sharp-shooters. It’s obviously way too early to make predictions, but if the Chicago Bulls lose Derrick Rose to a season-ending injury (God forbid!), tonight’s matchup very well could be a preview of the Eastern Conference Finals. The flaming sabres will ignite at the Q at 7:30 p.m. (Allard)

The variety of Christmas ales seems to increase every year and the brews all have wide appeal. Tonight, you can sample this season’s top holiday ales at the Greater Cleveland Aquarium’s holiday ale-themed Adult Swim. The $45 ticket includes admission to the aquarium, a souvenir tasting glass and light hors d’oeuvres. Tickets for designated drivers are available for $25. (Niesel)

Known for his hilarious YouTube videos, local comic Mike Polk is good at coming up with things off the cuff. He’ll have the chance to do just that tonight as he hosts Cleveland Tonight, a Tonight Show-like event that’s part of the Cleveland Comedy Festival. The event, which takes place at 8 at the Hanna Theatre, will feature interviews and a standup performance by national headliner Al Jackson. Hawkeye, a rock band featuring WMMS’ Alan Cox Show co-host Erika Lauren, will also perform. Tickets are $15 in advance or $18 day of the show. (Niesel)

For two years now, Toxic Burlesque has put on some of the city’s most popular burlesque shows. Tonight at 8 at Brothers Lounge, the troupe celebrates its second anniversary with a special show. Dancers slated to perform include Carmen M’Knoxide, Ginger Rockwood, Ava Adore and many more. Tickets are $10. (Niesel)

The Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra features some of the region's best young musicians. Tonight, you can hear them show off their skills as they perform at Severance Hall at 8. Led by conductor Brett Mitchell, the group will play selections by John Adams, Roy Harris and Tchaikovsky. If you arrive an hour early, you can see some of the Youth Orchestra members playing chamber music as part of a prelude concert. Tickets start at $15. (Niesel)

Probably the best way to kick-start the week is by shaking your ass uncontrollably at Shake It Down, B-Side’s bitchin’ Sunday night electronic shows. DJs Eso and Corey Grand join forces to spin anything and everything: Funk, soul, hip-hop, trap, drum and bass, and all sorts of similarly ill shit. Grand’s cred speaks for itself: “Sucka Free Since ’88.” And that same sentiment goes for the Sunday-night throwdown as a whole. Work your way across Coventry all weekend and wrap up the party at B-Side. The DJs start spinning at 10 p.m. (Eric Sandy)