Ohio City : In The News

In a Wine Enthusiast Magazine story titled “Hot in Cleveland: Three Wine Bars to Visit in Cleveland,” the editors point out that Cleveland is attracting the likes of young artists, artisans, and web entrepreneurs due to modestly priced real estate and an above-average food and beverage scene.
 
“And while the food and beer scenes have always been strong (C-town is home to Michael Symon's empire and the Great Lakes Brewing Co.), this recent trend is raising the culture quotient and energizing the wine scene. There is life beyond the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame in Cleveland.”
 
Market Avenue Wine Bar, La Cave du Vin and Lola Bistro each provide a unique draw to the young and old alike, from high ceilings, parquet floors, and easy access to the West Side Market for Market Avenue Wine Bar to the genius of Michael Symon’s culinary team at Lola, Cleveland has plenty to keep folks returning for more.
 
Enjoy the full story here.

In an Eater.com feature titled “Noodlecat Chef-Owner Jonathon Sawyer on Cleveland, Expansion, and the Ramen Boom,” Amy McKeever talks to local chef Jonathon Sawyer regarding the one-year anniversary of the Noodlecat spot in Cleveland’s historic West Side Market.
 
In her lengthy interview she touches on all aspects of the satellite location, from opening to inspiration, to the difficulties of working in a cramped 45-square-foot space. Despite focus on Sawyer and Noodlecat, the West Side Market comes across as the star thanks to outstanding vendor relationships and supplying the ingredients used at both the stand and the brick-and-mortar restaurant downtown.
 
“I would say if anybody comes to Cleveland and doesn't go to the West Side Market, that would be an absolute shame,” Sawyer states.
 
We agree wholeheartedly.
 
Check out the full interview here.

In a New York Times feature titled “Riding Wave of Popularity, Craft Brewers ask Congress for a Tax Cut,” Andrew Siddons writes of brewers from across the nation gathering in Washington D.C. for their industry’s first conference. In addition to meeting to discuss their trade, plenty of lobbying took place as well.
 
“For every 31 gallons that we brew, $7 goes to Uncle Sam,” said Jeff Hancock, a co-founder of DC Brau. These small brewers feel they need a break.
 
Cleveland’s own Patrick Conway of Great Lakes Brewing Company was there as well.
 
“We are the victims of our own success,” said Patrick Conway, owner of the Great Lakes Brewing Company in Cleveland. Mr. Conway brought a delegation of 12 employees to Washington to network and publicize his brews with tap takeovers at local bars. “We’re always being courted by distributors,” he said. “It’s not our intention to sell in every state, but we are flattered.”
 
Enjoy the entire feature here.

In a Craft Beer story titled “Craft Brewers Revitalizing the Rust Belt,” Joe Baur writes that the Rust Belt cities of Buffalo, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and St. Louis have become thriving areas for local breweries to open operations and bring life into their respective neighborhoods.
 
In Cleveland, the Ohio City neighborhood is home to Cleveland staple Great Lakes Brewing Company, Market Garden Brewery and the newer Nano Brew.
 
Sam McNulty, owner of Nano and Market Garden Brewery, sees brewery-based neighborhood revitalization as a perfect fit with Rust Belt history.
 
“Brewpubs and breweries are essentially light manufacturers,” he explains. “There’s a certain romance to it. The same way people like milling with their chef or farmer, people really appreciate milling with their brewer, knowing the bar they’re sitting at is a short distance away from where the beer was brewed.”
 
Read the rest of the Rust Belt news here.

In a Yahoo! News feature titled “Hottest Cleveland Neighborhoods for 2013,” writer Paul Rados describes the improving real estate environment in Cleveland, while highlighting the Tremont and Ohio City neighborhoods as an area ripe with potential.

Both are popular, trendy neighborhoods that are a major draw due to their walkability and proximity to downtown, dining and entertainment.

“There is a friendly attitude everywhere you go," Sarah Urbancic of Howard Hanna explains. "People like being in the thick of things and also appreciate the fact that if your city is strong, the neighborhoods will be stronger. Everyone supports the effort to make each building [and] each block stronger and more welcoming."

In a Zillow Blog article titled “Single No More! Where to Move for Love in 2013,” Alison Paoli lists Cleveland as #4 on the list of Top 10 cities for men seeking women age 35 and under.

Cleveland also ranks #8 for the top 10 cities for men seeking men age 35 and under and #3 for the top 10 cities for women seeking women age 35 and under.

“Zillow ranked the 150 largest U.S. cities based on the Zillow Rent Index versus the median income, walkability and the ratio and abundance of single males to single females aged 35 and under. The resulting cities are geographically diverse, with median rents ranging from $800 to $2,500 per month.”

Check out the full list here.

In a Huffington Post report titled “Cities have hundreds of empty schools,” Philip Elliott writes of the nation’s largest cities struggling to sell valuable property while still incurring costs to keep them secure while empty.
 
Elliot notes that Cleveland already has found uses for 25 former buildings, bulldozed seven other buildings to turn into parks, but still has 27 additional properties up for grabs.
 
“The number of idle buildings does not include properties that the districts are holding on to but are not using. Cleveland, for instance, kept several buildings at the ready to fill in for others they plan to renovate in the future, officials there said.”
 
Read the full report here.

In a Buffalo News feature titled “Chow down on Lake Erie,” food writer Andrew Galarneau highlights the thriving culinary scene in Cleveland and wonders how and why it differs from Buffalo’s own food scene.
 
Galarneau, questioning local food scribes like the PD's Joe Crea and this pub's own Douglas Trattner, delves deeply into the likely causes for Cleveland's disproportionate maturity when it comes to food and dining. Many of the city's finest chefs are mentioned in the piece.
 
"How did Cleveland get so awesome?" Galarneau muses aloud.
 
“When Symon said, ‘Cleveland is awesome, check it out,’ he wasn’t lying,” Trattner, a restaurant critic and author, is quoted in the piece. “Anybody can get up there and talk about their hometown, but he had stuff to back him up, so it wasn’t just ‘Here’s what I’m doing’ but ‘Here’s what Cleveland’s doing as a dining town, I’d think you’d be surprised.’ ”
 
The scribe notes that “[Eric] Williams won the undying love of tattooed hipsters and blue-collar types with Happy Dog, a bar that serves 75 beers and $3 boats of Tater Tots with as many of the 19 sauces, ranging from black truffle honey mustard to Oaxacan chocolate mole, as you want. And live polka happy hour on Fridays.”
 
Check out the full tribute to Cleveland and get a sneak peak at Buffalo’s budding scene here.

In a Progressive Railroading feature titled “Greater Cleveland RTA posts ridership gain in 2012,” the transportation mag covers the positive news.
 
"Ridership on the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) rose 4.3 percent to 48.2 million in 2012, marking the second consecutive year of growth, agency officials said in a prepared statement."

"Every service mode registered an increase, but the biggest gain was posted on the Red Line rail corridor, where ridership climbed 9.1 percent. The Blue and Green rail lines posted a 4.1 percent ridership gain."

"Customers are making a choice to ride, especially on the rail," CEO Joseph Calabrese is quoted in the piece. "With our recent increase in frequency on the Red, Blue and Green lines, and 8,000 free parking spaces at rail stations, we have room for more Northeast Ohioans to make the green choice and ride RTA."

Average daily trolley ridership rose 5 percent to 3,840 trips.

Read the rest right here.

Once again, Draft Magazine has included multiple Cleveland watering holes in its annual round-up of America’s 100 Best Beer Bars: 2013.

"As craft beer has exploded, so has the number of incredible places that serve it. This list celebrates those special haunts with less than three locations and one passionate focus: beer. There might be darts and a jukebox or candlelight and a turntable; there might be five beers or 500. But in every spot on our list, you’ll find an excellent brew in your glass and people -- staff, owners, barflies -- who care about that as much as you do."
 
Among the list is:

Buckeye Beer Engine

"Grab a seat at the horseshoe bar, order up a cask-conditioned pint from local brewery Indigo Imp, and marvel at the inventive displays of beer paraphernalia -- like the beer-bottle light fixtures illuminating this upbeat watering hole."

La Cave du Vin

"A flicker of candle flame and the glow from the bottle coolers is all the light you have to go by in this subterranean beer mecca, which means the handful of taps, discerning bottle selection and vintage list under lock and key are best enjoyed on a date -- leave your beer notebook at home."
 
Bier Markt

"Rich, dark wood tones and soft lighting set the mood for this swanky, Belgian-enriched bar, while bottles of 3 Fonteinen Oud Gueze circa 2009 and plates of pickled pork shoulder help make this joint one of the classiest beer spots in Cleveland to bring a date."

Drink up all the good news here.

In a Chicago Tribune article titled "Mad for a Manhattan," writer Zak Stambor explores the virtues of the iconic cocktail.

"Two parts whiskey to one part sweet vermouth, add a dash or two of Angostura bitters and stir. That's all there is to making a Manhattan. And yet the classic cocktail has endured since the 1870s. It's iconic. And for good reason. Like every great cocktail, the finished product is even better than the sum of the individual components -- no matter how good those ingredients are."

For the article, Stambor hits up Velvet Tango Room owner Paulius Nasvytis for some information.

"It's supposed to be powerful, it should rack (sic) you up in a warm dark liquor embrace," says Paulius Nasvytis, owner of Cleveland's Velvet Tango Room, which helped pioneer the chic cocktail lounge trend when it opened in 1996.

"Even though rye is traditional, Nasvytis prefers the more mellow bourbon. At the Velvet Tango Room, where the bar's three variations on the Manhattan are its most popular drinks, he uses Maker's Mark because of its smooth, honeyed flavor with notes of caramel and dark fruit."

Drink up the rest right here.

AMOG, an online magazine geared to men, included Cleveland in its recent listing of "The 10 American Cities that Brew the Best Beer."

"There’s a lot to consider when planning a vacation. The cost, climate, and sightseeing, are of course, major factors. But what about the beers that are brewed in that city? Regardless if you want to party like a frat boy or sip on a craft beer during dinner, beer can say a lot about the city of its origin. Whether it’s a revolutionary technique used for brewing, unique flavors or just a local favorite, each city that brews their own beer puts their own stamp on beer. So, before you book anything, check out the 10 American cities that beer the best beer."

Cleveland gets nods for Nano Brew Cleveland, which will “pour you a bready amber ale while they tune your bike.” As well as Market Garden Brewery, Fat Heads, the Brew Kettle and Great Lakes Brewing Company.

"Even towns nearby, like Strongsville and Akron, are great places to check out if you’re a beer enthusiast."

Read the rest here.

In a Los Angeles Times column titled “Culinary SOS: Divine medley of flavors,” Noelle Carter answers a reader’s question about her experience with Cleveland’s own Market Garden Brewery and shares their recipe for sweet potato pie.
 
“A while ago, on a visit to Cleveland, our son took us to eat and drink at the Market Garden Brewery. I believe it is near the interesting Garden Market on the near west side of Cleveland. I ordered the sweet potato pie. It was out of this world! I was glad I had eaten lightly before devouring it.”
 
Not sure what the "Garden Market " is, but Carter soldiers on and, after some research of her own, provides the secret to its awesomeness as well as the recipe.
 
“This is no ordinary sweet potato pie. Creamy mashed sweet potatoes are lightly spiced with nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla paste, and sweetened with a touch of honey, sugar and muscovado brown sugar -- a rich, dark, unfiltered brown sugar -- for a wonderful medley of flavors. Not too sweet and not overly spiced. In a word: perfect. This is one pie I'll be making again and again.”
 

Offered as a sort of travel guide to travelling Pittsburgh Steelers fans, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette recently ran a feature titled "On the road with the Steelers: Cleveland."
 
Writer Gretchen McKay does a great job providing tips on where to eat, drink and enjoy the scene in Cleveland.
 
"A growing foodie destination with a landmark public market and a lively arts community, there's plenty of fun in store for the weekend traveler. So much, in fact, that Travel and Leisure named it one of America's 'favorite cities' in 2009 for affordability and its rockin' music scene: in addition to one of the world's best-known music museums, it boasts a renowned orchestra," writes McKay.
 
As for foodie-friendly spots, McKay writes:
 
"Many of the best tastes of Cleveland can be found in its historic West Side Market in an arched NeoClassical/Byzantine building in the Ohio City neighborhood. In October, the public market celebrated its 100th birthday with a parade, but every day here feels like a celebration for food lovers. Home to more than 100 vendors that show off the city's ethnic diversity -- you'll find everything from Old World smoked meats and pierogies to produce and gourmet cheeses to a French creperie serving to-order sweet and savory crepes -- it's been featured on the Travel Channel and Food Network."

"Even though Cleveland and Pittsburgh have similar demographics, Cleveland's food scene has a higher national profile. As former PG restaurant critic China Millman pointed out in a 2010 travel story, the food here really rocks."


Read the rest of the article here.

This animated video premiered at the 4th Annual Sustainable Cleveland Summit in September.

"It illustrates the vision for a local and sustainable food system in the Cleveland region, and how people can get involved," explains Jenita McGowan of the Mayor's Office of Sustainability  "As part of the Sustainable Cleveland 2019 year of local foods celebration, we wanted to create a video that is fun, simple and easy to understand.  It is our goal that this video resonates specifically with residents of Northeast Ohio using recognizable icons, such as the West Side Market.”