Local Food Economy

fresh water guide to valentine's weekend
Take your sweetheart to a ‘90s dance party, ward off winter at the Kurentovanje Festival, see a $1 family movie, and keep up the romance on Fat Tuesday by eating a Paczki with your Valentine.
chef zack bruell announces details of eighth restaurant at flats east bank
Cleveland chef and restauranteur Zack Bruell's eighth restaurant will feature "open spaces, expansive views of the Cuyahoga River and open-air dining to take advantage of Cleveland’s all-too-short summer season," according to a news release that was issued this week.

Alley Cat oyster house, as the venue will be called, will be accessible by foot and by boat, since it will be located adjacent to the boardwalk in the new Flats East Bank development.

The release dubs it a "piscatorial paradise" (say that 10 times fast) that will feature "oysters, peel–and–eat shrimp, mussels, clams and fresh fish. A variety of pasta dishes, chicken, chowders, soups and salads will accompany the seafood selections, in addition to vegan menu items."

“This isn’t a big-ticket restaurant –it’s an oyster bar that you’d stroll into in a coastal town, like Santa Barbara or Nantucket; yet Alley Cat is right here on the Cuyahoga,” said Bruell in the release. “Our goal is to draw attention and visitors to Cleveland’s latest up-and-coming entertainment district, similar to what we’ve done in recent years with Chinato on East 4th Street or Cowell & Hubbard in PlayhouseSquare.”

Bruell is partnering with The Wolstein Group and Fairmount Properties to build the 170-seat restaurant, which will be his first venue to be constructed from the ground up.

As mentioned earlier, outdoor space is one of the driving themes here -- the new venue will feature a lower level patio and rooftop patio.
four events that will get you all fired up this week
Got cabin fever? Well, here are some excuses to get out of the house this week. Warm yourself by a community campfire at Ohio City’s first-ever Hingetown Hygge, listen to the city's best storytellers at Keep Talking, and much more.
happy 50th anniversary, nighttown (you figure it out!)
Fresh Water's inveterate barfly looks through the bottom of her pint glass at the history of Nighttown, one of Cleveland's oldest and most celebrated bars, restaurants and music clubs.
conde nast traveler names cleveland the best beer city in america
Here's what Conde Nast Traveler has to say about Cleveland's already-risen beer scene:

"The Midwest--American beer's ancestral seat--is finally stealing the spotlight back from the craft brew-sodden coasts. The freshest flavors and most creative styles pour in places like Cleveland, home to super-small-batch start-ups such as Platform (try their Anathema series, aged in local cider barrels), Nano, and Market Garden.--William Bostwick, author, The Brewer's Tale: A History of the World According to Beer

Read the full story here.
igniting the fire: social innovators spark cleveland's neighborhoods, kids
From a team of cyclists turning trash into earthen gold, to one man who helps kids tumble into a brighter future, Cleveland's social innovators kindle projects that are illuminating people and places across the city.
brew bus educates riders about the cle beer scene
Any beer lover in Cleveland is painfully aware that the growth of the craft brewery industry leaves little time to try all of the available options. Bob and Shelle Campbell solve that problem with the Cleveland Brew Bus – a 22-seat party bus that takes riders on tasting tours of Cleveland’s most popular breweries.
 
Started in June 2013 by the Campbells, the tasting tour takes riders on a five-hour tour of three local breweries. Each stop features three to four sample sized beers and the opportunity of order food. While on the bus, tour coordinator Leslie Basalla educates and entertains riders with brewery and beer facts.
 
“Every tour is a little different,” Basalla explains. “We have home brewers, craft brewers and people just along to have fun. We play to the varying levels of knowledge.”
 
Basalla, who is in the process of buying the business along with boyfriend Brian McCafferty from the Campbells, joined Brew Bus after serving as front of house manager for Market Garden Brewery. Basalla is a certified beer steward through the Master Brewers Association of the Americas.
 
There were about seven breweries on the tour list when Basalla joined the business in 2014, and that list has grown exponentially as Cleveland’s brewery scene has grown. “There are new breweries opening up constantly,” she says. “We’re adding one brewery about every two months. It’s a small community where everyone knows each other.” Recent additions include Platform Beer Co. and Brick and Barrel.
 
Tours are primarily in Cleveland and the suburbs, but the Brew Bus occasionally will travel to Akron and Lake County for tastings. Private tours are available as well, although Basalla recommends people call at least two months in advance from July through October to book a Saturday night. “Sundays are wide open,” says Basalla. “If you have at least 10 people and you want a tour, I’ll give you a tour any day of the week.”
 
Tickets for public tours can be purchased on the Cleveland Brew Bus website.
fodor's names cleveland a top 25 travel destination
"Rust Belt-chic town for art and culture vultures, basketball fans, and stalwart foodies."

That's how Fodor's Travel describes Cleveland in its new list of top 25 travel destinations in 2015.

The article also praises "culinary kings like Michael Symon and Jonathon Sawyer, an orchestra rated one of the top five in the nation, and a major new wing at The Cleveland Museum of Art."

Read the full story here.
anchor districts are the new engines of job creation, and that's a good thing for cities
New research suggests that innovation districts, whose growth is fueled by anchor institutions, companies and startups working in close proximity to one another, may be growing faster than traditional downtowns.
stepping up efforts to create a more liveable, connected downtown
Downtown's residential population has doubled over the last 15 years. Now a new report is serving as a guide for Cleveland's growth, with an emphasis on investments -- from mini-parks to signage to massive mixed-use developments -- aiming to better connect residents with downtown.
dca seeks to forge key connections throughout cleveland
Downtown is booming with new development, but getting around can sometimes be a challenge. Now key investments are in the works that will make it a much more livable, inviting place.
filling gaps will be city's ongoing challenge
The millennials and baby boomers driving a resurgence in downtown living are seeking an amenity-rich environment with retail options. Getting to that point won't be easy, but plans are already well underway.
this weekend in cleveland: makers markets galore & much more
Check out a local holiday market, let Lolly the Trolley be your designated driver or join a book binding workshop. Your weekend, planned.