Local Food Economy
Whiskey aficionados sat up and took notice when Cleveland Whiskey hit the market last March. Founder Tom Lix’s “radically different” approach to making whiskey -- pressure aging the whiskey for a superior quality in a short period of time -- has been met with enthusiasm and praise.
“I think, if anything, we just had an incredible reception,” says Lix. “The support has been phenomenal, especially when we are doing things untraditionally.”
Cleveland Whiskey sold 50,000 bottles in 2012 and now employs 12 people. Today, Lix is producing 4,000 bottles a week. The company started selling in Illinois and Tennessee last year, has begun selling in Virginia, and is about to start distribution in Michigan.
“We want to make sure we can keep up with demand at our Cleveland home base,” says Lix. “We want slow growth, but our mission is to sell nationally and eventually overseas.”
During the holidays, Cleveland Whiskey released its Christmas Bourbon and is about to launch a new whiskey – 87 – a slightly lower proof version of the original. “It still has the same bold flavors but it's a little less strong,” explains Lix.
The Cleveland Whiskey group will contribute to a float in Cleveland’s St. Patrick’s Day parade that will feature Celtic band CRAIC. The team will host an after-parade party at McCarthy’s Downtown with another concert by CRAIC and, of course, some whiskey.
Source: Tom Lix
Writer: Karin Connelly
“I think, if anything, we just had an incredible reception,” says Lix. “The support has been phenomenal, especially when we are doing things untraditionally.”
Cleveland Whiskey sold 50,000 bottles in 2012 and now employs 12 people. Today, Lix is producing 4,000 bottles a week. The company started selling in Illinois and Tennessee last year, has begun selling in Virginia, and is about to start distribution in Michigan.
“We want to make sure we can keep up with demand at our Cleveland home base,” says Lix. “We want slow growth, but our mission is to sell nationally and eventually overseas.”
During the holidays, Cleveland Whiskey released its Christmas Bourbon and is about to launch a new whiskey – 87 – a slightly lower proof version of the original. “It still has the same bold flavors but it's a little less strong,” explains Lix.
The Cleveland Whiskey group will contribute to a float in Cleveland’s St. Patrick’s Day parade that will feature Celtic band CRAIC. The team will host an after-parade party at McCarthy’s Downtown with another concert by CRAIC and, of course, some whiskey.
Source: Tom Lix
Writer: Karin Connelly
Christian Ostenson says that he wants to do for Slavic Village what Sam McNulty did for Ohio City. He's emulating that successful entrepreneur by opening Thee Six5 Bistro, a 5,000-square-foot restaurant in a renovated, historic bank building in the Warszawa District on E. 65th. And while Slavic Village isn't Ohio City -- and isn't necessarily striving to be -- the new venue seems destined to add to the area's hidden charm.
Ostenson says Six5 will be an affordable, all-American bistro with frequent Polish and Slovenian specials in a nod to the area's rich ethnic heritage. It will have an open floor plan, large push-open windows and a rooftop deck and bar. Situated directly across from St. Stanislaus Church in the heart of the historic district, the building offers great views in an area with plenty of foot traffic.
"We want to make Slavic Village a destination, to bring people back to see what the area has to offer," says Ostenson, who steered clear of pricier real estate in Tremont or Ohio City because he wanted a spot where he could be a "pioneer."
Ostenson, a custom home builder who also runs Best of Both Worlds catering, purchased the building a few years ago with his wife Sarah for just $31,000, according to county auditor records. The second floor ceiling had caved in, and the roof dated back to the 1930s. "The building had seen better days," he notes.
But the builder has completely renovated the place from top to bottom, blowing through his $15,000 plumbing budget and spending more than four times that amount instead. But he's not complaining -- this is a project of passion as much as profit, he says. "I plan on being here awhile, so I don't need to make it all in a minute."
While he won't yet reveal the name of the chef on the project, he promises fresh, upscale cuisine at affordable prices. "We don't even have a freezer in the restaurant."
Ostenson will launch a Kickstarter campaign to help fund his pizza ovens before Thee Six5 Bistro opens in April. He promises that the rewards will be stellar.
This spring, the City of Cleveland will spend nearly $9 million rehabilitating nearby Fleet Avenue as one of the city's first complete-and-green streets.
Thee SixFive Bistro was financed by Key Bank, the City of Cleveland Storefront Renovation Program and the Economic and Community Development Institute.
Source: Christian Ostenson
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Ostenson says Six5 will be an affordable, all-American bistro with frequent Polish and Slovenian specials in a nod to the area's rich ethnic heritage. It will have an open floor plan, large push-open windows and a rooftop deck and bar. Situated directly across from St. Stanislaus Church in the heart of the historic district, the building offers great views in an area with plenty of foot traffic.
"We want to make Slavic Village a destination, to bring people back to see what the area has to offer," says Ostenson, who steered clear of pricier real estate in Tremont or Ohio City because he wanted a spot where he could be a "pioneer."
Ostenson, a custom home builder who also runs Best of Both Worlds catering, purchased the building a few years ago with his wife Sarah for just $31,000, according to county auditor records. The second floor ceiling had caved in, and the roof dated back to the 1930s. "The building had seen better days," he notes.
But the builder has completely renovated the place from top to bottom, blowing through his $15,000 plumbing budget and spending more than four times that amount instead. But he's not complaining -- this is a project of passion as much as profit, he says. "I plan on being here awhile, so I don't need to make it all in a minute."
While he won't yet reveal the name of the chef on the project, he promises fresh, upscale cuisine at affordable prices. "We don't even have a freezer in the restaurant."
Ostenson will launch a Kickstarter campaign to help fund his pizza ovens before Thee Six5 Bistro opens in April. He promises that the rewards will be stellar.
This spring, the City of Cleveland will spend nearly $9 million rehabilitating nearby Fleet Avenue as one of the city's first complete-and-green streets.
Thee SixFive Bistro was financed by Key Bank, the City of Cleveland Storefront Renovation Program and the Economic and Community Development Institute.
Source: Christian Ostenson
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Jonathon Sawyer, the award-winning chef behind Greenhouse Tavern and Noodlecat, is opening a new restaurant with his wife Amelia. The venue, to be called Trentina, will feature cuisine from the Trento region of northern Italy, where Amelia's family is from. It will open in the former Sergio's space in University Circle in the coming months.
Sawyer describes Trentina as a "passion project" that will allow him to pay tribute to his wife's heritage while introducing the cuisine of Northern Italy to a wider audience.
"I always had an affinity with 'the Boot,' as it were," he says. "When I started Bar Cento, it was really a Roman restaurant in the style of the street mongers of Rome. I didn’t want to repeat that, but I knew my wife’s family had tie-ins with Trento."
He traveled there and fell in love. "We subsequently returned -- more than 100 days in past four years, in fact. The thing I keep coming back to is how similar the growing seasons are in Trento and the Cuyahoga Valley. The indigenous people are very similar to the ethnic backgrounds of a lot of Clevelanders; there's Austrian, Swiss, Slovenian… so much more so than just straight-up Italian."
To help fund the restaurant and pay for some extras like a pasta extruder, wood-burning grill and double-sided hearth, Sawyer launched a Kickstarter campaign. The original goal was $21,999, but the project already has exceeded that amount by nearly $10,000 with 18 days still left to go.
So Sawyer set a new, loftier goal: "We want to be the most-funded hospitality Kickstarter campaign in Ohio, whatever that is," he jokes.
Sawyer certainly has earned his fan club, but the campaign rewards also don't hurt. For $100, you can take a cooking class that normally would cost $150. Three hundred bucks buys a cocktail named after you, while $600 gets you meals shipped to your home for six months. The list goes on and on, all the way up to dinner at your house for 20 of "your foodiest friends and family," cooked by the chef himself ($500).
Trentina will offer fine dining with showy tableside service like polenta seared over burning embers. Sawyer says, "For us, it will be the first time we'll be able to accurately portray cuisine with ingredients from just outside our back door."
Source: Jonathon Sawyer
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Sawyer describes Trentina as a "passion project" that will allow him to pay tribute to his wife's heritage while introducing the cuisine of Northern Italy to a wider audience.
"I always had an affinity with 'the Boot,' as it were," he says. "When I started Bar Cento, it was really a Roman restaurant in the style of the street mongers of Rome. I didn’t want to repeat that, but I knew my wife’s family had tie-ins with Trento."
He traveled there and fell in love. "We subsequently returned -- more than 100 days in past four years, in fact. The thing I keep coming back to is how similar the growing seasons are in Trento and the Cuyahoga Valley. The indigenous people are very similar to the ethnic backgrounds of a lot of Clevelanders; there's Austrian, Swiss, Slovenian… so much more so than just straight-up Italian."
To help fund the restaurant and pay for some extras like a pasta extruder, wood-burning grill and double-sided hearth, Sawyer launched a Kickstarter campaign. The original goal was $21,999, but the project already has exceeded that amount by nearly $10,000 with 18 days still left to go.
So Sawyer set a new, loftier goal: "We want to be the most-funded hospitality Kickstarter campaign in Ohio, whatever that is," he jokes.
Sawyer certainly has earned his fan club, but the campaign rewards also don't hurt. For $100, you can take a cooking class that normally would cost $150. Three hundred bucks buys a cocktail named after you, while $600 gets you meals shipped to your home for six months. The list goes on and on, all the way up to dinner at your house for 20 of "your foodiest friends and family," cooked by the chef himself ($500).
Trentina will offer fine dining with showy tableside service like polenta seared over burning embers. Sawyer says, "For us, it will be the first time we'll be able to accurately portray cuisine with ingredients from just outside our back door."
Source: Jonathon Sawyer
Writer: Lee Chilcote
We often don't give our old neighborhood restaurants a second thought, but they stand both as witnesses of and agents to change. As the world evolves all around them, they stand firm but flexible, preserving a delicious taste of the past while serving the ever-shifting needs of today's clientele.
sawyer's trentina kickstarter campaign gets eater's attention
In an Eater.com post titled “Ohio’s Jonathon Sawyer to Launch Kickstarter for Trentina,” writer Hillary Dixler shares Greenhouse Tavern and Noodlecat chef-owner Jonathon Sawyer’s plans to use crowd funding in an effort to raise a little cash for his upcoming Italian eatery, Trentina.
Trentina will occupy the 36-seat space previously belonging to beloved Cleveland chef Sergio Abramof, who passed away in 2012. The new restaurant aims to open in May.
“[Sawyer] says he's attracted to the idea of a "city-based shareholder system" in which the best customers can really become "benefactors of the restaurant." To that end, he says that he will only be asking for a portion of his overhead costs, to keep the fundraising goal in line with what his Cleveland customers will be able to support.”
Check out the full story and Sawyer’s YouTube video about the project here.
Trentina will occupy the 36-seat space previously belonging to beloved Cleveland chef Sergio Abramof, who passed away in 2012. The new restaurant aims to open in May.
“[Sawyer] says he's attracted to the idea of a "city-based shareholder system" in which the best customers can really become "benefactors of the restaurant." To that end, he says that he will only be asking for a portion of his overhead costs, to keep the fundraising goal in line with what his Cleveland customers will be able to support.”
Check out the full story and Sawyer’s YouTube video about the project here.
From a 3.25-acre hydroponic greenhouse in the Central neighborhood, Green City Growers Cooperative grows and sells a staggering three million heads of lettuce and another 300,000 pounds of herbs per year. All of those products are sold locally to grocery stores and food service companies within a 50-mile radius.
huffington post highlights work of cleveland seed bank
In a Huffington Post blog post titled “Galvanized into Positive Action: This Week in Seeding the Change,” contributor Ari Nessel writes of the various projects taking place across the globe in an effort to create a more peaceful and sustainable world.
Cleveland gets a nod thanks to the work of Christopher Kennedy and Marilyn McHugh, who together created the Cleveland Seed Bank.
“Cleveland is home to a growing local food movement, including urban farms, but lacks a local resource to promote, grow and build a seed saver network. Working with the Cleveland Public Library, The Cleveland Seed Bank will host a number of 'seed libraries' around the city, as well as an extensive social media campaign to educate the public on these resources.”
Check out the rest of the post here.
Cleveland gets a nod thanks to the work of Christopher Kennedy and Marilyn McHugh, who together created the Cleveland Seed Bank.
“Cleveland is home to a growing local food movement, including urban farms, but lacks a local resource to promote, grow and build a seed saver network. Working with the Cleveland Public Library, The Cleveland Seed Bank will host a number of 'seed libraries' around the city, as well as an extensive social media campaign to educate the public on these resources.”
Check out the rest of the post here.
Running late for a business meeting at the local coffee shop? Not going to make it to happy hour with your friends? Prezto eases the guilt by allowing the user to instantly send a cup of coffee, cocktail or even a cupcake to the person on the other end awaiting your arrival.
“The app allows you to give a gift to a friend remotely and immediately,” explains Anne Jiao, founder of Prezto. “It’s a way to share spontaneous moments on a daily basis.”
The concept is simple: Users download the app, select a participating establishment and gift to give, and then send it to a friend. The friend simply presents a code for scanning and receives the gift.
Jiao came up with the idea for Prezto after working in Los Angeles. “I noticed that most of my bosses hosted meetings outside the office and there was a lot of anxiety around getting to the right place at the right time,” she says. “I thought, what’s an easy way to get a meeting off on the right foot?”
She also reluctantly admits that a scene in the Hunger Games movie, in which the character Katniss received medication through a teleport device to win the game, also helped spark the idea. “It’s the idea of people who are not there being able to affect a person’s life,” she says.
Jiao went through the LaunchHouse Accelerator program last fall to hash out her idea for Prezto and still keeps an office there (in addition to coffee shops and a rented desk downtown). She employs a CTO and an intern and is looking for a second intern. She also uses five developers on a contract basis.
About 40 merchants already have expressed interest in Prezto, mostly in the Coventry, University Circle and Cleveland State areas. The app is in beta testing now and Jiao plans to use her interns to sign on more merchants before the app officially launches this summer.
Source: Anne Jiao
Writer: Karin Connelly
“The app allows you to give a gift to a friend remotely and immediately,” explains Anne Jiao, founder of Prezto. “It’s a way to share spontaneous moments on a daily basis.”
The concept is simple: Users download the app, select a participating establishment and gift to give, and then send it to a friend. The friend simply presents a code for scanning and receives the gift.
Jiao came up with the idea for Prezto after working in Los Angeles. “I noticed that most of my bosses hosted meetings outside the office and there was a lot of anxiety around getting to the right place at the right time,” she says. “I thought, what’s an easy way to get a meeting off on the right foot?”
She also reluctantly admits that a scene in the Hunger Games movie, in which the character Katniss received medication through a teleport device to win the game, also helped spark the idea. “It’s the idea of people who are not there being able to affect a person’s life,” she says.
Jiao went through the LaunchHouse Accelerator program last fall to hash out her idea for Prezto and still keeps an office there (in addition to coffee shops and a rented desk downtown). She employs a CTO and an intern and is looking for a second intern. She also uses five developers on a contract basis.
About 40 merchants already have expressed interest in Prezto, mostly in the Coventry, University Circle and Cleveland State areas. The app is in beta testing now and Jiao plans to use her interns to sign on more merchants before the app officially launches this summer.
Source: Anne Jiao
Writer: Karin Connelly
Tipse Treats founder Autumn Skoczen came up with the brilliant idea for a cupcake that contains a full shot of alcohol after visiting a bakery in another city, purchasing a booze-infused treat, and determining that all of the "good stuff" had burned off in the oven.
At the same time, she noticed cupcake shops on practically every other block. Along with bars, of course. So she hatched a plan to combine the two and create the cupcake equivalent of the Jell-o shot.
Now Tipse Treats, which has been rapidly gaining popularity in the two years since it launched, is opening a production facility in Parma to keep up with demand. Located at 5883 Broadview Road, the bakery will celebrate its grand opening with a party on Saturday, January 25th from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Cake and cupcake samples will be offered at the event, but you can also purchase your tipsy treats online or by calling them at 440-262-5531.
Co-owner Chelsea Scavnicky says Tipse Treats has found success with both commercial clients and individuals. Although she can't discuss the company's patent pending process in detail, she explains that the dessert is served "chilled, like a cocktail."
The Tipse Treats website touts the product as "the first ever cupcake shot." The company also offers alcohol-infused marshmallows, ice spheres and cubes, cocktail bubbles, popsicles and pudding pies. The "pint-sized playthings," say staffers, are perfect for functions ranging from bachelorette parties to adult sleepovers to corporate parties.
The production space in Parma will be used to sell non-alcoholic, prepackaged items, to hold events like cake tastings for weddings, and of course as the company's bakery.
The co-founders say they are searching for a retail space downtown, preferably in PlayhouseSquare. They even have their eye on a space, but it's too early to divulge any details. Co-owner Meghan Ciacchi will own and manage the downtown store.
"Everybody loves the idea," says Scavnicky of her company's growth. "When we go and present it, people are hooked."
Source: Chelsea Scavnicky
Writer: Lee Chilcote
At the same time, she noticed cupcake shops on practically every other block. Along with bars, of course. So she hatched a plan to combine the two and create the cupcake equivalent of the Jell-o shot.
Now Tipse Treats, which has been rapidly gaining popularity in the two years since it launched, is opening a production facility in Parma to keep up with demand. Located at 5883 Broadview Road, the bakery will celebrate its grand opening with a party on Saturday, January 25th from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Cake and cupcake samples will be offered at the event, but you can also purchase your tipsy treats online or by calling them at 440-262-5531.
Co-owner Chelsea Scavnicky says Tipse Treats has found success with both commercial clients and individuals. Although she can't discuss the company's patent pending process in detail, she explains that the dessert is served "chilled, like a cocktail."
The Tipse Treats website touts the product as "the first ever cupcake shot." The company also offers alcohol-infused marshmallows, ice spheres and cubes, cocktail bubbles, popsicles and pudding pies. The "pint-sized playthings," say staffers, are perfect for functions ranging from bachelorette parties to adult sleepovers to corporate parties.
The production space in Parma will be used to sell non-alcoholic, prepackaged items, to hold events like cake tastings for weddings, and of course as the company's bakery.
The co-founders say they are searching for a retail space downtown, preferably in PlayhouseSquare. They even have their eye on a space, but it's too early to divulge any details. Co-owner Meghan Ciacchi will own and manage the downtown store.
"Everybody loves the idea," says Scavnicky of her company's growth. "When we go and present it, people are hooked."
Source: Chelsea Scavnicky
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Great neighborhoods require great cafes. These so-called "third places" provide residents with a neutral place to meet, talk and take part in the daily discourse of life. Thanks to a maturing coffee movement, most of Cleveland's neighborhoods are now blessed with just such a place. Here are some of our favorites.
Amber Pompeii and her husband, Michael George, both Cleveland natives, spent the last couple of years in Seattle. While most people think of Seattle as a coffee hotspot, Pompeii discovered something different: tea. While working for Remedy Teas in Seattle, Pompeii saw that there’s a whole different mind-set in a tea shop than a coffee shop.
“Most of the time people walk into a coffee shop and it’s go, go, go, with a lot of carry out,” Pompeii says. “Tea is about taking time out of your day.”
Pompeii and George moved back to Cleveland eight months ago because they missed the city and wanted to bring the tea experience to Hingetown. They are on track to open Cleveland Tea Revival February 1. “It will be exactly like a coffee shop, where you go in and sit down, but we focus on tea, not coffee,” Pompeii says. “I love tea and there are not a lot of great places to buy tea in Cleveland.”
Cleveland Tea Revival will feature 50 organic teas, from white to black, as well as pu-erh, a fermented tea. Customers can enjoy a pot of tea in the café, take a cup to go, buy tea leaves or learn about the benefits of drinking tea. “We will focus on pure teas, that way you get a lot of natural flavors – buttery, flowery flavors with enzymes that help with digestion.” Pompeii currently is looking for local sources for pastries and plans to source locally for blending ingredients.
Pompeii went through the Bad Girl Ventures Fall 2013 business program and received a $25,000 loan from ECDI to help start Cleveland Tea Revival. While Pompeii and George are the only two employees right now, Pompeii says they plan to hire at least two people this year as the café gets off the ground.
Source: Amber Pompeii
Writer: Karin Connelly
“Most of the time people walk into a coffee shop and it’s go, go, go, with a lot of carry out,” Pompeii says. “Tea is about taking time out of your day.”
Pompeii and George moved back to Cleveland eight months ago because they missed the city and wanted to bring the tea experience to Hingetown. They are on track to open Cleveland Tea Revival February 1. “It will be exactly like a coffee shop, where you go in and sit down, but we focus on tea, not coffee,” Pompeii says. “I love tea and there are not a lot of great places to buy tea in Cleveland.”
Cleveland Tea Revival will feature 50 organic teas, from white to black, as well as pu-erh, a fermented tea. Customers can enjoy a pot of tea in the café, take a cup to go, buy tea leaves or learn about the benefits of drinking tea. “We will focus on pure teas, that way you get a lot of natural flavors – buttery, flowery flavors with enzymes that help with digestion.” Pompeii currently is looking for local sources for pastries and plans to source locally for blending ingredients.
Pompeii went through the Bad Girl Ventures Fall 2013 business program and received a $25,000 loan from ECDI to help start Cleveland Tea Revival. While Pompeii and George are the only two employees right now, Pompeii says they plan to hire at least two people this year as the café gets off the ground.
Source: Amber Pompeii
Writer: Karin Connelly
cleveland, the next brooklyn, says forbes
In a CNN Money feature titled "The Fortune Crystal Ball," the publication offers up its prognostications for the coming year, among them: Which cities will be the next Brooklyns, and which the next Detroits. Spoiler alert: Cleveland is pegged as a "Brooklyn."
"The American geography of prosperity has been driven by two big narratives in the past few years. On the one hand, there's Detroit, with its $18 billion in debt, pension mess, and population loss. On the other, there's Brooklyn, with its rocketing real estate prices, hip-luxe condos, and freshly foraged food stores," notes the money pub.
So, just what cities are deemed a "breakout town"?
New Brooklyns
Cleveland. The city is in the midst of a downtown revival that has seen not one, not two, but three Williamsburg-esque neighborhoods emerge: Tremont, Ohio City, and Gordon Square.
Odds of it becoming the "next Brooklyn" are placed at 63%.
Read the rest here.
"The American geography of prosperity has been driven by two big narratives in the past few years. On the one hand, there's Detroit, with its $18 billion in debt, pension mess, and population loss. On the other, there's Brooklyn, with its rocketing real estate prices, hip-luxe condos, and freshly foraged food stores," notes the money pub.
So, just what cities are deemed a "breakout town"?
New Brooklyns
Cleveland. The city is in the midst of a downtown revival that has seen not one, not two, but three Williamsburg-esque neighborhoods emerge: Tremont, Ohio City, and Gordon Square.
Odds of it becoming the "next Brooklyn" are placed at 63%.
Read the rest here.
cle chef profiled as charlotte-based fahrenheit gears up for opening
In an article titled "Rooftop Chef," Charlotte Observer writer Sarah Crosland interviews Cleveland chef Rocco Whalen as he prepares for the grand opening of his Fahrenheit export.
"When Food Network star chef Rocco Whalen announced that he was expanding his culinary empire from Cleveland, Ohio to Charlotte, local food lovers rejoiced. Not only is the enthusiastic chef bringing his beloved recipes south, but he’ll be serving them up from the roof of the 22-story Skye Condominiums in Uptown. The 4,000-square-foot Farenheit Restaurant features a pool, garden, and panoramic 360-degree views of Charlotte."
Asked if his celebrity clout will put the Charlotte food scene in the national spotlight, Whalen responds, "If being a celebrity chef means getting the opportunity to bring in Food Network friends to do some dinners, then that’s great -- we can have fun with that. And maybe we can have a Top Chef Charlotte. I’m sick of Charleston getting all the credit.”
Read the rest of the interview here.
"When Food Network star chef Rocco Whalen announced that he was expanding his culinary empire from Cleveland, Ohio to Charlotte, local food lovers rejoiced. Not only is the enthusiastic chef bringing his beloved recipes south, but he’ll be serving them up from the roof of the 22-story Skye Condominiums in Uptown. The 4,000-square-foot Farenheit Restaurant features a pool, garden, and panoramic 360-degree views of Charlotte."
Asked if his celebrity clout will put the Charlotte food scene in the national spotlight, Whalen responds, "If being a celebrity chef means getting the opportunity to bring in Food Network friends to do some dinners, then that’s great -- we can have fun with that. And maybe we can have a Top Chef Charlotte. I’m sick of Charleston getting all the credit.”
Read the rest of the interview here.
As recently as last year, the Colonial and Euclid Arcades downtown suffered from 40 percent vacancy. But oh, how fortunes have changed. The once-moribund properties, rebranded as 5th Street Arcades, have gone from half-empty to almost full. Fresh Water photographer Bob Perkoski spent some time in the arcades window shopping with his camera.
two cleveland eateries make top 15 list of 'most memorable restaurant meals'
Larry Olmsted, the weekly "Great American Bites" restaurant columnist for USA Today, eats out a lot, and his yearly Forbes list of standout restaurant meals from the past 12 months is filled with choice bites from around the globe. Two out of the 15 are meals in Cleveland spots.
"One reason these lists remain pertinent is because unlike most food publications, I don’t confuse 'new' with good, and just because I ate someplace this year for the first (or fifth) time doesn’t make the restaurant better or worse. What matters is simply how good the restaurant is," he writes.
Red, The Steakhouse
"Red succeeds at the high-end steakhouse game – where so many others fail -- by getting four key things right. 1. They make a great steak, using exclusively Certified Angus Beef that is mostly dry aged, and cooking it perfectly. 2. The appetizers are amazing, especially the Oysters Rockefeller and Red House Salad. 3. The classic steakhouse sides are perfected, like creamed corn and the only mac & cheese I have ever had that might actually be too rich, as the four cheese blend includes creamy Swiss raclette – and is offered with or without lobster. 4. The desserts are stunners and the Apple Pie Croissant bread pudding was OMG!"
Greenhouse Tavern
"Chef-owner Jonathon Sawyer is a hometown hero in Cleveland for his eateries, and if you visit his flagship Greenhouse Tavern it is easy to see why. He does many of the trends that are being embraced from Portland to Brooklyn, but he does them better: he makes an extensive array of his own vinegars, breaks down his own pigs and cows for snout to tail eating and completely embraces local farmers and ingredients. But while many pay lip service to these ideals he lives them, and the food shows. It is fun and wacky fine dining that puts twists on classics from around the world: his lunch menu includes a take on iconic Quebecois poutine called “gravy frites,” which covers a platter of fries with mozzarella curds, veal gravy and sometimes fried eggs. He has gotten a lot of press for his “Properly butchered rib steak,” cut in house of course, but the must-have signatures are the crispy chicken wings confit and roasted pig’s head served with little brioche buns to make your own pig’s head sliders.
Check out the entire list here.
"One reason these lists remain pertinent is because unlike most food publications, I don’t confuse 'new' with good, and just because I ate someplace this year for the first (or fifth) time doesn’t make the restaurant better or worse. What matters is simply how good the restaurant is," he writes.
Red, The Steakhouse
"Red succeeds at the high-end steakhouse game – where so many others fail -- by getting four key things right. 1. They make a great steak, using exclusively Certified Angus Beef that is mostly dry aged, and cooking it perfectly. 2. The appetizers are amazing, especially the Oysters Rockefeller and Red House Salad. 3. The classic steakhouse sides are perfected, like creamed corn and the only mac & cheese I have ever had that might actually be too rich, as the four cheese blend includes creamy Swiss raclette – and is offered with or without lobster. 4. The desserts are stunners and the Apple Pie Croissant bread pudding was OMG!"
Greenhouse Tavern
"Chef-owner Jonathon Sawyer is a hometown hero in Cleveland for his eateries, and if you visit his flagship Greenhouse Tavern it is easy to see why. He does many of the trends that are being embraced from Portland to Brooklyn, but he does them better: he makes an extensive array of his own vinegars, breaks down his own pigs and cows for snout to tail eating and completely embraces local farmers and ingredients. But while many pay lip service to these ideals he lives them, and the food shows. It is fun and wacky fine dining that puts twists on classics from around the world: his lunch menu includes a take on iconic Quebecois poutine called “gravy frites,” which covers a platter of fries with mozzarella curds, veal gravy and sometimes fried eggs. He has gotten a lot of press for his “Properly butchered rib steak,” cut in house of course, but the must-have signatures are the crispy chicken wings confit and roasted pig’s head served with little brioche buns to make your own pig’s head sliders.
Check out the entire list here.
new york times travel section checks into new aloft
In a hotel review in the travel section of the New York Times, writer Erik Piepenburg checks into the new Aloft hotel on the East Bank of the Flats and files a glowing review.
"The Aloft Downtown gives Cleveland a major boost of bright, colorful and contemporary hotel design in an area -- and a city -- not known for style-centric accommodations," he writes.
The article covers the rooms, amenities and available dining options. "A Saturday night meal at Willeyville included delicious vegetarian options for me (grilled sweet corn, baked gnocchi), plenty of meat for a friend and a mind-blowing fried peach pie," he notes.
The bottom line, concludes the author, the new Aloft is a "terrific place for design geeks, foodies and fans of rust-belt chic who like their boutique hotel on the industrial side."
Read the rest right here.
"The Aloft Downtown gives Cleveland a major boost of bright, colorful and contemporary hotel design in an area -- and a city -- not known for style-centric accommodations," he writes.
The article covers the rooms, amenities and available dining options. "A Saturday night meal at Willeyville included delicious vegetarian options for me (grilled sweet corn, baked gnocchi), plenty of meat for a friend and a mind-blowing fried peach pie," he notes.
The bottom line, concludes the author, the new Aloft is a "terrific place for design geeks, foodies and fans of rust-belt chic who like their boutique hotel on the industrial side."
Read the rest right here.
The City of Lakewood has issued 44 certificates of occupancy on Madison Avenue this year, and nine businesses are participating in the city's storefront renovation program. Planning and Development Director Dru Siley says these numbers show how much business interest there is along this traditional yet funky strip, which is seeing a wave of redevelopment activity spurred in part by Detroit Avenue's success.
"We want to reproduce the success we've had on Detroit, recognizing that Madison has unique character and flavor that make it distinct," he says. "Madison is a small business corridor. Of 300 businesses here, 95 percent of them are locally owned."
Siley says that Madison is home to independent restaurants and entertainment spots, professional services and service-oriented retail. Current vacancy rates hover around 14 percent, down from over 20 percent a few years ago. Lakewood is developing a new streetscape along Madison that will break ground fall of 2014. The city also is committing storefront renovation dollars to help attract businesses and redevelop properties.
Examples of new businesses attracted to Madison recently include Mahall's, a historic old-school bowling alley that has new ownership and added music, food and entertainment, and Barrio, a Mexican eatery. The streetscape project not only will resurface the street, but also reduce Madison to two lanes with a center turning lane to make it safer and accommodate bike lanes. No parking will be lost.
The City of Lakewood and LakewoodAlive hosted a forum entitled "Madison on the Move" on Wednesday, December 4th at Harrison Elementary School in Lakewood.
Source: Dru Siley
Writer: Lee Chilcote
"We want to reproduce the success we've had on Detroit, recognizing that Madison has unique character and flavor that make it distinct," he says. "Madison is a small business corridor. Of 300 businesses here, 95 percent of them are locally owned."
Siley says that Madison is home to independent restaurants and entertainment spots, professional services and service-oriented retail. Current vacancy rates hover around 14 percent, down from over 20 percent a few years ago. Lakewood is developing a new streetscape along Madison that will break ground fall of 2014. The city also is committing storefront renovation dollars to help attract businesses and redevelop properties.
Examples of new businesses attracted to Madison recently include Mahall's, a historic old-school bowling alley that has new ownership and added music, food and entertainment, and Barrio, a Mexican eatery. The streetscape project not only will resurface the street, but also reduce Madison to two lanes with a center turning lane to make it safer and accommodate bike lanes. No parking will be lost.
The City of Lakewood and LakewoodAlive hosted a forum entitled "Madison on the Move" on Wednesday, December 4th at Harrison Elementary School in Lakewood.
Source: Dru Siley
Writer: Lee Chilcote