Map Boy

A little more publicity, this time from Crain's: More venues slated for East Fourth By STAN BULLARD 2:31 pm, June 28, 2007 MRN Ltd. said three new venues are bound for the East Fourth Street neighborhood in downtown Cleveland as part of its $110 million in development in the center city. The planned additions are BlackFinn, a 150-seat Irish-American saloon; a 96-seat Vietnamese restaurant called Saigon Vietnamese; and Hush/Hush Up bar, with an undisclosed number of seats that will be on two floors in the Corts Building on East Fourth. BlackFinn will be in the Windsor Block building on the southwest corner of East Fourth and Euclid Avenue. Saigon Vietnamese will be in the Frederick Building mid-block on East Fourth between Euclid and Prospect Avenue. Hush/Hush Up will be in the Corts Building, mid-block on East Fourth. Ari Maron, a partner in MRN, said the new venues would bring both national and local operators to the street. BlackFinn would be the 10th location for the New York-based chain of that name. Danny Nguyen and Ken Ho, who own #1 Pho on Superior Avenue, plan to open Saigon Vietnamese to add a second downtown location. The Lola Group of Cleveland, led by chef Michael Symon and the operator of Lola restaurant on East Fourth, plans to develop Hush/Hush Up, a cocktail bar. The new restaurants and nightspot are slated to open next summer. MRN estimated the three venues would employ more than 100. ******************** All those employees are going to have to live somewhere! And where better than Downtown when you've got to stay at work late?

Anyone ever check out the Tech Czar's blog? Wednesday | May 09, 2007 The Euclid Turn We have to make Euclid Avenue the prestigious address it once was. I believe this. It is mission critical in making Cleveland a successful venue for business and for living. This past Monday I had a great meeting with a life sciences company that has made the choice of moving into Cleveland. While not at liberty this precise moment to disclose the company I met, I can say that during the meeting the representatives of the Company mentioned that they are negotiating a lease at the Baker Buidling (located on E. 71st and Euclid). I have been aware of this key development for quite some time. The venue is being developed by Dick Pace, one of the nicest and most honorable chaps in the real estate biz. After the meeting (and when I can announce it I suspect it will get significant attention) I decided to drive from University Circle down Euclid back into downtown. http://techczar.blog.com/tag/midtown/

dude, you can still go to Tommy's...

also, weird, but Caribou on Coventry closed. Given that I never liked that place. It's crazy that the district won't have a coffee shop now, considering the prominent role Arabica played in the neighborhood for some time.

still no indication of where you got your great news from?

Also from the FT: DiningVolume 15, Issue 8 Published June 29th, 2007 Dining Lead Fire-proof . Back After A Blaze, Velocity American Bistro Shows Real Staying Power By Douglas Trattner Velocity American Bistro 10427 Clifton Blvd. , Cleveland, Ohio, 44102 216.961.3438 Medallions of Grouper cheeks - With sweet, spicy, salty glaze and sweet pea risotto. Observing the swiftness with which calamity struckVelocity American Bistro, it was hard not to get swept up in "curse talk." Just six weeks after the restaurant's grand opening last summer, a fire forced it to close, effectively nullifying the momentum and goodwill it had established up to that point. Velocity, as jinx theorists like to point out, is housed in a spot notorious for its long line of short-lived restaurants. Bad luck, it also can be said, was behind the unreasonably lengthy delay in reopening - nearly a full year for damage most admit was superficial. But chefs are characteristically strong-willed types, and Gregg Korney seems to have used that downtime to further steel his resolve to succeed. With help from partner and brother Ken, Korney is picking up right where he left off. Visitors to any of the (by my last count) five previous restaurants that occupied this particular address on Clifton know it to be a knockout. The sharp industrial-cool interior mirrors that of pricier metropolitan bistros with its open floor plan, exposed kitchen and generous bar area. Pair that with one of the sweetest patios alongside one of Cleveland's most appealing tree-lined lanes and you begin to wonder how the prior restaurateurs managed to screw things up. As former executive chef of Ristorante Giovanni's and Hudson's Vue Restaurant, Korney most certainly knows his way around a fine-dining kitchen. But it was his time at the helm of Sushi Rock that may best define his cooking style. Velocity's menu is rife with Asian-inspired dishes, sushi and sashimi, and sides seasoned with liberal doses of sweet soy glaze. But the menu moves well beyond East meets West, venturing south to Cajun country, more south to Latin America, and staying right here in Middle America. Korney's menu is broad enough to include trendy items like sliders and gourmet mac and cheese, while not excluding the steak-and-potato posse. Overall, the menu features some 40 items. If that sounds a bit overwhelming, just wait. Servers begin each meal with a recitation of the night's specials, which typically pile on six to eight more appetizers, the same number of mains and, when the time comes, a handful of desserts. Considering a typical entrée includes a protein, a crust or batter or seasoning, a side (often suffused with other ingredients) and a sauce, it isn't long before exhaustion, even frustration, sets in. What is the harm in reducing these items to writing? The time waiters spend reeling off this litany of specials could be better spent on, say, fetching cocktails. But when one decides on a course of action, odds are good he or she will be pleased with the outcome. Korney may be one of the most industrious chefs in town, evidenced not only by the menu's girth, but also its depth. Every item comes with a unique side and sauce, a far cry from the places that consider cheddar mashed potatoes creative. The chef makes his own pickles and kim chee, dressings and dips, batters and doughs. Soft house-baked pretzels ($4.50) are served by the pair with an apt mustard and Gouda sauce. Pinky-size spring rolls ($7) are filled with ground chicken and mushrooms and fried crisp. A heady porcini dipping broth nudges the starter's earthiness ever further. Three plump skewered shrimp ($8) are battered corndog-style, fried and presented with pickles and chipotle ketchup. A charred flour tortilla ($8) is loaded with tender duck meat and cheese. Korney's Asian flair can be witnessed in the flavorful stir-fried rice that accompanies a roasted and sliced duck breast ($18). The breast, cooked to a perfect medium rare, features a sweet-spicy exterior, another of the chef's calling cards. A similar sweet, spicy, salty glaze seasons delicious medallions of prosciutto-wrapped grouper cheeks ($19). Served on a lengthy platter, the cheeks dot a king-size hillock of sweet pea risotto. Used as a coating, crushed pecans add a nutty richness to tender planks of pounded and sautéed pork ($16). Thai-style beans and whipped sweet potatoes flush out the plate. Intriguingly pleasant shrimp meatballs add interest to an otherwise unexciting dish of spinach gnocchi ($17). The vodka-truffle sauce lacked depth - and seasoning - and the billed lobster was a no-show. Fans of Mise, which stood on this very spot, no doubt recall its killer coffee and donuts. Korney resurrects the dessert, at least in spirit, with his warm donuts ($6), which he fills with mascarpone, ripe fruit and drizzles with strawberry-maple syrup sauce. If heart matters in a restaurant's longevity, Velocity just may outlast its predecessors.

The Lithuanian garden in Rockefeller Park worked for me! And back on topic a bit... From the Free Times: DiningVolume 15, Issue 8 Published June 29th, 2007 Bites Josh Kabat cooked at Lola Bistro for just two years, but while there he amassed bits of wisdom that continue to guide him in his professional life. Many of those pearls will be put into play when Kabat, 28, opens Reddstone (1261 W. 76th St.) in early August. "I'm taking my fine dining background and applying it to bar food," Kabat explains. Reddstone, set in the former Snickers Tavern, is ideally situated to take advantage of adjacent Battery Park. Modifications to the old building include installing booths and banquettes in the barroom, freshening up the exterior and relocating the entrance from the side to the corner, features Kabat admired at Lola. Also, though Snickers enjoyed use of a second-floor dining room, Reddstone will confine its activity to the 50-seat bar and 70-person patio. "I want this place to be loud, crowded and high-energy," he adds, again invoking the spirit of his former employer. Reddstone will serve burgers, pastas and gourmet pizzas. Kabat, who recently sold a majority stake in Peabodyąs Concert Club, said the reason for his return to the restaurant biz is simple: "My partner [Dan Cull] and I sold the club and we needed a new hangout," says Kabat. Andy Zelenkofske, a food-and-wine-loving tax attorney, first got the restaurant bug when he, along with a partner, opened Sinergy on West 6th Street. "I love this business; I love the creativity," says Zelenkofske, who left Sinergy to open a restaurant with greater visibility. That restaurant, Marmalade, is slated to open in mid-August at La Place Fashion Centre, in the spot formerly occupied by American Café. With Joe Bemer as its chef, who also departed Sinergy, Marmalade will feature "casual, contemporary American cuisine" during lunch, dinner and weekend brunch. The 160-seat, 5,800-square-foot space is undergoing a complete overhaul, including a new façade. Built offsite, the bar will be a focal point thanks to its underlit etched-glass bartop. Zelenkofske hopes to create a "hip, late-night vibe" in the lounge, which will serve a special small-plate bar menu. An extensive wine list will focus on selections from California and Southern Italy. Sinergy (1213 W. 6th St., 216.363.1130) appears to have terminated its lunch and dinner service. Calls to the club were not returned. Last week, The Pub on Lee (2191 Lee Rd.) abruptly shut its doors. No word on the future of the space, which has housed some version of a pub for decades.

and Arhaus... I just can't help thinking that if they stuck it out a little longer... but hey, I'm not the one paying the bills!

Near Lima I thought you were joking, but hey, maybe they're going to take over some of the Ford facilities that are closing in NEO?

Hmmm... I read that as the text book section tucked in the back of the bookstore (where it belongs) and the retail section being up closer to the Euclid entrance.

Not sure where else to put this... I'll say that I am definitely intrigued! From Crain's: Strickland says a big development is afoot By JAY MILLER 2:29 pm, June 26, 2007 Gov. Ted Strickland teased a sold-out City Club of Cleveland audience today by saying he expects to announce soon that the state has landed a $2 billion investment by a major employer.

There will also be some minor shifts in the local Fed offices in the months to come. A friend of mine will be moving from Independence to somewhere in Cleveland. Locaton TBD.

I like Vivo on Euclid in the Old Arcade. I hear Fat Cat's in Tremont is nice, too. Sergio's on Shaker Square would be fitting. Don't you have a "spot?"

Barnes & Noble store slated for downtown Wednesday, June 27, 2007 Zachary Lewis Barnes & Noble College Booksellers is coming to downtown Cleveland, the first step in a plan to establish a bustling residential and business area around Cleveland State University. The store, expected to open in August at 2020 Euclid Ave., is viewed as the anchor to a long-discussed redevelopment plan called College Town. The goal is to create a traditional college-town atmosphere around the urban campus at Euclid and East 21st Street. Bill Beckenbach, director of the community development group Quadrangle Inc., said verbal agreements have been made between Barnes & Noble College Booksellers and Brothers Printing, owners of the 2020 Euclid Ave. property occupied by a vacant Goodwill store....

yes, cafe ahroma is very nice... and they stay open into the evening. They've got the best location relative to the whole campus, whereas the starbucks at Playhouse Sq. is a bit of a walk if you're in class somewhere in the middle of campus. Definitely can't do it on an intermission! I'm surprised to hear about the size and mix of the residential component, Musky...

so, they're really in direct competition with Nebraska then? considering that Nebraska tried to sell me a book with a $16 printed price on it for $20 and wouldn't budge (I opted to just get it from the library), I'd say that there's definitely room for competition!

hells yes! with the combination of E. 4th activity spreading towards the Square, the condos in the works and the CVB opening across Ontario, there may be life on these streets! On a similar note, the sidewalk in front of the above eateries is significantly wider (if I recall correctly) now than it was before the ECTP construction. I would hope that they can fill vacancies with shops that will add sidewalk seating and that current tenants will pursue the same. I've long held that this is a relatively simple addition that will add vibrancy (and eyes on the street) to the Square.

and now we know where he gets his information from!

you're also a short walk from the new le petit triangle (formerly oui oui), Johnny Mango, Fit (fitness), Studio (hair), and that sushi place I never remember the name of.

boo! that was Musky's news to break! I'm so very confused about this bookstore thing. Why would B&N open up shop right across from where the big campus bookstore is scheduled to open? Maybe a little competition might do the neighborhood some good! And why can't I just be happy about something? sincerely, stick in the mud

welcome, cle! as for your question about that corner, I've not heard anything about its redevelopment. Hollywood is only a few years old and that gas station would be a difficult development site, due to environmental concerns. It would be a great intersection for something significant, no doubt, but it's not likely on the near-term radar.

amazing how this was not that long ago and I only recognize two names... and only one of those is still in his same position.

my kids are going to be vegan... so, I'll probably only be able to afford having one.

fine, quitter.

someday, MayDay... and if we can patent the technology here in Cleveland, we will certainly enter a new era of prosperity! and Musky, correct me if I'm wrong, but you're only 4/6ths of the way to fulfilling your civic duty to repopulate Cleveland!