dwirthwein

In Crain's Forty under 40 edition today, Jonathon Sawyer notes that he may open a "hipster donut shop" downtown... That sounds pretty great.

Fat Fish Blue update: on tonight's 11 WKYC news, Ramona reported that owner of Fat Fish Blue had called the station to say they were "staying put" and that their lease is up in 2012 but had no plans to go anywhere...

When in Wisconsin at company HQ some co-workers took me to Tilted Kilt.... A step up or two from Hooter's - as note d- but same idea - though the plaid-skirted schoolgirl types waiting tables are so scantily (sexily) clad it really was hard to even look up. Debate whether you personally like chains or not - but having chains interested in downtown - and the draw they can have - is important in bringing folks in and satisfying all types of customers.

Regarding Hodge Podge restaurant: Old Verve/Juniper space - that was my first thought. I did find the Facebook of the business there now, however, Carnegie Kitchen & Catering and they were posting away today like it was business as usual... I noticed that the former Cooperstown (then Local Heroes) was closed for remodeling and there is a lot next to it but no idea if it is theirs...... Wonder if it could be there - though (just like Verve space) it is a bit off beaten path on non-game nights... One more idea... What about the corner, ground floor space of new casino parking garage... Listed as a restaurant in plans. I had wondered if that might end up being the location of the B Spot that is noted for casino - since it was also stated no sit down (other than buffet) inside casino - and this isn't inside... There would certainly be "parking" as Hodge notes... and high profile corner... really high profile when casino opens - end of March - same time as was stated for Hodge restaurant...

The Chagrin Falls brewery project - while obviously not in Cleveland proper - really is kind of interesting - renovating an old factory/mill into a falls-adjacent restaurant/office complex: http://www.cfspillway.com/ we here in Chagrin, at least, are pretty excited...

Regarding Vine and Bean: Never understood why they didn't call it "Lucky's Cafe East" - given that Lucky's has received all that national exposure... Might have helped... Never was more than half busy on the dozen or so Sunday visits I made - so unclear how they stayed in biz that long, despite the comments in Scene's article about popular weekend spot... Food was always tasty - though house in which located was just too worn around the edges, I thought.. - and "aging home" scent of the play was a bit offputting, I thought... With that said, Lucky's Cafe Facebook page says (something Scene does not) that they are regrouping and hopefully opening similar place again in a better location... Cedar-Lee? Cedar-Fairmount? Cedar-Taylor? Coventry?

This frequent traveler has been shocked by the fares this year out of CLE. Used to be, I'd think long and hard before going to CAK or PIT for lower fares - but I've also got to look out for my company's wallet and feel comfortable (business-ethically) with what I book... In the past, CLE might be $100-$200 on some fares vs. CAK and I'd pick CLE... But now, even 14-30+ days out, I'm finding flights to pretty much any non-Florida destination to be absurdly high out of CLE. When I can save $500 by flying nonstop CAK-CLT vs. CLE-CLT or can save $900 flying nonstop PIT-BOS vs. CLE-BOS (and still getting Star Alliance miles, to boot) - it's really a no brainer, despite my interest in supporting CLE and UAL and my interest in staying a Premier UAL flyer...

The Melting Pot and Original Pancake House are successful east side restaurants that have opened west locations in the past year or two.

Interesting Cleveland burger-related news: Michael Symon recently tweeted something along the lines of Columbus' really popular Easton Town Center had gone a "different direction" in negotiations for the first B Spot down there - and therefore it wouldn't be opening at Easton. Noticed today that Hudson's Flip Side burger joint has just announced THEY will be opening at Easton - so there's the different direction There had been some public slightly bad blood between the two when Flip Side opened - due to some way too similar things borrowed from B Spot. Coincidentally, ate at Flip Side tonight for the 3rd or 4th time and really enjoyed it. I think it's quite a bit better than B Spot (where I've eaten probably 40 times) by all measures - burgers served on plates (imagine that) with crispy edges, great onion rings, better atmosphere, more attentive servers, etc.... (Symon could learn a bit... but even his employees now say he's taking no constructive input on B Spot changes - it's his way or no way, despite what we customers feel.) Also, we're almost to November and no sign of the Symon pizza place that was to open in November on the east side (see link below). Perhaps The Chew got in the way. http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20110404/BLOGS02/110409959

Harlan's first job should be to improve quality control/consistency and do serious re-training on service at all B Spots (or else they won't have the need for a regional manager)

MGB: pork tacos were overcooked, dry and needed another few ingredients (slaw maybe, like on a fish taco?) I did give them some plus points for what appeared to be homemade tortillas, however. Also found total lack of sides odd.... French fries, French fries and French fries were the choices i saw.. And they looked,nothing like Cento's insanely good ones....

As it relates to Market Garden - and my poor review - it gets back to the old "charging full price" theory - and, new or not, if they are open for biz and charging full price - then diners should expect good-enough service and food - or at least some of either - which we didn't get, not even a bit. Since Sawyer left Cento, I haven't noticed a decrease in quality - but after my MGB visit, I'm fearing that perhaps Cento has kept going doing nothing but copying Sawyer's dishes/formula - and, left to their own devices, the remaining crew can't get it done. Hope I'm wrong - but it likely will be awhile until I go back. I have a friend coming into town in a few weeks - and that was to be our first stop - but now I fear mediocrity, so likely won't make it. check out the OpenTable.com reviews for MGB and you'll see numerous "food's not all that great" reviews already...

Am a huge Bar Cento fan - food (for us at least) - is always reliable fantastic, price is right and it all just clicks. Unfortunately, had the worst, most disappointing meal in my (and my wife's) memory at Bar Cento's brand new sister restaurant, Market Garden Brewery, tonight. Spot was full of happy drinkers, and place looks like a million (especially knockout beer garden), but food was as awful as Cento's is super. Pork tacos and Scotch eggs were both terribly overcooked and dry - and each dish seemed incomplete - another ingredient or condiment or side needed to pull it all together. A wedge salad and a salmon dish - both failed twists on common preparations - were odd, barely passable.... head scratchers - again, with something missing (a side in the salmon's case). How could this be the same chef as Cento? Gone are the tasty, crispy pizzas from Cento and pretty much any side dish of any kind = a strength of Cento's - unless it is spelled "fries"... Server arrived late, kept her distance and was indifferent - too many tables? Too little personality? Debating whether to give them a 2nd chance - or just to head back to the Cento routine. Looked very forward to finally getting the time to go - and then this laughable visit. A shame.

As a Pinkberry/Red Mango fan, I have fallen for Menchie's in a big way. At the same time, I don't necessarily get the benefit of the self serve thing and all the flavors, as the "original tart" (with fresh fruit topping) that started the froyo craze is pretty perfect as it is and I don't see any fewer workers than at a Pinkberry, nor are costs much different.. Still, I give the idea a few years only... though Jeni's will be... One cold weather ice cream quirk.... Lived in Milwaukee for many years. The busiest restaurants in town, 365 days a year, are their famous frozen custard outlets, many of which are local landmarks. 90 degrees: busy.... 5 below: busy.... Rich, creamy frozen custard, is part of the culture up there in a way that is hard to umderstand outside Wisconsin , where life goes on normaly in frozen temps. (East Coast Custard is,closest in CLE, but not even in "good" ballpark vs. Milwaukee custard....)

With a half dozen or more Columbus locations, each a bit different than the next (including urban and suburban) I am sure Jeni's had an idea what they were doing by picking Chagrin for #1 in Cleveland. I know it is not urban enough for some on this board, but Chagrin has lively sidewalks, with locals and plenty of visitors, alike, and is the kind of walkable location Jeni's seeks. Coincidentally, I literally live down the street from this location, though would have gone anywhere they chose to put it, and can attest that it is constantly busy, frequently with a line well, well out the door, even 3+ months since opening. Have been 3+ times a week since opening, as have many, I would suspect. $4-$6 avg coat appears,not to be an issue and nearby Popcorn Shop continues to do nice biz with more basic ice cream flavors, With that said, Lakewood, Coventry, etc... would have been good choices, too, but their time will come. Any way you slice it, it is nice to have ,Jeni's in the area.

According to website - 11 am. According to sign on building: 4 pm

Found out the hard way (40 minute drive and very empty stomach) this weekend that Market Garden does not yet serve Saturday lunch, even though their website says they open at 11 on Saturday. Not happy. having accurate website not tough. Ohio City hopping though.

Liquor license info... Again, may have nothing to do with Taza Eton, but "Taza II" and the old Crop address (a restaurant, not bar) at least would lead one to believe, maybe so..: TAZA II LLC 1400 W 6TH ST CLEVELAND OH 44113

Looks like Taza, the eatery at Eton in Woodmere, will be opening up a 2nd location - in the old Crop space on W. 6th - at least based on the liquor license by that name for that space that popped up last week...

I fly plenty from CLE and am pleased it's my home airport. It looks a zillion times better than a few years ago, is very busy at peak times (and, yes, empty at others) and its relatively compact size is a plus for getting in and out in a hurry. A traveler's dream. The new stores and restaurants (Swatch, Crocs, The Pub, Currito, Obryicki's, etc...) look big-city and are very welcome additions. My biggest Hopkins gripe is that cities half our NEO area's size, like Charlotte (which has a major hub and manay international flights) and Indianapolis (more limited , but a major convention city with a new $1B terminal) both have big-ceilinged terminals that look impressive - and cities our same basic 3-4MM size (Seattle, Denver, Minneapolis) have world-class airports with trains and moving walkways and tall ceilings and many more flights options, including international vs CLE. Tourism plays a part to some of those places, but not all. How did it work out that way? Why did those cities get the breaks and we didn't. Also, airport acccomodations aside, CLE has the worst international flight levels of any big city (none to Europe) - while even Cincinnati - 1MM fewer and with a whole terminal closed recently - hold onto a few key European flights and Charlotte has 5-7 key Europ cities, nonstop. Even PIT has a nonstop to Paris. MSP - same size as NEO - has probably a dozen or more overseas destinations, including Asia. International/overseas flights add prestige... and we ain't got none, so to speak. Also, since UAL and CO have merged, I've noticed nonstop tickets creeping up in cost considerably - with connections through O'Hare, Newark, Dulles, Houston much, much cheaper - not just a little bit cheaper - almost like the new UAL is trying to force everything through ORD to make CLE obsolete. Hate to think that. But Continental flight from Seattle to Ohare to CLE last night was $500 and Continental flight leaving at nearly the same same time, on same type plane, nonstop to CLE was $1000. Couldn't justify the extra $500, even though on my company's dime, so there's another flight to CLE that somebody wasn't on.

Also - went to the Chop-It Salad Co., noted above, at Eton the other day for lunch. Nice crowd - and good looking layout for both the restaurant and dining space - with comfy chairs, round banquette seating, nice tables (though I wish Eton had not just plopped these restaurants into the center - it's still a bit odd to see them there - they have a temporary feel.) The "build your salad and we toss it for you" concept is a good one - and I wanted to love the place - but was more than a little disappointed with the result. Rather than going gourmet - and using thick sliced, Niman Ranch bacon, free range chicken breasts, etc... - it was clear much of this - perhaps even the "grilled" meat for chix salad, etc..- was straight from Sysco's everything to everybody warehouse - (the Sysco guy was even there overseeing the operation... There is just a microwave and Foreman-like grill in the space - no real kitchen to prep...). Salad was something like $8.69 for a mostly lettuce salad, modest on the other ingredients... - which they then chop in front of you. This was inches from B-Spot - where I could have had a $12 Stripper Salad - loaded with super quality bacon, Pat LaFrieda burger, great blue cheese, etc... Oh - and there's also a huge problem they say, via signs, that they're working on --- the mid-mall space has a tall ceiling that's creating huge echoes - plus swallowing other sounds. Almost impossible to communicate with the salad choppers just feet in front of you. Plus - the white, plain styrofoam cups and no-name soft drink choices (other than Coke, Diet) - and no self-serve refills (in this day and age?) are strictly 2nd rate...

The new wave of yogurt places - "froyo" - are riding on the coattails of Pinkberry - the hip chain that really put froyo on the map. Yes, it's like TCBY to a degree - but the claim to fame of this new wave is the tart yogurt - a very fresh, slightly sour taste - vastly different from the creamy, soft serve ice cream like frozen vanilla and chocolate yogurt of the TCBY days. Now most of these places all have those flavors, to a degree, too - but tart is, to me, so much better - especially with some kiwi, berries, mango on top, etc... However, I like the Pinkberry or Red Mango model - where they serve you from behind a counter - vs. these self-serve places that are beginning to open up not just here but everywhere - like the two on the east side. Funny that both Menchies (which I think is FANTASTIC - we've been 4-5 times already in a week) and Yogurt Vi (one visit) - are both poorly designed. Yogurt Vi is awkwardly planned - with way too much empty space in the middle of the store - and a strange pay/counter setup that seems an afterthought. Menchies looks like a million - much nicer and hipper design - but funnels all customers into perhaps a 3-4 foot wide, curved serving area - which gets clogged up - especially when a new mom and her mother arrogantly took their double-wide stroller into the restaurant line the other night. Ridiculous... Both places have 10-15 self-serve flavors and a few dozen toppings. Menchies is so good it makes me long for Pinkberry no more... (BTW, there is or was a bad froyo place called Spoon Me at the strip mall part of Crocker Park. NOt good at al... Menchies will kill it if still open.

They tried a 2nd Lindey's location at Polaris Mall in cbus a few years ago and ended up converting to a bravo or bio..

At first glance, I wonder if the two story restaurant they note, with locations in Cincy and Columbus, could be the fabled Montgomery Inn from Cincy. THAT could be a draw....

For better or worse the once vacant "strip mall" (it's really a nice version of one, at the intersection of two major roads in what I believe is billed as the wealthiest Ohio neighborhood - Chagrin/SOM Center) is now mostly leased between Fountain, a salon, a clothing store (J3, coming this Fall) and Flour. looks like perhaps only one, maybe two spaces remain - and I'd bet those goes pretty quickly.