October 3, 201212 yr Bye, bye Phil the Fire. noticed a dark space tonight driving by and came home to see PD story of its closing. Nearly 9,000 ft space would be hard for a major chain, let alone Phil.
October 3, 201212 yr I wonder if he could have done better in a smaller downtown location... I don't think that's the last we'll see of him.
October 3, 201212 yr ^Like the one he had on prospect a decade back? I dont know, respect the business plan...but the one time i went in there the service was non-existent for 20 minutes so we left. I just dont think he is cut out to be an owner/chef
October 3, 201212 yr ^Like the one he had on prospect a decade back? I dont know, respect the business plan...but the one time i went in there the service was non-existent for 20 minutes so we left. I just dont think he is cut out to be an owner/chef Agreed. He has something people seem to like but seems to lack a good business sense. The last bought which involved downtown and Shaker Square left him with a number of enemies. I cant see him coming back. Sad about Nexus. Never been, but I liked what they were doing, and seemed like a place you could just hang out. Don't forget Red will be coming to Prospect.
October 3, 201212 yr Nexus was great, but I honestly seldom went there. Erie Island seems to have the East 4th coffee shop thing pretty well locked up, including my dollars.
October 4, 201212 yr IT'S OFFICIAL!! Chipotle is coming :) http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/news/local_news/cleveland_metro/chipotle-to-open-two-more-restaurants-in-cleveland-downtown-and-kamms-corners
October 4, 201212 yr I've tried a lot of chicken and waffles and Phil's was the best I'd had in Cleveland, shame its closing. I do agree with all the comments about the service, it was always shoddy. Not too broken up about Nexus closing. The couple times I visited their coffee drinks were horrible. Decor/atmosphere was nice, never tried the food. Better off going to Erie Island or A.J. Rocco's.
October 4, 201212 yr The thing I liked most was that they were set up comfortably to sit and read with one of the books they kept on a shelf there. I planned on donating a number of books I had to them.
October 9, 201212 yr I've tried a lot of chicken and waffles and Phil's was the best I'd had in Cleveland, shame its closing. I do agree with all the comments about the service, it was always shoddy. Not too broken up about Nexus closing. The couple times I visited their coffee drinks were horrible. Decor/atmosphere was nice, never tried the food. Better off going to Erie Island or A.J. Rocco's. Have you ever tried them at SOHO in Ohio City?
October 11, 201212 yr Winks is open in the Galleria. http://www.19actionnews.com/category/240218/video-landing-page?clipId=7827320&autostart=true
October 11, 201212 yr This should give my hood a nice shot in the arm. Just like with Barroco and Mahall's which is owned by....Colin McEwen. Taco Tonto's Expands with Lakewood Store Kent-based eatery opens its doors in Lakewood in the former space of Bela Dubby coffee shop. By Colin McEwen October 9, 2012 t’s been a few months since Lakewood's Bela Dubby coffee shop closed, and on Monday the highly anticipated Taco Tonto’s opened in its place on Madison Avenue. Taco Tonto’s, one of the most popular restaurants in Kent — just steps away from the Kent State University campus — opened its second location at the Lakewood locale and entertained huge crowds of patrons stopping by into the evening. The grand opening was so busy, that the restaurant sold out of food. The former coffee shop space seems as if it has been completely transformed. A new wall divides the dining area from the new kitchen. In a nod to Bela Dubby’s art culture, that wall is covered by a large, hand-painted mural. More: http://kent.patch.com/articles/taco-tontos-expands-with-lakewood-store
October 11, 201212 yr Discussed at length where? I missed it on here. I feel bad for any indie that doesn't make it.
October 11, 201212 yr Discussed at length where? I missed it on here. I believe people were talking about it on the E. 4th thread.
October 12, 201212 yr We went to Winks on Wednesday night and it was PACKED. They hired themselves some good staff, though, because despite the crowd, service was surprisingly quick. The food was very tasty - I had a Cobb salad (I would never dream of ordering a salad at a regular Wink) and the beer cheese dip that we always order when we go to the Lizardville in Bedford. The tap menu is awesome, because it updates in real time on TVs in the restaurant and on the website. Obviously we'll be back since we live so close, but you guys should check it out!
October 15, 201212 yr ^Yes, great addition. It brings some vibrancy to that area ...and something very different than Winks Side Dish: Beautiful Accent Comes to Uptown http://www.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2012/10/12/side-dish-beautiful-accent-comes-to-uptown
October 15, 201212 yr ^ wow yaki at a slick modern robata? i am definately going here next visit home -
October 15, 201212 yr ^And you'll be able to watch the new CIA addition rise just across the way Finally...finally. One of the two is opening. Soft opening on Wed, grand opening on Fri, for Helvetica https://www.facebook.com/Helveticajuicebar
October 16, 201212 yr I was surprised yesterday at how many places are not open for lunch on Sunday around Euclid Ave., even with a home Browns game. I knew Cleveland Pickle would be closed since they are M-F for lunch only, but I expected Potbelly and Jimmy Johns to be open, and both were closed all day on Sunday. At least Presto, which is normally closed on Sundays, stayed open for the Browns game. The Potbelly on Monument Circle in Indianapolis is open 7 days a week and has live music, but Indianapolis has less downtown employees and far less downtown residents than Cleveland (and I'm assuming less tourism, especially without a casino or a Rock Hall), so I'm not sure what the reason is for the lame hours.
October 16, 201212 yr Sunday has always been pretty dead. Same problem after I saw "anything goes" Sunday, we had to think, is anything open???
October 16, 201212 yr at 9 Sunday most restaurants in the suburbs are closed, too, if even open that day.
October 16, 201212 yr I have found the same thing with Sunday dinner downtown. I've had 2 out of town guests in on a sunday over the past 6 months and we basically had to go to Greenhouse Tavern as they were the only ones open. All the chains are open on Sundays, which is primarily what we have in my suburban location, as well as places like B Spot, Rosewood Grill, etc.
October 16, 201212 yr I was surprised yesterday at how many places are not open for lunch on Sunday around Euclid Ave., even with a home Browns game. I knew Cleveland Pickle would be closed since they are M-F for lunch only, but I expected Potbelly and Jimmy Johns to be open, and both were closed all day on Sunday. At least Presto, which is normally closed on Sundays, stayed open for the Browns game. The Potbelly on Monument Circle in Indianapolis is open 7 days a week and has live music, but Indianapolis has less downtown employees and far less downtown residents than Cleveland (and I'm assuming less tourism, especially without a casino or a Rock Hall), so I'm not sure what the reason is for the lame hours. Potbelly's has been slowly expanding their hours. When they first opened it was only 11-7, after about 1 month they included breakfast and are now 7-7. Obviously that is not an indication that they will be moving to weekend hours, but just an observation of what they did previously. I think the bigger issue is still the critical mass factor. That and inconsistent visitors coming into that area.
October 16, 201212 yr Chicken-egg. If I had a 3rd visitor coming to town and didn't feel like going to GHT, I would purposely take them other than downtown because so much is closed. I think the mass is increasing but the businesses are not responding/changing quickly enough, particularly independents because they really want to be closed that one day a week. Try finding a place to eat dinner in Ohio City on a Monday, for example. I honestly think indies are going to have to let go of that desire to be closed one full day a week if they want to compete evenly. Everyone needs a day off, to be sure, but staff up so that there are enough people to do that.
October 16, 201212 yr I agree it's chicken-and-egg and I don't think critical mass makes sense either. There is a ton more places open on a Sunday in Indianapolis than in Cleveland, and they have less population downtown and Cleveland feels busier (more people around).
October 16, 201212 yr Chicken-egg. If I had a 3rd visitor coming to town and didn't feel like going to GHT, I would purposely take them other than downtown because so much is closed. I think the mass is increasing but the businesses are not responding/changing quickly enough, particularly independents because they really want to be closed that one day a week. Try finding a place to eat dinner in Ohio City on a Monday, for example. I honestly think indies are going to have to let go of that desire to be closed one full day a week if they want to compete evenly. Everyone needs a day off, to be sure, but staff up so that there are enough people to do that. I can't really bemoan a place that is successful and wants to close one day a week. It does suck that everywhere downtown has chosen Sunday to be that day though. Start requesting them to be open more, who knows maybe the Owner/GM will have finally received enough requests that they will follow through. Onto some restaurant news: on my walk from Tower City to work there was actual work being done at Mirch Masala's. The door was open but I couldn't see any action. I did hear real construction equipment and everything from there though. Who knows maybe something will actually happen instead of just changing the "coming soon" sign in a couple months.
October 16, 201212 yr I agree it's chicken-and-egg and I don't think critical mass makes sense either. There is a ton more places open on a Sunday in Indianapolis than in Cleveland, and they have less population downtown and Cleveland feels busier (more people around). Are we sure Cleveland has a higher downtown population than Indianapolis? What are the Indianapolis numbers? And Indianapolis does have far better downtown retail which might help the restaurant scene stay open on Sundays.
October 16, 201212 yr Are we sure Cleveland has a higher downtown population than Indianapolis? What are the Indianapolis numbers? Hey gang I would be careful before taking ClevelandOhio's bait and going down this path in this thread. May Day's ax has been pretty sharp lately. This is a Cleveland thread and not a Cincy thread where you apparently can discuss any thing over and over in any thread (you should take a peek at the Streetcar thread...the only this not discussed in that is the whether the earth was created in seven days).
October 16, 201212 yr For the record, Cleveland Pickle and Potbelly are both open for lunch on Saturdays. That's already a great improvement over what was available before they opened. Also, I'm going to have to respectfully disagree with RnR's comment about GHT being the only place open on Sundays for dinner. We've been several places for Sunday dinner including Taza and Brgr9, among others. It's definitely the "deadest" day, but there are plenty of things open.
October 16, 201212 yr ^ that is very puzzling considering those jj and pb are big chains. we just got a potbelly down the block on w14th st and its open all the time. i know, i know...but thats all i got. i like potbelly more than i thought i would even tho you can get more sandwich at any deli or grocery deli for less $.
October 17, 201212 yr For the record, Cleveland Pickle and Potbelly are both open for lunch on Saturdays. That's already a great improvement over what was available before they opened. I saw Cleveland Pickle open last Saturday as I had organized a newsletter labeling party in our office conference room. I was happy to see they had a good crowd at lunchtime, which was almost as active as their weekday lunchtime. But I went to lunch in Tremont, at Tremont Scoops. I was disappointed that we were in the only ones in there. Especially since the food was tasty. I had the Barbeque Chicken Wrap combo with the tomato bisque soup. Perhaps people think Scoops offers only ice cream. They offer more, see: http://www.tremontscoops.com/ "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
October 17, 201212 yr I was looking at the hours for the downtown Subways after walking by the one on East 9th and seeing how busy it was at 8pm last night. According to their website, there's a new Subway coming to the Southworth Building. I assume this will be in the old Sushi 86 spot. Also, I noticed many Subways downtown are open until 10pm. I'm not a big Subway eater, but it's nice to see places staying open after 6pm.
October 17, 201212 yr thx for the info about Taza and Brgr 9. No problem :). There are many others open too - just check websites before heading out. The great thing about Sundays is that you don't always even need a reservation, and you get much better wait staff attention!
October 17, 201212 yr I was looking at the hours for the downtown Subways after walking by the one on East 9th and seeing how busy it was at 8pm last night. According to their website, there's a new Subway coming to the Southworth Building. I assume this will be in the old Sushi 86 spot. Also, I noticed many Subways downtown are open until 10pm. I'm not a big Subway eater, but it's nice to see places staying open after 6pm. That is where Mirch Masala was supposed to go, but would not surprise me if it became a Subway. Especially seen as that spot always had some restaurant "coming soon". Also, that would explain why it appears there is finally construction happening there.
October 18, 201212 yr Open a cafe by Virginia-Marti College...why didn't I think of that? From the fine folks of Barroco: Helvetica Opens its Doors on Detroit Avenue Grand opening slated for Friday at the new café. By Colin McEwen The owners of Helvetica — the new, design-inspired café on Detroit Avenue — had hoped for a "soft opening" on Wednesday. It was anything but soft. As soon as the doors opened, at 7 a.m., customers streamed in. The rush didn’t let up until the café closed in the early afternoon. At times, every seat was taken. It's not really too big a surprise. After all, the café's Facebook page had nearly 500 "likes" before a single customer had been served. “We were expecting it to go soft,” said a laughing co-owner Edward Padilla, “that’s why we called it a soft opening.” The owners said word spread quickly of the highly anticipated café — with its Latin American juice selection, Rising Star coffee and food options that include sandwiches, soups and salads. “You’ve got to see the crepes,” said co-owner Juan Vergara. “They’re amazing.” http://lakewood-oh.patch.com/articles/look-helvetica-opens-its-doors-on-detroit-avenue#photo-11770770
October 18, 201212 yr Mentor Melt has the signs in the windows, the outside looks close to done. Opening day is, as I expected, after Halloween. November 2.
October 18, 201212 yr Open a cafe by Virginia-Marti College...why didn't I think of that? From the fine folks of Barroco: Helvetica Opens its Doors on Detroit Avenue Grand opening slated for Friday at the new café. By Colin McEwen The owners of Helvetica — the new, design-inspired café on Detroit Avenue — had hoped for a "soft opening" on Wednesday. It was anything but soft. As soon as the doors opened, at 7 a.m., customers streamed in. The rush didn’t let up until the café closed in the early afternoon. At times, every seat was taken. It's not really too big a surprise. After all, the café's Facebook page had nearly 500 "likes" before a single customer had been served. “We were expecting it to go soft,” said a laughing co-owner Edward Padilla, “that’s why we called it a soft opening.” The owners said word spread quickly of the highly anticipated café — with its Latin American juice selection, Rising Star coffee and food options that include sandwiches, soups and salads. “You’ve got to see the crepes,” said co-owner Juan Vergara. “They’re amazing.” http://lakewood-oh.patch.com/articles/look-helvetica-opens-its-doors-on-detroit-avenue#photo-11770770 Nice. A little Colombian flavor in Lakewood.
October 19, 201212 yr ^ yeah thats great news --- so fitting because there are a lot of columbians and south americans living on the westside. I was looking at the hours for the downtown Subways after walking by the one on East 9th and seeing how busy it was at 8pm last night. According to their website, there's a new Subway coming to the Southworth Building. I assume this will be in the old Sushi 86 spot. Also, I noticed many Subways downtown are open until 10pm. I'm not a big Subway eater, but it's nice to see places staying open after 6pm. That is where Mirch Masala was supposed to go, but would not surprise me if it became a Subway. Especially seen as that spot always had some restaurant "coming soon". Also, that would explain why it appears there is finally construction happening there. now thats a damn shame if its a subway sub shop because the chinese/indian 'mirch' mixup is one of the best cuisines ever, especially if you like spicy foods. google mirch and check out the menu of anyplace that comes up -- it will make you hungry instantly! so if no go there hopefully it opens somewhere else downtown.
October 20, 201212 yr First of all, in downtown news, to my knowledge and someone I know who went walking around downtown, the mirch masala looks as if it will be on Ontario on the side across from the Casino in Higbee's. Second of all, in case it was not posted here it is, about restaurants opening in Westpark. http://www.cleveland.com/sunpostherald/index.ssf/2012/10/eateries_opening_revamping_on.html Seems there will be new Indian and Thai places in Westpark.
October 20, 201212 yr ^I read the article about West Park. It mentions the new Thai place as well as Cafe Falafel, but didn't mention the Indian place. The area needs Indian! Is it announced in a different article?
October 22, 201212 yr bourbon street barrel room coming to tremont's professor avenue. looks like cajun/nola influenced menu, owners justin& barry clemens. tried to snap a pic of the menu & description in the window, but came out terrible.
October 22, 201212 yr I don't know if it has been posted, but it appears Prime Rib Steakhouse on Superior has bit the dust. Noticed paper on the windows driving home last night. Not too surprising to me. Weird location and seemed overpriced, although I never went there.
October 22, 201212 yr I noticed a sign in the old Moe's across from CSU. It says "Burgers 2 Beer" opening soon. Seems to be one in Mayfield and should do nicely there. http://www.b2bcleveland.com/
October 22, 201212 yr I was going to post this in the crime thread, but I see that got shut down as it was heading down a slippery slope. Anyway, I just saw this Tweet from Dim and Den Sum: HodgesCleveland (Hodges Cleveland) Only took 30 minutes to locate our truck with the help of A fan who saw it parked In central Cleveland! @DimAndDenSum will be home soon 10:12 AM Oct 22nd via TweetDeck Apparently, their truck was stolen and recovered at E. 46th St. and Central Ave., but it was stripped.
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