February 7, 201312 yr Well, if it makes you feel better. There is something deep in the works for all the spaces between Jammy Buggars and Merry Arts, that a friend of a friend is working on. Should be going public soon. Interesting. That's the section that the city once contended was in danger of collapsing. Glad to hear there's a brighter future ahead, ya know, vs. it collapsing.
February 7, 201312 yr Well, if it makes you feel better. There is something deep in the works for all the spaces between Jammy Buggars and Merry Arts, that a friend of a friend is working on. Should be going public soon. Interesting. That's the section that the city once contended was in danger of collapsing. Glad to hear there's a brighter future ahead, ya know, vs. it collapsing. I ate at a Five Guys in suburban Chicago (Vernon Hills) about three weeks ago. I liked the burger enough...but it made me LOL reading the newspaper articles on the wall from cities around the US where this place was voted BEST BURGER in that metro market...made me think how bad the other burgers must be if FG was voted the best.
February 7, 201312 yr I personally think Five Guys has fantastic burgers and awesome french fries...and I like my burgers. For a "chain" restaurant, there is no better burger in my opinion.
February 7, 201312 yr It seems like Cleveland and the nation as a whole are getting over run with new burger places (not so much fast food burgers). It is clearly a trend and it will be interesting to see who survives, espeically since many restuarants also feature "gourmet" burgers. I think FG is basically good and I go semi regularly, although I don't go out of my way. Interestingly, my mom just discovered it for the first time the other night and was raving about her food (and she is a very good cook and pretty picky about restaruant food).
February 7, 201312 yr It seems like Cleveland and the nation as a whole are getting over run with new burger places (not so much fast food burgers). It is clearly a trend and it will be interesting to see who survives, espeically since many restuarants also feature "gourmet" burgers. I think FG is basically good and I go semi regularly, although I don't go out of my way. Interestingly, my mom just discovered it for the first time the other night and was raving about her food (and she is a very good cook and pretty picky about restaruant food). Almost every time I have a burger in even a bar, it's better than in any of the chains.
February 7, 201312 yr Sung's Garden or something like that is replacing China Sea in Playhouse Square. The sign in the window made it sound like healthy-oriented Korean and Japanese food.
February 7, 201312 yr I regrettably come across too many bars that serve frozen puck burgers. That along with fast food is what Five Guys is designed to compete against. Even though I know I'm building my own sandwich I don't feel like I'm getting anything different each time I visit (FG). Whereas a decent local place has at least 6-8 different ways to experience a cheeseburger.
February 7, 201312 yr Re: Cleveland: Restaurant News & Info « Reply #5469 on: Today at 01:38:56 PM » Quote Damn I wish they were replacing the china sea-of-bad-food on W6th instead. Amen!!
February 8, 201312 yr Damn I wish they were replacing the china sea-of-bad-food on W6th instead. Boo! I liked them, but I usually only ordered the chicken-fried rice from them. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
February 8, 201312 yr I went there until I went to Great Taste (I think it's called) in The Chesterfield building. They're decent.
February 8, 201312 yr istanbul grill in tremont closed up: http://www.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2013/02/08/tremonts-istanbul-grill-shuts-doors-future-uncertain in related news, doug trattner is back as dining editor at scene magazine!
February 8, 201312 yr I was SO bummed to hear about Istanbul grill. Outside of the side effects I'd get from happening upon something with MSG (I think it was the ground meat kebabs), I loved their food a lot.
February 8, 201312 yr Oh man, that is a real bummer about Instambul Grill. Places like that are a great part of Tremont's livability and walkability. I just noticed on the internets that the Turkish place on West 25th closed recently too. Though I think Anatolia on Lee Road is still running strong. Even if Joe Crea doesn't seem to know about it, based on the last sentence of his coverage of Instanbul Grill's closure: http://www.cleveland.com/dining/index.ssf/2013/02/istanbul_grill_in_tremont_clos.html#incart_river_default
February 8, 201312 yr That place was fantastic!! I hope the re-open. By the way, the Turkish restaurant on 25th got bought out by the owner of Lago. He bought the space next to the Turkish restaurant and then decided it wasn't big enough for the new restaurant he was building.
February 8, 201312 yr ^Wait, what? DId i interpret your post correctly? He bought the space for Town Hall and its not big enough? Are they still moving forward with Town Hall?
February 8, 201312 yr You are interpreting that correctly. He bought the space for Town Hall and decided it wasn't big enough for what he envisioned so he bought out the Turkish restaurant next door as well. It's still moving forward.
February 13, 201312 yr It appears as though "Scoops" in Tremont has closed. There is paper covering the windows.
February 13, 201312 yr Note - not true! http://www.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2013/01/02/tremont-scoops-changes-hands
February 13, 201312 yr When I walked by it said it was closed for the season. I wonder if that area of Tremont can support two ice cream joints and perhaps prompted the sale in the first place? CHURNED, which is a new addition to tremont the past year, absolutely blew Scoops out of the water in terms of quality. Churned makes their own small batches in house which are so delicious and I think Scoops sold from a distributor. I'm curious if the new owners will be making in house ice cream or carrying a regional/national brand?
February 13, 201312 yr Well, same name and concept and food to me means "not closed for good, re-opening soon."
February 14, 201312 yr Some interesting stuff at the end of the article... Cleveland's casino 'pays off' for local restaurants CLEVELAND -- From chips to chicken...The Horseshoe Casino and Cajun food may seem like worlds apart, but not in downtown Cleveland J. Gumbo's at 226 Euclid Avenue just opened three weeks ago. They're based in Louisville, the recipes are from Lousiana and, so far, this is not a losing idea. http://www.wkyc.com/news/article/283483/45/Clevelands-casino-pays-off-for-local-restaurants-
February 14, 201312 yr in regards to scoops, the author of a blog i follow lists himself as an owner: http://intoxicatingliquors.com/about-the-author/ probably one of the twitter crowd sourced investors, kind of a neat story. the previous owners were extremely active in the neighborhood even before they opened scoops. i wish them and the new owners much success.
February 14, 201312 yr Some interesting stuff at the end of the article... Cleveland's casino 'pays off' for local restaurants CLEVELAND -- From chips to chicken...The Horseshoe Casino and Cajun food may seem like worlds apart, but not in downtown Cleveland J. Gumbo's at 226 Euclid Avenue just opened three weeks ago. They're based in Louisville, the recipes are from Lousiana and, so far, this is not a losing idea. http://www.wkyc.com/news/article/283483/45/Clevelands-casino-pays-off-for-local-restaurants- If Mirch Masla ever opens I will be shocked. They have been "coming soon" for well over a year now.
February 16, 201312 yr finalmente, http://www.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2013/02/13/downtowns-long-awaited-barroco-grill-will-open-on
February 16, 201312 yr They were supposed to open in late February anyway....of 2012. It will be a nice addition!
February 18, 201312 yr Blitz BBQ is now officially open! http://www.facebook.com/BlitzBBQ They're across the street from the Beachland Ballroom ... Nice to see that they're maintaining late hours (1 am!!) to cater to the late night crowd on Waterloo. Check 'em out!
July 18, 201311 yr Apparently yes: http://www.cleveland.com/taste/index.ssf/2013/07/ohio_city_ice_cream_closes.html#incart_more_entertainment I never went, but sounds like it was quality. Bummer.
July 18, 201311 yr Apparently yes: http://www.cleveland.com/taste/index.ssf/2013/07/ohio_city_ice_cream_closes.html#incart_more_entertainment I never went, but sounds like it was quality. Bummer. I could see the lack of families as a locational problem. And being more at the edge of the neighborhood. Possibly being on a less traveled street too.
July 18, 201311 yr There are plenty of families in that part of the neighborhood, but they tend to be more at the "vanilla-chocolate soft serve" price point than the "baklava crunch" demographic. I didn't think OCIC was that expensive, but they were a bit pricier than the Dari Delite, and since they were more dependent on neighborhood walk-up traffic than say, Sweet Moses (which I view as a sort of destination ice cream parlor,) I can see that being problematic.
July 18, 201311 yr anyone have a take on how Mitchell's will do in Ohio City, based on this? Or are they different due to name brand and main street location?
July 18, 201311 yr anyone have a take on how Mitchell's will do in Ohio City, based on this? Or are they different due to name brand and main street location? It will be interesting to see. The one in University Circle seems to be doing well. They get good traffic from Case, UH, and area visitors. The Ohio City location doesn't have the University or the workforce, but it does have the attraction of the West Side Market. Hopefully it draws those customers further down west 25th, because currently, they oddly don't go much further north than the market itself.
July 18, 201311 yr ^I think the dining and drinking crowds and higher end residential neighbors will be a pretty good customer base for Mitchells too. OC Ice Cream didn't have any of that, so don't think its demise really tells us anything useful about Mitchells.
July 18, 201311 yr ^to add to that: I've heard from someone who has been inside the Mitchell's OC location that it is a really cool space. There supposedly are windows in the retail area that customers will be able to see all of the behind the scenes production. I think it could turn out to be somewhat of a local destination for those already in the area for the WSM, restaurants, etc. akin to the glassblowing.
July 18, 201311 yr Sad to see OCIC close. They had a great product and the owners were the nicest folks you'd ever want to meet. It was a great neighborhood addition and attracted lots and lots of families from all over. The amount of work it takes to run a seasonal operation like that and keep it going as long they did is a testament to the quality of the ownership. Im not surprised sales dropped with Sweet Moses, Scoops and Churned all opening within a few miles of their location. And now Mitchell's is moving in down the street - I'm sure they decided the long hours for diminishing returns wasn't worth it anymore. Comparing OCIC to Mitchell's is like comparing a fruit stand at the WSM to Giant Eagle. The brothers are putting together the best ice cream store/facility in the region. It will be a huge success.
July 26, 201311 yr I noticed this place (apparently a chain) in a high profile spot on Mentor Ave in Mentor... The space (former farmer's market, I think) looks fantastic... http://burgerfi.com/ I also noticed "Dynamite Burgers"- whatever that is - is coming to 1302 Euclid - at least according to liquor license..
July 26, 201311 yr In looking at the Beachwood website - to see the plans for Beachwood Place expansion - two of the restaurants I guessed would be coming are clearly part of the plan.. Capital Grille (who had wanted the Claddagh space at Legacy in recent years...) and - good news - Seasons 52... the upscale/healthy concept from Darden restaurants. http://www.beachwoodohio.com/DocumentCenter/View/360 These would go on the NE corner of the mall property - essentially in front of main entrance - but nearer the street.
July 26, 201311 yr Cooper's Hawk Winery - already in media as coming to CLE - is likely another Beachwood Place restaurant - either in third freestanding building... or in old M&S space... It qualifies as "white tablecloth" per GGP's comments... Other possibilities - Kona Grill (once looking in CLE), Roy's (once announced for CLE), BJ's Brewhouse (3 other in Ohio), Yard House (just hitting Ohio), Cantina Laredo, etc...
July 28, 201311 yr Heard indirectly from owners that Sweet Melissa in Rocky River will be opening an east side location (Shaker Heights?) Pretty tasty place - would be nice addition on east side.
July 29, 201311 yr Sounds like Cleveland Pickle is going to open up a 2nd location on the W side. Lakewood per their tweet. Can't link to it as I'm at work.
July 29, 201311 yr ^^^As long as it's more like the RR location than the Avon Lake location. There is not a single thing that impresses me about the AL outpost which is strange because I really like the RR one.
August 5, 201311 yr Sammy's closes PlayhouseSquare restaurant and catering operations Sammy’s, a forerunner in Cleveland’s restaurant renaissance, suddenly ceased operation today. Formal word was announced in a brief message posted on the restaurant and catering company’s corporate website, sammys.com: “City Life Inc., D/B/A [doing business as] Sammy’s announced it has made the decision to close its facilities. We are currently in negotiations with a local caterer to transition our existing clients.” http://www.cleveland.com/dining/index.ssf/2013/08/sammys_closes_playhousesquare.html#incart_river_default
August 5, 201311 yr Wow, I never realized they even fully opened. Well lets hope the fill the space with something good!
August 5, 201311 yr Crain's take. Looks like info is scant right now...... Sammy’s shuts down its facilities By STAN BULLARD 3:04 pm, August 5, 2013 Sammy’s, one of Cleveland’s best known restaurateurs-turned-caters, is gone. A terse note on the company’s website stated: “On August 5, 2013, City Life Inc. d/b/a Sammy's announced it has made the decision to close its facilities. We are currently in negotiations with a local caterer to transition our existing clients.” Two calls to Denise Fugo, Sammy’s well-known founder, were not returned by 2:40 p.m. today. Ms. Fugo has been a restaurant operator nationally, a past board member and current member of the board of the National Restaurant Association’s education foundation, and a high-profile small business owner. READ MORE AT: http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20130805/FREE/130809919 "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
August 6, 201311 yr Crain's take. Looks like info is scant right now...... Sammy’s shuts down its facilities By STAN BULLARD 3:04 pm, August 5, 2013 Sammy’s, one of Cleveland’s best known restaurateurs-turned-caters, is gone. A terse note on the company’s website stated: “On August 5, 2013, City Life Inc. d/b/a Sammy's announced it has made the decision to close its facilities. We are currently in negotiations with a local caterer to transition our existing clients.” Two calls to Denise Fugo, Sammy’s well-known founder, were not returned by 2:40 p.m. today. Ms. Fugo has been a restaurant operator nationally, a past board member and current member of the board of the National Restaurant Association’s education foundation, and a high-profile small business owner. READ MORE AT: http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20130805/FREE/130809919 NOOOOOOO! It was bad enough the restaurant closed. Sad...so sad!
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