July 6, 20195 yr 3 hours ago, osu87 said: Fleming’s in Woodmere is now permanently closed, the Montrose location remains open. Eton seems to be struggling a bit, likely due to Pinecrest. We ate dinner at Mitchell's Fish Market recently. Granted it was a weeknight, but I didn't expect there to be only one other table of diners at 6:30 PM. By the time we left around 8, we were the only ones there.
July 6, 20195 yr 27 minutes ago, jam40jeff said: Eton seems to be struggling a bit, likely due to Pinecrest. We ate dinner at Mitchell's Fish Market recently. Granted it was a weeknight, but I didn't expect there to be only one other table of diners at 6:30 PM. By the time we left around 8, we were the only ones there. My feeling it is restaurants all over town and it is due to expansion. It seems 10-15 years ago you always had an hour to hour and a half wait at a good place on a Saturday night (or if reservations were taken you had to make them well in advance on a Saturday...I remember Lola's in Tremont was like two months in advance on a Saturday) and even mediocre places has some sort of a wait on the weekend. Now a days I am amazed how easy it is to walk in and get a table on weekends almost every where. Even the hot spots don't seem to have the waits of yesterday. There are just so many choices now. By the way I was never a Mitchell's fan but it was one of those places that always seemed packed for years and now, just as you describe, it seems empty much of the time.
July 6, 20195 yr 13 minutes ago, Htsguy said: My feeling it is restaurants all over town and it is due to expansion. It seems 10-15 years ago you always had an hour to hour and a half wait at a good place on a Saturday night (or if reservations were taken you had to make them well in advance on a Saturday...I remember Lola's in Tremont was like two months in advance on a Saturday) and even mediocre places has some sort of a wait on the weekend. Now a days I am amazed how easy it is to walk in and get a table on weekends almost every where. Even the hot spots don't seem to have the waits of yesterday. There are just so many choices now. By the way I was never a Mitchell's fan but it was one of those places that always seemed packed for years and now, just as you describe, it seems empty much of the time. It's more than just expansion. Eating isn't seen as necessarily a social activity anymore. This has been going on for a long time at home thanks to microwaves, but it's accelerated somewhat as far as restaurants are concerned. Doordash et al is a big part of it, so is waiting around before you can even get a seat at the better places. It's not acceptable to many.
July 7, 20195 yr There are 4-5 eastern suburbs restaurants my wife and I frequent most (especially for Friday/Saturday dinners and Sunday brunches). We often see the same restaurant around the same day/time a week or two apart and it is amazing the variation in crowds from week to week... and I certainly don't think this is her Cleveland specific situation. Some weeks we can't get a seat. Other weeks the space is barely half full for the same Saturday night 7 pm slot , etc. . One restaurant we go to often probably has half the wait time on a busy night as before - maybe 30 to 60 minutes versus 1-2 hours in the past (we seat ourselves at the bar 95% of the time. - no wait) but has been known to do up to 200 DoorDash orders in a day... = they are often busier than ever just not a number of patrons sitting down to eat in the restaurant... Either way, it was unfortunate to see Fleming's leave Eton 15 years in business - which is still a good run. We were fans of their bar and their happy hour, and continued to be turned away in recent efforts to attend - due to the loyal bar crowds. As some may recall, Ruth's Chris let their lease expire at Eton around 15 yrs ago when Fleming's opened, allegedly over a dispute with Stark about them running another steakhouse open in the same complex. Could this be deja vu all over again? 3 years ago Texas de Brazil, a steakhouse, was allowed to open in the West End part of Eton. With Fleming's lease having expired at the end of June, I think it's possible Fleming's may resurface at a different location in the coming months or years - like Ruth's Chris... but who knows...?
July 10, 20195 yr Zack Bruell has been in discussion with Glidden House to possibly takeover the carriage house where Trentina used to be. The issue of the matter is that he wants 100 seats. I'm currently unsure if they'll follow through and attempt to expand it due to the historic nature of the building. The only info I have about the concept is that he wanted to keep and make use of the wood-fired oven. The currently under construction Uptown Phase 3 at the intersection of E 115th and Euclid will have two commercial spots. One is being eyed by Sheng Long Yu who owns a few Asian concepts including Kenko just a short walk away. For the other spot, they're trying to get an Amazon hub. Personally, I'll be upset if that's what happens because it's such a prime location for another shop or restaurant.
July 10, 20195 yr Eyehrtfood beat me to it but I was going to say that I got an email from Fleming’s saying that their lease expired June 30 so either they chose not to renew or Eton chose not to renew them. Wonder which??
July 10, 20195 yr 6 hours ago, tykaps said: Zack Bruell has been in discussion with Glidden House to possibly takeover the carriage house where Trentina used to be. The issue of the matter is that he wants 100 seats. I'm currently unsure if they'll follow through and attempt to expand it due to the historic nature of the building. The only info I have about the concept is that he wanted to keep and make use of the wood-fired oven. The currently under construction Uptown Phase 3 at the intersection of E 115th and Euclid will have two commercial spots. One is being eyed by Sheng Long Yu who owns a few Asian concepts including Kenko just a short walk away. For the other spot, they're trying to get an Amazon hub. Personally, I'll be upset if that's what happens because it's such a prime location for another shop or restaurant. A Zack Bruell restaurant right there would make losing Trentina hurt less. I think an Amazon hub would be GREAT at Uptown. It would be heavily used, which means it would generate lots of foot traffic, which would be beneficial to all the restaurants and shops in the area. I really hope that happens. When is the last time I-71 turned a profit?
July 11, 20195 yr It would be nice is Stark could snare a season’s 52 in the now vacant Fleming’s spot
July 11, 20195 yr 2 hours ago, Pugu said: ^What exactly is an Amazon hub? I assumed that meant the Amazon pickup location like the one on Euclid Ave. on CSU campus. (And I don't know any more about this possibility, the only thing I've heard about Amazon Hub at Uptown was the post above that I responded to.) When is the last time I-71 turned a profit?
July 11, 20195 yr Ugh. I'd rather have a real store, like a 24-hr deli or 24-diner there. Not more amazon crap destroying cities.
July 11, 20195 yr The issue is that I don't believe it'll be well used. CWRU already has a location on both the North and South side of campus with lockers for picking up packages, Amazon included. I'm not sure if there's enough need for it once you subtract the student population.
July 11, 20195 yr 4 hours ago, tykaps said: The issue is that I don't believe it'll be well used. CWRU already has a location on both the North and South side of campus with lockers for picking up packages, Amazon included. I'm not sure if there's enough need for it once you subtract the student population. Ah, I didn’t know that. I agree that makes Amazon Hub less useful. That said, I think a good goal is to increase the non-student population in University Circle. The convenience of an Amazon Hub would help this. When is the last time I-71 turned a profit?
July 11, 20195 yr 2 hours ago, Boomerang_Brian said: Ah, I didn’t know that. I agree that makes Amazon Hub less useful. That said, I think a good goal is to increase the non-student population in University Circle. The convenience of an Amazon Hub would help this. Really? When people are making decisions about where to live, is one of the criteria beyond good schools, good places to eat nearby, safety, a place they can afford, parking, etc., whether or not there is an amazon pick up place nearby? I'm asking in all earnestness as I have never heard this, but would be very disappointed if this were the case.....
July 11, 20195 yr 8 minutes ago, Pugu said: Really? When people are making decisions about where to live, is one of the criteria beyond good schools, good places to eat nearby, safety, a place they can afford, parking, etc., whether or not there is an amazon pick up place nearby? I'm asking in all earnestness as I have never heard this, but would be very disappointed if this were the case..... It's not going to be a major criteria but it could be a minor one. The purpose of the hubs is to accomodate people who don't trust home or office delivery of packages. I can certainly see this being an issue, some places.
July 11, 20195 yr Packages get stolen from good areas all the time, so imagine what happens in grittier or by grittier spots. These lockers are a godsend when you don't have a doorman.
July 11, 20195 yr 6 minutes ago, Pugu said: ^Simple solution: Don't buy crap from Amazon. I try to pick out better stuff there, so that works for me. ?
July 12, 20195 yr Jack Flaps in Ohio City has Closed Jack Flaps, the eclectic chef-driven diner in Ohio City, has closed. The past few months (years?) have been rocky for the café, with sporadic closings and re-openings offering hints of the ultimate fate. The restaurant opened in December of 2013. “It is what it is,” says owner Randy Carter. “The sales have been going down the past couple years and the debts of the other restaurants are weighing me down." The “other restaurant” to which he’s referring is Jack Flaps Luncheonette at the 5th Street Arcades, which closed its doors this past January after three and a half years. https://www.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2019/07/12/jack-flaps-in-ohio-city-has-closed
July 12, 20195 yr Wonder if there is not more to this. Cannot say I am incredibly familiar with their business as I only ate there once (downtown location...food was great). However, we had to wait almost an hour on a bleak January Saturday mid morning and their was still a huge wait after we left. Nothing really going on that day downtown and this location had been open more than a year at the time so its not like it was crowded because it was new and novel ( of course the small space added to the wait but I would also think that would mean the rent was not that much of nut to crack). Sometimes an owner/operator just gets burned out in the restaurant business. I have no clue...maybe business truly was bad. Again the food was great so a bit of a lost.
July 12, 20195 yr I went to JF in Ohio City once and for what it was it wasn't worth the wait or the hype. I'm naturally cynical, but idk, after waiting 45+ minutes to just be seated for a breakfast spot isn't my style. It was a smaller space which was probably tough to balance with increasing rent and Cleveland food price expectations. Didn't the Arcade restaurant close because he was behind on taxes?
July 12, 20195 yr 12 minutes ago, GISguy said: I went to JF in Ohio City once and for what it was it wasn't worth the wait or the hype. I'm naturally cynical, but idk, after waiting 45+ minutes to just be seated for a breakfast spot isn't my style. It was a smaller space which was probably tough to balance with increasing rent and Cleveland food price expectations. Didn't the Arcade restaurant close because he was behind on taxes? If that is true that explains a lot. A small business getting behind in its taxes will find it had to recover no matter how busy you are. The state will never let you go and you are going to be personally liable. Sign of bad budgeting and management.
July 12, 20195 yr Same thing happened to the downtown Jack Flaps location last year. It closed and was replaced by Addie's. Guess they really don't like paying taxes.
July 17, 20195 yr ^they sort of were on the edge of 'nice' Tremont, but Grumpys and Lava Lounge are whiffle ball's throw away and going strong after many years. From firsthand anecdotal experience, a lot of people who went out (usually) to Tremont 3 or 4 nights a week in 2005-2010 are no longer young professionals. They are now more settled down, have kids, and eat at home a lot more. They don't go out like they once did.
July 25, 20195 yr It seems Kona Grill which was one slated for Pinecrest has continue down with its financial troubles as it’s Columbus location at Easton closed abruptly July 23
July 25, 20195 yr Pinecrest dodged a bullet. Kona is meh. "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
July 25, 20195 yr Everyone's favorite restaurant, Boiler 65, looks to be adding a location at Cedar Center North in South Euclid. They have signs up in a storefront as coming soon and I know they have been in contact with our Building and ED departments. Edited July 25, 20195 yr by KFM44107
August 27, 20195 yr Alea to Bring Wood-Fired Mediterranean Fare to Hingetown Area of Ohio City Hingetown, that eclectic little corner of Ohio City, will soon have its first full-service, finer-dining restaurant when Alea opens next month near the intersection of W. 29th Street and Church Avenue (2912 Church St.). A concept two years in the making and six months under construction, the restaurant will offer a wide-ranging taste of the Mediterranean in an attractive, modestly proportioned setting. https://www.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2019/08/27/alea-to-bring-wood-fired-mediterranean-fare-to-hingetown-area-of-ohio-city
September 12, 20195 yr Any word if anything is going in to the old Chinato spot in east 4th? Can’t imagine that’ll stay vacant forever.
September 19, 20195 yr Did we ever learn why Sweet Melissa's closed in Rocky River? Was it really the slow service? Anyway, a new restaurant is opening in their old space this fall, Char Whiskey Bar + Grille. "Char will specialize in locally sourced meats and fresh burgers, mac and cheese and more. The bar will serve up over 100 types of whiskey." https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2019/09/char-whiskey-bar-grille-coming-to-rocky-river.html
September 19, 20195 yr 1 hour ago, Pugu said: Did we ever learn why Sweet Melissa's closed in Rocky River? Was it really the slow service? Service certainly was uneven. As many times as I've been there I don't think I ever saw the same server twice. Lots of turnover!
September 23, 20195 yr Some new restaurants to open this fall--will definitely want to check out some of them. https://photos.clevescene.com/the-most-anticipated-new-restaurants-coming-to-cleveland-this-fall/?slide=1&hotchickentakeover-2
September 26, 20195 yr On 9/23/2019 at 4:54 PM, Pugu said: Some new restaurants to open this fall--will definitely want to check out some of them. https://photos.clevescene.com/the-most-anticipated-new-restaurants-coming-to-cleveland-this-fall/?slide=1&hotchickentakeover-2 3/4 restaurant seen interesting. Not sure how popular hot chicken will be in Westlake. I generally don't dine in the 'burbs outside the CH/SH, but Summer House could be a real winner. Hampton Social will be popular with Flats residents and visitors. SalsaRito?
October 1, 20195 yr Hot Chicken Takeover ready to open 1st location outside Central Ohio Hot Chicken Takeover is ready for its Cleveland debut. The Columbus-based fast-casual brand will open its first-ever restaurant outside Central Ohio on Oct. 8. The restaurant is located in Crocker Park, an Easton Town Center-like development in the Cleveland area. We first wrote about the plans earlier this year. “There’s good brand awareness and enthusiasm (in Cleveland),” founder Joe DeLoss said at the time. “There’s tremendous community alignment with the types of organizations we rely on to build a pipeline for our workforce. It’s also the most open landscape. There’s an opportunity for us to own the category.” More below: https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2019/10/01/heres-when-hot-chicken-takeover-will-open-its.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
October 11, 20195 yr Ok. This is really grinding my gears a this morning. This was my go-to spot downtown for a cheap drink and one of the best corned-beef sandwiches I have ever had. What a gem that we just lost for “phase II” and a new pedestrian bridge so people can feel “safe” walking from the parking garage to the casino. I take back all of the things I said that were positive regarding the casino...although now I can’t help but feel like one of those anti-LGBTQ politicians who all of a sudden is totally OK with gay marriage once they find out they have a child who identifies as a member of that community. Losing The Ontario Street Cafe directly affects me, and now I’m upset about it haha. But in all seriousness, downtown just lost one of its last great dive bars that was just so quintessentially “Cleveland”. https://m.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2019/10/11/ontario-street-cafe-one-the-last-remaining-dive-bars-downtown-is-closed
October 11, 20195 yr 32 minutes ago, Boaty McBoatface said: Ok. This is really grinding my gears a this morning. This was my go-to spot downtown for a cheap drink and one of the best corned-beef sandwiches I have ever had. What a gem that we just lost for “phase II” and a new pedestrian bridge so people can feel “safe” walking from the parking garage to the casino. I take back all of the things I said that were positive regarding the casino...although now I can’t help but feel like one of those anti-LGBTQ politicians who all of a sudden is totally OK with gay marriage once they find out they have a child who identifies as a member of that community. Losing The Ontario Street Cafe directly affects me, and now I’m upset about it haha. But in all seriousness, downtown just lost one of its last great dive bars that was just so quintessentially “Cleveland”. https://m.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2019/10/11/ontario-street-cafe-one-the-last-remaining-dive-bars-downtown-is-closed Hopefully they do end up opening a new Ontario Street Cafe somewhere.
October 11, 20195 yr 28 minutes ago, Boaty McBoatface said: Ok. This is really grinding my gears a this morning. This was my go-to spot downtown for a cheap drink and one of the best corned-beef sandwiches I have ever had. What a gem that we just lost for “phase II” and a new pedestrian bridge so people can feel “safe” walking from the parking garage to the casino. I take back all of the things I said that were positive regarding the casino...although now I can’t help but feel like one of those anti-LGBTQ politicians who all of a sudden is totally OK with gay marriage once they find out they have a child who identifies as a member of that community. Losing The Ontario Street Cafe directly affects me, and now I’m upset about it haha. But in all seriousness, downtown just lost one of its last great dive bars that was just so quintessentially “Cleveland”. https://m.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2019/10/11/ontario-street-cafe-one-the-last-remaining-dive-bars-downtown-is-closed Glazen mentioned a new location. That's great. There really is plenty of space in CLE. Though it's probably unlikely that the ambiance of the place can be easily replicated. One thing I loved about Ontario was it was one of the few places where the crowd was mixed, white and black. I can only think of a few other bars/restaurants that can say the same.
October 11, 20195 yr Can't wait to hear which thoroughly mediocre national chain will moving in after the garage rehab.
October 11, 20195 yr Just now, StapHanger said: Can't wait to hear which thoroughly mediocre national chain will moving in after the garage rehab. Could be something nice like a Yardhouse or something. Doubtful but we can hope.
October 11, 20195 yr 1 minute ago, StapHanger said: Can't wait to hear which thoroughly mediocre national chain will moving in after the garage rehab. Well we lost the incredible Fat Fish Blue for that stupid Tilted Kilt. That's pretty bad precedent there.
October 11, 20195 yr 26 minutes ago, StapHanger said: Can't wait to hear which thoroughly mediocre national chain will moving in after the garage rehab.
October 11, 20195 yr 47 minutes ago, surfohio said: Glazen mentioned a new location. That's great. There really is plenty of space in CLE. Though it's probably unlikely that the ambiance of the place can be easily replicated. One thing I loved about Ontario was it was one of the few places where the crowd was mixed, white and black. I can only think of a few other bars/restaurants that can say the same. Yes! My wife and I would go there all of the time because, not only did it have the best prices in town, it truly did bring in an amazingly diverse group of people.
October 11, 20195 yr Very sad and it came on so soon too that I didn't get to go there a final time. I was far from a regular, but popped in every couple of months or so for a quick beer and sometimes that corned beef sandwich. Agree on the diverse crowd, I can't think of anywhere else like that downtown, it was truly the definition of a 'public house'. My hovercraft is full of eels
October 15, 20195 yr ^ now thats a shame even though it seems they will reopen somewhere. losing places like this also means people will forget how downtown cle was once known for its corned beef sandwich scene back in the days. maybe they wont move far though.
October 31, 20195 yr Interesting east suburban restaurant shakeup this week and in recent weeks. - Pinecrest's decent (nothing better) City Works is closing today after just 16 months. Great side patio. Never clicked there - while nearby Pinstripes, Firebirds, and Cooper's Hawk are hard to get into many nights. Note: "Saucy Brew Works Pinecrest" registered that business name a few months ago - along with already announced Independence location. Might we see them in that beer-ready spot soon? BJs Brewhouse also building next to Cooper's Hawk. - Legacy's mediocre Granite City closed this week - as this chain has other closings and lawsuits in past weeks. Could a Restoration Hardware next-gen mansion (orig planned for Beachwood Place and toying with Pinecrest) end up in that space+others? Maybe... - Harvard/271 - Abuelos Mexican closed after a dozen years in recent weeks. Other good-ish places busy. Bad places not. BTW - Jonathon Sawyer's new place in Van Aken was exceptional last weekend in extra-soft opening... Edited October 31, 20195 yr by eyehrtfood
October 31, 20195 yr 11 hours ago, eyehrtfood said: Interesting east suburban restaurant shakeup this week and in recent weeks. - Pinecrest's decent (nothing better) City Works is closing today after just 16 months. Great side patio. Never clicked there - while nearby Pinstripes, Firebirds, and Cooper's Hawk are hard to get into many nights. Note: "Saucy Brew Works Pinecrest" registered that business name a few months ago - along with already announced Independence location. Might we see them in that beer-ready spot soon? BJs Brewhouse also building next to Cooper's Hawk. - Legacy's mediocre Granite City closed this week - as this chain has other closings and lawsuits in past weeks. Could a Restoration Hardware next-gen mansion (orig planned for Beachwood Place and toying with Pinecrest) end up in that space+others? Maybe... - Harvard/271 - Abuelos Mexican closed after a dozen years in recent weeks. Other good-ish places busy. Bad places not. BTW - Jonathon Sawyer's new place in Van Aken was exceptional last weekend in extra-soft opening... Thanks for the updates. Hard to keep on top of this stuff.
Create an account or sign in to comment