^Re coffee shop, the last I heard she was having trouble with her financing. Every once in a while I see evidence that some stuff has been shuffled around inside, but no significant progress all summer.

Gypsy Beans & Baking Co. news:

 

Interior demo work started last week, and they are installing the fire separation now. The bakery will open first (late October-ish) followed by the coffee shop.

I can vouch for Big Guys (it's where my S.O. and I get our pie for "pizza and a movie" night) - there were some consistency issues a few months ago but they've since corrected them.

Does Big Guy's deliver?

 

Thanks for the update B12...glad to hear they're moving forward!

Does Big Guy's deliver?

 

Thanks for the update B12...glad to hear they're moving forward!

I am trying very hard to remember if big guys has delivery, I may have seen a driver. We like to pick up, and while waiting have a drink at Hotz (same owner you could eat the pie there if you so desired) . Hotz is an interesting slice of Clevelandcanna (my made up word akin to Americana). One time a few friends and I  crashed some guys birthday party at the fulton by just climbing nonchalantly, despite looks of befuddlement from the revelers,  on the departing party bus, ending up at Hotz. With not a one of us with a cell phone to call our S.O's back at the Fulton for pick up, we borrowed one from some guy who turned out the the the boyfriend of a "little person" who promptly threatend to kick out asses for messing with her man. I have a story like that for nearly every time I have been to Hotz...

they have table-top shuffleboard, don't they?

^ if they do, I do not remember, but they DO have a bowling machine

^ if they do, I do not remember, but they DO have a bowling machine

 

one of the old chicago coin dealies?

Anyone checked out the new restaurant on Professor & Literary (the old Theory space) yet?  I was down there for the big Sparx event today and was happy to find that Lago has finally opened.  There must have been little fanfare, or maybe they haven't done their big opening yet, but they told us that they'd opened the doors on Tuesday, so it's been about 5 days.

 

My parents, girlfriend & brother were invited in by the chef & owner, who were trying to figure out how to cover up the old plaque by the front door that said they weren't open on Sundays.  My girl suggested moving a large plant from the entry way to the front step to block the sign.  They offered us a free dessert for her ingenuity.  We took them up on the offer and had a nice big feast in the meantime!

 

The fare is Italian with reasonable prices and a wine list that was far from intimidating.  I had a nice Chianti, an artichoke tart appetizer, vegetarian ravioli (there's plenty for both veggies & carnivores) and some fantastic desserts, along with a well crafted espresso.  The decor was nice, but not a highlight.  The food, however, was spectacular!  And the limonchello tiramisu was divine, despite the fact that I was already stuffed! 

 

Something to look out for... when you see diners exiting the restaurant rubbing their tummies, staggering a little, and carrying boxes of leftovers, you can be pretty sure the food and drink were good, the portions were hearty, and the people are leaving satisfied!  This is one of those places.

saw this on cleveland.com the other day:

 

http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/plaindealer/restaurantrow/

 

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

 

• Lago looks good in Theory's spot

Tremont's newest spot, Lago, opens today almost one year to the day that former occupant Theory went out of business. Featuring primarily Northern Italian food at reasonable prices, executive chef Jeff Fisher is turning out some interesting takes on the cuisine. An excellent starter is the sweetbreads surrounded by giant caper berries, garlic toast crostini, caramelized cipollini onions and a light limoncello. The sweetbreads ($9) picked up a different flavor from each of the accompaniments. A terrific item as an appetizer for two or entree for one is Fisher's lobster ravioli ($22) in a saffron Champagne sauce. The deliciously rich dish featured ravioli well stuffed with lobster, with more of the meat used as a garnish.

As one Tremont spot opens, another closes. Sage Bistro is closing October 1st according to a post on cleveland.com's Food Forum by the owners of Civilization :-(

boo!  so sad!  I've never been there, but it's such a prime location...

 

anyone who's been there have anything else to say about it?

I've been going there since it was first Miracles (awesome potato pancakes), then Oz, now Sage. In each case they had a really great atmosphere and good food  but I think the drawback was that there are only so many people in the region to be able to sustain independent "bistro" style places. That was especially true with Oz and Sage - great food, and not super expensive but pricey enough that it wouldn't be an "everyday" place a la South Side, Waterstreet, etc. The Sage people did come up with a wonderful "5 after 5" offer - 5 small but decent dishes for $5, and $5 for a limited martini menu. I don't think they promoted themselves at much as they could, to be honest.

 

Given the high-traffic site, I doubt that space will stay shuttered for long. I just think it may need a different concept than bistro food. Honestly, I think Tremont/Ohio City are getting saturated with the bistro-level concept with Fat Cats, Lolita, Lago, Parallax, Fahrenheit, Flying Fig, etc. The area could use more Lava Lounge, South Side, Prosperity kinda joints if you ask me.

^ Mayday I agree on all counts.  I really, really liked sage, but I had some personal favs that edged them out for when we were going to spring (ie Lolita) for an indulgence. Maybe the owner can reinvent with something more affordable, b/c they had a lot going on-great menu, great quality and service. Best of luck to them in the future.

Very bad news on Sage...one of my favorites.  I was at Lago on Friday and it was excellent.  As Mayday said, there appears to be a finite # of bistro style places that can survive in one area.

We checked out Melt in Lakewood on Saturday.  It was awesome.  Really tastey, fun menu.  Nice selection of beers (probably about 75 different microbrews from all over the country, listed by state).  Very cool, little space.  I highly recommend it, especially if you like grilled cheese.

 

http://www.meltbarandgrilled.com/

^ I checked out Melt on Friday, and it was delicious. Moreover, the portions were considerable and the bill reasonable. Our total for pierogies, quesadillas and two humongous sandwiches (which each came with slaw and fries) was about $30. Our waiter apologized for delays in getting our food, which was odd, because it arrived in about ten minutes.

 

And with a large variety of sandwiches, it's not a restaurant where you'll quickly get bored ... the Winter Chicken was great, but I'm definitely going to try to work my way down the menu. Definitely worth checking out.

I'll have to check this place out!  I LOVE cheesy stuff...although that means an extra mile on the tread mill  :|  But I do believe a grilled cheese with bacon, turkey & ham is calling my name!  :yap:

oh man!  that sounds like a dream to me!  beer and cheese...mmmmmmm

this Melt guy is behind Johnny Mangos. Selfish me would like to see Melt in JM space, and put JM out in Lakewood. you cant FU good cheese and good beer. S. east asian- mexican fusion is a whole other story.

Finally got to check out Ty Fun in Tremont last night.  It's next to the Flying Monkey, across from Fahrenheit and Gospel Press on Jefferson.  The place was jammin at 9:30 when we arrived and new tables continued to arrive until we left around 11:00.  The food was absolutely delicious...perhaps the best Thai I've had in Cleveland...and the decor was very cozy.  It's a small place with a lot of tables crammed in, but I really liked that about it and it's rarely done in Cleveland.  For now, it's BYO, so we got a bottle of wine to take away from the Monkey next door and had a grand time.  Big recommendations coming from myself and YSOH!

woah -- melt is a great idea. right off the walleye looks tasty. mega microbeer selection too? now thats a winner.

I've got reservations for the new Lola tomorrow night, but I couldn't wait and I stopped by tonight to check out the digs.  I found a newer version of the menu than the one that is posted on the E. 4th Street page.  Check it out!

 

does chicago still have that foie gras ban going on?

^yes, but legislation has been introduced to repeal the ban.  key aldermen have changed their minds and apparently it will pass. 

The wait for Lola is well worth it

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

John Long

Plain Dealer Columnist

5body/K1%> As you probably well know, Lola opened the week be fore last. It was nearly a year to the day from the original opening date, but owners Michael and Liz Symon are just happy they no longer have to listen to whines about why the opening is taking so long. They have the city's prettiest restaurant, a menu that mirrors much from the old Lola's and more people who want to eat at the restaurant than there are seats to accommodate them. Life's tough, huh?

 

More at cleveland.com http://www.cleveland.com

yummy.  I can't wait to get home to try Lola but the Melt Bar is FIRST on my list!

Yum...that Melt sounds fantastic!  And happy hours are back on Fulton... I'm there! 

 

So, our trip to Lola was fun.  The place is just exciting and it makes E. 4th all the more so.  I believe Social Distortion was playing at the HoB last night, so there were punk rockers of all ages walking up and down the street, as well as fancy dressed up folks (like me and my lady) heading to Lola.  Nice contrast, to say the least...the spice o life!  This is the stuff that makes cities tick.  There's got to be a reason for everyone to be there.

 

Anyway, the bar was beautiful, the wine was delicious, the place was bumping, there were plenty of people who came in with booked reservations, but there were lots of walk-ins as well.  The wait was around 30 mins or so.  We were there from 7:00 to 10:30 and the place never seemed to slow down! 

 

The service was great...very chatty, which we like.  The bread and appetizers were deilcious (heirloom tomato for me and lobster corn dogs for the lady).  They brought out Salmon parfait (I think) from the kitchen in little shooters after we were done with our appetizers.  I don't eat meat, so I can't comment on personal taste, but I know my girl liked it!  We had Lola Fries, which were perfectly crispy & savory, and two entrees.  I had the "Veggie" risotto, tofu & butternut squash & my girl had the halibut.  She loved hers, but I was a little disappointed in mine.  The tofu was clearly the largest part of the dish, when it really should've been very minimal.  Why?  Because tofu's cheap and it doesn't have much taste unless you seriously marinate it, fry it or bake it.  They seasoned the top, but the rest was bland.  The squash & risotto were tasty, but were much smaller than the big "filets" of tofu.  So, no, not worth $22.  Dessert (amaretto cheesecake & lemon merengue) was also delicious, but I've gotta say that the cheesecake was also a little devoid of flavor.  I know this may have been an intentional way to get the sorbet to stand out, but come on...cheesecake should be rich with flavor!  So, again, a little disappointed there. 

 

My overall assessment is that the decor and feel of the place are worth the price, but that the food...or at least the vegetarian dishes that I had...could do for a bit of polishing up.  Maybe mr. Symon just doesn't have much experience with tofu.  Well, scrap it and make me some mac & cheese then!  I'll certainly go back, but likely just for drinks and sides. 

I hate to disappoint everyone by posting about Swingo's Grand Tavern in Avon Lake - none of you will ever go, but I went there a couple times over the summer and I have to say in Avon Lake this restaurant is way out of place. Not that the prices are too high, but the menu and atmosphere is very "downtown" The place is ultra contemporary and really chic. It reminds me a lot of Sarava, Jaq's, or Three Bird, but the Grand Tavern in Avon Lake is located in a strip mall with a Tops! Its a real shame though that they didn't choose the city, because it would have fit really well. This has to be the most "downtown" type restaurant West of Lakewood that exists.

 

Menu a good start for new Swingos

Wednesday, August 30, 2006

John Long

Plain Dealer Columnist

 

Avon Lake's newest restaurant is the product of an old- line restaurant family. Matt and Dan Swingos, the third generation of the family in the business, recently opened Swingos Grand Tavern, 32858 Walker Road.

 

More at cleveland.com http://www.cleveland.com

I'm so disappointed in Vulpster.

"none of you will ever go,"

 

True, but thanks for the info nonetheless :)

i don't even know where avon lake is.

i don't even know where avon lake is.

 

its in between the lake and avon. 

i don't even know where avon lake is.

 

i say, i believe you'll find it near bristol and bath. all right then. pip, pip cheerio. off you go.

 

 

 

Is this the Swingo's that used to be near CSU?

Is this the Swingo's that used to be near CSU?

 

same family, different brother.  the one at CSU went to the Statler and then to edgewater/gold coast (where it is now).  this is a new location. 

 

edit: fixed typos.

gotchya, thanks!

I'm so disappointed in Vulpster.

 

Hey, don't be disappointed with me. Despite the fact that it is a nice restaurant, I'm not happy the owners choose to be in Avon Lake either. Ex-urban types will go there because they are afraid to go to W.6th, or people from out there might not bother to go downtown for dinner as much as they used to. It is pathetic. The reason I went a couple times is because I grew up in Avon Lake and my parents live there. Don't worry though, because in a few months i will be job and apartment hunting in the city.

 

Swingos Celebrity Inn used to be a hotel and restaurant on Euclid Avenue near CSU that did in fact attract celebrities. I think Sinatra, Martin Luther King Jr., and touring rock bands used to stay there. In Almost Famous the characters talk about Swingos and stay there while on tour. The family closed it (in the eighties?), and then openned a restuarant on the lake in Lakewood. The Lakewood restaurant is still open. It is some kind of brother or son of the orginal Swingos that openned the restaurant in Avon Lake. This new Swingos is far more modern contemporary than the one in Lakewood; totally different. 

 

I'm so disappointed in Vulpster.

 

Hey, don't be disappointed with me. Despite the fact that it is a nice restaurant, I'm not happy the owners choose to be in Avon Lake either. Ex-urban types will go there because they are afraid to go to W.6th, or people from out there might not bother to go downtown for dinner as much as they used to. It is pathetic. The reason I went a couple times is because I grew up in Avon Lake and my parents live there. Don't worry though, because in a few months i will be job and apartment hunting in the city.

 

Swingos Celebrity Inn used to be a hotel and restaurant on Euclid Avenue near CSU that did in fact attract celebrities. I think Sinatra, Martin Luther King Jr., and touring rock bands used to stay there. In Almost Famous the characters talk about Swingos and stay there while on tour. The family closed it (in the eighties?), and then openned a restuarant on the lake in Lakewood. The Lakewood restaurant is still open. It is some kind of brother or son of the orginal Swingos that openned the restaurant in Avon Lake. This new Swingos is far more modern contemporary than the one in Lakewood; totally different.  

 

 

IIRC, Swingo's was a little bit of Las Vegas in Cleveland.  I recall my parents going to listen to Jazz at swingos.

 

The original swingos was the Keg (or something like that) I think that they also might have owned or managed the statler hotel, and had several restaurants around playhouse square, I pretty sure that they had one at the Richfield Coliseum.

 

Im not sure but wasn't the Keg an apartment building?  I the movie Almost Famous, they highlighted swingos...it was kinda cool!

I hate to disappoint everyone by posting about Swingo's Grand Tavern in Avon Lake - This has to be the most "downtown" type restaurant West of Lakewood that exists.

 

I think the White Oaks, on Cahoon Road in Westlake, also falls into that category. It was one of the few establishments in the area built as a speakeasy, constructed in 1928. Most other speakeasies were built as something else before the coming of Prohibition in 1920, and then became speakeasies. The White Oaks also has kept its name, much of its original decor and still has that sensation of being "a little secret." You'll love the photos on the walls, a Sun article about it by yours truly written in 1994, and the feeling that the walls in that place are just dying to talk about all that they've seen in the past 78 years -- but especially in the first five, before Prohibition was legislated out of existence in 1933.

 

Just make sure you have a thick wallet before going. White Oaks is NOT cheap!

Alright, so I went to Melt on December 20.  Polack that I am, I opted for the "Parmageddon" sandwich:  potato-and-cheese pierogi, sauteed onion, homemade green napa kraut, and American cheese on Texas toast.  Damn good, especially since I could only eat half the sandwich!  Not a bad deal for nine bucks. 

 

Almost as good was the beer selection.  The crappy taps were Guinness, Stella Artois, and Blue Moon.  Had me a Bell's Hopslam and a Dogfish 60 Min. IPA and called it a day.  Wonderful neighborhood place!  I highly encourage any beer-and-sandwich conoisseurs to give it a go.

 

 

damn Dan....that sounds so good!  I love CHEESE!!! Cheese and Coffee!  ummmmmmm (insert homer simpson drewl)

When I was back in Cleveland over the holiday I tried to check out Melt for lunch (it was on top of my list of places to check out when home), there was a line out the door and about an hour wait, so I didnt get to try it.  Instead I killed two birds with one stone and I went to the cafe at the West Side Market, then shopped for various Market items for people back in D.C..  It was very good....  but I'll definately make it to Melt the next time Im back!!!   

willyboy, the key is to get to Melt at an odd hour for lunch--like 2:00. 

 

Where in DC do ya live???  You know there are a ton of Cleveland expats inside the Beltway....

Im in Mt. Pleasant.  Yes there are a ton of us here, even my next door neighbors in my building.  Many miss it there and talk about it fondly, they just cant find the opportunties in Cleveland that they can find in D.C.  You live on Capital Hill right..  We have argued before..     

My cousins and I tried to go to Melt the Friday before Christmas, but even at 11:30 am there was already an hour wait, so we ended up at Angelo's Pizza instead for a sampler of pizzas that included a kickass seafood pizza with lobster cream sauce, shrimp, crabmeat, and spinach.  We also had a roasted veggie pizza, Acapulco BBQ Chicken, and a meatball pizza - all were excellent.  We then went down to the WSM to shop for Christmas dinner fixins, and stopped at Lelolai on W 25th for some excellent almond and coconut flans and mango cheesecake.  Will have to try Melt again at an off-hour next time I get a weekday off - I'd be up for some Parmageddon!

 

Im in Mt. Pleasant.  Yes there are a ton of us here, even my next door neighbors in my building.  Many miss it there and talk about it fondly, they just cant find the opportunties in Cleveland that they can find in D.C.  You live on Capital Hill right..  We have argued before..      

 

Sorry to take this thread off-topic, but what kind of opportunities were they looking for? I'm not doubting you, as I've heard the same thing from others in certain careers, but I'm interested to learn what we're lacking (makes it easier to correct it).

D.C. is a goldmine of opportunity.  There are about 65,000 new jobs here a year, so it is a natural place for people to migrate to after college, as I did when I couldnt find a job in Cleveland.  This is unfortunate since to me D.C. lacks so many of the things that make Cleveland great.  Most people I know here are affiliated with the government or work for national associations of some kind or lobbyists.  I have had some amazing job experiences in D.C., which have even opened doors for some Cleveland lobbying.  Im hoping to move back to Cleveland soon (Urban Planning field).       

To be back on subject.... Also when back in Cleveland I checked out everything on E. 4th, Corner Alley etc.. very exciting.  Even had a pricey, but very strong martini at Lola served by the lovely Mrs. Simon.  On another night, a Friday night, I had dinner at Jac's in the Warehouse district.  I wanted to give this place some business since it is a lovely space, and have read good reviews of the food, and since they finally seemed to have the kitchen in order.  We were the only table at 8:00 on a Friday night!!!  The server was adorable, and said they had a pickup in business following the reviews but business has dwindled to near nothing since... She said the owner refuses to advertise, and has had offers to be bought out as well.  She thought the current owner was keeping the place from succeeding.  By the way I thought the food was very good.     

...She said the owner refuses to advertise, and has had offers to be bought out as well.  She thought the current owner was keeping the place from succeeding....

 

Quote of the day!  Now that just sad!