Good to see about two semis worth of drywall being delivered to the bowling alley today.  It looks like they are really starting to move on this one. By the way, it is absolutely huge inside. It appears to extend back behind Pickwick & Frolic.

 

I saw this as well today, and it was a good sight.  It is a lot bigger inside than I anticipated.  I was amazed at the progress made on the steel studs.  Also, there were probably 15 workers there, which is a lot better than the 2 or 3 I usually seem to see milling around.  The last time I peeked in, it looked like the place would never get done.

Re: Lola.  When I looked through the windows furthest to the right when looking from east 4th, I saw piles of what looked like furniture.  There were a few workers in there and it looked like some more progress had been made.

Now if UH could just move some workers into the Atrium building, then lower Euclid would feel significantly different. Still, the bowling alley will do a lot for the appearance of that part of Euclid Ave.

This may have been addressed in an earlier post, but when is UH expected to reach a decision about where to relocate back office operations?

This may have been addressed in an earlier post, but when is UH expected to reach a decision about where to relocate back office operations?

 

No one knows. They did have some big meetings about it in May. I haven't heard anything since then.  I did some GIS work for the project.  I'd say there is a 50-50 shot that the Atrium could land the project. If not the Atrium, then it would go at the old OfficeMax HQ or along the 271 corridor.

The plain dealer had an announcement that Lola is now hiring downtown with the dates.  Wish i had the paper with me and i'd write them down.  But it would appear that it is actually going to happen!

on cleveland.com forums, there was an exchange in the food forum that said LOLA will open in Sept. FOR SURE, but that exact date hasn't been determined.

They had the bar installed today.  It glows, people!

it better glow!  everything in that place should be 100% fantastic when it opens.  I can't wait!

With Simon's success in NYC and all the media coverage, I think Lola will be a big regional draw.  This a great break from all the traditional sports bars that pop up downtown.

 

 

there was some serious work on the bowling alley today - they removed and are in the process of installing the window wall facing euclid.  there is also some serious drywalling going on.  it is coming together nicely.  they can't get this plywood down soon enough imo. 

 

hopefully these will be the sliding windows.  since they are the same owners who redid flannery's, it seems they understand about connecting to the street. 

Any unsubstantiated, wildly speculative rumors about what will fill up the other storefronts?

I heard that there would be a Pret a Manger, Camper, Dewey's Coffee, Marc Jacobs, Muji, and Cleveland's very own outpost of Other Music...all fronting Euclid between Public Square and E. 6th Street...within the next 60 days. 

 

Sorry, was that too cruel? You asked for unsubstantiated and wildly speculative! :evil:

The news I heard at Pickwick last night was that the Corner Alley is supposed to open in December.  I'll be impressed if they can do it, it's such a huge project.  Look at Lola, they are a year late, with a much smaller project.  But it probably all depends on the determination, money and power of the client I guess.  HOB was a huge project and went up very fast and opened on schedule.

The news I heard at Pickwick last night was that the Corner Alley is supposed to open in December.  I'll be impressed if they can do it, it's such a huge project.  Look at Lola, they are a year late, with a much smaller project.  But it probably all depends on the determination, money and power of the client I guess.  HOB was a huge project and went up very fast and opened on schedule.

 

With the recent pace of construction, I'd say that December is very reasonable. 

Some big news from Crain's:

 

An expanded East Fourth Street menu

By STAN BULLARD

3:01 pm, August 30, 2006

 

 

Three new restaurants are going on the menu in the East Fourth Street neighborhood.

 

The new restaurants will join the House of Blues and Lola at the redevelopment by MRN Ltd. of 1890-vintage buildings on East Fourth Street between Euclid and Prospect avenues for dining, entertainment and loft apartments.

 

 

Continued:

http://www.crainscleveland.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060830/FREE/60830014/1004&Profile=1004

i've said it before and I'll say it again, tarantino is not well liked by many.

Has anyone ever had Teresa's pizz before? I'm not familar with it. I've been hoping for a good pizza place downtown that would be open for dinner. I was hoping for an Angelo's pizza downtown.

Good news, but not exactly "leased to capacity".

Great news.

 

Now that more people will be huffing it around on foot to go to there favorite place for food, the retailers should start lining up as well, no?

 

 

It depends on how much of a destination these restaurants will be.  Will they draw lots of people like HOB and P&F, or hopefully Lola and the Corner Alley?  I'm excited though that they sound like they may be more reasonably priced than the majority of downtown restaurants.

Good news, though I was hoping for some shops, not just restaurants. At least La Strada will carry fresh fruit and vegetables, something the neighborhood desperately needs. I still don't get why they don't put in a damn bodega...

 

Here's the PD's version.

 

 

3 new restaurants lined up for East Fourth Street

 

3:24 p.m.

 

Downtown Cleveland's emerging East Fourth Street neighborhood soon could be stuffed with even more dining options.

 

Developer Ari Maron of MRN Ltd. said his family-owned company has deals to add three more restaurant concepts. The $110 million project already is bustling with a House of Blues and buzzing with anticipation over the delayed arrival of Lola Bistro.

 

Tremont-transplant Lola and a much-hyped bowling alley/martini bar should open this fall, Maron said. The next wave of retail is expected next spring, when a flashy pizzeria, a Mediterranean-themed market and a Mexican cantina are scheduled to appear.

 

Teresa's Pizza, an Aurora chain with 11 area shops, plans to put a flagship store in the WT Grant Building on Euclid Avenue. The space, with 2,400 square feet, will be larger than most Teresa's locations and thus able to accommodate more sit-down guests. (Link: Teresa's Web site)

 

Maron described La Strada World Café, a concept from Cleveland restaurateur Terry Tarantino, as Italian fare with heavy Mediterranean influence. Tarantino, known for La Dolce Vita in Little Italy, also plans to make fresh fruits and vegetables available for carry-out. The 3,000 square-foot restaurant will occupy space in the old Woolworth Building on East Fourth.

 

Zocalo Cantina, which is taking 4,500 square feet in the Graves Building, near the southeast corner of East Fourth and Prospect Avenue, will have a tequila bar and full-service, West Coast-inspired restaurant where chefs make the guacamole at your table.

 

Mike Auger with Trifecta Management Group of Los Angeles, MRN's partner in the bowling alley project, will lead the Zocalo development.

 

By Henry J. Gomez, [email protected]

One more reason to top off the 515 garage with the condos--walk across the street pizza!

well, I don't know anything about any of these places that isn't in the above articles, but I'm glad to hear the news! 

 

A couple side notes, though.  We have a pizza place around the corner on Prospect...Vincenza's, but they really only cater to the lunch crowd.  To my knowledge, they're never open for dinner, which is a big no-no in my book, as I walk down Prospect after work (6pm) and after school (10pm) and nobody's open for a quick bite to go but Subway!  So, this pizza place may fill a dinnertime niche, but is it the type to sell me a slice to go?  These two spots may not end up competing, so I'm not yet worried about Vincenza's market share...

 

Next, I'll echo what some of you already said... where's my merchandise retail?  I know there's plenty of room left with 7 more vacancies, but let's get it rollin!  Daddy needs a new pair of shoes!

I'm not seeing pizza by the slice, but it does look pretty reasonable. E. 4th is starting to get a really interesting mix of (dining) tenants ... a very loose brand image for the neighborhood, no? http://www.teresaspizza.net/menu.html

Hmm, $8.35 for a small Hawaiian pizza sounds pretty good for lunch! :-D

 

(yes, I'm the only person on the planet who likes those!)

Can anyone explain to me what Macaroni & Cheese Bites are? I'm more than a little intrigued.

As awful (health-wise) as they sound, my guess is that they're deep-fried clumps of mac-and-cheese?

 

That's what I suspected. Two please.

I didn't see the SLICE option either (not to mention hours).  I actually just wrote to their comment section, expressing that it would be smart to sell pie by the slice as well as to have late night hours for the residents/bar patrons in that area.  This looks as if it is their first Urban setting, it should be interesting how they handle it. 

The new restaurants are great news but the street needs a place to get some breakfast. Last Saturday, a lot of tourists in town for the Wisconsin-BG game were wandering around the area looking for a place to eat. Also, it would make the street more vibrant during the day.

I would personaly like to see a waffle house in the area, even though I dont think they do urban locations. I think an old army/navy building on prospect, 1 story building near e 2nd, would work nice for one.

Yummy..Chicken and waffles! 

Does First Watch do downtown locations, or only faux-downtowns like Crocker Park? Liquid Planet would seem to be a good fit for downtown too.

as i seem to be the only one who knows about teresa's pizza i will give you the low down.

 

i have only had it a few times at a buddy's house, but it seems very authentic. as far as taste, its definitely top-notch. at least i liked it.. though the cheese does not stick to the dough as well as i would like it to... :)

I think Liquid Planet would be a great fit... and from I understand (I could be wrong) they are owned by the same people as the Waterstreet, so there's a bit of experience already in the Downtown market.

^You are correct. And I here they have been dying to get some franchises open in the area.

 

Today's PD:

 

Fire safety scorches dining plans

 

An East Fourth Street developer has agreed to scale back plans for on-street dining to satisfy fire-safety concerns. The city is expected to issue an outdoor-dining permit soon to Ari Maron and MRN Ltd., which has developed the short stretch between Euclid and Prospect avenues into an entertainment haven. Maron wanted to enhance the strip on East Fourth Street by allowing restaurant dining to push into a 222-foot section of the street. But fire officials said a proposed 10-foot right-of-way was too small. Maron won a zoning-appeal fight but has since agreed to shorten the dining section to 152 feet, said Barbara Langhenry, the city's chief assistant law director. The expanded outdoor dining could open this year but is more likely to happen next spring, Maron said.

Fire safety scorches dining plans

 

An East Fourth Street developer has agreed to scale back plans for on-street dining to satisfy fire-safety concerns. The city is expected to issue an outdoor-dining permit soon to Ari Maron and MRN Ltd., which has developed the short stretch between Euclid and Prospect avenues into an entertainment haven. Maron wanted to enhance the strip on East Fourth Street by allowing restaurant dining to push into a 222-foot section of the street. But fire officials said a proposed 10-foot right-of-way was too small. Maron won a zoning-appeal fight but has since agreed to shorten the dining section to 152 feet, said Barbara Langhenry, the city's chief assistant law director. The expanded outdoor dining could open this year but is more likely to happen next spring, Maron said.

Yeah, that's definitely not happening until next year. I think they are happy to at least be finally getting the permit though, it looked like it wasn't going to happen at all.

 

I just saw plans this weekend for an as-yet unnamed dance club that is going to be built next to P&F.  The renderings looked pretty sweet.  It's being developed by one of the investors of P&F, don't know his name, sorry.  He plans to open in March.

Does First Watch do downtown locations, or only faux-downtowns like Crocker Park?

 

They have locations in downtown Cincinnati and downtown Columbus.

If you call German Village "downtown".

 

I just saw plans this weekend for an as-yet unnamed dance club that is going to be built next to P&F.  The renderings looked pretty sweet.  It's being developed by one of the investors of P&F, don't know his name, sorry.  He plans to open in March.

 

Wow, that would be huge news. That space is very large and fill up the entire eastern side of E.4 except for the Sincere Building space. Thanks for the info!

but we already have lots of night clubs downtown!  how about some retail Ari???

I would personaly like to see a waffle house in the area, even though I dont think they do urban locations. I think an old army/navy building on prospect, 1 story building near e 2nd, would work nice for one.

 

Way back in '92 I was in a Waffle House in downtown Atlanta, but that was before their most recent buildup in downtown. I like the Ihops and Waffle houses they cater to the day crowd as well as the after the club, early morning crowd.

Well, maybe they can put some retail on Euclid and Prospect leading up to E.4? That'd be cool, especially on Euclid. Some nice places to get your club attire! =)

heck yeah! 

 

I know it'll come...I'm just anxious and sometimes post in haste.

 

I do agree, however, that we need some 24 hour eateries Downtown.  I swear the first one of these will make a killing.  So will the first bodega for the neighborhood that stays open past midnight!  (or 6 o'clock for that matter)

bodega? where do you think you are? new york?

I don't know if a night club is a real great fit for the area. The V Lounge closed (correct me if I'm wrong), and View is always dead.

I'd say that a night club would do better on E.4th that it would on Prospect (View).  View is little visibility (on the second floor) and it doesn't benefit from the traffic the Pickwick and the HOB generates.

If you call German Village "downtown".

 

Technically, it's in the Brewery District.

A 24 hour restuarant with breakfast is much needed for downtown in my opinion. Although there are a couple options for late night food. The Little Bar does serve food till close and their food is really good and reasonably priced. Casbah Cafe is open late too, but their hours are really wacky. I usually pass W.117th after a night out at the bars, and there is no shortage of late night and 24hr restaurants there. It would be great if My Friends Deli openned up a downtown location instead of a Waffle House or First Watch.