Welcome Buckeyeville!  That was a useful roundup of the street-level WHD action, thanks for posting.  Though memo to John Petkovic: if you still think Indian and Lebanese menus are "exotic," you probably have no business covering the nightlife beat in a metro area with more than 50,000 people let alone 2 million.

 

Yeeeah, I'm gonna have to agree with that sentiment.  Lebanese and Indian cuisine are two of my major food groups that were a necessary addition to downtown.  Wouldn't describe them as "exotic", lol.  And I'm Italian, so it's not like either of those are my own culture!

 

I hope Charkha and Taza are doing okay - we try to frequent them, but they're never nearly as busy as other places in the WHD.

went to Taza today purely based on that article.  the falafel was pretty good

 

Love Taza

 

 

I hope Charkha and Taza are doing okay -

 

Im helping them out with carry-out alone.  :-)

Havent tried Charkha yet... want to though.

Charkha is very above average as far as Indian food goes and I've eaten at a ton of Indian restaurants.

Last night I had dinner at Barroco Grill in Lakewood, and asked when their downtown location on West 6th would be opening. Our waitress told us that it should be any day now, and that they actually have been ready to go since March, but the city has been dragging their feet on permits and whatnot. If this is the case, then what the hell, Cleveland?! No wonder more companies don't want to be here...

I went to Charkha this week and it was fantastic. Skip the chicken dishes (the only meat dishes on the buffet), they were not good enough to bother with, but the vegetarian dishes were amazing.

I went to Charkha this week and it was fantastic. Skip the chicken dishes (the only meat dishes on the buffet), they were not good enough to bother with, but the vegetarian dishes were amazing.

 

Very exciting place. I will def. try to make a visit on my next trip. Apparently they usually have live salsa bands on Friday nights

Is Tomo ever opening?  It's been just sitting there forever.

Last night I had dinner at Barroco Grill in Lakewood, and asked when their downtown location on West 6th would be opening. Our waitress told us that it should be any day now, and that they actually have been ready to go since March, but the city has been dragging their feet on permits and whatnot. If this is the case, then what the hell, Cleveland?! No wonder more companies don't want to be here...

 

It goes both ways, if people don't submit proper paperwork, the city is required to send it back. If they didn't, then they'd criticized for not being thorough enough.

I don't care what they did wrong on paperwork, March was a long time ago.  Paperwork should never be that hard.

I wouldn't get too worked up about second-, third- or fourth-hand information from a waitress about a business dealing involving a city.

It goes both ways, if people don't submit proper paperwork, the city is required to send it back. If they didn't, then they'd criticized for not being thorough enough.

 

Are you saying that people just like to complain? ;)

Eh...I'm not too worked up about it, and you're right, my source could be more credible. It does suck though, I cannot imagine how much money a place would lose because of all that down time. It does make me wonder if it has anything to do with the city's zoning codes. I think they are some of the oldest in the country: http://la.curbed.com/archives/2012/04/la_moving_ahead_with_huge_overhaul_of_1946_zoning_code.php and I wonder how much that affects a historical district.

Eh...I'm not too worked up about it, and you're right, my source could be more credible. It does suck though, I cannot imagine how much money a place would lose because of all that down time. It does make me wonder if it has anything to do with the city's zoning codes. I think they are some of the oldest in the country: http://la.curbed.com/archives/2012/04/la_moving_ahead_with_huge_overhaul_of_1946_zoning_code.php and I wonder how much that affects a historical district.

 

You are absolutely right about zoning reform, and there's a separate thread here for that, but I'd be surprised if our current zoning would hold up a restaurant in the WHD.

I asked Joe Cimperman about Barroco and the possibility of city interfering with their opening. He was nice enough to reply and look into it:

 

"we've offered support from beginning, owner tells us it's landlord tenant issue. I'll reach back, thx for headup"

 

Followed up later with:

 

"reconfirmed : issue not, I repeat not, w/ @CityofCleveland , offered any-all aid again FYI"

 

So that is positive to hear! Sorry about the mix up, folks!

ilivecle, thanks for looking into it. I like when people contact people in the know to verify/disprove a rumor.

I went to Charkha this week and it was fantastic. Skip the chicken dishes (the only meat dishes on the buffet), they were not good enough to bother with, but the vegetarian dishes were amazing.

 

Very exciting place. I will def. try to make a visit on my next trip. Apparently they usually have live salsa bands on Friday nights

 

I picked up a pt job recently for delivermefood.com to make a little extra cash and I gotta tell ya, even though I have never seen the place full - or even half full... I am always going there to pick up orders. Looking forward to trying it out myself soon.

 

Cleveland's first distillery since prohibition opens for business

 

http://mobile.cleveland.com/advcleve/db_105576/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=IP9L7AJl

 

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cleveland's first legal distillery since prohibition is now in business.

 

 

 

Cleveland's first distillery since prohibition opens for business

 

http://mobile.cleveland.com/advcleve/db_105576/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=IP9L7AJl

 

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cleveland's first legal distillery since prohibition is now in business.

 

 

 

For clarity, is this considered FEB or the WHD?

MTS, The building is on West Ninth Street right past the bridge so I consider it part of the Warehouse District but I could be wrong.

 

http://maps.google.com/#bmb=1

 

https://www.facebook.com/portsidedistilleryco

 

On my way to purchase a few bottles from their first batch.

 

 

 

Update on the Portside Rum.....smoooooth!! It was so good, I got a little weepy trying the sample. They have almost sold out of their first batch.

^i tried some too.  Loved it.  A great thing if Cleveland can tap into the distilling market.  We can increase our craft food/drink resume.  Its right at the base of the Flats East Bank tower and will be an anchor to that part of the city

very cool . i was wondering about market garden because they were supposed to be distilling too, but that article answered that question:

 

 

Market Garden founder Sam McNulty was excited for Portside's momentous night, even though it beat his restaurant to becoming the first legal distilling operation in Cleveland.

 

"From the outside, it may look like we are in competition, but in actuality we are working together to get Americans to stop drinking fast food equivalents and start drinking locally," McNulty said.

 

Market Garden has a fully functional distillery, but is still in the process of obtaining necessary licenses. McNulty said he plans to distil his first white whiskey sometime in 2013.

 

This all sounds awesome.  Good rum is oe of life's best gifts.  And Governor Kasich, if you want to hone your regulation slashing credentials, get on this micro distillery thing!

^i tried some too.  Loved it.  A great thing if Cleveland can tap into the distilling market.  We can increase our craft food/drink resume.  Its right at the base of the Flats East Bank tower and will be an anchor to that part of the city

 

See this is why I asked.  I thought it was the FEB.

I would absolutely consider it FEB.  Its adjacent to the FEB tower, unless the neighborhood dividing line is right in between the two buildings.

Ironically, I'm pretty sure that everything on the uphill side of 10th street is in the WHD's planning area.

From industrial wasteland to hip hangout: 10 choice neighborhoods

By Roger Fillion of SwitchYard Media

 

"Industrial neighborhoods can undergo dramatic transformations. At one time, they may be home to thriving shipping businesses, breweries or window manufacturers. Larger economic forces eventually swoop in — cheaper overseas competition, perhaps, or the rise of a new business, such as container shipping."

 

http://realestate.msn.com/from-industrial-wasteland-to-hip-hangout-10-choice-neighborhoods

Walking down West 6th last night, I was happy to see the ground floor space in the Hat Factory at 1239 West 6th Street is finally getting built out!  Looks like it's getting made into office space or something.  Snapped some pictures, including a sketch that makes it look like it's going to be new space for MT Business Technologies. 

 

 

Good eye - thanks for posting that

Just saw an ad on cleveland.com for Tomo on West 9th stating that it will be opening TOMORROW, January 11!  :clap: Finally!  I will not be back in Cleveland for a few weeks and therefore won't be able to check it out, so please let us know if any of you happen to be in the area and can verify its opening!  :lol:

It's on their Facebook too... It's a soft opening.

And with 4 fans on Facebook, I'm sure the opening will be very soft.  :)

And with 4 fans on Facebook, I'm sure the opening will be very soft.  :)

 

LOL! i saw it from Positively Cleveland, Cleveland's Warehouse District, or something on facebook. it wasn't from Tomo itself...

Warehouse district is looking much better with the fresh pavement & sidewalk renovations on W. 6th & W 9th, but there is a lot of vacancy creeping in.  I think W. 25th is kicking their ass in terms of attracting the nightclub crowd.

 

Sushi Rock is closed, I heard a rumor that "Rumor" is closing, and Pannini's won't be far behind.

 

Seems like some of the building owners need to lower their rents or the vacancies will continue to climb.

They may have been hurt during all the street reconstruction. Maybe a good football season will inject some new life into them?

Possibly, but those bars' business has been way down on the weekends for some time now.  Like less than half what they used to bring in.  Velvet Dog used to pull $100k on a summer weekend night.  Now they don't get $40k for the weekend.  The same crowd is at W.25th now.

 

Quite a few vacancies on W. 9th too.

Possibly, but those bars' business has been way down on the weekends for some time now.  Like less than half what they used to bring in.  Velvet Dog used to pull $100k on a summer weekend night.  Now they don't get $40k for the weekend.  The same crowd is at W.25th now.

 

Quite a few vacancies on W. 9th too.

 

Is it the SAME crowd though? W6 and W25 are two totally different things. W25 isn't much of a "club" scene compared to W6.

 

Hopefully now that the road work is done things will improve. I would hate all that work to go to waste!

Does anyone have pictures of the new W. 6th streetscape? I haven't been able to find any.

I would love to see the neighborhood makeup completely revamped. Get rid of the clubs and add shops and neighborhood places. Places open during the day! And during the week!

I would love to see the neighborhood makeup completely revamped. Get rid of the clubs and add shops and neighborhood places. Places open during the day! And during the week!

 

"Get rid of the clubs?" Why? We DO need nightclubs, guys (and/or girls). I'm not going to West 6th to hang out at a dry cleaners. And West 25th is cool, but as KJP mentioned, it is a different clientele. We need MORE clubs, not less. Go to some of these other cities and see their nightclub districts. Most of them kick our ass. I don't want this city to be stodgy and boring. We need other things to do than sports games, restaurants and high priced beers (not that there's anything wrong with those things). I was at WXYZ at aLoft with a friend of mine who moved here from Chicago and she was complaining about how we don't have many good nightclubs here. Like big ones. I get so annoyed by the idea that we have to choose between one or the other. We need both.

The Warehouse District is dead during the week and during the day. Something needs to change IMO. The most active section is the section south of st clair on West 6th, and that only has buildings on one side. It has restuarants though that serve lunch with patios, a hair salon, and a starbucks. Gives that area life. Go north of st clair and it is dead.

The Warehouse District is dead during the week and during the day. Something needs to change IMO. The most active section is the section south of st clair on West 6th, and that only has buildings on one side. It has restuarants though that serve lunch with patios, a hair salon, and a starbucks. Gives that area life. Go north of st clair and it is dead.

 

So then what do u do to do both? Not having a nightclub district is not an option, or should not be an option. We need a nightclub district. Sports bars, expensive restaurants and freakin Starbucks is NOT gonna bring a crowd to your city that wants to dance. That's wack

How is the nightclub scene doing nationwide? Everyone I know who is in their twenties hate west 6th and prefer more relaxed scenes like Tremont and Ohio City. This includes multiple social groups and different ages.

 

Personally I don't drink. I just really prefer an active urban neighborhood over a dance scene two nights a week that is dead the rest of the time. 

How is the nightclub scene doing nationwide? Everyone I know who is in their twenties hate west 6th and prefer more relaxed scenes like Tremont and Ohio City. This includes multiple social groups and different ages.

 

Personally I don't drink. I just really prefer an active urban neighborhood over a dance scene two nights a week that is dead the rest of the time.

 

I know a lot of people who like both. I'm in my 20s and I like both. Going to just the West 25th model alone is a really, really bad idea. It's natural for us to advocate against things we don't participate in, but u can't forget that it's more than just u here. It's more than just me here. I don't want W. 25th to become W.6th and I don't want W.6th to go away. We need BOTH.

 

Nightclubs are still important to a city's nightlife. I want us to be on this list: look at the cities here. They all, especially the ones close to the top, all have strong, STRONG nightclubs. http://travel.usnews.com/Rankings/Best_Bar_Club_Scenes_in_the_USA/

^ Alot of those places are big vacation spots or party spots where people go to party. I would bet a large portion of their clients are not locals. Cleveland just doesnt have that scene IMO.

 

And I totally understand the need for places that I or anyone personally dont participate in. I dont eat meat but I get excited when I hear a new steakhouse is opening. Or when I heard Chipotle was opening I knew that would be good for the neighborhood. I dont drink coffee but like to see coffee shops open as well. My main concern is the neighborhood, not what I personally would use. IMO nightclubs have had a negative impact on the Warehouse District as an urban neighborhood. Id rather see nightclubs in more of a non residential area/downtown neighborhood where they wont have that negative impact.

As long as there are pretty girls and alcohol, there will be a need for night clubs.

 

The Warehouse district became pretty saturated with clubs over the years. They will get weeded out as the area loses its cool. The irony is when my gf and I moved downtown we purposely avoided the Warehouse District because of the young atmosphere. If I were in my early 20s we'd be all about it.

 

The area really needs more of a day time population. I don't count the residential since I'm guessing they don't work there.

 

The MM/CC might help being just a couple blocks away.

I think the Warehouse District will always have some nightclub scene but it will definitely evolve into something other than what it is now.  The increase in Flats East Bank residential will create demand but subsequent phases will have more entertainment venues also.

Nightclub-heavy districts come and go. In the mid-1900s, it was Short Vincent. In the late-1900s, it was the Flats. A decade around 2000, it was the Warehouse District. Now that is changing too. The trick is for the Warehouse District to avoid what happened to Short Vincent and the Flats and remake itself more quickly.