The Right Spot

The Wine Spot is a new place in Cleveland Heights to buy wines not usually found in most supermarkets, craft beers, artisanal cider, sake and port. It’s also where you can go to taste these things, talk about them with owner Adam Fleisher, and even have a private beverage-centric book club meeting, birthday party or a girls-night out.

It opened in December, on Lee Road, in the former Seitz-Agin Hardware store. Walking in, I can’t quite believe it’s the same place I came to for plumbing and electrical supplies, odd sized nails and brass screws, and more than 30 years of home repair advice. The big space is airy, open and modern, outfitted with a six door glass fronted cooler, shelves filled with bottles sorted by continent and country, some hi-top tables, and a couple of couches. The area where guys once mixed paint and fixed broken windows is now a lovely tasting room. It’s also a gallery for work by students from Cleveland Institute of Art.

The building, dating back to 1926, originally housed two separate storefronts. Until the mid ‘40’s, one side was home to Bruder’s, a dairy business. When workers were doing the renovations, they found the original floor with the name spelled out in black and white tiles. It’s now part The Wine Spot’s décor. Fleisher recounts how an elderly woman walked by, saw it through the window, and came in to tell him that as a child she lived down the street and used to walk up the block with her sister to get an ice cream cone here.

Fleisher, who grew up in the neighborhood and is a Heights High alum, likes the idea of preserving this bit of the community’s heritage and keeping alive its tradition of small shops owned by locals that can offer a very personal kind of service. He gave up a corporate job- and lots of time spent on the road- to take this entrepreneurial leap in partnership with his wife Susan and is clearly happy about the changes in his life and livelihood. “I try everything I sell,” he says with a grin, “and enjoy turning people on to the things I discover and the stuff I love.”

The plan going in was to be a friendly unpretentious store where customers would find value priced choices and someone who could answer their questions, share the stories behind everything in stock and help them make choices, in fact the very sort of place he liked to frequent in his travels around the country. But this has morphed into more because people like to be here. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights they pour flights of reds, whites, and brews (per person prices is very reasonable). They bring in distributors for presentations; create private custom tasting events (with food if desired); and host educational and themed sampling events-like 'em on facebook to stay in touch with what's scheduled. It’s a great addition to the street and to my side of town. In fact, I'd like to make a toast to that., but I'll have to ask Adam for a recommendation.

Sans Souci Revisited

If you’re anything like me, there’s a good chance you haven’t been to Sans Souci for a long time. With so many great restaurants around town and new ones opening all the time, it’s easy to forget this place, two decades old and with no street ‘face’, in the downtown Renaissance hotel. And there’s no denying that the food has not always been all it could be: it doesn’t take more than a single disappointing experience to bump a restaurant off anybody’s list. But I’d been hearing about staff changes and re-visioned menus and decided to visit recently and find out what was going on for myself. Glad I did.

The husband and I had a lovely meal there. The dining room, with a timeless charm that has held up well over the years, is still a pretty and comfortable space. The wine list has appealing options. Table service and plate presentations are high end (but prices are moderate). The kitchen is in the capable and experienced hands of Executive Chef Brett Montgomery and Executive Sous Chef John Aldewereld, and the dishes we ate were delicious.

Things got off to an excellent start with a generous complimentary basket of rolls and flatbreads accompanied by honey butter, a mix of olives, sundried tomatoes and artichoke hearts, and basil pesto. We then did some serious small plate grazing- my favorite way to eat. I loved the chorizo ragout (they make the sausage in-house) that topped seared scallops and creamy herb polenta. The tender boneless beef short rib was glazed to a patent leather shine and shredding the caramelized Brussels sprouts into a sort of slaw was a nice touch. A recommended glass of French Bordeaux was indeed a fine match-up. Also had- and enjoyed- the down-scale upscale combos of potato pierogi with duck confit and mushrooms, and mac ‘n’ cheese made with orzo, smoked salmon, and Lake Erie Creamery goat cheese. Also tried a light but full of flavor fish entrée: sea bass served with a poached egg, pickled carrots and radishes-a nice contrast- spinach and green beans. Some of these will be on the spring menu that starts March 19.

Both chefs stopped by the table to chat and encouraged me to return for the brunch buffet. Though I generally prefer to have my morning coffee and croissant in pajamas, this could be enough to tempt me into an AM outing. In addition to all the standard cereals and pastries, they offer cheese crepes and strawberry sauce; Belgian waffles; eggs Benedict; fingerling potatoes; and marinated tomatoes with mozzarella. It’s just one more good reason to go or go back to Sans Souci.

Your Own Personal Chef and Farmer

Brian Doyle, a well-known personal chef and Cleveland caterer, has always been ahead of the curve. He was the driving force behind the Gypsy Gourmet dinners, one-night only dining experiences, in 2007, preceding the current local craze for pop-ups by a few years. Now he’s got another innovative project going, expanding on the idea of a CSA- essentially an agricultural buying club- to include meals prepared from the harvest.

The operation, in its second year, is called Sōwfood, and Doyle is equal parts farmer and cook. He raises vegetables on an urban plot at W. 47th and Lorain, adds local sustainable meats and cheeses, plus seasonal produce from other area growers, and turns it all into restaurant style heat and eat dishes. It’s the perfect solution for those who want creative, healthy, high quality food but don’t have the timeto spend in the kitchen, the skill or the motivation to make it.

This works much like a traditional CSA model. Participants purchase shares that entitle them to three main courses with sides for two adults every week, plus surprise “extras” like a desert, homemade bread, an appetizer or salad. The season is 16 weeks, from the beginning of June to the end of September. Menus are created weekly and it’s a one size fits all package. Anyone with special dietary requests or a desire for 100 percent vegetarian or vegan fare has to pay extra for the personalized service.

Some examples from last year's entrée menus:
-Eggplant Parmesan, pasta with chunky style sauce and a side of Roman green beans
-Lime and garlic marinated grilled chicken with fresh corn, carrot and pepper succotash
-Bison Meat loaf, mashed potatoes, Brussels sprouts
-Duck confit, Sweet potato hash, collard greens
Roast Pork loin, whipped rutabaga-sweet potatoes and broiled radicchio with blue cheese and balsamic
- Ramp chimichurri marinated grilled grass fed steaks, potato-collard stew
-Roast Chicken, mac and cheese, bacon-greens and beets and pumpkin puree
-Veggie Stir fry, eggplant, broccoli, carrots, red cabbage, onion and peppers with a side of rice

Pricing beats dinning out. The total may seem high at first glance- $1520. But if you the pay upfront for the full season it breaks down to a mere $15.84 per meal. Paying month to month is slightly more- $16.67 per meal. There is the option to try out the service for a month and the cost for that would be $17.50 per meal. Those who sign up as full subscription members by Earthday, April 22, will get a fourth meal each week at no extra charge, an incredible perk.
If you already belong to a CSA, Doyle will use the ingredients from it and reduce your meal charge accordingly.

Right now, pick-ups will be on Tuesdays 4 pm to 6 pm at the farm. He’ll consider a second eastside location if there’s sufficient subscriber demand. You can get more details on how the whole thing works on the Sōwfood website. Sign-up (and ask questions) via email at info@sowfood.com with Interested in CSA in the subject line. The acronym usually stands for Community Supported Agriculture, but Doyle's reinvented the concept as Chef Supported Agriculture. I think it's a really cool idea that can benefit many in this community.

LIGHT-ing Up the Dining Scene

March marks five years since Light Bistro opened for business. It just doesn’t seem like that long since I attended the friends and family launch night and wrote my glowing review of the place six months later. The Ohio City restaurant has survived the tough economy, developed a loyal following, and earned a spot on the list of best places to eat in C-town. To celebrate, chef/owner Matt Mathlage and partner Eric Dietrich have some special events planned for next week. If you’ve never been here or haven’t visited in a while, this is the perfect time to discover- and rediscover- the particular pleasures of this spot.

There’s an open to the public drop-in party on Thursday March 8 from 5-9 PM with free tapas and drink specials in the Carroll Court room. A five course wine dinner is scheduled for the same evening, starting at 7. Greg Graziano will be on hand to pour and talk, showcasing what he makes at Graziano Winery in Mendocino, California, and sharing his family’s story. When I spoke with chef Mathlage last week he was still developing the dishes they’ll be serving, but told me that he’s been testing a preparation made with wild boar and another that involves duck and red rooibos tea. The cost is $55 person plus tax and gratuity and reservations are required (216-771-7130).

A “Best Of ” tasting menu will also be in place from March 8 through Sunday, March 10. It too features five courses for $55 that reprise some of the chef’s personal favorites and Light’s most popular items, among them Crab and Shrimp Cake with honeydew curry sauce and yellow pepper ceviche, and Cuba libre braised pork belly with pineapple carpaccio and spicy cous cous, two dishes that I praised back in 2007. Those who opt for this anniversary trip down memory lane will also be treated to the house pickled shrimp, another thing I loved from my first bite.

Mathlage calls his style Progressive American, with an emphasis on fresh local and seasonal ingredients. In the past I described what he does as adventurous, audacious, and out-there, showing some playfulness in presentation, and offering a break from the standard appetizer to entree dinner progression. All that is still true (though he does have pizza, burgers, paninis, and regular sized mains). His tapas, appetizers and bar menu are full of interesting options like crispy clams with fried olives, lamb meatballs with tomato mint sauce, truffle frites, and honey ham and cheddar croquettes. He continues to offer quail as he did from the beginning- the current version is southern fried- and his wonderful grilled flatbread with arugula and Lake Erie goat cheese is a fixture. The last time I had it, I was sitting on the sidewalk patio with a good friend. It was a warm starry night. We were drinking mojitos and catching up. We're still a few months away from dining outside, but happily I don't have to wait to go back for more good food and drink.

Musical Mondays at La Dolce Vita

We just finished our antipasti- slices of fried eggplant with a dab of tomato sauce; a chunk of roasted red pepper cupping some sausage stuffing; a big bite of the classic caprese combo- when the singing began. The packed room fell suddenly silent, forks ceased their steady movement from plate to mouth, and every head turned to watch the young woman in a red dress the moment she burst into song. It was Opera Monday at La Dolce Vita in Little Italy and I was there with my daughter-in-law, Diana Farrell, an opera singer herself, for an evening of music and food. Every table was full, suggesting Clevelanders have quite an appetite for the combination of pasta and Puccini.

Here's how it works: there's a prix fixe, $40 per person menu. Wine is optional and you can get a good bargain priced glass pf Barbera or splurge on an excellent bottle of Amarone. The meal is served in courses, and in between each one, a changing cast of performers, most students from the Cleveland Institute of Music's opera program, fill the intimate space with their big voices, singing solo selections or duets.

Owner Terry Tarantino introduced them. It was clear he loves the art form and gets real pleasure from sharing it with his customers. What's nice is the chance to listen without all the formal trappings that are usually part of the experience. Sometimes the singers stayed on the small stage, but for one piece the soprano strolled between tables, and for another the tenor positioned himself behind the bar to great effect. Adam Whiting, the pianist, deserves special mention for coaxing lovely notes out of the 130 year old upright that provides the accompaniment.

Tarantino's been hosting opera nights like this for two decades but the programs been on hiatus for about 51/2 years and just recently resumed. It happens twice a month- the next one is scheduled for February 27. You must arrive between 6:30 and 7 PM. Reservations are required and there's only a single seating.

Brite Winter Festival Lighting Up Ohio City

Sunglasses are in order for this Saturday’s free Brite Winter Festival on Ohio City’s Bridge Avenue.

This year, the third annual arts and music celebration will embrace its name with a theme of light and ice. General Electric is donating enough lights to decorate a whole town of Christmas trees.

The fest will remain aglow from start to finish thanks to a wall made of 15,000 shades of LED-light-injected ice bricks, lit custom ice sculptures, open-sided box trucks with lights pulsing to music and lit balloons hovering at the doors of all seven walking-distance indoor music venues.

“We’re hoping that it gets overfilled throughout the evening,” festival co-chair Thomas Fox says.

Forty bands, most of them local, will play between 5 p.m. and 2 a.m., including Lighthouse and the Whaler, Black Taxi, and Modern Electric. Guests can fight the frost at the outdoor stage or huddle in heat in the seven indoor locations on West 25th Street and Lorain Avenue, from Touch Supper Club to Joy Machine Bike Shop. The event is designed so visitors can’t see every performance and will feel overwhelmed by all the options.

“It’s amazing to feel that way,” Fox says. If you’re not happy with one band, he adds, just move to the next one.

Along with the 15 art displays and eight music venues, a 24-foot game of Skee-ball will challenge even the most seasoned Skee-baller. A grown-up version of grade-school “Telephone” will let grown-ups listen to a whisper in the “Whisper-ma-phone” and then try to repeat what they heard.

The Brite Winter Festival has grown since its inception in 2010 when two Case Western Reserve University graduates decided Clevelanders needed something to look forward to during the slush and mush of winter months. They threw the party with financial help from Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative and Case student organizations.

Now, the festival has 15 sponsors and has moved from Hart Crane Park in the Flats to Ohio City. Organizers expect to more than double the turnout from last year.

Local Food Doers and Makers

If your interest in local food goes beyond merely eating it, then consider attending E4S’s Third Tuesday networking event on Feb. 21 from 5:30-8:30 p.m. The get-together, held at Great Lakes Brewing Co.’s Tasting Room, is a kickoff conversation for the Year of Local Food 2012, one of the focal points for Sustainable Cleveland 2019, a multi-part, multi-year initiative to build a thriving region around a green economy and environmentally responsible agenda.

Jenita McGowan, chief of sustainability for the city, will speak along with representatives from organizations at the forefront of making change here including Community Greenhouse Partners, Growhio, Menu For The Future, SlowMoney Cleveland and Tunnel Vision Hoops. They’ll give presentations about an astonishingly varied range of topics from a conscientious investing strategy that supports healthy food, farms and families to affordable and movable all-weather “greenhouses” and rainwater harvesting.
photo, Community Greenhouse Partners

Every time I attend one of these gatherings, a combination of set programing and lots of spontaneous interaction, I learn something and meet new and interesting community activists. If you want to get involved and be a part of what’s happening with our developing and expanding local food system, this is a great opportunity to get some ideas about how to do it.

It’s free, but you must register for this event