You Decide: Voters Select Public Art for Collinwood

Democracy has gotten more creative. This election season, not only can pick your politician, but now you can pick your art too. Thanks to Collinwood's The Ballot Box Project, residents of Ward 8 have a say in what art lines the streets and  fills establishments. It's the first participatory budgeting effort in Ohio, which means residents decide where neighborhood funds go. The funds in question are $120,000 from ArtPlace, a collaboration of foundations working to make arts and culture a core concept of community planning and development, for arts placemaking in Collinwood. 

Citizens chose the community issues the art projects should address: Collinwood history, vacancy, healthy eating, and youth engagement.  Thirty-four artists have worked on proposals on the topics and now, from March 4-9, members of the community can vote on the projects at various locations. A minimum of eight artists will be awarded: the project with the most votes from each category plus the next four highest voted projects. If there is enough money for an additional project there could potentially be a ninth award. The winners will be announced March 17, and projects will be implemented over the rest of this year. Before you hit the polls, here is a sample of ideas you'll see on your ballot. 

Collinwood History: Residents want the history of the neighborhood to be remembered. Comedian Timothy Cornett proposes a monthly podcast, recorded live at the Beachland Ballroom & Tavern , that will relay stories of Collinwood’s rich history. “I am taking residents’ personal stories and putting them in podcast form for free,” he says. “We will have local artists and musicians texturing the storytelling to make it entertaining.”

Cornett would like to see the history of Waterloo recorded in a podcast at the Beachland Ballroom & Tavern.

Vacancy: “I live on a block of two or three vacant houses,” says artist Jessica Pinsky, executive director of Praxis Fiber Studio in the Waterloo Arts District. “I thought the Ballot Box Project would be a great opportunity to do something to beautify and unify the neighborhood while drawing attention and awareness on vacancy.” Pinsky is proposing hanging peace flags throughout the neighborhood. Community members, with thickened dye, can write or draw on the flags before taking a large squeegee and blending the colors together. The flags will hang throughout Collinwood’s vacant lots and homes.

Examples of peace flags painted at Praxis Fiber Studio in the Waterloo Arts District

Healthy Eating: Kevin Scheuring, market manager of Coit Road Farmers Market, hopes to engage the community with area chefs to produce free food shows and inspire more people to be home chefs. “One of our primary challenges is getting people to cook so our farmers can actually sell the fruits and vegetables they grow,” he says. The goal of this project is to have a food show with vendors and farmers, and add an educational component of teaching basic cooking techniques such as sauteing or knife handling.

Free cooking class sponsored by Coit Road Farmers Market

Youth Engagement: When Bridget Caswell picked up her first camera at the age of 15, she knew she found her passion. The photographer is proposing to create Collinwood Camera Club, an after-school club that will bring in high school students from around the region and teach them about photography. “We would have a studio, and professionals could help teach students do things like photo essays," she says. Caswell hopes students will be able to share their community stories through the lens of a camera.

Photograph by Bridget Caswell

Old Made New

 
Grovewood Tavern, open since 1999, occupies the sweet spot between fine dining and neighborhood hangout. The place is a Collinwood fixture that has won a loyal following and its fair share of awards. But that doesn't mean they're averse to change. After months of planning, Chef John Bausone, who's been on the job about 18 months, six of them as executive chef, launched a new dinner menu on Friday, December 5th.

The native Clevelander has breathed life and invention into the comfort food line-up by drawing on the city's ethnic traditions,  his classic French training at Robert Reynolds' Chef Studio in Portland Oregon,  his time down South at The Biltmore in Asheville North Carolina, and an enthusiasm for all things Italian. And he's doing it using mostly Ohio sourced ingredients.

Bausone tells me he's especially proud of the buttermilk fried chicken and greens that comes with biscuits and chile infused honey. The smoked bison brisket is one of his personal favorites. And he's very happy with the vegan stuffed cabbage. "The rolls are filled with rye berries, root vegetables and chestnuts that together have the mouthfeel of meat," he explains. "The spicing for the the tomato sauce is Middle Eastern and of course I plate it with potato puree. The dish is very satisfying, even for meat eaters."

Expect pork osso bucco, duck confit, and an interesting charcuterie selection.The completely revamped list of starters now includes bay scallop fritters, Lithuanian mushroom dumplings and harissa spiked pan fried baby octopus.

I was at Grovewood last week eating off the old menu.  And I'm eager to get back and try all this. The Red Envelope I was given provides additional motivation to return in January. There's a "mystery" coupon inside worth $10, $25, $35, $50 or $70 off the bill. To take advantage of the promotion, now in its sixth year, I have to dine there next month. I won't know how much of a discount I get until it's time to pay the bill: rules require that I hand the server a sealed envelope. Go there in December and you can get your own Red Envelope (while supplies last) along with some of Chef Bausone's intriguing culinary creations.

Tried, True and Terrific

photo by Barney Taxel, Taxel Image Group

The husband and I had a date to have dinner with a friend last Saturday night. We decided to eat at Bistro 185 in the up-and-coming Collinwood area. We’ve been regulars since it opened in 2006 and, like many of their customers, have a friendly relationship with owners Marc and Ruth Levine. We love talking curing and smoking with Marc, and I appreciate his savvy (and recommendations) when it comes to wine and beer. Ruth is a culinary powerhouse and someone I admire. She's knowledgeable, skilled and imaginative when it comes to cooking but without ego or pretension, (always giving credit to her crack kitchen team, especially chef Todd Mueller), and she seems to possess  the energy and endurance of  two.

This small restaurant is among the select group of places we choose to go when I’m not on the job. We were talking about this recently, dissecting what we like about it. First there's the look and feel: tavern casual, cozy, and unpretentious with some charming retro touches in the decor like roomy wooden booths with game boards integrated into the table tops. The service is friendly, the prices affordable. The bar is well stocked with interesting stuff. Though some dishes show up often because they're popular, the menu changes daily so it never gets boring. And there are always ample choices: meat, poultry, fish, vegetarian — options from light to hearty. Ruth's not wedded to a single theme, a concept more defined by quality and deliciousness than style. Comfort food, Asian flavors, classic sauces, American contemporary, French technique — any of it might show up on a given night.

photo by Barney Taxel, Taxel Image Group

But most of all, the husband and I agreed that we’d never, not ever, had a bad meal there. Sure, we’ve liked some dishes more than others, however neither of us have ever felt the need to send back a plate or complain. The dishes coming out of this kitchen are consistently well executed and invariably tasty. The leftovers, — and there are usually take home bags, both because the portions are sizable and we can't resist her appetizers and salads — are never tossed and always a source of enjoyment. We keep coming here, and bring family, friends and out-of-towners because we can depend on having a fine night out. And Saturday was no exception. The entree selection included steak oscar, veal scaloppini, chicken schnitzel, boeuf bourguignon, panko-and-almond crusted cod, lobster ravioli, 1/2 a duck roasted in orange ginger sauce ...

We had a luscious bacon and goat cheese flatbread featuring spinach, mounds of caramelized onions, Parmesan and balsamic glaze. The warm wild mushroom salad with field greens and raspberry vinaigrette was excellent as usual. The husband went with Coquille St. Jacques (a starter big enough for a main), a bubbling crock of scallops and shrimp in an alfredo cream with parmesan crust. Our friend chose the house-cured gravlax on potato pancakes, one of our favorites. The high point of my evening was the Mediterranean seafood nicoise, a truly outstanding bouillabaisse. The bronzini tomato broth was thick with shrimp, mussels, salmon, cod, and cobia; three kinds of olives; fennel, leeks, onions, capers and chunks of carrot; and white and purple fingerling potatoes. Crunchy slices of toasted baguette slathered with garlic aioli were great for dipping.

Smoked and Grilled Tofu
Glazed with a Sweet and Spicy Pineapple Bar-B-Que Sauce
Grilled Corn and Edamame Succotash
Roasted Sweet Potato
Jalapeno Corn Bread

If I have not yet succeeded in motivating you to visit the restaurant, then let me add another incentive. There are monthly dinners for wine aficionados and vegans (or anyone who wants to explore this approach). The next  wine dinner dubbed "Off the Beaten Path" happens May 22.  A three-course, prix-fixe Vegan Tex Mex  is scheduled for May 23. Reservations are required for both.