Sanctum Sanctuary

Sanctuary, the new restaurant and wine bar that opened this week on the ground floor of the Doubletree Cleveland Beachwood location, represents a shift in direction for national hotel chain restaurants. Rather than lackluster, no-name, by-necessity-only places designed to fill bellies after a day on the road, this hotel has managed to snag a new concept by the Driftwood Restaurant Group (headed by Chris Hodgson and Scott Kuhn). It's part of a growing trend in adding local flair to otherwise carbon-copied lodging. It's a great way to show visitors a little something about the city with barely having to leave their rooms.

The soft opening, held this Monday, Oct. 6, attracted a fairly large crowd. And while it showed that there are still a few kinks to work out (a few overlooked details like beverage service and a plodding pace), the restaurant lived up to its name fairly well, with serene gray-green walls (inspired by carpets in India), sparkling lighting, mounted driftwood art and distinct dining areas that allow the ability to cozy in or see and be seen.

As with most of Hodgson's culinary creations, the food at Sanctuary was approachable and rooted in nostalgia. For instance, we were met with Hanky Panky appetizers, a decades-old staple made with sausage and cheese on toast. This one used chorizo with an added a touch of fig jam to keep it modern. Fresh ginger, bourbon, honey, lemon juice and a touch of St. Germaine liqueur made up the signature cocktail, the Beehive, reminiscent of the '60s if only for its name and bourbon base. The next course was a blue crab hushpuppy topped with cucumber and "Old Bay'onnaise."

Blue Crab Hushpuppy: Crunchy outside, creamy inside

In general, the food was tasty but not overly inventive, which may actually be an advantage for road-weary travelers looking to settle stomachs without sacrificing atmosphere. Our next few courses rated above average: a wedge salad with pickled red onion and white French dressing, a crisp (but slightly cold) sea scallop over butternut squash and caramelized apple risotto and my personal favorite, hangar steak with chimichurri, garlic-herb fries and malt vinegar aioli.

 

  

Any restaurant in Beachwood will face stiff competition from its neighbors, but Sanctuary's location (in the former Capers nightclub space) and built-in clientele should give it an edge. Cheers to traveling local-style.

Buon appetito

   I recently had the pleasure of sharing lunch with Scott Kuhn at Cibrèo Italian Kitchen, his brand new restaurant in PlayhouseSquare.Visibly proud and excited about this new venture, he makes clear this is a project he's personally passionate about, an expression of his love for Tuscany and its food, which he first discovered 10 years ago on a trip there.

   Before we sat down to eat I got a guided tour of the sprawling space. The bar and two dining areas look out onto Euclid Avenue, but the decor puts them worlds away. All the visual tropes of the medieval Italian town, such as stucco and stone arches, wooden wine barrels, a fireplace and rusticated furnishings, are present in abundance. Kuhn chose all the materials himself.  Adjacent to this, on the other side of a set of closed doors at the far end of the bar, is a large, completely separate and utterly unique private event room. The space, still being renovated when I saw it, is the former 14th Street Theatre. The original columns and ornate decorative plasterwork are being refurbished. There's a small stage and a connecting passageway to a full bar with its own street entrance on  East 14th Street. Kuhn tells me that taking on this part of the building wasn't in his original plan, but once he saw it and realized its potential it was a challenge he couldn't resist. It's obvious the almost 37 year old likes a challenge  as he currently oversees a multifaceted organization of seven restaurants (with another fast food joint called Rothschild Farms on the way right around the corner from Cibrèo,) a catering company and a food truck.

   With good smells wafting from the kitchen and the clock approaching noon, I was ready for some table time. I let my host do the ordering. First up was an excellent bean soup, rich and thick with a hint of spice, made with Porcini mushrooms and bits of sausage. Next we had a fine risotto funghi, made with vegetable stock, and served with shaved truffles in a traditional clay cooking pot. Over delicious plates of pasta carbonara, revved up with guanciale and and radicchio, and pappardelle bolognese, Kuhn explained the process of creating the menu.

"I wanted to re-create dishes I've had in Tuscany," Kuhn says. "A year ago I started working with our corporate chef, Chris Johnson, our executive chef here, Eric Martinez, and our consulting chef, Chris Hodgson, to bring those culinary experiences to our customers. We developed our concepts, practice the execution and now we're ready."

  There are a few familiar Italian-American favorites on the menu, because that's what some customers want: lasagna, veal Parmigiano, fried calamari, as well as the requisite steaks, salmon and scallops. But much of what's on offer will be more authentic. pasta in a boar and Porcini ragu; spaghetti with pesto and potatoes called Cinque Terra; and one of Kuhn's favorites, orrechiette Sienna style with rapini, pine nuts, and Parmesan broth; and porchetta with polenta. I'm eager to taste my way through much of the antipasto, insalata, risotto and gnocchi, pastas and secondos sections of the menu. The mostly Italian wine list has much that's appealing too, and I'm intrigued by the six prosecco cocktails.

   Everything tells me this will be a place people want to dine, whether they're coming downtown to see a show in one of PlayhouseSquare's gorgeous theaters or just looking for a very good Italian meal.

Showtime for A Chef and A Restaurateur

Hodges, the new Euclid Avenue restaurant from food trucker Chris Hodgson and serial restaurateur Scott Kuhn, officially joined Cleveland’s downtown dining scene at the end of March. I got the grand tour last week and sat down with Chef Chris over lunch to talk about what he’s doing and plans for other projects he and Kuhn have in the works.

My walk-through starts in the bar at the front of the narrow space, inside the ground floor lobby of this office and apartment building. The name’s up in lights like a theater marquee, suggesting diners are in for a show. And indeed those who grab one of the hi-tops or a stool at the long counter have a view into the kitchen and can watch plate after plate of eye-catching food come over the pass. Beyond this area are two dining rooms, plus another upstairs on a balcony that looks out over the action below. A separate space is available for private events and multi-course chef’s whim dinners, served family style.

The décor is a quirky mix of country chic and city sleek: weathered wood paneling, old barn doors, and canning jars on a shelf paired with cushy candy apple red upholstery on chairs and the banquette, metal tables, and factory floor lighting fixtures. The patio, due to open April 30th-temperature permitting- will add 100 more seats (to the 124 inside). It’s a pretty spot, set out of of sight and far from the street, with its own bar.

Chris describes his menu as global comfort food but what I saw was heavy on American favorites- sandwiches, turkey club, ribs, mac-n-cheese, burgers, pork chops, steaks and salmon. All however incorporate something out of the ordinary: exotic spicing; an unusual condiment like onion bacon jam; sides of lobster whipped potatoes and creamed heirloom beans; or meats smoked in-house. There are some intriguing surprises- a lard spread sweetened with local honey among the snacks; an appetizer of mussels and Korean sausage in a coconut curry; and duck breast with black barley “risotto.” A few items reflect the whimsical riffs he’s known for. The PBLT (braised pork, bacon, siracha aioli, lettuce and tomato) reprises a Dim and Den Sum favorite. Another dish that shows the chef’s playful nature is “pork & beans,” with braised bacon and pressure cooked pine nuts standing in for the usual ingredients to delicious effect. I also tasted a wonderful creamy goat cheese and leek tart, made with chevre from Mackenzie Creamery; airy ricotta gnudi topped with crisped artichoke hearts in a silky Parmesan lemon sauce; and ravioli in a French onion soup reduction, an interesting concept but unfortunately it had a burnt taste, as though this batch had spent too long in the pot and over the flame.

For now Hodgson’s running the kitchen- but that’s a temporary role for him. (The opening executive chef left and they’re in process of hiring a replacement.) He and his partner have an ambitious agenda and never saw Hodges as a one-off chef-driven restaurant. They intend to develop multiple properties and have already signed a letter of intent to lease space for another eatery in Chagrin Falls. Their company, Driftwood, is the umbrella organization for a variety of ventures that also includes a catering arm and operation of the food trucks that launched Chris’ career. So if you want to catch some face time with this personable young chef, better get yourself to Hodges soon before he moves on to whatever’s next for this dynamic, entrepreneurial duo.

Bye Bye Baricelli, Hello Washington Place

I admit to feeling an initial twinge of nostalgia when I pulled up to the corner of Cornell and Murray Hill Roads last and saw The Baricelli sign replaced with one for Washington Place Bistro and Inn. But things change. Chef Paul Minnillo closed his restaurant last July and this was a party to introduce the media to new operator Scott Kuhn and Executive Chef Jonathan Guest. I was ready to let go, move on, look around, find out what these guys were up to and, of course, eat dinner.

The place is completely though sensitively refurbished with an understated modern look that generally blends seamlessly with the original architecture of the 19th century mansion. The cheese cooler that dominated the lobby is gone- though happily Minnillo’s cheeses, along with chevre from Mackenzie Creamery are used in the kitchen - and the adjacent dining area has been turned into an inviting bar.

The evening kicked off with a selection of passed hors d’oeuvres: spoonfuls of shrimp and grits; hangar steak crostini, goat cheese strudel, and cheese puffs. Before the group split up to take their seats for a five course tasting experience, Kuhn did some welcoming and speechmaking, explaining that the all-American name of his latest venture (he also runs Burton’s Welshfield Inn , 87 West at Crocker Park, and a restaurant in Pennsylvania) is a tip of the hat to his grandfather, a passionate patriot. (Read more about Kuhn in this month's Cleveland Magazine.) Then he introduced Guest, a sweet faced, rake thin guy with a shaved head- the di rigueur style it seems for today’s young chefs- who's the man behind the menu.

To show what he can do, Guest served us a tri-colored roasted beet salad with creamy Mackenzie goat cheese ranch dressing; potato truffle pierogies from Ohio City Pasta topped with his own oxtail ragout and horseradish crème fraiche- a big hit at our table of four; scallops with butternut squash risotto; pot roast and roasted garlic mashed potatoes; pan seared salmon and an exceptional cauliflower gratin topped with crisped slices of Killbuck Valley mushrooms; and a brownie made special with the addition of sea salt, Jeni’s chocolate ice cream and a drizzle of bittersweet chocolate sauce. All these dishes and other moderatley priced comfort food favorites- meatloaf, mac-n-cheese, pork chops, rib eye steaks and burgers- are in the line-up for lunch and dinner.

This was my first taste of Guest's cooking, Everything was delicous, demonstrating both raw talent and the real world ability to execute that this young chef clearly brings to the job. I hope he’ll eventually bust out and add some options that go beyond the tried and true things we see at so many places around town, pushing the culinary envelope, and himself, a little further. The meal I had suggests he's got what it takes and that the results would be incredible.

Washington Place is now officially open to the public. They’re offering $5 cocktails and appetizers during the 4-7 PM happy hour and brunches on Sunday from 10 AM-2 PM. Wednesday’s are a bargain- $40 buys one ap for sharing, two entrees and a bottle of wine. Hey- that’s tonight. Good time to make a first visit. I'm guessing it probably won’t be your last.