Debt of Gratitude

Photo courtesy This Is Cleveland

This was the headline and subhead of a recent piece posted on citylab.com: "Restaurants Really Can Determine the Fate of Cities and Neighborhoods — A new survey shows how much food influences the vibrance of urban centers." We've experienced this firsthand in Cleveland. Just think about what's happened over the past few years in Ohio City, Tremont, Gordon Square, Flats East Bank, East Fourth Street, and Shaker Square and Lee Road in Cleveland Heights. And I think it would be appropriate to offer a loud, energetic communal thanks to all the visionary chefs, entrepreneurs and investors who made commitments to these areas that helped bring about their revival and resurgence.

 
Turns out, this is just the right moment to show appreciation. Cleveland Independents, an association of locally owned and operated non-chain, non-franchise restaurants — the true drivers of the culinary renaissance that has brought so much energy to both our food scene and and our communities — is celebrating its 10th anniversary. Now 90 members strong and spanning a geography that goes from Sandusky to Mentor and Canton, the organization sponsors year round efforts to get people's attention. There's Restaurant Week, the deck of discount cards for food purchases, and gift cards redeemable at any member restaurant. Promotions such as these are good for business and good for the neighborhood.

Almost half of those urban residents questioned for the above mentioned study revealed that new restaurants are a top reason for exploring different parts of their city. A whopping 82 percent included restaurants among the main things they appreciate about where they live and a majority cited food and restaurants when talking about the cities they love to visit. These numbers confirm what we've been learning here ever since Carl Quagliata brought dining to the Warehouse District and Michael Symon made it trendy to go to Professor Street to eat.

Cleveland's on the upswing and I believe a large portion of credit should go to our culinary community. A round of social media applause would be nice. Showing support by going out to their restaurants — even better.

Rice is Nice, Sake is Better

What looks like vodka, is brewed like beer, but drinks like wine? The answer is sake, the ancient and traditional Japanese alcoholic beverage made from rice.

Locally, there's no better place to learn about it firsthand than SASA Restaurant in Shaker Square. The restaurant has more than 40 different kinds of sake on the menu. Every Tuesday night, 300 ml bottles are half price, or you can opt for sake flights or sake cocktail specials. Owners Scott and Brenda Kim also host three-course sake tasting dinners on the last Tuesday of each month (advance reservations are required).

But at 6 p.m. April 22, there's an opportunity to go a little deeper. Artisan sake expert Norikane Kira will be on hand to provide a guided tour through five imported varieties of Jizake, distinctive regional versions of the rice beverage produced in small batches. Each will be paired with a small dish that is sure to be wonderful. The event will cost $15 per person, plus tax and gratuity not included. Seating is limited and reservations are essential. My husband and I are already on the list and looking forward to some liquid education.

Fine French

To those wary to welcome Edwins Leadership & Restaurant Institute — chef and restaurateur Brandon Chrostowski's Shaker Square restaurant staffed almost entirely by formerly incarcerated men and women — into Cleveland's fine restaurant fold, let us say: The only incident we witnessed at its grand opening Friday was a spilled water pitcher. It was, otherwise, a success.

The French restaurant welcomed more than 180 guests for its opening night, according to the host, who checked our coats and sat us at an intimate two-top clothed in simple white linens and topped with a glowing tea light. The dining room was filled with patrons at 9 p.m., who talked over booming jazz music and marveled at the room's painted murals and comforting fireplace. By nearly 11:30 p.m., the space was still packed.

The menu — organized in a traditional French fashion, in which entrees are appetizers and plats are main courses — boasts a variety of mouthwatering options, from Provencal-style artichokes to sauteed scallops, but we started with what Chrostowski has built his reputation on: Wine and cheese.

 

A Rhone Valley Grenache ($12 per glass) was full and fruity, and paired well with four cheeses ($3 each), whittled down from more than 20 varieties by a server eager to share his new-found knowledge and love of creamy and stinky options. A triple-creme Delice de Bourgogne was a favorite — so gooey and delicate it dissolved on our tongues.

Main courses were less exciting than the cheeses, but still savory. The paupiettes de poisson du jour ($28) — grouper wrapped in thinly sliced potatoes and served over green beans — was simple but filling, while a duck confit and wild mushroom risotto ($23) was rich with a delightful texture.

The star of this show, for us, was not the food. It was the pleasant attitude of the staff, who went out of their way to ensure our comfort throughout the evening, and who excitedly discussed the menu and aided us in our choices. We also weren't rushed to get our check — a novelty for an American restaurant.

To get the story behind Edwins, read my profile on Chrostowski, "Food for Thought," which appeared in the October issue of Cleveland Magazine and can be found on our website. 

Wine Squared

Pour me a glass of Barbera or uncork a bottle of Tocai Friulano and I’m one happy woman. Bring me bruschetta or a plate of antipasto to nibble with these Italian wines and my state elevates to blissful. That’s why Grotto , the recently opened wine bar on Shaker Square, is my kind of place. The list, dominated by Italian reds and whites, offers a handpicked selection of appellations, styles, and labels from the old world and the new. The kitchen turns out a really appealing line-up of small Mediterranean accented plates that lend themselves to snacking while sipping. Better yet, you get all this in casual, comfortable setting without any fine dining formality or the need to eat a lot and spend big.

Right now, there are 26 wines by the glass. I hope they expand that number to encourage more experimentation and exploration of their “cellar”- a glass walled room behind the bar. On the food side there are sliders, salads, soups, four out-of-the-ordinary pizzas, medium-sized portions of pasta, and few hearty meat-centric house plates.

Some food and wine pairings I tried and enjoyed: Polpette, unusually light and tasty meatballs with a bright, supple 2005 Barbaresco from Cantina Del Pino; grilled prawns and radicchio slaw and a chalky Lion’s Peak Marsanne; gnocchi with lobster and rigatoni with rapini partnered by Leonetti’s Rose Bardolino, bone dry and full-bodied. And for an after-dinner or end of the night option, I recommend the housemade tiramsu with sparkling Braccheto d’Aqui.

The floor to ceiling makeover of the space, once a woman’s clothing boutique, is astonishing. Liberal use of stenciled stucco, stone, and brickwork create a charming Euro-past look, reinforced with columns and arches that suggest Roman aqueducts. The wine collection is stored in a glass “cellar” behind the bar makes for a dramatic centerpiece. The main space is open and sociable but there are also smaller, cozier more intimate spots to sit. The patio is literally right out on the Square and I’m really looking forward to nabbing a table there as soon as the weather gets warm.