Casa Roja Out; Gamekeeper's Cottage In

The folks behind Gamekeeper's Taverne will try their hand at another dining concept inside the quaint red building at 79 West St. in Chagrin Falls. What started in 2008 as Village Exchange and later that year as West End Bistro, most recently became Casa Roja. While its June 2015 opening looked promising with a menu of Spanish-style tapas, Gamekeeper's Taverne owners closed the doors last month.

But the space won't sit empty for long. Gamekeeper's Taverne has plans to revamp it in time for the iconic Chagrin Falls restaurant's 40th anniversary this spring. "I know for sure it is going to be called Gamekeeper's Cottage," says general manager Bob Humphrey.

Foodies can expect a wide array of mouthwatering options at Gamekeeper's Cottage along with a warm, welcoming atmosphere. "It's primarily going to be a lot of sandwiches, burgers, pizzas, salads with salmon or chicken," says Humphrey. "We want to do kind of a more family-friendly style place."

Although the main focus will be on the food, Gamekeeper's Cottage will have a full wine list and happy hours. "If it is not open for lunch during the week, then we might open at like 2:30 and do an aggressive happy hour," says Humphrey. "When we opened the Casa concept, we kind of did a happy hour from 2:30 to 6 p.m to catch that crowd that wanted to do happy hour."

gamekeepers.com

Sugar High

The first time Chagrin Valley Little Theatre opened their season with the Murder By The Falls event 20 years ago, a fake body was dumped into the Chagrin River as a prop. Held this year Sept. 6 and 7, the annual audience-participation benefit brings less shock and more sweetness with Cereal Killer, a satire featuring our morning mascots as mobsters and gamblers entangled in a sticky murder mystery. Set in the mostly fictional Horseshoe Casino, high-rollers Count Chocula, and Boo and Franken Berry meet their demise on the betting floor, leaving Inspector Gotcha to solve the serial ... uh, cereal killings. Director Greta Rothman gives us three reasons why Clevelanders should check out this sugar-coma-inducing thriller.

Star Struck: Jan Jones, known for appearing on The Morning Exchange, is a Murder By The Falls mainstay appearing this year as seedy gambler, Mini Wheats. After seeing YouTube videos of past years' shows, NewsChannel5 news anchor Leon Bibb auditioned for the part of crime novelist Grayson Bran. Bibb is already comfortable in front of a camera, says Rothman, "but now he's on a stage, looking up to the actors as the professionals. It's the flip side of what we're used to."

Local Limelight: Don't just watch the ridiculous cereal-themed characters flounder for clues,  but become a private eye yourself. Audiences members group into squads of deputies to solve the crunchy slayings. Businesses join in the fun, so you could find yourself canvassing downtown Chagrin Falls for gooey evidence. Officials such as Chagrin Falls Mayor Thomas Brick also pop in for cameo appearances. "Incorporating different levels of experience is the true essence of community theater," says Rothman.

Full Plate: For the price of a ticket ($60, $30 of that is tax deductible), theatergoers get to nosh on hors d'oeuvres, a dessert buffet and can partake in a cash bar. You may walk away with a door prize, and if you're a sleuth on one of the best teams, you could win tickets to more CVLT shows. "It's a good night out," Rothman says. "After a few drinks, people are ready to have fun and laugh at bad puns."

Rating the Suburbs on TV

Fox 8 did a good piece about our Rating the Suburbs issue. Check it out here.

(Sure, they mispronounced my name, but that's probably not the worst thing being said about me & the issue -- which usually raises the ire of some local public officials -- about this time.)

The story raises the question: How can a suburb, like Chagrin Falls, be near the top of the list one year and then fall down the list the next?

The answer is simple: Each year's rankings are based on that year's data. Also, the shades of difference in the Top 20 are pretty small.

As for Chagrin Falls (which ranked #20 overall this year, down from #13 last year), it slipped from #1 in education last year to #2 this year. (Certainly, there's no shame in that.)

Similarly, the town's housing numbers (median home sale price increase) over the last 10 years, while still good, didn't place it as high as last year: 55% last year vs. 30% this year. Still making the top 20 is a great achievement.

What's all this mean? We're blessed in Northeast Ohio with many great places to live and finding what's right for you comes down to what you value most in a town -- that's why we interviewed residents from all 76 suburbs for a personal perspective on each.