Symon's B Spot Aims for Burger G Spot

Michael Symon may have earned his reputation crafting slash-and-burn grouper and beef-cheek pierogies. But his latest endeavor likely will appeal to his broadest audience yet. Opening earlier this week at Eton Chagrin, B Spot is designed less to impress than it is simply to please. Specializing in gourmet burgers, brats and bologna sandwiches, B Spot is Symon’s most happy-go-lucky restaurant to date.

“Our goal was simple,” says GM Greg MacLaren. “To open the best burger restaurant in the country.”

To make the best burgers, you need to start with the best beef. Symon has come up with what he believes is the ideal formula for burger bliss: two parts chuck, two parts sirloin, one part brisket. Starting next week, the meat will be imported from legendary New York purveyor Pat LaFrieda, who supplies bespoke blends to the likes of Danny Meyer and Mario Batali. Symon’s custom blend has a 25:75 fat-to-meat ratio.

Seared on a flat top, the six-ounce patties are tucked into either a brioche bun or a soft English muffin. There are 15 different iterations, featuring everything from coleslaw, pastrami and Swiss to corned beef and ‘kraut. Fans of the pitch-perfect Lola burger, with fried egg, bacon, aged cheddar and onions, will find it here. Prices range from $5.50 for a “Plain Jane” to $11 for a double with cheese.

Unlike at the smaller Quicken Loans Arena version of B Spot, burgers here are all cooked to the customer’s specification. That means diners who order a medium-rare burger will get a patty that is red – not pink – and cool in the center. Customers can customize their sandwiches by visiting a small condiment station containing various relishes, pickles and peppers. On every table is caddy of six sauces that includes Lola ketchup, Stadium Mustard and a delicious brew called coffee bbq.

Other main dishes include a half-dozen veal-pork bratwurst combos ($5-$6) and an equal number of fried bologna and miscellaneous sandwiches. It’s strange to see Lola’s svelte and dainty french fries beneath a landslide of meaty bean-free chili, but damn if the chili-cheese fries ($5) aren’t fun to eat. The fries share the “bar snack” portion of the menu with tomato-blue cheese soup ($4), three styles of wings ($7), and golden brown onion rings ($3). Rounding out the menu are six different salads ($10) and ridiculously thick milkshakes ($5) made with Mitchell’s brand ice cream.

Adults can choose from an exceptional listing of beers, with approximately 50 selections of which half are served on draft. There is also a limited selection of wine.

The small, edgy and surprisingly accommodating space can handle about 120 diners when you combine the three-sided bar, dining room and interior mall seating. Come springtime, a garage door will rise and give way to a street-side patio. The focal point of the space is a wall of literally thousands of beer cans arranged in mosaic fashion to form the letter “B.”

Symon seems prepared for the grousing that comes with running a popular first-come, first-served restaurant. Prominently displayed on the wall is a listing of Symon statutes forbidding whining, name-dropping or line jumping. Parties will only be seated when complete, the sign says, and orders will be delivered to the table en masse rather than in courses. And most important: Diners should have a drink and relax a little. Good advice, Mike.

B Spot is open every day for lunch and dinner.

You've Got Some Verve

You couldn’t blame folks for thinking chef Tom Szoradi was a little nuts when he decided to open a restaurant in a former auto parts store on the edge of downtown. Barely squeaking inside Gateway District borders, Juniper Grille was not high on critics’ lists of likely success stories. But succeed it did, lasting seven good years until Szoradi elected this past summer to pull the plug on his popular diner.

Taking its place – physically, not figuratively – is Verve, which was launched by another talented if optimistic chef. A respected veteran of the local food wars, Brian Okin most recently was the owner of Benvenuti Ristorante in Broadview Heights. Like Szoradi before him, Okin hopes to quiet the skeptics by delivering a winner in an otherwise challenging location.

But in comparison to the venture that preceded it, Verve’s task seems downright Herculean. As a breakfast and lunch only spot, Juniper merely had to persuade folks to alter their routine. Verve, which replaces breakfast service with dinner, requires a whole new paradigm. Yes, the restaurant is “near” the Theater District, East Fourth Street, and Gateway. But it isn’t “in” any of those places. When folks elect to eat downtown, they do so to be a part of the action. For now, Verve is an island.

As far as islands go, though, this would be a great one on which to be marooned. There is no question that Okin can cook – his playful twists on comfort food often pinpoint the junction of haute and homey. Verve’s modern take on beef stroganoff ($17), for example, looks as elegant as it tastes. Tender shreds of braised lamb replace the dowdy beef chunks, and fluffy basmati rice kicks Grandma’s egg noodles to the curb. In the cleverly named Sloppy Doe ($8), the kitchen improves upon the weeknight staple by filling the bun not with barbecued beef, but with woodsy venison stew.

Every restaurant needs to nail chestnuts like roast chicken and seared scallops, and Verve passes both tests with flying colors. Those colors – honey brown on the bird, butterscotch on the bivalves – are what give these dishes their depth. The roasted chicken ($17) boasts mouth-watering juiciness beneath a cracker-crisp skin. All the key elements are present: lemon, garlic, rosemary, potatoes. Okin’s fab scallops are available as a starter ($10), where they are paired with polenta, bacon and truffle, or as an entrée ($18), perked up with fresh fava beans and a zippy vinaigrette.

Chefs know to season every element of a dish. When combined, however, those layers can sometimes add up to overload. On its own, Verve’s crispy fried fish ($17) is beer-battered bliss. The fat flanks of blue cod are lush, flakey and ocean sweet. No complaints about the addictive house-sliced potato chips either. What throws off the balance is a lemony garlic sauce, which makes every bite salty and sharp.

I’m all for updating the classics, as long as the 2.0 version is in some way an improvement on the original. While Okin’s take on potato skins ($8) looks on paper to be a hit, it lands on the plate as a dud. The combination of sweet potato and figs, even when tempered with bacon and goat cheese, comes off like a candy-coated bar snack. It doesn’t help matters that the potato is slightly undercooked. Verve does manage to improve upon fried cheese sticks. In this appealing starter ($8), creamy Italian taleggio takes the place of rubbery mozzarella, simultaneously adding flavor while removing heft. The crisp little curds are served with tomato confit, a sophisticated version of marinara.

Verve really shines at midday. Light streams in through the glass-walled façade, sharpening the edges of an already crisp interior. Black-clad servers offer five-star service at three-star prices, delivering affordable gems like chorizo chili ($4), duck pot pie ($10) and crispy “city chicken” ($11). A pitch-perfect panzanella salad ($8) features mixed greens, feta, chickpeas, bacon, chopped egg and cubes of chewy grilled bread. During busy lunches, the restaurant seems to channel the positive vibes of its predecessor.

Dinner is a different story. Despite the good grub, free parking, and proximity to major events and attractions, business has been slow come nightfall. Idle restaurants make for bored staffers, who find themselves with little to do but pester customers. Wine helps, but even here diners are pretty much strong-armed into buying a bottle given the by-the-glass pricing.

Give diners a compelling enough reason to show up and they will, regardless the location. Only time will tell if Verve can come up with enough incentive for diners to abandon their comfort zone for creative comfort food.

Verve
1332 Carnegie Ave., Cleveland
216.664.5500

Rosewood Grill Prepares to Open in Hudson

“If people walk in expecting to find Inn at Turner's Mill again, they'll be disappointed,” says George Schindler of Hospitality Restaurants. “If people walk in thinking this will be Blue Point, they will be disappointed. Our hope is to create a really rocking neighborhood place that feels like something out of Sonoma Valley that's been here a long time.”

The final push is underway to remake the historic Turner’s Mill property, which ceased ops in the summer of 2007, into Rosewood Grill (36 E. Streetsboro Rd., Hudson, 330.656.2100, rosewoodgrill.com). Schindler, whose group also operates Cabin Club, Salmon Dave’s and Delmonico’s, says the goal is to craft a restaurant that diners would like to visit often. “Comfortable food, sensible portions, and sensible prices,” he explains.

The kitchen will be outfitted with a wood-fired pizza oven and a wood smoker, equipment that will dictate some of the menu. Of course, customers can count on quality steaks, chops, and seafood. A visit to the space reveals an entirely new footprint. Whereas the Inn was an up-and-down layout, Rosewood exists on just the lower level. It combines the Inn’s old tavern space with a new addition to create a restaurant with a more modest seat count. “The challenge was to take a 160-year-old space and combine it with new construction to make it feel like they work together,” adds Schindler. The original tavern space, boasting centuries-old barnstone walls, will serve as the 80-seat dining room. In the adjoining addition, a lively lounge with long bar and open kitchen will accommodate another 40. Diners can look forward to a richly appointed room boasting leather, wood and copper accents. A 12-foot gas fire pit will warm patio diners.

Matthew Jankowski will serve as executive chef, while beverage guru Chris Kneeland acts as GM. Rosewood Grill will open before the end of the year as a no-reservation, dinner-only restaurant. Lunch and brunch will be added down the road.

Encore. Encore. No, Really - Encore.

For years, theatergoers had few choices when it came to quality dining in the "footlight" district. Fortunately, the scene has improved in recent years thanks to a handful of new openings. These days, one of the best choices a diner – theatergoer or otherwise – can make is Encore.

What the heck is Encore, you ask? As part of a multimillion-dollar makeover of the 205-room Wyndham Playhouse Square, the hotel’s restaurant has been reintroduced as Encore. Since the hotel opened in 1995, the fusty old dining room was known as Winsor’s, named for the late Cleveland Press columnist Winsor French.

New carpeting, wood work, and artwork are some of the more superficial improvements. But the real changes have occurred behind the swinging kitchen doors. Since taking over as executive chef, Shawn Brozic has significantly improved all aspects of the food services operation. He has instilled a level of quality on par with the Ritz Carlton, his former employer for five years. The chef combines classic French technique with high-quality ingredients to create stunning American fare.

The new menu is a vast improvement over the highly fractured one it replaced. Gone are the ambiguous and confusing sections devoted to snacks, appetizers, sides, salads and entrees. In their place is a more classic listing of soups, starters, and mains. Entrees are no longer served a la carte, but presented as fully composed plates containing seasonal sides, sauces and starches.

Diners can start their meal with a bowl of butternut squash bisque ($6), topped with crunchy curried pumpkin seeds. Encore serves a fantastic rendition of chicken yakitori ($8). This dramatic and interactive appetizer consists of a half-dozen chicken skewers presented atop a tiny tabletop hibachi. A smoldering charcoal briquette keeps the juicy meat hot, while a coconut-curry dipping sauce cools it off. Foie gras fans will want to come and come often because the presentation change’s daily. Our seared flank of luxurious Hudson Valley foie ($16) is stacked with duck confit and tart cherries on top of buttery brioche toasts. A whisper of truffle oil is the perfect garnish.

Chef de cuisine Jim Barnhart’s menu contains the perfect mix of seafood and meat dishes, each of which sounding better than the last. A generous filet of sea bass ($29) boasts a perfect golden-brown crust above sweet, pearly white flesh. The fish is gilded with a fragrant saffron broth and paired with tea-smoked forbidden rice. Encore’s grilled bone-in pork chop ($25) is thick, succulent, and not even close to being overcooked. It is served with buttery spaghetti squash and sautéed Brussels sprouts leaves.

The adjoining lounge, now called Blue Bar, has also received a facelift. New wood floors, soft seating and artwork have given the cozy nook new life as an after-theater hangout for cast and crew, many of whom stay at the Wyndham during runs.

Coming Soon: Bonbon Bake Shop

The newest player in the bakery boom is Courtney Bonning, who is in the process of opening Bonbon Bake Shop (6421 Detroit Ave., 216.375.8437, thebonbonbakeshop.com). Located behind Gypsy Beans, in the buzzy Gordon Square Arts District, the small retail bakery will service both walk-in customers and special-order clients. Bonning attended the prestigious Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, the Napa Valley campus of the famed New York academy. She presently serves as the pastry supervisor at the Ritz-Carlton, a position she intends to keep. Bonning anticipates that much of her business will come from wholesale customers like restaurants, bed and breakfasts, and private clubs. She will also specialize in custom baking for special events. Though Bonbon will maintain no regular business hours, Bonning promises that her door will always be open. “I will always have cookies and pastries available,” she says. “I want people to walk into my kitchen, see what is going on, and get to know me.” Look for a pre-Thanksgiving opening.

Boulevard Blue Closes, to Reopen as Steakhouse

Kurt Steeber has sold Boulevard Blue (12718 Larchmere Blvd.) to Said Ouaddaadaa. In December of this year Steeber himself purchased the restaurant from original owner Andy Himmel, who operated it for five years. Ouaddaadaa, who also owns Bodega (1854 Coventry Rd., 216.932.3060, bodegaoncoventry.com), intends to briefly close and retool the restaurant before reopening it as a prime steakhouse. “There is not a single place in this area to get a decent steak,” he says. “Right now, anybody who wants a steak has to drive over to Morton’s or Red.” In addition to USDA prime steaks and chops, customers can expect a raw bar, plenty of fresh seafood, as well as other house specialties. The interior will be freshened up to give the room a warm, upscale feel. Steeber hopes to open a restaurant in the Detroit Shoreway area.