That Place on Clifton, You Know...Uh...

It's been over two years since the last tenant moved out of 10427 Clifton Boulevard. The famous (some say infamous) address has been home to Velocity American Bistro, Giovanna's, Mise, Jeso and Wilsher Grille. Fortunately for the neighborhood, the new owner has a track record of success. Jeff Rumplik, one of Cleveland's premier bartenders, hopes to duplicate the good fortunes that he cultivated at Fairmount Martini & Wine Bar, a Cleveland Heights operation that he opened but no longer controls. When it opens in late February, Clifton Martini & Wine Bar will serve a full menu of contemporary American small plates, shared items, and main courses. Prices will be much lower than that of previous tenants, says Rumplik. "I don't want people to feel pressured to order a $30 entrée," he says. "This will be a place where you can enjoy a glass of wine and a couple small plates." At Fairmount, Rumplik drew raves for his martini and cocktail lists, both of which will be staples of the West Side operation. Changes to the space include a new bar, wine cellar, and lounge area with soft seating and fireplace. New also are the draft beer system and temperature-controlled wine storage. "I was a huge fan of Mise," he adds. "I've always loved that area. It reminds me of Cleveland Heights."

Orale! Mexican Stand Expands

At Orale!, his West Side Market stand (F-7, 216.781.4190), chef Roberto Rodriguez dispenses tamales, enchiladas, empanadas, and quite possibly the city's finest chips and salsa. Soon, there will be more of Orale! (which means right on!) to love. In about a week, Rodriguez will expand to double his current size when he takes over the adjacent Tom Kearns pork stand. The additional room will allow the chef to expand his menu, which he prepares in an Ohio City commissary. New items will include tortilla soup, fish tacos, various burritos and many others.

RJ Boland's Sports a Different Vibe

It didn't take long the other night for me and my wife to fall into a familiar pattern. As I manically flipped the television from station to station, she pleaded with me to settle on a single program. What was unique about the situation was that we weren't planted on the couch at home; we were out to dinner at RJ Boland's.

Having a personal TV in every booth might be great for watching the Cavs, but let me tell you, it's murder on intelligent dinner conversation.

Nestled smack dab in the heart of the Gateway District, RJ Boland's is just a short stroll from Quicken Loans Arena and Progressive Field. Open since November, the bar and restaurant is a natural choice for folks headed to the ball game or those looking for a comfortable place to watch it. The roomy and attractive space, which had previously been home to Diamondback Brewery, Phil the Fire and Waterhouse, features crystal-clear HDTVs on practically every flat surface.

But sports bars are notoriously hit or miss when it comes to crowds. The joint that was jumping one night is often a sleeper the next. So, in a wise attempt to lure guests every day and every night, owner Rossi Penney set his culinary sights well above nachos, wings and burgers. To execute the slightly ambitious modern American menu, Penney turned to Doug Fulton, a chef who has worked locally at McCormick & Schmick's, Blake's and Hyde Park. Part upscale pub grub, part bistro, the lengthy menu covers most appetites and budgets regardless the time of day.

Ordering a $15 pork chop at most sports bars is asking for trouble. But the one served here is thick, juicy and grilled to perfection, just as promised. The brined T-bone chop is gilded with just enough fat to keep things interesting, and the seasoning is aggressive without being overly salty. Fulton goes out of his way to utilize local products, another rarity at sports bar-type eateries. Cheddar-stuffed pierogies ($12.95), sautéed in butter and onions, are made here in town. Both the sausage and the pasta in the sausage and peppers dish ($13.95) are Cleveland bred. While we appreciate the texture of the fresh Ohio City Pasta in the shrimp Diablo ($14.95), the sauce tastes like pure olive oil. What is here – some banana peppers and hot pepper flakes – do not bring much flavor to the party.

Barroom snackers have their choice of over a dozen appetizers, most of which are familiar but updated classics. Looking like a fully loaded baked potato that somebody stepped on, the potato bombs ($7.95) are not going to win any beauty awards. But that doesn't stop us from destroying every bit of evidence. Fluffy baked redskins are smooshed then covered with melted cheese, real crumbled bacon, sour cream and scallions. The beef sliders ($7.95) suffer from overcooking, but the bun-cheese-onion-pickle package is a winner. Obviously made in house and cooked to order, the gooey fried mozzarella ($7.95) will surely please any fans of the genre. Calamari ($9.95) is commensurably crunchy, tossed with zippy peppers and served with a somewhat gloppy sweet chili sauce.

Boland's really shines come lunchtime, when the selection is equally as large but the prices aren't. In addition to the discounted dinner entrees, there are a dozen creative sandwiches and burgers, the latter of which are a full half-pound. Nearly a foot long, the fried fish po' boy ($8.95) fills a butter-toasted hoagie with crisp breaded fish, tomato, coleslaw and an onion ring. The price includes a mountain of fries. Soup and salad buffs are well taken care of. In fact, Boland's makes some of the best New England clam chowder ($2.95) I can remember tasting. Smoky, loaded with clams, and more creamy than milky, the bisque is the antidote to a brisk winter's day. For the wedge salad ($6.95), a full quarter head of brittle-crisp iceberg is drenched in creamy Maytag blue cheese dressing and sprinkled with crunchy bacon.

Penney, a Cleveland native, has years of restaurant management experience. No doubt the result of that experience, the well-trained wait staff seems to actually care about its customers. We didn't get a face when we asked one to turn down the music. After sending back a glass of over-the-hill wine, our waiter actually thanked us for the impromptu wine tutorial. Want to substitute sweet potato fries for the regular ones? No problemo, kimosabe.

Those familiar with the property might recall that it is huge, running clear from Prospect to Huron, with an additional floor above. Right now, plans call for a high-end lounge to open upstairs just in time for baseball season.


RJ Boland's
724 Prospect Ave., Cleveland
216.938.8949

Menu6 to Debut in Old Boulevard Blue Spot

Numerologists will have a field day when Menu6 opens early next month in the former home of Boulevard Blue (12718 Larchmere Blvd.). The “food-forward” restaurant will feature a menu boasting six categories, each comprised of six items. That numerical formula will extend to both the dessert menu and wine list.

If all this sounds complicated, rest assured that the chef in charge is an old pro at delivering big flavors on plates of all sizes. Not since his Mojo days has Michael Herschman had such creative control of a kitchen. Hired by owner Said Ouaddaadaa, Herschman will offer some familiar treats from his Pacific Rim repertoire. “The menu will be market-driven, allowing me to change it frequently,” explains the chef. Diners will select from sections titled “Raw,” “Hot, Cold, Small,” “Greens,” “Water and Feathers,” and “Land.” Herschman says we can expect “killer steaks, wonderful seafood, and everything in between.” Highlights include prime steak carpaccio, sweet and spicy calamari, seared Asian duck breast, and bone-in rib steak. The space is getting a front-to-back remodel, with the most obvious changes to the bar and dining room.

Clyde's Bistro, a Style Upgrade

If dining at Dottie’s Diner (and subsequently Chris & Jimmy’s) felt like being shoehorned into the back of a European budget rail car, then visiting Clyde’s Bistro is like taking a ride on the Orient Express. Clyde Mart’s $150,000 makeover of the Lee Road diner cars has served as a customer-wide upgrade from coach to first class.

Since opening for business back in 2002, the diner cars have chewed their way through three separate operators. While each had his or her own set of factors that lead to failure, they did all share one thing in common: they operated diners. Mart, the man behind such popular eateries as Cippi & Mo's and Vito’s Italian Grill, is the first to think outside the diner box.

There are some who consider the physical changes Mart made to the two restored diners as nothing short of desecration. It’s always difficult to lose a piece of history, but the modifications were unavoidable for success. To be happy, diners have to be comfortable – and there was nothing comfortable about those diners. Squat door openings required stooping. The stiff-backed booths were tiny and cramped. Backless stools were anchored too close to the counter, leaving little room for knees. And the building materials – stainless steel, porcelain, tile and glass – while authentic to the cause, did little to warm the spirits of mid-winter Midwesterners.

“Warm” is precisely what the restaurant is now. The odd, underutilized lobby has been reworked into a cozy foyer, where guests can grab a seat on a sofa while waiting for a table or takeout. Instead of having to choose between two separate but near-identical spaces, customers now go left to enter the barroom or right to sit in the dining room. That barroom, with its dark-wood floors, low-slung bartop, and flat-panel TVs, is a sharp place to grab a beer and watch the game. With its elegant chandeliers, red-fabric drapes, and fanciful zebra-print carpet, the dining room now feels like a fancy Pullman dining car.

Though the digs are swanky, don’t expect haute cuisine. Clyde’s specializes in hearty, home-cooked food at value-conscious prices. Portions are generous and prices are largely in the $12-to-$16 range. The most expensive item on the menu, a 7-ounce filet mignon, is $20. What’s more, entrees include a delicious bread basket as well as a choice of two side dishes. Lunchtime entrees (similar menu, smaller prices) include one side.

Talk about soup that eats like a meal; the peppery gumbo ($7.50) is loaded with pulled chicken, andouille sausage, tender rice, and fat, succulent, tail-on shrimp. A big bowl of P.E.I. mussels ($7.90) features a buttery wine and garlic sauce. If only our mussels were bigger, plumper and sweeter. There is nothing wrong with Clyde’s chopped salad ($9.90), a bounteous blend of greens, bacon, blue cheese and avocado in a pleasantly sweet honey-mustard dressing. Other large, entrée-size salads include a meat-and-cheese filled chef’s salad ($9.90) and a classic Nicoise ($11.50), with tuna, boiled potatoes and hard-cooked eggs.

Mart and company have done a great job crafting a comfort-rich menu loaded with appealing options. Too good, in fact, because choosing between slow-braised short ribs, spaghetti Bolognese, and coq au vin is no easy task. Liver and onion fans (guilty!) will enjoy tucking into the version served here ($15.80), with its tender slices of sautéed veal liver bathed in golden brown onions. We go with the whipped potatoes and still-crisp green beans as our accompaniments. Flavorful Burgundy-braised coq au vin ($15.90), classic French comfort fare, includes nearly half a bird. While tasty and complex, the dish lacks that fall-off-the-bone tenderness for which it is known and adored. For this dish, we tack on the freshly sautéed spinach and unremarkable risotto Milanese.

Perfect for lunch or dinner, Clyde’s fish and chips ($8.90) comes with three freshly fried flanks of mild white fish and a mountain of hand-cut fries. Sandwiches and burgers are available all day, but the lunch menu includes a couple of one-offs that aren’t on the dinner menu. Chicken pot pie, chicken and waffles, and a bubbling crock of turkey, broccoli and cheddar cheese sauce are three such items.

Value extends to the drinks menu, too. While I adore fine wine as much as the next lush, it’s nice to have the option to order a very drinkable red table wine for $3.50 ($2.50 at lunch). Popular pours from Avalon, Hess and Mark West are available by the glass for 8 bucks and down. The beer list, while anything but extensive, has numerous quality brews.

So, will the fourth time be the charm? Judging by what I’ve seen so far, my money’s on “yes.”


Clyde’s Bistro & Barroom
1975 Lee Rd., Cleveland Hts.
216.321.7100

Strip Dishes up Steak in an Unconventional Setting

It’s a tad jarring to see a 160-year-old Pennsylvania Dutch barn emblazoned with a racy red neon sign that reads “STRIP,” positioned just south of the traditional hex emblem. Had this structure appeared on a roadside it would be logical to assume that its main attraction was babes rather than beef.

The curveballs don’t stop there. To enter the restaurant, diners push through a pair of etched glass doors embossed with flame decals that would look at home on the side of a pimped-out Honda. From the building and décor to the menu and food, little about Strip conforms to our notions of a traditional steakhouse. And the tactic seems to be working; just two months in, this unconventional restaurant is seducing fans at a fast clip. Once the final few kinks are ironed out, Strip can look forward to a long and fruitful future.

Barns used to be a common sight in Avon, but most have been razed for development. With Olde Avon Village, Ron Larson has created a historic-building sanctuary of sorts, where old structures find new purposes. When Birds of a Feather, a craft shop, moved out of its 1850s farmhouse barn, Larson decided to open a restaurant, encouraged, no doubt, by the success of one of his tenants, Henry’s at the Barn.

Rather than play up the Victorian-era nature of the structure, Larson decided to run in the opposite direction. “I want to smash diners’ preconceptions about eating in an old barn,” he told me over the phone. While I admit to having modest barn-dining experience, I’m pretty sure it would be nothing like.

The first floor is devoted almost entirely to the lively lounge, where guests enjoy an open kitchen from nearby high tops, sofas and stools. A mod white bartop runs the width of the room, curving at one point to become the kitchen pass. There is only a handful of conventional tables downstairs, so it’s imperative that folks who can’t climb stairs (no elevator here) say so when making a reservation. A short trip upstairs moves diners to a voluminous second-floor loft, capped by a soaring cathedral ceiling. Broad wood flooring, knotty pine siding and post-and-beam framing contrast with contemporary fixtures and minimalist design.

At a glance, the appetizer portion of the menu appears to come from an entirely different restaurant. Where are steakhouse chestnuts like oysters Rockefeller, shrimp cocktail, and lump crab cakes? Instead, diners select from curiosities like fried-egg pizza, Puerto Rican-style mofongo, and something called Silver Grille ham loaf. My money is on the Short Stack ($14), one of the tastiest starters I’ve had of late. This stack is comprised of three fluffy cornmeal cakes held together with cheesy crab filling. Instead of syrup, diners drag the cakes through fragrant lobster sauce. For an extravagant treat, try the aptly named Temptation ($16), crispy panko-fried filets of Maine lobster tail served with melted butter. Though they possess pleasant spice, our sausage-stuffed peppers ($10) are loose, greasy and oddly textured.

Regardless what else finds its way onto the menu, a steakhouse needs to have great steaks. Larson settled on nothing short of the best, serving only USDA prime-graded cuts. Choices run from a petite six-ounce filet ($24) to the cowboy-approved 24-ounce porterhouse ($39). Our Stripper ($26), a 12-ounce strip, arrives perfectly trimmed and textbook mid-rare. And it tastes fantastic. Other chops include a positively dreamy, meaty bone-in veal chop ($26), which is served, interestingly enough, with a soft-cooked egg galette. Lamb chop fans will dig the Mary ($26), a pair of thick, juicy, but rather fatty, double chops. Other entrees include applewood smoked chicken ($18) and an enjoyable horseradish-crusted grouper ($24).

Steaks are served a la carte, but do include a choice of a sauce or compound butter. This detail isn’t explained upfront by our server (and there’s only the tiniest mention of it on the menu). While no big deal, failing to do so forces diners to make a snap decision. The béarnaise is killer, but the caramelized shallot sauce tastes like salty onion soup. There are a dozen choices overall.

Diners can and should augment their meal with one of 10 share-size sides. A warm and smoky five-bean salad ($7) summons thoughts of summer baked beans, and an airy corn-broccoli casserole ($7) tastes much, much better than it sounds. More like corn kernels in cream than creamed corn ($7), this side could use some work.

Casual wine drinkers will appreciate the affordable by-the-glass and bottle options, with many priced south of $6 and $30 respectively. Serious drinkers, though, might like to see vintages next to their vanity bottles of cabernet.

Diners looking for a great steak in an extraordinary setting should set their sights on Strip.


Strip, a Steak House
36840 Detroit Rd., Avon
440.934.9900

Premier Brewer Returns to C-Town Roots

When Sam McNulty opens his Ohio City brewpub this spring, he can certainly count on great suds. Thanks in equal parts to luck and timing, McNulty has snagged one of the nation’s premier craft brewers, Andy Tveekrem. For the last five and a half years, Tveekrem has served as brewmaster for Dogfish Head Brewery, home of the award-winning 60 Minute, 90 Minute and 120 Minute IPAs. “It was bromance at first sight,” jokes McNulty. “We met up over beers and by the end of the week he had his house [in Delaware] on the market and rented a place in Tremont.” Situated next to the West Side Market, Market Garden Brewery will feature separate buildings for the restaurant and brewhouse. Between them will sit a 3,000-square-foot beer garden with trees, climbing vines and community tables. There, diners will enjoy American-style picnic foods made from quality local ingredients. Interestingly enough, Tveekrem launched his brewing career 18 years ago at a little place called Great Lake Brewing, where he served as brewmaster until 2000. Dogfish is beloved for its interesting – even extreme – beers. So, what’s going to be on tap here? “I’m a real hophead,” says Tveekrem. “I definitely like hoppy pale ales, porters and stouts. But we’ll also brew German lagers, Belgian wheats… the whole range.” The restaurant also will be the area’s first micro-distillery.

A Local Institution to Relocate

"We're not closing, we're relocating," stresses Bruce Ferris, third-generation owner of Ferris Steak House (8700 Detroit Ave., 216.281.1437). At 69 years old, Ferris is easily one of Cleveland’s oldest restaurants, established in 1940 by Bruce’s grandparents, Adele and Ellis Ferris. For decades, the saloon-style eatery dished up quality steaks and chops in a relaxed family atmosphere. But come summer, the operation will relocate to the old Swingos on the Lake location, which closed earlier this year. “When we shut down lunches for the first time in history, I knew it was time to start looking for a new location,” explains Ferris. “When Swingos came up for grabs, it just felt like a good fit.” Sitting just three miles from the original spot, the new restaurant will attract both new and old customers, some of whom have been coming for 50 years. Ferris promises that the new digs, while bigger and spiffier, will not change the restaurant’s approach. “We’re not going high-end,” he says. “I know what our clientele likes. We’re going to keep doing the things we've been doing for 70 years.”