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FIRST LOOK
Silver Lining Sam McNulty and Mark Priemer's new concept, Bright Side, looks forward with colorful decor and veggie-forward grub while honoring its Bier Markt/Bar Cento roots.
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n 2003, Sam McNulty and Mark Priemer first visited the space on Ohio City’s West 25th Street that would become Bier Markt, Bar Cento and Speakeasy. Over the next nearly 20 years, among ghosts of shoppers from Fries and Schuele department store (the early-1900s building’s original occupants), the partners built a Belgian beer bar, one of the city’s premier chef-driven concepts and a basement party hotspot in a space that nodded to its past. From this home base, the team launched Market Garden Brewery across the street, Nano Brew a few doors down and the Market Garden production facility behind it. “This is home for us. It’s where we started,” says Priemer. “We grew up in this neighborhood, and the neighborhood grew up around us.” But in October, the team announced the restaurants at 1948 W. 25th St. would close and reopen with a new restaurant concept upstairs and a new bar downstairs in 2022. “It was just time,” says Priemer. “The place was great. We have tons of memories here, but it was separated into three rooms, and we just wanted to bring it all together.” Now, the silver lining has finally come — and it’s quite bright. Priemer and McNulty’s new restaurant concept Bright Side opened in June with Bird of Paradise, a tropicalthemed basement bar, following suit in July. Bright Side’s welcoming space is totally revamped with an open concept, warm colors and soft lighting. Its menu offers fresh, casual shareables and veggie-forward bites. Still, both the space and the menu nod to the past with the iconic gold ceilings and classic dishes, such as the beloved runny-yolk-and-pancetta Sunnyside Pizza ($19) and the garlicky pommes frites ($13). 30
CLEVELAND
08.22
“We wanted to completely flip the script and go bright, happy and optimistic,” says McNulty. “After a two-year global pandemic and social distancing, people want to get together again and be close and have fun and laugh and enjoy themselves. This is our answer to the return of living life again.” Here’s everything you need to know about the new concept from Priemer and McNulty. The Space. In just over 100 days, McNulty and Priemer's team transformed the former department store into a modern oasis. The previous spot used many original features, such as display cases that were turned into booths. It was cool but a bit imposing, closing off Partners Ciara Ahern, the main dining Andrew Bower, Sam space from the McNulty and Mark street. “All of Bier Priemer team up on Markt was kind of branding and bites. built around preserving and showcasing the history of that space,” says Ciara Ahern, a partner at Bright Side and owner/founder of Sixth Element marketing, which helped bring the brand to life. “But there are challenges when you try to turn a department store into a restaurant.” The goal of the new approach was to activate the front of the restaurant by opening it up and adding a centered, 44seat island bar that greets guests as they walk through the door. Soft lighting of pastel pink and orange and motifs of gold — most visible in the rose gold disco balls, the light fixtures and the penny tile bar base — are accented by earth tones like natural wood floors and forest green tiles — all of which conveys positivity, optimism and inclusivity. Natural light streams in from retractable windows, which open to the sidewalk, patio space and streetside parklets. Colorful up-lit half-circle booths face inward toward the party. The back room darkens a bit with another bar, funky garden wallpaper and a jaguar statue overlooking diners. The main floor holds about 220 guests. “The downside was we lost a few historic elements that we loved,” Ahern says. “The upside is this is built around what people actually want in a restaurant.”
BY DILLON STEWART
PHOTOS BY CHRISTIAN HARSA
