Scene May 17, 2023

UPFRONT

cynicism.

“These are people whose voices have gone unheard for years,” Whitnye Long Jones, director of community engagement for Ohio City Inc., told Scene. “It was completely legal and okay to put that industry next to low income housing to begin with,” unlike, Long Jones said, what wouldn’t happen in the suburbs.

“But here you have individuals who are focused on surviving,” she added, “and therefore may feel they don’t have the power to stop something like that.”

Although Lakeview’s air quality had been an area of concern at Ohio City since at least 2010, Long Jones took the issue on as a high priority in 2017, when she started an initiative now called Let’s Clear The Air. (“It’s a double entendre,” she said.) Needing specific air quality data to prove harm to policymakers, Long Jones pursued federal grants to fund research and about ten air quality monitors.

RATS, DIRTY AIR, BROKEN FAUCETS: LAKEVIEW TERRACE RESIDENTS WONDER WHEN HELP WILL COME

IT WAS A SUMMER DAY in 2018 when a stolen bike almost cost Shauntya Ellis her life.

Her son, who she preferred to keep nameless, returned home after school to Ellis’ small apartment off Loop Dr., on the northern side of Lakeview Terrace, the public housing complex situated in the center of Whiskey Island, limestone mounds and the Great Lakes Shipyard. Neighborhood kids, her son said, had stolen his bike, and were after him.

Ellis ran outside. As she reached Loop, the group of kids started shooting at her. Ellis and her son ran in different directions, and managed to dodge, Ellis thought, any of the fire.

“I made it all the way back home before I realized it was blood running down my thigh,” Ellis, 35, said, standing across the street from her apartment in early May. With pup King in her left arm, she lifted

her right leg, revealing a browned scar the size of a nickel. “See? It went right through.”

Months after the shooting, Ellis said she developed anxiety and symptoms of post-traumatic stress. Her son, who’s currently in the seventh grade, had seen longrunning breathing issues worsen. A doctor at Lutheran prescribed him albuterol sulfate, a common medicine used to treat pulmonary illnesses, but Ellis said it was mostly ineffective.

“He had to have, like, several breathing treatments,” she told Scene. “He [would] wake up in the middle of night sometime. He can’t stop coughing. Like he can’t catch his breath.” Ellis said she’s reported both her PTSD and her son’s asthma for emergency relief or transfer from her managers at the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority, but to no avail. “They never tried to do nothing about it. It’s like that they

can do something, [but it must] get bad before anybody pays attention.”

Ellis’ seemingly endless rumination—Why’s the asthma so bad? What’s causing it?—represents an issue that’s plagued Lakeview, the oldest public housing complex in the U.S., for decades. Built in 1937, it is backed up against a melange of industrial sites, and its proximity to pollution has long ailed residents forced to breathe industry’s excess.

Lakeview’s air quality, a harangue for activists since the 1980s, is, a half dozen residents told Scene, a part of a list of complaints that have long gone unanswered by property managers or CMHA, a half dozen residents told Scene. Other complaints include hordes of rats screeching by at night, the coughing from cockroach dander, malfunctioning faucets, grimy bathtubs, broken doors— unanswered issues, residents said, that’s led to a shoulder-shrugging

In 2020, Long Jones collected 60 signatures—”complaints”— from residents blaming nearby Ontario Stone, or Cargill across Old River, for their worsening COPD, for their kids born with asthma. The following year, Ohio City Inc. sourced Temboo, a environmental data consultant, to help quantify Lakeview’s particulate matter, tiny droplets of pollutants that can harm the lungs.

Let’s Clear The Air’s initiative is somewhat working alongside Lakeview Connects, a $103,000 study hoping to identify transportation problems and possible solutions for Lakeview’s approximately 1,375 tenants.

“What we want to do is compare that data,” Long Jones. “The data we’re collecting to the data that’s collected regionally to show that it’s more concentrated based on the proximity that residents are to these industries.”

Back at Lakeview, Ellis, when told about the two monitors already installed, and the nine on the way, looked away in slight disgust. “We know the conditions are bad,” she said. “It’s pointless. You see it’s a problem. What’s the point of the monitors?”

Over at 1230 Mulberry Ave., where Steve Harrison, 63, has lived alone since 2010, the dust that blows off limestone trucks drifting by on River Rd. is one fact of life upon a pile of many.

For the past year, Harrison said his kitchen sink has lacked running water, and a gaping hole behind the pipes has been unfilled. Harrison

Shauntya Ellis, 35, and her dog, King. Ellis, who has been trying to move out of Lakeview since she was shot in 2018, said CMHA’s been neglectful of both her ask for relocation and her son’s asthma. |

Photo by Mark Oprea

UPFRONT

admitted CMHA blamed his poor upkeep, yet he said there’s no excuse for the non-functioning faucet. (Harrison, like Ellis, believes he’s been placed on a “long waiting list.”)

“All that grease that’s coming off my dishes,” Harrison said during a tour of his apartment. He pointed to his bathtub, which, like his sink, is half covered in a thin layer of greying grime. “All that’s gonna clog my bathtub up!”

In an interview with Scene, CMHA Chief of Staff Jeffrey Wade said that the most dire complaints made by the authority’s 45,000 residents—”lack of heat, lack of water, lack of electricity, to the extent that we can control it”— ought to be assuaged in a day’s time. And, according to Wade, property managers can’t use shoddy upkeep, or any other policy, as an excuse not to fix one’s broken plumbing.

As for the lengthier, harder-to-pin issue of air quality, Wade resorted to CMHA’s involvement with Let’s Clear The Air. Meaning, they have, Wade said, “allowed the placement of air quality monitors across Lakeview Terrace.” As for official complaints

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made by tenants, from those who blame their asthma on the daily dust blowing to their balcony, Wade said he’s not “familiar with any specific claims.”

“We desire a safe, decent community,” Wade said, “for all of those that live at the end of West 25th.”

At Ohio City, Whitnye Long Jones agrees. “I don’t think CMHA wants to or is neglecting the needs of the people,” she said. “I just think there’s so much need and not enough people to handle it in a timely fashion.”

While Let’s Clear The Air is still in its phase-one, funding side of a two-year operation, it won’t be until 2025 or later when any businesses are forced to cover or wet their limestone mounds, or reroute daily truck traffic, to curb damage done to Lakeview residents’ lungs. And, other than receive official recognition from the city, Ohio City Inc. would need, Long Jones said, qualification from the EPA, the federal body that sets “the standards for the permits of the industry.”

Like Ellis and others, Harrison often thinks about leaving. Like others, he’s on subsidized rent due to disability and low-income. And like others, he deals with the rat holes in his yard, or the frequent shootings in a kind of realistic stride.

Harrison, a skinny man in a Phantom of the Opera shirt, walked down the steps of 1203, close to where, he said, rats bury themselves at night. As he talks, a truck roars by, kicking up a dense cloud of white smoke that covers the entirety of the yard as it rolls past.

“See! We’re breathing that!” Harrison said. He watches the truck roll south down Mulberry, towards the I-90 bridge, out of Lakeview. “All day, every day. Hey, you got to see it for yourself.”

– Mark Oprea

City of Cleveland Set to Offer Paid Parental Leave to Employees

Proposed legislation from Mayor Justin Bibb, introduced at Monday’s city council meeting, would give all full-time city employees paid parental leave.

Those becoming parents or guardians through birth, adoption or guardianship would receive 500 hours off at 100% of their base pay.

“I’m excited to present this new proposal coming out of Mother’s Day weekend. We want to set the standard in employee engagement

by showing that we not only are listening, but taking significant steps forward by implementing what they are seeking,” said Bibb in a statement. “We hope other organizations in our region, both public and private sector, will follow our lead to support our workforce the best we can so that Cleveland can become an even better place to live, work, and raise a family.”

If the policy is passed, employees will be eligible for 20 of those hours before the arrival of the child, and the remaining 480 hours, or 12 weeks, will be available after. That leave would be available for employees to use intermittently to allow for flexibility depending on parents’ and guardians’ needs. Additionally, employees who experience miscarriages or stillbirths would be eligible for three weeks, or 60 hours, or paid leave.

It would at first be available to non-union workers, but the benefit would be added for union workers as contracts come up for collective bargaining.

“This isn’t that expensive. We’re estimating it’s about a $1.2 million impact on a $1.6 billion dollar budget and that’s not even accounting for the cost savings down the road of retaining workers,” said Ward 17 councilman Charles Slife, speaking in support of the policy at Monday’s council meeting. “We want our parents focused on childcare, not feeling pressured to come back into work and certainly we don’t want our workers exhausting their vacation and sick banks and forgoing medical care themselves to the point where we incentivize them leaving our workplace and compounding our difficulties in being fully-staffed.”

If Cleveland adopts the proposed plan, it will follow in the footsteps of cities like Cincinnati, which similarly expanded its parental leave policy in January. Proponents argue that investing in paid parental leave can save time and money by reducing employee turnover and increasing productivity. With 7,000 employees, the city is one of the largest employers in the region.

“This is not the end of all the work we need to do to support our workers, but I think by making a statement that we are going to offer our workers the same types of benefits you get for working in the federal government, other large cities, growing in the private sector, I think that that helps us attract the workers we need to get the job done for our residents,” said Slife.

– Maria Elena Scott

Cleveland’s Speed Table Pilot Program Lowered Driver Speeds by Almost 8 MPH

Since installing speed tables at 10 locations as part of a pilot program last summer, the city of Cleveland reports that speeds in those areas have decreased by 7.8 mph and that 77% of residents surveyed said they support the installation of more speed tables.

“We continue to hear from residents who are concerned about speeding in their neighborhoods and we take these concerns very seriously,” said Mayor Justin Bibb in a statement. “I am encouraged by the results of the speed table pilot, and we will continue to curtail this dangerous behavior through physical traffic calming and data-driven solutions to create safer streets.”

Last year, 45 people in Cleveland were killed in trafficrelated deaths. The speed table pilot program was announced in June 2022, just a month after 5-year-old Apolina Asumani was killed on W. 50th Street by a reckless driver. In the wake of the child’s death, urban guerillas installed speed bumps and caution signs on the road where Asumani was killed.

The program is part of Cleveland’s Vision Zero initiative, which is dedicated to eliminating deaths and serious injuries from crashes on city roads. Its 10 locations, including W. 50th Street, were chosen for their documented speeding issues and are primarily on residential streets.

Funding for further speed tables could come from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Cleveland City Council is currently reviewing Bibb’s request for $3 million of ARPA resources for additional speed table installations and other safety improvements.

“As we move into the next phase of this work, we are continually taking in resident reports of issues and concerns and collecting traffic data to inform our response,” said Cleveland’s senior strategist for Transit and Mobility Calley Mersmann in a statement. “This is not a one-size-fits-all approach. We are aligning feedback and data with proven methods to slow traffic and improve safety street by street across our neighborhoods.”

– Maria Elena Scott

Car crash fatalities in Cuyahoga County in 2022.

53

Number of those who weren’t wearing a seat belt.

$10 million

Amount of ARPA dollars

Cleveland city council approved to go to the West Side Market for various repairs, $5 million less than originally sought by Mayor Bibb.

2385.92%

Percent rise in catalytic converter thefts in Ohio over the last three years.

Heat Wave

Heat Wave Heat Wave

31 new Cleveland restaurants to try this summer

BY DOUGLAS TRATTNER

WE’RE NOT EVEN HALFWAY INTO 2023 but already the year is looking pretty exciting for food lovers. New bars, cafes, sandwich shops and bistros are opening at a feverish pace from east to west. Here are the ones that have debuted since the New Year, plus a handful of new places that will soon be opening their doors later this spring and summer.

Tutto Carne

The red-brick corner property in Little Italy that has been home to a handful of restaurants over the years including Salvatore’s, Tutto Giorno, Il Bacio and Nora welcomed a new operation in May with Tutto Carne. The Italian-themed steakhouse is operated by Zachary Ladner and Carl Quagliata, the chefowners behind Giovanni’s, Smokin’ Q’s BBQ, Paloma and The Village Butcher. At the 45-seat bistro, guests will be encouraged to linger thanks to posh and plush velvet-wrapped chairs to dine on steaks, chops, seafood and classic pasta dishes.

Fire 45 Grille + Social

Owner Chad Trush spent a year and a half gutting and rebuilding the former Mario’s restaurant in North Royalton into a stylish American grill. Fire 45 Grille + Social features a small but diverse menu with starters like oysters Rockefeller, roasted bone marrow and crabcakes, in-between plates such as wedge and Caesar salads and a gruyere-topped French onion soup, and entrees like grilled strip steak, Rockefeller-style salmon and a half dozen pizzas.

Watami Sushi

Instant gratification is the name of the game at Watami Sushi in Parma, billed as Ohio’s only conveyor-belt sushi restaurant. The dining room is small but efficiently arranged so that all the dishes pass within arm’s reach of every table, every diner.

Items are color-coded, with green, yellow, pink, red and black dishes corresponding to the price. They start at $2.50 for vegetarian items like edamame, seaweed salad or an avocado roll and climb to $3.75 for raw nigiri like salmon, yellowtail and snapper or cooked items such as shrimp or eel nigiri or spider rolls.

Milk + Honey TC

Anisa Rrapaj opened Milk + Honey downtown in 2021. She also operates the Hive by Milk + Honey in the Limelight Building in Ohio City. This month, she opened a new Milk + Honey cafe at Tower City, in the space formerly occupied by Starbucks. On the menu are coffee and espresso drinks, chai drinks, specialty coffee drinks and fruit smoothies. To eat, there are breakfast bagel sandwiches, avocado toast and vegan chia pudding. At lunch, there are sandwiches starring chicken salad, turkey and even steak.

Quinn’s Kitchen and Bar

For nearly two decades, the Greenisland Restaurant was the place to go in Bay Village to enjoy hearty Irish fare in a convivial setting. Now the space is home to Quinn’s Kitchen and Bar, an upscale American bistro. Owner Quinn Goehring grew up working in his parents’ restaurants, which include Wood Fired Oven, 3 Brothers Corner Tavern and Table Six Kitchen + Bar.

Fiyah Korean BBQ

For nearly three years, diners have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of Fiyah, a contemporary Korean barbecue restaurant in the St. Clair Superior neighborhood. Now open, Fiyah features two dozen booths featuring built-in gas grills, allowing groups to enjoy the interactive art of tabletop grilling. The bar is equipped with built-in induction burners that, along with tabletop stoves, fuel the Asian hot pot meals.

Au Jus

Wedged between a Marco’s Pizza and a nail salon in a dinky Parma strip, Au Jus flies through 100 to 150 pounds of slow-roasted top round beef per day and about 12 gallons of au jus, which is made from the drippings. The small, mainly carry-out shop has quickly become Cleveland’s favorite source for Chicago-style Italian beef sandwiches.

Zina Greek Food

Demetrios Atheneos, who operates the popular Chicken Ranch, has opened Zina Greek Street Food in a shop a few doors down from that University Heights restaurant. Zina offers “good, clean Greek street foods,” says the chef. A concise menu of staples like lamb sliders, gyros, chicken and pork souvlaki, spanakopita and loukoumades (Greek donuts) will be joined by daily or weekly specials like pastitsio and moussaka.

Poppy

Fifteen years ago, Felice opened

in a warm and woodsy Craftsmanstyle home on Larchmere Boulevard. This month, Poppy opened in that same turn-of-the-century property. Now in the hands of Jill Vedaa and Jessica Parkison of Salt, the attractive restaurant seats 75 in the main and second floor dining rooms. The menu is divided into categories for vegetables, fish and meat, with plates growing in size within those categories as well as across the page.

Dukes ’n Boots

Dukes `n Boots, chef Dante Boccuzzi’s first foray to the east side, welcomed its first guests in the heart of Willoughby on Erie Street in May. The Southern-styled saloon elevates the honky-tonk vibe thanks to warm wood, exposed brick and a menu designed by a Michelin-starred chef. Heading up the kitchen is chef Emily Campion, who has been working at Ginko and Dante for the past year. She takes the reins with an eye on quality, consistency and creativity. Don’t miss the 60-seat outdoor patio, perfect for summer dining and drinking.

Phoenix Coffee LKWD

Phoenix Coffee has made its longawaited return to Lakewood — the city where it all began. Phoenix opened its first cafe in Lakewood in 1991. That shop lasted nearly 20 years before changing hands. Now, after 13 years, Ohio’s only employeeowned cooperative coffee company is back in Birdtown. The new cafe is located in the former Bi-Rite property, a 100-year-old building that is being redeveloped into “The Nest” by Forest City Shuffleboard owner Jim Miketo.

Campus Pollyeyes

If you or a loved one attended Bowling Green State University, then you already know about this iconic restaurant. Since its inception in 1978, the beloved Italian eatery has been a must-eat for students, locals and alumni, who come for the salads, subs and pizzas but stay for the famous stuffed breadsticks. Only recently did Campus Pollyeyes begin to expand, with locations popping up in Findlay, Toledo and now Little Italy.

Arthur Treacher’s Fish and Chips Garfield Heights

When Ben Vittoria closed his Arthur Treacher’s restaurant in Garfield Heights, it reduced the number of surviving locations of the chain that once had more than 820 of them to one, the Cuyahoga Falls store that he also owns. Fortunately George Simon, who bought the property, decided to revive the brand. Like the location in Cuyahoga Falls, the Garfield Heights store serves the same time-honored recipes and products that we have come to know and love from the iconic brand, which started in Columbus in 1969.

Lake Erie Scoops

Jennifer Taggart worked off and on at Sweet Moses for nearly a decade. When that shop closed in 2021 after 10 years in business, Taggart started planning her own ice cream shop. The final piece of the puzzle fell into place when she took over the former Big Momma’s Burritos space in Gordon Square. In February she opened Lake Erie Scoops, a graband-go sweets shop specializing in premium ice cream, pie and other fun surprises.

Taza Rocky River

Taza, the Lebanese restaurant with locations downtown and at Eton Chagrin Boulevard in Woodmere, has opened a new store in Rocky River. This third location opened in February, replacing, coincidentally enough, another Middle Eastern/ Mediterranean restaurant called Al Pita.

1899 Golf and Social Club

After experiencing high-quality indoor golf facilities in New York, Brian Lindenbaum and JohnMichael Speelman opened 1899 Indoor Golf in Canton. A year later, the pair opened a larger facility in Twinsburg. They followed that with

1899 Golf and Social Club, their most ambitious project to date. Located in the former Vogue Theater space in Shaker, the 17,000-square-foot entertainment complex features nine golf simulator bays, a full-service restaurant, two cocktail bars and a stage for live entertainment.

Wolf Pack Chorus

The former Club Isabella space in Little Italy is now home to Wolf Pack Chorus, which owners Chris and Katie Wolf describe as a “modern brasserie.” The attractive bar and dining room attempts to plug the gap between neighborhood trattoria and upscale special-occasion restaurant. (See our review in this week’s dining section!)

Goldie’s Donuts & Bakery

After six successful years in Lyndhurst, Goldie’s Donuts & Bakery has expanded to Ohio City. Owners Dustin and Paloma Goldberg spared no expense on the design and build out of their new shop, which is trimmed in white marble, brass and glass. You can find it at 41 West, a mixed-use development at the corner of Lorain Avenue and W. 41st St.

Dunlap’s Corner Bar

Nick White and Jason Mattern grabbed the reins of Dunlap’s Country Corner, a neighborhood tavern in Clark-Fulton. The partners made some repairs and improvements, being careful to preserve and respect the classic tavern vibe. They refinished the mahogany bar, added a brass rail, built a new back bar, installed a draft beer system and serviced the pool

Brooklyn. But it didn’t take long for another operator to swoop in and take possession of the space. That was Peter Brown of Six Shooter Coffee, who says that he was eager to take over and made quick work of the turnaround: The shop is now open for business.

La Plaza at Re: bar

Taco lovers no longer need to make the trek to the Cleveland-Lakewood border to hit up La Plaza Taqueria. Adrian Ortega’s downtown taqueria is up and running at Re: bar, which is located a block from Progressive Field. The eatery comes thanks to a partnership between Ortega and Re: bar owner Rachel Ulloa. The bar offers the complete taqueria menu, including tacos, tortas, tamales, quesadillas and the all-important salsa bar.

table. New events and happy hours keep the joint active all week.

Winking Lizard Downtown

Winking Lizard closed its Galleria and Gateway District locations over the past two years, but it opened a new downtown restaurant and bar in February. Fans can find the contemporary tavern in its new home in the AECOM building, which has undergone improvements and added retail options. In the coming months, the restaurant will unveil an expanded patio on St. Clair.

CHA Bar + Kitchen

For this latest incarnation of CHA, Susan Walters has chosen a former VFW in Ohio City. The restored Victorian on Fulton Road shares a beautiful courtyard with the Tinnerman Lofts, one that includes a wood-burning oven, gardens and bocce ball courts.

Pho Sunshine

At the tail end of last year, Cleveland diners lost a gem named Szechuan Café. The large space at Asia Plaza did not sit idle for long. Pho Sunshine Vietnamese Restaurant opened its doors in February. Diners can expect a large menu of familiar and not-so-familiar Vietnamese dishes that range from crispy spring rolls to a Vietnamese beef stew served with French bread.

Six Shooter Coffee Old Brooklyn

After a great five-year run, Coffee Coffee Coffee closed its doors in Old

Heck’s Beachwood

Back in the late-`70s and early-`80s, Hecks operated taverns on both sides of the Cuyahoga River. In addition to the original Ohio City location, which celebrated its 50th birthday last year, the iconic Cleveland brand had a restaurant at Eton mall in Woodmere. Now, after nearly 40 years, Hecks has returned to the east side. Owner Fadi Daoud has been working since this past summer to transform the former Blu (and Moxie) space into a warm and woodsy American restaurant.

Mendel’s Kansas City BBQ

Like his Miami restaurant, Mendel’s Backyard BBQ, Mendel Segal is proving that kosher and barbecue can indeed coexist. Mendel’s Kansas City BBQ opened its doors in Shaker Heights, across Chagrin Boulevard from Van Aken District. The 80-seat restaurant is full-service, but familyfriendly. And with items like brisket, smoked pastrami, giant beef ribs, beef back ribs, smoked veal brisket, lamb ribs, smoked turkey, burnt ends and smoked chicken, few diners will miss the pork.

Boom’s Pizza

Ben Bebenroth and Jonathan Bennett, both of Spice Hospitality Group, have opened Boom’s Pizza in Lakewood. The snazzy corner shop is a pleasant merger between a casual sit-down and pick-up operation, with a comfortable dining room that rewards dine-in customers. Guests order, pay and grab their beverages from self-serve coolers filled with beer, wine by the can, split and bottle

Tutto Carne.

PHOTO BY DOUG TRATTNER

and soft drinks.

The Judith

Jennie Doran and Andrew Worm, owners of Room Service, have opened The Judith, a French-inspired café. The 125-year-old building in Ohio City, formerly home to Guide to Kulchur bookstore, has been transformed into a charming 28-seat European-style café. In the morning, coffee and tea is served alongside breakfast pastries and open-face sandwiches. Lunches usher in fresh salads, shareable small plates, baguette sandwiches and desserts. When the wine, beer and cocktails are added in the coming months, the café will roll through happy hour and into the evening.

Solstice Roasters

It’s been more than two years since Joe Deinhart of Solstice Roasters announced his plans to open a new roastery and café in the former Peterson Nut Co. space in the Gateway District. At long last, that café has opened. The café has seating for about 20 in a setting that offers a view of the roasting process. In addition to sales and sipping, the space will be used for tastings, barista training and homeenthusiast roasting classes.

Gray House Pizza

Gray House Pies owner Joe Schlott has been passionate about Detroitstyle pizza for years. As soon as it became available, he snagged the Lakewood spot formerly home to Chow Chow and Smokin’ Thyme Kitchen. His technique starts with a 2-day cold proof. He uses highfat brick cheese, making sure to pile it into the corners and edges. Naturally, they are baked in square steel pans and sauced after they exit the oven to keep the tomato flavors bright and fresh.

Geraci’s Slice Shop

Last summer, downtown Cleveland lost a 40-year-old legend when Vincenza’s Pizza & Pasta abruptly closed its shop. But soon, another local legend will take up the mantle to provide hot slices for all. Geraci’s Slice Shop, an extension of the 60-year-old brand, launched last summer in Willoughby as part of The Yard on 3rd. The expanded downtown spot will offer more in terms of food, beverage and setting. The fast-casual operation will feature classic Geraci’s pizzas – either by the slice or whole – plus appetizers,

salads, subs and desserts like Italian ice and tiramisu.

Coming Soon Coming Soon Coming Soon

THERE’S EVEN MORE, believe it or not, arriving later this spring and summer. Here are a handful of notable additions we’re looking forward to.

Doinks Burger Bar

Doinks Burger Joint enjoyed a long, fruitful run as a garage-based biz before setting up semi-permanent residency at the Cleveland Brewery, which continued until two weeks ago. The outpouring of community support persuaded partners Bonn Rassavong and Peter Brown to make the jump to a brick-and-mortar venture. Come spring, Doinks Burger Joint and Seltzer Bar will open not far from the garage where it all began. The 1,200-squarefoot space sits a half a block west of Brown’s Six Shooter storefront. The star of the show will be the OG Doinks burger, a double smash burger with American cheese, shredded lettuce, pickles, sauteed onions and special sauce. The partners intend to keep the menu streamlined but will offer a handful of burger specials, a veggie option and few hot and cold sides. The “seltzer bar” component will feature a selection of hard-seltzer cocktails made with muddled fruits and housemade syrups.

formerly of Zhug and Edwins, is planning to open Artis Restaurant, which he describes as a contemporary, shareable steakhouse. Mansour says that Artis will be fine dining, but without the white tablecloths. Inside, the bar and dining room will sport a Miami Art Deco Revival décor, with `80s colors like coral and teal. “We’re going to be a steakhouse but absolutely not what you think about, where you get a big-old slab of meat and everybody ordering their own thing,” he explains. “We’ll be very shareable and approachable – a steakhouse that’s not a steakhouse.”

Tita Flora’s

Charter House

The beloved Bistro 185 closed four and a half years ago. Marc and Ruth Levine, the original owners, operated the Collinwood restaurant for 10 years before selling the business to their chef, Ryan Kaston, in 2016. After sitting fallow for nearly three years, the property finally has a new owner in Chris King. King, a versatile entrepreneur with businesses in the hospitality and transportation fields, will open Charter House. King describes the cuisine as “classic American, with something for everyone.” To go with the food will be a great wine list and creative cocktails.

Heritage Steak and Whiskey

For the past year, Doug Petkovic has been quietly working to transform the former Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse at Eton Collection, which closed in 2019 after 15 years, into Heritage Steak and Whiskey. This is a solo project for Petkovic, who is a partner in Michael Symon Restaurants. As for the bill of fare, Heritage will specialize in grilled steaks and chops. As a secondgeneration restaurant, the property already had everything it needed with respect to infrastructure; the main task was to completely renovate the bar and dining room, which are swaddled in `80s-style mahogany paneling.

Artis Restaurant

Andrew Mansour has taken possession of the former SideQuest property in Lakewood. The chef,

When it comes to cuisines that are sorely lacking in Cleveland, Filipino is at the very top of the list. The melting-pot cuisine of the Philippines continues to climb in popularity around the nation, but locally the options are limited to a couple carry-out-only places such as Mely’s Kainan and Nipa Hut Oriental Market. Soon, thanks to Flora Grk, Greater Cleveland diners will soon be able to enjoy Filipino foods in a full-service, dine-in setting. The 60-seat restaurant in Independence is expected to open in May. The menu is studded with Filipino staples and classics like crispy lumpia, filled with either vegetables or pork; pork or tofu sisig served on a sizzling platter; pancit, made with rice or wheat noodles; and longsilog, the all-day breakfast dish of sausage fried rice topped with a fried egg.

Patron Saint

Soon occupying the former showroom storefront of the Vitrolite Building in Ohio City will be Patron Saint, which owner Marie Artale describes as an “Italian-inspired all-day café and aperitivo bar.” The 1,600-square-foot space features beamed 15-foot ceilings, 100-year-old tile flooring, graceful arches, and walls clad in various shades and designs of Vitrolite glass. Patron Saint will transition from early morning coffee service through early evening aperitivo hour. Although there will be a full bar, Artale has her sights zeroed in on low-alcohol beverages like amaro-based spritzes, which will go well beyond the ubiquitous Aperol and Campari. Additionally, there will be Italian beer and wine on hand.

Booms Pizza.

PHOTO BY AGAPE PHOTOGRAPHY

GET OUT Everything to do in Cleveland for the next two weeks

WED 05/17

Dear Evan Hansen

The Tony Award-winning Broadway musical Dear Evan Hansen makes its way to Cleveland this month amidst lots of hype. The story centers on a high-schooler who wants to fit in at any cost and features a book by Tony Award-winner Steven Levenson, a score by Grammy, Tony and Academy Award winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul ( La La Land, The Greatest Showman) and direction by four-time Tony Award nominee Michael Greif ( Rent, Next to Normal). Tonight’s performance takes place at 7:30 at Connor Palace, where performances continue through Sunday.

1615 Euclid Ave., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org.

THU 05/18

The American Dream, the American Nightmare, and Black American Music Julian Davis Reid, a pianist, producer and composer who’s performed and spoken throughout the country and around the world in various solo and collaborative musical projects, will reflect on his own experience as a Black composer and performer. Music selections include “Come Sunday” by Duke

Ellington, “Dolphin Dance” by Herbie Hancock and “What’s Going On” by Marvin Gaye. The concert begins tonight at 7:30 at Reinberger Chamber Hall.

11001 Euclid Ave., 216-231-1111, clevelandorchestra.com.

FRI 05/19

Tom Papa

The funny stuff continues tonight with Tom Papa, the fun-loving guy who used to host the NBC comedy show Marriage Ref. Papa routinely likes to joke about how he misses the day when he didn’t have kids or the responsibility that accompanies them. He likes to reminisce about his young life, and notes how being a dad has him drinking more now.

“Daddy is a lot more fun when he gets his magic juice inside of him,” he likes to say, as he ponders the fact that all his daughter’s drawings of him are with a martini glass. But the guy will also switch gears and talk about antidepressants and societal pressures. His talent lies in the fact that he comes off as an Average Joe. He performs tonight at 8 at the Ohio Theatre.

1511 Euclid Ave., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org.

Words and Wine: A Fundraiser for Writers in Residence

Writers in Residence, a group that teaches creative writing to youth who are incarcerated to “empower their voices and assist in their re-entry into society,” hosts this fundraiser that takes place tonight at 6 at Visible Voice Books. Alums and local artists will read from the newest chapbooks; each ticket to the event comes with a copy of the new chapbook.

2258 Professor Ave., 216-961-0084, visiblevoicebooks.com.

SAT 05/20

Bill Maher

As the host of two political talk shows, the author of five best-selling books and the documentarian behind 2008’s Religulous, Bill Maher has been making his rounds for more than 30 years. In that time, he’s been nominated for numerous Emmys for his live standup specials and talk shows, though the controversial comedian hasn’t been popular with everyone. Maher’s first foray into late-night television, Politically Incorrect, ran from 1993 until 2002, when it was canceled after the quick-witted and strongwilled comic referred to George W. Bush as “cowardly.” Whoops. Maher, who would land on his feet after that and launch another talk show, performs tonight at 8:30 at MGM

Northfield Park —Center Stage. 10705 Northfield Rd., Northfield, 330-908-7793, mgmnorthfieldpark. mgmresorts.com/en.html.

MON 05/22

Guardians vs. Chicago White Sox

After missing the playoffs last year, the Chicago White Sox regrouped during the off-season and after a shaky start to the 2023 season, threaten to give the Guards a good run this year for the AL Central title. They come to Progressive Field this week for a three-game series that begins tonight. First pitch is at 6:10.

2401 Ontario St., 216-420-4487, mlb. com/guardians.

TUE 05/23

Lyrical Rhythms Open Mic and Chill

This long-running open mic night at the B Side allows some of the city’s best rappers and poets to strut their stuff. The event begins at 8 with a comedy session dubbed 2 Drinks & a Joke with host Ant Morrow. The open mic performances begin at 10 p.m. Tickets cost $5 in advance, $10 at the door., $5. 2785 Euclid Heights Blvd., Cleveland Heights, 216-932-1966, bsideliquorlounge.com.

Berea’s National Rib Cook-Off & Beer Fest returns to Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds. See: Friday, May 26. | Courtesy of All Media Design Group

WED 05/24

Spinosaurus: Lost Giant of the Cretaceous

The Spinosaurus was nearly lost to science before Nizar Ibrahim, a paleontologist, discovered this prehistoric giant. He’ll show video tonight at the Ohio Theatre as he tells the story of Spinosaurus’ discovery, loss, and rediscovery, and explain what—other than its size— makes this ancient monster unique. Sponsored by National Geographic, the event begins at 7.

1511 Euclid Ave., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org.

THU 05/25

Cleveland Stories Dinner Party

Cleveland Stories Dinner Party is a weekly series that pairs fine food with storytelling. Through it, the folks at Music Box Supper Club hope to raise awareness of the mission of the Western Reserve Historical Society’s Cleveland History Center. The goal of the Cleveland Stories Dinner Party is to “bring to life some of the fun, interesting stories about Cleveland’s past — from sports, to rock ‘n’ roll, to Millionaires’ Row,” as it’s put in a press release. Admission is free, with no cover charge, although a prix fixe dinner, designed to complement the night’s theme, is $20. Doors open at 5 p.m., dinner is served at 6, and the storytelling starts at 7 when local mystery writer Les Roberts will discuss his latest book.

1148 Main Ave., 216-242-1250, musicboxcle.com.

FRI 05/26

Berea’s National Rib Cook-Off & Beer Fest

At this annual four-day event at the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds, 12 rib teams will compete from all over the United States in hopes of garnering one of the three major awards: Best Ribs, Best Sauce and People’s Choice. There will also be a kids’ activity wall with a rock climbing all, a super slide and swings. Admission is free from noon till 5 p.m. on Friday and then just $10 all weekend long (Friday after 5 p.m., Saturday, Sunday and Monday) and kids under 12 are admitted for free. On Monday (Memorial Day), all retired and active military personnel showing military ID will be admitted for free to the event. Berea’s National Rib Cook-

Off & Beer Fest is a, rain or shine event. As always, parking is free all weekend long.

19201 East Bagley Rd., Middleburg Heights, 440- 243-0090.

SAT 05/27

Cleveland Celtic Ensemble

This group blends Scottish and Irish bagpipes, so you can expect to hear whistle, flute, fiddle and harp during bagpipe duets, harp airs and fiddle tunes in a chamber music ensemble setting. The concert begins at 7:30 at the Hanna Theatre.

2067 East 14th St., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org.

Reggae Fest Cleveland

Food trucks such as Wild Spork, SWAT BBBQ, Jamaican Kitchen and Original Steaks and Hoogies will feature special menus that have a Caribbean/Jamaican theme for this annual local reggae showcase that takes place today and tomorrow at Voinovich Park. This year will also feature a new tequila sampling tent. There will be 10 different tequilas that you’ll be able to sample while learning more about the drink.

End of E. 9th St., reggaefestcleveland.com.

SUN 05/28

Jokes on You

Inspired by crowd work clinicians like Dave Attell, Ian Bagg and Big Jay Oakerson, Jokes on You makes the audience the center of the show by “pushing comics to avoid prepared material or written jokes and instead focus on organic interaction with the audience,” as it’s put in a press release about this event, which takes place tonight at 7 at Hilarities. John Bruton and Jimmie Graham host the event. 2035 East Fourth St., 216-241-7425, pickwickandfrolic.com.

MON 05/29

Memorial Monday

Every Monday through Sept. 25, Fort Huntington Park, hosts food tracks and live music between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. for this special event. Admission is free, but the food will cost you.

West 3rd St. and West Lakeside Ave., downtowncleveland.com.

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MOVIES

THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL

Paul Schrader brings cinema another agonized hero in Master Gardener — and shows he’s still in command

By Cliff Froehlich

ALTHOUGH ONE OF THE

world’s most accomplished filmmakers, with a remarkably deep and surprisingly diverse body of work stretching back 50 years, Paul Schrader has seldom received the adulation lavished on such contemporaries (and past collaborators) as Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, or even the more critically divisive Brian De Palma. Certainly, he’s respected — especially for his screenwriting on such now-canonical films as Scorsese’s Taxi Driver and Raging Bull — but Schrader never quite managed a major commercial breakthrough, with American Gigolo (1980) the long-ago exception, and for most of the past two decades, he’s struggled mightily to find viewers, toiling on an uneven mix of under-seen work-for-hire films and more personal projects that were either mishandled by distributors or mangled by producers.

Schrader’s admirably uncompromising artistic vision no doubt accounts for much of his difficulty winning a mass audience. Although occasionally enlivened by an ironic black humor, his works feature a self-conscious seriousness and a grim, relentlessly bleak worldview. As I wrote nearly 30 years ago about Witch Hunt — one of his undeniable misfires — “even when working within popular genres, Schrader brings an arthouse sensibility to bear and always remains at a critical remove. Chilly and abstract, his movies — especially those he both writes and directs — are weirdly calm intellectual meditations on agitated emotional states: Schrader wants to cut loose — he’s drawn to violence, fascinated by dark forces and underground men — but he’s too smart, too cautious, too restrained to forfeit control.”

That description of Schrader’s films remains entirely accurate today, and his new Master Gardener features another of his exquisitely agonized heroes. Like Taxi Driver’s Travis Bickle — and the thematic variations found in American Gigolo, Light Sleeper, First Reformed and Card Counter — Narvel Roth (Joel

MASTER GARDENER

Edgerton) qualifies as one of “God’s lonely men,” largely isolated from “normal” society and desperately questing after purpose and redemption.

The chief horticulturist at Gracewood Gardens, a sprawling estate presided over by the imperious Norma Haverhill (a superb Sigourney Weaver), Narvel presents a placid surface — he’s unfailingly calm, measured, precise — but he’s roiling underneath. A former enforcer for a cadre of neoNazis — his torso still bristling with tattoos of swastikas and white-power sigils — Narvel turned state’s evidence and found refuge at Gracewood as part of the federal Witness Protection Program. The careful order of the garden he now tends contrasts starkly with the chaos of his previous life, which is purposely communicated with telegraphic brevity: memories that erupt in periodic flashes that never fully illuminate Narvel’s backstory. Despite voice-overs that share excerpts from his journal — a device nicked from French filmmaker Robert Bresson’s Diary of a Country Priest but now

Schrader’s unmistakable signature — Narvel keeps his true feelings hidden, and we’re never quite confident that he’s expunged his racism. Given the film’s Southern setting, William Faulkner’s famed quote seems particularly apt: “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.”

Having progressed from untutored apprentice to master gardener, Narvel appears to have found a measure of contentment in his circumscribed existence, but the arrival of Maya (Quintessa Swindell), Mrs. Haverhill’s greatniece, upsets the delicate balance at Gracewood. Norma describes the biracial Maya as adrift and troubled (“lifestyle choices, I believe they call them”). Because the young woman’s mother has died — from “tit cancer,” in Norma’s oddly blunt, unsettling words — Norma has decided to offer some impersonal noblesse oblige: She will pay Maya minimum wage while Narvel shepherds the wayward lamb by teaching her the gardening profession.

What Norma fails to anticipate, however, is a slowly blossoming attraction between Maya and

Narvel, who serves not only as his employer’s gardener but also her on-demand lover. When Narvel tenderly comforts Maya after she’s beaten by her mother’s drugdealing boyfriend, a jealous Norma impulsively expels the odd couple from Eden.

At this point, the simmering tensions present from the film’s start rise slowly to a boil, and Master Gardener begins to deliberately echo elements of Taxi Driver: Just as Travis eventually “rescues” Iris from her pimp in an apocalyptic gun battle, Narvel seems inevitably headed to a similar conflagration as he attempts to free Maya from the depredations of the dealer R.G. (Jared Bankens). But Schrader for once opts for hope over despair, blessedly pulling back from the abyss and allowing Narvel to find redemption through mutual love rather than expiation through blood sacrifice.

Concluding an unofficial trilogy with the well-received First Reformed and Card Counter, Master Gardener on many levels seems a grand summation, a capstone to an enviable career. But the 76-yearold Schrader already has multiple scripts at the ready and firm plans to shoot an adaptation of Russell Banks’ novel Foregone with his American Gigolo star Richard Gere. Age hasn’t diminished Schrader’s skills, and there are sequences in Master Gardener that rival those in his masterpiece, Mishima. In particular, I was transported by an eruption of Lynchian surreality after Narvel and Maya finally make love: Driving headlong down a darkened highway, the couple finds flowers efflorescing in absurd, delirious abundance on either side, and they lean out their windows and howl with ecstatic delight.

Master Gardener caps an exhilarating run of recent triumphs, and if Schrader wants to climb back behind the wheel for another film, I’ll happily take that ride again.

WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY PAUL SCHRADER. OPENS MAY 19.

Mutual attraction proves a major complication for Maya (Quintessa Swindell) and Narvel (Joel Edgerton). | © 2022 MASTER GARDENER US LLC. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.

HOWLING GOOD TIMES

Wolf Pack Chorus delivers unpretentious fine dining in Little Italy

By Douglas Trattner

AFTER CROSSING THE threshold of Wolf Pack Chorus, diners march right past the live entertainment, which has the rapt attention of guests seated in the dining room. It’s a bit like being pushed onto a stage from the wings of a theater during a packed performance. Depending on one’s mood, the feeling can range from exhilarating to distressing.

From the name to the space to the food and the people who prepare it, everything about Wolf Pack Chorus is over the top. Here, the personalities are big enough to fill the cavernous carriage house-turned restaurant, which enjoys soaring cathedral ceilings, a mile-long bar and wall of windows overlooking University Circle.

Wolf Pack Chorus is the rare white-tablecloth restaurant that doesn’t take itself too seriously. When was the last time you sat down at a French-inspired bistro and kicked off your meal with a round of chambongs, those bent-glass devices used to shoot sparkling wine. Dinners here are punctuated by frequent rounds of applause, a detail that may or may not grow tedious as the night rolls on. That occasionally boisterous supper-club spirit also spells trouble for couples in search of a quiet date night spot, where a premium is placed on conversation.

Restaurants in this part of Little Italy have always seemed to enjoy a sense of freedom and autonomy that their comrades on Mayfield have not. Places like Baricelli Inn, Washington Place Bistro and Club

Isabella were never condemned for eschewing spaghetti and meatballs, veal piccata and chicken parm in favor of more continental offerings. So if chef-owner Chris Wolf wants to serve Nashville-style duck confit, he can damn well do as he pleases.

Of course, just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should. There are times – rare as they might be – when Chef pushes things a bit too far, adding one too many ingredients in an otherwise wonderful dish. But overall, the food at Wolf Pack Chorus sings with the enthusiasm of its theatrical pack leaders.

Our meal had a vexing launch, when only three of the four beverages in the first round landed on the table. The 10-minute delay made for an awkward span when the rest of the party, standing on ceremony, waited to sip. The blandly named “Tequila Drink” ($15) was anything but bland thanks to a smooth blending of aged spirits, fruit and herbs. The Howling Wolf ($16), another tequila-based cocktail with the bite of jalapeño, was tamed by juicy fruit and citrus. Martinis ($20) all come with a sidecar, a test tube-filled backup of booze tucked into ice. Given that the glass arrives three-quarters full, the reinforcement is less of a bonus pour than it is refresher.

There is no shortage of compelling appetizers on the roster, which owe allegiance to no single country or cuisine. The za’atarspiced asparagus ($14) was cooked

to a perfect texture, showered with crunchy crumbs and capped by a poached egg, which oozed into a silky sauce when sliced. Like most portions here, the grilled octopus ($22) was robust, with thumbsize tentacles doused in bacon vinaigrette, citrus supremes and fresh herbs. But the table favorite turned out to be the croquettes ($18), a quartet of deep-fried orbs containing a savory mix of beef, potato and cheese.

On paper, the Nashville-style duck confit ($35) sounded thrilling, but the execution left a little to be desired. The aggressively spiced poultry was on the dry side, an issue alleviated by a pool of smooth celery root puree. But the addition of pesto, pistachio, raisin and cilantro was a bridge too far. Chef Wolf’s chicken Francaise ($26) would be right at home on the Hill. A stack of pounded, breaded and fried thighs

arrived fork-tender and bathed in a buttery but bright white wine sauce. We definitely got our money’s worth of sweet lobster in the pappardelle ($38), which is studded with seasonal veggies and tossed in a light cream sauce.

Kudos to the Wolfs for hanging out a shingle during lunch, a service often requested in University Circle but not always supported. The lightened-up but still “cheffy” menu features a creative mix of salads, sandwiches, burgers and naan wraps. The mood is equally festive during brunch, when groups lean into buckets filled with buttermilk fried chicken, biscuits and fries, all washed down with an included bottle of sparkling wine.

Long before the doors opened, Wolf said his goal was to create a space that blended the communal spirit of a breezy brasserie with the pomp of a special-occasion restaurant. Against all odds, he might have done just that.

Photos by Doug Trattner

BITES

First Look: Tutto Carne, now open in Little Italy

By Douglas Trattner

“I’M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT this,” says Zachary Ladner. “It’s going to be a lot of fun.”

We’re standing in the red-brick corner property in Little Italy that has been home to a handful of restaurants over the years including Salvatore’s, Tutto Giorno, Il Bacio and Nora. And which as of Monday, May 15, is now Tutto Carne. The Italian-themed steakhouse is operated by Ladner and Carl Quagliata, the chef-owners behind Giovanni’s, Smokin’ Q’s BBQ, Paloma and The Village Butcher.

After changing hands last year, the property at the corner of Murray Hill and Edgehill has been completely transformed into a stylish and sophisticated 45-seat bistro. Everything but the four walls has been touched, including the bar, which has been rebuilt as an elegant seven-seat quartz-topped beauty.

Guests will be encouraged to linger thanks to posh and plush velvet-wrapped chairs. New tables, banquettes, light fixtures, artwork and wall colors combine to give this space its best look ever.

“I had a lot to do with the design and implementation of the place and I love reusing things,” Ladner explains. “We’re going for a mix of old and new. The vast majority of our flatware and silverware is all reclaimed and vintage. The intentionality, I think, is what makes it interesting.”

Chef de cuisine Ryan O’Driscoll oversees a steakhouse-style menu that benefits greatly from the owners’ sister establishment, The Village Butcher.

“All of the meats are coming from the butcher shop,” Ladner says. “It gives us a lot more control over the product.”

For example, tables can opt for shareable large-format steaks like a 100-day dry-aged tomahawk ribeye, a 60-day dry-aged “3-fingerthick” bistecca alla Fiorentina and a Chateubriand. Those dishes arrive on real silver platters.

“We want to have this old-school feel,” says the owner.

A selection of other steaks and chops is joined by items like seared halibut with littleneck clams in horseradish broth, pan-seared scallops with bacon, potato and spring pea pesto, and a dry-aged beef burger topped with taleggio, short rib onions, bacon and special sauce.

For pasta fans, Ladner and his team have assembled a roster of classic dishes.

“These are traditional pastas, but they are all executed really well,” he says.

Housemade ravioli is stuffed with ricotta and spring peas, spaghetti carbonara stars guanciale cured at the butcher shop, lobster fra diavolo stars, well, lobster, along with tomatoes, garlic and chilies.

Sides, designed to be shared, include staples like pommes puree, French beans, creamed spinach, roasted mushrooms and a baked potato, but don’t expect the same-old preparation, promises Ladner.

“While they are not complicated, per se, a significant amount of thought has been put into them to make them the best representation of what that item is,” he says.

To begin, there are classic chophouse starters like steak tartare, oysters on the half shell, shrimp cocktail and roasted bone marrow, but also Coquilles St. Jacques and veal sweetbreads. The kitchen is skirting convention with its seafood tower by going with a hot presentation.

In addition to a robust list of wines by the glass and bottle, Tutto Carne will offer a first-class cocktail program.

“What we’re really trying to focus on here is cocktails,” Ladner adds. “We want to have the steakhouse, but we also want to have this very high-end cocktail feel.”

Tutto Carne will be open for dinner Monday through Saturday.

Not only will Tutto Carne be the only steakhouse in Little Italy, it will be the only steakhouse between downtown and the eastern suburbs, the chef points out.

“This is a great neighborhood that has proximity to University Circle, which is my absolute favorite part of the entire Greater Cleveland area,” Ladner says. “And right at the top of the hill is Cleveland Heights, where I live.”

Crumb & Spigot to Open Second Location in Lakewood This Summer

It’s been about six months since Jamy Bolling purchased Crumb & Spigot (16783 Chillicothe Rd., 440-384-3035) from founders Karen Gorman and Ryan King. At the time Bolling, an industry veteran with decades of experience working for restaurant groups such as Bravo Brio, Piada and Chef Art Pour, already had his eye on expanding the nine-year-old brand. Today, he shared his plans for store number two.

Bolling has taken over the former Verizon space in Lakewood at 15322 Detroit Ave., which is located by Voodoo Tuna and Humble Wine Bar. At 2,800 square feet, the restaurant will be “a touch larger, not by much” than Bainbridge, says Bolling.

“It’s a shotgun space, so I think it will feel the same,” he adds. “Obviously, we’re keeping all of the same characteristics that we have in Bainbridge.”

Bolling describes the interior as “an updated Crumb and Spigot.” There will be a 20-seat bar, seating for another 30 in the dining room, and a few more on the front patio. Diners can look forward to the same menu of wood-burning pizzas and approachable tavern fare.

Bolling is shooting for a late-

summer opening.

“I like the idea of being north, south, east and west – if we had that many restaurants,” Bolling says. “People in Lakewood like to eat out a lot — clearly there are a lot of restaurants — so I felt we’d be a nice niche in there and I think we’ll fit in nicely there.”

Verbena, A Non-Alcoholic Bar, to Open This Summer in Hingetown

Slated to open this summer in the former Cleveland Tea Revival space in Hingetown (1434 W. 29th St.), Verbena Shoppe, Cafe & Dry Bar aims to take advantage of the rising demand for non-alcoholic beverages.

“People are craving alternatives to alcohol, whether they want to drink less, less often, or not at all,” explains owner Molly Cheraso. “Verbena invites everyone to the celebration, creating an environment and menu that is just as thoughtfully constructed as any craft cocktail. We couldn’t be more thrilled to find our first permanent home and join this continued renaissance of the greater Ohio City neighborhood.”

What began as an itinerant popup offering non-alcoholic spirits, wine and beer will transition to a brick-and-mortar establishment in Ohio City. The 350-square-foot space is being described as “a shared workspace cafe meets neighborhood bar and bottle shop.”

Verbena will offer a selection of mocktails featuring popular brands like Prima Pave, Athletic Brewing Co., Ritual, Monday and Lyres, which stand in for beer, wine and traditional spirits like gin, rum and whiskey. Verbena will also offer a line of functional beverages that promise benefits such as relieving stress and boosting energy. Verbena will also offer an assortment of Cleveland Tea Revival’s house blends, organic herbs and direct source teas.

Many of Cleveland Tea Revival’s most popular menu items will remain. Dishes like soups, salads, pastries, rice bowls and avocado toast will be available during the day. In the evening, the menu will transition to cheese boards, tinned fish plates and desserts.

In terms of entertainment, Verbena plans to host events like tarot card and poetry readings, comedy shows, book nights and other gatherings.

dtrattner@clevescene.com

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Tutto Carne owner Zachary Ladner. | Photo by Doug Trattner

BEHIND THE MUSIC

Citizen Cope says solo acoustic show will offer ‘intimate vibe’

By Jeff Niesel

CLARENCE GREENWOOD, the singer-songwriter who performs and records as Citizen Cope, says he didn’t initially think he’d be a singer.

“I just wanted to produce and write records,” Citizen Cope says via phone from Nashville, where he was prepping for the solo acoustic tour that brings him to Music Box Supper Club on Wednesday, May 24. “I didn’t sing at the beginning. I was more doing spoken word stuff. I started adding rhythmic things and more rap kind of stuff.”

His self-titled debut might not feature his strongest vocal performance, but it shows off his poetic lyrics and connects the musical dots between him and songwriting masters such as Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan.

“Even just recording and trying to find where my frequencies were for the first time was difficult with

my lack of confidence as a vocalist,” Cope says of recording his debut. “I shied away [from vocals] on my first record. I think on ‘If There’s Love,’ I got a great vocal performance. The guy who engineered that session helped me. I think learning the dynamic of a microphone and how to sing is being able to sing into a mic is part of that. That development took a while.”

Cope has recently spent some time thinking about those early days. For 2021’s The Pull of Niagara Falls, Cope revisited several tunes he originally wrote prior to releasing that self-titled debut in 1992. He re-recorded acoustic versions of the tunes, sometimes playing acoustic guitar and sometimes playing piano. They center on the themes of family, betrayal and gun violence, heavy topics made heavier by Cope’s distinctively raspy voice.

The current tour, however,

serves to promote the forthcoming Victory March, another terrific distillation of Cope’s storytelling tendencies. Album highlights include “Close to You,” a song that builds slowly with its woozy horns, strings and somber vocals. The title track also benefits from strings and piano and nicely puts Cope’s vocals up front in the mix for the tune’s defiant refrain.

Looking back on his upbringing, Cope says spending time in both metropolitan and rural parts of the country has contributed to his approach to songwriting.

“I primarily grew up in Washington D.C., but I had family in Texas, and I spent every summer in Texas,” Cope says. “I was born in Memphis, but I never spent much time there except that my grandmother lived there, and I would go see her. I don’t have too much affiliation with it because I

left when I was really young. My main two places were Washington D.C. and a small town in Texas. I got a small-town perspective and both sides of Washington DC., and I went to school with people who were the children of people working for the State Department as well as kids who were from more troubled circumstances.”

Touring and recording with the D.C.-based alt-rock outfit Basehead was an informative experience too.

“I didn’t have much creative input into Basehead, but [singer-multiinstrumentalist] Michael [Ivey] brought me on the road and showed me the thing and let me sit in on sessions,” says Cope. “Basehead was really Michael. Everything was him. He just taught me so much about everything and gave me a lot of confidence. It wasn’t hard because he taught me a lot in that way. I got to tour with him without it having to be my thing. I got to be in the studio with him and hang with him personally. I got to see him do interviews. I could see the good things and the things that might have held him back. Ninety-nine percent of the things were amazing. I owe a lot to Michael.”

With regard to the upcoming unplugged show that takes place at the Music Box, Cope says he simply plays to “the feel of the room.” He’ll sometimes throw in covers of Bob Dylan’s “I Shall Be Released” and Randy Newman’s “A Wedding in Cherokee County,” and he likes to touch on tunes from throughout his career.

“There’s somewhat of a table of contents that I follow, but I don’t normally write a setlist for an acoustic show,” he says. “I play the songs that I know people want to hear. I know they want to hear ‘Sideways’ and that kind of stuff. It’s been like 20 years of writing songs, so I want to put everything together and do a good show. It’s just a different and more intimate vibe and kind of cool experience. The listener gets to see where the songs come from.”

Citizen Cope | Courtesy of Girlie Action PR

LIVEWIRE Real music in the real world

THU 05/18

The Aquadolls

In advance of the release of their new album that’s due out June 2, the Aquadolls swing into town tonight to play House of Blues Cambridge Room. So far, the group has released the singles “Beachy,” “Sneaky” and “Burn Baby Burn.” The infectious tracks bring together melodic ’60s harmonies and ’90s-driven rock in a really accessible way.

308 Euclid Ave., 216-523-2583, houseofblues.com.

FRI 05/19

Brit Floyd

Formed in 2011, Brit Floyd goes all out in paying tribute to the British psychedelic rock group. It offers “immense, immaculately curated state-of-the-art production,” as it’s put in a press release. Dubbed 50 Years of Dark Side, the current tour celebrates the 50th Anniversary of Floyd’s masterpiece, The Dark Side of the Moon, and the shows feature

more than two and a half hours of Pink Floyd music. The concert begins tonight at 7 at Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica.

2014 Sycamore St., 216-861-4080, jacobspavilion.com.

SAT 05/20

Judy Collins Presents Wildflowers

The Cain Park Chamber Orchestra backs singer-songwriter Judy Collins as she revisits songs from her 1967 album, Wildflowers, for tonight’s show at Cain Park. The album yielded Collins’s first Top 10 hit and her first Grammy too. She’ll perform the LP in its entirety. The concert begins at 8. 14591 Superior Rd., Cleveland Heights, 216-371-3000, cainpark. com.

Lynyrd Skynyrd

This Southern rock act’s lineup has changed drastically since it formed in Jacksonville in 1973. According to press materials, its legacy includes a catalog of more than 60 albums, billions of streams and tens of millions of records sold, giving it

a loyal fanbase despite the absence of original members. Songs such as “Free Bird” and “Sweet Home Alabama” helped bring Southern rock into the mainstream. The group comes to Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica tonight at 7. 2014 Sycamore St., 216-861-4080, jacobspavilion.com.

SUN 05/21

Pedro the Lion

For the current tour that brings Pedro the Lion, the indie rock act that David Bazan has helmed for nearly 30 years, to the Grog Shop in Cleveland Heights tonight, the group will revisit early albums It’s Hard to Find a Friend and Control. A consummate songwriter with literary sensibilities, Bazan has said that he intends to emphasize the rough-around-the-edges quality to the songs and that the live show will really rock. The music starts at 8:30.

2785 Euclid Heights Blvd., Cleveland Heights, 216-321-5588, grogshop.gs.

WED 05/24

Future Islands

Hipster media outlets such as Pitchfork and NME gave this indie rock band a boost when they praised its 2014 album, Singles. With their shimmering synths and earnest vocals, songs such as “Seasons (Waiting on You)” have a ’70s singersongwriter vibe to them without sacrificing any indie cred. The current tour that brings the band to the Agora supports the 2020 album As Long as You Are. Doors open tonight at 7. Deeper opens the show. 5000 Euclid Ave., 216-881-2221, agoracleveland.com.

THU 05/25

John Mellencamp

The veteran rocker comes to Connor Palace tonight at 8 for the first of two shows (Mellencamp also performs at the venue at 8 tomorrow night). Expect to hear songs such as “Paper in Fire,” “Small Town,” “Pink Houses” and “Jack & Diane” in what

The art-rock group Puscifer plays MGM Northfield Park — Center Stage. See: Sunday, May 28. | Travis Shinn

will essentially be a greatest-hits set. If you’re thinking of attending both shows, you might want to look at setlists from previous shows. It appears Mellencamp simply plays the same set each night.

1615 Euclid Ave., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org.

Ugly Kid Joe

This hard rock band formed in 1987 and experienced a degree of commercial success as the group benefited from an early ‘90s tour with Ozzy Osbourne. Like many heavy metal bands of the era, the group would break up in 1997 when album sales saw diminishing returns. It subsequently reunited in 2010 and just released Rad Wings of Destiny last year. The retro-sounding album draws from the hard rock of the ’80s (think Judas Priest or Motley Crue) and includes a rousing cover of the Kinks’ classic “Lola.” Doors open at 7 tonight for the band’s concert at the Agora.

5000 Euclid Ave., 216-881-2221, agoracleveland.com.

FRI 05/26

Welcome Home 017 Featuring Jimpster & Smooth Talk

Jimpster alias has become one the most revered deep house artists operating on the scene today. His labels Freerange and Delusions of Grandeur continue to help break new music and impressive acts such as Detroit Swindle, Tornado Wallace and Session Victim. From his UK base, Jimpster has become a standard-bearer and custodian of the authentic house sound. He performs tonight at 9 at Crobar. Cleveland’s Smooth Talk opens the show.

SUN 05/28

Steve Morse Band

Reunited and performing together for the first time in more than 10 years, the Steve Morse Band is led by its namesake, guitar hero Morse (the Dixie Dregs, Deep Purple). As far as guitar heroes go, Morse probably hasn’t entirely gotten his due, but his technical style of playing certainly puts him near the top of the heap. Expect to hear tracks from throughout the hard rock group’s 30year history at tonight’s show, begins at 7:30 at Music Box Supper Club. 1148 Main Ave., 216-242-1250, musicboxcle.com.

Puscifer

Led by Ravenna native Maynard James Keenan and British singer Carina Round, this art-rock group comes to MGM Northfield Park — Center Stage tonight at 8. The group takes a theatrical approach to its live shows and you can expect to see anything from dancing aliens to artsy video treatments. This tour supports the recently released Existential Reckoning (Re-Wired), a collection of remixes that finds acts such as Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross and Phantogram reimaging tunes from 2020’s Existential Reckoning and adding sonic density to tunes that were already sonically dense. 10705 Northfield Rd., Northfield, 330-908-7793, mgmnorthfieldpark. mgmresorts.com/en.html.

scene@clevescene.com

t@clevelandscene

3244 St. Clair, 216-771-4727, crobar1921.com.

David Bazan of Pedro the Lion. | Courtesy of Riot Act Media

SAVAGE LOVE

WASH IT AWAY

By Dan Savage

Dear Readers: We’re rerunning some very early columns while I recover from shoulder surgery. This column is from February 1999 — the “Hey, Faggot” days and doesn’t appear in the online archives.

Hey Faggot: I feel dirty. Not dirt that can be wiped away with a Wet Nap, but two-cans-of-Ajax kind of dirty. Alas, no matter how hard I scrub, I can’t get the memory of this man off of me. The urge to grab an SOS pad and scrub my nether regions is almost irresistible. Long story short: I spent the last year ass-over-teakettle for an older man who never made me feel very good about myself. At the time I thought I loved him, but now the mention of his name makes me wish I were one of those aliens on “V” who can shimmy out of their fake human skin.

This is a man who refers to a certain male movie star, whom he met 20 years ago in an acting class, as “Robin.” This is a man who — IN ALL SERIOUSNESS — gives that speech about how he’s a loner, so please don’t fall in love with him. This man questioned every positive step I made in my life, in an attempt to keep me in obsessive crazy love with his rickety frame. I’m furious with myself for letting it go on as long as it did, and for ignoring the broken hip, butterscotch pudding, and adult diaper jokes my friends threw at me in an attempt to bring me to my senses.

Do not label me “bitter”— that’s too easy. What I need from you is an answer to a simple question. I know that not even Dan Savage can turn back time. I mean, if Cher can’t, you can’t… but I ask you, Dan, is there any way you can un-sleep with someone?

Filthy in New York

Hey, FINY: On our own, neither Cher nor I have the power to turn back time. And are you even sure you would want us to — and I’m not making any promises here — if together Cher and I could turn back time? Be careful what you wish for, FINY: because if together we could turn back time, you might

be doomed to relive the whole nightmarish experience. “Robin,” adult diaper jokes, questions about every positive step you make — all of it.

But if un-sleeping with this man is your goal, you don’t want time turned back. You want time to pass, and pass quickly. Because it only takes three to four weeks for your skin, your epidermis, to replace itself completely. Like those aliens in “V,” you’re constantly wiggling out of your human skin — only the process is a bit more subtle and hard to see. But for all intents and purposes, a month after this sorry affair ended, the skin covering your body never touched the skin covering his. You never even shook hands.

As for the rest of your body — vaginal canal, esophagus, stomach lining, rectum, and any other organs and orifices that came in contact with his organs or ejaculate — it’ll take more time for the cells comprising those tissues and organs to regenerate and replace themselves. But rest assured: you will, in time, have brand new everythings. The life cycles of various cells range from months to years, but soon enough you’re going to be a whole new woman, FINY, a woman who never touched that creep. So, there’s no need to take an SOS pad to your nether regions, as soon they won’t be the nether regions he touched. They’ll be new and improved nethers.

Brain cells, unfortunately, are not regenerated, so you’ll be stuck with the memories forever. You could regard them as having been falsely implanted by an unethical therapist, or, if that’s too passive, you could drink them away. Alcohol kills brain cells, and with a lot of cosmos and a little luck, you may kill the very cells that store the memories of this sorry affair. Be careful, however, that in your efforts to drink away your bad memories you don’t create new, equally regrettable ones.

Hey Faggot: No one should take advice from a homosexual.

I have a gay uncle who always said I was his favorite relative, which was

understandable since I loved him while others in our family wanted him to go away. My fiancé and I met him one morning for coffee. When my fiancé left, my uncle advised me not to marry him: because in my uncle’s opinion, my fiancé — with whom he’d had one cup of coffee! — was a homosexual, and our marriage would surely fail. I never intend to speak to my uncle again. But I know he will see this because he reads your column. I want him to know that my fiancé told me that he experimented with homosexuality in college, plus a few flings afterward, but he stopped a year before we met. Even more important, while he and I are celibate, and will be until we are married in April, we have spent a night together. I’m probably less sexually experienced than most 23-year-olds, but I do know what a man is supposed to do, and he did it all. Once we’re married, we intend to start a real family. When my fiancé heard what my uncle said, he said that one of the main reasons he abandoned what he calls “the brown lifestyle” were all the envious old queens bitter at being denied the fulfillment only normal people can have. I used to believe in live and let live, but now I understand that straights have to defend decency against the homosexual forces that would sabotage it. And we should never

take advice from people like you and my uncle, who are on the wrong side in this war.

About to be Traditionally Wed

Hey, ATW: Here’s your letter, and while I won’t presume to offer advice to you, an engaged breeder, I have some for your uncle, one homosexual to another.

When your niece divorces the sorry-ass fag she’s about to marry — which is inevitable — don’t let her back in your life. She may have been nicer to you than other family members, but apparently, she held you in just as much contempt.

So, like most gay men, you can spot ‘em, and when you sat down for coffee with your niece’s fiancé, you spotted one. You could have kept your mouth shut and played it safe, letting her marry the big homo. But you didn’t want to see your niece hurt, so you felt compelled to warn her. Telling someone an unpleasant truth takes guts, and I admire you. You did the right thing. Your niece, naïve and inexperienced, apparently thinks a man who’s capable of doing everything a man is “supposed to do” to a woman must be straight. Ha. She doesn’t know most gay men “successfully” have sex with women before coming out, and that it isn’t a difficult a thing to do, especially if one fantasizes about “the brown lifestyle” as one plows away. Additionally, it probably hasn’t occurred to her that the reason celibacy comes so easily to her fiancé is that he doesn’t desire her. If he were a straight guy, he wouldn’t want to wait ten minutes to get at her pussy, much less until April. Again, you were right to point these things out to her.

When your niece dumps this cocksucker or gets dumped by him which will hopefully happen before they start a “real” family — she’s going to come crawling back to you for sympathy and advice. And when she does, promise me you’ll tell her to suck your dick.

As for the rest of your body — vaginal canal, esophagus, stomach lining, rectum, and any other organs and orifices that came in contact with his organs or ejaculate — it’ll take more time for the cells comprising those tissues and organs to regenerate and replace themselves. But rest assured: you will, in time, have brand new everythings.

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