MARC BONA-Features writer, cleveland.com spoke to Bill about Fiamma going into former Mabel’s BBQ space in Woodmere - Here’s a sneak peek at The Astro Restaurant in Cleveland (photos) - 2024 Berea’s National Rib Cook-Off & Beer Fest is set - Hall of Fame Ribs Burnoff set for 3 days
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Fiamma going into former Mabel’s BBQ space in Woodmere
WOODMERE, Ohio – Mendel Segal is bringing Fiamma, a kosher, upscale Italian restaurant, into the former Mabel’s BBQ in Eton Collection in Woodmere.
He’s hoping to open in late July at 28699 Chagrin Blvd., Woodmere. It’s in a high-traffic area at the northeast corner of Interstate-271 and Chagrin Boulevard.
“It’s a style of food that I love,” said Segal, who came to Cleveland a year and a half ago from Miami. “I feel that there’s a hole in the market for it. So I put the two together. I hope that everybody’s going to be excited about it.
“For the kosher consumer and people with relatives or business associates who are strictly kosher it’s going to be a game changer,” he said.
Mendel’s KC BBQ opened a year ago in part of the former Lucy’s Sweet Surrender bakery. Midnight Owl Brewing Co. opened as Mendel’s adjacent neighbor last year as well. Also, Progressive Field has a Mendel’s Dogs and Deli stand, the only kosher concessions in the ballpark.
The Mabel’s space will get a facelift before Fiamma - Italian for “flame” – opens, he said. Mabel’s BBQ opened in 2022 in the former B Spot. Both of those restaurants were owned by Michael Symon. The original Mabel’s BBQ, on East 4th Street in downtown Cleveland, remains open.
“We’re going to put in our brick pizza oven made just for us,” Segal said. “It’s an authentic and high-tech Marra Forni oven built in Maryland.”
The décor also will get a refresh.
“My designer and I are working on getting a warm rustic, chic look with a lot of colors, textures, fabrics, antique mirrors,” he said. “It will be a little more lounge-y than the typical restaurant.”
The built-in, double-sided bar will remain. Guests will be able to order craft cocktails, kosher wines -- heavy on Italian selections.
“I’m bringing in new wines not being sold in Ohio yet,” he said. “I will have a curated tequila list and bourbon. Those are fun. I enjoy those myself.”
The menu will focus more on small plates, Neapolitan-style pizza, pastas and fish. Because Fiamma will be a kosher restaurant serving dairy, meat will be excluded.
“That’s the funny thing to a lot of people is no meat or chicken,” Segal said. “Classics like meatballs and chicken parmesan, we’ll do our own takes on it.”
The pizza oven also will be used to make a knish, something Segal is working on at home now. He’s planning cheese and potato as well as other variations of the mini savory pies, a traditional street food that can be baked or fried.
“I’m playing around with it, doing R&D at home, but don’t have all the equipment,” he said.
Segal has been busy in his relatively short time in Cleveland. The barbecue place was a fairly smooth transition, since he had experience with that in Miami. The Progressive Field stand is doing great business, he said, with an expanded menu in its new location on the main concourse behind home plate. And now, Fiamma is coming.
“I hope everyone is excited about it,” he said. “I don’t do things halfway; I have a strong focus on food quality. This is a little more high-end.”
Here’s a sneak peek at The Astro Restaurant in Cleveland (photos)
CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Astro, opening next week in downtown Cleveland, is out of this world.
From what’s on the walls (colorful space-age murals) to televisions (sci-fi movies) to the ambiance (flashing lights near the entrances), anyone who walks in here will pick up on the theme faster than a memory can be wiped by a neuralyzer. (If you love “Men in Black,” you will enjoy The Astro.)
Grand opening is 11 a.m. Tuesday, April 23, with ribbon-cutting and dignitaries from the city, Bedrock, the developer; and others scheduled to attend.
The Tower City restaurant – in the former Hard Rock Café, which closed in 2016 - is owned by the team behind The Haunted House Restaurant in Cleveland Heights. That restaurant, which opened in 2021, features scary movies in its décor and menu.
In The Astro, a curvy “MIB Bar” seats 15 with the entire bar area holding 30 along a wide rail. The restaurant can accommodate 196 people.
The bar is marble epoxy, which “kind of gives it that galaxy-type look,” said Andre Scott, one of the partners in the restaurant.
“We gave it a full makeover,” said Scott, who said the space underwent nine months of renovation. “The Hard Rock had been here - it’s historic - but we wanted to add our own turn to it, with the sci-fi concept and science theme. It’s just giving sci-fi genre lovers what they desire.”
These types of restaurants are destination places, said Jeane’ Holley, who does promotional work for the restaurant. She said people travel for themed places, making The Astro a perfect fit.
The success of The Haunted House Restaurant nudged the ownership to go downtown with a destination-type themed place, Scott said.
Ironically, the restaurant looks forward into the future, but Scott can’t help but look back a bit.
“This is an historic place. Growing up we used to take the Rapid down from Shaker Square, and now to be back in here as a restaurateur is amazing,” said Scott, who lauded the partnership with Bedrock while “helping bring Tower City back to life.”
The menu is a diverse range of options, with dishes named after characters, ships and planets from the cinematic universe. Vegan dishes will be available, as will spaghetti ratatouille, lobster roll, Peach Hennessy barbecued ribs and others. The Nebulizer is one of the signature drinks offered, along with four local drafts among nine taps and a handful of wines.
Isaiah Williams and Derek Walker’s colorful murals fit the vibe of the space.
“You’re going on an adventure,” Holley said. “It’s a cosmic voyage.”
In keeping with the sci-fi effects, swirling, mesmerizing lights dance across the floor near both the street and internal (Tower City) entrances. Servers are dressed in space-worker, astronaut-like, Devo-type of overalls.
The two-level space has a private dining area downstairs as films like “Star Wars” and “Men in Black” are shown on televisions. An elevator door even appears to be a teleport module.
One of the murals offers a subtle touch for those who remember “The Jetsons,” the 1960s cartoon about a family living in outer space. Depicted are George and his wife Jane, kids Judy and Elroy, robotic maid Rosie and - in a nice homage – their dog … Astro.
Location: 230 W. Huron Road, Cleveland.
Parking: Area lots, garages, street and valet.
Dinner: 4 to 9 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday; 4 to 10 p.m. Friday; 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday; 5 to 9 p.m. Sunday.
Brunch: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
2024 Berea’s National Rib Cook-Off & Beer Fest is set
(POSTING TUEDAY MORNING)
CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Berea’s National Rib Cook-Off & Beer Fest is scheduled for Memorial Day weekend.
The 25th annual four-day rain-or-shine fest is Friday, May 24, to Monday, May 27. It offers what it bills as a family picnic-style atmosphere with 10 rib teams from all over the United States vying for one of three major awards: Best ribs, best sauce and people’s choice.
Competing rib teams
• After Hours BBQ
• BG’s Old Town BBQ
• Johnson’s BBQ
• Malloy’s BBQ
• Mojo’s
• Pigfoot
• Porky Chicks
• Smokin’ T’s
• Swine BBQ
• Wright’s Catering
Local beers from The Brew Kettle and Collision Bend Brewing Co. will be available, along with Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy, White Claw Seltzer and others.
A kids’ activity area will have a rock-climbing wall, super-slide, swings and more.
It’s one of two rib fests set for the holiday weekend. The Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton has one, too.
Berea’s National Rib Cook-Off & Beer Fest
Location: Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds, 19201 E. Bagley Road, Middleburg Heights.
Hours:
• Noon to 11 p.m. Friday, May 24
• 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, May 25
• 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday, May 26
• 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, May 27
Admission: Free from noon to 5 p.m. Friday, $10 the rest of the weekend: After 5 p.m. Friday plus all day Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Free for kids under 12. On Monday - Memorial Day - retired and active military personnel showing military ID will be admitted free.
Parking: Free.
Highlights
• A Corvette Cleveland car show with more than 40 cars is 2 to 8 p.m. Saturday, May 25, and includes a people’s-choice vote.
• Miss Berea Pageant is 11 a.m. Sunday, May 26.
Music
Friday: The Tea Bags, 4 p.m.; Follow The Sun, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday: Ace Molar Band, 12:30 p.m.; Cruisin’, 4:30 p.m.; Revolution Pie, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday: Back 2 The Future, 1:30 p.m.; Jam Machine, 4:30 p.m.; BoaterHead, 7:30 p.m.
Monday: Pat Shepard, noon; Old Skool, 3 p.m.
Hall of Fame Ribs Burnoff set for 3 days at Pro Football HOF with judged competition
CANTON, Ohio – The three-day Hall of Fame Ribs Burnoff is set at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton.
Organizers are bringing back the fest – billed as a kickoff to summer - after a 10-year hiatus.
The fest is scheduled for Friday to Sunday, May 24-26. Half a dozen barbecue competitors will vie for honors over the first two days:
• Armadillo’s BBQ - Clarendon Hills, Illinois
• Cowboys Barbeque & Rib Co. - Fort Worth, Texas
• Off the Bone BBQ – Columbus
• Old Carolina BBQ Co. - Northeast Ohio
• Uncle Bacon’s BBQ - Northeast Ohio
• Winking Lizard Tavern - Northeast Ohio
Competition and judging of the ribs and sauces – which is slated for 1:30 to 4 p.m. each day – will be based on five categories: Appearance, taste/flavor, tenderness, smoke and wood balance and aftertaste. Sauces will be judged on flavor profile, texture and overall taste.
A panel of judges will blind-taste the ribs and sauces:
• Bobby Bell, Pro Football Hall of Famer and longtime barbecue restaurateur
• Frank Hill, executive chef of Burrata Italian Kitchen
• WKYC-TV chief meteorologist Betsy Kling
• Canton Mayor William Sherer
• Guy Souheaver, an executive at Constellation Energy and Hall of Fame partner.
The event will include local specialty vendors, concessions, bands, fireworks and activities like ax throwing and bull riding.
Hall of Fame Ribs Burnoff
Location: Pro Football Hall of Fame, 2121 George Halas Dr. NW, Canton.
Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday to Sunday, May 24-26.
Admission: Free.
Meet and greet: On May 24, members of the 2024 induction class will have the building banner unveiled at a ribbon-cutting. A meet and greet with the class is 11 a.m. to noon, allowing ticket purchasers to meet and take photos with the hall of famers. The first 100 individuals to buy a ticket will receive a commemorative item at the hall. For tickets, go to mpv.tickets.com.