TOP NEWS

Edwins moving to Nighttown

After more than a decade in Shaker Square, Edwins is moving to Nighttown, which closed last year. Brandon Chrostowski has big plans to convert the Edwins restaurant operation into its new space in Cleveland Heights. Here’s what to expect. READ MORE

Terranean Spices, Spreads & Snacks celebrates 5 years of Lebanese flavors in Cleveland

Terranean Spices, Spreads & Snacks is celebrating five years as a producer of Lebanese pantry staples, proudly headquartered in Cleveland. Originally Terranean Herbs, the brand is the brainchild of Tina Chamoun. She started out by selling traditional za’atar seasoning blends and expanded the brand to include seasoning sets, olive oil spreads and pita chips. READ MORE

West Side Market parking rules change again for new year

Parking at Cleveland’s West Side Market is changing to address consumer and vendor feedback. The biggest news is an extension of the free parking period from 60 minutes to 90 minutes. Additional changes are a $6 flat rate for after-hours parking and new signage to better explain parking practices. READ MORE

11 mocktails to try at Greater Cleveland bars this Dry January

Dry January has become an extremely popular trend, with participants abstaining from alcohol for the first month of the year. Several restaurants and bars in Northeast Ohio offer dynamic mocktail lists for those still looking to go out while partaking in Dry January. Check out 11 alcohol-free options from Greater Cleveland bars and restaurants that provide all of the flavor of a craft cocktail without the booze. READ MORE

Dry January’s zero-proof alternative beverages are improving

After the excesses of the holidays, New Year’s resolutions are abuzz. For some that includes a commitment to Dry January, a month of voluntary separation from drinking alcohol. Whatever the reason, going sober doesn’t mean going somber. While examining your relationship with alcohol, you can explore new beverage alternatives. As these grow increasingly creative, they’re tasting better and better. READ MORE

Farmer Lee Jones to host ‘The Chef’s Garden’ cooking show on A+E

Farmer Lee Jones, founder of Huron, Ohio's famed Chef's Garden, is teaming up with Rachael Ray's production company and some of America’s top chefs for an A+E cooking show. “The Chef’s Garden” will premiere with back-to-back episodes at 10 p.m. on Monday, January 27. Each half-hour episode stars Lee, adorned in his signature red bowtie and overalls, as he meets with renowned chefs as they gain inspiration from regenerative agriculture at the farm. READ MORE

Malley’s introduces new candy experience

Malley’s Chocolates has launched a new candy experience, marshmallow crunch freeze-dried candy. The new sweet treat transforms Malley’s chocolate-covered gooey marshmallow and caramel candy into a chocolate-accented light, crunchy alternative. The freeze-dried version melts on the tongue ... for those who can resist crunching into it. READ MORE

Aldi relocates Streetsboro store, improves layout, offers giveaways

Aldi is relocating its Streetboro store with as little disruption as possible. The existing store at 9071 State Route 14 closes on Tuesday, January 21, and the new store at 9570 State Route 14 opens at 9 a.m., Wednesday, Jan. 22. Store hours remain the same, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. READ MORE

DineDrinkCLE podcast returns for new episodes in 2025

On the first episode of “DineDrinkCLE: The Podcast” of 2025, hosts Alex Darus and Josh Duke are joined by Marc Bona to discuss the closing of Melt Bar & Grilled. Then, Paris Wolfe joins to dig into some of the new and exciting restaurants and bars coming in 2025 before diving into Dry January recommendations. READ MORE

Wines, wines, more wines

For our review of wines this month, we tried eight bottles from five countries. While we usually try a mix of red and white, this bunch was almost entirely white. Seven offered a variety of flavors while our tasting panel found one to be undrinkable. READ MORE

OPENINGS/CLOSINGS

17 highly anticipated restaurants, bars opening in Greater Cleveland

The growing culinary scene in Northeast Ohio shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. The new year is already off to a strong start, with several restaurants and bars planning to open locally in 2025. To celebrate the start of another year, check out 17 highly-anticipated restaurants and bars set to open in Greater Cleveland in 2025. READ MORE

2024 restaurant, bar, brewery openings ...

More than 80 restaurants, bars, breweries and others opened across Greater Cleveland in 2024. Cleveland.com’s Marc Bona, Alex Darus and Paris Wolfe round up the many places that opened. READ MORE

EVENTS/TASTINGS

Melt Bar and Grilled in Lakewood to host garage sale, memorial sendoff

Melt Bar and Grilled will host a garage sale/memorial celebration at its Lakewood location this weekend after announcing its permanent closure. The flagship at 14718 Detroit Avenue will host a garage sale/memorial from noon to 6 p.m. Jan. 17-19. During the final weekend, customers will be able to purchase decorative items, apparel, merch and more. The bar will be open for beer and cocktails to cheer to Melt one last time. READ MORE

Tartine Bistro schedules wine dinner

Tartine Bistro in Rocky River is holding a dinner featuring Northern Italian vegan fare and wines. Each of the wines paired with the five-course menu come from a different Italian region. The dinner is Friday, Jan. 17. READ MORE

Cask, Corks & Forks is coming up

Grand River Valley wineries will showcase their wines Friday, Jan. 17, at Riverbend Hotel, a new hotel in Ashtabula Hotel. Each of five wineries will pair a different dish with a different wine. The night will feature the Grand River Valley Cask Red Wine Project, a collaborative winemaking initiative. READ MORE

Homestead Summit offers 36 classes in sustainable food production

If you’re on social media, especially TikTok and Pinterest, you’ve probably seen the homesteading trend coming at you. Defined as a lifestyle focused on self-sufficiency, it can be as minimal as growing a tomato plant and raising a few chickens or as radical as going completely off-grid. Whatever your interest in sustainability, everyone can learn more at the Western Reserve Homestead Summit from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 18-19 at the Lake Metroparks Farmpark, Kirtland. READ MORE

Cleveland restaurant chosen as Pepin Foundation dinner site

Edwins Leadership and Restaurant Institute has been selected as one of the host restaurants to participate in the Pepin Foundation’s series of dinners. The campaign supports the foundation’s educational initiatives. The five-course, wine-paired dinner is Wednesday, Jan. 22. READ MORE

Astoria schedules dinner featuring Sicilian wines

Astoria Cafe and Market has scheduled a multi-course wine dinner themed “Mount Etna, Sicily.” Each of the dishes in the five-course meal will be paired with Sicilian wines. It is Wednesday, Jan. 22. Astoria is in Cleveland’s Gordon Square neighborhood. READ MORE

Burns Night is coming up

Market Garden Brewery always has fun with its Burns Night. It commemorates Scottish poet Robert Burns and features poetry reading, haggis (two types!), bagpipes, good beer and more. It’s Friday, Jan. 24. Here's details with the full menu. The brewer is in Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood. READ MORE

Via Roma sets dinner with Italian wines

Via Roma Event Center & Ristorante has scheduled a wine dinner featuring Banfi wines of Italy. It is Saturday, Jan. 25. Via Roma is in the old Carrie Cerino’s at 8922 Ridge Road, North Royalton. READ MORE

Gunselman’s plans ‘Spanish Gusto’ wine dinner

Gunselman’s Steakhouse & Bar plans a five-course dinner featuring Spanish wines from assorted regions on Monday, Jan. 27. This is the new Gunselman’s, which opened in Olmsted Falls last year. READ MORE

Carpe Raci to hold special Zinfandel tasting

Carpe Raci Italian Restaurant in Brecksville is holding a Zinfandel tasting with winemaker Robert Beale. Seven wines will be served with three dishes, and the wines will be available for retail sale. We have a list of the wines and prices. The tasting is Monday, Jan. 27. READ MORE

Delmonico’s holding ‘Flights to Napa’ dinner

Delmonico’s Steakhouse in Independence is holding a tasting of high-end wines themed to flying. Courses are titled “standby,” “liftoff,” “10,000 feet” and so on. The wines are from Napa Valley, California. The dinner is Sunday, Feb. 2. READ MORE

Wine, Cheese & Chocolate, Darling! Coming up

The venerable Akron Civic Theatre is hosting its annual Wine, Cheese & Chocolate, Darling! tasting. More than 50 wines ranging from dry to sweet, domestic to imported and many others will be available. We have a list of the specific wines and vintages. It’s Saturday, Feb. 8. READ MORE

Mac ‘n’ Cheese Throwdown set

The annual Mac ‘n’ Cheese Throwdown, a tasting event of the classic comfort food, is coming up Saturday, March 1, in Cleveland. Restaurants put their spin on mac and cheese, and attendees get a chance to vote for their favorites, too. It’s also a benefit for charity. READ MORE

PICKS OF THE WEEK

Birdietown

Birdietown might’ve picked the ideal time to open its restaurant, bar and indoor mini golf concept in Lakewood. The buzzy restaurant is a warm haven from the cold weather providing plenty of fun for the whole family. The restaurant menu comes from chef Jill Vedaa, previously of Salt+, and features upscale sharables and entrees. The mushroom strudel and wagyu meatballs are standout dishes. Birdietown is at 12501 Madison Avenue. -- Alex Darus DETAILS

Abundance Culinary

Abundance Culinary in Cleveland Heights interprets buns, dumplings, noodles unlike the Chinese restaurants most of us think of. And if that’s not novel enough, Chef Liu Fang regularly changes her menu to keep guests coming back. She’s rolling out a new selection of dishes this week. Don’t miss the old-fashioned cocktail infused with the electric tingle of Sichuan peppercorn. -- Paris Wolfe DETAILS

D’Agnese’s at White Pond

D'Agnese's at White Pond offers a wide ranging and affordable Italian menu. We love the segregated bar area to the right as you enter with the more formal dining room to the left. With tons of pasta dishes and chef’s specials, plus a small but well selected wine list, it makes for a great night out. It’s at 566 White Pond Dr., at Interstate-77 in Akron. -- Marc Bona DETAILS

SPOTLIGHT

Pav’s Creamery marking 2 years in Akron space

Pav’s Creamery’s latest location is closing in on two years at Ghent and Cleveland-Massillon roads in Akron. We talk to owner Nik Pappas about the company, which has been around for decades and has five locations. READ MORE

Entertainment | Food and Drink

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