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Explore the hangouts of Channel 3’s Betsy Kling, IngenuityFest’s co-founder James Levin and three other Clevelanders who unveil how they see the city. Plus, discover some new favorites of your own

in our listings packed with more than 575 nightlife hot spots, attractions, shops and restaurants.

clevelandmagazine.com / C L E V E L A N D 69

INTERVIEWS BY JENNIFER KE IRN ✴ PHOTO GRAPHY BY ERIC MULL ✴ I LLUSTRAT IONS BY JEANINE HENDERSON

EDITED BY CARLY TOYZAN


THE CITY LIST✴✴✴✴✴✴✴

70 C L E V E L A N D / April 2011

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AS A KID GROWING UP IN COPLEY, Betsy Kling’s birthday treat was an annual trip to the big city of Cleveland with her dad. Now that she’s the weekday evening meteorologist for Channel 3, she still gets chills driving into work serving the city she loves. A resident of Medina County, Kling enjoys all Northeast Ohio has to offer — rain or shine — with husband and WKYC reporter Paul Thomas and their 2-year-old daughter, Josie. Here are a few of her favorite things.

My Cleveland Favorites

Betsy Klingmeteorologist, Channel 3


| SIDE TRIPS | To celebrate Stone Mad’s three-year anniversary this month, owner Eileen Sammon enlisted the help of Momocho chef Eric Williams to change up the menu. It’s smaller, with only a few fa-

miliar items, but Williams’ seven new side dishes offer plenty of ways to vary your meals. We rec-ommend the rich mascarpone polenta and the curried corn, which are also Sammon’s favor-ites. Stone Mad, 1306 W. 65th

St., Cleveland, 216-281-6500

| RING TRUE | Featured on Urban Outfitter’s blog last December, the Aragonite Ring ($21) at Native Cleveland is created by wrapping a large piece of aragonite in metal wire and fastening it to a simple, adjustable band. Designer Jillian Doskocil, who also creates necklaces, bracelets, earrings and hairpins, has created several pieces like the ring under her brand name, For the Foxes, by using rocks such as kyanite mineral, quartz and pyrite. [For more on Native Cleveland, see page 92.] Native Cleveland, 15813 Waterloo Road, Cleveland, 216-383-5196

| WINE STOP | Try the rare, French-imported Do-maine de la Biscarelle ($41) from Light Bistro’s fresh-ly christened retail wine shop adjacent to the spacious new dining room. “You can really taste where it came from,” says owner Matthew Mathlage. The fruity viscosity of this well-balanced red wine retains hints of the thick Rhone Valley clay and goes well with pork and steak. Light Bistro, 2801 Bridge Ave., Cleveland, 216-771-7130, lightbistro.com

| CHEAP LAUGHS | Coventry seemed to have it all, and then it got funnier with the opening of com-edy venue Big Dog Theater at the historic Centrum

Theater. Keep your night low-cost during $5 for Funny nights, which offer chances to see the house short- and long-form im-prov teams: Thunderlips and the Submis-sives and Good Dinner Party. [For more on Big Dog Theater, see page 84.] Big Dog Theater, Euclid Heights Blvd., Cleveland Heights, 216-472-3636, bigdogtheater.com

We scoured some of our own favorite places for locally made gifts and goods, great events, and enticing eats we

can’t resist. Here’s our list of the new, the popular and the surprising. It’s 25 reasons to get out and rediscover what’s

hot in Cleveland’s neighborhoods and beyond.

BY SHANNON BOWENS, LAUREN COHEN, ELISABETH GEISSE,

ROBERT ROZBORIL, JAMIE SHEARER AND CARLY TOYZAN

CITY BUZZ

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✴✴ Find out more about our Clevelanders’ favorites in the index, page 79.




| T-SIGHTS | Although GV Art + Design’s Lyin’ King T-shirt gained national at-tention, the company’s first city-centric design, Cleveland That I Love, remains its best-seller. A new graphic touting that phrase includes city land-marks drawn into the letters. “They’re landmarks true Clevelanders can eas-ily recognize,” says co-owner Greg Vlosich. How many can you spot? $24, sold online at gvartwork.com and in the Indians Team Shop

| MOVE IT | Six years ago, Latin event com-pany Tropical Cleveland started with one salsa instructor, who spotted a student with potential, and the students have been becoming the teach-ers ever since. They share their moves for free at salsa club nights on Fridays at View Nightclub and Saturdays at Roseangel. [To hear Tropical Cleveland’s story, see page 80.] 9 p.m., View Nightclub, 618 Prospect E., Cleveland; Roseangel, 5800 Detroit Ave., Cleveland, 440-263-5842, tropicalcleveland.com

| POWER UP | In case coffee at the Café at Arts Collinwood isn’t enough, get an extra boost from locally made organic, vegan and gluten-free Plant Kingdom Hempseed Energy Bars ($3). Flavors such as Super Berry Protein Warrior, which uses organic Amazon acai hemp protein powder, confirm the Akron-based bakery’s self-proclaimed title of “nutritional warrior.” Café at Arts Collinwood, 15605 Waterloo Road, Cleveland, 216-692-9500

| PIE WAYS | Angelo’s Pizza serves a double dose of Cleveland with its Chicken Mac-n-Cheese pizza ($12.95-$22.25). The 30-year-old landmark

concocts original pizzas, and though the Cleve-land-founded Stouffers mac and cheese isn’t their own recipe, Ange-lo’s owners have found a popular pie that’s all local. Angelo’s Pizza, 13715 Madison Ave., Lakewood, 216-221-0440, angelosonline.com

| LINE UP | Passport to Peru is much more than ornate Buddha statues and robust sticks of incense. In March, owners Robert and Ann Laird welcomed 15 new clothing lines, including color-ful prints from Aryeh. The Laird’s describe the line as more form fitting but still comfy and carefree,

consisting of maxi dresses, tops and skirts. Passport to Peru, 1806 Coven-try Road, Cleveland Heights, 216-932-

9783, passporttoperucoventry.com

| THAI’DAL WAVE | Coventry’s cozy cor-ner Thai restaurant is no longer Mint Café, but the new High Thai’d offers a similar

menu with some exciting additions. Take the new chef’s special and popular native Thai dish: the duck curry. The boneless duck is cooked in its medium spicy choo chee curry sauce with a fla-vorful blend of pineapple, tomato, bell peppers, carrots, squash, zucchini and snow peas. Perhaps it can be a new Coventry favorite. High Thai’d, 1791 Coventry Road, Cleveland, 216-321-5000, highthai.com

| COLD CRAZE | Probiotic frozen yogurt, popu-larized by LA’s Pinkberry chain, has made its way here. But after paying 50 cents per fruit topping only to get four raspber-ries at one Cleveland-area shop, we’ll grab spoons at Strongsville’s Lemonberry Frozen Yo-gurt, where we can pile on all the toppings we want: Price is deter-mined by weight. East Siders can get in on the trend when another by-weight place, Yogurt Vi, opens in Leg-acy Village this month. Lemonberry Frozen Yogurt, 12927 Pearl Road, Strongsville, 440-238-0793, lemonberryfrozenyogurt.com

| GET PUNKED | Two seemingly opposing life-styles merge at the Beachland Ballroom on the second and fourth Saturday of each month. At 11 a.m., punks, yogis, hippies and all others are invited to celebrate their differences through a Vinyasa-style yoga class ($13) set to punk music. Lyz Bly leads this mixed-level practice, which is also offered at The Studio in Cleveland on Friday evenings. Beachland Ballroom, 15711 Waterloo Road, Cleveland, 216-383-1124; The Studio, 1395 W. 10th St., Suite 120, Cleveland, 216-621-7085

| PARADISE FOUND | Lilly Handmade Choco-lates owners Amanda and Joshua Montague have a knack for pleasing the palette, and the tropical flavors in their Mango Crunch Monster are perfect for the warming weather. The creamy new bar in-cludes soft white chocolate, mango cream, crushed macadamia nuts and feuilletine, a popular French butter pastry with the texture of crushed sugar cones. Lilly Handmade Chocolates, 761 Starkweather Ave., Cleveland, 216-771-3333, lillytremont.com

MATTHEW MYTRO IS A FORMER RESTAURANT CHEF who’s taken the road of culinary entrepreneurism, designing T-shirts for foodies and partnering with local bars and restaurants to create unique food-themed events. Mytro is the brains behind Flavor Tripping, Ladies’ Bite Out and Naked Sushi — just what you’d think, “but it’s classy,” he says. He lived in Euclid from his teenage years into adulthood but recently moved to a new place in Tremont. Here’s a bite of his favorite things.


Matthew Mytrochef and entrepreneur, Stove Monkeys and Crisp Catering

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JULIAN ROGERS HAS PLENTY OF NEW RESPONSIBILITIES. He’s a mem-ber of the new Cuyahoga County Council, representing his hometown of Cleveland Heights plus East Cleveland and Bratenahl. Rogers is also a new dad to a 2-month-old son and is engaged to be married this August. But he still finds time to enjoy date nights with his fiancee, cruise Lake Erie on his boat, take in local theater and hang with his buddies. Here are Rogers’ local picks.


Julian RogersCuyahoga County Councilman, District 10



| STYLE HEADS | Westlake’s trendy VanityLab has been offering more than hip haircuts. Since last fall, the salon’s Sparkle Jewelry boutique has been fea-turing local jewelers and craftspeople, including the recently added XXO, Phoebe Marie line by Phoebe Marie Nelson. The headbands ($10-$22), which come in various colors from neutrals to brighter hues, are adorned with jewels, feathers and flowers and would make the perfect accessory for your new hairdo. VanityLab, 24945 Detroit Road, Westlake, 440-835-4490, vanitylab.com

| RAW DEAL | Everything in the Super-food Shake ($4.75-$6.99) at Good ‘n’ Raw from the goji berries to the cacao is organic and, in keeping with the shop’s mission, raw. Ingredients in their raw form offer more amino acids and protein, and chef Nicole Tuzzio says this popular stamina shake will keep you going all day. Good ‘n’ Raw, 11860 Clifton Blvd., Lakewood, 216-521-2225, goodnraw.com

| IN TUNE | For the first three Fridays of each month, Arts Collinwood hosts Art de Rockus, a free music event that showcases local and national bands in the community center. Starting at 9 p.m., the series, which has featured bands such as lo-cal punk acts This Moment in Black History and Filmstrip, is said to have a rec-center vibe because bands play without a stage, just feet from their listeners. Arts Collinwood, 15605 Waterloo Road, Cleveland, 216-692-9500

| CHARM MOM | Forget the typical birthstone jewelry. Bead Q! has a different kind of per-sonalized jewelry perfect for mom: the fingerprint charm ($42). After baby’s finger is placed into a precious metal clay, artists go to work then add the child’s birth date. After a week, the silver charm can be added to a necklace or bracelet. By appointment Mon & Wed-Sat, Bead Q!, 8584 E. Wash-ington St., Chagrin Falls, 440-708-1771, bead-q.com

| KEEPING COOL | From traditional Italian flavors to classic favorites such as cake batter and cookies and cream, Anthony’s Ristorante is always creating something new when it comes to its gelato. At the start of each week, a new flavor finds its way into the gelato cooler, so you can discover a new favor-ite whether it is caramel pecan pie, chocolate butter toffee or even carrot cake. Creatures of habit need not worry: Cake batter and pistachio are always available. Anthony’s Ristorante, 12018 Mayfield Road, Cleveland, 216-791-0700, anthonysoflittleitaly.com

| MONSTER STASH | The Uglydolls at Playmatters are anything but. Colorful and cuddly, these little monsters range from sweet to strange. Although Ug-lydolls can be hard to find in stores, Playmatters has

you covered. Our favorite, Pointy Max ($20), has a triangular head, fangs and one eye. If that’s too much Ugly for you, check out Max’s

smaller cousins, the Little Uglys ($9.99). Playmatters, 13214

Shaker Square, Cleveland, 216-752-3595, playmatterstoys.com

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JAMES LEVIN’S CAREER HAS TAKEN HIM from San Francisco to New York City — and four cities in between — but since he came home to Cleveland in 1982, he’s been a force in the local arts community. He founded Cleveland Public Theatre and the Gordon Square Arts District and co-founded IngenuityFest, that annual celebration of local and na-tional creative talent. He lives in a converted Ohio City warehouse with his wife, Jill, and their three kids, and he has no shortage of favorite things in Cleveland.


James Levinco-founder of IngenuityFest



| SUPERCHARGED SIPS | Not every wine bar will pour you 16 tastes for just $20, but that’s what you get at Battery Park Wine Bar’s wine or beer tastings, every third Wednesday of each month. The cost also includes a spread of appetizers such as the house-made flatbreads. At Battery Park the concept is “you only live once,” and when you can live it up this inexpensively, why not? Battery Park Wine Bar, 7524 Father Frascati Ave., Cleveland, 216-631-9463, batteryparkwinebar.com

| BOWL OVER | If you have a taste for something less beefy, try Palookaville’s chicken bacon chili.

The tender, slightly spicy chicken is comple-mented by corn, peppers and black beans,

and the bacon gives it an added richness. Sop up the leftovers with homemade cornbread, and

for an extra kick, ask for jalapenos on top. [For more about Palookaville Chili, see page 98.] Palookaville Chili, 3900 Lorain Ave., Cleve-land, palookavillechili.com

| OPT IN | Playful or sophisticated, youthful or mature. Women can create their own customized

footwear with Lindsay Phillips SwitchFlops and Snap Shoes at Geiger’s Store for Women.

Using detachable straps and snaps, customers can match outfits with one shoe. “Everything coordinates,” store manager Julie Cox says. “You can mix and match.” Shoes start at $35, and accessories are priced at $12-$15. Geiger’s Store for Women, 19126 Detroit Road, Rocky River, 440-356-9665, shopgeigers.com

| PLIÉ PLEASER | Got two left feet? Maybe a few ballet lessons would help. And no, you don’t have to wear a tutu. Cleveland City Dance has seen a leap in popularity in its adult ballet classes lately, with almost 60 new students this past session. The next one runs from July 5 to Aug.13 for just $98. Those who register before June 11 save $20. Cleveland City Dance, 13108 Shaker Square, Cleve-land, 216-295-2222, clevelandcitydance.com

| VEG HEADS | A bar that hosts both Skate Night and Bike Night is hardly somewhere you’d expect to find fresh vegan meals. But each Tuesday for its Vegan Slop night, Now That’s Class! features vegan delights such as potato salad and macaroni and cheese. Our favorite is the cheese steak ($4), made with seitan, melted Tofutti cheese, and sauteed mushrooms and onions atop fresh bread from Lakewood’s own Bread-smith. Now That’s Class!, 11213 Detroit Ave., Cleve-land, 216-221-8576, nowthatsclass.net

|BUDS FOR BUDS | Whether you want to wish someone happy birthday or profess your love, nothing says it like flowers — paper flowers, that is. Bloom Cards at The Dancing Sheep contain various mes-sages within vibrant petals, which are intertwined not unlike origami. Choose your favorite faux blossom for $6.50. They’ll stand out in a recipi-ent’s mailbox even better than they do at the register. The Dancing Sheep, 12712 Larchmere Blvd., Cleveland, 216-229-5770


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NEW YORK’S THE BIG APPLE, but Cleveland’s a plum, went the 80s-era Cleveland slogan. Alexa Marinos borrowed the maxim for her blog, Cleveland’s a Plum, an ode to life in the city she loves. By day, Marinos is an account manager for marketing agency Thundertech, but by night, she’s a connoisseur of the good things Cleveland has to offer, from food and shopping to nightlife and lake views. Here’s the fruit of her leisure-time labors.


Alexa Marinosblogger at clevelandsaplum.com

CITY LIST INDEXDid something pique your interest on the previous pages? Find it all below, listed alphabetically.

Betsy KlingThe Amish Door Restaurant & Village, 1210 Winesburg St., Wilmot, 888-264-7436, amishdoor.com Blossom Music Center, 1145 W. Steels Corners

Road, Cuyahoga Falls, 888-225-6776 or 800-686-1141, livenation.com Century Antiques, 7410 Lorain Ave., Cleveland, 216-281-9145, centuryantiquescleveland.com Children’s Museum of Cleveland, 10730 Eu-clid Ave., Cleveland, 216-791-5437, clevelandchildrens museum.org The Cleveland Orchestra, University Circle, 11001 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, 216-231-1111, clevelandorchestra.com Croghan Park, 99 N. Miller Road (at corner of Sand Run Parkway), Fairlawn, 330-668-9515, cityoffairlawn.com Hinckley Reserva-tion Sledding Hill, State Road between Bellus Road and Ledge Road, Hinckley, 216-635-3200, clemetparks.com Kirwan Reservoir (Michael J. Kirwan Dam & Reservoir), West Branch State Park, 5708 Esworthy Road, Ravenna, 330-296-3239 Medina County Dis-trict Library, 210 S. Broadway, Medina, 330-725-0588, medina.lib.oh.us The RainForest at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, 3900 Wildlife Way, Cleveland, 216-661-6500, clemetzoo.com Reincarnation Vintage Design, 7810 Lorain Ave., Cleveland, 216-651-9806 Sweet Lorain, 7105 Lorain Ave., Cleveland, 216-281-1959, sweetlorain.com Szalay’s Sweet Corn Farm, 4563 Riverview Road, Peninsula, 330-657-2727 Toni in Style, 17 N. Franklin St., Chagrin Falls, 440-893-7000 Towpath Trail, various trailheads, see Cuyahoga Valley

National Park and Metro Parks Serving Summit County for maps, nps.gov/cuva, summitmetroparks.org

James Levin78th Street Studios, 1300 W. 78th St., Cleveland, 440-503-5506, 78streetstudios.com Burning River Fest, July 23-24, 2011, The Historic Coast Guard Station on Whiskey Island, burningriverfest.org Cleveland Public Art, 1951 W. 26th St., Suite 101, Cleveland, 216-621-5330, clevelandpublicart.org Cleveland Public Theatre, 6415 Detroit Ave., Cleveland, 216-631-2727, cptonline.org Edgewater Park, 6500 Cleveland Memorial Shoreway, Cleveland, 216-881-8141 Gypsy Beans & Baking Co., 6425 Detroit Ave., Cleveland, 216-939-9009, gypsybeans.com Hildur Jonsson, hildurjonsson.com Kasumi, kasumivideoart.com Le Petit Triangle Café, 1881 Fulton Road, Cleveland, 216-281-1881, lepetittrianglecafe.com New World Performance Laboratory, 111 Overwood Road, Akron, 330-867-3299, nwplab.org Qian Li, qiandesign.com Roseangel, 5800 Detroit Ave., Cleveland, 216-961-5800, roseangel-cle.com Theater Ninjas, theaterninjas.com Viktor Schreck-engost Museum, Opening spring 2011, Tower Press Building, 1900 Superior Ave., Cleveland; Contact The Viktor Schreckengost Foundation, 2289 Stillman Road, Cleveland Heights, 216-321-8936, viktorschreckengost.org Whiskey Island, Whiskey Island Drive, Cleveland

Alexa MarinosBattery Park Wine Bar, 7524 Father Frascati Ave., Cleveland, 216-631-9463, batteryparkwinebar.com Capitol Theatre, 1390 W. 65th St., Cleveland,

440-349-3306, clevelandcinemas.com Cleveland

Browns, tickets: 440-824-3434, clevelandbrowns.com The Clevelander, 834 Huron Road E., Cleveland,

216-771-3723, clevelanderbar.com Cleveland Glad-iators, tickets: 216-685-9000, clevelandgladiators.com A Cookie and a Cupcake, 2173 Professor Ave., Cleveland, 216-344-9433, acookieandacupcake.com Cropicana, opens for season May 5, Whiskey Island Drive, Cleveland, 216-631-1800 Krusty’s Summer Sauce Camp, held annually during summer (check Facebook for updates), Whiskey Island Marina, 2800 Whiskey Island, Cleveland L’Albatros, 11401 Bellflower Road, Cleveland, 216-791-7880, albatros brasserie.com Lolita, 900 Literary Road, Cleveland, 216-771-5652, lolitarestaurant.com Tina’s Nite Club, 5400 Herman Ave., Cleveland, 216-651-8057 Touch Supper Club, 2710 Lorain Ave., Cleveland, 216-631-5200, touchohiocity.com Wendy Park, Whiskey Island Drive, Cleveland Winking Lizard, 811 Huron Ave., Cleveland, 216-589-0313, winkinglizard.com

Matthew MytroBar Cento, 1948 W. 25th St., Cleveland, 216-274-1010, barcento.com Beachland Ballroom, 15711 Waterloo Road, Cleveland, 216-383-1124, beachland ballroom.com Dante, 2247 Professor Ave., Cleveland, 216-274-1200, restaurantdante.us Happy Dog, 5801 Detroit Ave., Cleveland, 216-651-9474, happydogcleve land.com Heart and Sole, 1781 Coventry Road, Cleve-land Heights, 216-397-2923, heartandsolesneakers. com La Cave du Vin, 2785 Euclid Heights Blvd., Cleveland Heights, 216-932-6411, lacaveduvin.com Maxi’s Ristorante, 12113 Mayfield Road, Cleveland, 216-421-1500, maxisinlittleitaly.com Mr. Gnome, mrgnome.com Paragon, 21920 Lakeshore Blvd., Eu-clid, 216-731-9463, paragonwinebar.com Red the Steakhouse, 3355 Richmond Road, Beachwood, 216-831-2252, redthesteakhouse.com Suite Sixx, 1212 W. Sixth St., Cleveland, 216-479-7717, liquidcleveland.com Thirsty Dog Brewing Co., 529 Grant St., Akron, 330-252-2739, thirstydog.com Velvet Tango Room, 2095 Columbus Road, Cleveland, 216-241-8869, velvet tangoroom.com

Julian RogersBier Markt, 1948 W. 25th St., Cleveland, 216-274-1010, bier-markt.com Forest Hill Park, 2370 Lee Blvd., Cleveland Heights, 216-691-7373, cleveland heights.com Great Lakes Brewing Co., 2516 Market Ave., Cleveland, 216-771-4404, greatlakesbrewing.com The Grog Shop, 2785 Euclid Heights Blvd., Cleve-

land Heights, 216-321-5588, grogshop.gs Ensemble Theatre, 8500 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, 216-321-2930, ensemble-theatre.com Hilarities 4th Street The-atre, 2035 E. Fourth St., 216-241-7425, pickwickandfrolic.com Intercity Yacht Club, 7301 Cleveland Memorial Shoreway, Cleveland, 216-431-5604, intercity yachtclub.com Karamu House, 2355 E. 89th St., Cleveland, 216-795-7070, karamuhouse.org Put-in-Bay, visitputinbay.com Rockefeller Park, East 88th Street, Cleveland, culturalgardens.org The Tavern Co., 2260 Lee Road, Cleveland Heights, 216-321-6001, thetaverncompany.com Tree Country, 1803 Coventry Road, Cleveland Heights, 216-321-0644, treecountry bistro.com Washington Park, 3841 Washing-ton Park Blvd., Newburgh Heights, 216-635-3200, clemetparks.com



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