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For weeks there have been rumblings of a major restaurant shake-up in downtown Cleveland. It finally can be revealed what that news is all about.

Chris Hodgson, owner of Dim and Den Sum and Hodge Podge food trucks, has paired up with Scott Kuhn, owner of Washington Place Bistro and Welshfield Inn, to open a new restaurant in the current home of Zinc Bistro. Zinc will close its doors on December 23.

It’s been a rocky road for Zinc, a French-style bistro that opened in spring of 2010. Ambitious original plans included an all-day retail bakery offering salads, sandwiches and house-made pastries. That never transpired. And while multiple chef and management changes attempted to right the ship, that apparently did not happen.

Zinc Bistro is located on Euclid Avenue, on the ground floor of the $65 million Residences at Six Six Eight development.

Hodgson and Kuhn are still in the planning phases of their restaurant. More on the details of the new project as they unfold.

This article appears in Nov 23-29, 2011.

For 25 years, Douglas Trattner has worked as a full-time freelance writer, editor and author. His work as co-author on Michael Symon's cookbooks have earned him four New York Times Best-Selling Author honors, while his longstanding role as Scene dining editor has garnered awards of its own.

4 replies on “Chris Hodgson and Scott Kuhn to Take Over Zinc Bistro Space”

  1. This place will be an instant draw just with the name notoriety.

    Congrats to Chris Hodgson — keep repping Cleveland!

  2. I can’t wait to see what these two do with that awesome patio. I know where I’ll be spending my nights this summer!

  3. Great news! I enjoy the feel of Zinc and the service was always good, but the food just wasn’t flavorful enough to compete with the other restaurants in town. The Mac & Cheese was among the blandest things I have ever tasted.

    I visited in October and they were out of nearly every wine I requested. I had a feeling that was the beginning of the end.

    I look forward to the new restaurant!

  4. Chris, congratulations from the Quinn family in California. Remember your promise to invite us to the opening. You’ll be happy to know that The Playground has overcome a few initial jitters and settled down six weeks after our opening with a growing stream of frequent customers representing a large spectrum of Orange County diners. Jason continues to change the menu every day and people are reacting well. We’re having fun and paying the bills. Happy New Year and, again, Congratulations.

    Bob Quinn

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