Chef Michael Grieve To Open Rockfish Land and Seafood This Summer in Aurora

Former James Place to become home of Rockfish Credit: Google Maps

After a false start in Chagrin Falls, Michael Grieve has found a home for his long-planned seafood restaurant, Rockfish. The chef, formerly of Tartine Bistro in Rocky River and The Grocery café and market in Ohio City, will take over the property long home to James Place (271 E. Garfield Rd.) in Aurora. The popular wine bar and bistro, which opened in 2007, closed last month.

“It’s just perfect,” says Grieve. “As soon as I walked in this place it was exactly what I had envisioned for the last decade of bringing this restaurant to Cleveland. It fits my personality.”

Since imagining and planning Rockfish, the chef says that he has altered his food program to be more inclusive of those who might shy away from fish. Now called Rockfish Land and Seafood, the menu is more diverse thanks to options for meat-eaters, seafood lovers, vegans and the gluten intolerant.

“Originally, Rockfish has always been, in my mind, strictly seafood, oyster bar and the occasional steak or chicken special,” he says. “Going into this I changed that to more of a 60-40 split. You can’t make a wrong decision regardless of your dietary restrictions.”

Grieve says that the space requires very little improvements prior to opening day, which he is estimating to be early August.

As for The Grocery in Ohio City, the chef says, “Today was my last day and I don’t know if they have anyone lined up to move in.”

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This article appears in Jun 28 – Jul 11, 2023.