Uber Launches in Cleveland Today
Recently, Cleveland Indians All-Star second baseman Jason Kipnis punched in a handful of data points on a smartphone app, waited but a few moments (we think), and got into a shiny black luxury car somewhere downtown. He was (cue majestic trumpets) “Rider Zero.” The occasion coincided with the quiet rollout of Uber here in our…
Browns fans and players mingle at gala premier of ‘Draft Day’ at Valley View Cinemas
Browns fans lined up at Valley View Cinemas earlier today well before the 7 p.m. showing of Draft Day, the new film featuring Kevin Costner as a general manager who’ll make just about any trade to rebuild the Cleveland Browns. Before the screening, several Browns players (none of whom were actually in the movie), screenwriters…
Ohio Bike Injuries are Down, Stats Show
With Ohio roads statistically safer than they’ve been since 1936, it only seems natural that bikers are going to have an easier time too. And that’s definitely the case. Ohio Department of Public Safety statistics show that bicyclist injuries are down to 1,500 in 2013, as compared to 1,900 in 2012. It’s likely that the…
Stolen Purse Returned to North Royalton Woman 15 Years After Theft
Northwood, Ohio PD A North Royalton woman had an unexpected surprise this week when she was reunited with a purse that had been stolen from her 15 years ago. Back in 1999, a purse snatcher broke into Robin Dever’s car and took her handbag, only to later abandon it in a ditch, leaving its contents…
Humble Pie Baking Co. Inks Deal on Ohio City Pie Shop
During a really busy week, Diane Sikorski might bake an astonishing 600 pies for adoring fans of her Humble Pie Baking Co. (586-354-5711). But the most surprising part of that equation is that all of those pies are being baked in her Avon Lake home. But not for long, she reports. Sikorski and her husband…
Today is Free Ice Cream Cone Day at Cleveland Ben and Jerry’s
Cleveland Ben and Jerry’s are serving up ice cream gratuito today in recognition of Free Ice Cream Day, the blessed unofficial holiday. Nab a four ounce cone with flavors such as Hazed & Confused, Chocolate Nougat Crunch, White Russian, Cotton Candy, Lemonade Stand, or Vanilla Chocolate Chunk at either of Cleveland’s two Ben and Jerry’s…
Raintree in Chagrin Falls to Close, Tim Bando’s Grove Hill to Open
Raintree, a Chagrin Falls dining institution since 1972, is closing. And while the loss of such a treasured neighborhood institution likely will be sad news to many area residents, the restaurant’s replacement should help ease the pain. By mid summer, veteran chef Tim Bando will open Grove Hill (25 Pleasant Dr.), named after the steep…
Democratic Candidates for County Executive Square Off at City Club
With the right eyes and a tough squint, you could just barely make it out: a small table waaayy off on the other side of the room that was open to those without ties to Democratic campaigns or labor unions or other spoken-for groups. Everything else? Bought outright by the “Friends of Somebody” and such…
New Design Details Emerge About Urban Farmer Restaurant at Westin
Back in February, we told you about Urban Farmer restaurant, the new farm-to-table steakhouse opening soon in the Westin Downtown hotel. Construction is underway on the 6,000-square-foot, 250-seat eatery, with the latest opening day estimate set for early May. Sage Restaurant Group, the folks behind the Portland-based restaurant of the same name, is working with…
Cleveland Groom Stabbed at his Own Wedding Reception
At many of the wedding receptions we’ve attended, families of the bride and groom typically send their newlyweds home with well wishes and gifts, not corporal stab wounds. Yet, that’s exactly what one new Cleveland groom received this weekend, at his own wedding reception, nonetheless, after a physical altercation broke out between the groom and…
Lance Rice’s Journey Inspires #BeerAutismHope Day, Set for April 8
Lance’s Brewery Tour Lance Rice, at home among his beer can collection. Just about a year ago, we spoke with the filmmaker behind Lance’s Brewery Tour, a cross-country journey of foamy proportions. The inspiration and subject of the film, Lance Rice, has since become something of an icon in both autism awareness and craft brewery…
Singer-songwriter Richard Marx keeps things light at Hard Rock Live
In an interview for this week’s Scene, singer-songwriter Richard Marx promised that his upcoming show at the Hard Rock Live would be “a good hang.” On Saturday night, he certainly delivered on that promise. With news breaking over the weekend that Marx was divorcing Cynthia Rhodes, his wife of 25 years (they separated last July),…
“It’s Not Racist!” And Other Responses to Wahoo Protesters at Home Opener
The zealot in redface pictured above, outside Progressive Field before the Indians’ home opener this afternoon, was featured on Deadspin and instantly became the object of scorn and disbelief nationwide. Who would have the balls and the stomach, most reasonable Americans asked, to confront a person belonging to a specific race of people while dressed and…
Ohio Man Cited after Driving a Wheelchair While Intoxicated
Delaware County Sheriff A disabled man was cited last Friday after he was pulled over while driving a motorized wheelchair under the influence of alcohol. Donald Law, a disabled 44-year-old man from Berlin, was caught weaving on a road outside of Columbus. Deputies received several calls from worried drivers who noted his erratic behavior. He…
20 Photos of Old Cleveland Streetcars
Public transportation has a noticeable presence in Cleveland. The Healthline rumbles down Euclid, trolleys tour the city and trains screech to stops along their routes. And we Clevelanders make good use of it (even if it’s only for slightly inebriated travels to and from bars): Last year alone, ridership increased to 49.2 million rides on…
Invisible PD Editor Debra Adams Simmons to Leave Post
Debra Adams Simmons, the Plain Dealer editor who has (technically) presided over the most tumultuous era in the newspaper’s history, is leaving her post. The PD’s Rachel Dissell tweeted this out Friday morning: PD Editor Debra Adams Simmons leaving to be the VP of News Development at Advance Publications (which owns the PD.) — Rachel…
Compelling Love Story at Heart of The Lunchbox, which Opened this Weekend at the Cedar Lee
Shot as if it were a documentary set in Mumbai, writer-director Ritesh Batra’s new film The Lunchbox, a hit in India where it was released last year, starts slow. But like the slow-developing romance at the heart of the film, it picks up to become a very elegant tale about unrequited love. The movie opens…
Listen to Honeybucket Play a Totally Killer Kid Cudi Cover During a Scene Session
The guys in the local band Honeybucket stopped by our offices today to play a few original tunes (and a killer cover of a Kid Cudi tune ’round minute 10:55) during an unplugged set. They play with Dolfish and Young Heirlooms at 8 p.m. Saturday at Bottlehouse Brewing Company. Doors open at 7 p.m. and…
10 Things Going on in Cleveland this Weekend (April 4 — 6)
Cleveland might be facing a few rainy days, but there’s plenty to do that’ll keep you dry (unless you’re planning to see the Indians on Friday— but what’s a few clouds when you get to attend the home opener?). If you’d rather not be outside, the annual edible books festival is happening at Loganberry Books.…
20 Places to Eat, Drink, and Be Merry in Cleveland on Opening Day
The phrase “unfinished business” seems to be the mantra for our 2014 Tribe. Not a bad team battle cry and, quite frankly, an appropriate motto for the many bars and restaurants hosting fans on Opening Day. Here’s a list of 20 establishments to celebrate this unofficial Cleveland holiday and to finish what we started last…
Chelsea Peretti’s sarcasm translates well during Grog Shop show
More than likely, you’ve come across something written by Chelsea Peretti. As a writer, she’s written for publications like The Village Voice and Details and for TV shows like Parks And Recreation. Only recently has her acting and performing come into the limelight. Her special appearances on the TV show Louie or podcasts like the…
Here are this Week’s Crossword Puzzle Answers
Our crossword puzzle answers didn’t make it into the print book this week, so we’ve posted them below for easy reference. Have at it.
Health-Focused Phuel Café to Open in the Heart of Playhouse Square
Andy Newman wants Cleveland diners to stop living to eat and start eating to live. He feels so strongly that a healthy diet can pave the way to a happier future that he’s putting his money where his mouth is. If all goes as planned, his Phuel Café (1350 E. 14th St.) will open in…
Matt Fish from Melt Bar and Grilled to Appear on NBC’s The Today Show Next Week
Matt Fish, northeast Ohio’s grilled cheese sandwich connoisseur and the owner of the Melt Bar and Grilled restaurants, will appear on NBC’s The Today Show next week. He’ll be on during the 9:45 a.m. segment on Friday, April 11, which just happens to be National Grilled Cheese Day, to chat about his signature sandwiches and…
Ideas Needed: Help a Group of Case Western Students Recover Their Weather Balloon Floating in Lake Erie Off Ashtabula County
A weather balloon launched by a group of Case Western students landed in Lake Erie, directly north of Conneaut On Tuesday morning, a group of Case Western students and a recent alumna loaded a white styrofoam box with their customized microcomputers and sensors, a GPS tracker, and two outward-facing GoPro cameras and strapped it to…
Where I Hang: Paulius Nasvytis, Owner of the Velvet Tango Room
When he’s not hanging around the Velvet Tango Room, the quintessential craft cocktail bar he created over 17 years ago, VTR’s master of ceremonies Paulius Navytis stays close to home. “I have lived in the Warehouse District for ten years now,” he says. “I love living downtown. It has really blossomed into a real neighborhood.”…
Keep Cleveland Strong Campaign Buys Drinks for Young Pros at Development Panel
After a spirited sin tax debate at the City Club Tuesday afternoon, in which both the pro- and anti- Issue 7 combatants hammered away at their central talking points, the Greater Cleveland Partnership, Downtown Cleveland Alliance and Cuyahoga County Next Generation Council sponsored a Cleveland Development Discussion at Pickwick and Frolic. The happy hour event was loosely framed…
Billy Joel proves he’s still the entertainer
Mid-way through last night’s two-hour concert at Quicken Loans Arena, singer-pianist Billy Joel made a passing reference to a time in the ’90s when a record exec told him he had to “stay on the charts” if he wanted to sustain a career. “I guess I don’t know anything,” Joel said with a laugh in…
Northeast Ohio Media Group Knows It Has a Typo Problem
Northeast Ohio Media Group Vice President of Content Chris Quinn knows that Cleveland.com is littered with typos. That’s probably what you can expect when you impose quotas on your Northeast Ohio Media Group writers, ask them to publish their reports without a second set of eyeballs seeing it first, and get rid of all the…
One Night in Amish Country: A Butter-Churned Journey into the Heartland for the Most Exclusive Dinner in Northeast Ohio
We’re rolling along a rural road in eastern Ohio now and the iPhone’s GPS is going haywire. The blue dot jumps wildly to and fro, popping up on empty lots, eventually careening back on track just in time to send us past our destination. Roadside horses appear to snicker at our navigation troubles. Clearly we’re…
Connect ‘Em All: The Native Clevelander Charged with Making Longstanding Downtown Dreams Come to Life
Jeremy Paris moved back to Cleveland in 2012 after eight years working in the Senate in Washington D.C. to take part in that ethereal revitalization of Cleveland we all seem to feel. He eventually landed the role of executive director of the Group Plan Commission — the body that intersects work between the county, city…
Hang Time: Singer-Songwriter Richard Marx Talks About Writing with Ringo and Playing Acoustic
Richard Marx loves a great hang. Especially when it happens to be with a former Beatle, which is an experience that he acknowledges is pretty cool. He’s been lucky enough to have the chance to write songs with Ringo Starr a few times now, and he still marvels at the fact that he can call…
Your Complete Guide to Cleveland Concerts (April 3 – 9)
thu 04/03 Gomez Addams/Root Bottle/Dead Buckeye Six: 8:30 p.m., $5. Grog Shop. Atlantic Thrills/Teen Vomit/Swirly in the Fryer: 9 p.m., $5. Now That’s Class. Bad Boys Jam: 9 p.m. Brothers Lounge. Hathaway Brown Musical Showcase: 7:30 p.m., $5. Nighttown. Chris Hatton (in the Wine Bar): 8 p.m. Brothers Lounge. Neck Deep/Knuckle Puck/Light Years: 7 p.m.,…
Meat 2.0: The Return of the Friendly Neighborhood Butcher Shop
Back in November, Melissa Khoury walked away from her job as executive chef of Washington Place Bistro to open Saucisson, a boutique butchery offering fresh and cured meats, sausages and specialty products. Then in February, Adam Lambert left his post as executive chef at Bar Cento to launch the Meat & Curing Co., a retail…
Film Spotlight: Return to Nuke ‘Em High
When a producer at Starz Media asked Troma Films founder Lloyd Kaufman to remake his 1986 cult classic Class of Nuke ‘Em High, a film about a monster that terrorizes a New Jersey high school, Kaufman readily agreed and produced not one but two volumes. He’ll present Return to Nuke ‘Em High Volume 1 at…
Give Filipino Cuisine a Try at Mely’s Kainan
There is no shortage of possibilities for Clevelanders who enjoy Asian cuisine. If you’re among that crowd, you’ve likely sampled your fair share of local Chinese, Japanese, Indian and Thai restaurants. But despite a flourishing Filipino community in Greater Cleveland, Filipino restaurants are much harder to come by. Yet Filipino food is certainly worth a…
Band of the Week: The Joe Hunter Trio
Meet the band: Joe Hunter (piano), Glenn Davis (drums), Demetrius Steinmetz (bass). The piano man: A Cleveland native, Joe Hunter started playing professionally in the late ’70s. “I grew up in a house where there was a lot of good music and a lot of jazz,” he says. “I went to Cleveland Heights High, which…
Also on Stage
Lobster Alice You may have a hard time You may have a hard time imagining Walt Disney being involved with the wacky and inspired creations of surrealist artist Salvador Dali. Yet they did join forces, back in the 1940s, and that odd but real partnership is the subject of the thoroughly entertaining and endearingly bizarre…
Disabled Opportunities: Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities is Supposed to get People Back on their Feet. Too Often Instead, it Swipes their Legs Out from Under Them
>Illustrated by both personal anecdotes and federal reports, Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD) just can’t seem to wriggle free from its own bureaucratic mess. More importantly, though, some of the very people meant to benefit from the state agency’s services can’t escape its harmful grip. Cleveland resident Bob Russo says he was put through…
Film Review of the Week- Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Buckle your seatbelts, Clevelanders, and prepare to witness superheroes fighting all over the downtown avenues you know and love. Captain America: The Winter Soldier opens Friday and should, with little trouble, be the first real mega-blockbuster of the year. We predict you’ll want to see it at least once. In this latest Marvel episode —…
Race to the Bottom: Racial Tensions in a Continually Changing Neighborhood Feed the Fires, and Laughs, in Clybourne Park
It’s always fascinating when one or more characters from a famous play show up in another play, such as the witches from The Wizard of Oz who are deftly repackaged in Wicked. And that’s what happens in Clybourne Park, now at the Cleveland Play House. In this thought-provoking construction authored by Bruce Norris, a pivotal…
Regional Beat: Austin Walkin’ Cane
One Heart Walkin’ (Self-released) walkincane.com A husky-voiced singer-guitar- ist who’s been kicking around town for years, Austin Walkin’ Cane is a true treasure. The guy is already revered as a blues guitarist, and this new disc shows the extent to which he’s honed his songwriting chops. He teams up with local singer-songwriter Chris Allen, who…
Now Hear This: Not For Nothing…
The new Cloud Nothings album is the talk of the town this week – and not for nothing. The energy on Here and Nowhere Else is relentless, beginning with opener “Now Hear In.” It’s a tune that guitarist Dylan Baldi says came from scratching a mean riff across a friend’s old classical acoustic guitar. The…
Spin Tax: With an Organized Opposition Raising Questions, the Sin Tax Debate Heats Up
Despite the best efforts of the City Club to frame its Tuesday forum on the sin tax as “a conversation,” temperatures and voices rose as the pro- and anti- Issue 7 factions traded jabs in a spirited debate. The forum capped a week of activity in the contentious Issue 7 campaigning. Both sides are now…
The Punk Singer: The Julie Ruin’s Kathleen Hanna Reflects on her Notorious Past as the Original Riot Grrrl
Back in the ’90s with Bikini Kill, Kathleen Hanna spearheaded the movement that would later be called riot grrrl, and simultaneously put out some great tunes. In the 2000s, Hanna formed the electro-pop band Le Tigre and reinvented herself. Now, she’s back with the Julie Ruin (alongside former Bikini Kill bassist Kathi Wilcox) and the group…
Metal for the Masses: Quiet Riot Drummer Talks about the Band’s Crossover Success and What it’s Been Like Carrying on with a Replacement Singer
Metal health’ll drive you mad. That’s what we learned from Quiet Riot in the early ’80s on the title track to their smash LP Metal Health. Believe it or not, that’s not a bad thing. Metal Health was the 1983 North American debut album for the Los Angeles-based hard rock group, and it would become the…
Bruce Drennan Reacts to the Dumbest Sports Caller Question of All Time
Q: What do you think the chances are of the Indians getting Derek Jeter?A: Meltdown, followed by a breaststroke, for some reason. Whether it was an April Fool’s Day prank or the genuine question of a lobotomized fan, we love you Bruce. (H/T to SI)
