Hudson’s Historic Reserve Inn to Re-Open as Gastropub
On April 28, the 53-year-old Hudson mainstay Reserve Inn closed its doors. And on Monday, June 11, Lager and Vine Gastropub and Wine Bar (30 W. Streetsboro St., 330-650-1717) will open in its place. Owner Cliff Cravens, along with his wife Katie, have spent the last month completely gutting and rebuilding the dated restaurant, which…
Watch an Exclusive Video of the Red Hot Chili Peppers Rocking Out for Obama
Remember when the Red Hot Chili Peppers played a special show at House of Blues for President Obama supporters back in April? Well, we have an exclusive video put together by the Obama campaign documenting the event. It runs about three minutes and much of it has to do with people talking about the show.…
Woman Steals Shirts From Lakewood Store, Found Later by Police Next Door Wearing One of the Shirts
Renee Lavelle was in the final wind-up to her entrepreneurial dreams when things took a turn for the weird. For the last three years, the former bartender has been crafting handmade clothing under her Thirstee label — rhinestones-studded T-shirts and clothing meant to catch the eye. After scratching around with mostly online orders, Lavelle got…
The Beat Goes on at The Harp, For Now
More than 50 people packed the hearing room of the Cleveland Board of Zoning Appeals on Monday morning, an unusually large turnout for the board’s meetings. The draw? Debate on the popular Irish bar and restaurant, the Harp, which sought a variance to present live music — something it’s been doing since it opened 13…
The Quality of Cleveland Life Report
Your guide to living in fabulous Cleveland. One and a Half Jobs: After sister paper cuts back to publishing three days a week, Plain Dealer staffers worry similar fate awaits in Cleveland. Michael McIntyre surprised when a caller to “The Sound of Ideas” informs him that’s not already the case. No, The Other Sheen: Martin…
More Casino Employee Complaints
Last week we told you how employees at Dan Gilbert’s emporium of Three-card Monty were heading for the doors in waves for a variety of reasons — pay, tips, schedules, culture shock, etc. Folks weighed in on both sides, some backing up the claim that Horseshoe management isn’t helping their cause to retain the some…
Great Food Truck Race to Roll thru Cleveland
The rumors are true: The Food Network’s “Great Food Truck Race” is rolling into Cleveland, say those with inside information. The show, which follows various food trucks as they compete in a cross-country elimination battle, will hit Cleveland this weekend. Now down to three trucks, the competition will likely appear at one or more large…
Rock Hall Announces Free Summer in the City Series
Cloud Nothings: We like them The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum has announced its free Summer in the City concert series. And while it’s not quite as awesome as last year’s lineup —the Joy Formidable! Das Racist!— it’s still pretty damn great. Best of all, the headliners’ supporting acts all hail from…
Toilet Terrorists Strike Ravenna (Updated)
It’s possible they were just trying to get the thing airborne. Update: As if the driveway bombing done by unknown “terrorists” could be any more dramatic, Davis now says he will not remove the portable toilet from his suburban driveway until those responsible cave or are arrested. But neighbors aren’t exactly keen on seeing to…
Ohio High School Runner Carries Competitor to Finish Line
Not one heartwarming running story involving kids this week, but two? Ohio is home to all sorts of sportsmanship and goodwill. Meghan Vogel was in last place in the 3,200 meter race at the Ohio Division III girls state meet in Columbus. She’d earlier knocked out a personal best in the 1,600 meters, but her…
Early Morning Mowing Can Be Serious Business in the Suburbs
The battle lines of suburbia are demarcated by white picket fences, the battleground itself littered with landmines of leaves, grass, porches, and other ticking bombs set to square off neighbor against neighbor. Hey, asshole, why don’t you try painting your shutters so our property values don’t go down? And really, a bonfire on a Monday…
Horseshoe Casino Putting a Slight but Expected Dent in Competition
This guy just wants to play. Not that this should surprise anyone, but the opening of the Horseshoe Casino looks like it’s actually taken a bite out of the slot business in neighboring states. Not a drastic amount of money, but still a couple million dollars, which kind of dresses down the industry’s longtime contention…
Concert Review: Queen Extravaganza at House of Blues
Queen is a band I’ve loved for nearly half my life. They laughingly tower over superlatives. They are everything I ever wanted from a band and more. With the most charismatic and vocally gifted singer to ever grace the Earth in Freddie Mercury, listening to Queen was listening to the heights of creativity and the…
Columbus Boy With Cerebral Palsy Runs Race, Warms Hearts
Meet Matt, a fifth-grader at Colonial Hills Elementary School near Columbus. Matt has Spastic Cerebral Palsy, which basically means his muscles are in constant rebellion against his mind. The video below is of the fourth race during field day at his school. Matt ran even though he didn’t have to, because screw it — he…
Market Square Park Reopening Celebrates West Side Market Centennial
Mayor Jackson cuts the ribbon at the restored Market Square Park Saturday evening, the mayor and other dignitaries officially reopened the redesigned and rehabbed Market Square Park at West 25th and Lorain. The celebration also marked the kickoff of a summer’s worth of festivities honoring the 100th anniversary of the West Side Market across the…
Pic of the Day: West Side Market Centennial Celebration Kicks Off
A snapshot from Saturday’s festivities to kick off the West Side Market’s centennial celebration. LT Magnotto
Brian Okin Takes Over as Executive Chef of Luxe Kitchen
Four-year-old Luxe Kitchen & Lounge (6605 Detroit Ave., 216-920-0600) has new leadership in the kitchen. Chef Brian Okin has been hired as executive chef. Founder of Dinner in the Dark, he most recently he worked at Fountain and his own eatery Verve. Okin, who started this week, says that he and owner Melissa Cole have…
A Peek at the New MOCA
MOCA Under Construction Construction is right on schedule at the new MOCA (Museum of Contemporary Art) project in University Circle. Situated like the hub of a wheel at the intersection of Mayfield Road and Euclid Avenue, the ultra-contemporary structure is an easy stroll from Little Italy, Wade Oval, CWRU, University Hospitals and the new Uptown…
Got Books?
Justyna Walker Book clubs are so…passé. At least in Cleveland now, thanks to a trio of young professionals who have started the Booker T. Cleveland Society of the Learned. Fashioned after the Book Club, a Paris literary salon event that has become the place for 20- and 30- somethings to be seen in the City…
Fat? Don’t Blame McDonald’s
Chef Dan Coudreaut In case you’ve been losing sleep over fears that the your Quarter Pounders and Big Macs could be swept away in the wake of the obesity epidemic, rest easy. Chef Dan Coudreaut — senior director of culinary innovation for McDonald’s USA and the man the Chicago Tribune called “the most powerful chef…
Egging Suspect: “Payback is a B*tch”
Egging is a time-honored youth tradition of retaliation and hijinks, and let’s be honest, the kind of satisfying juvenile act more than a few adults have probably day-dreamed about more often than they’d be comfortable admitting. Two Stow teens indulged in a little egg-tossing recently, as Patch reports, but they’re efforts were stymied by a…
The Dwarf from Star Wars Episode II Says Matthew Fox “Beats Woman,” As Clevelanders Know
In internet speak, they call this a “bro-down.” . . . Or was he the centaur from Lord of the Rings? We’re a little shaky on the details. Anyway, Dominic Monaghan, one of the actors having all that weird gnome sex on Dr. Who, also spent a good long stretch in TV land on Lost,…
Police Blotter Item of the Day
In our weekly tour through the local police blotters, some stand out more than others. Sometimes it’s for the weird nature of the crime, sometimes it’s for the odd facts reporters include in the story. Which brings us to North Olmsted and a man who reportedly slung out his junk in front of a 16-year-old…
Queen Bitch
At the very least, Snow White and the Huntsman — the second movie of 2012 to revisit the classic fairy tale — will wash out the bad taste left by Mirror Mirror earlier this year. This one has some balls. Kristen Stewart plays the teenage princess, who escapes her castle prison for the Dark Forest,…
The Mortician and the Beast
Bernie, Dazed and Confused director Richard Linklater’s latest movie, is a half-fiction, half-documentary true story about an effeminate mortician in a tiny conservative Texas town who takes up with a wealthy and unlikable octogenarian and shoots her in the back, only to find the entire town rallying to his defense. Even more bizarre, the funeral…
Craving Your New Scene? So Are We …
Hang tight. We’re coming! In light of the Memorial Day holiday, Scene went to press on Wednesday night this week — one day later than usual. That’s why your favorite Scene box has greeted you with an empty stare today. If all goes well, the delivery fairy should have this week’s jumbo-sized Guide to Summer…
The President From The West Wing is a Sherrod Brown Supporter
“I would absolutely put Sherrod Brown in my imaginary Cabinet.” For a politician facing the re-election grind, nothing beats having the President of the United States scuffing the campaign trail at your side. A close second might be if the fictional President of the United States from a Emmy-award wining television show presses palms for…
Battles Cancel This Weekend’s Show at the Grog Shop
Battles, the NYC crew that mixes indie rock with electro dance-punk plus a whole mess of other experimental sounds, just canceled their show at the Grog Shop on Sunday. Apparently there’s a family emergency with one of the group members. But hold on to your tickets. The show is in the process of being rescheduled.…
New State Legislation Seeks to Clarify Meth Clean-up
In early May we offered a peek at the Akron Police Department’s standout efforts to crack down on methamphetamine production. The takeaway was that meth isn’t a local problem, but a statewide woe that most municipalities barely try to keep a handle on. Now a few state senators are trying to refocus attention on meth…
Lots of People Already Quitting Their Jobs at Cleveland Casino
The Horseshoe Casino’s first days in business were bound to include a few kinks here and there. Would Mike Trivisonno’s poker table require delivery of fried chicken? Would he fetch his own? But word inside Dan Gilbert’s palace is that the house is dealing with more than a few hiccups in its opening weeks —…
The Quality of Cleveland Life Report
Your guide to living in fabulous Cleveland. Operation: Happy Bridge: Construction begins on downtown’s Lorain-Carnegie Bridge to make it more friendly to pedestrians and cyclists. Phase 2 of the project involves carving smiles onto the sandstone Guardians of Traffic. Rapidly Decaying: RTA plans to begin $14 million in repairs to its rapid-transit Red Line by…
Funny, Frothy, Bloody & Bold
There was a time when the concept of “summer theater” brought to mind inoffensive little musicals and plenty of Shakespeare in the open air. And while the latter part of that formula is still happily in evidence across Northeast Ohio, some of the mindless musical froth has given way to some invigorating and even off-color…
Concert Calendar
Lady Antebellum Is there a hotter country band these days than Lady Antebellum? The Nashville trio collected a truckload of awards (Grammys, CMAs, etc.) for 2010’s mega-popular Need You Now. Last year’s Own the Night, their third album, easily debuted at No. 1. It’s easy to see why people love them: Charles Kelly, Hillary Scott,…
Decked Out and Delightful
Time was, eating alfresco meant brown-bagging it to the neighborhood green. Those days are long behind us, thanks to a bountiful crop of restaurant patios that seems to expand by the year. Here are some of our favorite places to eat, drink, meet, and repeat. ALFRESCO BARS A new operator at an old location gives…
Drinking Made Breezy
Now that the sun has graced us with its presence, it’s time to put away the sweaters and the heavy, soul-warming winter drinks in exchange for shorts and refreshing beverages that go well with muggy Cleveland afternoons. Yes, most anything works — that can of PBR at the bottom of the fridge, the timeless classic…
Embrace Your Lake
As hard as it can be to fathom, that big blue expanse to our north is good for a lot more than staring at through the office or condo window. Our region’s most amazing asset, Lake Erie is too inviting for just a random fish charter when out-of-town guests arrive, visits to waterfront bars forever…
It’s Festival Time!
JUNE WEST SIDE MARKET CENTENNIAL KICKOFF June 2 (Rain Date June 23) 1979 West 25th St. 216-664-3387, westsidemarket.org/centennial The West Side Market has been a part of Cleveland culture for 100 years — and it doesn’t look a day over 70. Come celebrate this momentous milestone starting at 6 p.m. The multi-cultural celebration will feature…
You Know You Want It
You probably didn’t give them a thought all winter — but now that the weather’s warming up, you’ll find yourself craving uniquely summer treats of all kinds. These days, summer grub offers a seesawing tension between the super-healthy and the wildly indulgent. Remember: A balanced life requires some of each. And tomorrow’s a great day…
10 Reasons to Stay Inside
Summer’s the time when movie studios unleash their big boys — the multiplex-shaking behemoths that will make tons of money for a week or two and then mostly be forgotten by the time year-end best-of awards are handed out. As usual, there’s lots of superheroes and shit blowing up on this summer’s schedule. We can’t…
Get the Hell Outta Town
You, as a reader of a fine Northeast Ohio publication, are gifted with calling the world’s finest port of call home. But that doesn’t mean you don’t need a break from the bucolic life you’ve built here every now and again. But who would want to go to Florida, what with its bugs and rich…
Escape the Rays & Press Play
Yes, all the best movie action of the summer is happening at the multiplex. But on stifling hot days, who has the energy to put on pants? There are plenty of wonderful summer movies you can watch from the comfort of your couch, with virtually zero concern for sunburn and related cancers. If there are…
Earth to Kitchen
By now, many of us have seen more than our fair share of ramps. Asparagus may or may not be overstaying its welcome. And strawberries — well, can you ever truly get enough ripe, sweet, in-season strawberries? Such is the beauty of eating with the seasons: Just as we begin to grow bored of one…
Film Capsules
In the 10 years since the last Men in Black movie, Tommy Lee Jones has played everyone from a wizened small-town sheriff to a downsized white-collar worker, so policing aliens really isn’t his thing these days. So most of the heavy lifting this time around lands on the sturdy shoulders of Josh Brolin as a…
Summer Guide 2012
— Get the Hell Outta Town. For a day or two anyway. Here’s some top ways to escape — Time to dig in to the flavors of summer — It’s Festival Time! Kick back and take in the wonders of the celebration season — Erie’s good for way more than fish. Here’s some ways to…
We Get Mail
Green With Prejudice I will support the call to end Wahoo’s reign as Chief of the Tribe as soon as you rail against that pugilistic leprechaun in South Bend [“The Curse of Chief Wahoo,” April 25]. Sure’n Notre Dame’s usage of such a wee animated caricature is offensive to many Irish Catholics in America. As…
Culture Jamming
TOP PICK Paul and Linda McCartney: Ram: Special Edition (MPL/Concord) McCartney’s second post-Beatles album, from 1971, gets the deluxe reissue treatment with several expanded versions. At the core of each is the original record — remastered to pull out all the little studio tricks going on in the corners of songs like the hit “Uncle…
Live Aid
We checked around, and now we’ve got genuine facts to back it up: Concerts are four times better in the summer. Maybe it has something to do with the sun and the outside venues, or maybe because it’s the time of year when the biggest and best artists hit the road. Or maybe it’s because…
Selective Reality
On the evening of Friday, May 18, painter Randall Tiedman was awarded Best in Show at Ashland University’s juried exhibition Time Will Tell. The artist did not accept the award in person, however; at the time he was accepting Best in Show at Lakeland Community College’s May Show. But for Tiedman, it’s the art, not…
CD Review: Regina Spektor
The foundations don’t change much on Regina Spektor’s sixth album: A graceful mix of classical flourishes woven within familiar pop contexts runs throughout What We Saw From the Cheap Seats, with instrumental textures adding depth to the Moscow native’s vocals and piano playing. But don’t tune out just yet. The opening “Small Town Moon” reveals…
On View This Week
Loren Naji Studio and Gallery: Celebrate Cleveland. Photographer Victoria Miller and graphic artist Rick Novario exhibit digitally altered views of our industrial city along with works by Michael Nekic. Also: Beautiful Possibility. Currently artist-in-residence at Spaces, Alison Pebworth brings her cross-country tour to Cleveland, with interactive exhibits that explore what it means to be an…
CD Review: Sigur Rós
The thrill isn’t exactly gone with Sigur Rós, but a dozen years after their breakthrough U.S. LP, Ágætis Byrjun, the breathtaking elegance of their music has sorta worn off. The celestial Icelandic band — best known for sculpting dreamy aural landscapes and occasionally making up its own language — is still one of the world’s…
At the Arthouse
Wings The Cinematheque takes its “100 Years of Paramount Pictures” series to the Capitol Theatre for this big-screen showing of the 1927 silent movie that won the first Best Picture Oscar ever awarded. It’s truly an old-school epic, with two guys, one girl, a world-encompassing war, and some of the best aerial sequences ever filmed.…
Savage Love
Dear Dan: I’m a straight male from Southern California, and I really want to be a straight male escort. The problem is the industry is shrouded with deceptive “agencies” that take advantage of the situation. Also, it’s not like there’s a Male Escort 101 course that I can take to learn how to avoid these…
The Tastiest Jam
This year’s fourth annual Chef Jam will go down at 7 p.m. Sunday, June 10, at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. The combo of great food, live music, and the unique venue make this one of the most anticipated food events of the year — as sellout crowds at each of…
Please Hold
Two men wrongfully imprisoned 13 years for a murder they didn’t commit are now poised to take on the state over payback for their time on the shelf. But delays in the prosecution of another man connected to the crime is holding up their hopes of a payout from the state. In 1998, Tom Siller…
A Slow Rise
I felt sorry for the folks waiting in line for a table at Bonbon Café. But mostly I felt sorry for myself. It was approaching 1 p.m. on Saturday, and I still hadn’t eaten breakfast. Add the time we spent waiting in line to the 30 minutes we spent waiting for our food, and you…
CD Review: Scissor Sisters
Four albums in, N.Y.C. disco brats Scissor Sisters have settled into a groove. It’s a good groove, no doubt, but it’s a groove nonetheless, and one that keeps them spinning in a single direction that’s starting to feel like a musical prison. Once again mixing Eurodisco, electro-pop, glam rock, and ’70s radio pop, Jake Shears…
Cheap Eats
Dave Southerington had been a substitute teacher in suburban Cleveland in recent years, but as more and more schools announced layoffs, and more and more levies went down in flames, he did the only logical thing: He bought an old painting truck and turned it into a mobile cupcake shop. “I came up with the…
Meet the First Guy to Ban Himself From Ohio’s Casinos
The advertisements for gambling addiction hotlines have been almost as ubiquitous as ads for the new Horseshoe Casino in the last two weeks, as have been the news stories about the dangers of a palace of blackjack and slots showing up in town for those that have a wee problem with throwing all their money…
