UPDATE: Avon’s Al “Bubba” Baker Will Appear on ABC’s Shark Tank This Friday
Al “Bubba” Baker won the support of two backers on ABC’s “Shark Tank” Friday night. Baker made a deal with shark Daymond John, founder of the FUBU clothing line. According to Cleveland.com, in exchange for $300,000, John gets a 30 percent stake in Baker’s food company, Queen Ann Inc., and an agreement to license Baker’s patented…
Restaurant in Ashtabula Names Burger After Brandon Weeden
Don’t be alarmed by the headline folks. Briquettes Smokehouse in Ashtabula, Ohio, is operated largely by Browns’ fans, so it’s not like they’ve named a menu item after dismal Browns’ QB Brandon Weeden out of anything like respect. Just the opposite. Via the Briquettes Facebook page, here’s what the “Weeden Burger,” next Sunday’s special, will…
Glazen Partners with Local Brewer to Bring Brewery to Waterloo
As part of Project Light Switch, Alan Glazen and his team have acquired multiple properties in North Collinwood’s Waterloo District with the goal of simultaneously opening a critical mass of new bars and restaurants. Those properties include the Harbour Pub, Key Bank building, Chloe’s Kitchen Diner and the Slovenian Workman’s Home, which Glazen and partners…
Federal Lawsuit Shows How A Cleveland Strip Club Fleeces Money From Its Dancers
The management of Christie’s Cabaret in Cleveland is fleecing money from its dancers, a new lawsuit alleges. Read the full complaint at the bottom of this post. A dancer at a local Cleveland strip club is taking her employer to court with allegations that management is fleecing hard-earned money from its dancers through a series…
E. 185th Street to Welcome New Gastropub
The E. 185th Street neighborhood has been ripe for the picking when it comes to an exciting new restaurant project. The popular Bistro 185 and Grovewood Tavern have been holding strong for seven and 15 years respectively, but other than that the local dining scene is decidedly unadventurous. Thanks to restaurant owners Matt Quinn and…
Cleveland Hopkins Airport Buys Out Private Parking Lots And Raises Parking Rates on Two Existing Lots
VIA FLICKR USER SKABAT169 The more frustrating larger of Northeast Ohio’s two major airports has garnered several parking-related headlines in the past month. And much like when Cleveland Hopkins Airport knocked down one of its parking garages to the chagrin of frequent fliers, the latest bout in its parking lot overhaul is causing changes for…
Update: You Could Spend Christmas in Cleveland’s Own “A Christmas Story” House
Folks, the bidding’s hot on the online auction for a two-night Christmas stay in Cleveland’s own A Christmas Story House. So far, 29 offers have been made, ranging from $1.03 to $3051.69, and the bids will likely continue to rise. “It has ranged between $3,000 and $5,000 in the past,” Steve Siedlecki, A Christmas Story’s…
Lady Gaga coming to Quicken Loans Arena in May
Ubiquitous ever since the release of her new album Artpop, which debuted to rather lackluster sales, Lady Gaga has just announced the dates for her artRave: The ARTPOP Ball tour. After performing seven shows at Roseland in New York before it closes in early April, Gaga begins her tour on May 4 in Ft. Lauderdale…
Ohioans Are Really Effin Sweary
Via the Atlantic, a new study shows that Ohioans are more likely to swear than residents of any other state in the Union. Researchers analyzed 12 months’ worth of recorded phone calls with assorted customer service reps. Following Ohio in the Swear Rankings were Maryland, New Jersey, Louisiana and Illinois. Louisiana, oddly enough, turns up…
Video Offers First Look Inside New Jack Flaps Breakfast Shoppe
For folks interested in getting an early glimpse of Jack Flaps Urban Breakfast Shoppe (3900 Lorain Ave.), the 40-seat breakfast and lunch café opening this month in the former Palookaville Chili spot, owners Eric Williams and Randy Carter have released a trailer of sorts. Check it out here.
Watch This Christmas Musical Medley by a Very Angry Browns Fan
Youtuber AngryBrownsFan uploaded the latest Cleveland Browns parody to the video sharing site yesterday. As far as Browns Christmas medleys go, it’s not too shabby. We’ll admit we were chuckling around 1:19 for the Release Greg Little ditty, sung to the tune of Feliz Navidad. Check it out, here:
Cleveland Indians to Shut Down Three Team Shop Outlets
The Cleveland Indians confirmed they will close the doors of three of their four remaining team stores after the holiday shopping season. With the increase of online sales, in-store profits have sunk to an all time low, prompting the team to retire its retail spaces in Fairview Park, North Canton, and Strongsville as of Jan.…
15 Hideously Tacky Holiday Sweaters We Hope to See This Season
‘Tis the season to break out your favorite wardrobe staple – the ugly holiday sweater. Cozy, festive, and a conversation starter, it’s no wonder that the ugly sweater has become a widespread and beloved tradition. If you’re looking for an update, or don’t yet have one (gasp), here are fifteen of the most fabulously awful…
Warming Up Your Car is Illegal in Ohio
Warming up your car is illegal in Ohio. via the Ohio Revised Code, In other words, anyone who leaves a running vehicle unattended, even if he or she is just stepping away while it warms up, can be charged with a misdemeanor and a $150 fine for omitting to stop the engine, lock the ignition,…
Cleveland Episode of Bizarre Foods America Premieres Tonight
It’s been a few months since Andrew Zimmern and his crew spent time in Cleveland filming for an upcoming episode of the show Bizarre Foods America, but tonight is the Big Night. The Cleveland episode — titled “Pighead and Perch” — airs for the first time tonight at 9 p.m. on the Travel Channel. While…
You Can Buy One of Jesse Owens’ 1936 Gold Medals
One of the four gold medals that Jesse Owens won in the 1936 Berlin is now on sale at an auction house in California. Owens shattered Hitler’s myths of Aryan supremacy at a time when segregation and discrimination was still rampant in the USA. His feat remains, to this day, one of the greatest individual…
Brimfield’s Police Chief is a Facebook Sensation: UPDATE
As 19 Action News reports, Police Chief David Oliver is busy these days signing copies of his new book, No Mopes Allowed. The tome chronicles his lively Facebook postings, which garnered him local fame. The book was released Oct. 18. ***Originally posted June 18 Ne’er-do-wells wreaking havoc in sleepy Brimfield Township – near Akron and…
Showcase Your Artwork at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport
Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons Hey all you talented Cleveland artists, here’s your chance to showcase your work in front of hundreds of thousands of passersby at one of the region’s busiest airports. The Temporary Art Exhibition Program at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport is currently seeking two-dimensional abstract works by local artist to feature in…
On Cleveland.com, News Takes Back Seat To Browns And Buckeyes
There may not be as much news reported by our city’s newspaper as there used to be, but there sure are a hell of a lot of sports stories posted on its website. If you want to see what’s going on in the city and decide to click over to cleveland.com, well, tough shit, nothing’s…
Watch A Guy Plunge Into Lake Erie On Thanksgiving Morning
Turkey, family, football and walking barefoot through the snowy beaches of Lake Erie for a quick plunge into dirty near-freezing water: these are the things that make Thanksgiving great. A Youtube user just uploaded this video from Cleveland of a man walking confidently out into Lake Erie wearing only shorts and a t-shirt before taking…
Cavs are Shopping Dion Waiters
In case you missed the news yesterday, via ESPN, the Cavs are shopping shooting guard Dion Waiters. Sources say they’ve already spoken with the Bulls (targeting Luol Deng) the Knicks (targeting Iman Shumpert) and others. The ESPN story also said that it was Waiters and Tristan Thompson — not Kyrie Irving, as previously reported —…
Joan Jett & the Blackhearts to Play at the Hard Rock Rocksino Opening
Cleveland is about to get another concert venue. When the Hard Rock Rocksino in Northfield opens on Dec. 18, it will feature a stage that will play host to rock bands and comedians. Live Nation will assist the facility in bringing in national acts. As part of the grand opening celebration, Joan Jett & the…
Come Together: Papadosio Returns to Cleveland
Music is a power unlike any other. Forms of artistic expression, as varied as the moments in a day, bear with them an ability to change society and to change the way we think as one. The guys in Papadosio – Ohio natives via the creative playground of Athens and Ohio University – would say…
Wild Turkey Ambles by Streetsboro Storefronts Dangerously Close to Thanksgiving
A lone gobbler was spotted meandering through a northeast Ohio town earlier this month, strutting his stuff, with little to no care that he and his brothers would soon find themselves plucked, brined, and browned on dinner tables across the region. Streetsboro Police Lt. Troy Beaver responded to the sighting, near the city’s Walgreens on…
15 Things Going on in Cleveland Over Thanksgiving Weekend
As you gather ’round the table this holiday weekend, Cleveland, raise a glass to the things you’re thankful for, like Christmas Ale, a new Browns quarterback, and more Christmas Ale. Also deserving honorable mention, perhaps, is the plethora of events in our vibrant city; the concerts, festivals, exhibitions, and tastings that keep Cleveland entertained week…
‘A Very Chagrin Falls Thanksgiving’: Cartoonist Nails Holiday History
Just wanted to point everyone in the general direction of this latest Tom the Dancing Bug comic strip. It’s funny because cartoonist Ruben Bolling hits on the more important and historical aspects of tomorrow’s traditions and, because we’re a local rag, it’s got Chagrin Falls in the title LOL. “A Very Chagrin Falls Thanksgiving” is…
Band of the Week: The Speedbumps
Meet the Band: Erik Urycki (vocals, guitar), Sam Kristoff (cello), Patrick Hawkins (percussion), Kevin Martinez (upright bass), Abby Kondas (backup vocals) In the Beginning: Though the folk-rock band first came together in 2007, singer-guitarist Erik Urycki had been busking with cellist Sam Kristoff prior to that. When the two met drummer Patrick Hawkins, the group…
Wisdom of the Aged: Barrel-Aged Craft Cocktails Are the New Craft Cocktail
Like those requisite stick figure magnets on the back of every minivan, barrel-aged cocktails have become so common, so fast, that it’s difficult to remember a time when they weren’t around. Today, there are upwards of 30 bars and restaurants with barrel-aging programs in Cleveland. Prior to this year, you could count the number on…
Party Like It’s 1933: Repeal Day is Here
When enforcement of Prohibition began on Jan. 17, 1920, the golden age of American mixology effectively was put on the rocks. “One of the only good cocktails to come out of the United States during Prohibition was the Last Word,” says Joseph Fredrickson, beverage director at Society Lounge. Created in 1920 by a vaudeville actor…
Louisiana Slow and Delicious: Battiste Dupree Cajun Grill Might Not be Faster than Going to New Orleans, but it’s Cheaper and Just as Good
To say that Battiste & Dupree Cajun Grill in South Euclid is slow is like saying the universe is expanding: it’s just a fact of life. Fans of this quirky little restaurant in an overlooked strip center have come to expect glacial service from chef and owner Junior Battiste, who operates at a speed unto…
Rising Star Chef: Jared Bergen of Flour
Jared Bergen typically finds comfort in the kitchen, but a little anxiety bubbled up as he closed in on the position of chef de cuisine at Flour Restaurant in Moreland Hills. Bergen impressed his prospective bosses in a round of interviews earlier this fall, but the final step required him to prepare a five-course feast…
Melody Makers: After 30 Years, NOFX is Still Going Strong
Even though it took place 30 years ago, NOFX singer-bassist Fat Mike clearly remembers the punk band’s first practice. “It’s funny,” he says via phone from San Francisco. “I remember thinking our guitar player should really buy a guitar amp. I didn’t know anyone in the band. They just called me because they heard I…
Hot Stuff: 98 Degrees Singer Brings Strip Show to Barley House
Stepping into teen idol territory as an artist, you’re already setting yourself up for a fair amount of potential ridicule from the critics. But let’s just suppose that you fall into the “boy band” category — now you’re pretty much critically marked for death, which was exactly the scenario that 98 Degrees found themselves in…
Your Complete Guide to Cleveland Concerts (November 28- December 4)
THURSDAY NOV 28 Vicki Chew/Brent Kirby: 8:30 p.m. Barking Spider Tavern. Jam Night with Tower City Blues: 8:30 p.m. Grillers Pub. The Kickdrums/Thunder St. Clair/Smoke Screen/Atari Jones: 9 p.m., $10. Grog Shop. Ms Ross Reunion Concert & Talent Showcase with Kinsman Dazz Band/Scott & Raven/Sherena Wynn/Joe Little: 7 p.m., $15 ADV, $20 DOS. Agora Ballroom.…
Body Swap: A Young Woman and an Old Fart Exchange Skin Sacks in Prelude to a Kiss at Ensemble Theatre
Most of us, at one time or another, would like to inhabit a different body. It’s really kind of a bore having to navigate the world in the same bundle of skin and bones you were born with. Of course, countless playwrights have dipped into that well of human dissatisfaction with the status quo. Shakespeare…
Savage Love: Depressing
Dear Dan — I recently ended a relationship that lasted a year and five months. While I loved this woman, for much of the relationship she was, to varying degrees, depressed. I tried to be as helpful and patient as possible with the hope and expectation that she would get better. I got her into…
Regional Beat: Seafair
Photographs (self-released) facebook.com/seafairtheband Seafair expanded to a four-piece when singer-keyboardist Chayla Hope and guitarist Joshua Riehl recruited drummer Ryan Kelly and cellist Tara Hanish, both of whom had played in the terrific local act Unsparing Sea, to join them. The group then became even bigger when it added guitarist Mike Flaherty and violinist Andre Belding…
The Fall of King Randy: How the (Former) Superintendent of Medina City Schools Slashed and Burned Through the District’s Trust and Money
Medina is a fine place to call home. For the quiet and conservative-minded, politically and otherwise, it’s an oasis. For people like Randolph Scott Stepp, it more accurately may be described as a kingdom. In all of Medina, and likely the county writ large, Stepp may now claim the title of Villain of the Year.…
Despite a Sobering Subject, Philomena is Humble, Warm, and Peppered with Humor
At the core of Stephen Frears’ marvelous new film lies an injustice — an injustice so harrowing, so egregious that mothers around the globe will likely issue a collective shudder during the movie’s first 15 minutes. Yet, despite its sobering subject, Philomena, which is based on true events, is humble, warm and peppered with humor.…
The Book Thief is a Bit Too Sentimental
A sentimental period piece set in Nazi Germany, The Book Thief is also perhaps a little too pretty and overly simplistic for a Holocaust film. And yet, it’s likely to be a big hit during the busy holiday release schedule, which picks up dramatically this week. Based on the popular book by Markus Zusak, this…
