Bites: New Gatherings

Lakewood residents have been seeing activity inside the old
Bavarian Pastry Shop. At first blush, the goings-on appear
restaurant-related, with contented customers enjoying wine and freshly
prepared food in a storefront dining room. The major difference: These
guests cooked their own meal. For six years, Doug Zimmer and
Ruth Kostadinov ran Gatherings, a traditional catering company
that worked out of clients’ homes and rented kitchens. In April, the
pair decided to find a place of their own. In addition to supplying a
permanent workspace, Gatherings Kitchen (17004 Madison Ave.,
216.228.2285, gatheringskitchen.com) has allowed
the partners to launch the Friday Night Supper Club. The weekly
three-hour events start in the kitchen, where 12 students participate
in an immersive cooking class. When it’s time to eat, everybody breaks
bread at a large communal table. Leftovers and recipe sheets go home
with the guests. “Cooking-class students always take away more when
it’s a hands-on experience, as opposed to a demonstration-based one,”
explains Kostadinov. “We felt these suppers were a great way to combine
learning about food with a pleasant social get-together.” Kostadinov
says the informality of these classes allows guests to be as involved
as they care to be. May’s menu had students cleaning artichokes,
rolling gnocchi and frenching lamb racks. The dinners are held weekly
through fall. Cost is $50 per person. BYOB. Check the website for more
info.

In April, Brian Klopp shuttered his popular Brecksville
eatery 2182 Bistro and Wine Bar (8918 Brecksville Rd.,
440.717.9463), which he opened in August 2006. Last weekend, it
reopened under new ownership. Kevin Powers, a chef who most
recently worked at Tinkers Creek Road Tavern, is the bistro’s new
chef-owner, a move that immediately improves the bottom line. The name
has also become more efficient. “We are now just 2182,” explains
Powers. “The reason I dropped the “bistro and wine bar” is because I
didn’t want to limit myself to solely French food.” Besides some small
cosmetic changes, the biggest modifications were reserved for the menu.
Powers ditched the small-plate format in favor of a more traditional
approach. “We are a white-linen, fine-dining, course-style restaurant,”
he says. Diners can expect more seafood, steaks and pasta on the menu
— like cioppino, steak au poivre and Colorado lamb chops. Wine is
no longer sold at retail plus corkage, but Powers promises reasonable
prices. Wine tastings will begin soon.

dining@clevescene.com

This article appears in Jun 10-16, 2009.