Carpe Raci in Brecksville to Close, Brick & Vine to Open

Carpe Raci to in Brecksville to close, Brick and Vine to open. Credit: Courtesy photo

For the past 10 years or so, the red brick building at 8903 Brecksville Road in Brecksville has been home first to 750ml Wines and later Carpe Raci, an Italian restaurant that built upon the success of the wine bar while expanding its offerings.

On Saturday, July 19, Carpe Raci will close and new owners, Terry and Killian Fischer, will be taking over. Following a week of interior improvements and modifications, the property will reopen on Friday, July 25 as Brick & Vine.

Chef and GM Michael Flaherty, a familiar face at places such as EDWINS, Sérénité and Ushabu, will be making the transition from Carpe Raci, where he’s been for a year and a half, to Brick & Vine.

“[The Fischers] dined here before and we had met previously,” Flaherty says. “Then we got to know each other quite a bit more and they appreciated what had been built here over the past year.”

Guests who visit after July 25 will see a lightly renovated interior and a completely new menu, which Flaherty describes as New American with lots of Mediterranean touches.

“We’re not fine dining but what we’re putting out will be pretty awesome, along with the service, ambiance and wine list,” he says.

The menu offers something for everyone, with approachable starters like gazpacho, crab cakes and artichoke dip au gratin jumping to braised rabbit Valencia, duck confit and whole roasted branzino. In between there’s a fried chicken sandwich, burger and grilled ribeye.

Brick & Vine will continue the gluten-free approach of its predecessor while adding plenty of vegan and vegetarian options.

To start, Brick & Vine will be dinner only but the owners will launch lunch service in a couple weeks.

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