Herb ‘n Twine Sandwich Co. Days from Opening in Former Speak in Tongues Spot

It appears that one of the projects we’ve been following since last spring is nearing the finish line. Herb ‘n Twine Sandwich Co., located in the old Speak in Tongues space at 4309 Lorain Avenue, is on track to open before the end of the month.

Owner Brendon Messina, who last worked alongside chef Jill Vedaa at Rockefeller’s in Cleveland Heights, describes the shop as a casual quick-serve stop for local residents, commercial tenants, and anybody else looking for a wholesome, delicious lunch or dinner.

“There are a lot of places to sit down and eat in Ohio City, but there aren’t a lot of grab-and-go spots,” he explains.

The menu features soups like tomato bisque with Maytag blue cheese croutons and salads like the chicken curry with mixed greens, golden raisins, candied pistachios and maple vinaigrette. A half-dozen sandwiches plus a daily special run the gamut from a grilled cheese to a Porchetta loaded with pork shoulder, “chili-churri” sauce and chicharron. The Korean fried chicken sandwich has bbq sauce, sesame slaw and cilantro. A handful of grab-and-go sides like orzo with tomato and caper berries, dilly napa slaw, and seasonal hummus round out the menu. Salads are priced around $5 and sandwiches are $9-$10 each.

Messina will rely heavily on local producers and suppliers like The Pork Chop Shop, Cheese Shop, Blackbird Baking, and Premier Produce.

It’s taken half a year to convert the 1,400-square-foot space into what it is today, a clean, simple and straightforward sandwich shop with a “modern-meets-distressed” look. An open kitchen, sandwich bar and a few dining room tables is the long and short of the operation.

A play on “urban,” Herb’n Twine is just the latest indie startup launched by locals to serve the immediate neighborhood.

“That street is definitely going to become a lot more popular,” Messina predicts. “I wanted to get in there early and make my presence known.”

This article appears in Nov 11-17, 2015.