750ml Wines rebrands in Brecksville, Daisy's ice cream reopens in Slavic Village, DeJuan's makes history in Akron & more

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Entertainment | Food and Drink

TOP NEWS

750ml Wines rebranding with new name as Italian restaurant in Brecksville

750ml Wines is rebranding its Brecksville location, becoming an Italian restaurant with a specialized menu – but keeping the well-culled wine list that it has offered over the years. This month, 750ml Wines is becoming Carpe Raci Italian Restaurant, owner Lauren Carpeta said. “Carpe” is derived from her maiden name while “Raci” is the original spelling of her husband’s name – Race. READ MORE

Stipe Miocic, Romeo’s Pizza team up on The Firefighter Pizza

Romeo’s Pizza has teamed with MMA champion Stipe Miocic on The Firefighter Pizza. Sales of the pizza – which features pepperoni and spicy Carolina Reaper cheese – will benefit local firefighters. The pizza chain is donating $1 from each Firefighter Pizza to local fire departments. Also, donations collected in-store for each Romeo’s Pizza location will be matched by the company’s Sweet Smiles Foundation. READ MORE

USA Today’s best cheap eats in U.S. include NE Ohio eateries

Columbus-based Condado Tacos – which has multiple locations throughout Northeast Ohio – and Savor the Moment of Cleveland have been included in USA Today’s rankings of cheap eats throughout the country. The media company’s Blueprint team of financial journalists analyzed Google ratings of 28,000 budget-friendly restaurants to determine best cheap eats in several categories. READ MORE

Daisy’s is back in Cleveland’s Slavic Village, reuniting community with its old-school ice cream shop

It doesn’t feel right to go through a summer season without enjoying a few ice cream treats. Folks in Slavic Village had to grapple with two summers in a row without Daisy’s, the Fleet Avenue staple for ice cream and Polish boys for decades. That was until the summer of 2023 when Brittany Bissell and Christopher Hoke revived the ice cream shop, providing nostalgia-inducing classics that make summer feel more complete. READ MORE

Rosewood Grill Whiskey Week coming up

Rosewood Grill’s seventh annual Whiskey Week is scheduled for Sept. 17-24. The events mesh meals and specific whiskies. The week’s festivities include a social-hour takeover featuring Watershed Distillery of Columbus, daily prix-fixe whiskey dinner with private barrel series and cocktails, discounted whiskey flights, whiskey brunches and VIP dinners featuring Pappy Van Winkle and Buffalo Trace. READ MORE

OPENINGS

Luna Bakery Café opens third location downtown

Bridget Thibeault opened her third Luna Bakery Café in the Cleveland’s Warehouse District’s Western Reserve Building. Her first Luna opened in 2011 in the Cedar Fairmount District of Cleveland Heights. That was followed in 2108 with a Moreland Hills location. The third café, more than 18 months in planning and build out, was delayed by COVID and opened in late August in a eight-story art deco building constructed in 1891. The first-floor retail space was empty before Thibeault took over. Luna, 1468 West 9th Street, Cleveland, is known for selling bakery as well as breakfast and lunch. Bakery cases tempt customers with scratch-made cookies, macarons, cupcakes, tartlets, scones, muffins, and more. Lunch offerings include from-scratch paninis, crepes, salads, and soups. READ MORE

Sweet Pork Wilson’s smokes Cleveland-style barbecue at new neighborhood hangout

Several regions and states across the country, especially in the South, have their own styles for barbecue. Jason Brooks, who recently opened Sweet Pork Wilson’s barbecue joint, has eaten them all. By learning through his best tool, his tastebuds, Brooks decided to make his new restaurant on the corner of W 117th St. and Madison Ave. a celebration of all styles of barbecue, as well as a love letter to Cleveland’s diverse cultural identities. “This is Cleveland barbecue,” Brooks explained. “You’re going to taste everybody. You’re going to taste 55th, you’re going to taste Rocky River.” READ MORE

EVENTS/TASTINGS

Cleveland Oktoberfest

Raise a pint to summer as a bit of Munich comes to the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds. Oktoberfest is the largest outdoor annual event in Cleveland with plenty of German and Central European beer, food and live music and much more. Tickets are $16 or $25 for a two-day pass. 19201 East Bagley Road, Middleburg Heights. 4 p.m., Sept. 8; Noon, Sept. 9. DETAILS

Fresh Fest Cleveland

Featuring performances by KRS-One and DJ Scratch as well as a lineup of Northeast Ohio-based performers, the event will also include a farmers market, local vendors, wellness activities, a kids zone, 3-on-3 basketball tournament and much more. Secure parking and complimentary shuttle. Free. Rid-All Farm and Otter Park, Cleveland. 1 p.m. - 9 p.m., Sept. 9. DETAILS

Downtown Cleveland Restaurant Week

Downtown Cleveland Restaurant Week is set to return to the heart of Cleveland this week. Hosted by Downtown Cleveland Inc., the week-long event features three-course prix-fixe menus from some of downtown’s buzziest eateries. Downtown Cleveland Restaurant Week 2023 is scheduled from September 7-14 and features special menus from more than a dozen participating restaurants. READ MORE

Casks, Corks & Forks Progressive Food and Wine Tasting

Oak matters. Dry, red wine drinkers will learn more about how oak matters at the 12th Casks, Corks & Forks Progressive Food and Wine Tasting from noon to 5 p.m., Sept. 9, in Northeast Ohio’s Grand River Valley wine region. Wine and food pairings will be available, during this drive-yourself tour, at five wineries from the Winegrowers of the Grand River Valley. These include Debonné Vineyards, Ferrante Winery & Ristorante, Grand River Cellars Winery & Restaurant, Laurello Vineyards, and Cask 307 Winery. DETAILS

Tartine Bistro sets summer wine dinner

Tartine Bistro has scheduled a summer dinner featuring European wines. Dinner is at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 8. The restaurant is at 19110 Old Detroit Road, Rocky River. Featured wines include 2021 Carpinus Furmint, Tokaj, Hungary; 2020 Bernard Baudry Les Grezeaux Chinon, Loire Valley, France; 2021 Domaine Remejeanne, Cotes Du Rhone, France; and NV Warre’s Tawny Port, Gaia, Portugal. READ MORE

10th Sips and Swigs fundraiser supports West Side Catholic Center

The West Side Catholic Center Associate Board is holding its 10th annual Sips and Swigs fundraiser from 2 to 6 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 9. This year’s event will be held at the St. Ignatius Carfagna Family Magis Center at corner of West 32nd St. and Chatham Ave. in Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood. Sips and Swigs is an afternoon of craft beverages, food and live music. About two dozen craft breweries and distilleries will pour samples. READ MORE

Woofstock dog, family festival returning to NE Ohio

Rescue Village’s 30th Woofstock, a giant celebration of dogs, is coming up. What is billed as Northeast Ohio’s largest outdoor dog and family-friendly festival and fundraiser is set to return Sunday, Sept. 10. Rescue Village, the Novelty-based humane animal shelter, organizes the fest, which is at Cleveland Metroparks Polo Field in Chagrin Falls. It benefits the shelter’s efforts to care for homeless animals. There will be a variety of food trucks at the event. Appropriately enough, Four Paws Brewing Co. of Columbia Station is sponsoring the beer garden. DETAILS

PICKS OF THE WEEK

Pins & Needles at Mahall’s

Want to feel like you’re traveling back in time to a basement that would be fitting as the backdrop for “That 70’s Show”? Pins & Needles, the basement bar at Mahall’s 20 Lanes at 13200 Madison Avenue in Lakewood, is the place. The bar takes its atmosphere as seriously as its list of classic cocktails. The drink menu is nostalgia-filled with highballs like Fernet & Coke, classics like the gin-based Aviation, and a beer menu that urges you to order at least one Little Kings bottle during your visit. The bar snacks even fit the vibe with items like a cheese ball served with Ritz crackers. Pins & Needles décor might be its biggest appeal with vinyl seats, old-school technology like rotary phones and television sets, and a record wall that provides some insight into the mood-setting soundtrack. DETAILS

Yard House for a game and a beer

Football season is here. Requisites for a place to watch your favorite game: A lot of TVs, plethora of beer options and a something-for-everyone menu. Yard House in Westlake’s Crocker Park fits the bill. It’s at 160 Union St. Hours: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday to Thursday; 11 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday. DETAILS

SPOTLIGHT

DeJuan’s makes history as Akron’s first Black-owned fine-dining restaurant

Downtown Akron has a new corner hangout at DeJuan’s, an upscale fine-dining bar and restaurant on the corner of Main Street and Exchange Street. It’s not just another restaurant opening in the city. It’s owner De’Juan Kelker’s first -- and the first Black-owned fine-dining restaurant in Akron. The corner spot at 1 W. Exchange Street is full of low tables with white tablecloths to give it a fine dining feel. A back room with a full bar offers a casual and reserved experience, with DeJuan’s also having the capability to host private events. Previously, the location housed the Bricco restaurant before becoming available in 2021. READ MORE

Entertainment | Food and Drink

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