Yesterday, the king of all Cleveland Cuisine, Michael Symon, announced that the former La Strada space, on E. 4th, will be replaced with Mabel's barbecue. It sounds like my dream of a restaurant and I can't wait to try it.
(http://www.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2014/07/24/michael-symon-to-unveil-new-restaurant-concept-for-clevelands-e-fourth-street)
But, with Butcher and Brewer opening soon (they've said that for awhile, but they defintely are making progress in the space), it feels like E. 4th is entering an identity crisis phase. With Flannery's, the restaurant at the bowling alley (I think it's called the E. 4th bar and grill, and it's basically that unique a place too), and the House of Blues well-established, E. 4th isn't exactly the higher, more cultured dining experience it was supposed to be, or at least always seemed.
Lola and Chinato aren't going anywhere, and Society is a gem. But it's supposed to be the bastion of Cleveland's elevated plates, not W.25th downtown.
I'm not complaining really. In fact, I think Mabel's will soon become one of my favorite restaurants in the city. It might even be a good thing- E. 4th has always struggled with its image given its proximity to Progressive Field and the Q. Indeed, La Strada, even though it had a much more "fine dining" feel, was pretty terrible at almost everything (save for dessert and cocktails), and tragically overpriced for the quality. I'm glad to see it replaced with somewhere I want to eat.
But it does make me wonder if instead of a gentle eclecticism tending toward up-scale, E.4th will soon be just a microcosm of every other restaurant district in Cleveland- some very nice places (like Crop and Soho on W. 25th) but mostly beer halls with a lot of meat (even if it's great meat). W. 25th itself just lost the Light Bistro- one of the most upscale places on the west side. I just hope, if E. 4th becomes more and more like W. 25th, there's still space for something a little different, a little more refined. Thankfully, Lola should be fine, and Greenhouse is just bar-crawl friendly enough that it shouldn't be in trouble any time soon.
But that's the trouble with urban planning. At the end of it all, we'll organically decide what stays and leaves. It's probably for the best in the end. Cleveland will choose what Cleveland wants to be, and, personally, I'll probably spend more time at places the specialize in beer and meat, just like everyone else anyway.
It doesn't meant we can't pause a little and think about what we could be losing though. Given how much Cleveland has last over the last 100 years (see yesterday's post), it's the least we can do.
-Zack
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