Winking Lizard says goodbye to restaurant reptiles, touring the Taco Trail in Painesville, essential CLE deli sandwiches & more

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Entertainment | Food and Drink

TOP NEWS

Lizards will wink no more at Winking Lizard Tavern

If you ate a meal or sipped a beer at any of the Winking Lizard Taverns, you probably did what most people have done at one point or another: You smudged up against the glass and watched the slow-moving lizards do their thing. Well, the zoo-like atmosphere is ending: The creatures are being phased out of the Winking Lizards. “Ultimately, it’s a combination of a lot of things,” co-owner Jim Callam said. “There’s a lot of maintenance that goes with them.” Cleveland.com's Marc Bona has the story. READ MORE

17 essential Northeast Ohio delis for sandwiches and more

Sandwiches may be a humble lunch food, but they often taste exponentially better when someone else makes one for you. It’s why delis will always have a place in the culinary world. Northeast Ohio is home to a variety of great delis, spanning the cultural spectrum from old-school Jewish delicatessens to traditional Italian salumerias. Here are 17 essential Northeast Ohio delis that are prime spots for sandwiches and more. READ MORE

10 speakeasies and secret cocktail bars in Northeast Ohio

Some bars are all about seeing and being seen. But what if you want a more low-key experience? Thankfully, Cleveland has plenty of “secret” bars that offer a laid-back, underground vibe, with some even channeling a Prohibition-era speakeasy. Cleveland.com's Alex Darus has your guide to 10 hidden gems. READ MORE

The best cookies in Cleveland come from a pizza shop
Ohio Pie Co. is a pizza shop with locations in Brunswick and Rocky River. The Cleveland-based pizzeria also is the sole place to buy Ohio Cookie Co. cookies, some of the best in town. Katie Warner is the cookie boss who is single-handedly responsible for making the delicious creations. Cleveland.com's Alex Darus talked with her about the enterprise. READ MORE

12 of the best happy hour food deals at dive bars in Lakewood
Lakewood, Ohio, is full of dive bars with happy hour food deals. Here are 12 of the best food specials at local watering holes in the Cleveland suburb. READ MORE

We did Painesville's authentic Taco Trail: Here’s what you should know

When the staff of the Lake County Visitor’s Bureau wanted to draw attention to the region’s assets, they saw treasure in the Mexican restaurants throughout the county. Using a list of 22 taco-centric places, they launched the “Lake County Taco Trail” in Fall 2022 to attract local and visiting diners. To get the most authentic tacos and make the trail manageable, cleveland.com's Paris Wolfe and Yadi Rodriguez made Painesville ground zero for a special tour and tasting. The city has a large percentage of residents of Latin heritage and more than half-dozen Mexican-owned restaurants. We visited those restaurants with regular hours. READ MORE

Greater Cleveland restaurant makes OpenTable’s outdoor dining list

One Northeast Ohio restaurant has made OpenTable’s list of most popular restaurants for outdoor dining in America for 2023: 17 River Grille in Chagrin Falls. Almost three dozen regions, states and cities were included in the list of 99 restaurants, with Ohio garnering two nods. The other is Lindey’s in the German Village neighborhood of Columbus. READ MORE

Blue Door Bakery & Café replaces chef, resumes dinner service

The Blue Door Bakery & Café in Cuyahoga Falls -- known for breakfast, brunch and lunch -- is resuming dinner service after a short suspension between chefs. The service was suspended in June when Chef Alejandro Najar, who competed in Gordon Ramsay’s 21st season of “Hell’s Kitchen," left to pursue his culinary career in New York. Owner Michael Bruno recently restarted dinner service Wednesday through Saturday. A new menu has been designed by Bruno and new chef David Chin. Cleveland.com's Paris Wolfe has the story. READ MORE

Silvanas, a Filipino cookie, pops up in Cleveland

Foodie entrepreneur Mariel Bernarte is introducing Greater Cleveland to silvanas, a chilled cookie from the Philippines. It is made with two cashew-meringue wafers layered with and covered with buttercream and cookie crumbs.They can be found at popups and as dessert at Tita Flora's Restaurant in Independence. Paris Wolfe talked with Bernarte about her silvanas business. READ MORE

Chick-fil-A adds limited-edition menu items

Chick-fil-A lovers have a whole new reason to hit up their favorite drive-thru location this month — brand new menu items. Chick-fil-A, notorious for keeping a streamlined menu that doesn’t often change, has introduced the Honey Pepper Pimento chicken sandwich. It’s set to hit the menu at Chick-fil-A fast-food locations starting August 28. READ MORE

OPENINGS

Kitchen Social opening this week in Westlake

Columbus-based Kitchen Social is planning to open its second restaurant in Northeast Ohio. The restaurant is scheduled to open at 3 p.m. Friday, Aug. 18, at 2207 Crocker Road, Suite E, Westlake. Last year, Kitchen Social opened in Pinecrest in Orange Village. Other locations are in Polaris in Columbus and Dublin. Kitchen Social’s ownership seeks high-traffic demographics for its restaurants, along with made-from-scratch menu items. Cleveland.com's Marc Bona has a sneak peek. READ MORE

EVENTS/TASTINGS

Great Lakes Brewing Co. 35th Anniversary Celebration

Celebrate 35 years with family-friendly activities and treats, pop-up shops, food, music, limited releases and much more. Admission is free. 2516 Market Ave., Cleveland. 11 a.m. - 11 p.m., August 19. DETAILS

St. Maron Food Festival

Featuring Middle Eastern food, drink, live music and dancing, kids games and more. 7800 Brookside Rd., Independence. Noon - 10 p.m., August 19. Noon - 7 p.m., August 20. DETAILS

Cleveland’s Top Chefs: A Premier Culinary Experience

The International Culinary Arts and Sciences Institute is hosting Cleveland’s Top Chefs: A Premier Culinary Experience from 4 to 7 p.m., Aug. 20, on the ICASI campus, 8700 Mayfield Road, Chesterland. The fundraiser will provide scholarships for students to pursue culinary degrees. Chefs will serve small bites. Beer and wine will be available. Tickets are selling out. They are $150 per person ($100 tax deductible). READ MORE

Tartine Bistro plans bourbon dinner

Tartine Bistro’s summer bourbon dinner is Saturday, Aug. 19. The five-course dinner is 7 p.m. and will feature an assortment of bourbons. Cost is $99. Tartine Bistro is at 19110 Old Detroit Road, Rocky River. READ MORE

StrongFest adds breweries for 2nd year

After a successful first-year run, the Rotary Club of Strongsville’s StrongFest has expanded the number of breweries for the beer and wine tasting. The event - 4 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 19 – is at Walter F. Ehrnfelt Recreation Center in Strongsville. The rain-or-shine tasting will feature wine, prizes and outdoor games. Browns Backers North Royalton chapter will offer items for a raffle. READ MORE

Corleone’s celebrates anniversary, wine awards with special dinner

Corleone’s Ristorante is holding a special dinner to commemorate its 28th anniversary as well as achieving a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence for the 22nd year. The restaurant is holding a five-wine, four-course dinner at 6 p.m. Monday, Aug. 28. All the wines in the dinner have been rated above 90 points from the wine publication. Corleone’s is at 5669 Broadview Road, Parma. READ MORE

Bourbon-vs.-whiskey showdown set at Music Box Supper Club

Music Box Supper Club has scheduled a bourbon-vs.-whiskey showdown dinner. Dinner is 6:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 1. The four-course dinner will aim to describe the differences between the two and how to pair them with food. Danielle Yasenchack of Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirts will guide the dinner. Afterward, the private-room doors will be opened for folks to watch the Cars tribute concert. Music Box is at 1148 Main Ave., Cleveland. 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

Annual Corks on the Concourse is coming up

The annual Corks on the Concourse is scheduled at the International Women’s Air & Space Museum. The event is 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 1. It takes place the night before the official start of Cleveland National Air Show weekend. The benefit includes a wine-tasting experience featuring Ohio-based wineries, trivia with lightning-round prizes and a lifetime-achievement award presentation to pilot Sarah Byrn Rickman. READ MORE

PICKS OF THE WEEK

Fat Bee Café

Fat Bee Café opened its first location in Kansas in 2017 but has since grown to become a franchise Vietnamese boba café with a location in Strongsville. The Fat Bee has plenty to offer in both menu and atmosphere. The small, yet colorful, space at 14405 Pearl Rd. is a perfect place to settle in with a comforting drink to do work or socialize with friends. The offerings include several renditions of coffee and tea that resemble nothing like a familiar American café menu. The signature Phin-Drip combines Dak Lak coffee with condensed milk for a slightly sweet option with an added caffeine boost. The milk tea flavors range from typical, like matcha, to more creative flavors such as crème brûlée or winter melon. There are even endless customizable options for mix-ins and toppings outside of brown-sugar boba pearls including popping boba, fruity jelly pieces, and more. DETAILS

LockKeepers

The entire menu at LockKeepers, 8001 Rockside Road, Valley View, is inviting. That makes it easy to overlook the pasta. Don’t. Not everyone can make pasta this interesting. This is all homemade and extruded through a bronze die by Chef Nick Francis. He recently served a paccheri noodle – like a smooth rigatoni – with a duck ragu. The tomato-ground-duck sauce, sweetened with carrots, is sublime with the incrementally thicker, al dente pasta. He also extrudes mafaldine, linguine, and spaghetti noodles. Lasagna sheets and gnocchi are made in house as well. READ MORE

Bar Louie

The news about Bar Louie’s martini of the month program supporting No Kid Hungry has us thinking about the bar-restaurant’s libations. From signature martinis, spiked sangrias and more, Bar Louie offers a chance to quench your thirst during the hot spell we’ve been having. Plus, the restaurant has five new entrees including Monterey chicken to citrus-grilled salmon. Northeast Ohio Bar Louie locations are at 24337 Cedar Road in Lyndhurst and 9 Main St. in Westlake. DETAILS

SPOTLIGHT

Taste of Black Cleveland packs Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (photos)

The venue was a little different, but nothing changed about the high quality of food served at the Taste of Black Cleveland: The Food Showcase 5.0. Hundreds of people milled about the floor at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Thursday, Aug. 10, for the fifth event, which previously was staged along the concourse. Twenty Black-owned restaurants served up bowls and plates filled with creative and tasty concoctions at the fest, which is put on by the Cleveland Cavaliers, Cleveland NAACP, Aramark and Black CoLabs. Every attendee could vote for their favorite restaurant and mixologist. Desserts and several wines also were served. READ MORE

Entertainment | Food and Drink

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