Zack Bruell announces the official start of the 2011 Tour de Bruell.  To take part in the Tour, diners should simply visit any Zack Bruell restaurant - Parallax, Table 45, L’Albatros or Chinato – between Memorial Day and Labor Day and ask for their Tour de Bruell ticket.   Each time a participant purchases dinner at one of the restaurants, they earn a stamp on their ticket.  In order to complete the Tour, participants will have to get one stamp at each Zack Bruell restaurant.

All fans that complete the Tour de Bruell will receive a commemorative t-shirt, featuring the 2011  theme:  “Get Your Zack On.”  From those individuals, 10 semi-finalists and their guests will be randomly selected to enjoy a complimentary wine tasting dinner at Table 45, featuring cuisine by Bruell and champagne offerings by Moët & Chandon.  In addition, one grand prize winner will receive the custom, in-home, four-course dinner for eight, prepared by Bruell.

The Cleveland Museum of Art’s annual Summer Solstice Party, now in its third year, is just around the corner – Saturday, June 25^th. The event will feature all-night music, food, drinks and dancing to celebrate the long days and hot nights of summer us Clevelanders have been so patiently awaiting.  But why wait until the 25^th to enjoy?

Starting next week, each Zack Bruell restaurant will offer its own unique multi-course, prix fixe Summer Solstice menu for one week, to promote the Summer Solstice party.  Chinato kicks it off next week followed by L’Albatros.  Here’s the official menu schedule:

• Week of May 31 (Tues-Sat):  Chinato
• Week of June 6 (Mon-Sat):  L’Albatros
• Week of June 13 (Mon-Sat):  Parallax
• Week of June 19 (Sun-Sat):  Table 45 (Table 45 will offer pre-party dining for Summer Solstice Party 2011)
• The cost for these Summer Solstice Menus are $35 per person

Chinato’s menu:

• 1^st Course: Lamb sweetbreads with roasted tomato aioli
• 2^nd course: Pappardelle with zucchini, chickpeas, arugula mint and pecorino cheese
• 3^rd course: Fennel-dusted cod with bell pepper and fennel risotto and basil butter
• 4^th course: Lemon cheesecake

L’Albatros’ menu:

• 1^st Course: Salad of Garden and Local Greens with Charred Tomato Vinaigrette
• 2^nd Course: Braised Pork Belly & Tiger Shrimp with Lavender Pork Jus
• 3^rd Course : Strawberry Clafoutis

The actual event takes place on 6/25 at the museum starting at 6 p.m. and lasting until 2 a.m. General admission tickets are $125 for CMA members and includes hors d’oeuvres plus open bar from 6-8 p.m. From 7:30 p.m. until 2 a.m., general admission is $60 per person, $40 for CMA members, and free admission for CMA members at the Fellow level or higher and includes appetizers and cash bar. And from 10 p.m. until 2 a.m., advance tickets are $15 per person, $20 per person at the door and includes snacks and cash bar.

While I’m really hoping to attend this event, there’s a good chance I just may be in labor (though if I go, UH is just around the corner…). Unless you’re also nearing the end of your pregnancy and the notion of staying up until 10 p.m. is a foreign concept to you these days, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t go. It has quite the reputation of being one of the best summer parties in town! And thanks to the CMA and Zack Bruell, I have two tickets up for grabs to attend from 10 p.m. on. To be entered into the random drawing, just leave a comment to this post (sorry – to be fair, Facebook doesn’t count, but I do appreciate the conversation there!) telling me your favorite thing about Cleveland summers.

Good luck and happy summer! You have until June 8^th to enter.

MVP will bring passengers from their E 4th valet station to Playhouse each and every night of a Playhouse production. To receive a ride, passengers must present a recipt from dinner at Chinato (House of Blues is participating, too), plus their show ticket.

MVP will depart E 4th five times prior to each show: 90, 60, 45, 30 and 15 minutes. MVP will return to pick up guests in a designated area beginning 30 minutes prior to show end time and will take as many trips needed, up to 90 minutes post show.

As an added bonus, if you return to Chinato post play, the restaurant is offering a complimentary appetizer to all guests with a same-day ticket stub.

This service is available for the remainder of 2011.

Here’s a recap of our recent Bruell eats:

On Saturday, I got together with my oldest and dearest friends to celebrate two birthdays at Chinato. Our husbands were there too, though you wouldn’t have known it until we left (boys on one side, girls on the other). For two of the couples, this was their first trip.

The night did start off a little shaky. There were 8 of us and they sat us in a table clearly meant for 6. Sure, we could have all fit, but we would have been packed like in sardines and no one wants to go through a meal without being able to lift your arms. That’s not conducive for an enjoyable night out (and knowing we were an 8 top is why I made rezzies nearly 6 weeks out).

The management quickly saw this was an issue and changed our table. Problem (easily and swiftly) solved. Unfortunately, the somewhat shaky service did continue throughout the night. I get it was crowded and I get it was a Saturday night. But I have to imagine we’d be a good table to have: fun group, lots of food, lots of alcohol and we weren’t in a hurry to get someplace. But there were small things throughout the night that made us all feel like it was a bother to wait on us and that our server had much better things to be doing with his time (forgetting to bring things out, rolling eyes when asking for oil for bread, rather condescending overall, etc.).

But on to what really matters – the food! And as all of our previous visits, the food was stellar. We started off with fried artichokes, mussels, involtini and ribollita for the table. For my dinner, I had my favorite fennel salad (seriously, I can’t go there without ordering this) and a half order of the pappardelle with creamed cauliflower, pecorino and peperoncini (love how there is zero cream in this velvety sauce).

Everything was top notch and happily devoured by all. If you haven’t been, I recommend going soon. And despite the off service this night, we have enjoyed wonderful service on past visits.

For our 4^th wedding anniversary, we went to Parallax. Now this has long been a favorite of ours since he first opened. We love sitting out front during the summer, cocktails at the bar, and the main dining room, too. And they have some of my favorite sushi in town. But I have to say, this was my first trip to Parallax were I didn’t leave wowed and completely content.

I started with the yellowtail, jalapeno, mango chirashi with avocado sushi rice, followed by the beet salad and finally the udon noodles with rock shrimp & pork belly (miso black cod – as always – for Jamie).

I stand corrected. I was quite content and overly smitten with my entrée. Plenty of pork belly and shrimp swimming in mounds of noodles. I was happy. But not so much with my two starters. The beets weren’t cooked enough and the chirashi was just bland (which was surprising given its accompaniments).

But everyplace has off days and perhaps this was one of them. Because like I said, we’ve been big fans for years now and one experience like this won’t change that.

Finally, dinner with friends at L’Albatros. My favorite outing of the three (meal wise) because of two things: Brandon and cheese. Zack is truly lucky to have found Brandon and us Clevelanders are lucky Brandon chooses to call Cleveland home (side note: read more about how Brandon Chrostowski ended up here in Fresh Water). Service was excellent as was the food. And if you’re a fan of cheese, you simply can’t leave until you have let Brandon share some of his favorites with you.

While the cheese is always my favorite part of my L’Albatros experience, I did also greatly enjoy my oysters and braised leg of lamb. And the overall atmosphere is my favorite of all three.

But why wait till then to celebrate the longest day of the year (and the museum’s newest galleries)? From now until Saturday, Bruell is offering a 3-course, summer solstice menu for $30.

Menus:

Table 45: warm fig and arugula salad with champagne vinaigrette; Latin marinated hanger steak with boniato root mash, summer gremolata and plantain chips and ginger; and lemongrass panna cotta served with mango chutney and white sesame tuille.

Parallax, L’Albatros and Chinato: these 3-course menus will be created daily by the head chef.

Long live summer!

1. What is the first thing you notice when you walk into a restaurant? When I enter a restaurant’s reception area it always intrigues me to see how the space is going to pull you in. I think lighting adds a huge dimension of visual interest since it seems many restaurants play up higher ceilings, so I enjoy looking up to see how that has been addressed.

2. If you could redesign any restaurant in Cleveland, which one would it be and why? I think Giovanni’s because it feels a bit stagnant right now and needs to redefine its classic appeal but with a fresher look that doesn’t feel stale.  Or Pacific East in Coventry. Great food but the surrounding are a bit dank and unappealing.

3. For home cooks, how can they get the most out of their kitchen? I think regardless of whether a kitchen’s footprint is big or small the most critical component is trying to have some good workspace – like a counter area where food prep can be done.  I think that really anyone who is cooking needs to be more comfortable in their given environment.

4. Whether it’s the kitchen or another room, what are some simple things people could instantly do to refresh their space? Paint is the most inexpensive way to instantly give some serious drama or soft revamp to any room in a house.  Too many people are timid to unleash color in their house so they stick to safer and “tried and true” type of shades that won’t cause them grief if they hate it. But being adventuresome with paint can be surprisingly refreshing and expressive, just like a painting.

5. Where are your favorite stores/sites to shop for home goods? I LOVE Target! They do a fantastic job of creating a look from a higher end brand to help it become more universally available.  For an endless source of cool antiques in any era 1st Dibs is amazing.  It’s like pulling every antique store from around the country (and internationally as well) and putting them on your screen.  Also, Decorati is a great way for the pedestrian consumer to get a peek at merchandise available in design centers and connect with interior designers in their area.

6. What design/color trends do you see on the horizon? I feel the movement right now is in going green so there is a huge trend in salvaged and reclaimed products that are then used to make new pieces. Antiques are perfect recyclable pieces to weave into ones homes and there use is back on the rise.  Color trends I am seeing are a return to grays as a neutral and moving away from the chocolate colors that have dominated the color landscape for the last several years now.  All shades of purple from amethyst, to lavender and pale pink tourmanline shades are very hot right now.  And patterns are very graphic and geometric pulling from classic designs like the Greek key.

7. What is your favorite thing to cook at home? My strongest suit is Italian cuisine and I love making homemade pastas, gnocchi and pizza.  But I also really pull from essential American favorites – I make a killer mac and cheese!

8. If you could be any chef for a day, who would it be? Oooh-that’s a tough question because I admire so many great chefs.   I might have to be a different chef everyday of the week to fulfill that wish.  On my list I’d definitely include Mario Batalli, Thomas Keller and Julia Child.  When I first started cooking her books was one of my first and I followed her recipes religiously. 

9. What’s the most popular trend right now in kitchen design? Oversized very commercial feeling faucets are something I am seeing emerging.  Dorenbract’s Tara or Kohler’s Karbon are great examples.  Very architectural feeling and almost intimidating in scale they are a new presence that have a commercial kitchen feel but amazingly blend well with traditional or contemporary kitchens.

10. What’s your last meal on earth? Ah, another tough question…hmmm, OK probably a plate of spaghetti cooked al dente with a simple marinara and lots of aged parmigiano reggiano cheese.  A Greek salad with feta cheese from the import store.  And of course a  huge slice of white cake with white buttercream frosting for dessert and some Ben and Jerry’s Peanut Butter Cup ice cream.  And maybe a piece of honey ladden galaktobouriko (a Greek pastry that is fillo dough with a pocket a creamy custard inside and then bathed in a honey syrup). Obviously you can see where my priorities are… but hey if I’m going, might as well be in a sugar coma!

11. You’re hosting a dinner party, top 5 songs on your playlist? I don’t know if I’d go by songs as much as artists. I get too caught up in the food so I usually just hit Genius on my ipod and let it get a mix going for me.  It also depends on who is coming to the dinner party. I’m not loyal to any specific genre because I love so many different styles of music, so it could range from Boccelli to the Black Eyed Peas.

12. What’s your favorite restaurant in town and which one do you miss? I really love Lola’s.  I think Michael Symon has done a great job at creating a great feel good vibe and a menu that takes the essence of Cleveland with a cool twist to it that is unexpected yet homey.  Zach Bruell’s Z’s at Eton Collection. That was the gathering place!

13. How did you become an interior designer? It was something I was destined to do. I am very artistic and this was a venue for me to express that creative side that needs to come out.  Otherwise I feel like I’m suffocating.  That’s probably why I enjoy cooking so much as well because I get to unleash all that pent up creative angst!

14. What brand of kitchen appliances do you always recommend to your clients? What’s in your kitchen? Is stainless here to stay? I am a huge Wolf and Subzero fan.  I have them in my own kitchen and their performance is unquestionably the best.  Stainless steel appliances are here for the long haul.  Our culture is completely enthralled with chefs, the Food Network and the appeal of having that “professional” feel in our homes is something we really like, myself included.  The status of being taken seriously in your kitchen is partially defined by that clean look that stainless offers and thus the instant appeal.

Night 1

For dinner, we all did the tasting. For $39, you get to pick anything you’d like from each of the sections. I started with the breakfast radishes, clams and foie gras, roasted tomatoes and Ohio lamb with wild ramps, yogurt lentils, lamb skin, cumin and Fresno chilies. I’d also like to be able to tell you what we drank – but I can’t. All I know is we went through numerous bottles of wine and I believe my brother-in-law created his own vodka tasting. All of which made for a very, very enjoyable night.

As anticipated, my dinner was simply incredible. Truly – this might have been my favorite GHT experience to date. The only dish I wasn’t crazy about was the roasted tomatoes. And I would have liked a little more space between each course, though given we had a few kids with us, this was probably a good thing. I even liked Natalie’s buttered noodles (yes, they have a kids’ menu now!). But the highlight was the lamb (though the clams are right up there). If you like lamb, you need to get to Greenhouse and try this dish. Now. Seriously – he changes the menu often so don’t take any chances on missing it. A few weeks ago while in San Francisco, I ate at Boulevard and ordered the lamb. I love lamb and felt that was the best dish of its kind I’ve ever tried. Well, they only held that title for 3 weeks. Truthfully, that was the most amazing lamb I’ve had and the lentils alone should be its own side.

The tasting at $39 is a great deal. The portions are big  and you get to pick whatever you want. It’s a great way to go.

(check out Amelia Sawyer showing Natalie the kitchen in action – she was mesmerized as she really does like to stare off into the kitchen when we take her out… fingers crossed for her future career)

Night 2 On Mother’s Day itself, Jamie took me to see Pearl Jam. I’ve been a huge PJ fan since I was 15 and have seen them live twice before. I can remember going to the library and borrowing Ten (still believe this is one of the best albums of all time), bringing it home and taping it because I spent all my babysitting money on something else. And I’d ride around in my mom’s station wagon listening to that tape over and over until I literally wore it out.

Clearly I’m not 15 anymore (and thankfully no longer driving around town in that wagon). And while I still consider myself a huge fan, I think my concert days are coming to an end. It really was a great show and the perfect present (though the 2003 show was better); I just don’t think I’m the concert type anymore. But I’m all for the dinners that precede concerts!

Pre show dinner was, you guessed it, back at The Greenhouse Tavern. For as much as I wanted the Ohio lamb dish again, I just wasn’t that hungry. Instead I had the clams, Ohio lamb ravioli and a side of lentils with lemon (not the same lentils as with the lamb – if only). The ravioli are small and only a handful comes per order, so this was the right amount of food. And just like the night before the clams were perfect (I agree with Kate Krader – one of the best dishes of the year, simply a smart pairing that pays off). The lentils and ravioli were just as good.

I clearly cannot get enough of Greenhouse.

Night 3 Last night we took some clients to dinner at Chinato followed by the Cavs game – my first game of the season (lucky me, huh?).

We all have off nights. Chefs have off nights. Athletes have off nights. No one is exempt from this rule. And I think last night was the perfect example of that.

I’m not going to toss in my two cents about the game. I think Clevelanders got an earful today from the sports media across the country to Twitter to the radio. We get it. But I will say this: I don’t think we’re cursed, I still think we’ll win the next two and LeBron will be here next season. But Cleveland teams sure make it hard to love them sometimes, don’t they? And there have been plenty of days when I swear I’m not going to raise my daughter to be a Cleveland fan. But what would be the fun in that?

I’ve been to Chinatoa few times now, but this was the first visit for the three ladies I was with. I will say this – they all loved their meal, from start to finish, and seemed really happy with my restaurant selection. And don’t get me wrong – my meal was good, too (fennel and olive salad, scallop crudo and braised beef). But it wasn’t great – except the crudo – what a fantastic start to the meal. I’ve written a few times about how much I love that fennel salad in particular. But last night it just wasn’t the same. I can’t put my finger on it, but something was off. The selection of braised beef was completely in response to the cold rainy weather. I love anything braised – but felt this dish was just ok. It wasn’t as flavorful or tender as I was hoping for.

Like I said, my meal wasn’t bad by any stretch, it just wasn’t as good as I know it could have been – because I think Chinato is an amazing restaurant and have been wowed there a few times already.  And my fellow diners were quite happy with their meal. Despite the off night, at least to me, it was still the highlight of the evening. The company and conversation were wonderful, service  friendly and honest (I love when servers are truthful about what they like and dislike) and the restaurant’s atmosphere in general is one of my favorites.

For as much as I enjoy cheese, whether at home or dining out (I prefer cheese at the end of my meal versus something sweet), I’ve never participated in a structured cheese tasting. That is until L’Albatros extended an invitation for a few bloggers to participate.

Now, if you’ve been to L’Albatros, I don’t have to tell you about the food and how truly wonderful it is. You know this (and if you don’t, you’re missing out). And if you’ve dined here, chances are you’ve met Brandon Chrostowski and have already been wowed by their impressive cheese selection (the best in Cleveland) and his extensive knowledge. Well, imagine an entire evening of this.

We participated in the Italian cheese and wine tasting last week. For two hours, a group of 50 or so listened to music, sampled light hors d’oeuvres, and were taken on a trip throughout the regions of Italy where we enjoyed wines and cheese hand selected by Brandon, a certified sommelier, fromager and trained chef — a triple threat (read more about Brandon here).

The eight cheeses we sampled include: La Tur, Casatica di Bufala, Salva Cremasco, Pecorino Sardo, Testun al Barolo, Monte Veronese Malga, Taleggio Bergamasco and Blu del Moncenisio – plus carefully selected wines to accompany each.

Brandon won us over after our first visit to L’Albatros shortly after they opened. And this tasting just amplified what I like best about him. He’s knowledgeable, but not in a pretentious way. And he’s a wonderful storyteller who genuinely enjoys passing on his learnings and sharing the back story of each cheese- where it comes from, interesting facts, etc. So each guest walks away with something other than a new favorite cheese.

My personal favorite cheese of the night was the very first course, La Tur. This incredibly creamy cheese comes from Piemonte. It might just be one of the best cheeses I’ve ever tried. I was also impressed with the Testun al Barolo, but I truthfully don’t know if it was the floral hints of this cheese I liked so much or the great lengths Brandon went to for us to try (one hard-to-pronounce volcano  kept his order in Italy, and the horrible weather down south, where the only cheese monger in the US he was able to locate resides, was also affected by Mother Nature).  I actually enjoyed each course, with the exception of the last one – mostly because I’m just not into bleu cheese.

The staff was quite generous with the portions – for both the wine and cheese. They regularly came around to top off the wine and offer more cheese (though trust me, no one needed it). Like I said, we were guests, but the cost of this tasting (and most of their tastings), is $50. And I can tell you that is an incredible deal given all that you experience during the two hours. At the end, you have the opportunity to buy any of the wines and/or cheeses (I bought the vin santo del chianti, castello sonnino, Montespertoli. I didn’t care for the blu cheese it was paired with, but surprisingly liked this dessert wine).

The only thing I would have liked with this pairing was perhaps some greens or even sorbet about half way through, just to break it up (it is a lot of cheese, even for me, and you need something to cut through it all). But truly, even without, this was an impressive tasting and I highly recommend experiencing first-hand.

Parallax

The next day, I took a client to another of Zack Bruell’s restaurants: Parallax in Tremont. I’ve been impressed with this restaurant since the day he opened it. It’s always spot on and one of the best restaurants in town. We sat outside and I took advantage of it being a Wednesday when they offer the full sushi menu: sashimi combo of yellowtail, white tuna and tuna, plus a cup of the leek soup. I’m a fan of nearly everything I’ve tried there, but the sushi is among my favorite in town. Always fresh, inventive and completely satisfying. Sushi is available for lunch at Parallax everyday, but only a limited offering – except on Wednesdays. The entire sushi menu is available for dinner each night.

Bruell’s Seared Sea Scallops with Thai Curry

Add olive oil to sauté pan over high heat.  When smoking, place sea scallops in pan with butter.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cook for 30-40 seconds on each side until golden brown and caramelized.  Remove from the pan.  In the same pan, add curry paste, brown sugar, coconut milk and fish sauce.  Whisk together over high heat.  Finish with chopped cilantro.

Roasted Eggplant with Fresh Tomatoes, Feta and Mozzarella Cheese Pomegranate Reduction (adapted from Table 45’s current winter menu)

Ingredients

Eggplant

Method: In a bowl, toss the slices in olive oil, cumin, salt and pepper. Roast in a 375 degree oven until tender and cool in refrigerator. When ready to serve bring to temperature on the grill or oven.

Yogurt Sauce

Method: Add all the ingredients together and incorporate well; hold in refrigerator.

Pomegranate Reduction

Method: Place the pomegranate juice and vinegar in a small pot.  On medium to low heat reduce the mixture till little less than half.  Once reduce transfer reduction to another container and let cool.  The pomegranate Reduction should be thick where it can be slowly drizzled onto a plate.  If the mixture has been reduced too much you can always add more pomegranate juice until in thins up to where it can be drizzled.

Plating: Layer eggplant in the middle of the plate. Take sauce and drizzle along the outside of the eggplant. Garnish the top of the eggplant with feta cheese and tomato salad. Drizzle with pomegranate sauce.

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This post was sponsored by Heinen’s. When making these dishes at home, the wine experts have two recommendations:

• For the scallops: ZAZA, a  serious Rosé from Spain that could almost be called a light red.  Abundant berry flavors and surprisingly full body makes this a Rosé to get excited about.  ($9.99/bottle)
• For the eggplant: Alexander Valley New Gewurztraminer // Perhaps the best-value Gewurztraminer from CA. Perfumed aromas and pear and spice flavors make this organic-farmed wine great with Asian foods. ($8.99/bottle)

We went a few weeks ago on behalf of Metromix and I’m still thinking about my meal (you need to try the fennel salad). Here’s part of the review, or get the full skinny here.

Food: The menu focuses on simple Italian and does not concentrate on one region. And there are choices—a lot of choices. Bruell describes Chinato as the Italian version of L’Albatros with touches of Parallax. There isn’t parmesan of any kind, but all scratch cooking. To develop the menu, Bruell spent 12 days in Italy eating at least four meals a day. “On the trip, the dishes were very rich and heavy. I don’t want to do that here, so it’s my take on that,” he explains.

The menu is sectioned into crudo, or cold starters (think Italian sushi), antipasti, salads, pastas (all available as a half or full order), entrées, pizza and contorni, or sides.

On our visit, we started with the yellowtail over pesto with tomatoes ($9), tomato and bread soup ($6), fennel, orange, olive and tomato salad with ricotta ($8), a half order of the ravioli stuffed with pork, veal, zucchini and porcini with butter and parmesan ($10) and the zuppa de pesce ($21).

First, we should state just what a difficult decision this was. Everything on the menu was quite tempting. Nonetheless, we made the right decision because all our dishes delighted us. The star of the meal was surprisingly not a main dish, but the fennel salad. This dish exceeded expectations and has been on our mind since. You need to start your meal with this spectacular salad..

The soup was also a nice start to the dinner. Completely blended, it wasn’t as filling as we were anticipating. If you’re looking for an even lighter start to the meal, the beautifully-presented yellowtail is a good choice. It’s fresh, flavorful and incredibly light (though we would have liked a few more tomatoes).

Speaking of light, we were expecting the ravioli to be on the richer and slightly heavier side as compared to our other courses. But this dish was anything but. It was fresh and almost delicate. And size-wise, the half portion is plenty, especially when pairing it with other courses.

Our main entrée, the zuppa de pesce, featured a wonderful sampling of fresh seafood, like plump scallops, calamari, mussels (though the clams were almost non-existent) in a slightly spicy tomato sauce that was begging to be soaked up by the crostini (our favorite part).

For dessert, we tried the razor-thin pineapple slices in simple syrup with vanilla bean gelato. A bit on the small side, it was refreshing nonetheless, and coupled with cappuccino, made for a good ending to dinner.

Libations: Nineteen of the country’s 20 regions are represented on the 200 bottle wine list that’s 70 percent Italian and offers a handful of hard-to-get wines (a couple are actually exclusive to Chinato only). General Manager Rob Rasmussen spent an extensive amount of time planning the wine list and training the staff on each offering. His approach to the wine list was to course out the wine, much like you would the food while dining in Italy.

For example, he explained that you may start off the meal with a prosecco then work into a red. They want patrons to sample and enjoy several of the wines, which is why the menu is reasonably priced (numerous bottle options in the $20-$30 range with several pours $10 or less). It’s also worth noting that Rasmussen based much of the list on the Gambero Rosso wine list, which publishes a book on each of Italy’s regions and producers and rates them between 1-3 (with 3 being the best). Many of this magazine’s picks for best wines can be found on the list, including Les Cretes, a 2006 chardonnay for $150 a bottle that received a 3 and was named the best wine in all of Italy. For a little less (at $9 a glass), his pour of choice for guests is the Italian white Orvieto Barbi from Umbria. It’s one wine he feels all guests should sample.

There are also several specialty Italian-inspired cocktails, like the Tuscan per or Chinato Stiletto, as well as beer available in bottles and on tap. According to assistant GM Shannon Bizga, a happy hour is in the works to highlight some of the specialty drinks.

Décor: Italian yes. Checkered tablecloths, no. Bruell feels like you should walk into a restaurant and feel like you’re escaping. With Chinato, he’s taking you to Florence, or someplace in Italy, but keeping it modern. He feels his architect summed it up best when he described the finished space like walking into sepia photograph circa 1920s or ’30s (which is evident from the giant panoramic mural of Florence that stretches across one wall of the main dining room).

Like Parallax and L’Albatros, the space is smart and perfectly designed. The long bar encourages patrons to eat and drink. There are large white columns in the dining room, an open kitchen and a large, eclectic chandelier that serves as the focal point.

Service: Our visit took place on the eve of opening night, yet one would never know. The restaurant ran like it’s been open for years. The staff walked around with silverware caddies eager to replace utensils, glasses were promptly refilled, staff was quick to recite the menu and offer suggestions and meals were appropriately spaced.

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Speaking of Bruell, he’s catering the VIP portion of this year’s Jump Back Ball, which benefits Playhouse  Square on February 27. Do you want to go? A VIP ticket gets you early entrance to the black-tie  pre-party, open bar, live entertainment, and of course Bruell’s cooking (plus demos) from each of his four restaurants. The theme for this year’s event, now in its 19th year, is Carnaval. I’ve never attended, but have always heard nothing but high praise and good things about it. It must be fun, considering close to 1,000 people attend each year and they almost always sell out. Want to go? Grab your party dress (or tux) and let me know your favorite thing about Playhouse Square (or on the flip side, something you’d like to see improved upon, a play you hope makes its way here, etc.). Just leave a comment with your thoughts by Thursday, February 4 (by 5 p.m.) and I will randomly pick a winner for the pair of tickets courtesy of PlayhouseSquare Partners. Good luck!

Bruell is confident Chinato will be ready to open in a few weeks, though one would never know by peaking through the temporary wooden doors. Through the insisting of others, he’s the latest restaurateur to open on Cleveland’s street du jour (apparently Bruell was presented with an opportunity this graduate of the Wharton School of Business knew he couldn’t refuse). “Life is all about timing,” he explains. “Opportunities don’t come around like this often, so you have to grab it and grow.” He adds that his continued growth is good for his staff because it provides them with tremendous opportunities, and he acknowledges that he has nothing short of an incredible staff.

When they opened L’Albatros earlier this year, they were already planning for Chinato

and staffed top-heavy on purpose, using that kitchen as a training grounds of sorts for the latest endeavor (head chef Andy Dombrowski and GM Rob Rasmussen are leaving L’Albatros for Chinato as well as Al Ives, sous chef from Parallax). “Already spending so much time together and knowing each other will greatly help us when we open,” Bruell adds. Because as he explains it, opening a restaurant is totally insane and these established working relationships and trust will help make it an easier and smoother process overall.

Apparently, Bruell is a sucker for the insanity. Whereas most chefs only open one or two restaurants in a lifetime, he’s on his 11^th (and claims this is it for this market). But he gets the process and admits he’s much more patient then he used to be. As a self-proclaimed adrenaline junkie, he knows the madness and high expectations that await him and appears eager to greet it head-on. “I don’t have the luxury of waiting; people will walk in on day one and want excellence right out of the gate. It’s not an easy task to satisfy right away, but people won’t give me a break because they know me.” Bruell adds that it usually takes him a few weeks to settle in and most new restaurants in general around six months.

To help develop the menu, Bruell spent 12 days in Italy, where he tried to eat at least four meals a day. “They don’t like you to eat like that there,” he joked. “If you don’t finish what’s on your plate – they freak out; it’s an insult to them.”

The menu will focus on simple Italian and not concentrate on one region. Chinato, he describes, will be the Italian version of L’Albatros with touches of Parallax. There won’t be parmesan of any kind, he shares, but all scratch cooking. “On the trip, the dishes were very rich and heavy. I don’t want to do that here, so it’s my take on that.”

The menu promises to be big. According to Bruell, you have to offer a lot of choices so people will come back. To develop the menu, he explained to his chefs what he wanted and together they came up with the dishes, dishes that aren’t overly bearing or heavy he shares. And then they cooked and cooked and cooked. “French cooking is very complicated,” he explained. “You’re always moving forward. True Italian is done very simple. Our challenge is to know when to stop – when to stop refining and stay true to the dish. I do simple. But true Italian is really simple. It sorta scares me. You can’t mask mistakes here – it’s simplistic food with great ingredients. It’s almost like modern art. What’s there is just beautiful. We’re not trying to make perfect food here, but food that is really good. And I think it will be.”

As for the prices? The food will be authentic, but that doesn’t mean expensive. Think L’Albatros in terms of range, which is very reasonably priced.

Italian yes. Checkered tablecloths, no. Bruell feels like you should walk into a restaurant and feel like you’re escaping. Where’s he taking you? “Florence, or someplace in Italy – but still a modern space.” He said that his architect, Ron Reed, explains that the finished product will be like walking into a sepia photograph circa 1920s or 30s.

The space itself is old and was never a used as a restaurant, so that provided some unique challenges – but also opportunity, like the giant columns that are present throughout the dining room. Like all Zack Bruell restaurants, the bar  is meant for eating and drinking. The dining room will feature banquette seating, open kitchen and beautiful old world Italian drapes over the windows that let in tons of natural light. There will also be a large chandelier that will serve as a focal point. Because as Zack shares, even in the shithole restaurants in Italy, every single one had a large, beautiful chandelier.

The dining room will seat 120 total, plus a prep kitchen and private dining room downstairs (and eventually a club) that will open at a later date. For now, Chinato will be open for dinner Monday through Saturday and eventually lunch service will be offered.

“I need to get that guy wearing an Indians jersey coming down fourth after the game inside and make them comfortable, that guy expecting spaghetti and meatballs. It’s a challenge and won’t be easy. But people know I’m not normal and I like that kinda challenge,” added Bruell as we walked back onto the street leaving his crew to bring the space to life.

Here’s a draft of some of the menu items (subject to change):

ANTIPASTI
Stuffed Potato/porcini mushrooms and fonduta

PASTAS
Spaghetti/mixed shellfish, broth of salt water, tomato and lobster roe
Garganelli/sweetsbreads, giblets, radicchio, butter, parmesan and breadcrumbs

ENTREES
Brick flattened chicken breast/panzenella salad with preserved lemon
Strip Steak ala Florentine/salt, pepper, evo and lemon
Sauteed Langoustine/pepperoncini, garlic oil and roasted vegetables