BITES

By Douglas Trattner

Petkovic has been quietly working to transform the former Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse (28869 Chagrin Blvd.) at Eton Chagrin in Woodmere, which closed in 2019 after 15 years, into Heritage Steak and Whiskey. This is a solo project for Petkovic, who is a partner in Michael Symon Restaurants.

“We’re shooting for the middle of June,” he says of when the doors will open.

Petkovic described the space as a diamond in the rough that just needed to be updated and modernized in terms of setting, service and menu. As a secondgeneration restaurant, the property already had everything it needed with respect to infrastructure; the main task was to completely renovate the bar and dining room, which are swaddled in `80s-style mahogany paneling.

“First of all, I have to have people walk in here and go, wow, this isn’t Fleming’s,” Petkovic says of his plans.

To achieve that, Petkovic and his team will flip the bar so that the back bar moves from the exterior of the space to the interior, with a wall of whiskey creating a separation between the dining room and bar. The expanded bar will then face out towards the front patio, which will be outfitted with elegant furniture. French doors will connect the patio with the restaurant.

As for the bill of fare, Heritage will specialize in grilled steaks and chops.

“Your basic steakhouse menu, plus a few extras,” says Petkovic. Those extras might include a smoked prime rib cart and tableside desserts.

Petkovic says that Heritage will host an “aggressive happy hour” five days a week.

“This was a very vibrant cocktail scene,” he says of Fleming’s.

Last spring, Omar McKay announced his plans to open a fourth Irie Jamaican Kitchen. McKay had claimed a spot on Chagrin Boulevard in Shaker Heights, across the street from Heinen’s in the strip mall at Chagrin and Lee. His new restaurant was going in next door to Upper Crust.

Early in the process, the Upper

Crust business closed and McKay called an audible, moving the construction team one address over.

“That spot was a quicker buildout — and cheaper too,” McKay explains.

This fourth location, which opens on June 1, joins the original on the border of N. Collinwood (621 East 185th St., 216-3506112) and others in Old Brooklyn (4162 Pearl Rd.) and in Akron’s Highland Square neighborhood (837 W. Market St.).

The fast-casual eatery in Shaker will be grab-and-go with a handful of seats. Diners can look forward to a delicious selection of jerk chicken, curry chicken, curry shrimp, braised oxtails and vegetarian options dished up in bowls, wraps or traditional style with warm cabbage, rice and peas, and plantains. New for this summer is jerk butter shrimp.

Also new for this season is an Irie Jamaican food truck, which will soon be available for parties, events and food truck meet-ups.

Not one to sit still, McKay already has his eyes on location #5, which will open in Lakewood this summer.

Blanca Hernandez, owner of the four-year-old Pupuseria y Antojitos Guanaquitas (2998 W. 25th St., 216-862-1082) restaurant in Clark-Fulton, will open her second restaurant in the former Big Egg space at 5107 Detroit Ave.

Unlike Pupuseria y Antojitos Guanaquitas, which serves strictly Salvadoran foods like tortas, tacos, pupusas and carne asada, this latest restaurant — called simply Guanaquitas — will offer a blend of traditional Salvadoran and Spanish items alongside American diner-style foods.

The full-service restaurant will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

In the morning, guests can dig into platters of hueves rancheros, enchiladas with pinto beans, pancakes, waffles, and bacon, eggs and hash browns. The rest of the menu is fleshed out with grilled chicken salads, BLT sandwiches and a handful of Salvadoran staples.

“The tacos and pupusas are too popular to not move over,” Hernandez says.

Also new to this location is a liquor license, which will permit diners to pair a cold beer or margarita with their food.

Look for the restaurant to open sometime in May.

With the aim of shoring up support for the Polish American Cultural Center in Slavic Village, an organization dedicated to the promotion of Polish culture, the center will team up with chef Brandon Chrostowski on a creative pop-up project. Together, they will operate Bar Mleczny’s, which will dish up inspired Polish fare on a weekly basis at the center.

“We are desperate to revive our center with new life, traditions and the next generation,” says member Agata Wojno. “The Polish community is a huge part of Cleveland’s history, and we are doing everything we can to ensure its future.”

When told of their plight, Chrostowski eagerly volunteered for the task. The EDWINS founder and recent James Beard finalist created the name, menu and even the logo. The name - Bar Mleczny’s – comes from the milk bars that opened following the war, which subsisted on government subsidized milk and egg products. The restaurant will be situated in a “small, charming old Polish bar with a super eastern European vibe.”

“I absolutely love cooking Polish food, it’s in my blood!” says Chrostowski. “And if there’s any community out there that will come together and help support this institution, it’s Cleveland. After seeing Sokolowski’s close, then Seven Roses, you start to think about your responsibility to preserve the cuisine. This isn’t work, this is pleasure.”

Visitors to Bar Mleczny’s can enjoy dishes like pickled herring with potato salad, duck rillettefilled pierogi, Polish-style sour rye soup, dill and cucumber salad, pork schnitzel, potato pancakes with ghoulash, hunter’s stew and stuffed cabbage. For dessert, there will be sweet crepes and Napoleonstyle cream pie.

The pop-up restaurant will be located at the center (6501 Lansing Ave., 216-218-8030) and will be open for service from 58:30 p.m. Thursdays starting April 20. Reservations are encouraged. A one-time membership fee of $5 will be added to the tab. Bar Mleczny’s will continue as long as the demand remains.

“The opening of Bar Mleczny is not only a boon for our Center but also for Cleveland and the revitalization of the historic Slavic Village,” adds president Andy Bajda. “All are welcome and encouraged to visit our Heritage Museum and cultural garden while soaking in the friendly ethnic hospitality of our center.” dtrattner@clevescene.com t@dougtrattner