BITES

Patron Saint, an Italian-inspired all-day cafe and aperitivo bar, opening in Ohio City

By Douglas Trattner

FOR 20 YEARS, THE striking Vitrolite Building (2915 Detroit Ave.) in Ohio City had been home to the Intermuseum Conservation Association, but before that it was a showroom and warehouse for Vitrolite tile – aka pigmented structural glass. Soon, the property will exhibit a more communityminded purpose when a trio of businesses – Harness Cycle, Soul Yoga and Patron Saint – open in late May.

Occupying the former showroom storefront at ground level will be Patron Saint, which owner Marie Artale describes as an “Italianinspired all-day café and aperitivo bar.” The 1,600-square-foot space features beamed 15-foot ceilings, 100-year-old tile flooring, graceful arches, and walls clad in various shades and designs of Vitrolite glass.

As an all-day café, Patron Saint will transition from early morning coffee service through early evening aperitivo hour. The 50-seat café will offer a window counter with lake views, comfortable banquettes, a standing rail, and bar seating. Although there will be a full bar, Artale has her sights zeroed in on low-alcohol beverages like amarobased spritzes, which will go well beyond the ubiquitous Aperol and Campari. Additionally, there will be Italian beer and wine on hand.

“Given the transitional hour of the day and type of place, I wanted something where you could sit down, have a light drink, but still keep working or go onto your evening at the game, or show, or to have a full dinner.”

To match the aesthetic, chef David Kocab is crafting a farm-totable Italian menu that will lean light, wholesome, seasonal and creative.

“I want to fill that middle void where you can get quality without having to be heavy-handed,” he explains.

In the morning, guests can pair their Ready Set! cappuccino with “healthy but substantial” breakfast options. Midday options will focus on composed salads, sandwiches, and seasonal small plates. To pair with those spritzes, Kocab will offer bar snacks, sharable plates and a few specials. The café will also offer grab-and-go items to pair with a retail bottle of wine for a light bite at home or elsewhere.

Artale, who returned home to Northeast Ohio after years spent working in New York, says that she refined her lifelong restaurant vision post-2020. With more remote and virtual workers and fewer 9-to5, work-in-a-building staffers, the shift to more flexible work/social spaces like Patron Saint made sense – especially in a neighborhood like Hingetown.

“I’ve always wanted to open a restaurant,” says Artale. “It has been my dream my entire life. So I’m doing the cliché of living the dream.”

Humble Wine Bar to Open Second Location in Bay Village

This summer, Humble Wine Bar (15400 Detroit Ave., 216-767-5977) in Lakewood will celebrate a decade in business. The success of that restaurant prompted owners Dan Deagan and Mandi Burman to begin searching for a second home, which they actively have been doing for the past nine months. Bay Village was high on their wish list given the scarcity of finer-dining options.

“I have a lot of friends who live in Bay Village that say they don’t really have any place to go,” Deagan says. “Outside of Thyme Table and Chatty’s, there isn’t a whole lot of options.”

Finally, their search paid off. The owners have inked a deal to take over the former Vivid Jewelers space (27215 Wolf Rd.) across the street from Cahoon Park. At 4,000 square feet, the property is a bit larger than the original in Lakewood.

Fans of the Lakewood location should feel right at home in Bay thanks to a consistent – if updated –design aesthetic, says Deagan.

“It will look like Lakewood’s grown-up bigger brother,” he says.

Compared to Lakewood’s numbers – 65 seats in, 45 seats out – Bay will accommodate approximately 100 diners inside and another 60 on the patio.

With Humble, Deagan and Burman created a concept, formula and vibe that appeals to a wide range of customers. It was precisely that near-universal acclaim that set them on the expansion path.

“Humble is so many things to so many different types of people,” Burman explains. “It’s a first date spot, it’s where locals have dinner once a week. I can’t tell you how many people want to have their bridal showers there and then they have their baby showers there. It’s just a really cool spot and we’re excited to be able to provide that feeling and experience to the people in Bay Village.”

As for opening day: “We’re hoping for the end of spring, planning on the end of the year, and assuming early next year,” says Deagan, who as owner of Humble, Deagan’s and two Truck Parks, has been through this process before.

Tita Flora’s, ‘First Filipino Restaurant in Cleveland,’ to Open in Independence

When it comes to cuisines that are sorely lacking in Cleveland, Filipino is at the very top of the list. The melting-pot cuisine of the Philippines continues to climb in popularity around the nation, but locally the options are limited to a couple carry-out-only places such as Mely’s Kainan and Nipa Hut Oriental Market.

Soon, thanks to Flora Grk, Greater Cleveland diners will soon be able to enjoy Filipino foods in a full-service, dine-in setting. The 60-seat restaurant in Independence

(6531 Brecksville Rd.) is expected to open in May.

For the past 25 years, Grk has worked pretty much every job there is to do in a restaurant. Throughout her time in the industry, she has had her sights set on opening a place of her own.

“Being in the restaurant business for 25 years, I always had a passion for food,” she explains. “I like to cook for my family and friends. I always said, one day I would like to have my own restaurant. But I came from the Philippines when I was 25 and that’s not always the easiest way to have your own business when you don’t really know what’s going on around you.”

The menu is studded with Filipino staples and classics like crispy lumpia, filled with either vegetables or pork; pork or tofu sisig served on a sizzling platter; pancit, made with rice or wheat noodles; and longsilog, the all-day breakfast dish of sausage fried rice topped with a fried egg.

And, of course, “The famous adobo, which is chicken or pork braised with soy sauce, vinegar, onions, garlic and pepper,” adds Grk.

For dessert, there will be halo halo, shaved ice with coconut and ice cream, and turon, crispy bananafilled spring rolls.

As one of Cleveland’s only retail providers of Filipino food, Grk understands that her dream comes with challenges that a typical restaurateur needn’t worry about.

“We never had a Filipino restaurant, so not everyone knows what it tastes like, so you have to explain everything,” she says. “I would like them to try authentic Filipino dishes that I will serve and hopefully the people will love it.” dtrattner@clevescene.com t@dougtrattner