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CONTENTS

SEPTEMBER 22-OCTOBER 5, 2021 • VOL. 52 NO 06 Upfront ..................................... 11 Feature ..................................... 18 Get Out ..................................... 32 Arts ..........................................35 Dedicated to Free Times founder Richard H. Siegel (1935-1993) and Scene founder Richard Kabat Publisher Andrew Zelman Editor Vince Grzegorek Editorial Music Editor Jeff Niesel Senior Writer Sam Allard Staff Writer Brett Zelman Dining Editor Douglas Trattner Visual Arts Writer Shawn Mishak Stage Editor Christine Howey Editorial Intern Emma Sedlak Advertising Senior Multimedia Account Executive John Crobar, Shayne Rose Creative Services Production Manager Haimanti Germain Editorial Layout Evan Sult Staff Photographer Emanuel Wallace Business Business & Sales Support Specialist Megan Stimac Controller Kristy Cramer Circulation Circulation Director Burt Sender

Copyright The entire contents of Cleveland Scene Magazine are copyright 2020 by Euclid Media Group. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. Publisher does not assume any liability for unsolicited manuscripts, materials, or other content. Any submission must include a stamped, self-addressed

Eat ............................................ 41 Music ........................................ 47 Savage Love .............................. 50

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UPFRONT

Photo by Eric Sandy

BIBB DOMINATES IN MAYORAL PRIMARY, WILL FACE KELLEY IN GENERAL

LAST TUESDAY NIGHT, THE exclamation point that has famously belonged to (and symbolized) Dennis!

Kucinich for decades in Cleveland politics found a new and forceful heir. Justin Bibb!, the 34-year-old nonprofit executive, sailed to victory in the Cleveland mayoral primary election, collecting better than 26% of the total vote and vanquishing his six opponents despite never having held elected office.

Bibb, who announced his run early and campaigned aggressively citywide with a committed team of staffers and volunteers, would be the second-youngest mayor in Cleveland’s history, behind only Dennis Kucinich, if elected in November.

“We are in just the first phase of this journey,” Bibb said in a victory speech delivered at Glenville’s Third

Space Action Lab, surrounded by staff and supporters. “Tonight is just one small victory. But come November—come November—we’ve got the opportunity to finally reimagine what policing looks like in America. We have an opportunity to finally bring real hope and real opportunity to our neighborhoods...

We also have an opportunity to do the hard work to make sure that every child in this city who goes to a Cleveland public school has the same opportunity at life that I did.

“I believe that we cannot afford more of the same, because more of the same has gotten us to this point right now. I believe that now, not yesterday, not tomorrow, but now is the time for bold, new, dynamic, visionary leadership. Not the failed politics and the politricks of the past.

“Come November we will finally

build a new political coalition to make Cleveland the best mid-sized city in America.”

City Council President Kevin Kelley, collecting nearly 20% of the vote, was the primary’s runner-up and will face Bibb in the November general election. Sipping tentatively on a Black & Tan at The Harp in Ohio City, the well-financed Kelley heaved a sigh of relief when the west side wards delivered for him. Before Tuesday, Kelley’s insiders had apprised him that he, Bibb and Kucinich had the strongest chance to take the top two spots.

“We are going to create a Cleveland where every neighborhood counts,” Kelley told Bill Mason, Ed FitzGerald, Dave Wondolowski and the rest of his supporters once his second-place finish was secured.

“We will not be comfortable with

terms like digital divide. We will not be okay with the notion that your life expectancy and your health outcomes are determined by your zip code.”

Bibb, Kelley and Dennis Kucinich were indeed the evening’s frontrunners when absentee ballots and early votes were tallied. Bibb’s lead continued to expand throughout the night, while Kucinich failed to make up necessary ground in Ward 17 (West Park).

At Caffe Roma in Cleveland’s Jefferson neighborhood, Kucinich conceded when 92% of the votes had been counted. He thanked his team of volunteers and applauded the “extraordinary campaign” of Justin Bibb in a brief speech. He said he was looking forward to spending time with his wife Elizabeth and the new friends they’d made this

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summer. A band of union musicians, led by Leonard DiCosimo and Dennis Chandler, blasted upbeat tunes to an anxious parking lot all evening.

It was a disappointing night for Zack Reed, Sandra Williams and Basheer Jones, who finished fourth, fifth and sixth respectively, commanding about 11% of the vote each. From his watch parth in the Flats, Reed thanked his supporters in a concession speech delivered shortly after 10 p.m.

“It’s not for us to make up any excuses,” he said. “Know that you’ve done a very good job on this campaign trail. It was a fantastic job and I wish you well. I want to make it plain and simple. You know, the main things are the plain things, and the plain things are the main things. We didn’t get the votes.”

Attorney Ross DiBello finished in a distant seventh place, as many predicted. He watched the results arrive from the Board of Elections with his closest friends at Masthead Brewery -Sam Allard, Vince Grzegorek, Gennifer Harding-Gosnell, Eric Sandy

OP-ED: What did I Learn Running for Cleveland Mayor?

Only Clevelanders Can Fix Themselves If you’re reading this online, you’re lucky.

Many Clevelanders don’t have the WiFi, equipment, time, freedom, and/ or literacy skills to read the news online.

I love Cleveland. All of Cleveland.

Many (still) don’t know who I am, but since 2009, when I started working for local attorney Cassandra CollierWilliams, few residents have been to more ward club meetings, parades, endorsement meetings, holiday parties and other local events than me. That continued during the mayoral primary season. And it crystalized what I’ve felt for a long time: Cleveland is not a place where residents are well-represented by our elected officials. I apologize to those who might be offended by a statement of that nature. I know you mean very well and try very hard.

It would be an incomplete statement to say, “The 2021 mayoral primary was decided on September 14, 2021.” In reality, the 2021 primary and general, and potentially every general for the next few

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Courtesy Rebecca Maurer

UPFRONT

decades, were decided many months, if not years, before Tuesday. That’s because the system is broken.

For those who followed my campaign, it was clear the realities of my platform, unfortunately, dominated my work ethic. Much of my platform could be summed up by saying unconnected residents stand no chance. A big part of my motivation for running, and the creation of my platform and proposals, was the state of the city in 2017 and the election results of 2017. Much entrenchment, and little to no accountability. Mayor Jackson won handily again, Ken Johnson won handily again, and they were backed and endorsed by the people and institutions whose resources and words made us feel some type of way about them and their opponents.

The Mayor is not nearly the most powerful person in the City of Cleveland. The people who influence our opinions run the city. Many people want the title, responsibility, salary, servant duty, recognition and/or power that comes with becoming a councilperson or mayor.

The wealthiest among us can invest in plenty of fish in the sea. Quid pro quo donations for policy positions are unnecessary. Well-backed candidates either naturally, or genuinely over time while running in certain circles, come to feel that tax abatement and top-down economics are the best policies for all of Cleveland, no matter your street. Great campaign managers, marketers, materials and canvassers

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cost money. That money will be given largely by people who benefit from policies to candidates whose views align with theirs. Mine do not.

I suppose it was hubris to think I could get around the influence of the gatekeepers and political mailers by meeting people while petitioning and with a larger platform than the public relations and corporate candidates. I would have bet money on the fact that we would get votes in the thousands. (And it will join the many bets I’ve lost in my life as a sometimes-professional gambler.)

I knew many of the obstacles beforehand, including the media portion of the challenge. My plan to get around it was to talk to upwards of 10,000 voters personally. I blew past that goal. I’ve spent a lot of time grassroots campaigning, I enjoy it, frankly. Most people will tell you they enjoy it and snap pictures wearing big smiles, but they do it from a place of necessity and view it as horrible work. The perception (now documented in reality) of viability was my failure. Person 10,001 liked me a lot, but could never trust that I talked to 10,000 people before them and that a majority of them would circle my name if they voted at all.

The other six candidates were great, seemingly well-intentioned.

For months I was treated with nothing but respect by every candidate and most of their teams.

But I still feel very strongly that none of the six are advocating for systemic change but instead for

themselves and those who fill their campaign coffers. I worked harder than probably any human being anywhere to make the ballot and debates. I tried to answer every question as best I could, even if the answer was, “I need to read more about that or put more work in on this issue.”

A great politician pisses as few people off as possible, from the wealthiest donor to the poorest dependable voter. I simply wanted to give Clevelanders my sometimesflawed truthful answer. The best politicians determine their public opinions and answers to questions based on polling and focus groups.

I feel I won most of the debates on substance, even if my delivery was sometimes very poor. I’m especially proud of my criminal justice Zoom, the Slavic Village forum, and second City Club debate. I never won “post-debate spin,” except for the Progressive Caucus forum, where another candidate still received many more votes than me and almost the endorsement.

But I stand by what I said.

Huge chunks of Cleveland taxpayer dollars being spent to enrich the already-wealthy instead of being used to tackle our most important issues is the city’s biggest problem.

More focus should be spent here if we want to get off the various Worst Of lists and lessen crime and improve city services. Child poverty, the environment, public schooling and transportation, crime and criminal justice reform, city services,

lead paint poisoning, homelessness, infant mortality, vacancies and affordable housing, affordable goodfaith lending, workers’ rights and wages, healthcare, more ambulances and ambulance drivers, code enforcement. The donor class may pay lip service toward improving these things. Make no mistake. They worsen them.

With Justin Bibb and Kevin Kelley, I see two people who would be great candidates for Mayor of Downtown or Cuyahoga County Executive.

But they are our choices this November.

If the winner continues to enrich very wealthy non-Clevelanders who have gotten them to this point, crime will not go down. The reporting of crime will go down. Adding officers, moving officers from desks to the streets, and devoting resources towards studying the root causes of crime means more of the same.

Clevelanders: Be engaged, vote, ask questions, but don’t be zealots

DIGIT WIDGET 20,000 Population that the Downtown Cleveland Alliance claims downtown Cleveland has now surpassed.

12,165 Downtown population, according to the U.S. Census and the Center for Community Solutions.

15% Cleveland voter turnout in the primary elections of 9/14, an improvement – unbelievably – on the 12.9% that voted in the 2017 primary election, where Frank Jackson and Zack Reed were the top two vote-getters.

285 Refugees from Afghanistan who will be coming to Cleveland on humanitarian parole, Gov. Mike DeWine announced this week.

for the final candidates. I don’t care if they are your immediate family. Tough love is true love. So love Kevin Kelley. Love Justin Bibb.

But don’t fall in line behind one of them. Don’t believe everything you read. Be zealots for humankind, especially those who need you more than politicians and the donor-class.

Learn, vote, donate, volunteer, and work as hard as you can. Keep an open mind. Work tirelessly to hold city hall to a higher standard.

Because that’s the only way true change will ever happen.

-Ross DiBello

Incumbents Dominate City Council Races, but Maurer Mounts Stout Challenge in Ward 12, Ken Johnson Falls at Last CLASH attorney and neighborhood activist Rebecca Maurer nearly defeated incumbent Anthony Brancatelli in the Ward 12 City Council primary last Tuesday.

Maurer fared best among candidates taking on incumbents, winning 42% of the vote, compared to Brancatelli’s 46%.

The results in the Slavic VillageOld Brooklyn ward, one of only two Cleveland wards that occupy both sides of the Cuyahoga, promise a fierce November runoff in which Brancatelli can be expected to marshal his clout and council resources to try to bat away the justice and transparency advocate, who launched her campaign with a public engagement pledge that other progressive challengers embraced. Maurer’s primary success suggests that with a tireless ground game — she has been canvassing Ward 12 on a nightly basis for months — incumbents can indeed be effectively dislodged, or at least made extremely uncomfortable.

Ward 5 was the only other ward where an incumbent did not win decisively. There, Delores Gray, who was appointed to replace Phyllis Cleveland only a few months ago, narrowly defeated Richard Starr, who ran in 2017. Starr, 32, grew up in the King-Kennedy housing complex and received the endorsement of the PD/cleveland. com editorial board, though Gray refused to participate.

If Gray defeats Starr in November, Cleveland could see twin sisters on council for the first time ever. Gray’s sister Deborah was the top votegetter in Ward 4. She’ll go head to head with librarian Erick Walker in the November general. Both have received a number of endorsements from neighborhood groups, though

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UPFRONT Gray won the vast majority of Ward 4’s precincts. Disgraced councilman Ken Johnson, who will be sentenced next month for his thefts in office, remained on the ballot there. He came in fifth out of 11 candidates, though could not have served even if he’d won, due to his felony conviction.

Ward 11 featured an incumbent who was recently appointed as well.

Brian Mooney managed to collect 46% of the vote in the low turnout west side ward, but could face a stiff challenge from educator Michael Hardy (29%), especially if Hardy can consolidate support from third-place finisher Donna Woods (25%).

Ward 7 featured two known quantities in Hough: statehouse Rep. Stephanie Howse and former councilman TJ Dow. Both will advance to the general, though neither eclipsed 30% of the ward vote.

With 11 candidates in the primary race, they’ll have their work cut out for them.

In the other races, incumbents won handily. In Ward 1, incumbent Joe Jones (66%) will face Kimberly Brown (27%) in the runoff. In Ward 2, incumbent Kevin Bishop (74%) will go up against Monique Moore (13%). In Ward 3, incumbent Kerry McCormack will take on young environmentalist Ayat Amin (20%).

In Ward 8, council artifact Mike Polensek (77%) will go head to head with Black Lives Matter activist Aisia Jones (17%). And in Ward 17, Charles Slife (57%) must withstand another frontal assault from West Park’s own Mary Kathleen O’Malley (29%).

-Sam Allard

Frank Q. Jackson, Grandson of Mayor Frank Jackson, Shot and Killed Sunday Night Frank Q. Jackson, the 24-year-old grandson of Mayor Frank Jackson, was shot and killed Sunday night in an incident near the Garden Valley public housing complex in the Kinsman neighborhood.

Cleveland Police say that the shooting occurred at approximately 9 p.m. While no arrests have yet been made, investigators are soliciting information and following up on leads.

Local media on scene reported a significant police presence, and noted that Police Chief Calvin Williams, Safety Director Karrie Howard, Ward 6 Councilman Blaine

Griffin and Mayor Frank Jackson himself were all in attendance.

Frank Q. Jackson was a suspected member of No-Limit 700, a violent street gang operating in Cleveland. His criminal activity over the past several years regularly appeared in local headlines, given his family connections.

In June, 2019, the younger Jackson choked and violently beat an 18-year-old woman with a truck hitch. Jackson agreed to plea deal in that case. He was found guilty of only a misdemeanor assault charge and received a sentence of 18 months probation. A harsher felonious assault charge could’ve included up to eight years in prison.

Two months later, a 30-yearold man, Antonio Parra, was killed in Cleveland’s Clark-Fulton neighborhood. The suspected assailants drove away in a car registered to Frank Q. Jackson.

Jackson told investigators that he’d sold the car the month before, and he was never charged in the case.

But in a lawsuit filed by Parra’s mother, the investigation of Parra’s murder was likened to other cases involving the Mayor’s grandsons in that it was “marked by anomalous and unexplained deviations from established police policies and procedures,” the most significant of which was that investigators did not question or arrest Frank Q. Jackson or perform a gun residue test to determine if he had recently fired a gun on the night of the murder. At the mayor’s request, he was allowed to come down to the police station the following day for an interview.

The mayor’s alleged interference in his grandsons’ prosecutions created a “culture of impunity,” the lawsuit argued, in which Jackson’s young family members believed they were “above the law.”

Frank Q. Jackson lived at the mayor’s home in the Central neighborhood. The mayor has frequently been pressed into comment about the gang activity of his grandson. He has said that a culture of guns, dirt bikes and crime is prevalent: “So if many of the kids have guns, they are gonna have friends who have guns. I wish the world was Pollyanna. I wish that Disneyland prevailed. And I wish that the illusion that people think the world is, I wish that were reality. But it’s not.”

-Sam Allard

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FEATURE

AFTER 18 MISERABLE AND TRYING MONTHS, it’s our absolute privilege to publish this year’s Best of Cleveland winners. Not only is it the one issue of the year where you, the readers of Cleveland, get to have your say instead of listening to us prattle on, it’s an issue that’s all about positivity.

Tens of thousands of you took the time to nominate finalists and select the winners this year, the plum-perfect people, places and things that the city of Cleveland should be celebrating at this moment.

Many of them are first-time winners, which is great to see, while others have graced this issue before, which, after losing so many landmark businesses in the past year, is worthy of celebration as well.

Thank you, as always, for voting and supporting your city.

Without further ado, the winners are...

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Best Concert Venue 1. Beachland Ballroom & Tavern 2. Blossom Music Center 3. Grog Shop 4. The Agora 5. The Foundry

Best Band

1. Tropidelic 2. Disco Inferno

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3. Oregon Space Trail of Doom 4. Apostle Jones 5. Who Saved Who 6. Last Gasp

Best Female Vocalist 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Madeline Finn Uno Lady Ashley Armanni Becky Boyd Amanda Terman Chayla Hope

| clevescene.com | September 22-October 5, 2021

Best Male Vocalist 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Mikey Silas Joe Figueroa Anthony Covatta Koly Kolgate Bob Frank

Best Singer/ Songwriter 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Cassidy King Ray Flanagan Anthony Covatta Chris Allen Mikey Silas

6. Rachel Short 7. Brent Kirby 8. Diana Chittester

Best Cover Band 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Disco Inferno Tricky Dick Breakfast Club Billy Likes Soda Radiate Live

Best Dance Party 1.

2.

3.

4.

Emo Night CLE Black Mass Y2KRAY Fembot

Best DJ 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Bobby Booshay Mattitude Mike McKay Koly Kolgate Jimmy Gross

Best Arts/Film/ Music Festival

1. Lakewood Arts Festival 2. Cleveland International Film Festival

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Ingenuity Fest Brite Winter Cain Park Arts Festival Berea Arts Festival Chagrin Documentary Film Festival

Best Movie Theater 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Cedar Lee Theater Capitol Theater The Cinematheque Crocker Park Cinemark Valley View

Best Local Author/ Writer - Fiction 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Connie Schultz Angeline Walsh Les Roberts Paula McLain Mary Doria Russell Dan Chaon

Best Local Author/ Writer - Nonfiction/ Journalism 1. Laura DeMarco 2. Annie Nickoloff 3. Annie Zaleski

FOOD & DRINK Best Restaurant 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

Marble Room Barroco Salt+ Luca Astoria Zhug All Saints Public House Rood Food and Pie

Best Local Snack

1. Terrinen Herbs Za’atar Chips 2. Campbell’s Popcorn 3. Fat T’s Cookies 4. Marchant Manor Cheese 5. Branch BBQ Sauce

Best Seafood Market

Cloak and Dagger.

4. Connie Schultz 5. Ken Schneck 6. Amanda Terman

Best Place To Catch a Play 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Beck Center Cleveland Public Theatre Near West Theatre Karamu House Dobama Theatre Blank Canvas Theater Ensemble Theatre

Best Local Playwright 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Amanda Terman Lisa Langford India Burton David Hansen Eric Coble

Best Actor 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Pat Miller Anthony Covatta CK Steele Danny Simpson Patrick Ciamacco Bill Franklin Sean Manos

Best Actress 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Makenna Weyburne Nicole Sumlin Amanda Terman Ember Burns Amiee Collier

Best Hip Hop Artist/Group

1. Mellowman Funk 2. Koly Kolgate

JOSH DOBAY PRODUCTIONS

3.

4.

5.

6.

Young Cap Malik X Muamin Collective Jeremy Salaam

Best Director 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Victoria Bussert Thomas Sawyer Angeline Walsh Scott Spence Charles Moore

Best Photographer 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Imagine It Gabe Wasylko Max Torres Rustin McCann Nat Kendrick Kat Ladrach Howard Bruce

Best Painter 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Eileen Dorsey Glen Infante Tessa LeBaron Frank Oriti Garrett Weider HMF

Best Artist 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Aaron Sechrist (OKPants) Eileen Dorsey Derek Hess Liz Maugans Justin Brennan Dave Crider Kris Petrenko

Best Art Gallery 1. Negative Space 2. Spaces 3. 78th Street Studios

4. Hedge Gallery 5. 2020 West Schaaf 6. Kaiser Gallery

Best Arts Event

1. Third Friday at 78th Street Studios 2. Lakewood Arts Festival 3. Ingenuity Fest 4. Cain Park Arts Festival 5. Waterloo Arts Festival 6. Cleveland Photo Fest

Best Comedy Venue 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

The Improv Hilarities Winchester Music Tavern The Grog Shop The Funny Stop

Best Comedian 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Mike Polk Jr. Mary Santora Bill Squire Bryan Sternik Jimmie Graham Joey Gentile

Best Dance Troupe 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Suga Shack Girls Cleveland Dance Project Verb Ballet Monster Dolls 10K Movement

Best Illustrator 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Angela Oster Aaron Sechrist (OKPants) Jason Look Amy Rottinger Gary Dumm James Quarles

Kate’s Fish Seven Seas Seafoods Euclid Fish Catanese Seafood Farm House Foods

Best New Restaurant

7. John G.

Best Filmmaker 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Angeline Walsh Robert Banks Thomas Sawyer Eric Swinderman Tyler Davidson

Best Tattoo Artist

1. Lauren Callahan (252 Tattoo) 2. Jake Romero (Addicted Body Art) 3. Lauren Vandevier (Voodoo Monkey) 4. Eric Kaplan (Olympus) 5. Stephanie Streeter (Tattoo Faction) 6. Tim Wood (Tattoo Faction) 7. Matt Grunden (Metropolis Tattoo)

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Cloak and Dagger Bar Itallia Heart of Gold Acqua Di Luca Goma Alea

Best Coffee 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Rising Star Root Cafe Duck Rabbit Civilization Cleveland Tea Revival Algebra Teahouse

Best Teahouse 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Cleveland Tea Revival Algebra Tea House Inca Tea The Macaron Tea Room Clementine’s

Best Street Fair

Best Ramen

Best Traditional Dance Company

Best Chef

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

1.

2.

3.

4.

Hessler Street Fair Taste of Tremont Lakewood Arts Fest The Feast Waterloo Arts Fest

Cleveland Dance Project Dancing Wheels Elevated Dance Viva Dance

Best Burlesque Troupe

1. Black Water Cabaret 2. Suga Shack Girls 3. Red Hot Heathens

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Otani Noodle Ninja City Xinji Sung’s House Issho Ni

1. Dante Boccuzzi (Dante, Ginko, DCA, Goma, Inferno, Next Door) 2. Jill Vedaa (Salt+) 3. Doug Katz (Zhug/Amba/Chimi) 4. Rachelle Murphy (Rood Food and Pie) 5. Jared Bazil (All Saints Public House) 6. Matt Spinner (Bar Oni)

September 22-October 5, 2021 | clevescene.com |

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| clevescene.com | September 22-October 5, 2021

Best French Fries 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Tommy’s Bar Cento Rowley Inn Banter Larder

Best German Restaurant 1.

2.

3.

4.

Der Braumeister Das Schnitzel Haus Hansa Brewery Hofbrauhaus

Best Mexican Restaurant 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

La Plaza Momocho Cilantro Taqueria El Carnicero Barrio Cozumel Blue Habanero

Best Jamaican Restaurant 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

IRIE Jamaican Kitchen Taste of Jamaica UJerk Caribbean Island Bratenahl Kitchen

Best French Restaurant 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Le Petit Triangle L’Albatros EDWINs Tartine Bistro The Paris Room Cru Uncorked

Best Korean Restaurant 1.

2.

3.

4.

Rising Grill Seoul Garden Korea House Miega

Best Sushi 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Ginko Voodoo Tuna Pacific East Shinto Kintaro Goma

Best Japanese Restaurant 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Bar Oni Shinto Ginko Pacific East Otani Noodle Shuhei Goma

Best Chinese Restaurant

1. Li Wah 2. Szechuan Gourmet 3. LJ Shanghai

Lakewood Arts Festival.

4. King Wah 5. Siam Cafe

Best Thai Restaurant 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

Thai Thai Banana Blossom Sweet Mango Thai Kitchen Brown Sugar Thai Peppermint Thai Ty Fun Cravings

Best Vietnamese Restaurant 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Minh Anh Ninja City Superior Pho Pho Thang #1 Pho Saigon

Best Pho 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Superior Pho #1 Pho Ninja City Pho Thang Bowl of Pho Saigon

Best Seafood Restaurant 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Pier W Blue Point Grille Alley Cat Oyster Bar Marble Room Acqua Di Luca Blu

Best Desserts

1. Rood Food and Pie 2. Larder

EMANUEL WALLACE

3. Thyme X Table 4. Marble Room 5. LBM

Best Irish Restaurant 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Stone Mad The Harp Flannery’s PJ McIntyre’s Merry Arts

Best Latin Restaurant 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Barocco La Plaza Half Moon Bakery Paladar Batuqui Rincon Criollo Arepazo y Pupuseria

Best Pizza 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Il Rione Angelo’s Ohio Pie Co. Citizen Pie Geraci’s Harlow’s

Best Brunch 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Astoria Pier W Lucky’s Luxe Rowley Inn All Saints Public House

Best Polish Restaurant 1.

2.

3.

4.

Pierogi Palace Little Polish Diner Rudy’s Seven Roses

Best Vegan Restaurant 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Cleveland Vegan Cloak and Dagger Tommy’s The Root Cafe Earth Bistro Foodhisattva Beet Jar

Best Late Night Eats 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Edison’s Happy Dog The Fairmount My Friends Restaurant Winchester Music Tavern Bar Cento

Best Burger 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Heck’s Buckeye Beer Engine Good Company All Saints Public House Rowley Inn

Best Butcher Shop 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Ohio City Provisions Gibbs Butcher Block K&K Portage Meats TJ’s Butcher Block Saucisson

Best Barbecue 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Tie - Ohio City BBQ Tie - Woodstock BBQ Mabel’s Proper Pig Landmark Smokehouse Proof BBQ

Best Bagels

1. Cleveland Bagel Co. 2. Bialy’s

3. Cocky’s Bagels 4. Barry’s Bagels 5. The Bagel Shoppe

Best Vegetarian Restaurant 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Johnny Mango Tommy’s Cleveland Vegan Root Cafe Foodhisattva

Best Steakhouse 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Strip Marble Room Red, the Steakhouse Hyde Park Cabin Club

Best Middle Eastern Restaurant 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Aladdin’s Nate’s Deli Zhug Anatolia Cafe Ferris Shawarma Taza Assad’s Bakery

Best Sandwich 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Slyman’s Herb’n Twine Larder Lox, Stock and Brisket Black Box Fix Melt

Best Food Truck 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Fired Up Tacos Cocky’s Bagels Fahrenheit Thyme Truck Squash The Beef

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| clevescene.com | September 22-October 5, 2021

6. Wild Spork 7. Parilya

4. Luna 5. Leavened

Best Patio Dining

Best Cakes

1 . Georgetown 2 . Collision Bend Brewing Company 3. All Saints Public House 4. The Fairmount 5. Luxe 6. Astoria

Best African Restaurant 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Zoma Ethiopian Cafe Empress Taytu Kifaya’s Kitchen Habesha Ethiopian Choukouya Resto-Bar Yemen Gate

Best Chicken Wings 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Dina’s Around the Corner The Foundry Rush Inn Good Company Woodstock BBQ The Tavern of Mayfield

Best Italian Restaurant 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Luca Italian Cuisine Mia Bella Bruno’s Bar Italia Molto Bene

Best Indian Restaurant 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

India Garden Cafe Tandoor Tandul Indian Delight Taste of Kerala

Best Donuts 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Brewnuts Jack Frost Goldie’s Becker’s Spudnuts

Best Breakfast 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Grumpy’s The Place To Be Borderline Cafe Rowley Inn Cleveland Vegan

Best Diner 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Dinerbar on Clifton Grumpy’s My Friends Restaurant George’s Kitchen The Place To Be

Best Bakery/Pastries 1. On The Rise 2. Blackbird 3. Kelsey Elizabeth

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Kelsey Elizabeth Michael Angelo’s Wild Flour Luna KB Confections Sugar Me

Best Breadmaker 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Blackbird On the Rise Leavened Stone Oven Fluffy Duck

Best Greek Restaurant 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Astoria Cafe and Market Greek Village Mars Bar Gyro George Taki’s

Best Soul Food 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Zanzibar SoHo Chicken and Whiskey Angie’s Squash the Beef Southern Cafe

Best Fried Chicken 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

SoHo Chicken and Whiskey Boss ChickNBeer Mahall’s Larder Parkview Nite Club The Crispy Chick Chicken Ranch

Best Ice Cream 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Mitchell’s Honey Hut Mason’s Creamery East Coast Custard Sweet Moses

Best Deli 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Larder Joe’s (Rocky River) Corky and Lenny’s Jack’s Deli Chicago Deli

Best Bar Food 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Prosperity Social Club Winchester Music Tavern Noble Beast All Saints Public House Rowley Inn

Best Romantic Restaurant 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Pier W Marble Room L’Albatros Luca Georgetown

Best Sub Shop 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Herb’n Twine Dave’s Cosmic Subs La Bodega Grum’s Ferarra’s

Best Juice Bar 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Beet Jar Restore Daily Press Anna in the Raw Fawaky Burst Fresh Fix

Best Tacos 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Hola Tacos Barrio La Plaza Condado Cilantro Taqueria Momocho Bomba

Best Tapas/ Small Plates 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Salt+ Butcher and the Brewer Astoria Zhug Sangria y Tapas

Best Hot Dog 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Happy Dog Scooter’s Hot Dog Diner Old Fashion Hot Dogs Banter

Best Polish Boy 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Banter Hot Sauce Williams A Taste Above B&M Seti’s

Best Local Chain 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Barrio Swenson’s Aladdin’s Winking Lizard Melt Yours Truly

PEOPLE & PLACES Best Hotel 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Metropolitan at the 9 Hilton (Downtown) Ritz-Carlton Aloft (Flats) Kimpton Schofield

Best Place to Take an Out of Towner 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Rock and Roll of Fame West Side Market Cleveland Museum of Art The Metroparks Edgewater Park

Best Family Outing 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Cleveland Metroparks Zoo The Metroparks Cleveland Museum of Art Pineapple’s Palace PlayLoveLearn

Best Neighborhood 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Ohio City Tremont West Park Gordon Square Detroit Shoreway Old Brooklyn

Best Suburb 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Lakewood Cleveland Heights Rocky River Westlake Shaker Heights Bay Village

Best Free Outing

1. Cleveland Museum of Art 2. Metroparks 3. Cuyahoga Valley National Park 4. Edgewater Live 5. Black Mass

Best Apartment Complex 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Crocker Park The 9 The Lumen The Langston Brighton Chase

Best Bed and Breakfast

1. Emerald Necklace Tearoom and Inn 2. Glidden House Hotel 3. Anchor Inn 4. Brownstone Inn 5. Clifford House

Best Seasonal Festival/Event 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Asian Lantern Festival Feast of the Assumption Taste of Tremont Edgewater Live Brite Winter Parade the Circle

Best Indoor Wedding Venue

4. Sapphire Creek Winery 5. Cultural Gardens

Best Radio Station 1.

2.

3.

4.

100.7 WMMS 92.3 The Fan 90.3 WCPN 99.1 WMMS2 (Now the Black Information Network) 5. 89.3 WCSB

Best College Radio Station

1. 89.3 WCSB - Cleveland State University 2. 88.7 WJCU - John Carroll 3. 91.1 WRUW - Case Western Reserve 4. 90.7 WKSU - Kent State 5. 88.3 WXPN - Baldwin Wallace

Best Radio Show

1. Sound of Ideas (90.3 WCPN Ideastream) 2. Alan Cox Show (100.7 WMMS) 3. Rover’s Morning Glory (100.7 WMMS) 4. Bull and Fox (92.3 WKRK The Fan) 5. NEO Rocks (88.7 WJCU John Carroll Radio)

Best Sports Talker 1. Ken Carman (92.3 The Fan) 2. Anthony Lima (92.3 The Fan) 3. Adam the Bull (92.3 The Fan) 4. Dustin Fox (92.3 The Fan) 5. Jonathan Peterlin (92.3 The Fan)

Best Sports Radio Show

1. Ken Carman Show with Anthony Lima (92.3 The Fan) 2. Bull and Fox (92.3 The Fan) 3. Really Big Show (850 WKNR) 4. Baskin and Phelps (92.3 The Fan)

1. 78th Street Studios 2. Cleveland Botanical Gardens 3. Windows on the River 4. Gordon Green 5. The Madison

Best Local Newscast

Best Outdoor Wedding Venue

Best Anchor

1. Mapleside Farms 2. Cleveland Botanical Gardens 3. Holden Arboretum

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

WKYC NBC 3 WCPN Sound of Ideas WJW Fox 8 WEWS ABC 5 WOIO CBS 19

Betsy Kling (WKYC 3) Wayne Dawson (WJW 8) Russ Mitchell (WKYC 3) Maureen Kyle (WKYC 3) Sam Roberts (WOIO 19)

September 22-October 5, 2021 | clevescene.com |

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| clevescene.com | September 22-October 5, 2021

Best Sports Reporter

2.

3.

4.

5.

1. John Telich (WJW 8) 2. Andre Knott (Bally Sports Ohio) 3. Jim Donovan (WKYC 3) 4. Angel Gray (Bally Sports Ohio) 5. Terry Pluto (Plain Dealer/Cleveland.com)

Best Neighborhood Bar 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Best Instagram Follow 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

@TheCleBucketList @CleFood @CleFoodies @SweetBrieCo @YourLebanon

Best College or University

1. Cleveland State University 2. Case Western Reserve University 3. Kent State University 4. Baldwin Wallace University 5. John Carroll University

Best Local Startup 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Sweet Brie Co. Poppin Cleveland Branch BBQ Sauce PrepSlutz Terrannean Herbs

Best Place to Work 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Phoenix Coffee Cleveland Clinic Progressive University Hospitals The Studio

Best NonProfit/ Charity 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Providence House Cleveland Food Bank Beck Center For The Arts Building Hope In The City Colors+

Best Place for a First Date 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Rocky River Wine Bar Pier W The Side Quest Flight Cleveland Marble Room

Best Place for a Kid’s Birthday Party 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Play: Cle Main Event Whirly Ball Playground World Get Air Shaker Rocks

Best Place for a Grown-up’s Birthday Party 1. Mahall’s

Parlor 16-Bit Bar+Arcade Hi & Dry Funhouse Wild Eagle

Treehouse Winchester Music Tavern Little Rose Tavern Jukebox Public House Rowley Inn Iggy’s

Best Spot for Day Drinking

Superelectric Pinball Parlor.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Punch Bowl Social Forest City Shufflebaord Tabletop Board Game Cafe The Side Quest

Best Place to Buy a House 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Lakewood Rocky River West Park Cleveland Heights Old Brooklyn

Best Activist

1. Dr. Lady J. (Studio West 117) 2. Ricky Smith (RAKE) 3. Phyllis Seven Harris (LGBT Community Center) 4. Archie Green (Peel Dem Layers Back) 5. Kevin Ballou (Cuyahoga County Jail Coalition) 6. Black Spring

Best Local Podcast 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

The Bill Squire Show After Jackson The A To Z Podcast The Guiltless Podcast Trend Kill Radio Academy Queens

Best Drag Performer 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Pineapple Honeydew Peach Fuzz Sassy Sacha Dakota Cox Shari Turner Ryder Slowly Malibu Peruu

Best Public High School

1. Rocky River High School 2. Lakewood High School 3. Shaker Heights High

EMANUEL WALLACE

School 4. Solon High School 5. Cleveland Heights High School

Best Private High School 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

St. Edwards St. Ignatius Magnificat University School Holy Name Padua NDCL

BARS & CLUBS Best Jazz Club 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

House of Swing Brothers Lounge Nighttown Bop Stop Blu Jazz

Best Rock Club 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

The Agora Grog Shop Beachland Ballroom Happy Dog The Foundry

Best Bar or Club for Local Music 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Mahall’s Grog Shop Happy Dog Tie - Beachland Tavern Tie - The Winchester Music Tavern 6. The Foundry 7. Brothers’ Lounge 8. Now That’s Class

Best Bar or Club for Underground Music

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Grog Shop Now That’s Class Mahall’s The Foundry Beachland Tavern Coda

Best Hip-Hop Club 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Twist Social Club Grog Shop B-Side Touch Supper Club Rumor Coda

Best Blues Club 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Bop Stop Beachland Ballroom Nighttown Brothers Lounge House of Swing

Best LGBTQ Bar 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Twist Social Club The Foundry The Side Quest Leather Stallion Vibe

Best Bar/Club for EDM 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

FWD Agora The Foundry Barley House Winchester Music Tavern Ivy

Best Dive Bar 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Hoopples Harbor Inn Little Rose Tavern Funhouse Iggy’s

Best Place for Arcade Games

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Platform Beer Co. Lakewood Truck Park Great Lakes Brewery Jukebox Harbor Inn Inferno Iggy’s

Best Karaoke 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Corky’s Place Tina’s Twist Social Club The Richland Casey Jones Tavern

Best Cocktail Bar 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Porco Tiki Lounge Velvet Tango Room LBM Spotted Owl Society Lounge Literary Tavern

Best Happy Hour 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Humble Wine Bar LBM Georgetown and Vosh Rowley Inn Luca

Best New Bar 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Cloak and Dagger Good Night John Boy Heart of Gold Iggy’s The Tavern of Mayfield Garden City

Best Gentleman’s Club 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Christie’s Lido’s Lounge Diamond Men’s Club Hustler Club Crazy Horse

Best Brewery 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Great Lakes Fat Heads Noble Beast Platform Market Garden Masthead

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| clevescene.com | September 22-October 5, 2021

Best Bar With Games 1. The Side Quest 2. Hi and Dry 3. Table Top Board Game Cafe 4. Superelectric Pinball 5. Iggy’s

Best Bar For Singles 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Around the Corner TownHall The Side Quest Corky’s Place Iggy’s

Best Bartender

1. AJ Grandell (Twist Social Club) 2. John Wiley (All Saints Public House) 3. Connor Tvrdik (The Foundry) 4. Andrew Smith (Shooter’s) 5. Andrew McSherry (Vibe)

Best Wine Bar 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Flight Rocky River Wine Bar Humble Wine Bar CLE Urban Winery The Wine Spot

6. Clifton Martini & Wine Bar

Best Bar Patio 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Rocky River Wine Bar Nano Brew The Fairmount Forest City Brewery Twist Social Club

Best Bar Trivia Night 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Winchester Music Tavern Happy Dog Jukebox The Side Quest Twist Social Club

Best Local Beer

1. Masthead Brewing Co. 2. Great Lakes Brewing Company 3. Platform Beer Co. 4. Market Garden Brewery 5. Noble Beast Brewing Co. 6. Saucy Brew Works 7. Sibling Revelry

Best Metal Club 1. The Foundry 2. The Agora

3.

4.

5.

6.

LBM Now That’s Class Mahall’s Dark Room

Best Club or Bar to Dance 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Twist Social Club FWD Mahall’s Barley House The Foundry

Best Bar on the Water 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Collision Bend Brewery Shooters Alley Cat Oyster Bar Music Box Supper Club Lindey’s Lakehouse Merwin’s Wharf FWD

Best Bottle Selection 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Winking Lizard Lizardville Harbor Inn Banter Iggy’s

Best Draught Selection 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Buckeye Beer Engine Tremont Taphouse City Tap Craft Collective Iggy’s

Best Sports Bar 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Around the Corner Game On Brew Kettle Hi & Dry City Tap Dive Bar Iggy’s

SHOPS & SERVICES Best Pet-Related Business 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Three Dog Bakery The Mutt Hutt Boss K9 Style Mutt Pet-Tique

Best Thrift Store 1. Flower Child

2.

3.

4.

5.

Value World Savers Common Threads Avalon Exchange

Best Record Store 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

My Mind’s Eye The Exchange Loop Record Revolution Blue Arrow The Current Year

Best Salon 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Stella and Shay West Park Beauty Tease Foxy A Salon Bella Capelli

Best Bicycle Shop 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Blazing Saddles Century Cycles Spin Joy Machines Fairview Cycle Beat Cycles

Best T-Shirt Shop 1. GV Art + Design 2. Cleveland Clothing

THE BEST OF CLEVELAND 2021: CREATE-YOUR-OWN CATEGORY AND WINNER SELECTIONS EVERY YEAR WE ASK FOR YOUR OPINION in hundreds of categories to select the winners of Best of Cleveland.

But even we know that covers just a superficial slice of what makes Cleveland so great.

There isn’t a category for Best Late Night Italian Sub Two Minutes From My House, or Best Cashier at Save A Lot Who Always Makes Your Day, or Best Hairdresser Who Was Super Good About Covid Precautions While Still Keeping You Looking Good, or Low Key Bench With Good Shade in a Park Where No One Bothers You While You Read, or Best Cleveland Sub-Tweeter. The list, as you might guess, goes on infinitely from there.

Which is why, this year, we asked you to create your own categories and winners, to fill in the blanks missed by our list. And boy howdy did you come through. Here are just some of the hundreds and hundreds of submissions we received with the first name of the person who submitted the category.

Best Beer Garden

Forest City Brewery (Jill)

Best Wife

Ashley Cantu-Weinstein (Ilon Weinstein)

Best Custom/Madeto-Order Cookies Amanda Bura, The Sister Project Co. (Mike)

“I’ll be honest, I’m just here to talk about brownies at Sprinkles by Sylvia” (Nick)

Best HorrorThemed Bar The Dark Room in Broadview Heights (Anonymous)

“Meg and Rachel at Ecole de Pole Cleveland are simply the best” (Bekah)

Best Custom Cookies Cookies by Courtney CLE (Many, many people)

Best Yoga Teacher Adam Tilocco (Angela)

Warmest/ Friendliest Business Owner Oktober at Oktober’s Occult Store (Buffy)

Best Recreational Sports Team Cleveland Water Polo Club (Kyle)

Best Water Activity

Rowing with the Western Reserve Rowing Association (Nicolette)

restaurants and residents (LBJ)

Best Realtor

Angie Caruso with Russell Realty (Kirsten)

Most Magical Vibes

Ben Kowall sharing the love in his heart with all souls (Brandon)

Best Shared-Use Kitchen/Incubator Central Kitchen Cleveland (Eric)

Best Girlfriend Best Grocery Store in Cleveland Employees My girlfriend, Isabel Patrick and Dom at the downtown Heinen’s (Catherine)

Best Mayor

Martin Horwitz, who encouraged council to go forward with a mask mandate, got Beachwood’s fire department to be a drive-through vaccine location, and made Beachwood Delivers feefree restaurant delivery happen to benefit the city’s

McClain. She’s great. 10/10 gal. I love her very much (Nicole)

Best Family Resource ClevelandWestSideMoms (Anna)

Best Specialty Store

Anglo American Darts (Mike)

Best Sound tech

“Beck Center for the Arts’ Beck @ Home online arts classes kept families sane during the pandemic” (Julie) “Alesci’s food is terrific.

Makes you feel like a guest at your own event” (Joanne)

Best Interior Design Studio

Lee Meier/ Best Interior Designer: Natalie Rich (Tim)

Best Newcomer

Jeremy Johnson, Executive Director at Assembly for the Arts. Since coming to town to head the successor to Arts Cleveland, Jeremy has made a point to go to art openings and see shows at venues in addition to meeting with the big guys.

(Sean)

Best Healthcare Team MetroHealth’s Trauma and Critical Care Teams. Best care team I’ve ever worked with across all systems (Zach)

Ben Vilyus (Kelly)

September 22-October 5, 2021 | clevescene.com |

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| clevescene.com | September 22-October 5, 2021

Company 3. Emily Roggenburk 4. Ilthy 5. Cleveland Print Co.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Best Wine Store

Best Barber

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

The Wine Spot Rozi’s Minotti’s Little Birdie Wine Nest Flight

Best Cigar Shop 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Cigar Cigars Cousin’s Cigar Mayfield Smoke Shop Robusto and Briar Cheap Tobacco

Best Tattoo Shop 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

252 Tattoo Lakewood Electric Voodoo Monkey Tattoo Faction Black Metal Olympus Grim Heart West Anchor

Best Adult Store 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Adultmart Dean Rufus House of Fun Ambiance Cirilla’s Rocky’s

Best Barbershop 1. Black Cat

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Eddy’s Sal’s Barber Shop Armando’s Principle

Ryan Hardwick Chuck Falk Theo Challouf Armando Hasani Don Nelson

Best Stylist 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Nicolette Ironwing Kathleen Cyngier Kalie Clunk Christine Marie Szaraz Justine Vasarab Serena Bendycki John Anthony Marinucci

Best Bookstore 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Mac’s Backs Loganberry Visible Voice Appletree Books Fireside Bookshop

Best Vintage Store 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Flower Child Sweet Lorain All Things For You Helm Collective West of Venus

Best Florist

1. Blossom Cleveland 2. Urban Orchid

3. Molly and Taylor Co. 4. Kate Rutter 5. Miklus

Best Store To Find A Piece of Cleveland

2.

3.

4.

5.

Rustbelt Reclamation Dave Crider Freddy Hill 44 Steel

2.

3.

4.

5.

Banyan Tree Fetch and Co. Oceanne Village Trends

Best Place to Furnish Your Home

Best Cleveland Maker

Best Local Fashion Designer

Best Spa

Best Pet Supplies Shop

Best Jewelry Maker

Best Men’s Clothing Store

1. Cleveland Clothing Company 2. Cuyahoga Collective 3. Cleveland in a Box 4. Salty Not Sweet 5. A Current Year

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Emily Roggenburk Valerie Mayen Kelsi McCafferty Shannon Prada Monika Veliz

Liza Michelle Oceanne Lake Witch Bunny Paige Bianca Breed

Best Jewelry Store 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Oceanne Wanderlust 2 Odd Birds Gino’s Marlen

Best Furniture Maker

1. Global Custom Furniture

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

All Things For You Helm Collective Flower Child Maison Maison Googie Style

Spa West Sacred Hour Quintana’s Walden Charles Scott

Geiger’s Xhibition Kilgore Trout William Frederick J3

Best Women’s Clothing Store 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Banyan Tree Fetch & Co. Haven Village Trends Ladder

Best Boutique

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Urban Planting Fount Shore Society Gina DeSantis Paper Cuts

Pet-Tique Pet People Three Dog Bakery Lake Erie Pet Food Style Mutt

Best Place to Buy a Wedding Dress 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Brides by the Falls Radiant Bride Harper and Ivory The Dress Ivory and Ash

Best Consignment Shop 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Lakewood Luxury Second’s City River Trading Company Revolve Fashion Passion For Fashion

1. Salty Not Sweet

CREATE-YOUR-OWN CATEGORY AND WINNER SELECTIONS Best Place for Books About Cleveland

The Cleveland History Center Museum Store (Holly)

Best Farm Market

Pickering Farms (Pamela) “Hannah Kaufman Gallagher, floral supervisor at Avon Heinen’s.

Knowledgeable and excellent customer service” (John)

Best Start-Up

The Current Year (Ryan)

Best Charity Drag Troupe Cleveland Kings Action Pack (Rose)

Best Place for Music Lessons

Beck Center for the Arts (Amy)

Best Local Small Business Terranean Herbs (Rita)

Best Spiritual Store

Best Leather Goods Fount (Frankie)

Best Volunteer Musical Ensemble

The New Moon (Darlene)

The Cleveland Women’s Orchestra (Sarah)

Best NonTraditional Gift Shop/Boutique

“252 Tattoo Shop and artist Lauren C. Absolutely the best!” (Alexander)

Cleveland Curiosities (Katelyn)

Best Late-Night Show

Drag Bingo at Music Box Supper Club, fabulous views, delicious food, and benefiting local LGBT/friendly non-profit (Veranda)

Best Arts Organization for Local Art Artists Archives of the Western Reserve (Rota)

“Affogato Cat Cafe is one of the best spots in Cleveland!” (Tiara)

Best Amazingly Sarcastic Bartender Frank Turi (Justin)

Best Appetizer

Homemade Sacetti at Luca West (Victoria)

Best Audio Recording Studio Breakthrough Sounds (Kenyatta) “I’m the best.” (Noah)

Best Breakfast Sandwich

Martha on the Fly (Katie)

Best TV Show

The Big Bad B Movie Show (Many, many people) “Tim Wood bought me a pizza and opened up the shop after hours to tattoo me. He’s the best tattoo artist in Cleveland.” (Sean)

“Alyssa Frazier is the best barista in Cleveland, hands down. (Eli)

Best Bar for Service Workers

“Applejax is the best local toy store, not fair to lump it in with comic shops.” (Sarah)

Best Bathroom to do Coke

“The best teacher in Cleveland is Lori Farence. She has been teaching at CMSD for over 30 years. She lives and breathes for those kids and never got the recognition she deserved.” (Kurek)

Best Bike Repair

“Slezak Sewing Center in Maple Heights

Best All-Around Entertainer Connor Bogart O’Brien (Jan)

McNamara’s (Steve)

Luxe (Jerry)

Sixth City Cycles (Tiffany)

Best Birding

Sandy Ridge Reservation (Jenna)

has been around since before I was old enough to sew. Fast, friendly and reliable service and sage sewing advice.” (Lauren)

September 22-October 5, 2021 | clevescene.com |

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Best Antique Shop 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Sweet Lorain All Things For You West of Venus Joseph Davis Attenson’s

Best Home/ Garden Shop 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Gale’s Garden Center Petiti Garden Center Lakewood Plant Company Urban Planting Bremec’s Garden Center

Best Gift Shop 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Coven Salty Not Sweet Luster The Rock Shop Lovely

Best Place for a Mani/Pedi 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Stella and Shay Sacred Hour Manifest Quintana’s Beauty Room

Best Auto Repair 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Bruce’s Shaker Quality Auto Spremulli’s Rex’s Washington and Lee Pro Automotive

Best Car Dealership 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Brunswick Auto Mart Nissan of North Olmsted Classic Ford Leikin Mercedes Central Cadillac

Best Comic/ Collectibles Shop 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Carol and John’s Apple Jax Toys Comic Heaven Superscript Kidforce Collectibles

Best Eyewear 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Cleveland Optical Eyes on Chagrin Eyewear at the Vantage Europtical Eyetique

Best Beer Selection

Best Grocery Store

Best Massage Salon

Best Specialty Food Market

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Simone’s Beverage Cap and Corks Red, Wine and Brew The Wine Spot Warehouse Beverage

Sacred Hour The Studio Cleveland Massage Heights Quintana’s Soothe

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Heinen’s Lucky’s Market Fresh Thyme Zagara’s The Grocery

Galucci’s West Side Market Nature’s Oasis Chuppa’s Ohio City Provisions

6. Saucisson 7. Astoria Cafe and Market 8. Park To Shop

SPORTS AND RECREATION

Best Place to Buy Sneakers

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Second Sole Westside Skates Xhibition Krush Rule of NEXT

Best Place for Musical Instruments 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Arrowhead Music Cleveland Violins Western Reserve Music Motter’s Ruttig Music

Best Medical Marijuana Dispensary 1. The Botanist 2. Rise 3. Terrasana

Best Store To Purchase CBD 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Planet of the Vapes Botanist American Shaman Tie - Cleveland Botanical Tie - Your CBD Store

Best Local Smoke Shop 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Daystar Puff n’ Stuff Planet of the Vapes Cigar Cigars High Society The Happy Cloud

Best Beach

Edgewater Beach Huntington Beach Mentor Headlands Fairport Harbor Euclid Beach

Best Dog Park 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Lakewood Bow Wow Beach Rocky River Canine Meadows Avon Lake

Best Sporting Goods Store

1. Geiger’s 2. Play It Again Sports

Best Bowling Alley 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Mahall’s Corner Alley Yorktown Lanes Buckeye Lanes Madison Square Lanes

Best Place to Hike

1. Rocky River Reservation 2. Cuyahoga Valley National Park 3. Whipps Ledges 4. North Chagrin Reservation 5. Holden Arboretum

Best Golf Course 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Big Met Sleepy Hollow Manakiki Sweetbriar Shawnee

Best Place to Ski 1. Brandywine 2. Boston Mills 3. Alpine Valley

Best Public Pool 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Lakewood Rocky River Beachwood Westlake Mayfield Village

Best Gym 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Tremont Athletic Club Brown’s Fit C4 Athletics Groovey Ride Amplio Fitness

Best Yoga Studio 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Inner Bliss Cleveland Yoga The Studio Cleveland Yoga Roots Hope Yoga Yoga Strong

Best Specialty Exercise Classes 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

The Studio Cleveland Be Fitness Sky Aerial Studios Corus45 Callie’s Pilates Ecole De Pole

Best Place to Play Billiards 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

ABC Tavern Iggy’s B&G Mahall’s Hatfield’s Goode Grub

CREATE-YOUR-OWN CATEGORY AND WINNER SELECTIONS “Off the Griddle food truck has the best cubano in Cleveland.” (Josh)

Best Independent Female Hair Stylist

“Hilary Zashin and the whole Corus 45 crew for the best workout” (Mahi)

Best Dog Trainer

“Marc’s!! Best savings and products” (Mary)

Happiest Person

Best Local Skin Care Company

Best Local Fast Food

Natalie Okal (Lauren)

Most Ironic Bar

The Patio Tavern, since they don’t actually have a patio (Bobby) “Matt Franks at the Old Angle deserves special recognition for his place in Cleveland soccer lore.”

(Alex)

Most Badass Business Woman

Sara Syed (Carleigh) “Miss C, Creta Brooks, at Value World is the best” (Mann)

Melissa Fisher (Abigail)

Essencemaker in Chesterland (Jean)

“The Jive Turkey from Fresh Fix is the best sandwich in the city” (Anna) “Isaiah Williams is the best local mural artist in the land” (Annie) “I don’t know their name.

They work at Lucky’s. Go Lucky’s” (Anessa)

Matt Tyrrell (Matt Tyrrell)

Mr. Hero (Katie)

Cleveland’s Most Patient People

for handicapped accessibility. I would like to see this as a category in the future.” (Tracy)

Friendliest Vet

Dave Dissell (Isabella)

Friendliest Barista

Best Family-Owned Diner

Shore Restaurant (Daniella)

Best Event Planner

Best Ghost Kitchen

Best Dog in the City

Treehouse Provisions (Mollie)

“The Cleveland

Best Friend Ever

deserves to be recognized for their grant accommodations

The Willow at Edgewater (Matt)

Jackson at Terrapin Coffee and Bakery (Megan)

The vendors and staff at the West Side Market, where they continue to deal with a lack of effort from the city to provide a safe workplace.

(Dillon)

Metroparks Zoo

Best Tree

Best Tree

The Willow at Edgewater (Matt) Erica Nicole Prada (Maiya)

Hedge (Aireonna)

Mista Chew, aka Chewcifer Hardwick (Chasidy)

Best Curly Hair Specialist Nancy Duncan (Alex)

“I don’t know anyone to recognize” (Monica)

September 22-October 5, 2021 | clevescene.com |

31

GET OUT

Everything to do in Cleveland for the next two weeks

WED 09/22 Jam for Justice The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland’s annual Jam for Justice will take place today at 5 p.m. on the front lawn of the Great Lakes Science Center. There will also be a virtual ticket option. The event features law students, attorneys, judges and their other professionals from Northeast Ohio who moonlight as rock stars. Performers at this year’s event include Faith & Whiskey, Luke Lindberg and Hung Jury, the No Name Band, Out of Order, Razing the Bar, SIX sometimes SEVEN and State Road. In-person tickets for Jam for Justice cost $50 (it’s a donation to Legal Aid and includes one drink and light dinner). Stayat-home tickets cost $100 (it’s also a donation to Legal Aid and includes a Jam for Justice treat from Clevelandin-a-Box). Children under 18 get in free with an adult ticketholder. To request a child ticket, call 216-8615590. Band members include Ohio Supreme Court Justice Michael Donnelly (Faith & Whiskey) and Case Western Reserve University’s law school dean Michael Scharf (Razing the Bar), among others.

601 Erieside Ave., 216-694-2000, greatscience.com.

THU 09/23 Brandon T. Jackson Straight outta Detroit, which he refers to as “the bankrupt city,” comedian Brandon T. Jackson started performing when he was only 14 years old. He’s had roles in numerous films since then; he had a significant role in the terrific comedy Tropic Thunder that helped launch his acting career. Jackson, who relies on urban slang and makes references to racial stereotypes in his routines, performs tonight at 7:30 at the Improv. Check the Improv website for ticket prices.

1148 Main Ave., 216-696-IMPROV, clevelandimprov.com.

FRI

09/24

Indians vs. Chicago White Sox The Indians take on the AL Centralleading Chicago White Sox tonight at 7:10, and if the Tribe had fared better this season, the series would

32

The Running Show will make its Akron debut at E.J. Thomas Hall — see Saturday, Sept. 25

have a major impact on the playoffs.

But at this point with the Tribe out of contention, it doesn’t carry the same weight. The series, the last homestand for the Indians this season, concludes on Sunday. Tickets start at $15.

2401 Ontario St., 216-420-4487, clevelandindians.com.

SAT 09/25 Monica Bill Barnes & Company Described as “one of the most influential people in dance today,” Monica Bill Barnes will make her Akron debut today with The Running Show. Presented by DANCECleveland in collaboration with the University of Akron Dance Program, the performance will take place at 7:30 tonight at E.J. Thomas Hall. Choreographed by Barnes and written by Robbie Saenz de Viteri, The Running Show documents the life of a dancer through movement, interviews and stories. Barnes will perform on stage alongside local dancers, including the University of Akron Dance Program dancers. Tickets range from $25 to $35. Groups of five or more can call DANCECleveland at 216-991-9000 for more information about discounted group tickets.

198 Hill St., Akron, 330-972-7570, ejthomashall.com.

SUN 09/26 Maker Town Market Maker Town and Saucy Brew Works

| clevescene.com | September 22-October 5, 2021

have teamed up to present free outdoor markets every Sunday at Saucy’s Vibe Garden. The weekly event will feature handmade jewelry, home decor, wall art, fashion, pet products, wellness items, furniture and paper goods. Located at W. 28th St. and Church Ave., Saucy’s Vibe Garden features picnic tables and an outdoor bar. Food can be ordered from the brewery via an app. The event takes place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. It’s free.

2807 Church Ave., 216-666-2568, makertownusa.com/market/.

MON 09/27 NF — Clouds Tour Earlier this summer, rapper NF announced plans to embark on the Clouds Tour, his first North American headline run in two years.

The trek, which comes to Blossom tonight, marks NF’s first tour in support of his latest project, Clouds (the Mixtape). The concert begins at 8. Consult the Live Nation website for ticket prices and more info.

1145 W. Steels Corners Rd., Cuyahoga Falls, 216-231-1111, livenation.com.

TUE

09/28

Open Turntable Tuesday Tonight from 6 to 9, the Winchester hosts its weekly Open Turntable Tuesday. Jason Gokorsch will book guest DJs and offer slots to people

Courtesy of DANCECleveland

who want to bring their own vinyl and spin their favorite songs or deep tracks. First time DJs are encouraged, and equipment is provided. Patrons can also bring records for the night’s DJ to add to their set. Sign up on Northeast Ohio Vinyl Club’s Facebook page.

12112 Madison Ave., Lakewood, 216-600-5338, facebook.com/ TheWinchesterMusicTavern.

WED 09/29 Phoebe Bridgers: Reunion Tour Singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers, who also plays in indie acts boygenius and Better Oblivion Community Center, established herself as a solo act of significant stature with last year’s Punisher, a meticulously crafted album about “inner personal turmoil,” as she puts it in one interview. The anthemic, horn-driven “Kyoto” shows off her songwriting chops and sharp pop sensibilities and it alone confirms Bridgers’s talent. MUNA opens tonight’s show, which starts at 8 p.m. at Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica.

Consult the Live Nation website for ticket prices and more info. Sept. 29.

2014 Sycamore St., 216-861-4080, livenation.com.

THU 09/30 Cleveland Stories Dinner Party Cleveland Stories Dinner Party is a weekly series that pairs fine

GET OUT food with storytelling. Through it, the folks at Music Box Supper Club hope to raise awareness of the mission of the Western Reserve Historical Society’s Cleveland History Center. The goal of the Cleveland Stories Dinner Party is to “bring to life some of the fun, interesting stories about Cleveland’s past — from sports, to rock ‘n’ roll, to Millionaires’ Row,” as it’s put in a press release. Admission is free, with no cover charge, although a prix fixe dinner, designed to complement the night’s theme, is $20. Doors open at 5 p.m., dinner is served at 6, and the storytelling starts at 7.

1148 Main Ave., 216-242-1250, musicboxcle.com.

FRI

10/01

Disney’s The Lion King More than 90 million people around the world have reportedly experienced the visual artistry of The Lion King. Winner of six Tony Awards, including Best Musical, the play presents a story “filled with hope and adventure set against an amazing backdrop of stunning visuals.” The play also features the work of Tony Award-winning choreographer Garth Fagan and tunes written by Tony Awardwinning artists Elton John and Tim Rice. Tonight’s performance takes place at 7:30. Check the Playhouse Square website for a complete list of showtimes and for ticket prices.

1519 Euclid Ave., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org.

SAT

cost $5 if you’re over 21, and $7 if you’re underage. Mahall’s has bowling lanes for rent downstairs, and you can reserve a lane ahead of time or day of show. Concessions are available upstairs.

13200 Madison Ave., Lakewood, 216521-3280, mahalls20lanes.com.

SUN 10/03 Boney James Sax man Boney James swings into town tonight as part of a tour in support of his latest album, last year’s Solid. Solid is James’ 17th album and the follow-up to his smash 2017 release, Honestly.

Reportedly one of the most successful instrumental artists of our time, James has accumulated four RIAA Gold records with career sales topping three million units. He performs tonight at 8 at the Mimi Ohio Theatre. Check the Playhouse Square website for more info.

1511 Euclid Ave., 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org.

MON 10/04 Movie Mondays Every Monday, Cleveland Cinemas hosts $5 Movie Mondays, where film fans can catch up on the latest Hollywood flicks for significantly reduced prices. Bring your friends and family and make Movie Mondays a weekly tradition — many theaters even offer discounted concession stand items. Participating theaters include Apollo Theatre, Cedar Lee Theatre and Chagrin Cinemas.

Additional charges apply for 3-D movies. clevelandcinemas.com.

10/02 TUE

Punk vs. Metal!

Locally based Last Letter Project has organized this special show that takes place tonight at 7 in the Locker Room at Mahall’s 20 Lanes in Lakewood. “Three metal bands will square off against two punk bands in a battle royale of sound to determine which genre is sonically superior,” reads a press release about the show. “We guarantee that by the end of the night it won’t matter which you like more because every band will have melted your face off.” Kill the Hippies and Lacerate represent the punk side of things, and Fistula, BloodTusk and Sarcoughagus hold down the metal side. Tickets at the door will

10/05

Open Turntable Tuesday Tonight from 6 to 9, the Winchester hosts its weekly Open Turntable Tuesday. Jason Gokorsch will book guest DJs and offer slots to people who want to bring their own vinyl and spin their favorite songs or deep tracks. First time DJs are encouraged, and equipment is provided. Patrons can also bring records for the night’s DJ to add to their set. Sign up on Northeast Ohio Vinyl Club’s Facebook page.

12112 Madison Ave., Lakewood, 216-600-5338, facebook.com/ TheWinchesterMusicTavern

scene@clevescene.com t@clevelandscene September 22-October 5, 2021 | clevescene.com |

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| clevescene.com | September 22-October 5, 2021

ARTS SECOND CHANCES

The Big Bad B-Movie show’s Laura Wimbels celebrates new time slot, laments what it means for some of the show’s most loyal viewers — prisoners

LAURA WIMBELS AND Zachariah Durr have a lot of reasons to celebrate as The Big Bad B-Movie Show nears its first anniversary on the air.

For one, the show — a campy, horror throwback featuring B-movies, sketches, jokes and guest stars — not only made it a year but was picked up for a second season by Channel 43.

That was no minor feat: Born in 2020 in the midst of quarantines and shutdowns to feed pandemic viewing habits with a healthy dose of nostalgia, it was the station’s first foray into non-news, original scripted programming in three decades.

“We asked ourselves, do we show repeats or something creative?”

Erik Schrader, the station’s general manager, told the New York Times last year. “We went for the creative angle because we believe that advertisers are going to be interested in something locally produced that has an original energy.”

Wimbels and Durr, a producer at the station, had both been longtime fans of the genre and legendary horror fixtures like Ghoulardi and Vampira, who entertained fans in the wee hours of the night.

“My mom told me when I was five years old, I saw Superhost on the WUAB Prize Movie show,” Durr told Scene last year. “He was dressed like a Superman with a red nose, and was introducing some rubber-suit monster movie. I turned to my mom and said, ‘I want that job.’ I never thought it would actually happen.”

Debuting last October with 1959’s Attack of the Giant Leeches, a rubber-suit monster movie that was filmed in eight days, The Big Bad B-Movie Show introduced Leopold and Lenora, two people who’ve been locked in the movie vault at WUAB for years with only bad B-movies to watch for entertainment, to local audiences on Saturday nights at 8 p.m.

One year later, that audience has grown and The Big Bad B-Movie Show has been renewed and moved to a new 11 p.m. timeslot, a more

Photo by Jason Schaffer Photography

By Vince Grzegorek

natural home for the program and one that puts Leopold and Lenora on the air in the same wee hours when their horror icons dazzled audiences.

“When we heard we were going to move to 11 p.m., it was so exciting,” Wimbels told Scene. “That’s a true horror show timeslot, late-night weekends.”

But there’s one downside: A small but core segment of their audience won’t be able to watch the show any longer.

Durr and Wimbels knew early on that they wanted to engage viewers beyond the screen.

“We wanted to and still want to do an old-school fan club,” Wimbels said. “When I was growing up, I loved writing to different little magazines for giveaways or fan clubs for a band I liked. You had fan clubs because social media wasn’t around.

The thrill of getting a twice-a-year newsletter or a signed headshot in the mail was really exciting.”

They didn’t immediately have time to do a newsletter but they didn’t want to sit on the idea. So they made a short video and posted an address and offered a signed headshot to whoever took the time to write an actual letter and send it in the mail.

Two months later, the letters started arriving, and they didn’t stop.

“It was surprising and oddly reaffirming that, yes, people are watching and they’re genuinely excited about it,” Wimbels said. “I’ve always wanted to do nothing more than make people happy, and with the show during the pandemic, you ren’t sure whether you’re being seen or whether it’s resonating, but these people are taking the time to write letters thanking you for helping them forget what’s going on in the world for an hour or two.

That’s something that, every time I read a letter, I feel appreciative and grateful for.”

And among the letters — from hospital workers sending thanks for taking their minds off the pandemic, from people stuck in their homes, from fans of Ghoulardi who welcomed a rekindling of their childhood with the show — Wimbels began noticing just how many came from prisoners.

“They’re limited to local channels, a lot of times,” said Wimbels, whose experience with Dr. Meghan Novisky at Cleveland State University during a criminology course she credits with an empathy for what prisoners deal with while being incarcerated.

“I remember transcribing audio files from Dr. Novisky’s interviews with prisoners who were just released, talking about their time, things they had to go through, situations with guards. It’s a very lonely place, and when I realized prisoners were watching our show, that made me very happy to know that something on TV that was a local program was resonating with them versus whatever else they might have to watch on TV on Saturday nights.”

The new 11 p.m. timeslot comes after lights out, which means most of them will no longer get to escape to the land of Leopold and Lenora every weekend.

“My biggest feeling when the show started last September was that so many of us were feeling lonely and isolated in so many different ways,” Wimbels said. “And that was what I saw as the show’s biggest benefit: to reach those who were feeling lonely and isolated and make them smile and forget about everything for an hour or two on Saturday nights. I had no idea it would reach an entire population of people who had been experiencing loneliness and isolation long before Covid hit.”

The Big Bad B-Movie Show returns with season two on Oct. 9, which will air on Channel 43 Saturday nights at 11 p.m. and be available for streaming via Channel 43 and Channel 19.

scene@clevescene.com t@clevelandscene

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ARTS DUSTBIN GEMS

Clevelander Franklin Fantini Is archiving and sharing country music’s odd and forgotten past with ‘Dollar Country WTFC’

Photos courtesy Franklin Fantini

By Matt Mitchell

FROM A MAKESHIFT STUDIO in his suburban Cleveland basement filled with a collection of 1,500 .45 RPM vinyl records, Franklin Fantini — a self-made, DIY purveyor of tencent wax — has for the last five years been broadcasting Dollar Country WTFC every week.

The hour-long online radio show hosted by Frank — Frank the Drifter, as he introduces himself — features a curated tracklist of 18 songs handpicked from his shelves. Most of Fantini’s selections are obscure country recordings by unknown artists released by now-defunct labels, and his listeners range from fellow collectors to reformed metalheads and punks who now embrace the country genre in adulthood.

The name Dollar Country comes from Fantini’s time working at Love Garden Sounds, a record store in his hometown of Lawrence, Kansas, where he spent hours watching customers pick over the bargain offerings.

“I just saw people going through the dollar bin of .45s, and I always thought that seemed really stupid,” Fantini says. “But then, after a while, I would find these weird country things. I found this one song that was called ‘I’m Tired of Going Home Drunk, So I’m Just Gonna Stop Going

Home,’ or whatever, and I was like, ‘Wow, this stuff is funny.’”

Fantini credits his uncle, Richard McGuire, who ran a pirate radio station (WTFC) under the alias of Carl Stromberg in the Delmarva area years ago, with his interest in the airwaves.

“He worked at legitimate stations around the East Coast all his life, but he’d go on-air at least once a year in his backyard for 40 years,” Fantini adds. “He’s the reason [radio] has always been something I’ve liked.”

After watching his uncle grow a cult following, Fantini went to the University of Kansas and worked at the campus radio station, KJHK, where he fortified his loose, welcoming disc jockey persona reminiscent of retro, low-budget small-town stations.

Fantini is bringing country music’s focus back to Northeast Ohio, whether it’s by preserving the region’s migratory Appalachian roots by playing songs off small-time, nowdefunct Cleveland labels like Carwin Country or taking Dollar Country on the road to local DJ gigs across town.

When Fantini first moved to Cleveland, he worked as a dogwalker while doing the show as a side hobby. But as Dollar Country’s support system slowly grew along with the time he needed to spend on production, he set up a Patreon

to generate revenue. That’s allowed him to treat Dollar Country as a full-time job and given him the time to create a mixtape series, zines and merchandise.

“We have this idea that we are supposed to be doing something we don’t want to just to make money,” Fantini adds. “I mean, I don’t make a ton of money [doing Dollar Country], but I’m happy.”

The show is evocative of the lower middle class household sounds that once populated the Northeast Ohio and Northern Appalachian areas.

“I think it’s a big part of why people like my show and why country music is such a big deal,” Fantini says.

“It’s music people just have playing on the radio. They don’t have to pay much attention, but they absorb it because it sounds good.” Fantini’s own journey with Dollar Country is highlighted by the show’s most recent mixtape, Loners & Outsiders, which is dedicated to “country artists who took their own path,” and features the likes of Lee Royal and Ozark Slim.

Like every episode, the tapes are, according to Fantini, “as far off the beaten path as I can find,” and Dollar Country relishes in its own amateurity. Fantini embellishes the genre’s DIY roots through playing records with static from aging, or leaning into a flubbed line of dialogue here and there, while masterfully pairing the nostalgia of radio’s heyday with the benefits of the digital era he’s working in. Each episode is available on Apple Podcasts and, before playing the final track every week, Fantini urges his listeners to practice kindness, evocative of outlaw

country’s early, near-forgotten roots of inclusivity and revolt against authority and hatred.

Fantini’s following is now more intercontinental, diverse, and dedicated than ever, evident in two leather slipmats with the Dollar Country logo embossed on them that sit on his two turntables, which were custom-made for the show by a fan in Australia.

Five years in and Dollar Country is still, mostly, a one-man operation. Fantini now works with a manufacturer to produce physical copies of his mixtape cassettes and compilation CDs due to their increased demand, but, for each recording session, he sequences every song and spends hours at his desk doing research on the labels that released them.

“Despite what pop country is, country is still a DIY genre and the buy-in is pretty cheap,” Fantini says.

When he started collecting country music rarities, it was because the genre was not valuable enough for people to hike up prices and the finds weren’t complete trash, either.

“It’s the kind of stuff that’s harder to find sometimes, because people just get rid of it,” he says. It was those rarities that initially helped Fantini place himself within a community ready to uncover the lost mythologies of a genre fighting tooth and nail to be preserved. But now, 150 shows in and counting, his Frank the Drifter persona has emerged as the community’s cardinal caller.

scene@clevescene.com t@clevelandscene

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10.16 10.24 FOR TICKETS AND INFO VISIT:

CLEVELANDBEERWEEK.ORG CBW SPONSORS

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EAT FIRST LOOK: IMMIGRANT SON BREWERY IT HAS BEEN NEARLY TWO years since Andrew Revy announced his plans to open Immigrant Son Brewery in Lakewood’s West End neighborhood. During the best of times, opening a brewpub is a complicated endeavor, but attempting to do so in the midst of a pandemic is unimaginably complex.

“The world doesn’t always cooperate,” Revy says. “But it’s a huge relief to see the goal line for sure.”

That goal line is just weeks away, with a projected opening penciled in for late September. For the past two years, Revy and the team at ARCForm have been working to convert the former Constantino’s Market (and Nature’s Bin) into Lakewood’s first and only brewery. The 9,000-squarefoot building proved an ideal foundation from which to build out Immigrant Son, says Revy. Original features like skylights, exposed timber framework, windows and even the grocery’s dairy cooler all were retained.

The shiny 10-barrel brewhouse is visible from the dining room thanks to expansive windows. Brewmaster Erik Luli has been busy brewing for weeks in order to open with a roster of approximately 20 beers.

Classic styles like pilsner, saison, Kolsch, common ale, IPA and stout dominate but will be supported by seasonals and specials. Those beers, and limited can releases like the Zydrunas Ilgauskas collaboration PerZverance, also will begin appearing at select bars and restaurants around town. Erich Lasher, industry veteran and owner of the dearly departed La Cave du Vin, will be running a bar program that is sure to please beer, wine and cocktail enthusiasts alike.

The lofty main room boasts cathedral ceilings, a 15-seat bar and plenty of high top and booth seating.

Additional seating can be found in an overflow/private dining space and forthcoming patio. The building comes with a large 40-car parking lot.

Immigrant Son is more than a catchy name; it’s the foundation of the entire project and it touches all aspects of the food and drink program.

“I’m a first-generation American,” Revy explains. “My parents are from

Photo by Douglas Trattner

By Douglas Trattner

Hungary, who came here two weeks before the revolution. So, I’m an immigrant son.”

Executive chef Rob Dippong has used that inspiration to create a globally inspired menu that draws on our city’s melting pot roots.

The Johnson & Wales grad has his culinary sights set a little higher

as classic Greek and Caesar salads.

The “handheld” section veers from traditional, like a smash burger with caramelized onions and Swiss, to the intriguing, as in the case of the chicken paprikash sandwich on challah. A full slate of entrees hits the mark with dishes like walleye fish and chips, smoked pork chop

IMMIGRANT SON BREWERY 1812 SLOANE AVE., CLEVELAND

than what one would find at the neighborhood pub. There’s a section of lángos, the classic Hungarian fried bread, with various toppings and treatments. Other small plates include smoked and grilled whole wings, charred octopus with chorizo and romesco, Kolsch-steamed mussels frites, and cheddar-filled pierogies with butter and onion.

There are Eastern European salads like the shaved cucumber and beet with dill and sour cream as well

with spaetzle, wagyu steak frites, and bacon-wrapped meatloaf and mashed potatoes.

Beer makes its presence known throughout the menu, but especially in desserts like stout pot de crème, Hungarian kremes with stout chocolate sauce, and chocolate waffles with stout chocolate sauce.

The weekend brunch menu is equally tantalizing thanks to items like avocado toast, chimichurri omelets, banana pancakes, brown

butter waffles, and eggs benedict starring that puffy Hungarian lángos.

Revy has spent years working on this project and he is quick to mention that the hardest work is yet to come. Now that the building and brewery are largely completed, he is shifting his focus to the softer side of the business. Rather than go the route of many of his brewery brethren, Immigrant Son will be a full-service establishment with slightly more ambitious aspirations.

“It’s not your corner bar, but it’s not your high-end white tablecloth place either,” Revy says. “It is about attention to the entire experience. We place equal attention to the beer as we do the food and the service. Great food and great beer can be ruined by poor service.”

Immigrant Son Brewery is located at 18120 Sloane Ave. and is expected to open in late September.

dtrattner@clevescene.com t@dougtrattner

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Photo courtesy Pulpo

EAT BITES

Pulpo Beer Co. is expanding its footprint across Northeast Ohio

By Douglas Trattner LAST SUMMER, JUAN VERGARA and his team moved into the former Brim Kitchen and Brewery space in Willoughby, where they created a unique dual-concept eatery with a first-floor Hola Tacos and a second-level Barroco Arepa Bar. The 10,000-square-foot building (3941 Erie St., 440-527-8125) also came with a modern brewery, which would sit idle until Vergara could hire a capable brewmaster to fire up the kettles.

Pulpo Beer Co., as that side of the operation is called, debuted its first beer in early 2021. The first to roll off the kegging line was Blonde Mamacita, a blonde ale. That beer was soon joined by others like Medusa Hazy Pale Ale, La Nueva IPA and Pulpo Libre Mexican-Style Lager. At first, those beers and others were available only at Hola and Barroco locations, but now they are becoming more widely available.

Dylan Hamilton, the brewmaster, continues to expand both the offerings and the outlets. Beer lovers now can find Pulpo selections at Heck’s, Momocho and ABC Tavern in Ohio City, El Carnicero in Lakewood, Los Campadres in Painesville, and various Two Bucks locations.

Mojo in Cleveland Heights Is Requiring Proof of Vaccination from Diners Michael Herschman has always gone above and beyond the required health and safety protocols since reopening Mojo (2196 Lee Rd., 216932-0000) in Cleveland Heights.

Arriving guests were subjected to temperature checks, the soles of shoes were sprayed and disinfected, hands make their way through the sanitation station and tables were spread out well beyond six feet.

Now, in addition compulsive mask wearing by host, bartender, servers and chef, the restaurant is requiring proof of vaccination and is asking that guests wear masks upon entering and moving throughout the restaurant. The full statement from

the restaurant.

“As the delta variant continues to spread throughout the unvaccinated public, we have made the decision to add showing proof of vaccination to enter MOJO as part of our industry leading safety protocols. We take the health and well being of our guests and staff seriously and will continue to do so until this pandemic of the unvaccinated is under control.

We will continue to monitor this situation and follow the science as it relates to MOJO safety protocols moving forward. In the meantime wear a mask, be kind to others, and get vaccinated!”

Rust Belt Vegan Kitchen Cookbook Opens Up the World of Comforting Rust Belt Classics to Vegan Eaters “I’ve struggled to imagine a dough that would mimic the egg yolk and sourcream base of my grandma’s perfect kolacky. But the answer was there in front of me all along,” writes Meredith Pangrace, creative director at Belt Publishing and editor of the upcoming Rust Belt Vegan Kitchen cookbook.

The book, which will be released in early December by Belt Publishing, opens up the world of comforting Rust Belt classics to vegan eaters. Thanks to a stable of professional chefs and home cooks, cherished regional recipes like dumplings with gravy, Hungarian paprikash, matzo ball soup, sauerkraut balls and, yes, Pangrace’s grandmother’s prized kolacky have been refashioned into vegan dishes.

Written in the spirit of a wholesome community cookbook, the collection of 70 recipes is bolstered by

family history and personal accounts that take readers behind the recipe and into the process of converting them to their present form.

The book also provides useful tips on stocking the vegan pantry with staple ingredients like agar agar, coconut milk, miso, nutritional yeast, raw cashews, lentils and vital wheat gluten, which are essential to prepare many of the recipes within.

Another section walks home cooks through the process of making their own versions of popular store-bought products like aquafaba mayo, oat milk, nut milk, coconut whipped cream and tofu cream cheese.

You can pre-order copies ($16.95) directly from Belt Publishing.

New Food Tenants Lined Up for AECOM Building Downtown Include Let’s Talk, a Cafe and Wine Bar In the wake of new investments and improvements to the AECOM building (1300 East 9th St.) in downtown Cleveland, a handful of new food tenants have begun preparations to move into the property. Those who will do so in the coming weeks and months include Winking Lizard, Colossal Cupcakes, Anna in the Raw and Let’s Talk.

The first likely to open will be Let’s Talk, which is taking over a space formerly home to Al’s Deli (not to be confused with the Al’s Deli down the block). The 1,600-squarefoot space, which is located in the atrium lobby, will have a sort of split personality, according to owner Scott Hess.

“The space is interesting,” Hess explains. “There used to be two separate units, a food side and then

you had to go outside and walk around to a different door to a full bar with a liquor license. There was a shared kitchen in back. I opened up the wall in between.”

The “food side” will cater to the employees in the building with coffee service, grab-and-go breakfast and lunch items and heat-and-eat meals for those people to take home. There will be soups, salads and sandwiches available throughout the day.

The “bar side” will open for lunch and happy hour, offering wine, cocktails and live entertainment on a vintage piano. A menu of creative small plates will be prepared by chef Amy Jones.

“Let’s Talk is exactly what it sounds like,” adds Hess. “I want this place, at least the bar side, to be a place where you sit down and engage with other humans. There will be no TVs; that’s kind of the idea, that people sit there and talk to each other. That’s something that, in my opinion, people are forgetting how to do with social media and all that stuff. I’ll do my best to get people to look each other in the eyes.”

As for the liquid refreshments, Hess, who will be behind the bar, says that classic cocktails will be the name of the game.

“I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel here,” he says. “Some of the bar creativity that’s been happening over the last five years or so has been getting out of control. I kind of want to take it a little bit back to the basics of what a martini is supposed to be, if that makes sense.”

Let’s Talk is on pace for a midOctober opening.

dtrattner@clevescene.com t@dougtrattner

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MUSIC TEEN SPIRIT

Songs comes together naturally for 18-year-old singer-songwriter Chloe Moriondo

“I THINK MUSIC WAS THE ONLY thing I ever really, actually wanted to do, out of all the things that a kid could want to do when they grow up,” says Chloe Moriondo, who uses they/them pronouns, in a recent phone interview. Moriondo performs at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 30, at Mahall’s in Lakewood.

Moriondo’s music doesn’t fit comfortably into a genre and has as many stripped-down acoustic ballads as it does pop-punk anthems. The songs possess Halsey’s angst and sonic diversity and Lorde’s ability to speak to the woes of a generation.

The Detroit native got their start plucking away on the ukulele and guitar in YouTube videos filmed in their childhood bedroom. Now, Moriondo has performances on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and The Late Late Show with James Corden under their belt.

“I don’t know how these things keep happening to me,” says Moriondo. “I never thought I’d be able to tell my parents that I was actually gonna be on TV.” Moriondo also recently played on the same ticket as one of their favorite bands, All Time Low, at the band’s annual emo-kid music fest, Sad Summer Festival.

“It felt like a dream,” says Moriondo of their first ever festival performance. “I still am not sure that it was real.”

It was a full-circle moment.

“Favorite Band,” a fan-favorite track on Moriondo’s sophomore album, Blood Bunny, pays tribute to All Time Low and many more of Moriondo’s favorite bands, like Paramore and Pierce the Veil.

The upbeat track tells the story of Moriondo losing interest in someone they are romantically involved with because their music taste isn’t up to par.

“Favorite Band,” like most of Blood Bunny, was composed in a remote writing session. Moriondo’s friend and fellow singer-songwriter, Charli Adams, played a chorus and melody that she had saved just for Moriondo, and the pair quickly finished the song afterward.

“We just kept coming up with different, fun rhymes and stuff to name-drop favorite bands and songs

Photo by Jimmy Fontaine

By Halle Weber

CHLOE MORIONDO, ADDISON GRACE 7 P.M. THURSDAY, SEPT. 30, MAHALL’S, 13200 MADISON AVE., LAKEWOOD 216-521-3280 MAHALLS.COM

that we really liked,” says Moriondo.

“I think a lot of my songs just fall together really, really naturally.”

Moriondo’s tongue-in-cheek track about hating and loving someone at the same time, “Bodybag,” was written in a very similar way.

Moriondo and co-writers Steph Jones and David Pramik started with the line “I don’t know where exactly you expect my head to go,” and the ideas spiraled from there. “Bodybag” joined “I Eat Boys” on the edgier end of the album’s spectrum. Moriondo has a gift for navigating dramatic metaphors and painting eerie imagery, and the album’s co-writers don’t miss a beat when it comes to running with darker themes.

As Moriondo’s views on YouTube grew, so did their professional network. Working alongside other professionals in the music industry

has allowed Moriondo to elevate the music that they already loved making on their own.

“I definitely have been getting a lot more comfortable with making music with other people,” says Moriondo. “I think it’s a very special thing that should be encouraged more, with artists.”

Moriondo is itching to get on the road and play for loyal fans, and the jaunt that brings them to Cleveland will be Moriondo’s first headlining tour with a full band. They can’t wait to play their favorite track on Blood Bunny, “Take Your Time,” because it’s the “biggest and most fun.”

“I’m really, really excited for people to hear the album live, and to be able to see people’s faces and hear people singing the songs back to me,” says Moriondo.

Moriondo’s career is taking off

faster than they ever dreamed, and they’re just trying to take it all in.

“I honestly just want to make as much music as I can with as many friends and cool people as I can. I want to be able to travel as much as I can, as safely as I can, as soon as I can,” says Moriondo. “I want to be able to play all of the songs that I’ve been coming up with recently too, in person. I just want to be able to do this for the rest of my life.”

Moriondo—who’ll turn 19 the day before the Mahall’s show—is prepared to give everything they have to this career, but they also want to prioritize their mental health and enjoying their youth.

“I have this great team that appreciates and respects the fact that I’m just a kid right now,” says Moriondo. “I still am a teenager who hasn’t experienced all of the teenager things yet. And I appreciate being able to live that life, outside of just doing music.”

scene@clevescene.com t@clevelandscene

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SAVAGE LOVE POWER TRIPPING

By Dan Savage Hey, Dan: I’m a 26-year-old masculine straight guy who loves exploiting the fantasies so many gay men have about straight men. When a gay guy is into me because I look like his straight-masculine-jock dream, it’s a power trip like no other. It’s always a specific type of bottom gay dude I seek out when I get on Grindr: a very feminine “thicc” guy with a pretty face and physical features begging for a dick. The kind of guy where from the right angles you can’t tell the difference between his big ass and a thicc chick’s big ass. And I always follow the same script: I send my dick pics, I make one of these thicc bottom boys want me, and I tell him to send me a video of him twerking like a stripper for me. But I don’t go through with the meetup. I’ve experimented a few times and have gotten head from a few guys, but I have no interest in dick or fucking one of these dudes.

I don’t want to harm anyone or live a lie, but I don’t feel queer or bisexual at all. I actually feel like I’m “earning my heterosexuality” when I do this. It’s like I’m proving to myself just how straight I am by teasing these gay guys. And in all honestly, I feel like I’m doing them a service because a lot of gay guys are looking for that rare, mythical thing — the straight and strict Dom top — and I can play that role. But on some level, this all seems pretty fucked up and I don’t know why I do this and sometimes I’m confused by it. I also worry this comes from a homophobic place. (“Look at this dumb twink, he’s so stupid and obsessed with dick he’ll do whatever I tell him to, I’m the alpha.”) And I guess it is homophobic because when you remove the intensity and power trip of being the straight male in this scenario, I just have no interest in guys at all. I know this was heavy. Sorry. But please answer my question.

Ally Loves Personifying Homophobic Assholes “I don’t see any major problems with this, and I’m not fully clear on what he perceives his problem to be,” said Alexander Cheves, the famed gay sex writer, author, and

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columnist. “For gay men, straight men can be a kink, and the reverse can also be true. Regardless of how he identifies, ALPHA enjoys dominating feminine gay men, who he ultimately denies. Sexual withholding — denying and being denied sex — is part of many fetishes and is really hot. So this guy’s kink involves withholding and, like many kinks, it involves role-play. He’s role-playing as ‘the straight strict Dom top.’”

And that’s fine, ALPHA. There are lots of gay men are into “straight strict Dom tops,” as you already know, and you’re giving these men something they want.

You’re not giving them everything they want — you’re not meeting up with them — but you’re not obligated to give them everything they want.

“We all enter Grindr chats willingly, and we should do so knowing that anyone we talk to may have no plans of following through with their promises to meet,” said Cheves. “Many queer men do the same — talk and tease with no intention of meeting — and for similar reasons. The guys he is messaging are chatting with him consensually, so I don’t see any consent violations.”

Now if you were uploading or sharing the video clips these guys make for you without their knowledge, ALPHA, that would be a very serious consent violation.

It would also be a crime in many places. But if feeling powerful and/ or powerfully desired is all you want, ALPHA, and these femme thicc boys are willing to meet that need for you, and you’re meeting a need for them, there’s nothing wrong with what you’re doing.

“Even the homophobia bit is not alarming to me,” said Cheves.

“Shame, stigma, and prejudice have their place in many fetishes.

I think these things often lead to fetishes in the first place. So long as ALPHA isn’t committing violence against these men or causing them harm, I don’t mind that he likes degrading them. I like guys who degrade me and call me a faggot, and I don’t much care if this fun part of my sex life comes from latent homophobia in me or

| clevescene.com | September 22-October 5, 2021

the men I play with.”

There’s a big difference between screaming homophobic slurs at someone on the street and seeking out gay men who enjoy what linguist John McWhorter described on my podcast as “theatrical subjugation.” While homophobia unquestionably shaped the desires of the men who find your schtick appealing, ALPHA, you’re not promoting homophobia or justifying homophobic violence.

Indeed, implicit in stepping into these roles — straight alpha top, gay submissive bottom — is your ability and, even more importantly, their ability to step right back out of these roles. While playing erotic games with homophobic themes won’t eradicate homophobia from the earth (wouldn’t it be nice if it could?), a gay guy who consents to this kind of “abuse” gets to decide when it starts and when it stops.

“If ALPHA’s problem is ‘confusion’ — a concern that maybe he’s not fully straight — that’s something neither of us can help him with, as that problem boils down to a foundational debate on what it means to be queer,” said Cheves. “Is there a discernible difference to an outsider between a straight man who titillates gay men for fun and a gay man who does the same? Not really. This could be his inlet, his way into queerness, his version of same-sex attraction.”

And if you were to decide you are some kind of gay or some kind of bi or a whole lot of heteroflexible, ALPHA, you wouldn’t be the first Dom top who liked feminine gay men but had zero interest in dick.

Some gay bottoms are fine playing with tops who ignore their dicks; some gay men get off on having their dicks ignored. And since some trans men are gay and since some trans gay men are femme and since some trans men are subs and since not all trans men — gay or otherwise — get bottom surgery, ALPHA, that means there are lots of gay men out there without dicks for you to choose from.

“But unless he calls himself gay, he’s not gay,” said Cheves.

“Being gay or queer isn’t really about the chemical processes of arousal in the brain and body. It’s a willingness to be one of us, to claim oneself as part of our tribe.

If he doesn’t feel the need to do that or thinks doing so would be disingenuous — indeed, if he must be straight for this kink to work — then he’s straight. As long as he’s doing no harm — just having hot, consensual Grindr chats with guys before ghosting them — he can be

whatever feels true for him.”

Alexander Cheves is a columnist for OUT Magazine and runs the popular Love, Beastly advice blog. His new book My Love Is a Beast: Confessions comes out next month. Follow him on Twitter @ BadAlexCheves.

Hey, Dan: I call bullshit on RUBBED’s letter and query about reporting her former massage therapist. Business relationships can turn into friendships and friendships can turn into something more. In this case he fucked up, he should have been monitoring his emotions better, but she was a willing and equal participant in their evolving connection. But she says she “went into instant shock” when her “very close friend” of three years told her he had feelings for her? SHOCK? Did she call 911? She seems to want it both ways: She wanted him to be her “very close friend” while at the same time maintaining a professional distance. Her reaction could have simply been, “I don’t feel that way about you, and I can’t see you anymore.” I think your advice was correct, Dan, but something about the tone of letter rubbed me the wrong way. Perhaps it was the total lack of empathy for her “very close friend” (sorry I can’t help myself) who has also suffered in this, even if it was a consequence of his mistake.

Getting Outraged Over Dumbass Letter On Rainy Day People are allowed to have a WTF moment when something blindsides them — and RUBBED sounded blindsided — but I agree that she’s overreacting. Also, her former massage therapist is already out of work, GOODLORD, as some other readers pointed out. The business RUBBED helped him get off the ground shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic — a pandemic that’s still raging, thanks to all the idiots out there who refuse to get vaccinated. Unless there’s a pattern, I don’t think RUBBED should report her former massage therapist to the licensing board.

Also! My new book, Savage Love From A to Z: Advice on Sex and Relationships, Dating and Mating, Exes and Extras comes out this week from Sasquatch books. Get it whereever you get your books!

mail@savagelove.net t@fakedansavage www.savagelovecast.com

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