Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1249
Kiwi Ginger Sparkler," says famed chef/res- taurateur Zack Bruell. Bruell is credited with starting the local gourmet movement here in the 1980s. The menu and international clientele at Table 45 (tbl45.com) are suffused with global fl avors. General Manager Todd Thompson adds that other crowd-pleasers are 45 diverse wines by the glass and sea- sonal Martinis like tiramisu and antipasto. West Side Crop Bistro (cropbistro.com) owner and "culinologist" Steve Schimoler has a distin- guished career blending culinary arts and food science. His Warehouse District eatery is a test kitchen by day and bistro by night. Cochon cognoscenti queue up for Crop's signature Miss Figgy: black mission fi g-in- fused vodka, fi g syrup and a rosemary, cob- smoked bacon stir stick. When Chef Steve kicks back, he goes for Maker's Mark with a brûléed bacon stirrer. Marlin Kaplan's stylish hangout, Luxe Kitchen & Lounge (luxecleveland.com), is in the heart of live theaters, an art-movie house and shops in the Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood. The lounge attracts eclectic throngs with entertainment, made-from- scratch drinks and small plates. Gems include The Bloom (fresh lavender-blueberry purée, homemade lemonade and citrus-in- fused Smirnoff Silver) and Sim- plicity (pineapple and basil-infused vodka). Purists tipple at the Velvet Tango Room (velvet- tangoroom.com) in Trem- ont. Strictly a lounge with retro ambience, its well- researched menu includes the multifaceted Ramos Gin Fizz. "Prolonged shaking aerates the cream and egg whites," notes bartender Julie Friedman. Also popular are the French 75, a cham- pagne cocktail named for WWI artillery, Manhattans and Sidecars. Food celebrity Anthony Bourdain likes their Negroni, made with gin, Campari and wine reduction instead of vermouth. The reservations-only back room with speakeasy entrance might even lure the ghost of Eliot Ness, who became Cleveland's safety director after he left Chicago. He probably came for the cocktails. Table 45's Chef Zack Bru- ell isn't a rocker, but he brought gourmet dining to Cleveland decades ago. Ritz-Carlton Cleveland's Chef Timothy Maxin opening a box of micro-veggies. Ten More Cleveland Places To Savor Like a Rock Star Boulevard Blue (boulevardblue.com) Bar Cento (barcento.com) Flying Fig (thefl yingfi g.com) Great Lakes Brewing Company (greatlakesbrewing.com) Lolita ("Iron Chef" Michael Symon's fl agship restaurant; lolabistro.com) Parallax (parallaxtremont.com) Prosperity Social Club (prosperitysocialclub.com) Sunset Lounge (sunsetloungecleveland.com) The Greenhouse Tavern (thegreenhousetavern.com) 806 Martini & Wine Bar (216-862-2912) june 2009 / the tasting panel / 27