Early September News

Great news in the Tallmadge, Munroe Falls and Stow areas: One of the best restaurant facilities in Summit County is poised to re-open on Route 91, Darrow Road. Hudson resident Deborah Parz has purchased the Triple Crown building from Patricia Barr Box, who closed it in 2007 after a 23-year run as one of the finest fine dining establishments in the area. Parz, who has a background in restaurants and hospitality, is aiming for a November or December opening. Many of the original Triple Crown recipes came with the deal, but Parz is also planning to add her own. She already has a management team in place, and as you can tell from the sign, the Wednesday night custom car drive-ins are already resuming, starting September 22.

Also on the good news front, much to the transition work to turn the Big City Chophouse into the newest downtown star, the 3 Point, has been completed. All the signage is up, and not much was needed in the way of renovations.

The new menus are posted on the restaurant's web site at http://www.3pointrestaurant.com/

Although the names have changed, many of the dishes look strangely familiar. We'll soon stop by and see if there is more than semantics going on in this beautiful space.

Another new opening is D'Agnese's Trattoria and Cafe at 566 White Pond Drive on the west side. Regulars will remember this building as home to Jasper's, Dodie's, and a Mexican place. The D'Agnese Group owns several other restaurants in Bath, Hudson, and Broadview Heights. The menus generally feature somewhat upscale takes on classic Italian.

Fairlawn has a couple of new places. The Market Gourmet is largely carryout for the lunch and early dinner hours. It features soups, sandwiches and a “Create A Salad” option. Chef Jeffrey Winer, formerly chef at Rosemont Country Club, also has created a number of signature dishes. The store has a number of gourmet foods that can be added to the restaurant fare. Market Gourmet is located at 3631 Brookwall Drive. The other new place, the Sweet Pea, got an Honorable Mention in our Akron Life & Leisure “Best of the City” Awards in July, outstanding for a spot open only a few months. I have a full review of the Sweet Pea coming later this month, but suffice it here to say it's great for breakfast. It's at 117 Merz Boulevard.

On a sad note, however, it appears the nearby Egg Castle, another Fairlawn favorite, may have closed its doors. The day I had breakfast at the Sweet Pea, I stopped by the Egg Castle, but found the doors locked at 25 Ghent Road.

The last bit of September news so far is that the Flemming's 100 for 2011 has made its debut. As you may know, Flemming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bars have made much of their reputation by offering 100 wines by the glass each year. People who like to try a lot of different wines love this, as it gives them the opportunity to sample lots of different varietals and vintages at a reasonable cost. You can get full glass servings, sample sizes, or flights of several different wines. The chain has a reputation for being very selective about the wines chosen for this list, so if you would like to check it out, here is a link to the web site: http://www.flemingssteakhouse.com/wine