News Bites (48)

Though the lounge reopened in March, the reborn New York Spaghetti House hit a few snags in getting its dining room running again. At press time, it was aiming for a mid-June launch. Initially, it will only be open for dinner, Tuesday through Saturday from 4 to 11 p.m., though it may open at 11 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays when the Tribe's playing in town.

Watch for Cornerstone Brewing Co. to open toward the end of this month in the former digs of Berea's Quarryman Taverne, which closed abruptly at the end of December. The new restaurant/microbrewery teams owner Roy Blalock and GM Jeff Halkerston, until recently director of operations at Willoughby Brewing Co. The chef for the "American comfort food" menu was yet to be named at press time, but Blalock says a veteran local brewer is aboard.

We may finally get the 100th Bomb Group back this fall, but it won't bear much resemblance to the original World War II-themed restaurant, which closed three years ago to make way for runway extension at Cleveland Hopkins Airport. Kevin O'Connor, VP of restaurant operations at parent company Specialty Restaurants Corp. in Anaheim, Calif., says the second incarnation will be "a new-concept aviation restaurant." No more bombed-out walls, sandbags or Jeeps, though a few vintage airplanes may decorate the grounds. At just under 21,000 square feet, the new place will be about 7,000 square feet bigger than the original, the added space used to accommodate more extensive catering and banquet operations. As for the long gap between the reopening date announced in 2001 and the current projection, O'Eonnor will only cite "normal construction delays and some changes."

By the time you read this, Artefino Art Gallery Café should be open in the Tower Press Building at 1900 Superior Ave. The café will offer specialty coffees, juices and smoothies, salads, wraps and panini sandwiches. The gallery will showcase works by owner Hector Vega and other local artists. Call (216) 621-7900.

If on schedule, Cleveland's first The Melting Pot outpost should also be open at Lyndhurst's Legacy Village. As the name implies, the 180-seat restaurant specializes in fondue dining.

This month's wine dinner at Classics spotlights Frog's Leap winery with owner John Williams and a menu that includes Mediterranean hunter sea bass, Dublin prawns, Kobe beef, artisan cheeses and local produce. Cost is $150 per person. Call (216) 707-4157.

Through August, Geneva's Ferrante Winery & Ristorante hosts free live music on Sunday afternoons from 1:30 to 5 p.m. Performances include jazz on the second Sunday of each month, blues on the third Sunday and big band on the fourth Sunday. For more info, call (440) 466-8466 or visit www.ferrantewinery.com.

Chef-owner Joel Bolanos and manager Lucrecia Santiago have reopened the West Side's Villa y Zapata in its former Madison Avenue digs.

Openings

Blue Canyon, 8960 Wilcox Drive, Twinsburg, (330) 486-BLUE; Bossa Nova Cleveland, Eton, 28601 Chagrin Blvd., Woodmere, (216) 591-9559; La Hacienda Mexican Restaurant, 380 W. Bagley Road, Berea, (440) 243-0450; Mom's Diner, 28149 Miles Road, Orange Village, (440) 248-6669; Villa y Zapata Mexican Restaurant, 8505-09 Madison Ave., Cleveland, (216) 961-4369

Closings

Alexandria's on Main, 1275 Main Ave., the Flats, Cleveland; Sal & Angelo's Grille, 1825 Coventry Road, Cleveland Heights; Touch Supper Club, 2170 Lorain Ave., Cleveland