Last Wednesday, partners Jay Leitson and Izzy Schachner opened 56 Social at 3245 Warrensville Center Road, in Shaker Heights, adding to their budding hospitality group. The pair also operates 56 Kitchen locations in Solon and Mayfield, 56 Tavern in Aurora, and Elle in Solon.
The owners took over the former J. Pistone Market and Gathering Place, a neighborhood staple that closed last summer after nearly 25 years. This latest concept is described as an all-day café that will serve the community from morning through night.
“If you’ve ever been to Israel, these kinds of restaurants are the most popular,” explains Schachner. “They serve fresh food, pastry, good coffee, plus or minus a bar. That combination works very well.”
The former Pistone Market, located in a sun-soaked corner property, now seats 72 guests in an open and flexible dining room. The new owners cleared out the retail racks, laid new flooring throughout, installed a bar in one corner, and painted every surface.
To start, 56 Social will serve lunch and dinner only. In a week or so, the full-service eatery will roll out breakfast.
“We’re easing into it,” adds Schachner. “It’s a work in process.”
The all-day menu is an approachable mix of American, Mediterranean and Jewish deli foods. The 56 group operates a robust catering business and pride themselves on making everything they can from scratch. There are snacks like polenta fries with charred-scallion aioli, smoked salmon on focaccia, and sweet and spicy avocado toast.
The 56 theme started ages ago with Cafe 56 at Eastgate, which offered customers a choice of 56 different salads. While far fewer in number, the salads here will be a big draw thanks to creative combinations of fresh ingredients. Eastsiders of a certain age will likely gravitate toward the “Original Pewter Mug” salad.
There’s a section of focaccia flatbreads topped with various items, a large sandwich section starring Clubs, house-smoked pastrami, pan-seared salmon, BLTs and creamy egg salad served on house-baked Japanese milk bread.
For the main event, there is a creative “craft your comfort” section that allows diners to design their own entree. Proteins such as grilled flank steak, housemade falafel and chicken schnitzel are paired with a choice of presentations that range from a mezze platter with pita to a veggie plate with potatoes, green beans and chimichurri.
A separate breakfast menu will launch in the coming days or weeks.
Also down the road, the large display coolers will begin to fill with grab-and-go salads, sides, entrees and desserts for the take-home crowd. For decades, Pistone thrived on the prepared foods trade and 56 Social intends to keep the tradition alive.
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