Under a soaring 37-foot-high ceiling adorned with gilded coffers, chef Steve Schimoler reopened his Crop Bistro and Bar last month. And just as he stayed true to the original menu and crew of his first home in the Warehouse District, he took careful steps to honor the history of his new Ohio City space in the United Bank Building. For two months, a crew restored the golden ceiling and the massive marble columns designed by architects Frank Walker and Harry Weeks in 1924. "They were the architects of the 1920's," Schimoler says. "Anytime I'd be faced with a design issue, I would ask myself, What would Walker and Weeks do?" The resulting main floor seats 180 and features a full bar and a marketplace called The Crop Shop. The lower level houses food-research facilities and private dining and event space within the bank's vault. "A writer from Food & Wine magazine said there is really no other restaurant like this anywhere in the country," Schimoler boasts. "And I'd have to agree with him." 2537 Lorain Ave., Cleveland, 216-696-2767, cropbistro.com
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