CLEVELAND — The Pearl Street Wine Market & Cafe, a cozy spot that resembles a European bistro with a selection of curated wines, will open up midsummer in the former spot of Flying Fig in Ohio City.
Partners Karen Small, who previously owned Flying Fig, and Jill Davis, owner of Toast Wine Bar, chose the name of the new restaurant as a way to pay homage to the lesser-known public market that stood on the same block between West 25th and West 26th streets, before the West Side Market.
“We looked at the history of the area for inspiration,” said Davis, noting that West 25th was originally known as Pearl Street. “Ohio City has always been a market area and a gathering place. We like the idea of telling that story in our own way,” Davis said in a news release.
Pearl Street Wine Market & Cafe will be a spot to try a new bottle of wine and enjoy a light meal of shared plates that will be presented by Small using her signature farm-to-table approach.
Tables inside the space will with placed among the wine shelves and displays. Small and Davis, who are seasoned restauranteurs and good friends, are inspired by their travels throughout the United States and Europe.
There will be a rotating selection of wine by the glass. Something local oenophiles will appreciate is the feature of low-intervention wines that are produced using regenerative and biodynamic farming methods and bottled with minimal manipulation. The wines picked will have minimal additives and minimal sulfites.
“These farmers let the grapes be the grapes. There is an inherent respect for the land and the terroir really comes through,” Small said. “These wines are unique, funky and special.”
The duo will look to curate wines from smaller producers that will include Donkey & Goat from California, Cirelli from Italy, Domaine Leon Barral from France and Envinate from the Canary Islands.
“We’ve always shared a passion for the same kinds of foods and exploring the limits of wine,” Davis said. “We like to find wines that not everyone else is drinking.”
Pearl Street Wine Market & Cafe will host a wine club that will create conversations and community around the special wines. Two membership levels will feature pre-selected wines, information on tasting notes and pairings and exclusive events.
An official opening date for the cafe will be announced at a later date, the news release said.
RELATED: Juneberry Table, Karen Small's new diner, open on Lorain Avenue in Ohio City
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