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When guests visit Rosy (2912 Church Ave.) for the first time – especially those who previously dined at Alea – they will observe a dramatically different interior despite existing within the same four walls. Partners Andrew Watts and Vinnie Cimino worked with local design-build group Shred and Co. to soften and calm the space, which was minimal and hard-edged.
“We’ve been so secretive about all of this because we want people to be wowed, to see how special this place is to us,” says Cimino.
Ohio City neighbors who have attempted to sneak peeks throughout the months-long construction process have been thwarted by plastic-covered windows. Writers like this one who had hoped to snap some photos during a recent interview were similarly rebuffed by management. But having borne witness to the before and after, I can attest to the newly achieved warmth and luster of the after.
Alea, which closed a year ago, was appreciated for its open kitchen and live-fire cooking suite, which sits conspicuously behind the bar. That former slab bartop is now a smooth and sweeping Douglas fir kitchen counter with a generous bullnose edge. It has been beefed up to accommodate more diners and more plates. A winding wooden banquette has replaced the flinty fixed seating of the predecessor. Other Bauhaus-style touches can be found in the many bentwood curves, corners and alcoves.
Since opening Cordelia on East 4th Street three and a half years ago, Watts and Cimino have racked up accolades such as multiple James Beard Award nominations, a Food & Wine Best New Chefs nod, and the love and support of an ever-expanding fanbase. It was only natural that the pair would begin exploring expansion plans.
“Once we got our legs underneath ourselves at Cordelia we were looking toward the next thing,” Watts explains. “We explored a multitude of properties and opportunities, but none felt just right until this space became available. We’ve always been fans of this place and neighborhood.”
Tucked into the Hingetown area of Ohio City, Rosy sits shoulder-to-shoulder to distinctive spots like Amba, Larder, Jukebox and Rising Star Coffee. It is a dense, walkable neighborhood – and that characteristic guided the owners’ plans for Rosy.
“We want this to be fun and upbeat and vivacious and rosy like we are,” adds Cimino. “We love hospitality and love feeding folks and what better way to do it than around a fire. The point of this space is to cherish the moment.”
As they have been with respect to the interior, the owners are keeping many of the food particulars close to their vest. But diners can look forward to an ever-shifting selection of dishes sourced “hyper-locally” and cooked in plain view over a wood-fueled grill suite.
“Cooking over a live fire is one of my most favorite things to do,” chef Cimino states. “We do Outstanding in the Field every single year and it’s one of my favorite events because we just go outside and cook.”
There will be no printed menus, instead a roster of 10-12 a la carte items will be available – until they aren’t, with the selections “changing at will, on a whim.” Groups can also opt for the main event, a four-course menu that might start with smaller bites before progressing to larger family-style plates. Every meal ends with soft-serve ice cream, dispensed from a sleek wall-mounted apparatus.
The food is described as “European backyard barbecue,” a loose genre that will take nods from Eastern Europe, Western Europe and beyond. The style of delivery will seem familiar to fans of Cordelia’s “bellie up,” a freewheeling chef’s-counter feast, albeit trimmed down.
“I want you to trust us enough to know that we’ll cook you food that we’d like to eat,” says Cimino. “We had so much success telling stories with our ‘bellie up’ menu at Cordelia. This is another way for us to tell more and deeper stories. But we don’t want to have to wheel you out of here after. I want people to be able to come here and make it part of their evening, not the only thing they do.”
Rosy is billed as fun not fine dining, where every table is a communal table. By building custom furniture for the dining room, the owners were able to increase seating capacity from 35 to 50. They reconfigured the storefront by installing a wider window ledge that will become an indoor-outdoor seating area for 14 when the garage door is raised. Down the road, the newly leveled sidewalk out front will expand the outdoor dining.
When it opens in late January or early February, Rosy will be dinner-only Thursdays through Mondays.
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Douglas Trattner
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