1818 American Grille set to reopen in Corner Provisions space
by Dan Holland
Renamed and rebranded, the former Corner Provisions Restaurant & Bar at 1070 Ghent Rd., which ceased operations in late January, is set to reopen this summer as 1818 American Grille; reflecting the year of Bath’s founding.
Building owner Tom Giltner, a partner in Corner Provisions, worked with the team redeveloping the space – owners of The Last Page Restaurant in Beachwood – to reimagine the venue.
“It [Corner Provision Restaurant] only closed to make way for 1818,” explained Giltner. “We were going to operate as is, but when the opportunity to optimize the space with one of the best restaurant groups in Cleveland came along, we jumped at it.”
“Tom reached out to us looking to bring in an operator for the restaurant space, so we came and looked at it and thought it had great bones,” said Todd Leebow, creator and owner of the new restaurant. “It’s in a location that’s easily accessible to the community, and we’ve talked about additional concepts within our group to complement what we’ve done with the Last Page Restaurant, and we felt this space and location has a lot of things we can build from.”
Leebow said Corner Provisions’ closing gave them the opportunity to build something for the Bath community that “meets our expectations in terms of culinary excellence and overall restaurant concept.”
The new restaurant will offer classic American faire, with much of it being prepared on a wood-fire grill. The space will feature interior upgrades and private dining areas.
“There will be two designated areas for private dining that could also be a larger private dining space,” explained Leebow. “We’re making the main dining room a little more cohesive and cozier, with the idea that people from the community can frequent the restaurant for different reasons – business meetings, special occasions, or just a night out. We have a full bar, and you can opt to dine at the bar, which is featured in the center of the dining room.”
In addition to the 7,000-square-foot main dining room, the Grille Room – aiming to open in June in the lower level – provides patrons with the opportunity to dine in the kitchen area.
“The Grille Room will feature some elevated items that you can only get in that area,” said Leebow. “It’s a really cool space to sit in and actually dine in the kitchen, as it has a very open and energetic feel.”
Both levels will offer a covered outdoor dining area, and the main dining floor will feature a raw bar with seating.
Partner/Head Chef Brad Race noted that many of the food items will be locally sourced. “Some of our specialties include a nice 18- to-20-ounce bone-in ribeye, grilled fish, pork chops, ribs, along with some classic starters like Caesar salads, stuffed peppers and fried calamari. We’ll also offer a really good burger and a French dip sandwich.”
A varied menu offers a wide variety of price points.
“We wouldn’t consider it to be steakhouse/fine dining level, but a step just below that in terms of price. But the experience should feel elevated like that,” said Leebow. “You can come and sit at the bar and get a beer and burger, which is very affordable, or you can get an 18-ounce ribeye and enjoy it with a glass of wine.”
Said Giltner, “We feel like prior to teaming up with this current team, that the building missed its mark to a certain extent, but the goal is to create excellence for the community and something unique to the area.”
“We’re designing it to fit in with the community, as we want it to feel like residents can have an elevated dining experience that is approachable; where it feels like a kitchen or dining room at home where you can get consistent experiences,” added Leebow.
Photo caption: The main dining area includes a fireplace and a full bar. Photo submitted.