If your New Year’s resolution is to eat more cookies and tacos, we’ve got you covered.
Today, Food Notes gives you the scoop on the sweet lineup of Girl Scout cookies — sales began Monday — and some related morsels.
We’re also giving you the lowdown on a new spot in Akron’s downtown: El Gato Taqueria, which is, as the name suggests, a taco joint.
First, the main course. Danny Basone, owner of the Lockview, has transformed space next door into El Gato, which offers a limited menu of Mexican street food, including $2 “Street Tacos” and large burritos ($7).
El Gato (Spanish for cat) had a soft opening a few days after Christmas. Hours are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
So what’s Mexican street food? Simply made tacos and other authentic eats, like those sold on the streets or in other public spots — food like Basone has enjoyed in Los Angeles.
Indeed, Mexican immigrants in California opened up stands decades before Taco Bell arrived on the fast-food landscape and food trucks hit the Midwest.
“Anytime I go to L.A. that’s what I and friends do — we will hit taco trucks and try to find the best Mexican food,” Basone said.
Basone, whose Lockview at 207 S. Main St. is known for its wide selection of grilled-cheese sandwiches, said he kept passing by the former home of Hattie’s Cafe at 209 S. Main, hoping somebody would occupy the spot.
Finally, Basone decided he would lease the narrow space and with Lockview chef Jimmy Morris cooked up the menu. He joins other area spots touting authentic Mexican food, including Rancheros Taqueria, the North Hill spot at 286 E. Cuyahoga Falls Ave. that has attracted a loyal following.
El Gato is small, with just 40 or so seats. But small doesn’t mean lacking punch. Before I visited, a colleague returned from eating lunch there and described the interior as “red.”
The walls are actually orange and red. Cutouts of Mexican wrestlers pop out from one wall. A mural on another is a psychedelic mashup featuring a wrestler mask, flowers, a Godzilla eating a guitar, and spaceships. The interior art is the work of Teresa Bosko, incorporating Basone’s ideas; the restaurant features surf music and old sci-fi and other movies playing on a TV screen. Bosko plans to add more interior art.
Service is cafeteria style, or dare we say Chipotle style. Basone wants to offer quick service, to appeal to hurried patrons of the Civic Theatre or Lock 3.
The simple menu boasts choices of skirt steak, chicken, chorizo (spicy sausage) and carnitas (braised pork). Basone noted the pork is slow-cooked for hours. “We do all the marinating here,” said Keenan Harris, a member of El Gato’s small staff.
“We had a pretty good rush” the first week, said employee Derriah Cuffie. Downtown workers “said they were smelling the food through the exhaust vent.”
Tacos come with flour or corn tortillas, choice of meat, diced onions, cilantro and a side of lime and radish. Burritos come with meat, cheese, black or pinto beans, rice and guacamole in a flour tortilla.
Salads ($7) feature romaine lettuce, cheese, black beans, tomato, avocado and radish tossed with El Gato vinaigrette; you can add meat for $3.
Bowls, featuring choice of meat, and Disco Fries — topped with chihuahua cheese, guacamole and sour cream — round out the menu. “They’re probably one of our most popular items so far,” said employee Marcus Carpenter. Beer and soda are available.
El Gato has a Facebook page, its website is www.elgatotaqueria.com and phone is 330-253-4323.
Sweet treats
Now, we bring you dessert, as in Girl Scout Cookies.
Fans of Rah-Rah Raisins, the oatmeal cookies with raisins and yogurt chunks that joined the lineup last year, will be glad to know they’re back, along with other favorites.
Thin Mints: We like them — a lot. They were the top-selling cookie in the 18-county Girl Scouts of North East Ohio region last year, 860,000 boxes.
Also back are the gluten-free Toffee-tastic cookies. In limited supply, they will be available only at booths in shopping areas and elsewhere March 4-20. (All sales end March 20.)
Cookies are $4 a package. This has been the price since it was raised from $3.50 in 2014, the first increase in six years from the North East Ohio Council, which includes Summit, Stark, Portage and Medina counties.
This year’s lineup also includes Samoas, the second-highest-selling cookie last year in the region (590,229 boxes); Tagalongs (566,936 boxes); and Do-si-dos (441,582 boxes). Also available are Trefoils and Savannah Smiles. All are made by Little Brownie Bakers of Kentucky.
If you don’t know any Scouts, you can call 888-9-THIN-MINT to be connected with a troop near you. Android and iPhone users can download a free app to find booths by ZIP code.
More cookie data: Last year, 324 troops in Summit County participated in the sales, selling 404,264 boxes and generating nearly $300,000 for the troops; another portion of the proceeds goes to the council.
Wine bar closes
The Lager & Vine Gastropub & Wine Bar on Medina Square abruptly closed over the weekend.
Kimberly Marshall, Medina’s economic development director, said that Lager & Vine owners Cliff and Katie Cravens sold the building at 108 Public Square to the owners of another property on the square. The new owners hope to find another restaurant tenant.
The building, formerly the site of Grand Market Grille, had sat vacant for several years before the Cravens opened Lager & Vine two years ago. The couple also own Lager & Vine in Hudson, which remains open.
Katie Cravens declined to comment Tuesday on the sale of the building, and told me the closing of the Medina restaurant “was just a business decision.”
“We’re running Hudson and we’re happy with Hudson,” she said.
She said the Hudson restaurant is honoring gift certificates sold at the Medina location. The Hudson Lager & Vine is at 30 W. Streetsboro Road (state Route 303). The phone is 330-650-1717.
Wedding cakes
Acme Fresh Market will host its free Wedding Cake Show from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jan. 24 at its remodeled Portage Lakes store, 3235 Manchester Road in Coventry Township.
Marketing director Katie Swartz reports that 18 wedding cakes will be on display. Patrons will enter via a red carpet, and swag includes roses for brides-to-be. Sparkling wine and cake tastings also will be on the menu. Advance registrations preferred; those who register at www.acmestores.com/weddingshow will be entered to win a wedding cake.
The Manchester Road store is the home of the grocer’s catering operation, which offers services for weddings, among other occasions.
More Moe’s
Moe’s Southwest Grill will soon open its second Cuyahoga Falls location, in the Trinity Square plaza at 753 Howe Road.
Various pre-opening events are planned for Jan. 13 and 14, including an All You Can Eat fundraising dinner for Cuyahoga Falls High School from 5 to 8 p.m. Jan. 13. Cost is $10, and the high school will get 100 percent of the net sales.
I’ve never eaten at a Moe’s Southwest Grill. A colleague described it as “Chipotle-like.”
The chain — not to be confused with the independent Moe’s restaurant in the Falls — is headquartered in Atlanta. It’s perhaps best known for burritos. Moe’s Southwest Grill is part of Focus Brands Inc., which also franchises Cinnabon and Auntie Anne’s stores, among others.
Sundays at Bricco
Mimosa time? The Bricco in Kent — which has been open for about two years — finally has a Sunday liquor license, reports owner David Glenny.
Bricco in Kent is at 210 S. Depeyster St. Kitchen hours are 11 a.m. to midnight Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday, and 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday for brunch, followed by dinner from 3 to 11 p.m. Phone 330-677-1335 or visit www.briccokent.com for information.
Glenny also owns Bricco in downtown Akron, Pub Bricco in the Merriman Valley and Cafe Bricco in the Doubletree Hotel in Fairlawn. Cupcake decorating
The Hudson Library & Historical Society will host a Cupcake Decorating Lab with Bridget Thibeault at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 21.
Thibeault, co-owner of Luna Bakery & Cafe in Cleveland Heights and author of The Cupcake Decorating Lab: 52 Techniques, Recipes and Inspiring Designs for your Favorite Sweet Treats! will demonstrate cupcake decorating and provide samples.
Her book will be available for purchase and signing. Space is limited and registration is required at www.hudsonlibrary.org; call the reference desk at 330-653-6658, ext. 1010, for information. The library is at 96 Library St. in the First & Main shopping complex.
Wine and food benefit
The 19th annual Red & White on Thursday Night wine and food benefit for the Arthritis Foundation runs from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Jan. 28.
It will be at Quaker Station, 135 S. Broadway, in Akron, with wines from dozens of wineries and dishes prepared by local restaurants and other establishments.
Tickets are $85 (general admission) and $125 (VIP) when purchased in advance at www.akronredandwhite.com. The event benefits the Arthritis Foundation, Great Lakes Region, Northeastern Ohio.
Muffins at McDonald’s
Main Street Gourmet is returning to its roots.
The Akron maker of frozen muffins and other baked goods for restaurants and groceries has picked up 250 McDonald’s restaurants in Northeast Ohio as customers — again.
The restaurants are, after a more than 10-year hiatus, offering Main Street’s blueberry and low-fat apple cinnamon muffins. McDonald’s stores were Main Street’s first large account, Steve Marks, Main Street CEO, said in a phone interview.
His company initially began supplying McDonald’s with muffins in 1990, when Main Street still operated a retail site in downtown Akron and went by the name Main Street Muffins.
Since that time, Main Street has greatly expanded its offerings. It moved to the Ascot Industrial Park, off State Road, in 1995.
Main Street typically doesn’t reveal the names of its customers. But an area McDonald’s touted on its marquee: “Main Street Muffins Are Back.”
Katie Byard can be reached at 330-996-3781 or kbyard@thebeaconjournal.com. You can follow her @KatieByardABJ on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com.