The Edwardsville dining scene took a hit when Fond closed its doors in April, but this month will see the debut of another farm-to-table restaurant – in the same space that housed Amy Zupanci’s popular fine-dining spot, no less – as the RFT’s Ian Froeb first reported last month.
Once the remodeling is finished and all permits are in place, chefs and owners Eric Heath and Jennifer Cleveland will bow Cleveland-Heath, a “new style of American bar and restaurant,” according to its website. That new style, explained Cleveland, means “contemporary American cuisine, all-American bar fare. It’s really approachable, really fun and very casual, but with a focus on quality and more attention to detail.”
Cleveland, a Bethalto native, and Heath met in Salt Lake City, attended the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley and worked in several of the dining world’s biggest name restaurants, including Ad Hoc and The French Laundry, before returning to the Midwest to open their first restaurant. The menu, currently chock-full of comfort foods like pulled-pork sandwiches, mac and cheese, shrimp and grits, chicken and dumplings soup, and beer-can chicken, will change seasonally and will eventually feature local suppliers. “It’ll take us a little while to learn who they are,” said Cleveland.
The couple is hoping to have the doors open the week of Thanksgiving. Keep an eye on the restaurant’s Facebook page for an exact date.
