Cleveland, OH – Foodies, get ready to Zack Yourself at the fourth annual Tour de Bruell. Award-winning restaurateur Zack Bruell kicks off his latest Tour, which has become a favorite Cleveland summer dining tradition, on Memorial Day, Monday, May 27.

To complete the Tour de Bruell, guests must visit each of Bruell’s distinctive Cleveland restaurants – Parallax, Table 45, L’Albatros, Chinato and Cowell & Hubbard – between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Diners must pick up a Tour ticket on their first stop, and get it stamped when ordering dinner at every location along the way.  To be eligible for unique culinary prizes, participants must get one stamp at each Zack Bruell restaurant and turn in the ticket at the final stop on their Tour by Labor Day, September 2.

All fans that complete the Tour de Bruell will receive a commemorative t-shirt, featuring the 2013 Tour theme:  Zack Yourself.  From those individuals, 10 semi-finalists and their guests will be randomly selected to enjoy a complimentary wine tasting dinner on September 26 at Table 45, featuring cuisine by Bruell and offerings by premier French champagne maker, Henriot.  In addition, one grand prize winner will receive a custom, in-home, four-course dinner for eight, prepared by Bruell himself.

For the second year, Bruell is offering a “First Five” promotion:  If a Tour participant earns all stamps between Monday, May 27 and Sunday, June 2 – or five restaurants in the first week – that individual will receive five entries toward the grand prize drawing.

In addition, those who choose to complete the Tour by Sunday, July 7 will be entered into a bonus drawing to win a chauffeured, progressive dinner, with one course at each of the five Zack Bruell restaurants, hosted by Bruell.

“I hear from diners that the Tour is something they look forward to each year.  Many of our guests complete it several times over the course of the summer,” said Bruell. “The Tour gives me the opportunity to say ‘thank you’ to our loyal customers, while giving new diners a great incentive to have new experiences at five unique restaurants.”

There is no limit on individual entries for the grand prize drawing, so Bruell fans are encouraged to turn in a ticket each time they complete the Tour, whether it’s once… or once per week.

For more information on the 2013 Tour de Bruell, call or visit any Zack Bruell restaurant.

For more details:

https://www.facebook.com/events/170346653123272/?ref=22

Cleveland - Zack Bruell, chef and restaurateur of five Cleveland restaurants – Parallax, Table 45, Chinato, L’Albatros and Cowell & Hubbard – introduces Zack’s Brews, a line of signature Zack Bruell coffees available at area Heinen’s stores.

The six blends – one for each restaurant, plus Bruell’s signature “Hot Lips” flavor – are custom-roasted and packaged locally by Caruso’s Coffee in Brecksville, Ohio, ensuring maximum freshness and flavor.

The coffees are now on the shelves of all Heinen’s stores in Northeast Ohio. Each 12-ounce bag of ground Zack’s Brews coffee is available for $8.99 plus tax. The custom-designed packaging includes the blend description, as well as suggested pairings.

“We approached the creation of and pairings for Zack’s Brews just as we do a fine wine,” said Bruell. “We’re taking bold flavors, like dark chocolate, citrus, floral, berry and smoke – and creating coffees to complement anything on your table – from cheese to dessert – and even chicken. This is not your mother’s coffee.”

Parallax Blend: This is a blend of Sumatra Viennese and Costa Rican Tarrazu. The Sumatra Viennese has a subtle smokiness reminiscent of dark chocolate and the Costa Rican Tarrazu balances that with citrus flavors, floral and berry aromas.

Table 45 Blend: This blend has an international flair utilizing beans from each of the world’s major coffee growing regions. French Roast and Sumatra Viennese give hints of chocolate. Beans from Nicaragua and Tanzania provide balance with a fresh hint of citrus in the finish.

L’Albatros Blend:  This is a blend of two different dark roasts. It is smoky and rich with dark chocolate notes, caramelized sugars and a deep lingering finish.

Chinato Blend: This is a classic European style blend and the heaviest of Zack’s six coffees. It is bold and full bodied with a rich deep finish and a lot of smokiness. This blend is perfect for a full bodied drip coffee or used to brew espresso.

Cowell & Hubbard Blend: This is a blend of Brazilian coffee with a dark, Italian roast and Monsoon Malabar. The Brazilian coffee imparts a smoky flavor and dark berry fruit notes. The naturally low acid Monsoon Malabar beans from India provide a smooth sweet finish.

Hot Lips Flavored Coffee: Venezuelan Dark Chocolate combined with intense French Black Cherry flavor. The chocolate is sweet and nutty while the cherry is bright and aromatic. These flavors are enhanced by a lingering heat that intensifies the sensory experience.

The five restaurant-inspired Zack’s Brews are also poured at their namesake restaurant.  Stop in to taste a cup– or pick up all six varieties at Heinen’s today!

CLEVELAND, Ohio — In Zack Bruell’s world, the restaurant is a stage.
The dining room is a theatrical set. Lighting, sound, colors all create the mood. Cooks are lead characters, working from a script called the menu. Servers play featured roles. The customers are the stars.

Bruell? He’s the maestro, both playwright and director.

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“Dreaming of Florence, Italy? Step into Chinato on East Fourth Street in Cleveland where one panoramic wall provides the passport. A cityscape mural — sprawling, vintage view with river, bridges and domed churches — glows with so much yummy, golden-hour light you might want to hold onto something to steady your imagination.

Fortunately, the food also transports.

Chinato is not a replication of food in Italy. Or what we might think is food in Italy. As we know from L’Albatros, chef-owner Zack Bruell’s updated French bistro in University Circle, ethnicity is meant to be deeply dug, polished and properly framed for today’s customer. But that sounds dry. His approach to flavor also can be bada-bing, bada-boom.”

Read the full story on Cleveland.com.

“Here, Bruell takes on Italian, refining and redefining the classics in contemporary fashion. And — surprise, surprise — he nails it. I’ve sampled four of the dozen or so pastas, and I’d order every one of them again. Each is an artful balance of flavors, textures and aromas, no small feat for a chef new to the cuisine. Thick rags of fresh pasta ($8/15) are coated in a creamy cauliflower sauce; buttery lumps of gnocchi ($8/15) are dotted with bits of toasted garlic; weightless ravioli ($10/18) swell from a savory meat and vegetable filling.”

Read the full article.

Cleveland – Zack Bruell, award-winning chef and restaurateur, announces the opening of Chinato, an old-meets-new Italian culinary concept on Cleveland’s East Fourth Street.  Chinato, named after a flavorful Italian after-dinner wine enriched with herbs, spices and Cinchona bark, is Bruell’s fourth restaurant within the city of Cleveland.

Bruell designed Chinato’s menu to highlight the simplicity of all Italian cuisine, not limiting himself to one region or technique.  “Authentic Italian food is simple and flavorful – regardless of whether you’re in Tuscany, Sicily or Campania,” said Bruell.  “I wanted to stay true to that.”  Chinato’s menu features Bruell’s take on simplistic Italian dishes, like Bistecca ala Florentina, accented with Lemon; Sweetbread Fritto Misto with Fried Caper Berries, Carrot and Zucchini Julienne; and Raviolis with Pork, Veal, Zucchini and Shiitake Mushrooms with Melted Butter and Parmesan.  Antipasti offerings are just as appealing, with options like Buratta with Grilled Toast and Cold Tomato Basil Sauce and Involtini of Eggplant Stuffed with Ricotta and Shrimp.

Like Bruell’s other restaurants, Chinato is heavy on atmosphere.  Architect Ron Reed worked with Bruell to design a space that combines urban vibrancy with old-world charm.  “Walking into Chinato will feel like you are walking into a sepia tone Italian photograph from the 1920’s,” said Bruell.  “To create the ideal restaurant, the energy and environment are just as important as the cuisine.  This has not been overlooked at Chinato.”

The opening of Chinato marks Bruell’s fourth unique culinary concept within Cleveland’s city limits, in addition to Parallax in the city’s Tremont neighborhood, Table 45 at the InterContinental Cleveland and L’Albatros in University Circle.  The restaurateur has developed a streamlined process for the opening of upscale, modern restaurants with high return on investment, allowing him to ensure quality and consistency at any Bruell-branded location.  “I have developed a formula for success that has been tested and proven for decades,” said Bruell.  “That is evident in the planning and attention to detail that goes into every aspect of each of my restaurants.”

About Zack Bruell

More than 25 years ago, Cleveland Magazine credited Zachary Bruell with introducing the area to an emerging west-coast trend of bistro dining and fusion cuisine.

Bruell brought the concept from his work with famed chef Michael McCarty of the landmark eatery, Michael’s Santa Monica – a restaurant recognized for influencing dining attitudes throughout North America with its California nouvelle cuisine.

Bruell imported the new style to Cleveland, where he opened Z Contemporary Cuisine in Shaker Heights in the early 1980s.  After selling Z, Bruell ran the kitchen at Ken Stewart’s in Akron. By 2004, he opened Parallax in the Tremont neighborhood of Cleveland, focusing on fusion seafood and featuring a sushi bar.

By 2006, Cleveland Clinic CEO Toby Cosgrove asked Bruell to take over the main restaurant at the InterContinental Hotel in Cleveland, where he created Table 45 – an award-winning World Cuisine concept, named a 2007 Best New Restaurant by Esquire magazine.

In 2009, Bruell opened L’Albatros on the campus of Case Western Reserve University, returning to the classic French roots of modern American bistro dining.  L’Albatros has been featured in USA Today, and was named one of Cleveland’s Best New Restaurants by the readers of Cleveland Magazine.

Now, Bruell opens Chinato, taking modern cultural cuisine to a completely new level with a simple, yet modern, Italian menu and décor, done only as Bruell can.

Bruell is confident Chinato will be ready to open in a few weeks, though one would never know by peaking through the temporary wooden doors. Through the insisting of others, he’s the latest restaurateur to open on Cleveland’s street du jour (apparently Bruell was presented with an opportunity this graduate of the Wharton School of Business knew he couldn’t refuse). “Life is all about timing,” he explains. “Opportunities don’t come around like this often, so you have to grab it and grow.” He adds that his continued growth is good for his staff because it provides them with tremendous opportunities, and he acknowledges that he has nothing short of an incredible staff.

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Chef Zack Bruell is no stranger in the kitchen. With three of the most popular restaurants opening in Cleveland since 2004, Bruell has no plans of slowing down. This avid golfer and chef likes to walk on the edge. His colorful, yet simple menus contain classic staples as well as exciting blends of flavor and spice. His new restaurant, Chinato, is scheduled to open at the end of October. “I have to work and think about golf. Cooking just comes naturally. I don’t even have to think about it,” he says. In what is bound to become another Cleveland staple, Chinato will give patrons an Italian flair with more of Bruell’s signature thrown in.

Read The Full Q&A