Club Isabella

Note: An update on Club Isabella can be found here.

Click on the navigation arrows below to see my attempted photosynth of the CWRU School of Medicine Campus at the corner of Cornell and Circle Drive.  Club Isabella is just across the bridge.

A lot has changed since I moved to Cleveland in 2005: I was facebook abstinent; I owned a Discman; downtown Cleveland at sunset resembled the city of Charn.  Six years later I check facebook more often than I check the weather, I’m shopping for iPhones, and and a number of new restaurants have opened all over the city.  The latest, only a two-minute walk from the med school, is Club Isabella.

Chef Fabio Mota grew up in Cleveland with three brothers.  Every single one knew how to scramble his own eggs at a young age thanks to their mother, who is herself an experienced cook.  He went to St. Ignatius for high school and eventually returned for college at John Carroll University.  He remembers cooking for his roommates every night; he knew that his true calling lay in what he could prepare for dinner.

Mota left Cleveland to study at Le Cordon Bleu, Paris’s premier culinary school.  He was drawn to the French style of preparation and presentation: “It’s all about manageable portions and a clean presentation that makes people really appreciate the food they’re eating,” says Mota.  Although he considered staying in Paris to continue his career, in the end Mota returned to Cleveland to bring his talents home.  He worked for Johnny’s Group for 7 years, as well as for the old Club Isabella on the other end of Cornell Road.  When development of the UH Cancer Center necessitated the close of Club Isabella in 2007, Mota decided to develop his very successful catering business.  He acknowledges that a catering outfit is much easier and more consistent source of profit than a restaurant.  However, Mota is ready to have a physical presence in Cleveland.

Club Isabella is scheduled to open in early 2011.  The theme is eclectic gourmet with a French flare, including a full tartare menu.  Says Mota, “the biggest obstacle to mount when opening a unique restaurant in Cleveland is working with the Midwestern palette.”  Knowing this, Mota plans to put a twist on some old favorites.  As an example, a section of the menu will be dedicated to sliders featuring some surprising ingredients.

Most of the menu is still a delicious mystery.  But with the opening only a few months away, Ari and I are excited to make Club Isabella a new favorite for the last 2.5(+?) years we’re in Cleveland.  Stay tuned for more updates closer to the big day!

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