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As a longtime fan of the two places to assemble my own microbrew six-packs in this town (Pace-High in Clintonville, Gentile’s in Grandview), I bemoaned the second — and apparently final — shuttering of Pace-High several months ago. Sure, the old place was dingy, dim and remarkably devoid of amenities like A/C. But the thrill of the hunt, you know? The search for the perfect selection of imperial stouts on a January night, or wheat ales in early summer.
Anyhow, I caught a story in one of the local weeklies more than a month back about how the owner of Super Food Mart across High had bought the place, remodeled and was awaiting final OK from city inspectors. Was supposed to open in early July originally. Tonight I stopped by Super Food Mart and asked the owner, a Mr. Patel, outright: So, waddup? Are you reopening the place? Will it have consistent inventory? (The old place was a little spotty in that regard in recent years.) Etc. And he took me across the street for a brief tour. The good news: Yes, you’ll be able to assemble your own sixer from nearly 100 chilly microbrews. Yes, some knowledgeable staff are returning (a big differentiator in my book). But the other upsides: (1) Air conditioning. (2) Nice remodel with bigger coolers, better lighting, new floors, new ceilings. (3) Vastly improved security lighting in the parking lot out back. (4) Beefed-up selection of wines by region, including a number of organics you definitely can’t find at Giant Eagle down the street. (This is Clintonville, after all.) (5) More consistent restocking. (6) Sundry munchies — and we’re talking a lot more than the old place’s dubious jar o’ jerky at the counter.
So there ya have it. 3179 N. High, at — as the name says — Pace and High. New blood for an old standby. Better than another empty storefront, as popped up in the neighborhood after the aborted development project in the “Blighton Block.”
An upgrade from the plywood floors and fluorescent lighting was long overdue. Although I’m not sure how that really negatively affected my overall beer purchasing experience.
I like the Pace-Hi mural on the wall though. It’s very Royale.
God Bless the Pace High Carryout.
When I first moved to Clintonville it was nice to stop at the end of the block and pick up a 6 pack, but like it’s been said they hardly had any selection during their last year or so.
Glad to see this re-opening, especially since it will prevent me from having to go all the way down to Giant Eagle and fight the crowd just for some beer.
Right at the end of my street! I can’t wait for it to reopen. The owners are very friendly and I hope they do well.
Oooh! Awesome! Random, but that picture reminds me of a really cool part of Minneapolis, right by University of Minnesota…
Meh.
Anyway! *excited* ;-)
Glad to hear about this…I’ve been partial to Palmers as of late, but it’s always good to have another option, aside from treking up to Whole Foods. Trader Joe’s used to do the mix & match system, but really don’t anymore, unfortunately.
Oh yea! I just drove by this place over the weekend and noticed the cool mural – which was still half covered by ivy & weeds when I drove by. Glad to see it cleaned up & ready for business!
In Clintonville you’re close to Weilands Gourmet Market. A grand place to buy beer and liqour.
Glad to see this re-opening, especially since it will prevent me from having to go all the way down to Giant Eagle and fight the crowd just for some beer.
Personally, I think you should fight a crowd for beer anyway. If you won’t fight for beer, what will you fight for? Oh. I see. You meant fight the Giant Eagle crowd, in that new walk-in glacier they’re building.
:)
:)
Is that what they’re building? What was wrong with the one they took out of it ten years ago?
+1 on Weiland’s. It’s a grand place to but all kinds of things.
And for all you bacon fans they have bacon hamburger patties. I mean the entire thing is made of ground bacon.
I’m glad that they are reopening! I thought that they closed for good, and blamed myself for not going in more often. And then I read the small sign on the door that they were remodeling and opening under new management. Hope they do as good a job as the old guys. Everybody was always very helpful and attentive in the past…
When I first moved back to Ohio after living in SF, I would drive down to Columbus just so I could get my Anderson Valley Barney Flats Stout fix at Pace-High as they were the only place that carried it in the state.
Yeah, that was my biggest concern. I’ve been to Palmer’s, and I’ve marveled at their selection. But I always found the staff at Pace-High a little more knowledgeable. I don’t know if they’re hiring back a lot of the staff, but they seem to be hiring the guy I always relied on. FWIW, I did mention to the new owner that, aside from selection, the real plus was the beer expert behind the counter.
The only thing I disliked about the old Pace-High was that it was somewhat dirty and disorganized. I hope the new owners will change that, because it truly was one of the better places to find unusual beers. There are several micro-brews from Maine that I like and they were one of the few places that carried brands like Geary’s.
+1 on Weiland’s. It’s a grand place to but all kinds of things.
And for all you bacon fans they have bacon hamburger patties. I mean the entire thing is made of ground bacon.
I had no idea about the ground bacon burgers. I am so back there.
My heart thanks you.
WAY less dirty. That was a major point of the renovations. New floors, new ceilings, new coolers, better lighting. More open and inviting. And I did notice while walking by today that they’ve stocked up. Seriously stocked up.
+1 on Weiland’s. It’s a grand place to but all kinds of things.
And for all you bacon fans they have bacon hamburger patties. I mean the entire thing is made of ground bacon.
I had no idea about the ground bacon burgers. I am so back there.
My heart thanks you.
Don’t forget the variety of ready-to-eat wings, including (my fave) smoked. Back in the deli area. Weiland’s rocks.
I stopped by yesterday, and the place looks great. I never went it before they closed for renovations, but I’ll definitely be back. Nice and clean and bright – I didn’t look at the wine selection so much, but the beer was very nice. A lot of singles and six-packs. I saw stuff from Stone, Founder’s, Avery, Unibroue, New Holland, Magic Hat, Dogfish Head, Great Lakes, plus a lot more.
I stopped in here after my girlfriend got her haircut. The place is so different. Clean, bright, and you do not feel like you’re going to fall through the floor. Very, very good selection of beer.