If the City Paper keeps me fed and buzzed while parading around as a “writer on assignment”, allowing me to take a cute date to a new bar, so be it. I have no problem pulling out my best Bourdain impression while earning sufficient beer money to avoid having to make another plasma donation.
In my last review TCP let me slide on the phrase “orgy of lavish hazelnut,” so I picked another weird sex word to see if we can’t sneak it in somewhere. Hmmm… how about boner? Hey, it adds a challenge to my writing assignments.
Lightning in some bottles
They say lightning never strikes twice in the same place, but that’s not the case with the Jiannuzzi family in Toledo, ten years after opening the original location in south Toledo, next to the now Scooby-doo ghost town that was once Kazmaier’s grocery store. They have opened the doors to a second location in Downtown Toledo on North Huron, nestled between shuttered former financial institution locations in the former Fifth Third Bank Building (in fairness, also the former First National Bank Building and now the Nicholas Building) and the abandoned Charter One Bank just south of Adams St. Though it seemed the perfect storm for a good time, recently an actual storm caused the new location to literally be struck by lightning, filling the new digs with smoke and forcing an evacuation. Luckily, no humans or cocktails were harmed. Unfortunately, because of extensive smoke damage, the restaurant is closed temporarily and will be re-opening Friday, July 31st. However if you missed the grand opening back in April, now you can come back for the grand re-opening. Yay! God works in mysterious ways!
Modern and modest
Luckily for me I was able to check the place out before the wrath of Thor came down upon it. The downstairs bar had that trendy exposed brick look, and it was packed with a good mix— just enough “serious” young professionals to make me sensitive about my wrinkled button-down with jeans and a tie. In other words, the joint had class. I happily noted, however, that the cocktail and food pricing didn’t fit the upscale ambiance. Everything was more than reasonably priced, which is great news if, like me, you have to donate plasma to pay for your bar tabs.
My date was a total fox, so I went the cocktail route to look sophisticated, which she skirted by ordering chicken chunks, removing any air of pretension. So we skipped on the salads and dove into a Nuzzi burger (egg on that bad boy) and some doughy pizza balls called Nuzzi Rox, a total tummy-boner. One of the proprietors, Tony, stopped by our table to make sure everything was great and we got to chatting about the new spot. “We were really looking at Cleveland for the next bar, but over the past few years, seeing all of the positivity growing downtown really convinced us to try to join in the revitalization of the area,” said Jiannuzzi.
A tale of two storeys
Great food aside, the reason I love Nuzzi’s is because of their passion for live music. Since back before the first locale was renovated, transforming it from being basically a hallway with a bar, Martini and excuse me’s, that’s where the music scene as I know it started. I’m ecstatic that the new place has carried the torch. While the downstairs has a smaller stage for a more intimate set up, the upstairs bar is built for sound. They even have a sound guy on staff just wandering around making sure every square inch of the place is electric (bad pun intended) with the right kind of noise. So if you’re after an intimate date or a live as hell show, Nuzzi’s is the new spot.
329 N. Huron Ave. 419-243-1111.
Check site for updates on re-opening martiniandnuzzis.com or stop by the original location 6023 Manley Rd., Maumee
