Grand openings: Things are looking up downtown

Six weeks into the new year, downtown Sandusky has already hit the culinary trifecta. The city is welcoming in three new businesses that offer unique tastes and exciting atmospheres: The Volstead, The Hearth Tavern at Zinc, and Amarone Italian Restaurant.The Volstead Bar Ryan Whaley and his wife, Nikki Lloyd, have opened the much-anticipated Volstead Bar at 316 E. Water St. The Prohibition Era-themed cocktail bar opened last weekend, bringing high-quailty cocktails to Sandusky. The couple did it with a playful twist, using the throwback concept of Prohibition. And the Whaleys are particular about their drinks, using quality ingredients and measuring everything to create the perfect cocktail. "It's so exciting how great cocktails taste when you measure and don't do a free pour" Lloyd said. The cocktails are pre-Prohibition drinks, such as the Singapore Sling, Gibson and Sazerac.The bar is old oak wood, with the boards coming from Ohio. Exposed brick and brass pendant lights adds to the charm, while pocket doors give the Whaleys the option of playing on the Prohibition theme."Close them, and it looks like there is no alcohol" Lloyd said.It's a small space with no distractions such as television."The idea is to engage conversation" Whaley said. "We had a couple come in and there were two chairs available with another couple. They sat with them and within two hours when they left, they were friends. That's the atmosphere we wanted"The Zinc Brasserie and The Hearth Tavern at Zinc The Zinc Brasserie and The Hearth Tavern at Zinc is open at its new location, 215 E. Water St.Imagine all the delicious items from the Zinc menu.Then, add wood-fired pizza.Cesare Avallone and his wife, Andrea, have operated the upscale French-inspired restaurant Zinc for years, and they later added Crush Wine Bar to their small culinary empire downtown. The most recent addition to their mix was open-air casual, with Dockside Cafe.Now, with The Hearth Tavern, they've added wood-fired pizza to the downtown scene."We started this business plan (for Hearth) about two years ago," Cesare said. "We thought there was a void"When they chose their new location for Zinc, The Hearth Tavern was a no-brainer."I don't want to repeat something," Cesare said. "You don't want to compete. You want to complement other downtown businesses"Amarone Italian Restaurant Sandusky will soon have an authentic Italian restaurant on the waterfront.Amarone Italian Restaurant is slated to open at the corner of Wayne and Market streets by month's end, owner Maurizio Buttinelli said."I love Sandusky. I love the view. There is not a price for that view," Buttinelli said recently, looking out onto Sandusky Bay.Amarone has a patio for outdoor dining in the summer, and Buttinelli hopes the elegant waterfront views will lure customers, including those boaters coming in off the water.The rustic restaurant has wood floors, with the wood continuing about halfway up the walls.Buttinelli moved Amarone out of Huron in favor of a more central location.Once open, the restaurant will offer lunch and dinner. Prices will average about $10 a meal, with the most expensive dinner item — the seafood and pasta dinner — at $16.99."Very reasonable, very good food," Buttinelli said.The kitchen will offer the full authentic Italian dinner menu customers have already come to expect from the Huron location.Buttinelli, born in Rome, knows all about authenticity.He's adding real Gelato and Italian cakes to the menu. The new location will also include a full bar for afterdinner cappuccinos.