Chef BJ Lieberman is Opening a Wood-Fired Italian Restaurant in the Short North
Plus, where to find cherry blossom-inspired treats this sakura season.
PAID SUBSCRIBER PERKS: The Columbus Foodletter sometimes gets to break news—like the restaurant opening below. Though this story is free for all subscribers, that may not always be the case. We hope you’ll become a paid subscriber today so that you don’t miss out.
Breaking: Chef BJ Lieberman to Open Metsi’s in the Short North
By Erin Edwards
Chef BJ Lieberman, the co-owner of Chapman’s Eat Market and Ginger Rabbit Jazz Lounge, says that his short-lived, Short North restaurant Hiraeth didn’t work for an "amalgam" of reasons—from its challenging name to its fine-dining price point.
“Hiraeth was a little confusing for people. There was no real good elevator pitch for it,” he said during a phone interview this week. “I'm eternally proud of what we accomplished there from a food and hospitality standpoint, but I think that it was wrong place, wrong time.”
Lieberman is hoping to change that by replacing Hiraeth with a more approachable concept: an Italian restaurant and bar called Metsi’s that will feature housemade pastas and grilled meats.
At 100 seats, Metsi’s (36 E. Lincoln St.) will encompass Metsi’s Wood-Fired Italian on the below-ground floor, where you’ll still find Hiraeth’s Grills by Demant wood-burning hearth. The Bar at Metsi’s will welcome guests on the street level.
“I love making pasta. I love the simplicity of Mediterranean food in general, which is actually kind of what Hiraeth originally had set out to do in some ways,” Lieberman says. “We're not going to be a red sauce joint, but we do want it to be a little bit more Italian-inspired rather than celebrating a specific region of Italy.”
Though Lieberman hasn’t hired a beverage manager yet, he expects the bar program to have an emphasis on Italian wines and aperitivo—such as Italian amari and “definitely a good Negroni.”
The restaurant’s name is a nod to the New York Mets, of whom Lieberman and his father are lifelong fans. “The theme of the restaurant has nothing to do with the New York Mets. There's not gonna be baseball bats. There's not gonna be orange and blue,” says Lieberman, who also has a son. “[Metsi is] what my dad wanted his grandfather name to be.”
The two-story restaurant isn’t changing dramatically from a design standpoint, but there will be tweaks. Metsi’s will have about 40 more seats than its predecessor, and Hiraeth’s bar off the bottom-floor dining room will be converted into a private dining space. Meanwhile, the restaurant’s front door, previously located on Lincoln Street, will be moved to the adjacent parking garage’s vestibule facing Pearl Street.
“So, when you get off the elevator from the parking garage, you're gonna see the front door to the restaurant,” Lieberman says.
Metsi’s aim is not to be the same kind of chef-driven restaurant as Chapman’s, with near-weekly menu changes and an emphasis on innovation, Lieberman says. Nor will it be a pizzeria. “Yeah, no way we're making pizzas for a 100-seat restaurant,” he says.
“I want to see [Metsi’s] be a little bit more of an institution where the menu really doesn't change,” Lieberman says. “Just good food—pastas, really simple Mediterranean grilled meats over that grill, some pulled mozzarella that we'll do in house, focaccia that we’ll make in house.”
“Food for the people, stuff that people want to eat.”
Chef Lieberman says Metsi’s is targeting an early June opening.
Sakura Season in Columbus: Where to Find Cherry Blossom-Inspired Treats This Month
By Bethia Woolf
Spring has arrived in Columbus, and with it comes a delightful array of food and drink specials that capture the essence of cherry blossom, aka sakura, season. (“Sakura” means cherry blossom in Japanese.)
Here's where you can indulge in these limited-time offerings:
Mjomii Dessert & Coffee House has introduced its first seasonal beverage, the sakura lemon squash. This refreshing drink combines house-made cherry blossom syrup with lemon, offering a floral and citrusy experience that’s perfect for spring.
At Belle’s Bread, the beloved Japanese bakery, the cherry blossom melon roll has made its seasonal return. They are made with rose extract and dried cherry blossom leaves imported from Japan.
The Mochi Shop, which recently opened its first brick-and-mortar on Bethel Road, is offering several sakura-themed treats. First up are the shop’s adorable sakura strawberry mochi featuring rosewater-infused mochi dough with red beans and fresh strawberries; the mochi are dusted with organic strawberry powder. They also have a sakura blossom mochi doughnut glazed with wild Amarena cherries, Japanese ume (plum) and rosewater to capture the delicate cherry blossom flavor. Coin Coffee, which shares the space with The Mochi Shop, has created an iced matcha with sakura cold foam.
Nestled inside Fukuryu Ramen in Bridge Park, Milky Way Matcha Bar is offering an iced organic matcha drink with vanilla, milk, cherry blossom cosmic creme and sakura dust.
Finally, the cocktail and wine bar Law Bird is hosting its annual pop-up Sakura City Pop through Saturday, May 3. This immersive experience features a menu inspired by Japanese flavors, set against a backdrop of retro Tokyo vibes. Enjoy a Pink Shadow with Roku gin, salted sakura cordial, lime and bergamot liqueur. Or finish your night off with a sakura whip soft serve. Notably, Law Bird was recently named one the top bars in the U.S., according to Food & Wine magazine.
Don't miss out on these seasonal delights. Like the cherry blossom that inspires them, these specials won’t linger for long.
Really looking forward to trying this place. T