Two new businesses open in Coventry Village
On Feb. 19, Big Dog Theater officially opened its doors in the Historic Centrum Theater, located at 2781 Euclid Heights Boulevard. This new theatrical performance and training facility is the creation of Cleveland actor Don Mitri.
Each weekend Big Dog Theater will host different shows and various forms of comedy, including national stand-up acts, sketch groups and improv. The theater will house a training center, offering a challenging selection of classes and workshops. Taught by some of the best instructors in the area and nationally, classes will focus on the novice and the professional performer. All classes and workshops will be held in the Big Dog Studio on the first floor.
Don Mitri, Big Dog Theater founder, is a local actor with extensive performance experience. He was a member of Something Dada Improvisational Theater Co. and played Tony in Cleveland’s longest running show “Tony n' Tina’s Wedding” at Playhouse Square. Mitri founded and operated the Cleveland Improv Institute and has taught improvisation for more than 10 years.
Go to the theatre's website, www.bigdogtheater.com for online reservation or call 216-472-3636.
Mint Café is back, reincarnated as High Thai’d. Around the first of the year, owner Matt Kanegkasikorn shut the doors of his popular Coventry Road Thai restaurant. His other restaurant, Peppermint Thai, was keeping him extremely busy.
On Jan. 19, Mint Cafe reopened, under different management. The business had been sold to longtime employee Tony Chaichana, a Thai native who recently had earned an MBA from Baldwin-Wallace college. "Everything is pretty much the same," Chaichana told me. "Same people, same cooks, same menu."
What is new is Monday service - the restaurant is now open seven days a week. The name High Thai'd recalls Marcia Polevoi's longtime shop High Tide (Rock Bottom), an integral part of Coventry Village for 32 years.
High Thai’d is located at 1791 Coventry Road. Call 216-321-5000 for reservations.
The merchants and community welcome these two new businesses to the Coventry Village neighborhood.
Steve Presser is the marketing director for the Coventry Village Special Improvement District.