Frank Wagner hopes that visitors to his new fine dining restaurant in Kirtland feel like they are eating in a home.
In a way, they are – Casa Rosa Cucina was a house at 9350 Chillicothe Road before he and his wife, Mimi Wagner, worked to transform it into a restaurant. After years of work, it now features a bar, dining spaces and a lounge-like area with couches and a television.
“It’s like being at home,” Frank said. “You’re eating at your family’s house, you’re eating at your best friend’s house and enjoying yourself, and that’s the kind of theme we want to keep going.”
Casa Rosa is the Wagners’ second restaurant in Kirtland, as they have operated Down the Block at 9209 Chillicothe Road for more than four years. Frank said that Casa Rosa will offer “more upscale food” as “an Italian-themed restaurant with a Mediterranean flair.”
“While we feel the food’s great at both locations, it’s just a different type of dining experience,” he said.
Frank said that Casa Rosa’s professional chef specializes in steak and veal and makes a risotto that is “second to none.”
Meal options include a grouper with a cream corn truffle, other seafood like scallops and salmon, lamb chops, strip steaks, pounded veal chops and pasta dishes like orecchiette and pappardelle. The restaurant’s chicken rossa features mushrooms, tomatoes and more.
In addition to the Italian influences, Frank said the restaurant will feature dishes with Spanish, Portuguese and possibly Greek influences.
“We tried to stay away from the standard chicken parmesan, veal parmesan, eggplant parmesan meals,” he said. “While those dishes are delicious, we wanted to be a little bit of a step up, some unique flavors you can’t find anywhere else.”
Couches, chairs, tables and a television fill the lounge area at Casa Rosa Cucina in Kirtland. (Bryson Durst — The News-Herald)
A bar stands at the entrance to Casa Rosa Cucina in Kirtland. (Bryson Durst — The News-Herald)
Tables and chairs fill a first-floor dining space at Casa Rosa Cucina in Kirtland. (Bryson Durst — The News-Herald)
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Couches, chairs, tables and a television fill the lounge area at Casa Rosa Cucina in Kirtland. (Bryson Durst — The News-Herald)
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The restaurant makes everything that it can from scratch, Frank added.
He said the menu may change as the restaurant grows. In the near future, Casa Rosa will be adding cocktails and dessert options.
Upon walking into the red-painted building, visitors will find a bar and a couple rooms of tables on the ground floor. Going up a set of stairs, they will find more tables and the lounge area, which Mimi said can be reserved.
The walls also contain photographs. She said she took most of them and Frank chose the other ones.
Mimi said that the house was divided into apartments when they bought it in 2021. Diners eat now in what used to be spaces like a living room or kitchen. The restaurant kitchen operates out of what used to be a garage.
Looking forward, she said they plan to extend a porch along the length of the building’s second floor. They have a front patio, and she said they plan to put furniture out there when weather permits.
“This was kind of my husband’s dream,” Mimi said. “It’s been his dream since he was a little kid, a fine dining establishment. So, it’s pretty cool.”
As they worked to bring that dream to life, the Wagners partnered with Kirtland High School students. Business teacher Kim Ruggeri came to the school this year after teaching at Cleveland State University. She was looking for a way to partner with a local business and said that Frank was open to a partnership.
The 64 students in her class did competitive analysis research on other high-end restaurants and presented their information, Ruggeri said. They also provided recommendations on how to promote the restaurant.
They returned just before the restaurant opened to enjoy a meal, she added.
The entrance to Casa Rosa Cucina in Kirtland is pictured at 9350 Chillicothe Road. (Bryson Durst — The News-Herald)
A sign welcoming visitors to Casa Rosa Cucina in Kirtland is pictured at 9350 Chillicothe Road. (Bryson Durst — The News-Herald)
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The entrance to Casa Rosa Cucina in Kirtland is pictured at 9350 Chillicothe Road. (Bryson Durst — The News-Herald)
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“I wanted them to be able to analyze a problem and come up with smart solutions,” Ruggeri said. “So, rather than just memorize and recite, that type of learning, to me strategic thinking and problem solving is a lot harder, and this was like the perfect opportunity for them because they got to see a real situation and come up with real solutions that were going to help that business.”
Mimi said the students also provided input on how to decorate the tables.
One student was hired to write about the restaurant’s story, Frank added.
“The students really stepped up,” he said.
Casa Rosa Cucina
9350 Chillicothe Road, Kirtland
Hours: 4-10 p.m. on Wednesdays through Saturdays and 12-6 p.m. on Sundays. Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Info: Casa Rosa Cucina on Facebook or 440-664-5657. The restaurant will also launch a website soon.
Dining and Cooking