43
Suzie’s Dogs and Drafts builds on an old favorite
By GUY D’ASTOLFO
YOUNGSTOWN
Construction workers have been putting in long hours this week to get Suzie’s Dogs and Drafts ready to open by Saturday.
The new bar and eatery is tucked away on North Phelps Street, downtown, and is the latest project for Christian Rinehart, who also owns O’Donold’s Pub and Grill, which has locations in Austintown and downtown.
For Suzie’s, Rinehart took the best ideas and trends for casual nightlife and combined them in one spot.
Two adjoining storefronts have been gutted and blended into one big room at the site of the former Old Precinct. A bar decorated with vintage tiles runs along the left-hand side, with an open kitchen beyond it.
The room will be able to transition into a live-music venue at night, with a nice-sized space that isn’t too big.
The mezzanine has been restored, creating a balcony where patrons can look down onto the main room.
Garage-type window-doors line the front wall and will be opened during the summer.
An arcade of upright video games will occupy a niche at the rear of the establishment.
The staple of Suzie’s Double D will be hot dogs, which will be sold for $4 apiece. Diners can choose from an eclectic list of 50 toppings that will include unusual items such as fried egg.
A premium hot dog also will be offered, created by Catullo’s Meats.
The kitchen will stay open until 4 a.m. on weekends, providing a stopping place after the downtown bars close.
In the coming months, Suzie’s will expand further.
Plans call for installing a microbrewery along the right-hand side of the establishment. Here, office and storage space from an adjoining storefront that has long sat empty will be renovated into an area for brewing tanks, fronted by another bar. Downstairs, two full-size bowling alleys and a boccie court will be constructed.