📰A delicious trip to El Salvador

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In today’s 216 Scoop Edition:

• More than a game: March Madness an economic win for downtown

• First look: Cleveland’s newest restaurant is a delicious trip to El Salvador

• Freakin’ Sweet: Uncle Rico Night with Cleveland Charge

• Come as they were: Totally Rad Vintage Fest

• Rock ‘n’ Roll Flea for your shopping spree: Beachland 25th anniversary

• Swimming deep into Fish Fry Season: The 216 Scoop Guide

  
  John Petkovic, Mark Espinosa, Victor Takakura

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IN THE NEWS

More than a game: March Madness an economic win for downtown 

It’s going to be another March Madhouse this weekend.

The First and Second Rounds of the 2025 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament opens Friday in Rocket Arena. Cleveland will host eight of the 68 teams vying for the national championship.

This is the fifth time Cleveland has hosted the NCAA Division I in 20 years.

Ah, but this is more than a game.

The tournament is estimated to inject $8 million into the downtown economy. Bars, restaurants and hotels are the primary beneficiaries.

It follows last weekend’s MAC Tournament and the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which brought 500,000 to downtown.

The city’s core has experienced exponential growth in its residential population -- currently around 21,000, up from 12,000 a decade -- thanks to the conversion of retail and office space into residential buildings. But the area is still reliant on concerts, conventions and sporting events.

Here’s the schedule for the NCAA tournament:

Friday:

• (2) Alabama vs. (15) Robert Morris, 12:40 p.m.

• (7) Saint Mary's vs. (10) Vanderbilt, 3:15 p.m.

• (7) Marquette vs. (10) New Mexico, 7:25 p.m.

• (2) Michigan State vs. (15) Bryant, 10 p.m.

Teams and times for Sunday’s Round Two are TBD. For more info, go here.

For a guide to downtown bars and restaurants, go to the 216 Rundown section here.

This weekend, downtown will get an additional boost from Fan Expo Cleveland. The three-day extravaganza is expected to draw 25,000 fans of comic books, superheroes and sci-fi and horror flicks. For more info, check out our preview.

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First look: Cleveland’s newest restaurant is a delicious trip to El Salvador

The places often get overlooked by the foodie set and they rarely become trendy. But food adventurers have embraced the much-needed addition of Central American eateries to the area in recent years.

Don’t miss Los Abuelitos Salvadoran Food. The just-opened restaurant, 3315 West 105th Street, Cleveland, boasts a warm staff and sunny décor. (Check out the paintings and that wall-size mural of Izalco Volcano.) But it’s the food here that makes it a delightful addition to the food scene.

"Los Abuelitos" translates to "the little grandfathers" – a term of endearment in Spanish and a reference to the restaurant’s homey vibe.

It also reflects the menu– an authentic take on Salvadoran cuisine served with generous portions and is imaginative to the array of vegetables that are stapes in El Salvador, from yuca to squash to chipilin.

The pupusas are stellar -- crispy on the outside, soft and cheesy on the inside. (Check out the shrimp, spinach and zucchini items.) The breakfast, served all day and a deal at $12, comes with meat and vegetarian options and features rice and beans, plantains, a tart feta-like cheese and avocado. The combo entrees can feed two.

The menu also features tortas, tacos, quesadillas, sopas and empanadillas. The elote (street corn) is a treat. The smoothies are imaginative.

Some people go to a restaurant for a sunny vibe or stellar food or a unique culinary adventure. This spot has all three.  For more info, go here.

Freakin’ Sweet: Uncle Rico Night with the Cleveland Charge

The team has been up and down, exhilarating, and frustrating to watch. But wins and losses won’t define what has been an entertaining season for the Cleveland Charge.

The G League basketball team (13-17) moved into the historic Public Auditorium this season – and, in the process, opened the doors on a rarely-used 1922 neoclassical jewel.

It hosted Bronny James’ return to Cleveland and an array of themed nights and promotions, including a dog night where, yes, a parade of pooches accompanied their owners to watch the game and growl at the other dogs.

The Charge will close out its home schedule this weekend with a woohoo bonkers theme on Saturday.

At 5 p.m. Saturday, it’s “Napoleon Dynamite Night” and Uncle Rico is coming. Jonathan Gries -- who played the frustrated ex-high school star quarterback in the film and currently stars in “White Lotus” – will appear. The team will wear Uncle Rico jerseys vs. the Long Island Nets. The first 1,500 attendees will get a commemorative T-shirt. Gries meet-and-greet and bobblehead packages are also available.

The home season ends at 4 p.m. Sunday, with rematch vs. the Nets. For more info, go here.

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The 216 Rundown

Come as they were: Totally Rad Vintage Fest

It looks and feels like the ‘80s and ‘90s, except for the prices. Yes, it’s the Totally Rad Vintage Fest at the IX Center – 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The retro bash and flea market rolls out vintage clothes, records, toys, décor and games from the decades that spawned MTV, New Wave, grunge, Ms. Pac-Man, Tupac, ‘Friends,’ pastels, PlayStation and Beanie Babies. Totally Rad also features vendors, a old-school arcade, a lookback museum and throwback photo ops. For info, go here.

Rock ‘n’ Roll Flea for your shopping spree

For 25 years, the Beachland Ballroom has been a springboard for local and national artists on the rise and legends making a comeback. It’s also home to one of the area’s most colorful flea markets – one that features vintage collectibles, clothes, artwork, crafts and, yes, classic vinyl records and music memorabilia. At 10 a.m. Sunday, the club – 15711 Waterloo Road, Cleveland – will roll out a flea to celebrate its 25th anniversary. The Beachland’s basement vintage shop This Way Out will also be open, and the Tavern will be serving eats and drinks. More info here.

Let’s go dancing in the dark

The world might seem like a dark, bleak place… but you want it even darker?  Well, lucky you: At 9 p.m. Saturday, the Winchester 12112 Madison Avenue, Lakewood, will host Dark Wave Dance Cave. DJs Matthew Darkstar and Mimi Dromette will spin a wide range of deliciously dark, danceable tracks… Yes, dark wave, but also synth-pop, Goth, post-punk and new wave. For info, go here.

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NOTES ON A COCKTAIL NAPKIN

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

We’re swimming deep into Fish Fry season. Check out the 216 Scoop Guide to Bars and Restaurants partaking in a Cleveland tradition here.

VINTAGE CLEVELAND

1973: A Republic Steel chimney spews smoke in the sky and over a Cleveland neighborhood located just east of I-77.

Ooh and don’t forget! Tag @The216Scoop & @216Scoop to get your photos in the Scoop!

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WEATHER

Friday - 03/21
🌡️ 54 | ☀️ | 10% | 💨 SW 12 mph (10 knots)

Saturday - 03/22
🌡️ 47 | 🌧️ | 60% | 💨 W 18 mph (16 knots)

Sunday - 03/23
🌡️ 42 | ⛅ | 20% | 💨 NW 14 mph (12 knots)

Live Shows in the 216

Friday - 03/21

Agora Theatre | JoJo with Emmy Meli | 7:00 PM

Beachland Ballroom | The Dollyrots | 8:00 PM

House of Blues Cleveland | Gasolina Party - 18 & Over Only | 9:00 PM

KeyBank State Theatre | The Simon & Garfunkel Story | 7:30 PM

Music Box Supper Club | Amy Lavere & Will Sexton | 7:30 PM

Saturday - 03/22

Agora Theatre | Metro Boomin | 7:00 PM

Beachland Ballroom | Dead Boys with The Plague | 8:00 PM

House of Blues Cleveland | Emo Night Brooklyn | 9:00 PM

Music Box Supper Club | TUSK - The Ultimate Fleetwood Mac Tribute | 8:00 PM

The Winchester | The Vindys | 8:00 PM

Sunday - 03/23

Agora Theatre | Ja Rule & Ashanti | 8:00 PM

Beachland Ballroom | The Dollyrots | 7:30 PM

KeyBank State Theatre | The Shamrock Tenors | 7:00 PM

Music Box Supper Club | Joe Pug | 7:00 PM

The Winchester | The Alarm | 8:00 PM

The 216 Sports Area

Upcoming Games

Cavaliers
Away vs. Phoenix Suns, 10:00 p.m., Friday, Mar. 21
Away vs. Utah Jazz, 2:30 p.m., Sunday, Mar. 23

Cleveland Monsters
Away vs. Laval Rocket, 7:00 p.m., Friday, Mar. 21
Away vs. Laval Rocket, 3:00 p.m., Saturday, Mar. 22
Away vs. Belleville Senators, 3:00 p.m., Sunday, Mar. 23

Cleveland Charge
Home vs. Osceola Magic, 5:00 p.m., Saturday, Mar. 22
Home vs. College Park SkyHawks, 4:00 p.m., Sunday, Mar. 23

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