New Viva Barcelona team promises
quality food, service and fun
By Cynthia Schuster-Eakin
happenings
Published August 2, 2006

There’s a new team on deck at Viva Barcelona restaurant in Westlake. This team’s members are determined to provide their customers with great food, top-level service and a good time in the process.

New owner Nick Asimakis has enlisted the help of long-time friend and business associate Jason Green to see that his patrons have a quality, enjoyable dining experience. Asimakis, who also owns the Hylander restaurant in Lakewood and whose family has a long history on the Cleveland hospitality industry scene, said he first met Green in 1983. “We’ve known each other a long time. Running a restaurant together is something we have always wanted to do,” he explained. Asimakis said that when the opportunity to take over at Viva Barcelona came up, “We were in the right place at the right time.”

Wendy and Tony Pallotta of Bay Village enjoy dinner on the Viva Barcelona patio in Westlake with Todd and Carla Teter of Avon Lake. The restaurant features a new owner and management, but old favorites, such as Chef Orlando Maximo and his menu, remain. (Photo by Larry Bennet)

Asimakis said that other team members include a strong support staff comprised of Beverage Manager and wine specialist Roxanne Bibeau, Dining Room Manager Cesar Salmeron and Controller Rita Hanna. Executive Chef Orlando Maximo, who has been with Viva Barcelona for quite some time, rules the kitchen. “We have the same chef and the same menu,” Asimakis assured. “Everything is homemade from scratch. All of our fish and meat are cut on the premises.”            

The seafood is the freshest of the fresh, Green added. He said that Chef Maximo scrutinizes every product as it comes through the kitchen door. The chef also tries to assure that his dishes are very affordable, while maintaining quality, and supplements the regular menu with numerous lunch and dinner specials, he said.

Homemade soups change daily, Green added. “Yesterday’s featured soup was French onion, while today’s was gazpacho,” he said. Seafood soup and garlic soup are always on the menu. Green said the salads are a great value, considering their size and ingredients. Enjoying a blackened yellow fin tuna salad, herb-crusted salmon or shrimp salad on the lovely patio at Viva Barcelona is a summer dining experience that you will long for in January.

Green said that his favorite luncheon entrée is the cheeseburger Viva Barcelona. “I have never had a juicier, more flavorful hamburger anywhere. There is a lot of food there for $7.95, especially since it is served with accompaniments,” he said. Other sandwiches include Spanish sausage with sautéed peppers and onions, prosciutto with tomatoes and olive oil, chicken topped with pink sauce, and fried fish served with tartar sauce. All sandwiches are $7.95. The rest of the noontime bill of fare is comprised of smaller portions of dishes featured on the regular dinner menu, such as the paella Valenciana, with assorted seafood, chicken and Spanish sausage over saffron rice ($13.95).

Green recommends that evening diners begin their meal with an appetizer such as the shrimp in garlic sauce ($10.95) or fried squid served with marinara ($8.50). Other popular selections are mushrooms stuffed with crabmeat ($8.95), piquillo peppers filled with a mixture of shrimp and spinach ($9.95), broiled Spanish sausage with black olives ($8.95) and summer melon wrapped in prosciutto ($8.95).

Guests can follow that with an entrée such as filet of tilapia with almonds in a whiskey sauce ($21.95), plump sea scallops prepared with garlic ($21.95), veal scaloppini stuffed with shrimp, piquillo peppers and Tetilla cheese ($21.95), or a 32-ounce cut of prime rib with black peppercorns in cognac sauce ($32.95). Specials also run in the $22 to $32 range. Typical specials, Green said, include beef Wellington prepared with twin eight-ounce filets, baked lamb shanks, short ribs of beef and basa, a type of seafood, with shrimp in champagne sauce. The chef has recently featured roasted goat and suckling pig, he added.

Viva Barcelona, 24600 Detroit Road, is open from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Monday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 1 to 9 p.m. on Sunday. The patio remains open later, with food served until 11 p.m. on weekdays, Green said. All major credit cards are honored. Gift cards are available in any denomination. Reservations are suggested on weekends. Phone (440) 892-8700. Attire is casual to dressy. The bar and patio are cigar friendly. Parties and meetings can be accommodated. The restaurant is equipped with audio/visual equipment.

There is live entertainment on the patio Tuesday through Sunday. Featured entertainers are Rolando Pizana on Tuesdays, with a wide spectrum of tunes ranging from Latin music to jazz. Justo Saborit and his Latin sound can be heard on Wednesday and Saturday. Pete Pyros plays contemporary music on Fridays and Sundays.

Upcoming events include a Viva Barcelona golf outing Aug. 14 at Hilliard Lakes. A round of golf will be followed by a wine tasting with hors d’oeuvres and dinner. A hole-in-one contest, sponsored by Integrity Chevrolet, will offer the grand prize of a new car. Cost for the entire package is $85 a person.