Circle of 5ths is newest restaurant in downtown Akron with cocktails, small plates

Kerry Clawson, Akron Beacon Journal
·4 min read

The Circle of 5ths is the newest eatery and bar to grace downtown Akron's historical arts district.

The 50-seat restaurant, which focuses on classic cocktails and small plates, is located above BLU Jazz+ at 45 E. Market St., where BLU Plate used to be.

Business partners are mixologist Ryan Austin, chef Ian Lotz and Mike Troppe ― son of downtown developer/business owner Tony Troppe ― who's general manager at BLU Jazz+ and owner of High Street Hop House around the corner.

Austin named the establishment Circle of 5ths in reference to a music theory term, in homage to the jazz club downstairs. A double meaning also refers to the owners' favorite spirits being measured in fifth gallons.

Circle of 5ths, open Thursday through Saturday evenings, has been in soft-opening mode since mid-September. It will have its grand opening Nov. 22, on the biggest night of the year to go out to bars, Austin said.

On its Facebook page, the restaurant proclaims it's the place for "stiff drinks and small plates."

Starting this week, the restaurant began an earlier starting time with happy hour running 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, featuring discounted food and drinks. The restaurant is open until midnight each of those nights.

Craft cocktails

One of the seasonal cocktail specials that Austin makes is An Apple a Day, featuring Granny Smith apple-infused Old Grand-Dad bourbon, Calvados apple brandy, simple syrup and Angostura bitters. The drink is garnished with apple slices and a sugar cube, which is set on fire. Austin then makes the drink spark by shaking cinnamon on it.

Ryan Austin, partner and mixologist at the new restaurant and bar The Circle of 5ths, makes a seasonal cocktail An Apple a Day at the restaurant located above Blue Jazz+ in Akron. The drink flames up when cinnamon is shaken over a flaming sugar cube.
Ryan Austin, partner and mixologist at the new restaurant and bar The Circle of 5ths, makes a seasonal cocktail An Apple a Day at the restaurant located above Blue Jazz+ in Akron. The drink flames up when cinnamon is shaken over a flaming sugar cube.

Among the bar's signature drinks is the Chiramente il Vino, otherwise known as a clarified New York Sour. It features clarified bourbon, citrus, sugar and red wine, which floats at the top of the drink. The bourbon is clarified in whole milk so the bourbon's so clear, you can see through it in this cocktail.

A New York Sour at the new restaurant and bar The Circle of 5ths, located above Blue Jazz+ in Akron.
A New York Sour at the new restaurant and bar The Circle of 5ths, located above Blue Jazz+ in Akron.

At this bar, Austin makes everything he can from scratch, including grenadine, ginger liqueur and falernum, a mix of herbs and spices for cocktails.

All but two of the cocktails at Circle of 5ths cost $13, Austin said.

"Our goal for this place is to have kind of like a metropolitan vibe with not a metropolitan price," said Austin, whose cocktails in the future will be heavily inspired by cocktail bars in New York, Chicago and Miami.

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Small plates at Circle of 5ths

Small plates at this restaurant include hummus with pickled veggies and warm pita, a charcuterie board, seasoned fries with house made French onion dip, and chicken fritters battered in a gluten-free corn and rice coating served with fingerling-shaped hush puppies.

"The small plates are really the feature of what I'm trying to do," said Lotz, who plans to expand those offerings.

Ian Lotz, partner and chef at the new restaurant and bar The Circle of 5ths, plates wellington bites in the kitchen of the restaurant located above Blue Jazz+ in Akron.
Ian Lotz, partner and chef at the new restaurant and bar The Circle of 5ths, plates wellington bites in the kitchen of the restaurant located above Blue Jazz+ in Akron.

His goal is to offer gourmet fare at a more casual fine dining price.

Beef Wellington bites ($20), which come with five pieces, are made with beef tenderloin, duxelles mushrooms and prosciutto wrapped in puff pastry sitting on Dijon creme.

Wellington bites are one of the small plates at the new restaurant and bar The Circle of 5ths in Akron.
Wellington bites are one of the small plates at the new restaurant and bar The Circle of 5ths in Akron.

The gluten-free, vegan wasabi falafel is hand rolled into cakes with edamame, fresh wasabi and black sesame, served with house-made siracha aioli and Korean barbecue. For the falafel, Lotz substitutes the traditional chickpeas with soybeans and adds fried king oyster mushrooms to the center of the dish.

A trio of small plates - from left, wellington bites, wasabi falafel and chicken fritters - at the new restaurant and bar The Circle of 5ths, located above Blue Jazz+ in Akron.
A trio of small plates - from left, wellington bites, wasabi falafel and chicken fritters - at the new restaurant and bar The Circle of 5ths, located above Blue Jazz+ in Akron.

"I want the plate to be enough that if you order it for yourself, it'll fill you up but also they're all presented in a way that it's shareable" and easy to mix and match, the chef said.

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Plans for decor

Austin, who's been a restaurant general manager or bar manager at area restaurants for nearly a decade, had talked for a while with the younger Troppe about working on a restaurant together. They've been joined by chef Lotz and another mixologist, Jess Green.

The Circle of 5ths partners will be revamping the restaurant decor, including building a wood frame shelf above the bar with the restaurant's logo in neon above. Austin said he's going for a more homey vibe.

Folks at a concert downstairs at BLU Jazz+ can order food from Circle of 5ths upstairs while they're hanging out downstairs. The bar menus are separate.

Circle of 5ths is adjacent to a 120-seat private room that BLU-Tique Hotel uses for events, with drink service by Circle of 5ths.

Arts and restaurant writer Kerry Clawson may be reached at 330-996-3527 or kclawson@thebeaconjournal.com.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Downtown Akron dining: Circle of 5ths to offer cocktails, small plates