Table Talk Zack Bruell's new spot opens with a bang. By Elaine T. Cicora

Table 45 hasn't served its first meal, but already it gets our vote for most visually striking space in town. Restaurateur Zack Bruell's sexpot of a salon -- sleek, utterly spare, and impeccably appointed -- will open on Good Friday inside the Cleveland Clinic's InterContinental Hotel, where banners over Carnegie Avenue already herald its arrival.

Architect-designer Bill Blunden is the man behind the solid maple woodwork, the leather Corbusier chairs, and the "essentialism" design. ("If it wasn't essential, we didn't put it in," he helpfully explains.) And of course, the man behind the globe-trotting menu is Bruell, a Cleveland culinary icon whose credits stretch back to the 1980s, when he launched Z Contemporary Cuisine in Shaker Heights.

A sneak peek at a prototype menu reveals temptations like Peruvian-style braised lamb shank and tandoori-roasted chicken with garlic gnocchi, white truffle cream, and pancetta. But if the crowd devouring the warm naan during last week's private party is any clue, it's safe to say what the favorite bar nosh will be. Call 216-707-4045 for lunch and dinner reservations.

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