The avant-garde mash-up of two radically different Cleveland legends -- the Happy Dog Saloon and the Cleveland Orchestra -- has been garnering big props, both locally and nationally.

In addition to a widely aired shout-out on NPR's Weekend Edition, the Happy Dog's recent classical music experiments, where chamber music pros take to the very small stage, caught the attention of the New York Times.

In an article titled, "The Key Was B Flat; the Beer Wasn't," the Old Gray Lady praises the Cleveland Orchestra's unconventional method of winning new fans.

"Anyone popping in for a quick beer at the Happy Dog bar in Cleveland on Wednesday night and expecting the usual fare -- polka, country or indie rock -- would have been surprised," the reporter writes.

Read the liner notes here.

To listen to David C. Barnett's NPR piece, click here.