Tis’ the Season

August 12, 2011 – 1:32 pm Posted by Katharine Moore

Filed under: Features

The Dine Originals restaurants are ripe with the tastes of the season. And though the culinary influences are deeply rooted in the local movement, the styles are varied and vivid. Everybody has a summer craving, and it’s usually steeped in the tastes and aromas of memory. If you find yourself hungry for the honest-to-goodness flavors of the Ohio farm table, use the Dine Originals roster to plan a memorable summer meal.

Seasonal offerings and lively menus are the signatures of kitchens that don’t get their recipes faxed in from a corporate office, or their vegetables delivered in a flash frozen pouch.

Every season has its bounty, but nothing compares with these peak weeks of the summer harvest. Supporting local producers and suppliers gives our members the opportunity to create sophisticated food with uncompromised integrity. Many of our restaurants make daily menu changes as fresh produce becomes available from the fields.

We invite you to savor the alchemy that happens when garden-fresh and skillfulness merge in an accomplished kitchen. The following is truly just a sampling of our region’s best:

Fresh peach cheesecake with peach compote topping at the Wildflower Cafe.

The Sweet Tea Brined Heritage Tamworth Pork Loin Chop chef Caskey serves with Baked Bean Puree, and Summer Succotash at Skillet, Rustic. Urban. Food.

Trattoria Roma’s Fresh peaches, carrots, feta cheese, and honey roasted cashews w/ mixed greens in a peach white balsamic sesame vinaigrette. (The cashews are from Krema Nut Co. and the peaches from Rife’s Market.)

The Grandville Inn has three salads of note: a Shepherd’s Salad with diced cucumber, red onion and tomato tossed with feta cheese and Kalamata olives, the Haricot Verts Salad with French green beans with fried shallots, smoked bacon and Marcona almonds tossed in balsamic vinaigrette, and a chilled Shrimp Salad with tender Bibb lettuce, avocado, hearts of palm and oranges in a pink grapefruit vinaigrette.

Barcelona Restaurant and Bar will bring a serving of Setas a la Parilla con Verduras to your patio table, which in English means you’ll enjoy grilled portabella mushroom; hummus stuffed piquillo peppers; saute of sweet corn, onions and spinach; and spicy herb pesto.

The Vienna Ice Café is preparing Vacherin, a French specialty. Meringue with layers of strawberry and vanilla ice-cream that will transport you to Paris for just a few bites.

Alana’s is doing what they do so masterfully…last night’s offerings included an Ohio Valley tomato stack with lump crab, Amish chicken egg, shaved onions, white cheddar and greens with cabernet buttermilk dressing, and a grilled 8 ounce Ohio Proud beef fillet with heirloom cherry tomatoes, avocado, bleu cheese, and bacon vinaigrette. I noticed the room was full, but hushed…you somehow can’t chatter and savor in the same moment.

Shaw’s Restaurant and Inn in Lancaster is the hub of seasonal fare in Fairfield County. The fried green local tomatoes with edamame succotash salad and corn cream is the talk of the town.

Black Olive in the Short North is featuring a crispy bruschetta topped with a blend of avocado, onion, jalapeño, tomato and mango served with fresh herbs and house vinaigrette.

Don’t you love it when you just stumble into being trendy? The chefs that work in the Dine Original kitchens did not leap onto a random bandwagon that came through town. The buzz phrases of “plant to plate” and “farm to fork ” didn’t send anyone back to culinary school for retraining. But, as luck would have it, the world is catching up with the gospel we’ve been preaching for almost a decade. Locally sourced makes better economic sense, and the flavors are certain to be more intense. Treat yourself to a memorable meal, and if someone interprets that choice as trendy…so be it!

Harvest Tasting at Katzinger’s Delicatessan

August 9, 2011 – 11:05 am Posted by nate

Filed under: Events

On Wednesday, August 31 @ 6:30 PM Katzinger’s will team up with Rock Dove Farms, Laurello Vineyards and Kinkaid Ridge (wines) for an amazing sampler of Ohio’s harvest paired up with some of our Specialty Food products. Our menu includes small plates of Roasted Corn Chowder with Ohio bacon, Fresh House made Mozzarella and tomatoes, Watermelon salad with Lucky Penny Feta, and House made Burrata cheese with local honey, lavender, and toasted pistachios.

Wendy and our chefs are still working with Rock Dove on the last few plates – one of which will certainly be dessert! All plates will be served with Ohio wines from either Laurello or Kinkaid Ridge vineyards all for $30.

This evening will be full of lots of freshness prepared simply with our finest specialty foods. Your non-refundable prepaid reservation can be made at 614-228-3354. We are so excited about this tasting and hope you will join us.