CMH Gourmand

Culinary Discovery & Misadventures in the Ice Cream Capital of the World (Columbus)

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The Deepwood Dagwood for Dine Originals Week

Posted by cmh gourmand on March 8, 2012

Here is the thing. A good number of people like Deepwood. Unfortunately it seems they never show up at the same time. Well… with the exception of my lunch this past Wednesday. I arrived during what may have been a (Columbus) Alive and Crave afternoon pow-wow / retreat. Other than us, Deepwood was Deadwood. Crickets. Tumbleweeds. Spagetti western music was faintly playing in my subconscious.

I would describe Deepwood as subdued. Unlike Cheers, where everyone knows your name when you walk in the door, at Deepwood, you will receive a pleasant, faint smile and nice service. Subdued. I like it. It aids the digestion. It is relaxing.

The is Dine Originals Restaurant Week, a time for many of our local independent restaurants to shine and show off the best they can do to lure in new customers and shake things up for loyal regulars. Looking for a deal of deals, the various $10 menus are what I target. My old standby was the Pistacia Vera sampler but that has been off the rotation for the last two cycles (Anne and Spencer….think about the children, they need more than Shirred eggs).

I have always sought out the value of the Deepwood lunch but unless you work downtown and actually know where Deepwood is (that was the quiz part of the post) this special experience is limited to a few. If you are reading this early Friday morning, you still have some time to call in sick and give this menu a shot. For the rest of you who can never have this experience, allow me to share.

Here is the menu for $10.

Your choice of any of our sodas

The Deepwood-Our version of the Classic & Colossal Dagwood

Meats, Cheeses and Condiments Layered between House-Made Pepper Jack Bread, House-Made Corned Beef, Tasso Ham and Mortadella Schmear, Roasted Turkey. House-Made Mozzarella, Smoked Gouda. Roasted Tomato, Pickled Peppers, Chef’s Garden Leaf Arugula, Mustard Aioli, Red Onion Jam, Fried Olive Skewer. House-Made Potato Chips

or

Tasting of Signature Petite Sandwiches

New England Lobster Roll with Hand Cut-Fries, House-Made Pastrami with Potato Chips, Lentil Patty with Deepwood Tavern Pickled Vegetables

and

Lemon Meringue Pie

At this point regular readers of CMH Gourmand know what happened. Fearing the Sophie’s Choice of having to decide between choices for this rare lunchtime visit, I played it safe and got both.

The Verdict? Reread the menu above. The size of the description matches the quality and satifisfaction of the Deepwood Dagwood. What a good sandwich! It was easily the winner of the two choices. Exceptional cuts of meat, good flavor. The chips were incredibly good with some house made ketchup I reallocated from the French Fries. Hard to see in the photograph but the mini battered and fried olives of the skewer were really well executed. I am sure they elicit a faint, subdued smile in the backroom. If you have to choose go with the Dagwood.

The Petite Sandwiches are worth the price. Chef Brian definitely had a fun time creating both offerings but I was not as emotionally satisfied after the signature sandwiches. I will state a case for the lentil burger patty sample as better than the hallowed Northstar Veggie burger patty. Really. Serious. The fries are pretty close to perfect. Keep frying Deepwood, you do it well.

As for the pie, if by pie, one means a mini biscuit sized puff of homemade goodness on a stick….OK, but let’s call this a pie pop on the next online menu.

If you feel a little cheated after reading this, knowing that you will not have such an experience for this Dine Originals Week, then I give you this task. Go to Deepwood this month and tell the staff you would like them to serve lunch on a Saturday for the next Dine Originals Week.

If you have missed out on Deepwood, give them a shot. The beer selection, house crafted cocktails and entrees are all well executed. Maybe those that are inclined, could give up not going to Deepwood for Lent.

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Suerte Malo Keeps Yerba Buena from debuting in Clintonville on March 3rd

Posted by cmh gourmand on February 28, 2012

The Yerba Buena Food Truck had planned to make it’s 2012 debut back in Clintonville on March 3rd. This community favorite from last summer hoped to join Pitabilities and Tatoheads as the Food truck contingent to help Clintonville Celebrate the Bicentennial of Columbus.

PITABILTIES AND TATOHEADS are in Clintonville from Noon to 3 PM.

Due to an unexpected generator issue Yerba Buena had to bail out at the last minute – but owner Carlos Gutierrez will be there to pass out flyers with information on their new location in Clintonville.

The event will be from Noon to 3:00 PM at Maple Grove Church at the corner of North High Street and Henderson Road. Admission is free. There will also be free goodies from Mozart’s Bakery and plenty of activities related to the history of Columbus.

More details – here

In case you missed the drama of last year, Yerba Buena almost went down as the first food truck booted out of Clintonville by a very small but very loud minority of residents. The owners Carlos and Carolina used the incident as an opportunity to open up in another section of Clintonville in need of more food options, however, news of their move did not get communicated in the community so business flagged. This year, Yerba Buena is back and looking forward to being part of the community. Please come out to show the support Clintonville and the rest of Columbus shares for these small, independent businesses that are adding spice and variety to the day to day diets of us all.

Also come see what Clintonville has to offer. For those of your ready to support The Mid Ohio Food Bank’s Operation Feed, Pitabilities is doing a mobile food drive for March. They will be collecting jars of peanut butter at the Clintonville Celebrates Columbus Event.

Gracias!

Posted in Clintonville, events | 4 Comments »

Mobile Monday at St. James Tavern

Posted by cmh gourmand on February 17, 2012

A Mobile Food experiment has been conducted at the St. James Tavern since early January. The premise: pair a $1 Mystery Beer Can special with a different Mobile Food vendor each week to break up the MEH of Monday and offer a respite from downtown rush hour gridlock. These events serve as an introduction to St. James Tavern for some (voted best bar in Columbus by Columbus Underground). It also provides a business opportunity and a new circle of customers for food trucks that have difficulty serving our CBD (Central Business District) due to arcane city of Columbus codes and zoning laws. The series began with Pitabilities and was followed by Tatoheads, Late Night Slice, Freedom A La Cart and then an encore performance of Pitabilities and Tatoheads.

Times are generally 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm or 7 pm to 10 pm. Saint James and the mobile vendors are still looking for the sweet spot for serving times that maximizes the number of people served and still allows the truck to break even or make a small profit for the night. If you live in Italian Village or want to grow mobile food in the lean times of winter, come out for a Mobile Monday to grow food choices for the core of the city.

Here is the line up for the rest of February.
February 20th – Red Hot Food Truck (a trailer, this is their debut appearance for Mobile Monday).

February 27th – Kolache Republic (serving INSIDE the SJT).

For more details and updates – check out the St. James Tavern Facebook page and follow Food Fort Columbus on Twitter – @FoodFortCMH.

It looks like the series will continue to March…..especially if you come out to support it.

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The Burrito Buggy at Byrne’s Pub: Recap and Review

Posted by cmh gourmand on March 26, 2011


Pairing the Burrito Buggy with Byrne’s Pub for their Survivors Party (surviving St. Patrick’s Day) turned out to be an excellent idea. Pat Byrne was happy with the outpouring of Burrito Buggy Bobcats and other mobile foodophiles.

I did worry a bit. The morning on the big day I received one e-mail, a few direct messages on Twitter and several forwarded tweets about the Burrito Buggy being broken down on SR 33 outside of Lancaster. I had not heard anything from the Burrito Buggy and it was 2 hours to “showtime”. I contacted them and started to draft my mea culpa to Columbus. About an hour later I heard back from the Buggy, they had a flat tire and were popping the lug nuts back on to hit the road again.

They served the first two burritos at 3 pm….. to me. I was going to get six, but looking at the line behind me, I could not bring myself to do it. When I left the line was about forty people deep. Reports are the line never got shorter than forty up until at least 10 pm. I heard the line was 1 to 2 hours long at any given time.

Byrne’s is considering making this a yearly tradition. What do you think? I did not know before but Byrne’s has “street meat” most Fridays and Saturdays from 10 pm after.

As for the Burrito Buggy – they had one of their biggest nights ever and are looking to come back to Columbus. Where and when might they appear next?

Check their Facebook to track other appearances and see what people thought of the Big Burrito Night.

Also see what OU Alumni thought about the night.

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Edible Books Contest, March 31st: I’ll be the Judge of that!

Posted by cmh gourmand on March 20, 2011

I have a soft spot for food and books and libraries. I have a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science that circumstances have not allowed me to use in a library setting. However, I love libraries, they are wonderful, valuable things and I will do anything to support one.

So, when I was asked if I might judge for the Edible Books Contest, my response was “sure”.

Have people fallen on hard times and taken to book eating? No, thank goodness. However, for the third year in a row, the Worthington Libraries will host a contest which challenges you to create an edible entry with a book or literary theme. I will judge the entries with my writing peers and friends, Robin Davis from the Columbus Dispatch and Nick Dekker from Breakfast with Nick. We will evaluate entries based on creativity, design and taste. I encourage you to come to help out with tasting and to vote for the people’s choice.

I can’t think of a reason for you not to go to this. Unless you are some type of bookburner or anti-dessert protagonist.

If you care to enter, come to the Northwest Library at 2280 Hard Road for registration at 6 pm. Judging will start at 7 pm. Viewing of all of this will occur from 7 to 8:30 pm. At 8:30, we present awards and the entries will be eaten. I can do that. You can do that too. These are hard times. Libraries help people save money, find jobs, read books to their kids and countless other things that make our communities better. These seem like good reasons to come support a good thing.

Care for another good reason? This year, there is a new category – Professional – where local bakeries such as Delicacies by Sheri, Delightful Cakes, Ly-Ly’s Bakery and M. Minick Cake Design will compete against each other (but not against the amateurs). You can expect to eat well at the library and you will not get in trouble for it.

For more information, check the Worthington Libraries Calendar of Events.

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The Ides of March 4.0

Posted by cmh gourmand on March 14, 2011

I often wince and cringe when reading blogs that cross the line into navel gazing and T(oo) M(uch) I(nfo). I have been in the TMI mode occasionally over the last several months. I apologize. This post is the last of that series and hopefully a bit cathartic. This explains the decline in content quality and the donut obsession. So you may want to skip this entry and just read tommorrow’s post after I clean out my closet for the last 365 days.

For the Ides for March I have traditionally taken a moment to look back at my 15 best food related things of the last year. When I wrote last year’s edition, I can say I was truly happy (I don’t throw that word around too liberally). I had just come back from a great trip to Berkeley and was excited about what the spring had on my plate and some incredible possibilities for the year. Everything changed at the end of that week. I never defined myself by my day job but I came to find my department essentially no longer existed. My response was to travel around the country for two weeks with my dog to sort out what to do…..I did not figure that out.

At the beginning it was a struggle to think through this edition of the ides. I was not sure I would find fifteen things that were worthy of being happy about. My work (day job), family (the Honduran connection) and personal life each gave me a major sucker punch in the past year. If the stool that is me has four legs, three were knocked off.

I have done the math countless times in the last year and it never adds up. The equation seems to be: Nice Guy + X = screwed. My dog days are not over but my nice guy days did dissapear. I did not deserve any of the three hands that I was dealt but each one did mean that I had to change and it took a while to listen to that. The words intended for the next three paragraphs have been written and rewritten and finally removed after two months of reflection. Among the descriptors I deleted was the phrase “felt like being pissed on while being drowned”. In the spirit of ending TMI and also not wanting anything so negative to be part of my permanent record to the world we will move on. Ultimately, what happened was more dependent on how I respond to them and that was a lesson that came slow but surely as the 365 days came to a close.

There was still a lot of good. This list affirms that.

1. In May, with little planning or even a well thought out trip plan, CMH Tobias and I set out on a journey of discovery. It is all on twitter:

2. Malcom Gladwell is one of my favorite writers. He has concept of connectors. I have been called one on a few occasions. In the fall, an aquintanace approached me at an event I was working. She said “I never told you thank you”. I looked at her puzzled. “You introduced me to Slow Food Columbus, some great restaurants and wonderful people and helped me enjoy my new life in Columbus”. To that I say, you are welcome. As a kid that grew up very introverted and remained socially awkward well past college I never thought I would grow up to hear someone complimenting me for anything social. Now, I find myself surrounded by social media and showing others how to use it.

3. As I was starting to rebound from the first disappointment of the year, I was invited to go to Cleveland to eat and drink….for free. That was a wonderful trip of CLEGourmanding.

4. I had a great time working the Ohio Sweet Hearts event at the Hills Market. I was able to chat with Chef Norman all night and I was given a Jeni’s Ice Cream hoodie for my trouble. I also had a good post party with friends. It was a night to remember.

5. The Columbus Food and Wine Affair is a great event for our city. I have been able to assist as a wine judge for the past two years. Last year, I helped create and execute their social media strategy.

6. I made a lifelong commitment to DK Diner Donuts. I had them the first time in January 2010 but I was hooked by the ides. I think they may be the best donuts in town and maybe the state.

7. I had planned on staying at Rockmill Brewery for 30 minutes. I stayed for several hours. It was one of the best afternoons I have had in a very long time.

8. Mobile food does matter in Columbus. In 2009 it was Taco Trucks. In 2010, the interest expanded.

While most of my start up cash was unexpectedly reallocated to Honduras, I still have an interest in a mobile food operation. I have ¾ of a business plan and some resources but my concept is not going to happen in 2011. Maybe 2012.

9. I enjoyed grilling hot dogs for the masses at The Goodale Park Music Series.

10. I did not know my life bucket list included organizing and leading a parade. If you want to do one, it will cost at least $1000.

11. George Motz came back to town for Hamburger America II, so I took him to Johnnie’s. We did not have enough time to go to O’Reilly’s, maybe for the third book.

12. Hanging out with GA Benton and the crew for the Alive to explore the world of Taco Trucks.

13. Nelsonville, The Spikedrivers and Rhapsody

14. Making really good soup. Really. I made three great soups this year and the key was BluesCreek Farm bacon.

15. Hello iPhone – my new friend. My cell phone died in Mexico so I finally got an iPhone. It does make my day to day life easier.

I still hear “You never answer your phone” – true – I still turn it off for long bursts of time to disconnect since I spend much of the time overconnected. Technology connects us but disconnects us at the same time. I have been in too many social situations where I see people eyes and attention on their phone screens instead of being in the moment with the company they are with. There is a reason there are so many lonely people surrounded by people in the process of becoming connected to everything but each other. We have allowed ourselves to be disconnected from everyone. Stop it. Although I find the need to disconnect more frequently. Do as I write, not as I roll.

So what will the next 365 days bring? I have always had multiple projects going on at any given time, a job to chase, a country or cuisine to explore or multiple missions of great import. I don’t have that. There is no target in my sights. What am I hoping for? I don’t know anymore. That is a scary thing for me to consider. Et Tu Columbus?

(This post is dedicated to Cee Lo Green (musical genius) as well as Fitz and The Tantrums and every angry Metallica song I could find).

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Pistacia Vera: My Dine Originals Week Tradition

Posted by cmh gourmand on March 8, 2011

We now have two different sponsored restaurant weeks for a total of four times in the year. This is a good thing for our culinary community and a great excuse for more timid eaters to try something new. My alliance is with The Dine Originals Restaurant Weeks – the (currently) fifty-one restaurants to choose from include most of my favorites. During Restaurant Week, I review the menus, looking for something innovative or different or exciting from places I know and from the few I have not tried before. Points go to a chef that stretches their comfort zone to try something out of their normal menu offerings. Going off the menu is a big risk and a big deal – because this often is the “first date” with a Dine Originals Restaurant and the owners want customers new and old to come back.

While I use this week to try new things, I do have one exception. I always opt for the Pistacia Vera Dine Originals Week sampler for $10. This is a quick and easy way to try our a great gourmet dessert shop.

Here is what they have this time around and this is what I ate in my car while driving to Skillet to pick up my dinner.

Collection includes each of the following (stolen from the Pistacia Vera listing on the Dine Originals Web site):

CHOCOLATE BOMBE
Chocolate Buttermilk Cake with Semisweet Chocolate Tawny Port Mousse
Glazed with a Chocolate Ganache. Nut Free. (weighed about 1 pound in my hand)

PARISIAN MACARON
Light Nut Meringue Sandwich Cookie filled with Buttercream
Flavors include: Black Raspberry & Vanilla Bean. Gluten Free.

VALRHONA CHOCOLATE BON BON
Hand-dipped Chocolate made with 72% Valrhona Chocolate
finished with Kilauea Black Sea Salt.
Gluten Free & Nut Free.

PATE DE FRUIT
Luxurious All Natural Fruit Gems made with pure Fruit Puree, Pectin and Sugar.
Flavors include: Cherry Kirsh and Passion Fruit. Gluten Free & Nut Free.

PISTACHIO HONEY NOUGAT
Handmade Nougat with Orange Blossom and Honey. Gluten free.

PISTACIA VERA
541 South Third Street
German Village
614.220.9070

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WIN: March 12th Earth to Table Dinner at The Culinary Vegetable Institute

Posted by cmh gourmand on March 4, 2011

I think the people at Chef’s Garden must feel sorry for me. After reading about my vegetable based recovery from February, they asked if I might want to come up for a Farm to Table Dinner. As a Slow Food enthusiast, I thought yes. However, as I read more and saw who was cooking I said YES! (before someone changes their mind up there).

So here is the deal. I am going and I have one ticket ($75) to give away. The winner is welcome to drive with me (and maybe CMH Tobias if he comes to guard the car) to dinner at the Culinary Vegetable Institute. We will depart at 3:05 PM on Saturday March 12th to allow time to stop if we find something interesting on the way up. On the way home, you can keep me awake and help look for deer crossing the road. You do have to pay for your drinks but I am the designated driver. I will also let you make i-Pod selections.

How do you win? You know the drill by now. Send me an email (click here). I will take e-mail entries until Monday March 7th at 10 PM. Then I will pick one winner at random for the ticket. If you do not care to ride with me, you can meet me there and perhaps have some of your friends buy tickets and come along. It is a good cause and the meal should be fantabulistical.

So why am I extra excited about the meal? Because I met Chef Ellis Cooley while sampling his menu at AMP 150 when I was CLEGourmanding last October.

What: Earth to Table Dinner with Chef Ellis Cooley

Where: The Culinary Vegetable Institute

12304 State Route 13, Milan, Ohio 44846

When: Saturday, March 12th, 6:30pm

I have copied parts of the press release below so you can decide how excited you want to be.

March Comes In Like a Lion And Goes Out Like a Lamb-Neck

Chef Ellis Cooley to Prepare Cutting Edge Cuisine for March Earth to
Table Dinner at The Culinary Vegetable Institute

MILAN (February 2011) – We have long been able to count on the old adage
that March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. But to play it
out literally on the plate is something Chef Ellis Cooley of Cleveland’s
AMP150 will do for guests at the Earth to Table Dinner at The Culinary
Vegetable Institute.

His menu will offer an unusual array of protein selections that focus on
flavor including Slow Roasted Duck with Braised Caramelized Endive,
Homemade Smoked Kielbasa, and our March favorite…Braised Lamb Necks
with a Stew of Dried Beans and Mint. He will also feature seasonal
items from the nearby sustainable farm, The Chef’s Garden, such as Baby
Beet Salad with Lake Erie Creamery Goat Cheese Fondue, Roasted Carrots
and Parsnip Puree, Roasted Cauliflower with Beet Vinaigrette, Brown
Butter Kale, and Baby Fennel with Figs.

“I appreciate the passion Chef Ellis has for seasonal and sustainable
products. He is committed to regularly changing his menu to highlight
the best of the season,” said Farmer Lee Jones, the co-owner of The
Chef’s Garden. “He really gets it!”

About The Culinary Vegetable Institute

Tucked far back off State Rte 13 in cozy Milan, Ohio sits The Culinary
Vegetable Institute, a renowned retreat and culinary learning center for
the best chefs in the world. The concept of the facility was developed
in association with The Chef’s Garden (just miles up the road) and was
intended to foster creativity between chef and farmer.

Ellis Cooley, Executive Chef, AMP 150

With his simple, straightforward and ingredient-driven culinary style,
Chef Ellis Cooley combines a lifelong passion for cooking with more than
10 years spent working under many of the world’s most celebrated chefs.
Ellis started his career in his hometown of Atlanta, but quickly found
the desire to travel and work under a wider variety of top chefs. His
journeys took him through some of the world’s top kitchens in South
Florida, Spain, France and Austria before settling down in New York
City. After spending some time in New York, Ellis’ culinary skills were
rewarded when he was selected to open the ultra-modern Hotel on
Rivington on Manhattan’s lower eastside. After a successful opening
there, Ellis set his sights on larger properties, and he moved on to the
New York Palace Hotel to become restaurant chef. In search of a warmer
climate, Ellis sold his winter coats and moved to Miami, where he did
consulting work for private condominiums.

In 2009, Ellis was presented the opportunity to open farm-to-table
restaurant AMP 150 in Cleveland, where he currently serves as Executive
Chef. Since assuming that role, Ellis has become a master cultivator:
cultivating a thriving, critically acclaimed restaurant; cultivating
strong personal relationships with local farmers, patrons and
businesses; even cultivating a sprawling garden in a lot behind the
restaurant, which supplies hyperlocal produce to his kitchen. His
concept is simple: to offer local, seasonal and high quality ingredients
on a regularly rotating menu. And his passion for that work hasn’t gone
unnoticed. In the past year, Ellis and AMP 150 have been featured in
Midwest Living magazine, The Cleveland Plain Dealer, Cleveland Magazine,
Cleveland Scene Magazine, Crain’s Cleveland Business, Sun Newspapers and
numerous local television programs and blogs.

Ellis has garnered a number of personal accolades as well, including being named
a Rising Star Chef by Restaurant Hospitality magazine (2010), Best New Chef by
Cleveland Scene Magazine (2010) and Champion of Sustainability by E4S, an economic
development organization whose mission is to grow a sustainable regional
economy (2010).

When he’s not in the kitchen at AMP 150, Ellis stays busy with Dinner in
the Dark, a non-profit organization he co-founded that brings together
Cleveland’s top chefs every month to host a six-course dinner for guests
who are “in the dark” about the evening’s menu until they arrive. To
date, the dinner series has raised more than $25,000 from ticket sales
for local charities, all of which are hand-selected by each month’s
participating chefs.

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Spagio and the Pleasure Guild: Celebration of Wine, Food and Dining with the Stars.

Posted by cmh gourmand on March 1, 2011

I like to say Pleasure Guild. It sounds fun. However, the work this special group of people performs can be deadly serious. The Guild came into existence in 1908. The volunteers of the Pleasure Guild do many things to benefit the young patients of Children’s Hospital as well as the community of children in our city. The most important and critical activity that the Pleasure Guild engages in is sustaining and supporting the Pediatric Hospice and Palliative Care program at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. This is the only program of the kind in Central Ohio. Any child (and their family) with a terminal illness needs and cherishes this program.

This venerable volunteer organization paired with a veteran, iconic local restaurant, Spagio for The Celebration of Wine, Food and Dining with the Stars. Spagio is one of a handful of restaurants remaining from the genesis of the current Columbus culinary scene. It started life in 1981 as the Gourmet Market under the guidance of Chef Hubert Seifert. Chef Hubert continues to craft cuisine at Spagio and remains dedicated to the culinary community in and outside of Columbus. He is able to lure his chef friends from around the country and the globe to come to Columbus to help him out with a great event to support a greater cause.

I was able to attend this event for the first time on February 28th. I was impressed by the pedigree of chefs and guests in attendance for the evening. Sixteen chefs served up seventeen special dishes from Spagio’s kitchen for sampling. Several wineries shared their vintages. Some very generous donors offered impressive silent auction items. Many individuals and organizations put their money where their mouths are (and later in the form of food put that money back in their mouths) by forking out $225 per seat or more.

A good cause supported by a dedicated group of volunteers and professionals is not uncommon in Columbus. In reality, it seems that our city has some charity fueled food oriented event every week and often several to choose from on any given night most months. I think this reflects well on our city and the community of culinary all-stars and others that are willing to step up to the plate when there is need. Columbus is a city of giving whether it is through our pocket books or volunteering time or cooking up something on a day off.

This event was special because it is truly an exceptional cause. What most impressed me was thirteen of the super chefs were from outside of Columbus and Ohio yet they were willing to come to Spagio because Chef Hubert asked them to help. That says a lot about the Chef and the work that The Pleasure Guild does. Thanks from me too, everyone with a contribution to this event has my respect.

I am listing the names of the chefs as an additional thank you and because if you have not heard of them, you will and if you have not dined with them, you should.

Bill Bradley, Tom Fleming, John Hogan, Paul Kahan, William Koval, Gonzalo Martinez Cardenas, Frederic de Villeneuve, Shawn McClain, Mike Sheerin, Allen Sternweiler, Paul Virant, Dean Zanella, and Angelika Zossmayr. A special shout out to Mike Sheerin who works with my high school chum Saucission MAC at Three Floyds Brewpub and who made the best dish of the night in the form of braised snails with chicken and smoked beluga lentils. Bravo!

The three local chefs helping out are no strangers to my palate and always worthy of a kudo for the work they do: Brian Hinshaw from Cameron Mitchell Restaurants, Hartmut Handke and of course Chef Hubert. The highlight of the evening for many in attendance occurs after the food has been served, most of the wine has been poured and items auctioned off. Those that can still move about linger around and chat with the chefs on the other side of the kitchen. A night with friends is always a good way to start a week and this event shows that yes, Columbus does know how to have fun on a Monday night.

Posted in Columbus, events | Tagged: | 1 Comment »

WIN: Two Tickets to Ohio’s Sweet Hearts on Feb 4th

Posted by cmh gourmand on January 23, 2011

Several weeks ago I was stocking up on New Year’s Eve supplies at the Hill’s Market. My friend Jill, the marketing director, was whipping through the store. She spotted me, stopped and said “Hey duder, I have an idea about this thing I want to do.” (There was a brief pause, I considered running because the last time we had a conversation like this I ended up having to put a parade together). Then a swirl of ideas and thoughts and logistical concerns and a tangent or two came spewing out. At the end she said, “would you go to something like that?” I said, “heck yes”. Then she asked how much I would pay for the event since it was for charity. My response was $35. She has put this together for $25. This is a deal duders so read on. Jill is an exceptional writer so I am copying her press release below. Read it. (P.S. I am solicting a reader to drive me home from this – the prize is a sledding trip with CMH Tobias).

Before that – here is the low down on the contest. Send me an email (click here). I will take e-mail entries until Monday January 24th at 10 PM. Then I will pick one winner at random for the two tickets. If you don’t win – go. This is a good deal and I am sure it will sell out.

I wanted to let you know about an event we’re doing at Hills. We’re working with dozens of Ohio sweets vendors to benefit a new central Ohio organization, Mended Little Hearts. February is Heart Month and when our friend AnnMarie McCallister (of Worthington’s Glad Annie’s Baklava) asked us to consider doing something with this new organization that assists the parents of little ones heart defects and heart disease, we whole-heartedly said yes. AnnMarie told us about how congenital heart disease affected her daughter’s life, and the more we talked about it, the more we realized just how common this is. Several members of our staff have had friends or family members whose little ones were born with heart defects, and our google skills tell us that 1 in 100 newborns are born with heart defects. AnnMarie put us in touch with Riann Taylor, who has taken on the responsibility of starting a new Mended Little Hearts chapter in Columbus. (After raising more than $30,000 for the American Heart Association, they asked her to continue her support by starting this new chapter.) Riann’s son needed open heart reconstruction when he was 15 days old, and will need another surgery in his 20′s. This new chapter of Mended Little Hearts will help mentor families that are newly diagnosed and help support families through the entire journey of living with a heart defect. Their funds will be used toward research, family support and eduction on Congenital Heard Disease awareness.

RELEASE:

On Friday, February 4th, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., you can taste the best of Ohio’s sweets paired with libations from the heartland (and beyond) in this tasting that benefits Mended Little Hearts, a new support program for parents of children with heart defects and heart disease.

We’re pairing up 16 of the best desserts our state has to offer with some of our favorite beverages. Our $25 entrance fee includes a donation to Mended Little Hearts, a generous sample of each of the 16 sweets and six drink tickets. (Additional drink tickets will be available for sale: 4 for $5.) Live music will fill the store as you determine your favorite dessert and drink combinations.

We’ll be raffling off prizes, including a pair of tickets to Columbus Food Adventures’ All Desserts Food Tour and a dozen roses from our Floral Shoppe.

Reservations are required for this event. You can make yours today by e-mailing manager@thehillsmarket.com or calling 614.846.3220.

Participating Ohio Sweet Hearts:

Brother’s Drake Meadery
Buckeye Brittle
Dorothy Lane’s Killer Brownies
Glad Annie’s Baklava
Gluten Free You & Me
Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams
Lexi Loo Sweets & Treats
The Lounging Gourmet Elixers (A new series of elixers from Cleveland, Ohio)
Lucky Penny Farms
Madisono’s Gelato & Sorbet
Pattycake Bakery
Peavey Square
Pistacia Vera (They’ll be making a new macaron specifically for this event)
Purple Turtle
Rockmill Brewery
Snowville Creamery
Sweet Tooth Cottage
Taste Weavers
Veriano Fine Foods & Spirits (A New Albany based Italian Liqueur)

The event will be held at The Hills Market, 7860 Olentangy River Road. 614.846.3220

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