Restaurant Widow

Things to Do in Columbus, July 18th Edition

Updated Thursday morning with first 2 events.  It's summer!  It's hot!  Tomatoes are coming and sweet corn is here!  And we got rain yesterday!  I don't even feel this excited!  I'm just using lots of exclamation points!

There are quite a few events to take part in this week here in Cbus.  Lots of great things to do.  I just had a week (!) off work, so unlike most weeks, I'm actually ready to work this weekend and not feeling bitter about it.  I'm sure that will last until about 7:14 this evening, but until then...

The best thing about this week's events is that a lot of them are free or very cheap.  So you college boys on a budge have no excuse - take your date somewhere interesting for a change this weekend.  4 Kegs will still be there, irritating as ever, next weekend (for out of towners, 4 Kegs is a huge, multi level college bar, where you are almost guaranteed to get into a fight at some point throughout the evening).

As always, if you have an event you'd like me to mention, please send me an e-mail and I'll be happy to promote it.

• I just couldn't resist adding this: a bicycle-powered projectore will show the Triplets of Belleville this evening at Tip Top Kitchen & Cocktails.  Show starts at 9:30pm, Tip Top is on Gay street (downtown) at 3rd.
• Tonight is free Tacos + Beer at Bodega (High st. at 4th, Short North).  Tacos provided by El Arepazo, beer from Elevator.  5pm until keg runs out.
• This weekend, the CAPA summer movie series continues with a trio of great movies this weekend: The Treasure of the Sierra Madre today through Friday at 7:30pm, a rare late-night showing of Monty Python & the Holy Grail Friday at 11pm, and The Sound of Music Saturday and Sunday, 2pm & 7:30pm.  A night at the Opera will show next Wednesday, the 25th, at 7:30pm.  Tickets are a mere $3.50.
• Speaking of great places to see a movie, this weekend at the Wexner Center, you can take part in their Summer Drive In series (15th & High) this Thursday; bring lawn chairs or blankets and munch goodies and sip drinks from the cash bar.  Get there at 8pm, the movie begins around 9pm, or when the sun goes down.  Admission is free.  This week's film is Kiss Me, Stupid, which, according to the Wexner Center's website, was labled as "smut" when released!  Yay smut!  If you can't abide the outdoors, you can always see the next in the Tribute to Janus Films series, Monika, also on Thursday.  Friday and Saturday you can see a double feature of  Presto Perfect Sound and Day Night Day Night.  Indoor showings take place at 7pm, tickets are $7 for the GP.
• This Friday's Columbus Symphony Orchestra performance will be Popcorn Pops! It's a Small World!  Where you and the kiddies can enjoy Disney Classics all evening long.  Tickets are $12.  Arrival begins at 6:30pm (bring blankets and chairs), with the performance beginning at 8pm.  Saturday's Picnic with the Pops will feature Clay Aiken.  Hooyah.
• Okay, here's one event I'd like to be able to attend: you can tour the Ohio theatre this Saturday at 4:30pm.  Learn the history of the theatre and get a behind-the-scenes look.  Tickets are free, but registration is required.
• If you're planning to go to the Wexner Center's Drive In movie, you might also want to go to Campus Hop - restaurants and bars in the area will feature live music and drink specials.  Click to their website for more detailed information.
• This Friday, JazZoo at the Columbus Zoo & Aquarium will host the Columbus Jazz Orchestra as they perform at tribute to Louis Armstrong, Fats Waller, and Duke Ellington.  Tickets are $27 for adults, and the performances take place at 8pm.  You can pack a picnic or buy treats for City BBQ at the show.
• Being that this is, after all, a Columbus food blog, here's the week's foodie event: the Jazz & Rib fest!  Try to go early in the day if you can stand the heat.  This festival is very well attended and the lines can get really, really long.  I don't think there's a festival which smells or sounds better than this one.  Here's a tip: park in the (largely vacant) City Center Parking Garage and walk the 4 blocks to the Riverfront.  It's easier than trying to get right next to the going-on or trying to deal with all the street closings.  The festival takes place Saturday 11am - 10pm and Sunday 11am - 8pm, and admission is free.  Ribs, however, are extra.
• This Thursday at Mayme Moore park (240 Martin Luther King blvd) you can see the Heritage Concert in the park series, sponsered by the King Arts Complex.  Bring a blanket or lawn chair and enjoy the sounds of jazz, R&B, and the blues.  The concerts take place 6pm - 9pm Thursdays through late August, and admission is free.
• This weekend's Columbus Landmarks walking tour will take place at the Civic Center.  Learn the history of life on the waterfront.  Tickets are $12, groups size is limited so call early.  The walking tour begins Saturday at 10 am.  Click to their website for tickets and more information.
• Of course, this weekend, the think I am most excited about is Last Harry Potter book.  After it's delivered, you might not hear anything from me until about next Wednesday.
• The following events are ongoing, but should be enjoyed when the weather is beautiful: you can hear free music in the park in Gahanna at Friendship park, in Worthington on the Village Green, and at Whetstone Park (all are at 7pm Sundays throughout the summer). 
• Sundays at Scioto Summer Concert Series
  7-8:30 p.m. Scioto Park
  7377 Riverside Drive
  Dublin Arts Council
  614-889-7444
  7/22 Conspiracy (Funk and R&B)
  7/29 British Invasion (British Pop/Rock)
• This week continues the Actor's Theatre Group's presentation of King Lear. Performances are Thursdays through Sunday at 8pm bring a blanket or lawn chair (this is becomming a theme).  Admission is free, but donations are accepted.  Schiller Park in German Village.
• Continuing also is Big Bugs! at Inniswood park.   Artist David Rogers uses natural materials to make these 10 foot ants, butterflies, and other bugs.    Click to their website for more information.

Now get out there and do something fun!  Don't forget to tip your waitresses!

Book Review::Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant

It had never occurred to me that eating alone evoked such passionate opinions.  Once upon a time in junior high, I remember eating alone.  A lot.  That's because there was this horrid girl I went to school with - let's call her Lara Vance - who ensured I never had any friends.  Hm.  Turns out I'm still weirdly bitter about it.  Fortunately, Lara Vance grew up to be just as boring and vacuous as most of my other classmates (excluded are CD, JB, and JS.  Yep, I think that's about it).

Remember that scene in Mean Girls where Lindsay Lohan eats in the bathroom?  Oh, I've been there.

Alas, primary school ended, but at some point I learned to love eating alone.  I still do.

What am I doing here?  Oh, yes, of course - writing a review.  Let's talk about the book now shall we?  Editor Jenni Ferrari-Adler writes the intro with thoughtful prose, recounting her own experiences as a young graduate student, forced to live and eat alone.  The editor doesn't offer a recipe, as many of the contributors do, only the suggestion of Fage Greek Yogurt (a favorite of yours truly) with a little honey mixed in.  She signs off writing about the dinner parties she dreamed of hosting while living in seclusion.

Eating alone is, for some, a strongly emotional experience.  While some of the writers spend their time eating alone wishing they were with someone, while others treasure their solo dining, such as Jeremy Jackson whose "Beans and Me" essay has him lying to well-meaning coworkers who invite him to dinner, just so that he can go home alone and eat his own beans and rice.  Other writers (Holly Hughes' "Luxury") dream of being able to cook for just themselves, instead of catering to the demands of husbands and children.

The low point of the book comes from the always overly precious and irritatingly self-conscious Amanda Hesser, who managed to snag a husband after ridiculing him mercilessly during the 250 agonizing pages of Cooking for Mr. Latte (no, I'm not linking to it.  If you want it, I'll happily send you my copy for free) for having the gaucheness to order a coffee drink with *gasp* milk after dinner.  The horror!  Fortunately, one can breeze through Hesser's oh so poignant recalling of her last lonely night as a single girl, all alone in the big city and eating truffled eggs on toast, to more mature writers.

Anyone who prides themselves in being a seasonal eater will laugh along with Phoebe Nobles' "Asparagus Superhero."  We all know what it's like to wait and wait for something to come into season, only to find our commitment to it flagging after a few weeks.

I loved Courtney Eldridge's "No Thanks," which finds her the looked-down-upon girlfriend of the son of a famous food writer.  Her boyfriend sneers to discover she was raised on canned food.  This is how Ms. Hesser's husband might feel if he were in touch with his emotions.

The always-simple writing of Haruki Murakami paints a picture of a lonely man, making pot after pot of spaghetti during one long year.

Of course, any book of food essays must include something by MFK Fisher, whose "A is for Dining Alone" writes of the trials of being a food writer, and therefore never managing to find herself invited into anyone's home for dinner.

I had written an entire essay of my own, upon receiving this book (and before being influenced by it), about my senior year in college, and how I loved eating alone but was frequently too poor to do it.  Unfortunately, I then got to Rattawut Lapcharoensap's "Instant Noodles," wherein he decries rich college kids who pretend to be poor and then go to their nice warm houses on breaks, and decided I was just being a brat.

I was surprised by Laura Calder's "The Lonely Palate."  She insists no one can possibly enjoy eating alone.  Doesn't everyone eat alone?  Breakfast?  How about lunch at work?  How sad to think one can never just be alone, with peace and quiet.

Personally, I'll just say this: I love to eat alone.  In fact, many of the recipes on this website are meals for just me.  Of course, I'm not cooking them just for me, I cook them for all of my readers, and when I say this, I don't want to sound precious or pandering: I spend a lot of time thinking about what to make and what I think you, my readers, will make and enjoy.  So, while I'm frequently eating alone, I still want everything to be beautiful because I'm not just cooking for one.

Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant is a great group of essays, which can be read in any order but are also intuitively arranged; Ferrari-Adler does a great job, and I love that she compares arranging the essays to making a mix tape (please tell me we've all had that pleasure).  Most of the essays contain recipes, and it's great voyeurism to see what these great food writers eat when no one's looking.  Don't skip the recipes - most of them are very amusing on their own.  Of course, this is a book about the private lives of writers, so reader discretion is advised - the book is laced with light illicit drug use and the overindulging of spirits, which basically means mom, you can't read it.

Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant will be released July 19th. 

At any rate, here's my recipe for what I eat when no one's looking:
2 ounces spaghetti (oh, who am I kidding, no one's looking, right?  5 ounces spaghetti)
Really good extra virgin olive oil (like, the $25 a bottle kind)
red pepper flakes
freshly cracked black pepper
crunchy sea salt

Boil spaghetti in heavily salted boiling water.  Drain and place in a bowl.  Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with pepper flakes, salt and pepper.  Curl up on the sofa with a good book and maybe some wine.  If desired, you can replace the olive oil with butter, and add some freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Mixed Beet Carpaccio

You know why my friends are cooler than your friends?  Mine leave me presents of produce on the porch when I'm away! 

Upon arriving home from a long day Sunday at the Ohio Wine & Food Festival at the North Market, I discovered a bag on my porch.  At first it seemed full of greens, but then revealed itself to also contain cucumbers and beets.  And, not just beets, but candy striped beets!  I can't imagine anyone - even a beet hater (poor you) - would be able to resist turning these into something immediately.  At first, I thought I was dealing with red beets and golden beets, and I was going to turn everything into strings with my spiral slicer, but whilst peeling the "golden" beets, I discovered they were really stripedy beets!  The joy!  I knew I had to turn them into carpaccio to best show their lovely hues.  To keep the texture interesting, I did turn the red beets on the spiral slicer. 

Isn't Carpaccio usually made from meat?  Why yes, thanks for asking.  And, while I usually shun the usage of calling something by a name which doesn't describe what it is, and even more hate the use of "quotations" on menus (it's even irritating at the French Laundry.  Sue me), the term "carpaccio" refers to a dish of thinly slice meat, so named in homage to the artist Vittore Carpaccio (1460is - 1526ish), who used lots of red in his paintings (totally reliable Wiki entry here).  Beets are red, carpaccio is red.  Ergo, beet carpaccio.  Capiche?

This salad is a great lunch or starter, and is very good for you.

Mixed Beet Carpaccio - serves 2

3 candy striped beets
2 red beets
sweet onion, shaved very thinly
Goat's milk feta or other goat cheese
chopped walnutes
microgreens - here I used arugula microgreens; you could use sprouts or other microgreens
extra virgin olive oil
rice wine vinegar
freshly cracked black pepper
crunchy sea salt

Scrub beets under running water and trim ends, then peel.  For projects like this, I like to keep some latex gloves on hand.  It can be a pain to wash the beet juice away.  Because the red beets will bleed all over everything, keep the beets separate!  Slice the stripedy beets very thinly on a mandoline, then place them in the steam basket of a steamer.  Sprinkle with salt and steam for 3 minutes; shock briefly in ice water and then immediately remove to paper towels (if you leave them in the water, the color will leech out).  Turn the red beets on the smallest setting of a spiral slicer, or slice thinly on a mandoline and repeat the steaming process.

Arrange the candy stripe beets on a plate, arrange some onions over top.  Crumble the feta over and add the walnutes.  Place the red beets on top and add more feta and walnuts.  Drizzle the entire plate lightly with extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle lightly with rice vinegar, then top with salt and pepper.  Serve as a light lunch, appetizer or salad.

Local Sources for this recipe: beets from nice friends, but beets are prolific at farmer's markets until October.  Arugula microgreens are available from Wayward Seed farm, Saturday mornings at the North Market Farmer's Market, Cricketwik Goat's Milk Feta is available at Weiland's, while Lake Erie Creamery goat cheese, which would also be great in this recipe, is available at Curds & Whey in the North Market.  Sweet onions, especially the "candy" variety, are available at local farm markets.

Sauteed Walleye with Spicy Sweet Corn

I love walleye.  One of things I enjoyed when I worked in a restaurant which had it on the menu was serving it to surprised out-of-towners.  You see, walleye is really a northern, Great Lake State sort of thing.  Wildly popular around the lakes, walleye remains virtually unheard-of in the south.  Walleye is one of the few fish you can actually purchase locally which is fresh.  By fresh, I mean never frozen - this is sometimes referred to as "day boat," ie the fish is caught on a boat and sold the same day.  On larger bodies of water, the boat might go out for weeks at a time; fish caught in these conditions is always frozen, no matter what the sign says when you purchase it.  Walleye is most prevalent in the spring and fall; it can be found in the summer months as well, although, as with this walleye I purchased at Weiland's, it was caught in the colder Canadian waters.  Walleye prefer cold water, and when the top thermocline of water becomes too warm in the summertime, they will drop down to cooler waters, making them a little tricky to catch.

The walleye fillet is shaped like a large, thin mitten.  Because of its shape, it is a little difficult for your fishmonger to separate into smaller fillets.  Be prepared to purchase the entire fillet (around 8 ounces).  Fortunately, one fillet is usually enough to feed 2 people if you have lots of other things to go along.  If you are heavier eaters (1/2 of a fillet would never feed Husband), you might want to get 2 fillets.  Leftovers can be used the next day in a nice spicy stew or curry.

The walleye fillet is almost too long to be cooked in one pan without being cut, unless you have a really big pan or are going to bake it in a baking dish.  I like to cut off the "thumb" of the fillet, then cut the main part of the fillet into 3 parts.  The reason for this is that the fillet has varying thicknesses; the wrist end of the mitten is thicker than the finger end.  I like to start cooking the thicker part of the fillet first, and then add the thin end.  Walleye is a firm yet flaky white fish, mild and sweet, it's the perfect "starter" fish - both for those wary of seafood and those wary of cooking it for the first time.  It is really easy to cook, and its moist and tender flesh cooks quickly without overcooking super fast.  The fillets don't fall apart the way some flaky white fishes do, maddening the cook. 

I really think the only way to cook fish without losing your patience is to use a nonstick pan.  I like to use an oven-proof saute pan, so that I can start the fish on the stovetop and finish it in the oven, the same method used in restaurant kitchens.  That being said, if you don't want to heat up the kitchen in this heat, you don't have to.  I'll give you two options in the recipe section of the post.  Like many other delicate white fish, walleye lends itself to frying - whether beer battered, dipped into tempura batter, baked, or cornmeal dusted and then shallow fried - I've also had luck crusting it with panko - but I wanted to keep things like and healthy for this dish.  Just a little salt and pepper and a quick saute with a touch of cooking spray and a squeeze of lemon.  Do I even have to say it?  The best ingredients, blah blah blah.

I think a lot of people are afraid to cook fish - you needn't be, it is very easy.  Because most fish - especially these white flaky fishes - cook in a flash, I recommend you cook all of your side dishes first, set the table, pour the wine, and then get the fish going.  If you are new to cooking fish, here's a little trick which is perfect with walleye; cook the little thumb of the fillet as a tester, that way you'll know exactly what you are doing when cooking for your friends, family, or self.

The recipe I used for the corn saute is very similar to this one; I used newly-arrived-at-the-market poblano peppers and a good dose of cayenne pepper.  Walleye and sweet corn go really well together, and the side dish completely eliminates the need for a sauce.  However, I will give instructions for making a pan sauce a la minute at the end of the recipe.

Sauteed Walleye - serves 1-2

Cooking Spray
1 Walleye fillet, cut into 4 pieces - see above
Salt
Pepper
Lemons
White wine (optional)
butter (optional)

Drizzle the walleye pieces with juice of 1/2 of a lemon, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, and heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Spray the pan well with cooking spray.  Carefully add the thicker walleye fillets and do not move them!  Cook for 3 minutes and then turn them over - if they don't readily move, they aren't ready to be turned yet.  When you turn the thick fillets, add the thin fillets.  Cook 3 minutes and turn the thin fillets, then move the fish to the oven to finish cooking for about 5 minutes; if you don't want the kitchen all hot, you can turn the heat to low and cover the pan with a lid.  A few of the flakes in walleye will spread apart when it is cooking.  The fish is done when you can look into the cracks between the flakes and there is no translucence.  Squeeze the other half of the lemon over, and sprinkle with a little more salt, if desired. The old adage that white fish is done when you can flake it off is incorrect - at that point it is overcooked.  Like anything, the fish will continue to cook after being removed from the heat.  It's better to undercook it and put it back into the oven for a minute or two then to overcook it right off the bat.  The fish needs only to be opaque throughout.  Walleye should have a large, silky, juicy flake with a sweet, delicious flavor.  A gift from nature for being a so-called "flyover" state with no ocean!

If you want to make a pan sauce: After you remove the fish from the pan, turn the heat up to high and deglaze with about 1/2 cup of white wine and reduce by half.  Squeeze in just a little more lemon juice (because the zing of the previous lemon juice will be lightened with cooking, and you want the acidity),  turn the heat to low, then add about half a stick of butter, tablespoon by tablespoon, and stir with a whisk.  You could even throw in a few capers.  Serve over the fish.

Market Salad with Ohio Feta

This is another one of those super easy, fast recipes - really I can't call it a recipe - which makes a nice healthy lunch. This salad mixes farm market produce and eggs with a few store - bought ingredient, the giardiniera (a spicy pickled vegetable medley, usually can be found in the Greek section of the supermarket), hot olive blend from the olive bar at Sunflower Market, and the feta, which happens to be Ohio Goat's  milk feta from Cricketwick Farms, a firm, salty feta which makes a base for a salad.  While this is sort of a modified Greek salad, you can, of course, change or substitute any of the ingredients as the market whims take over.  I just wanted to illustrate how these simple composed plates don't need loads of dressing or other heavy ingredients.  That's why I love ingredients such as the spicy olive blend and the giardiniera - they add lots of flavor without adding loads of additional fat or what have you.

Market Salad - serves 1 as a light lunch. 

1 ounce feta, cut into slices
2 hard cooked eggs, preferably local, from happy chickens
Mixed sliced veggies from the farm market - this salad contained cucumbers and shaved sweet onions
A few pieces of giardiniera; I'm particularly fond of the Krinos brand, which includes these great little gherkins
Olives
freshly cracked pepper
Sea salt

Arrange everything so it's pretty, serve with toast or pita. If so desired, you can round it out as I did - with a nice big piece of sourdough bread, toasted and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and spread with hummus. 

Local sources for this salad - Cricketwick Goat's milk feta can be found at Weiland's.  Eggs and cucumbers came from Elizabeth Telling Farm.

Weekend Farm Animal Blogging

I got to spend some time in the country over the weekend.  I came away with a nice big allergy head and some pictures of cows:

And an emu!

CSA & Columbus Farm Market Report for July 14th

What a perfect day today.  As friends and I sat outside the North Market today, we were remarking on the fantastic weather we've been having lately.  It's a shame I have to ruin it with work.  Ah, well, electricity sure is nice.

I got up nice and early to head to the Worthington Market for my Arbor Hill Organics red thumb potatoes (there were precious few this week, but there will be more next week); their baked goods also looked really lovely, too, but I resisted.  There are so many things growing right now, almost too much to recount!  But I shall do my best.  I bought some baby squash and the last remaining basket of baby squash with the blossoms still attached!  From the Golden Beet Farm, some lovely red carrots (above); delicious, but the exciting beauty is only skin deep.  From Cottage Gardens, some nice fat sweet red onions, and some skinny hot ones.  Ribeyes were to be had from Up the Lane Cattle (the last of those, alas, for the season), Cherries and blueberries from Gillogly Orchards, some lamb chorizo and from Northridge Organics, some kohlrabi and garlic from a forgotten source (below), some peaches! and leeks from Zemnicki, and lastly, some poblano and Hungarian wax peppers from Wenger Produce.

And then, like a whirlwind, it was off to the North Market, where the crowds ensured a very brief visit - just for my weekly Toby Run shitakes mushrooms, more squash blossoms from Comb's farms, popcorn from Quiver Full, and my CSA box.  This week's box contained cucumbers - burpless and regular (I had never heard of "burpless" cukes before, but who knows) - golden squash, which looks like an orange zucchini (below) and supposedly tastes like a delicious zucchini. (The truth is, I don't really like yellow summer squash very much, considering how much I love zucchini)  I also received broccoli, scallions, eggs, greens, and green beans.  Husband will be very happy.  I see some green beans and bacon in my future.

What did you get?

Mostly Local Dinner - the Meat & Potatoes Kind

I know I spend a lot of time talking about eating locally, using the best ingredients, and preparing them in the simplest manner possible.  I wanted to show how easy it was to replace most of your typical dinner ingredients with local ones.  A lot of people also think it is very expensive to do so, which couldn't be further from the truth.  I show you a lot of "one plate" meals - pasta and stir fries, which I usually have for lunch.  Here is a typical dinner (which only happens about once a week, thanks to our schedules) Husband and I might enjoy throughout the summertime, and did, just this past Tuesday.

Menu

Broiled Up the Lane Cattle Ribeyes
Roasted Arbor Hill Red Thumb Potatoes with Mead Acres mixed baby squash and sweet onions
Saute of Ohio sweet "Candy" onions and Toby Run shitake mushrooms with vermouth and sage
Braised Elizabeth Telling Farm stinging nettles with Wayward Seed collard greens and Blues Creek Thick cut bacon. 

Sounds good enough to eat it again!

Recipes

Collard recipe can be found here.

2 Ribeyes from Up the Lane Cattle, sprinkled with and freshly cracked pepper, place under broiler and broil 2 minutes per side or until desired doneness.  Allow to rest for a few minutes before bringing to the table (this will be the last thing you do, FYI).

Potatoes and veg, ready to go in:

Roasted Red Thumb potatoes & mixed baby squash - serves 2, with leftovers

1 quart container of Red Thumb potatoes (or other small fingerling or new potatoes)
1 quart container mixed baby squash, available throughout the summer from Mead Acres at the Worthington Farm market and other markets. 
1 large sweet onion, available from many farmers through mid summer, cut into chunks
Good Extra Virgin Olive Oil, salt and pepper

Preheat your oven to 475 degrees.  Don't fear high heat!  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Scrub the potatoes gently and place in pot.  Boil about 8-10 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a knife, but don't drain.  In the meantime, halve the baby squash, leaving any really small ones whole, then add them to the potatoes.  Boil for 30 seconds and the drain.  Return the pot to high heat and put the potatoes and squash back into the pot, tossing them quickly in the pan to dry them off, the place the whole lot into a large bowl, adding the onions in as well (they don't need to be blanched).  Drizzle lightly with olive oil, the sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss to coat.  Roast for 20 minutes or until the squash blisters and everything else begins to brown.

Sauteed Sweet onions & Mushrooms, smitten with vermouth & sage (yes, I stole the wording from Alana) (pictured above) - serves 2-4, as an accompaniment to the steaks

2 large sweet onions, such as "Candy" variety popular in Ohio, sliced into half moons
6 ounces shitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
olive oil
vermouth
10 sage leaves, cut into chiffonade (roll leaves together and slice into ribbons)
salt & pepper

Get out your wok.  Heat until smoking over high heat, then remove from heat and pour a little olive oil in the pan.  With a wad of paper towel, spread the oil over the entire pan and dump out any excess.  Return the wok to the stove, over medium high heat.  Add the onions to the wok and toss to brown.  When they are nearly soft (2 minutes), add the mushrooms.  Toss all together.  When the mushrooms are nice and glossy (2 minutes), turn the heat to high and add the vermouth.  You should have a nice sizzling sound.  Reduce slightly and add the sage, salt and pepper.  Toss everything together until the vermouth is completely reduced.  Serve with meat or on top of pasta.  YUM!  These are incredibly delicious.

Cost breakdown:
Ribeyes - $8.50 for 2
Potatoes - $2.50 quart now that I think of it
Sweet Onions - $1.50 for three
Baby Squash medley - $2 for 2 pints
Shitakes - $6.50 for 6 ounces
Collards - $4
sage - free from garden
total, minus olive oil, etc: $21, nice date dinner for 2.  Not bad, I think.

Things to Do in Columbus - July 11th Edition

Okay, I'm sorry to those of you who missed last week's events.  I wrote a post about how I was giving Cbus events the week off, and then I left it in the "draft" folder.  By the time I realized it, posting it seemed like a moot point.  It's hot out, folks.  Best of all, it's been really hot punctuated by lots of rain.  So far, that means that the cherries and what peaches remain are going to be really good.  If it continues, we'll have good tomatoes, too.  Of course, we're walking a tight balance between too much heat and too little rain, but blah blah blah. . . I know you're here to talk about this week's events, so let's get down to it.  As always, if I have missed your favorite event, please email and let me know about it, or leave it in the comments.

•    
  First up, let's everyone go to the Ohio Food & Wine Festival this weekend!  You can sip Ohio wines and savor loads of Ohio produced foods.  Yours truly will be pouring wine at the Friday preview party, 7pm - 10pm!  Come and say Hi.  The event continues throughout the weekend and includes an Ohio Wines 101 seminar Sunday afternoon.
• Okay, it isn't an event, but the Dispatch has a nice story on eating locally in today's food section, and I am quoted therein, as is Barbara from Tigers & Strawberries.  I love that the last quote is Barbara talking about how her 17 year old looks forward to produce coming into season as much as Barbara does.  Way to pass on the passion!
• Next thing, and every year I promise myself I'll go no matter what, and every year I don't, but this week is the first installation of the CAPA Summer Movie Series.  My parents took me to see My Fair Lady when I was a child, and that began my lifelong Audrey Hepburn infatuation, complete with little black dresses before they were cool, and a smoking habit.  My advice to parents?  Keep Breakfast at Tiffany's out of reach until college.  This week kicks off with North by Northwest, a Hitchcock classic.
• This weekend is the beginning of a summer-long exhibit of big bugs! at Inniswood gardens.  Artist David Rogers uses found natural objects to make these 10 foot ants, butterflies, and other bugs.  Husband would want to correct me hear by saying "insects," as not all insects are bugs, but if you won't tell him, I won't.  To celebrate the exhibit, there will be children's programs featuring different types of insects and arachnids.  Click to their website for more information.
• Any of you who have children who are interested in big machinery - well, not just kids, but anyone - will want to take them to the Science of Big Machinery at COSI.  Admission is $12.50 and the feature lasts through July 15th.
• Well folks, I missed the Actor's Theatre Group's presentation of The Complete Works of Shakespeare, but this week begins King Lear.  I'm guessing this won't be as funny as the previous production (but fear not - Midsummer Night's Dream is coming, too).  Performances are Thursdays through Sunday at 8pm.  Admission is free, but donations are accepted.  Schiller Park in German Village.
• This weekend is the Westerville Arts Fair at Heritage Park in Westerville (60 Cleveland ave - look for the barn).  Visiting the park is fun enough just for the barn, which is pretty cool.  The festival takes place Saturday noon - 7pm and Sunday noon - 5pm; admission is free.
• You too can Go Wild for Opera this weekend at the Columbus Zoo!  The event, which honors Jack Hannah, takes place July 16th and features performances by David Gagnon and Sari Gruber, among others.  Tickets are $15 - $75; a great way to introduce your children to the arts.
• This Friday at the Wexner Center, you can see a double feature, highlighting international films distributed by Janus Films.  Friday features Lola and Flowers of St. Francis.  First film begins as 7pm; tickets are $5 (students) and $7 (regular folks).  Furthermore, you can take your ticket sub from this series to Surly Girl (Monday - Thursday) and receive a 15% discount from your food order as well as quaff some cocktails inspired by the movies.
• The following events are ongoing, but should be enjoyed when the weather is beautiful: you can hear free music in the park in Gahanna at Friendship park, in Worthington on the Village Green, and at Whetstone Park (all are at 7pm Sundays throughout the summer). 
• Sundays at Scioto Summer Concert Series
  7-8:30 p.m. Scioto Park
  7377 Riverside Drive
  Dublin Arts Council
  614-889-7444
  7/15 Tony Monaco (Hammond B3 Jazz)
  7/22 Conspiracy (Funk and R&B)
  7/29 British Invasion (British Pop/Rock)

Roundup of Help Me Spend my $100

You know what?  You guys are so sweeeeet.  I mean that in the way Napoleon Dynamite might say it, and not in the precious writer sense.  Not only did you have a ton of great suggestions, but you really gave me some insight into what sort of restaurants you'd like to see me visit.  I can't even tell you how ridiculously giddy I get every time I get to my computer to see I have like 20 e-mails.  Like the ugly girl who gets a Valentine in 4th grade.  *sigh* sweet reminiscence...

Here are my thoughts & responses to a some of your responses.  Oh, and I still haven't decided on which restaurant to dine in.  Husband and I are currently ruminating over which to choose.  Moo.

I would have to say we are between Sedeo, Ba Sho, L'Antibes, and Scali's.

This post is really, really long, so you'll have to click through, my apologies.