Winning Dinners

Local restaurants serve up their best appetizers, entrees and desserts the at the 2012 Taste of UA

THE WINNERS of the 2012 Taste of Upper Arlington savored sweet victory at the event, held Aug. 9 in Northam Park. The real winners, however, were Taste attendees, who had the opportunity to sample dishes from about 130 vendors.

The UA Chamber of Commerce judges chose three winners in each category –appetizer, entree and dessert – and popular vote determined the top honorees in the People’s Choice category.

A relative newcomer to the Taste, The Wine Bistro, took first place in the appetizer category for the second year in a row with its braised veal meatballs. The item is one of the Wine Bistro’s signatures, and is usually chosen for events like the Taste of UA due to its popularity and versatility, says restaurant General Manager Keli Flanagan.

“What I hear from a lot of people is they’re coming over to the table because a person across the room said, ‘You’ve got to try the meatball,’” Flanagan says.

A lot of restaurants have meatballs on the menu, so the Wine Bistro strives to make its meatball unique. The outside is braised to give it a light crust, but the inside melts in your mouth, Flanagan says – and the flavor is enhanced by melted cheese and the restaurant’s homemade marinara sauce, which has hints of spice and sweetness.

“We use a combination of veal and sirloin, and we really try to showcase the meat, so we try not to place a lot of filler items in the meatball,” says Flanagan.

Nicola Restaurant’s Pasticcio Di Melanzane stole the judges’ hearts, winning first prize in the entree category.

Speranza Bedalli, wife of chef Nicola Bedalli, says the dish has a more recognizable name: Eggplant Parmesan a la Siciliana.

“It’s a lot more healthy,” Bedalli says. “It’s 60 percent less calories and fat because of the way my husband makes it.”

Pasta and grilled eggplant is layered with homemade red sauce, fresh mozzarella and a sprinkling of parmesan. No pan- seared, breaded or fried eggplant is used.

Bedalli says turnout at the event was good, in spite of the weather. “We were out of eggplant even before we won the prize,” she says. “People loved it and we got a great compliment from the judges. They said we have never had something like this before which is tasty, because sometimes healthy things are not that tasty.”

And Bedalli says the event was a great way to get the word out about Nicola, which officially opened at 4740 Reed Rd. in late 2011.

“It was a good thing and a sad thing for me because almost 90 percent of people (there) had never heard of us,” Bedalli says. “It was good advertising just being there because they didn’t have a clue where (our restaurant) is located.”

Rounding out the first-place judges’ picks was Caffe DaVinci’s Ciambellone Gelato – a cake-flavored gelato featuring the chocolate-hazelnut spread Nutella and chunks of ciambellone cake.

Caffe DaVinci owner Tina Elsea says the flavor was chosen for its uniqueness.

“We try to do something different,” Elsea says.

The idea was to take the popularity of cake-flavored ice creams and give the concept an Italian twist. Ciambellone is a yellow cake that’s popular in Italy. Often it’s smeared with Nutella and eaten for breakfast, says Elsea, who is from Cerreto in the Molise region southeast of Rome.

“Ciambellone with nutella is fabulous,” she says. “We thought, together, with this really light cake base it would come alive, and it did. We were very happy.”

Lisa Aurand is editor of Tri-Village Magazine. Feedback welcome at laurand@city scenemediagroup.com.

Check out these winners from the 2012 Taste of UA: Appetizer

1. The Wine Bistro – Braised Veal Meatball

2. The Rusty Bucket – Sliders

3. Mojo TaGo – The Mojodilla entrée

1. Nicola Restaurant – Pasticcio Di Melanzane

2. City Barbeque – Signature beef brisket on buttery Texas toast topped with sweet vinegar slaw

3. Dave’s Dogs & More – Chicken Gyro

Dessert

1. Caffe DaVinci – Gelato

2. Schakolad Chocolate Factory – Gelato

3. Leslie’s Creperie – Lemon Cream with Fresh Blueberry Crepe

People’s Choice Award

1. The Original Goodie Shop

2. Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams

3. Leslie’s Creperie

Children’s Books

Pick A Pup

By Marsha Wilson Chall

(Ages 3-8)

Sam and his grandmother are on their way to a shelter to adopt a pup, but Sam is worried he won’t be able to decide which pup is the right one. In rhyming text, he thinks about all the dogs he knows, trying to decide which kind of dog would be best for him.

Cool Jobs for Young Pet Lovers: Ways to Make Money Caring for Pets

By Pam Scheunemann

(Ages 8 and up)

This book will help young pet lovers get started making money doing what they love. The benefits of working, what to do with earned income and different ways to earn money caring for pets are all covered.

Adult Books

Prime Time

By Jane Fonda

In this candid book, author, actress and workout pioneer Jane Fonda gives a blueprint for living well and making the most of life, especially the second half of it. Fonda covers sex, love, food, fitness, self-understanding, spiritual and social growth, and your brain. In Prime Time, she offers a vision for successful living and maturing.

Paws & Effect: The Healing Power of Dogs

By Sharon R. Sakson

Combining scientific research with first-hand accounts, this book offers compelling stories of incredible acts made by canines for their owners in periods of crisis or ill health. Among the stories are a Chihuahua that senses oncoming seizures and a Dalmatian that helped its owner discover she had melanoma.