Giving Thanks for three of my favorite restaurants

Today I'm posting a short blog "Giving Thanks" for three of my favorite restaurants here in central Ohio.

For those who live here, you might or might not realize how lucky we are in having such a wide variety of "foodie" restaurants. My advice to you: Avoid the chain restaurants at all costs. Locally-owned restaurants give better service than chain restaurants, and the food is invariably fresher and tastier.

Without further ado—My three favorite restaurants:

Tucci's Wood-Fired Bistro

35 North High St.

Dublin, Ohio 43017

614-792-3466

• The salmon is melt-in-your-mouth good, and they'll even make it without oil (and it's still awesome!)
• Their wood-fired pizzas are tasty and feature locally-grown veggies when in season
• Fresh, homemade pasta dishes
• They feature an extensive wine list at reasonable prices
• Their outdoor patio is an warm-weather delight, especially when they have live music
• They recently added at happy-hour menu featuring $5 cocktails and $2 beers!

J. Liu Restaurant and Bar (formerly Jason's)

50 W. Bridge Street

Dublin, Ohio 43017

614.718.1818

• Two locations: Dublin and Worthington
• American, Italian or Asian: Take your pick. Their menu covers it all—with a welcome twist.
• A very tasty appetizer menu featuring freshly made novelties such as potstickers (steamed or fried), lettuce wraps, boneless chicken wings and sliders
• Their happy-hour menu is just plain frugal—and good
• Generous pours from the bar!

Trattoria Roma

1447 Grandview Avenue

Columbus, Ohio 43212
614.488.2104

• Authentic Italian cuisine
• Friendly, knowledgeable staff willing to go the extra mile
• Features fresh, locally grown ingredients prepared by Chef Matthew Prokopchek
• In my opinion, they have the best lasagna in Columbus
• They appetizer menu is very reasonable and features several tasty items that could be a main dish for price-conscious patrons
• A Wednesday Ladies Night menu featuring $5 cocktails, $4 wines and a three course dinner
• A 2 for $20 menu featuring a combination of two entrees for $20, including salads

A close runner up to these three would be Spagio's European and Pacific Rim Cuisine. I love their Spanish salad, which features roasted Spanish almonds , tomatoes sautéed in sherry, shaved Manchego cheese and sherry dressing. But I still struggle to find a main dish there that I can't live without.

Whether or not you experience the restaurants featured above, try to support the locally-owned restaurants in your area. Bon Appétit, and Happy Thanksgiving!

The Wayward Seed Farm

As fall is now here and many fresh fruits and veggies are at their peak, I wanted to share a local farm with you that specializes in a bio-intensive, organic method of farming, specializing in heirloom vegetables: The Wayward Seed Farm in Marysville, Ohio.

While you may not have heard of them before, if you are a foodie or a customer at many of our locally-owned restaurants that feature locally-grown food, you've probably enjoyed the fruits of their labor—or rather the vegetables!

As stated on their website, their goal is "to provide the freshest products directly to the consumers and restaurants in the Columbus, Ohio area."

They use no petrochemicals or pesticides, feeding their plants with seaweed, fish emulsion and humus, as well as using aged compost at certain times of the year to build humus and feed important microorganisms back into the soil. Their philosophy: Return the fertility they remove by farming. They uphold this philosophy by using raised beds, composting and utilizing proper crop rotation.

Some of the local restaurants which use their products include Alana's, Burgundy Room, Flatiron Bar & Diner, G. Michael's Bistro and Bar, Latitude 41, Refectory, Rosendales, and Tucci's. You can also find their fresh veggies sold at Whole Foods from June through September.

I encourage locals to consider enrolling in their CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program, which is a community of individuals who share both the responsibility and reward of a local farm. Here’s how the Wayward Seed Farm's CSA program works: Members pay an up-front fee before the growing season, which benefits the farm with income to operate and build infrastructure. In exchange for their investment, members enjoy a “share” of the farm’s bounty via a constant flow of new vegetables throughout the season. Starting in early June, full season members receive a box of fresh produce for 25 weeks out of the year. Members also receive recipes offering ideas and inspiration for preparing the produce they've received. It's a great way to begin incorporating more fresh, locally-grown vegetables into your diet and enjoying the bounty that Ohio has to offer.

Cooking Light inspiration

Welcome to Carol Corners the Market, my blog on eating healthy in central Ohio.

For my first post, I would like to share a recipe I tried from the July 2009 issue of "Cooking Light."

To sum up this recipe in two words: Easy & Yummy!

I modified the original recipe (listed below) to use locally grown black raspberries from the Mitchell's Farm in Plain City, Ohio. The Mitchell's Farm is a pick-your-own berry farm, and since black raspberries are currently in season I hand-picked the black raspberries I used for this recipe in lieu of both the blackberries and the blueberries. One pound of hand-picked black raspberries was $5. I had originally planned on purchasing organic blueberries at my local grocer; however, at $4.99 for 6 oz. of organic blueberries—and plenty of black raspberries on hand to cover both berries in the recipe—it just didn't make a lot of sense.

The organic peaches were purchased from Whole Foods, and they were juicy and ripe, though they were not locally grown.

My modified recipe turned out fabulously. The main source of fat in this recipe comes from the butter in the topping. I don't recommend cutting the amount of butter used in this recipe, as it's already considered to be "light," and I think it would change the consistency of the topping dramatically.

The cobbler was featured on the cover of this issue of "Cooking Light" (see image above).

Berry-Peach Cobbler with Sugared Almonds
A delicious combination of blueberries, blackberries, and peaches yields a sweet, juicy dessert that's the epitome of summer.

Yield
12 servings (serving size: 1 cup cobbler and 1/3 cup ice cream)

Ingredients
FILLING:
3 (6-ounce) packages fresh blueberries
3 (5.6-ounce) packages fresh blackberries
3 medium peaches, peeled and sliced
Cooking spray
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt

TOPPING:
4.5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup half-and-half
1/3 cup sliced almonds
3 tablespoons turbinado sugar
1 tablespoon egg white

REMAINING INGREDIENT:
4 cups vanilla fat-free ice cream

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. To prepare filling, combine blueberries, blackberries, and peaches in a 13 x 9–inch baking dish lightly coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle 2/3 cup granulated sugar, 2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch, juice, and 1/8 teaspoon salt over fruit; toss gently to combine.

3. To prepare topping, weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, baking powder, and 1/8 teaspoon salt, stirring well. Cut butter into flour mixture with a pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add half-and-half; gently knead dough just until moistened. Drop dough by spoonfuls evenly over top of filling. Combine almonds, turbinado sugar, and egg white; sprinkle over top. Bake at 350° for 50 minutes or until topping is browned. Let stand 10 minutes. Serve with ice cream.

Nutritional InformationCalories: 321
Fat: 8.9g (sat 4.5g,mono 2.7g,poly 0.8g)
Protein: 5.3g
Carbohydrate: 58.9g
Fiber: 4.2g
Cholesterol: 19mg
Iron: 1.1mg
Sodium: 147mg
Calcium: 101mg

*The link to this recipe can also be found here: http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1906395