Another Summit County winery and vineyard is in the works, and not far away, a well-known restaurant property — now vacant — has a new owner. And in Medina, a restaurant is being planned for the historic square.
Whew. The lazy end-of-summer days aren’t that laid back when it comes to food news.
First, in the Portage Lakes area, Julie and James Pulk, part-owners of the Prime 93 restaurant and event center at 4315 Manchester Road in New Franklin, are planning a winery and vineyard on property directly across the road.
“It’s still evolving. It’s exciting. It’s really a nice property,” Julie Pulk said of plans for the 12-acre site that includes an old brick mansion and carriage house.
The couple were talking about opening up a tasting room at the restaurant when Jim Pulk bought the property at auction last fall.
“It’s kind of become a passion” to open the winery, she said. “This [12 acres] just gives us greater scope. He wasn’t planning to buy it and he just did.”
They hope to have enough of the old home’s first floor redone in time to serve as the tasting room by next summer. As soon as this fall, they plan to open a tasting room inside Prime 93. It will be nestled in space between a dining area and the lounge.
Grapes are to be planted on three to four acres next year, Julie Pulk said, and the wines will be made from grapes grown elsewhere until the vineyard is established. Wine production will take place in the carriage house.
The Pulks own Prime 93, the former Anthe’s, with John Bahas, who also owns Akron’s Waterloo Restaurant & Catering.
The Akron Symphony will hold a season kickoff party at Prime 93 Friday with live music by Helen Welch. The event starts with a patron pre-party at 6 p.m. ($125, includes the main party), followed by the party at 7 p.m. ($100). Call 330-535-8131. Deadline for reservations has been extended until 5 p.m. Wednesday.
Portage Lakes project
Folks have been buzzing about new ownership for the somewhat Art Deco-looking property at 530 Portage Lakes Drive in Coventry Township.
Most recently, the four-story lakefront building housed Nicoletti’s Park Place, which lasted less than two years. Previously, it was the home of Hook, Line & Drinkers.
Brothers Tom, Bob and Herb Hutchison purchased the brick structure, with the goal of repairing it and getting it ready to lease. Parts of the building date to the 1940s.
The brothers, who grew up in the Akron area and now live and work out of state, don’t yet know who that tenant will be.
“We have a passion for where we grew up … We’ve always, like a lot of people, loved that building,” Tom Hutchison said.
The brothers, he said, “want to make sure the right party goes in there … We want to find the right niche for that area. It’s starving for something … It’s a great building. It has a great history.”
Tom and Bob Hutchison are involved in an out-of-state food business and each has a residence in the Portage Lakes.
LRC Drywall and Construction of Akron was working on the building last week, painting the decks a silver color. Several docks were painted earlier this summer. The building is next to On Tap at the Harbor, in the old Harbor Inn.
The Hutchison brothers paid $900,000 for the property, which includes the building and two small houses, according to Summit County records.
Bistro on square
On to the new Medina eatery: The Tomic family, owners of Rose Hill Fine Foods & Spirits in Montville Township, plans to open up a restaurant on the city’s historic square.
Sue Tomic said the hope is that Amusé Euro Bistro will open sometime this month or next at 108 Public Square. The space formerly housed Lager & Vine Gastro Pub & Wine Bar, which closed early last year.
The plan is to offer “a modern Mediterranean [menu], with Italian, French and Greek” influences in a casual setting, she said.
Sue and her husband, Dragan, opened Rose Hill four years ago in a building at 7249 Wooster Pike. It offers an eclectic menu, including Serbian burgers, steaks, pork schnitzel and chicken paprikash. The Tomics’ son, Petar, runs the kitchen. Daughter Milena and son Ivan also are involved.
Overseeing the kitchen at the new place will be Ryan Wade Smith, who worked as a chef at Blossom Music Center.
Gourmet guys
This year’s Grapes and Gourmet Guys benefit — featuring local men who are not professional chefs cooking up their signature dishes — is set for 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday.
More than 20 area male leaders will compete at the event, which is returning to the St. George Family Center at 3204 Ridgewood Road in Copley Township. Patrons will get to sample each dish, along with wines.
The fundraiser, in its ninth year, has raised tens of thousands of dollars for GriefCare Place in Stow, which provides counseling services to the grieving.
Patrons, along with representatives of local service organizations who will be on a panel of judges, will vote to determine various awards. The Hudson School of Music Jazz Trio will entertain.
Tickets are $60 ($450 for a table of eight) and include two glasses of wine, silent and oral auctions, a wine pull and entertainment. For tickets and information, call The GriefCare Place at 330-686-1750.
Ido’s Oktoberfest
The Ido Bar & Grill’s Oktoberfest menu will run Sept. 12 through Oct. 8.
This is the fifth year for the fest, which began as a one-week affair and has now grown to four weeks. It features such fare as pierogis, pretzel bites, cabbage rolls, cheese spaetzle, kielbasa, latke reuben bites and apple dumplings, for lunch and dinner.
Craft beers will be available, as well as that local favorite, sauerkraut balls. The Ido is at 1537 S. Main St. at Ido Avenue. Call 330-773-1724 or go to www.idobar.com.
Germans’ Oktoberfest
This weekend is the Oktoberfest presented by the German American Family Society in Brimfield Township, not far from Interstate 76.
Hours are 6 p.m. to midnight Friday, 3 to 11 p.m. Saturday and noon to 7 p.m. Sunday, when there will be attractions and games for children. Admission is $5, children 12 and younger free. Call 330-678-8229 or go to www.germanfamilysociety.com.
They’ll serve schnitzel, sausage, cabbage rolls, rotisserie chicken, hot pretzels and German pastries — all made by club members. Domestic and German brews will be available, along with wine, liquor and nonalcoholic beverages.
It takes place on the society’s property, 3871 Ranfield Road, which includes a main air-conditioned center and lots of outdoor gathering spaces.
On the festival circuit
• The annual Square Fest, set for 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday on West Market Street in Akron’s Highland Square area, will feature Square Fair, with a variety of food and gardening competitions. (I’ll be on the food-judging panel.)
Deadline to enter is noon Friday and the fee is $3 per entry. Information and forms can be found at www.akronsquarefest.org. Items must be dropped off at the Square Fair tent from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday.
Square Fest features a variety of food and other vendors, music and children’s activities. Admission is free.
• St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church, 3204 Ridgewood Road, Copley Township, will host its annual Middle Eastern & American Food Fair from 1 to 6 p.m. Sunday. Music and children’s games are on the bill, and admission and parking are free. Call 330-666-7116.
• On Sept. 17, the third annual Main Street Kent Oktoberfest will run from noon to 11 p.m. Organized by the nonprofit Main Street Kent, it takes place on Franklin Avenue in downtown Kent. More information is at the website of Main Street Kent and the Kent Oktoberfest Facebook page.
• The Greek Festival will return to Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Akron from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sept. 15-17. The church is at 129 S. Union St., adjacent to the University of Akron. Admission and parking are free.
• The annual Wooster Arts Jazz Fest returns Sept. 17 to downtown Wooster with all-day jazz, a juried art show, kids’ activities and food. The event runs from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. For info, visit the Facebook site of the nonprofit Main Street Wooster or go to www.mainstreetwooster.org.
Sip some wine
• Ken Stewart’s Grille, 1970 W. Market St., Akron, will feature Italian wine pairings at a five-course dinner at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. Cost is $75, plus tax and tip. Reservations are required. Call Terry Kemp at 330-697-6917.
• The Cellar Room at the Galaxy Restaurant, 201 Park Centre Drive, Wadsworth, will offer Classic Wine and Cheese Pairings, featuring 10 wines and 10 cheeses. Cost is $30. Call 330-334-3663.
• Both locations of 750ml wine bar and shop are hosting Justin Winery tastings featuring Bordeaux-style reds, whites and dessert wines from California’s central coast.
The tasting at the Brecksville 750ml is Sept. 14, and the tasting at the West Akron 750ml is Sept. 15. Each runs from 6 to 8 p.m. Cost is $65 for club750 members and $75 for nonmembers. Call 440-526-8100 (Brecksville) or 330-794-5754 (Akron).
• The Acme Fresh Market at 3875 Massillon Road in the Heritage Crossing complex in Green will feature fifth-generation Napa Valley winemaker Joe Wagner at a dinner at 6 p.m. Sept. 22. Cost is $50. Tickets are available at the store’s customer service counter.
• The Bistro of Green, 3459 Massillon Road, Green, will offer a seven-course dinner at 4 p.m. Sept. 25, with wines presented by Esber Beverage Co. The $80 cost includes tax and tip. Call 330-896-1434.
Cooking seminar
Judi Strauss, author of the Charmed Kitchen cookbook and blog, returns to Graf Growers Sept. 14 for a cooking seminar on using fresh, local vegetables in summer meals.
The demonstration class will run from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Wine and free samples are included. Cost is $5. Sign up by calling 330-836-2727 or go to https://squareup.com/market/graf-growers. Graf Growers is at 1015 White Pond Drive in Copley.
Send local food news to Katie Byard at 330-996-3781 or kbyard@thebeaconjournal.com. You can follow her @KatieByardABJ on Twitter or on Facebook at www.facebook.com and read the Akron Dish blog at www.ohio.com/food.