Today, we’re all over the culinary and geographic map.
Italian street food is coming to Cuyahoga Falls and West Akron, and Southern flavors — hot chicken and shrimp and grits — have arrived at Kent’s Venice Cafe.
And the new Kingfish — which aims for a New England seafood house vibe — has opened on “Restaurant Hill” in Copley Township. Here are some morsels about each.
Piada Italian Street Food, a Columbus chain, is planning locations in West Akron in the under-construction West Market Street plaza that will house 365 by Whole Foods, and another in the new Portage Crossing development off State Road in the Falls. They’ll open sometime next summer or early fall, according to spokeswoman Katie Sullivan.
The fast-growing chain dates to 2010 and its founder is Chris Doody, who with his brother, Rick, started Bravo Brio Restaurant Group.
It bills itself as “fast-casual,” industry lingo for chains like Panera and Chipotle, which tout their use of fresh ingredients. Customers order at a counter and the food is made in front of them.
So what’s Italian street food? I thought it was gelato. Piada’s definition is a lot broader and doesn’t feature gelato. The menu includes piadas — wrap sandwiches on Italian flatbread — pasta bowls, salads (one can be topped with calamari), chips and dip, soups, and cannoli chips for dessert.
Piada now has more than 30 locations, including in the Belden Village area of Jackson Township and three in the Cleveland area.
Hours are 10:45 a.m. (that’s not a typo) until 10 p.m. seven days a week.
Erie Street Kitchen
In Kent, Erie Street Kitchen is the new locally owned eatery inside the Venice Cafe, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary. Previously, the Venice hosted a satellite location of Kent’s Taco Tontos.
The menu has a decidedly Southern bent and includes chicken tenders and wings, served “Southern breaded or Nashville hot.”
Erie Street owner Jeff Crowe, a native of Stone Mountain, Ga., likes to say he “paints” his Nashville hot chicken with a sauce including pepper. “A lot of these things we’re serving is what I served at the house [at parties], but now I get to make people pay for it,” he said.
His establishment is, well, funky fast-casual. You order at a counter and Crowe serves the food in recyclable paper boats and the like.
Other menu items include Low Country BBQ Shrimp and Fried Oyster Dinner. Among the sides are Pimento Cheese & Mac and Hop’N John (black-eyed peas and rice). “Shareable Toasts” pair breads with an accompaniment, such as deviled eggs or mushrooms with horseradish aioli.
Crowe said he is striving to buy as many locally produced ingredients as he can. He buys from Kent’s Haymaker Farmers Market, Lucky Penny Creamery in Kent, Breakneck Acres in Franklin Township and Brimfield Bread Oven in Brimfield Township, among others.
Hours are 5 to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 5 p.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday. These are different than Venice’s hours. Crowe says if he has the customers, he’ll keep cooking past those closing times.
The phone is 330-593-5928.
Crowe moved to the area about 15 years ago, when his wife, Alicia, got a job at Kent State University. She is interim associate dean for student services and director of teacher education.
Kingfish is open
In Copley Township, Kingfish opened its doors last week, the latest restaurant from the folks behind the Rosewood Grill in Hudson and Blue Point Grill in downtown Cleveland.
Kingfish is open for happy hour from 4 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, featuring $5 dishes such as Calabash Style White Shrimp (cornmeal-fried with a dill pickle remoulade).
Dinner hours are 5 to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 5 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 4 to 9 p.m. Sunday. No lunch hours. Look for the building with the 20-foot metal sailfish.
Kingfish’s chef is Marc Standen, who worked many years at the helm of Blue Point Grille, the group’s flagship seafood restaurant, and as corporate chef for other properties in the group.
Dishes listed under “Surf” start at $24 for the Great Lake steelhead trout. There are also “Turf” items. See the Kingfish Facebook page for the menu and extensive wine list.
The address is 115 Montrose West Ave. Phone is 330-777-2005. The building most recently housed the Tres Potrillos Mexican restaurant, which moved to the nearby Fiore’s.
Dining in Medina
Eighteen restaurants are coming together for the second Medina Restaurant Week, which continues through Oct. 25.
The program features a fixed-price menu — $15 lunch and $25 dinner — at participating establishments. The price does not include tax, tip or drinks. Medina Restaurant Week is modeled after efforts in other cities and is organized with help from the nonprofit Main Street Medina.
Participants range from Dan’s Dogs at 111 W. Liberty St., just off the town square, to fine-dining restaurants, including Thyme2 at 113 W. Smith Road in Medina, and 111 Bistro at 2736 Medina Road (state Route 18) in Montville Township, east of the city.
Not all serve both lunch and dinner. For a list of participants and links to each restaurant’s website, go to http://bit.ly/2ezshxP. To see pictures of what’s on their menus, go to #dinemedina on Facebook.
Chef dinner at UA
It’s time again to enjoy a creative eight-course meal prepared by area chefs and restaurant owners — thanks to the University of Akron’s hospitality management program.
The Fall Graduate Chef Dinner at the Crystal Room Bistro inside Gallucci Hall at 200 E. Exchange St., will be Nov. 5. The event brings graduates back to campus to cook for the public.
Aaron Hervey of Crave will make a salad of baby greens, ice wine grapes, candied walnuts and goat cheese brined in red wine dressed with a creamy arugula vinaigrette. The lineup also will include a seafood dish and gold beet sorbet made by Anthony Scolaro of 111 Bistro, as well as a bacon-wrapped filet by Paulina Rodriguez, who works as an executive chef at a retirement community.
Members of UA’s Culinary Artists Club help out as sous chefs. Festivities will begin at 5:30 p.m. and a cash bar will offer wine and beer. Tickets are $50.
Phone 330-972-6615 for reservations, which are required. Money raised will benefit the Culinary Artists Club, which focuses on students learning and competing in fruit, vegetable and ice sculpting.
Soup for the City
Soup for the City, the annual benefit for the Good Samaritan Hunger Center, is from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday at the Greek Community Center, part of Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church at 129 S. Union St., next to the University of Akron campus.
The event is a smorgasbord of soups contributed by local restaurants, served with appetizers and desserts. An auction is included.
Tickets are $50 at www.goodsamaritanhungercenter.org.
Jewish food festival
The Art and Jewish Food Festival is returning to Temple Israel on Nov. 13 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
It’s been two years since the event drew crowds to shop for works by artists and crafters and enjoy matzo ball soup, stuffed cabbage, potato knishes, potato latkes, corned beef sandwiches on rye, chopped liver, hummus and baked goods such as rugelach.
The event is organized by the Temple Israel Sisterhood. Temple Israel is at 91 Springside Drive in the Montrose area of Bath Township.
New coffee house
The Merriman Valley in northwest Akron has a new coffee shop, Wholly Joe Coffee House.
The locally owned shop opened less than two weeks ago at 1720 Merriman Road in a portion of the building that previously was occupied by Blimp City Bike & Hike. Earlier this year, Blimp City moved to the former FirstMerit at 1675 Merriman Road.
The coffee shop — which offers panini sandwiches, salads and baked goods — is owned by David Fertig and Ken Fleming.
“This is a foothold,” Fleming said Friday. “We’re just trying to get up and running.” He said the business may expand into catering, taking a mobile espresso machine to events.
Skinnygirl founder
TV star and Skinnygirl founder Bethenny Frankel will visit with customers at 1 p.m. Oct. 22 at the Buehler’s Fresh Foods grocery at 7138 Fulton Drive NW in Jackson Township.
Frankel created the low-calorie Skinnygirl line of bottled cocktails. She first gained fame on NBC’s The Apprentice: Martha Stewart and then appeared on Bravo’s The Real Housewives of New York City.
She will sign bottles of Skinnygirl cocktails and wines. Frankel sold the brand in 2011.
Wine reminders
• Oct. 28: Fall/Winter Top 16 wine list; Fishers at 8100 Cleveland Ave. NW in Plain Township, 4:30 to 7:30 p.m.; cost is $5.
• Nov. 1: Five-course dinner with six wines, featuring Clyde Gilbert from Rombauer Vineyards at Ken Stewart’s Grille, 1970 W. Market St. in Akron, at 6:30 p.m. $90 plus tax and tip. Reservations required. Call Terry Kemp at 330-697-6917.
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.