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Restaurants turning to wine dinners to fill seats — and to have some fun
Here is a “sneak peek” at a story scheduled to run in Friday’s Dayton Daily News:
Central and Southwest Ohio restaurant owners are turning to special-menu wine dinners to help attract diners.
Autumn is bringing a large number of winery owners, winemakers and marketing representatives to Dayton-area restaurants, and chefs are rolling out extravagant multi-course meals to mark the occasion.
On Tuesday night (Oct. 25) alone, two Oregon District restaurants within a stone’s throw of one another — Jay’s and Sidebar — are hosting wine dinners simultaneously. The Sidebar dinner — at $150 per person, among the most expensive wine dinners in recent memory — features the owner and president of Hanna Winery & Vineyards in Sonoma County, who will present her wines at a five-course meal (see details on the menu below). The Jay’s dinner focuses on the wines of Ehlers Estate, a Napa Valley winery whose profits go to cardiovascular research, and costs $65 per person (details below).
Grocery stores also have embraced the concept: Kroger stores in Kettering and Beavercreek host monthly wine-and-food events with multiple courses of each, and Dorothy Lane Market is bringing in the winemaker for La Spinetta winery in Italy for a special $125-a-head dinner on Nov. 1 at the school of cooking adjacent to DLM’s Washington Square store.
“When you can get the people who are close to the vineyards and make wine every day to come to Dayton, you really capture customers’ interest,” said Amy Haverstick, co-owner and general manager of Jay’s Restaurant, where late founder Jay Haverstick was a pioneer in organizing winemaker luncheons and dinners starting nearly three decades ago. Today, the wine luncheons and dinners at Jay’s “help our customers understand that wine is so much more than just an alcoholic beverage,” Amy Haverstick said.
Michael Parks — general manager of Carvers Steaks & Chops at 1535 Miamisburg-Centerville Road in Washington Twp., which hosts a Markham Winery dinner Nov. 2 — said diners’ feedback is a driving factor behind Carvers relatively frequent wine dinners.
“Typically, we don’t make a lot of money off of wine dinners,” Parks said. “But hopefully we’ll have guests who will be raving for years about how great the wine dinner was. It’s just the overall experience.”
Mary Kay Smith, co-owner of The Winds Cafe and Wine Shop in Yellow Springs, also said wine dinners are rarely big moneymakers. But the dinners have less tangible benefits. “Wine dinners allow us to try out new dishes for a smaller group and get customer reactions before a dish goes on the menu,” Smith said. “It also allows us to use ingredients and present dishes to a captive audience — dishes that might be too adventuresome to the broader dining public.”
(Note: attendees of The Winds’ wine dinner earlier this week on Oct. 18, featuring the wines of Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, dined on courses that included Steamed Walleye with Fried Oysters and Ginger Lemongrass Beurre Blanc; Seared Coho Salmon with Sauteed Chanterelle and Shiitake Mushrooms, Bacon Jus and Wine Reduction; Grilled Duck Breast with Goat Cheese Butter and Lentils; and Pear Tartlet with Celery-Pear Granita. Eight French wines from Lynch’s import portfolio were served alongside the courses. The dinner cost $60, which included wines, but not tax or tip. Suffice to say all who attended left quite satisfied.)
Telisa Delligatta, who oversees special events for Michael Anthony’s at The Inn in Versailles in Darke County, said hosting wine dinners — which Michael Anthony’s does regularly — has broadened the restaurant’s customer base.
“I think that more and more people are becoming less intimidated by wine,” Deligatta said.
“They want to be educated, and these events are the perfect place to meet people who live in the ‘wine world.’ They learn, taste, and get some questions answered … . We usually have a great turnout, and folks leave saying that they can’t wait for the next one.”
Here’s a small sampling of some of the upcoming wine dinners at Dayton-area restaurants.
— Jay’s Restaurant, 225 E. Sixth St., Dayton, will host a wine dinner featuring the wines of Ehlers Winery at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 25. The menu includes Grilled Sea Scallops with Pineapple Grapefruit Salsa on Thai Black Rice; Raspberry Mint Glazed Salmon on Herbed Couscous; Cola Braised Short Ribs with Root Vegetables and Roasted Turnips; Local Smoked Prime Rib of Beef with Cabernet Au Jus and Herbed Fingerling Potatoes; and a dessert called Death by Chocolate. The cost is $65, which includes tax and tip. Jay’s also is hosting a wine luncheon at 12:30 p.m. Oct. 29 with guest chef Michael Tenore, at a cost of $65, which includes tax and tip. For more information or to make reservations, call (937) 222-2892.
— Sidebar Restaurant, 410 E. Fifth Ave., Dayton, will host a wine dinner featuring the wines of Hanna winery, presented by Chris Hanna, owner and president of the winery, at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 25. The food menu includes Seared Sea Scallops over Heirloom Butter Lettuce, Grilled Asparagus, Shaved Parmesan with a Peruvian Yellow Pepper Vinaigrette; Grilled Corvina with Fennel and Pear Brandy Sauce accompanied by Roasted Baby Root Vegetables; Peruvian Lamb Shank with Cilantro and Chicha de Jora over a bed of Pureed Yucca; Grilled Ostrich Tenderloin on Quinoa Risotto with Morel Mushroom Demi-Glace; and Prune Bavarois with a Vanilla Bean Sauce over Almond Praline. The cost is $150, which includes tax and tip. For more information or to make reservations, call (937) 723-9415.
— Carvers Steaks & Chops, 1535 Miamisburg-Centerville Road in Washington Twp., will host a wine dinner featuring the wines of Markham Winery and winery representative Megan Ward at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 2. The food menu includes Filet Carpaccio — thin slices of Filet Mignon with Lemon, Olive Oil, Parmesan, Capers, Onions, and Arugula; Pistachio Crusted Chilean Sea Bass Orange Beurre Blanc; Hand Carved Beef Strip with Classic Maitre D Butter and Root Vegetable and Squash Puree; and Homemade Brownie with Raspberry Sauce and Frangelico Whipped Cream. The cost is $60, not including tax or tip. For information or to make reservations, call (937) 433-7099.
— McCormick & Schmick’s, 4429 Cedar Park Drive at The Greene in Beavercreek, will host a wine dinner featuring the wines of Rodney Strong Vineyards at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 10. The menu includes Smoked Duck Salad, Butter Lettuce, Dried Cranberries & Toasted Almonds with Carmelized Pear Vinaigrette; Passion Tea Dusted Scallop with Fiji Apple Slaw with Apricot Gastrique; Hazelnut-Encrusted Filet Mignon with Three-Berry Reduction and Yukon Potato Puree; and Mexican Chocolate Mocha Brulee with Spicy Pecans and Creme Anglaise. The cost is $50, which includes tax and tip. For more information or to make reservations, call (937) 431-9765 or email banquets89@msmg.com.
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