Tastecasting goes to Signature Wines

Last night we ventured back to the other side of town to check out Signature Wines. We had to go back into basically a business district…not what you would think of for a wine tasting.
Kelly Harvey has built this business herself and has put a lot of time and effort into her “hobby”.
One of the things that I really loved about it was that they can make customized labels for your wine…free of charge! You can order just one bottle and do it. Now that is unusual.

Click on the picture to see the Whrrl slide show.

Tastecasting gets to go to the Taste the Future Event!

This was such a fun event to attend. I felt privileged at being able to attend. There were several of us from Tastecasting there. Dan Harris, Robb Landon, Tiffany, Ryan Bauers, Betty Blankenship, Lisa Foster, Sara Barton, Cheryl Harrison and myself. To see more about Tastecasting or to have your restaurant reviewed by the Tastecasting team go to the Tastecasting Site.

Taste the Future!!

As a Member of  Tastecasting I was invited to be part of the preview media event for the Taste the Future. This took place at the Elevator Brewery & Draught House downtown. There were several of the Sponsors of the event there including Limited Brands.
This is the 21st year for Taste the Future, it is a fund raising effort for The Columbus State Community College that not only raises money for scholarships and special programs, but it highlights over 50 participating restaurants that take part and showcase their goodies. (We are the lucky ones!)
All the info:

Event: Taste The Future
Location & Directions: The Columbus State Community College
Date: September 15th, 2009 5:30pm-9pm est
Ticket information
Restaurants taking part
Sponsors involved
Pictures of Past Events

Be sure to come by on the 15th and help the culinary students at Columbus State so that we too can Taste The Future when these students learn to one day be the chefs of the restaurants we will go to.

TasteCasting – Morton’s The Steakhouse (Yummy!!)

I went to Morton’s The Steakhouse in Columbus Ohio tonight with my Tastecasting team. We were treated to a wonderful array of wonderful appetizers. These are part of the Bar Bites that you can get at Morton’s. This is the Petite Filet Mignon Sandwich….outstanding! If you sit at the bar and have them between the hours of 5pm – close they are only $6.00. You can order these at your table, but they will be full price.

To see my entire post you can go to my Review site and see all the pictures of the Bar Bite Menu. (You will be hungry after you see it …guaranteed!)

TasteCasting – Morton’s The Steakhouse

We had a lovely experience at Morton’s The Steakhouse tonight. There were 10 of us there from Tastecasting. We had a private room which was wonderful. Sara Goldberg (sales & marketing manager) took complete care of us…along with our server Joe. We also had a visit from Erin (also PR) and Dan (the assistant manager).
They started us off with some wonderful drinks. This was a cosmopolitan made with a Vodka from Finland (because I can’t remember what the actual name was), triple sec and cranberry juice. (as refreshing as it looks!)

I am going to have more pictures than words from here on out because I think these pictures talk for themselves. These are all (except desserts) on their “Bar Bites” menu. If you sit at the bar and order these (from 5pm – close) then they are just $6.00 each. If you order them at your table, then they are regular price.

This is the Petite Filet Mignon Sandwich (you get 4) with mustard mayonnaise. There is also the Iceberg Wedge Bites – Bite-size wedge salads with tomato, egg, bacon and blue cheese dressing. These were both fantastic! Loved them both.
These Oysters on the Half Shell can also be purchased but they are $2.25 each. (I think this was the first time I had one that I didn’t chew. I think you are either a fan of oysters or not. For me…it was a nice taste of salt and very mild fish. I’m glad I tried it! For oysters I am sure it was wonderful. :)
Chicken Goujonettes (I am glad she pronounced it…I still couldn’t if you asked me. LOL) These were like fancy chicken strips with the mustard mayonnaise. Very good, nice crisp on the outside and moist on the inside.
Sorry Joe for cutting off your head! Do these look yummy or what? Here is a close up!

Now is this a cheeseburger or what? This is the Prime Cheeseburger (you get 3 of them) Wonderful. You can’t find a burger like this at McDonalds!
Just look at these fries! These are the Blue Cheese French Fries with melter blue cheese, red pepper flakes and chives. I ate them with a fork and loved every bite.

Jumbo Lump Crab, Spinach & Artichoke Dip. This was fantastic! The toasted french bread croutons (big croutons!) I have to say that all of the bread used in the burgers, sandwiches and these croutons were perfect. Moist and soft on the burgers and crisp but still soft on these croutons. That was one thing really noticed. Loved the breads!
This little yummy bite of food is a miniature crab cake with the mustard mayonnaise on it.
You can combine these Bar Bites with the Power Hour drinks from 5pm – close. There is a selection of brinks from beer to Morton’s Mortinis ranging with special drink prices of $4-$7.

They were kind enough to bring us some of their desserts to test. (These are not on the Bar Bites menu) They brought us several to split and Jenn and Cheryl were ready to dive in as soon as we rang the bell!!

Could this carrot cake look any better?

Is your mouth watering for this Key Lime Pie?

We asked if Joe could do his “Table Presentation” for us. This is the presentation they do for every customer at the table side. He explains the cut of meat, vegetables and lobster (yes live). It was very informative!


I was very impressed with all of the food we were served. I have only been to a Morton’s once and that was years ago in Chicago. There are Morton’s nationwide and Canada, Asia, Puerto Rico and Mexico. Next time you want a special meal you will have to give it a try. I can’t wait to go again (but next time it will be with my hubby!)

Dunkin Donut

Review Dunkin Donut in Worthington

Who doesn’t love donuts? I know I sure do! I was lucky enough to get to go as a part of the Tastecasting  to the new Dunkin Donuts in Worthington, OH
We got to taste donuts, coffees and breakfast sandwiches. I know I got an education to what they had. I never thought of anything other than the donuts…(which is usually enough in MY book!!) Ok…I will let you drool over the next couple of pictures…


Ok..we all know how wonderful their donuts are right?
But they also have some other really great products….some of which you can eat without feeling guilty

There is a menu of items called the DD Smart menu. They are a healthier option with calorie counts below 300 calories. This is the Egg White Turkey Sausage Flatbread Sandwich. It was really good!! Very filling and I just had a portion of one to sample. I will be getting another one of those for sure. Ok…so if I get one of those along with my donut it would be better than just eating donuts right?

I tried an iced coffee with cream and a shot of blueberry syrup in it. Now that was fun too. I sipped that all the way home and really enjoyed it.

This was the cutest little sample cup of their really yummy coolattas. These are on special until July 14th for only $1.99. Now…do not think they are tiny like my sample….look at the site. These are 16 oz sizes. I tasted the strawberry and vanilla. I do have to say that my favorite was the strawberry..although the vanilla really tasted good too. You can have them made with skim milk and they can fall into the DD Smart Menu with only 140 calories for a small. Yeah!

Best Brownie

SugarDaddy’s Sumptuous Sweeties Round Brownies!

Meet Mark, Tom, Allison and Brian. This is team Sugardaddy! (Minus Chef who was on vacation for our visit).
Mark and Tom are the creators and owners of all these goodies!
Tom would make up these wonderful brownie creations and Mark loved them and encouraged him to take his love of baking, his marvelous brownie creations, and creativity to the next level.

Together they formulated the name from Blondies their light or butter, brown sugar based brownies and Brunettes from their chocolate brownies. So what worked better than SugarDaddy’s Scrumptious Sweeties?


There are 17 flavors of these round brownies and blondies. For instance you have the Dark Berry, Auburn Original, Rich Mint, Tahiti, Fiery, Zanzibar, Chai Spiced and many more.

I have to say that the Rich Mint is my favorite…although I loved all the others too. I don’t think there would be any of all that I tasted…and I tasted a lot!!! I was trying just one bite of about all of the items.

Why round?

Tom and Mark did a lot of research and found that the majority of people do not like the brownie crust. They want the moist inside of the brownie. So they bake their brownies and then cut them round.
I think this is great. They do not let ANYTHING go to waste when it comes to their deluxe brownies.
They use the pieces that come from in between the round cuts to make 1 lb bags of “pocket change.” These little pieces of brownie are great for munching, using in a trifle, or paring with ice cream.

For those of us who love the crust…we are not forgotten!! They take the crust and double bake them to come up with Brownie biscotti! Oh…are these good! Brownie taste, crust taste, but so light and great with coffee.

So you think they would be finished right? Nope…more small pieces of brownie are used to make these fabulous Brownie Truffles! Oh my gosh!! Loved these too!!
They are color coded so you know what you are getting.

Here are a few that I got to taste. (Wish I had one right now as I am writing this!!)

This is the Auburn Original. It has triplet chocolate, chocolate ganache and kahlua.

The American Beauty with double chocolate, peanut butter, roasted peanuts, chocolate canache and creme de cacao. Soooo good.

So you would think there wouldn’t be anything left right? They take the smallest parts of the brownies and smash them and use them in the crust of their cheesecake!!
We got to sample it…yummy!

They have also begun to make ice cream and are working to develop more flavors. So that will be fun to see what new flavors they will be coming up with!

Ok…here is a really cool part. Not only do we like them….but they have already been discovered!
Tom beat Bobby on Bobby Flay’s Showdown, (you can find the video clips at the bottom of their home page.) enjoyed by Ellen’s Guest in her Green Room, used as the Snack of the Day on Rachel Ray and has tons of write ups.
They have been in business for only 4 years and have accomplished all of this so far!! Can’t imagine how big they are going to be in the next 4 years!
Here is the brownie that Tom beat Bobby with. It is the Tahiti Blondie: Roated Coconut, Sugardaddy’s special curry spice blend and roasted cashews. Now how is that for a blondie?

They have the cutest store!! This was just completed in February of this year. It feels so comfortable. There is a coffee station

Places to sit and eat and drink your coffee.

They have the cutest wrapping station gift bags and lovely ways to personalize your gifts.

Look at the cute personalized Gift Bag options you can send your goodies in to people!! Also note the Brownie cake sitting on the shelf. You can have this made with several days notice and I hear it is the bomb!!

I could go on believe me! But you need to visit their site..and investigate. What a nice alternative to the normal “flowers” that people send.
They only overnight their products. Why? Good question…because it is the only way to be sure their products are as fresh as can be. They bake them package them and send them the same day and then only overnight ship them. Here is another thing that is very unusual. They call you when your order has been delivered. Now how often does that happen?

Visit SugarDaddy’s web site to place your order!

TasteCasting

I have joined a social media group that was developed just 3 months ago. Tastecasting is the brain child of Dan Harris here in Columbus. He realized that when a group of local social media had a meet up at a restaurant….that they were all twittering about it and the restaurant got some business and they had a good time.
Sooooo he decided to go with it. The Tastecasting group goes into restaurants, coffee houses, bakeries etc…and are treated to samples of their foods, music and inside knowledge from the inside people in that business.
We are helping them get the word out about their place…they are helping us by giving us social activities and good food and drinks!
We went to Bob Evans last night. This was the first “chain” restaurant that our group went to. We got to sample the new summer menu that comes out this Thursday.
Go to my Review Blog to read my review and see the pictures of all the yummy stuff we got to eat!
There are new cities being added all the time! You can start a group in your area if you want!!

TasteCasting – Bob Evans New Summer Menu!

The Tastecasting Group and the Chefs who fed us tonight!!

We were treated to a feast tonight at the Bob Evans at Graceland in Columbus Ohio. This Bob Evans got a new remodeling job. This is a prototype with the “Eat-In Kitchen“. It is a new comfortable feeling to it. (I didn’t get a very good picture of it….very nice though)
There were 20 of us there and we were treated to the new appetizers, main course and dessert along with ice cream floats. We had the chefs come out and talk to us. We had marketing, public relations, General Manager and several other people from Bob Evans there. They were checking out this new form of marketing that Tastecasting was offering them. We were checking out the new restyle of Bob Evans and the yummy food they were coming out with.
The new menu will be launched this Thursday May 14th. (except for the supreme pie which will be out in mid June)

These are the new Appetizers!
They are:
Itsy Bitsy Sandwiches – sausage with cheese and a pickle and the Bob-B-Q pulled pork sandwich with a pickle.
Loaded Baked Potato Bites – breaded and fried potato bites stuffed with cheddar cheese and bacon. It is served with ranch dressing.
Wildfire Chicken Quesadilla – grilled flour tortilla filled with chicken and all kinds of other goodies.
Blue Ribbon Apple Pie Fries – Battered and fried apple pie fries dusted with powered sugar and served with caramel dipping sauce. *My favorite*

Here is my plate! I did not try the quesadillas because the Wildfire BBQ sauce scared me off. But guess what…I tried it and it is not too hot at all. It is a sweet sauce with just a little bit of spice. Believe me…if I can eat it, it isn’t too spice. I am a spicy whimp!! (and I liked it) By the time I realized it, the quesadillas were all gone. They were popular and from what I heard, very good.

Floats!! I can’t remember the last time I had a good rootbeer float. They had cherry coke, coke and rootbeer floats. Very good. Hmmmm….think I liked it?


The Baby Back Ribs are slow roasted, fall-off-the-bone (and they really do) tender ribs glazed in the Wildfired Sauce. *my favorite*

Oven Roasted Chicken. This is oven-roasted, bone-in chicken breasts that are slathered in Bob Evans smoke-sweet wildfire sauce.

The Red, White & Blueberry Supreme Pie was heavenly! Rich cream cheese filling topped by a layer of fresh strawberries and blueberries and creamy whipped topping. This was soooo good!! It will not be out until mid June when the blueberries are at their peak. Can’t wait.

These were the two chefs that made this feast for us. Both were named Brian. Jules was in charge tonight for Tastecasting.

Make sure to visit a Bob Evans near you!!

TasteCasting – The Suisse Shop

Social Media can be used in many ways. Dan Harris had a vision to help local restaurants get some attention to help their business and for us to get to sample some real goodies and to make some new friends.

Everything looked so wonderful!! It smelled great. The Suisse Shop is known for their Tortes and pastries. They normally sell them by the full torte. But for this week (and only one other during the year) they have their special, “Torte by the Slice”. It gives us all a chance to taste any of the over 30 tortes they make. They only cost $3.50 per slice! And only $2.75 for the cheesecake. If you think what you would pay for this wonderful piece of dessert if you were in sit down restaurant you would probably be paying about $8.50 a slice.

The Suisse Shop has been in business for 26 years and is owned by a Swiss baker, Therese Whitfield. She and her family run the shop. They are are opened from 9am-7pm Tuesday through Friday. Mondays are from 9am-4pm and they are closed on Sundays.

They make fantastic wedding cakes and have made over 1500 in central Ohio.

Look at the plate I sampled!! I tried Black Forest torte, Buckeye cheesecake, Lemon torte, yellow torte, chocolate torte, german chocolate torte, coconut torte. They were all really good. I have to say that I did have a couple of favorites. I really liked the yellow, lemon and chocolate tortes. They had a very light buttery frosting. These were not “heavy” at all to me. I think the peanut butter cheesecake was the richest I tasted. Fantastic, but I wouldn’t be able to eat more than one piece.

They use the same ingredients when they make their cupcakes. They looked really good too. They also have mini torte cakes. There are 5″ tortes, 8″ and 10″ tortes.

Doesn’t everything look great? Guess what…it was!!

Espresso Cafe

Espresso Yourself Music Cafe Review with TasteCasting

Last night I got to go to the cutest coffee house in Powell, OH. It was opened in an old church. There are bands that play and entertain you as you get to drink your coffee. They have a listing of bands and a menu at the web site Espresso Yourself Music Cafe.
The art work is all done by different artist and is for sale and changes regularly.

We were treated to a sample of a few different sandwiches. These were fantastic! I never really thought of a coffee house as having some really good food, but this one does! Eric who owns this coffee house and his daughter run it. He is very conscious of healthy food. His wife passed away 2 years ago of lung cancer and before she died they learned how to eat really healthy.
The smoothies have real fruit and antioxidants. I had the peach and it was wonderful!!! They also treated us to some (not as healthy..but hey, some of us still eat junk right?) warm chocolate chip cookies.
Thanks! I will for sure be back.