With Akron Marathon weekend coming up, look for downtown restaurants to step up to help serve the crowds.
The Diamond Deli, 378 S. Main St., will be opening at 5 a.m. on Saturday to serve racers and spectators. In addition, owner Chuck Magilavy says the restaurant will now stay open on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
For the first time ever, Crave, 57 E. Market St., will be opening for breakfast at 8 a.m.
Owner Aaron Hervey said the restaurant, over the past few years, has seen a dramatic increase in the number of racers who stop by for dinner before or after they pick up their race packets at the John S. Knight Center on the night before the race.
So Hervey and his crew have put together a specials menu with plenty of high-protein and high-carbohydrate dinners for runners, including a warm quinoa salad with shrimp, oven-roasted salmon with brown rice, and fettuccini with vegetables and choice of steak, chicken, shrimp or salmon.
On Saturday, the restaurant will serve breakfast from 8 to 11 a.m., a first for Crave. But Hervey said after seeing the hundreds of spectators near his restaurant during the race, it seemed like a good opportunity.
Weather permitting, both of the restaurant’s patios will be open. In addition to coffee, juice and Danish, there will be a full breakfast menu, all of which will be available for carryout.
Something Russian time
You know that fall is officially here when it’s time for St. Nicholas Orthodox Church’s annual Something Russian Festival, which runs 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Oct. 1 and 2.
The two-day event is a celebration of all things Russian, especially the food. The menu includes chicken Kiev, pierogi, packzi, halupki, halushki, blini, borscht, potato pancakes, and grilled cevapcici, which is a homemade sausage made of beef, pork and spices. The wide variety of baked goods include nut, poppy seed and apricot rolls and kiffli. Food is available for eat-in or carryout.
An authentic Russian tea room will serve a variety of blends, and there will be music, dancing and a sale of Russian gifts and crafts.
Proceeds benefit the church and its outreach programs. St. Nicholas Orthodox Church is located at the intersection of state Route 532 and U.S. Route 224 in Mogadore. For more information, visit www.somethingrussian.com.
New place at Gervasi
The Gervasi Vineyard complex, 1700 55th St. NE, Canton, continues to grow. The Swaldo family will be hosting a grand opening for the Crush House at the vineyard on Tuesday.
The Crush House is a new winery, wine bar and eatery at the vineyard.
New festival this year
The Ohio Sausage Fest will take place Oct. 5 at Brandywine Country Club Par 3 Clubhouse, 5555 Akron-Peninsula Road, Peninsula, beginning at 10 a.m.
The fest is the work of J Hudson, who for the past three years has run the Hudson Farmers Market. Hudson said he realized that there was no festival to highlight the quality sausage being made in Northeast Ohio by both farmers and butchers, so he decided to organize one.
Customers can sample a wide variety of sausages and purchase them to take home. Hudson said the fest will highlight “Ohio’s rich tradition of ethnic sausage creators and crafters from Ohio cities and the surrounding countryside using hormone-free and pasture-raised meats in their links and patties.”
There also will be craft beer from local microbreweries on sale.
Sausages available at the fest include German bratwurst, Polish kielbasa, Italian hot, Hungarian kolbász, Slovenian klobase, French andouille, English bangers, Mexican chorizo, South African boerewors, American hot dogs and Filipino longaniza.
Admission is free.
Joyful event for VNA
Akron General Hospice of Visiting Nurse Service is holding its fourth annual Joyful Tastes of Life benefit from 6 to 9 p.m. Oct. 10 at the St. George Family Center, 3204 Ridgewood Road, Fairlawn.
The event will feature wine from around the world, local craft beer and food items from area restaurants.
Food and drink purveyors include Aladdin’s, Bravo!, Casa del Ranchero, Cilantro Thai & Sushi, Crave, D’Agnese’s Trattoria and Café, DeVitis Italian Market, Heidelberg Distributing Co., Hudson’s Restaurant, Lagerhead’s Smokehouse, Nuevo Modern Mexican and Tequila, Superior Beverage Group, Thirsty Dog Brewing Co., Tiffany’s Bakery, Troutman Vineyards and the Winery at Wolf Creek.
The evening also will include a silent auction, raffle and live music.
Tickets are $50. All proceeds are used for end-of-life patient care and supportive services at Hospice of VNS. Tickets are available at www.akrongeneral.org/joy or by calling the Akron General Foundation, 330-344-6888.
Portage farm tour
The Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association is sponsoring a tour of Birdsong Farm, 11316 Wheeler Road, Garrettsville, beginning at 2 p.m. Thursday.
The family-owned certified organic farm is owned by Matt Herbruck, who has been farming for 18 years, and started growing vegetables, herbs and cut flowers at Birdsong in 2009.
In 2011, Herbruck added 10 acres to the farm, and by using greenhouses and low tunnels, has turned the farm into a year-round business. He sells at local farmers markets and also through a community supported agriculture program, or CSA, that has 80 members.
A believer in balancing sound ecological farming practices with effective business management, Herbruck will talk about how he keeps his land and his business healthy while maintaining a high quality of life for his family.
This tour is part of the 2013 Sustainable Farm Tour and Workshop Series that features free public tours of sustainable and organic farms in Ohio. No reservations are necessary.
Oil and vinegar tasting
Kirbie’s Meats and Catering in Stow is now stocking olive oils and vinegars from Olive My Heart in Hudson.
From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, the store will have a tasting of oil and vinegar pairings. The event is free; just stop by the store at 4062 Fishcreek Road.
Taste of success
Congratulations to Ralph and Sherry Thompson Schie and the whole crew from Shy Cellars in Strasburg, who walked away the winners at the sixth annual Taste of the NFL event last week at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton.
Two dozen restaurants served up their best fare for the competition, but it was Shy Cellars’ fondue and slow-roasted pork with Asian barbecue sauce that was the fan favorite. The event raised money for the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank.
As the 2013 grand champion, Shy Cellars will represent the Hall of Fame and the foodbank at the National Taste of the NFL event at the 2015 Super Bowl.
I have a feeling their small restaurant at 9185 state Route 250 in Strasburg is about to get a lot busier.
And finally…
Sunday is National Coffee Day.
I will certainly raise a mug to that.
Lisa Abraham can be reached at 330-996-3737 or at labraham@thebeaconjournal.com. Find me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter @akronfoodie or visit my blog at www.ohio.com/blogs/lisa.