On the Side

Palin's Press Pastries

Reporters, by nature, are hungry. And not just hungry for a scoop of some hot, fresh and interesting news. We usually become hungry in the presence of food, whether we just ate or not. I personally favor assignments that involve meals; my perennial favorite is the Rotary's Golden Apple awards lunch. Some of us even have the uncanny ability to sniff out goodies located far far away from us - just ask our bloodhound photographer Randy Roberts. That man can hone in on a chocolate chip cookie that's been hidden in the dark depths of the Courier's underground garage.

But then again, sometimes we're hungry for legitimate reasons, and this happened to be the case with our not-so-fearless reporter Michelle Reiter. Assigned to do crowd coverage for the Palin rally, Michelle made the mistake of arriving on an empty stomach that morning.

Salvation seemed to be in sight when she spotted a table full of pastries, but it was not meant to be. After grabbing one of these delicacies, she suddenly had a bad feeling about it, as if she'd entered the wrong classroom in high school during a lecture, and everyone looked at her, and she felt stupid. A sign indicated the food was for the "traveling press," which, of course, she was not. Within seconds, a food/press Nazi had descended upon her, ordering her to drop the pastry and back away. Never mind that most of that food probably gets tossed uneaten into the garbage can - Michelle, like me, was a worthless, shabby excuse of a press example not suitable for the likes of the Palin traveling press crew's muffins or risers placed around the arena.

"I need room! Sorry lady!" barked one member of the traveling press, wielding a heavy TV camera with a tripod. Earlier, the same food/press Nazi had descended upon me, claiming I should move from the riser or else the traveling press would shove me out of the way. I stood my ground, but alas, hungry Michelle did not. She put the pastry down, backed away as instructed, and left with a disconcerting first-person account of how local reporters, while not having to wait in line for such events, are not always treated the greatest inside the venue.

Granted, I can see how hard it would be to have a job that required you to ride buses and fly all day after a politician that you may or may not like. You'd go for several hours sometimes with no food. You'd get cranky. Lonely. Bitter. You'd get tired, and sometimes you may get sick. But come on, people, have a heart for a hungry journalist!

What would've happened had Michelle taken a bite out of the pastry is anyone's guess. Would the secret service have descended? Would Palin have ranted about the liberal media's need for more pastry policing? The world will never know.

Have you ever been scolded for allegedly taking food that wasn't meant for you?

Cup O' Burnin' Love

For a few weeks now I've had an unpleasant reocurring concern: my pants are too small. You see, now that it is finally pants weather, finally, some of us have unwillingly dragged our Dockers out of hiding only to find they're a bit snug around the waste line. To find that top button straining more than it should. To realize the looseness that should be present around the thigh area has now been squeezed out of existence.

But colder days also mean hot chocolate, and this I shall not deprive myself of. In fact, I had two cups on two consecutive nights this weekend, to the detriment of my pants. Any day now, I expect to sit down and have a button pop off. Not quite as embarassing as referring to a lady as a story subject's mother when she is actually his wife (I did that last week and am still mortified).

Anyhoo, Night 1 was Saturday, when I, the spouse and two friends watched our breath escape from us with every exhale. For two hours. Until well after midnight. But for a good cause. We were waiting in line to get into Fear Factory, which gives all proceeds to the Make a Wish foundation. Located in an old factory at 260 Pine Avenue, adjacent to Lucky's bar, Friday and Saturday admission is $9 and Sundays $7 through Nov. 1. And those are the correct prices, unlike what has been listed for two weekends in a row in the Weekend section of the paper. The folks at Fear Factory have done a fantastic job this year of trying to scare the poo out of people. And they're even selling snacks to the waiting masses. Did I have a cup of burn-your-tongue Swiss Miss cocoa while we shivered? As they say in Alaska and on 'Fargo,' you betcha. It warmed my cockles as I watched underagers smoke cigarettes and shove each other around, and bar patrons speed down Crystal Avenue.

But the fun didn't end that night. It continued on Sunday, when some of us took a tour of Maple Grove Cemetery courtesy of the Hancock Historical Museum. Each year, the museum has people dress in period clothing and they recite by lamplight the lives of some of the more interesting individuals buried out there by the freeway. Not scary, but quite interesting and educational. No hot chocolate at the graveyard, but I whipped out our carton of Hershey's cocoa once we got back home. Yummy. If we go to this next year, I'm bringing a thermos.

What's your favorite cold weather drink?

Vino's the Sequel

Hey, check out the beefcakes at the old hamburger joint!  Then check out the sign which, if you can't read it, states "Vino's Italian Restaurant coming soon." Oh you betcha, Vino's is indeed returning. Finally.

Feeling a little down in the dumps lately from Wall Street fat cats fleeing with all your retirement stash? Anxious about the fact that those damn flu shots make your arm hurt for a day?

Well, at least we have one of our favorite restaurants making a comeback, offering us yet another place to gorge our weary selves on pasta and wine.

After a 1-year plus hiatus, the restaurant will be reopening at 806 N. Main St., home of the old Hardee’s restaurant and short-lived Pete’s Grill.

Roman R. Zaruzua, a manager at Mi Tequila on Tiffin which Vino’s owners also own, said the projected reopening will be "the first week of December."

Remember the chicken marsala? That warm multigrain bread with the olive oil for dipping? That will all be back, all but a few things like the New York strip steak, Zaruzua said. Prices will be higher, but that's to be expected.

Renovations on North Main Street have been underway for several weeks.

Zaruzua claimed rent prices are what have taken the Dolce Cabana, Ltd. company so long to relocate their Italian dream made possible by Mexican chefs. That’s why Vino’s left its first home in the strip mall behind Golden Corral, in the old Wooly Bully’s bar. According to Zaruzua, owners looked at existing buildings, from the sunset-painted Kona Grill to the old Lone Star Steakhouse, both on Tiffin. He said one place, which used to house a chain pasta place, wanted $10,000 per month.

The company was also waiting for the right location. It was found at the old Hardee’s, with Washington Elementary no longer existing, the University of Findlay nearby, and a high enough elevation to hopefully keep it dry during floods. Owners will also have the option to buy the building if they wish.

At the Sept. 16 council meeting, Vino’s was approved without contest for its liqour license.

"We just had to wait for the right time, the right location" for Vino's to reemerge, said Zaruzua.