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February 18, 2007
Cheese and wine and a really good time
The Dilly Deli will be hosting a "Cheese Tasting & Wine Dinner" with B.R. Cohn Winery Monday, Feb. 26.
But this will be a different sort of wine dinner, as befits B.R. Cohn, a Sonoma Valley estate started by the manager of the Doobie Brothers.
With only five wines in their portfolio, this outstanding source of great Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, and Chardonnay represents the independent minds behind the wines perfectly, Dilly Deli owners Chuck and Robbie Warriner said.
From the winery will be Landon Patterson, who will host the dinner which comes in two parts. The first part wil have Landon pairing the wines with several of Robbie's fine cheeses. Then, for part two, the wines will be matched with Chef Eric's inspired offerings:
Crab Salad
Fresh Virginia lump crabmeat, Napa cabbage, Thai basil, and a vanilla aioli
B.R. Cohn Chardonnay Carneros
Kobe Beef Short Ribs
Braised Kobe beef short ribs & wild mushroom & smoked chestnut risotto finished with a dried cherry drizzle
B.R. Cohn Merlot Sonoma Valley
The cheese course/experience will feature these two wines along with the Cabernet Sauvignon (Silver Label), Cabernet Sauvignon Olive Hill Estate, and the new-to-the-market SyrCab. The cost for the cheese tasting and dinner is just $50 per person, all inclusive. It will start with a reception at 6:30 p.m., and sitting down to cheese and dinner at 7p.m. Call us for reservations at 561-5233.
Posted by johnston at 11:11 PM
Tycoons in the area of precision and color
Tycoon Harry’s Grooming for Men has made getting a haircut a work of art.
The men’s grooming salon, located in Mariemont next to the work-in-progress English Pub, prides itself in ensuring males receive great service while being made comfortable in the process.
Tycoons also has the staff in place to cater to every need and request.
Take for instance Tara Evans, a Mariemont High School alum who says she has perfected the haircut. Whereas scissors are the implement of choice for most people who cut hair, Evans’ utilizes numerous tools to get achieve the look that her patrons seek.
“I specialize in precision cutting. I use different tools to perfect my technique. People have different types of hair and many come to me with a photograph of what they want their hair to look like,” Evans said. “I do a lot of Mohawks, a lot of spikes.
She designed and cut one customer’s hair so that she looked like a leopard. Another customer wanted his head to look like a soccer ball, so Tara needed to cut and shave numerous squares on his head so that it appeared a white and black ball was resting on the shoulders of a human being.
Chelsea Mitchell, another Tycoon Harry’s artisan, specializes in hair coloring, highlights, low lights, grey blending, full-body massage and chair massage.
“When I was growing up, I did all the members of my family’s hair. My mother suggested I get a license in cosmetology,” Chelsea said.
Part of Chelsea’s job is consulting with people who have been thinking about getting their hair colored. She wants to see a customer’s natural color and discuss all the options available to them. “I want to make sure my customers get the correct color for them. Plus this helps people feel more comfortable about the decision they are about to make regarding their hair and appearance.
“I will be honest with each customer as to what I think the results of their decision will be or what I believe will be their best option,” she said.
When entering Tycoon Harry’s Grooming for Men – aptly named for the patrons it hopes to attract – males will be able to have their hair cut, receive a scalp massage, a hot towel face and neck treatments, manicures, pedicures, massages, facial treatments and body waxing.
“This is somewhere where men will feel comfortable entering,” owner Jennifer Fetchko said, adding she is aware that many men are shy about having their hair cut in a salon and many more men are afraid – even embarrassed – about inquiring on hair removal.
“I know how it is to walk into a non-inviting salon, or a place that is more worried about being trendy than it is about being accommodating,” she said. “So, I want to create a place where men feel at home.”
To set up an appointment with Tara Evans for a precision cut, call 205-3099; for an appointment with Chelsea for a consultation, to have your hair colored or for a massage, call 300-6246; and for a haircut, facial or hot towel treatment, call Jen at 404-9644.
Posted by johnston at 11:09 PM
February 12, 2007
In retrospect: The Dilly Deli
The Mariemontbuzz.com is honored to have the opportunity to share information and achievements regarding many of the village district's businesses to the rest of the Cincinnati-area. In response to the Dilly Deli's recent global success, here is an erstwhile story on the vilalge bar/eatery the mariemontbuzz.com conducted several months ago.
The wine list rangs from Shafers, Leaping Lizard, Ty Caton and Toasted Herd to Bishop’s Peak, Iron Horse, Conundrum and Cha Cha. Throw in bottles of Barefoot, Erik’s, The Red Toad Hollow and Red Dirt Red and you have only begun to skim the surface of the vast array of wines available at the Dilly Deli.
A customer would have an easier time mapping the stars in the night sky than conducting an inventory on all the brands of beer also on sale.
So it is no coincidence that the Dilly Deli was named amongst the Top 50 beer bars in the country by BeerAdvocate.com, the only establishment in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana to be recognized.
But to call the Mariemont business a “bar” is a misnomer; it is actually an aggregate of a beer, wine, retail store and restaurant, catering to all people of all ages.
“The Dilly Deli is able to draw people to its uniqueness and garners us the recognition of having a good reputation with the customers,” Chuck Warinner, who along with his wife, Robbie, own the establishment, said.
Located 6818 Wooster Pike and adjacent the patio of The Strand, the Dilly Deli was among the first tenants to set up shop in the renovated building in 1996. Approximately 16 months ago Chuck and Robbie added the wine room which now has an ingress and egress facing Wooster Pike. It has been in business in Cincinnati for almost 20 years.
Asked what the best wine available at the Dilly Deli is, both owners shrug their shoulders.
“They all appeal to different people,” Chuck said, adding there many variables involved in a person’s opinion of a good wine and a finer wine. “Basically, it may depend on what type of day it is, the company you are with, the meal you are eating, the weather, your mood ... and so on.”
Ultimately, no matter how confident a person is on their cognizance of wine and its finer qualities, the learning process never ceases.
“We deal with over 20 wine and beer representatives a week. The education is continuous,” Robbie said.
“You can never say you know all there is to know about wine because it changes every year,” Chuck adds.
Like many people with a thirst for becoming a wine conneoisseur, Chuck and Robbie had to start from the beginning.
The two of them did not possess any prior knowledge of wine until they became business owners.
"We just had to start asking questions, studying, tasting, experimenting ..." Chuck said.
The two of them met in college and dated five years before marrying. Chuck was studying to become an engineer and wanted to pursue a career working with the river industry.
"The river industry was undergoing huge recession. I compare my situation to that of an aspiring actor living in Los Angeles," he said, "working in various restaurants just to pay the bills."
Working in restaurants was the foundation that would lead to a revised vocation.
"When this business went up for sale, the two of us decided to purchase," Chuck said. "I guess you can say we were embarked on a certain course."
DYK: The most expensive bottle of wine presently available at the Dilly Deli is regular-sized bottle of “100 Acre Cabernet” for $269.
Robbie said she and Chuck take pride in the fact that every bottle of wine sold at the Dilly Deli is marked up only $4 from its retail price.
DyalsoK: The absolutely most expensive bottle of wine you can purchase from the Dilly Deli is “Domain Romacee-Centi” for $3,300. That bottle of wine, however, is not located within the store; it must be ordered.
With the advent of Spring and Summer’s warm weather, the patio outside the Dilly Deli will be open Wednesday, April 27. There is also live music every Friday and Saturday, ranging from jazz to folk to Celtic and anywhere from solo performances to four-piece ensembles.
For more information on the Dilly Deli, visit their Web site at dillydeli.com or call 561-5233 for more details.
Posted by johnston at 01:47 PM
February 08, 2007
Meet Carol, a Top Drawer expert
The Top Drawer has an entourage of artisans that possess profound precision and patience with needlepoint design.
Take Cathy, for example, who works once a week and claims she wants to stitch everything she sees. She has been working over a year at The Top Drawer, located 6880 Wooster Pike, which specializes in exquisite hand-painted and needlepoint canvasses. The canvasses are then made into pillows, purses, ornaments and various other items.
Cathy has been working with needlepoint since she was a little girl, when a family friend approached her and ,"... saw a girl who needed a hobby.
"Needlepoint gives me a sense of pride when I complete a project because it is proof that I finished something good," Cathy said.
She said that anyone can learn how to needlepoint as long as you have the desire to sit down and give it an honest try.
"What you are essentially doing is stitching pieces of geometric squares in an elaborate formation on a canvass," she said, adding the canvass is like a little painting where you as the artist can add your own artistic flare ... or stitch.
What advice does Carol have for needlepoint novices and professionals?
"Pick the brains of people who have been doing this for years. It is these people from whom you will learn the most."
Top Drawer offers classes for anyone who wants to learn ... or learn more. And it doesn’t matter where you live or how long it takes for you to get to the store - the ladies will teach you.
The Top Drawer has clientele that comes from Cleveland, Columbus, Indianapolis and other places that are miles and miles away.
“One thing about our art is needlepointers seek out needlepoint shops,” owner Sandy McKee said. “Ours is one of the few needlepoint shops in the country.”
For more information regarding the store or when classes begin, call 271-6691 or visit www.topdrawer-needlepoint.com
The store is open 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
Meet some more of The Top Drawer's employees from a story posted ealrier:
Two ladies walked into The Top Drawer with a few questions regarding the current needlepoint canvass project they were presently trying to complete. One of the ladies had made a fiber color and stitching error on her canvass and didn’t know how to remedy the mistake.
Within 10 minutes, Top Drawer employees Dolores Menze and Retta Spreen had pinpointed where the error had occurred and presented a drawn diagram the woman could rely on describing how the intricate stitching design can be followed in easy steps.
The ladies who work at The Top Drawer aren’t just good at needlepoint; they are really good. Not just at the craft of needlepoint but with the knowledge of the craft. Needlepoint is the process of taking selected colored fibers, and there are many, and using a hand-painted guide, pulling and pushing the needle and string through a cloth canvass to replicate the painted image.
There are a handful of employees Sandy McKee, owner of the needlepoint shop, has on hand.
For example, Dolores is McKee’s right-hand woman. Dolores has been working at the store for approximately five years and teaches beginner classes once a month and two or three other classes throughout the year.
“I have been doing needlepoint for about 30 years and used to shop at The Top Drawer all the time; Sandy just up and asked me one day if I would like to work here,” Dolores said.
Although to some people it may look like a daunting task, needlepoint is easy to learn, according to Dolores.
“And I can teach you, but you must be patient because it takes patience. I learned from my grandmother in the 1950s when I was 10. I would just watch her and she showed me how to do it. My sister also became interested and now works at a needlepoint store in Washington D.C. It has become a family affair,” she said.
It appears that “watching” someone meticulously thread fibers through a framed piece of cloth with a diminutive needle is enough to lure one’s desire to try it themselves.
Retta Spreen, also a five-year employee, started doing needlepoint nearly 30 years ago after seeing a friend doing it.
“I was intrigued, so I taught myself how to do it,” Retta said. She had been doing needlepoint for years when McKee also asked her if she wanted to work at the shop. “I now work one day a week.”
Retta didn’t enter the world of needlepoint totally void of any know-how; she had experience with embroidering and able to utilize some of those skills to promote faster improvement on the canvass.
“But I am still learning,” Retta said.
When anyone enters The Top Drawer, albeit novice or professional, they will be met with ladies who can answer questions, offer advice, suggest design ideas, or make orders for specialized needs.
And they are also teachers.
“Because I teach classes, I feel I am good with selecting colors and showing you how to get started. Needlepoint is fun because it is relaxing, it is something you can do while passing time or watching TV or whatever, and when you are done you have a finished product that can be framed, given as a gift, or passed down to your family for ages,” Dolores said.
There are artists all over the country that paint pictures, objects, people, animals, and just about anything you can think of and make it available for people to cross-stitch. It can be anything – from natures scenes to cartoon characters.
The Top Drawer has a group of ladies who come once a month, called Ladies Night Out, and they are a large group of mid-30 year olds who all cross-stitch. They come and socialize, discuss patterns and share techniques. It is much like a book club, and people do the same patterns.
Retta said the most compelling canvass she has ever completed was a scene of Riverfront Stadium. “The artist did the picture for me, which had lots of colors that were changing all the time. I took me a long time, it was very meticulous, but it turned out beautiful.”
She suggests that anyone wanting to plunge into needlepoint take a beginner’s class and get a good book. “And be sure to heed the advice of people in the shop, don’t be afraid to ask questions and as your skill improve take more advanced classes.
Posted by johnston at 04:57 PM