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New Columns appear each Tuesday. 11JUL06 Doral Chenoweth writes about the business of restaurants and the food industry in the Columbus, Ohio, Metro area. Reader comments are welcome by telephone. 614-538-1822. Email the Grump: thegrumpygourmet@wowway.com Send USA restaurant questions to: USADiningNetwork@wowway.com Send food stuff here: iPLATE@grumpygourmetusa.com Send weird stuff here: alferd_e_packer@wowway.com E-mail messages must include name and telephone for a reply. |
 The Grumpy Gourmet's most pleasant annual assignment has come to an end. The Slyder recipe contest has ended. Sad. |
11JUL06 After Lo These Many Years, True Creativity Fades Away Fifteen years of Slyder creativity is coming to an end. White Castle's fun recipe contest calling for use of bunches of Slyders is to be no more after August. Deb Cline, White Castle spokesperson, said the affair was not budgeted for next year. The final judging to find the 10 best from more than 300 entries already in the box will be handled by the hospitality department of Columbus State Community College. Judging works like this: Dean Kobler and staff of CSCC sift thru the pile of recipes sent in from across the nation. The final 10 will be prepared. Tasting by the students follows. And the final result will appear in this column sometime next month. So, say goodbye to variations of turkey stuffing, bakes and dips using Slyders. Sad, considering this is the 85th year for the Columbus-based burger chain. All is not lost. Slyder recipes from all the 14 previous years have been published. And the fun corporate history of the Slyder is in most book stores. For information, e-mail clined@whitecastle.com. |
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Here's a Needed Service Talk about a true need in the restaurant business, dig this. For all the people who totally avoid public restrooms, Sparkling Image has arrived. The firm cleans public toilets. Beyond toilets in gas stations, restaurants collectively have to be the worst. The reasons are understandable. Restaurant restrooms get heaviest traffic during peak business hours. Secondly, they are unattended, unlike many of the fine dining venues in London and Paris. Example: The fifth level Tea Room at Harrod's in London tends to have two attendants in each gender facility on duty during peak hours. Major department stores in London always have one attendant on duty. In Columbus, name one eatery with such a service. The next best thing to staffing a restroom has to be Sparkling Image. The first, now in the second year in Columbus, does deep cleaning - nooks, corners, floors, grout lines, vents, urinals and under toilet rims. If you've been to Polaris Grill, I-71 and Polaris Parkway, feel safe to use the facility. Another frequent customer - PF Chang's at Easton. The Old Bag of Nails spots with porky cousin, Pig Iron BBQ, are, one might conclude, Sparkling. Sparkling Image does have other accounts. They service bowling alleys, ice rinks, car dealerships, stores, warehouses and offices. For information, call Bob Rohlfing, 614-792-9663. |
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Betty Dotson Departs Clarmont Fifty three years tableside at The Clarmont ended two weeks ago for one of the most familiar faces in the restaurant. Betty Dotson, a West Virginian who came to the big city for all the right reasons, has retired. Dotson came aboard a couple or three years after Frank Kondos opened the German Village restaurant. It was the city's premier steakhouse from opening day. She was there when the late Barry Zacks decided to get into the restaurant business and bought the place. His major attempt to change the place: He gave his cooks a recipe for tartar sauce. Zacks lifted it during a trip to San Francisco. It was made with potatoes. Change. It didn't float. Dotson lived through that little change. Her third owner, Bill Bigelow, didn't change a thing. When he sold to Thom Coffman, Coffman also avoided change. One Coffman small change, later, was to drop a 50-year practice of adorning all dinner plates with a garnish of kale. Dotson lived through that earthshaking change. For her regulars, let it be known - Betty Dotson is in good health. She said she just wanted to see the outside world a bit more. by Doral Chenoweth 614-538-1822 |
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