Murray's Cheese at Kroger

The cheese selection at Kroger just got better with a new New York City import.

Three central Ohio Kroger Marketplace stores are going to partner with Murray's, NYC's original cheese shop, to add variety to Kroger's specialty cheese case.

To showcase its first Murray's in the area, Kroger hosted a blogger tasting at the Sawmill Road location this past Thursday. Disclosure: the wine and cheese in the tasting were provided free of charge. I was also given a bag with cheese and the Murray's Cheese Handbook. Like most cheese shops, Murray's will let you taste just about anything in the case.

The event was an introduction to Murray's, its history and its approach to cheese. While this is the first Murray's in central Ohio, others have recently opened near Cincinnati and Dayton.

Murray's organizes its cheeses by flavor (mild to sharp), and then by category (soft-ripened, blue, et al.). There are a ton of classic imports, as well as big-name American cheeses from all over. The Ohio cheese selection is currently limited, but Nathan Aldridge, the manager presenting the tasting, expressed an interest in carrying more as he becomes more familiar with Buckeye State producers.

Despite the local shortcoming, Murray's really does offer a great selection of cheese. Some of the stars of the tasting included the fresh Vermont Butter & Cheese Company's goat cheese, a crumbly, soft mild cheese with a light clean flavor. The fromager d'affinois is a soft-ripened goat cheese with the flavor of triple-cream cheese like St. Andre (it's actually a double-cream) and an unctuous texture that practically runs down your arm. The Pleasant Ridge raw cow's milk cheese had a funky herbal flavor that finished with bright citrus notes. The black label Cambozola is a blue cheese that's mild enough to win over those who hate blue cheese, and complex enough to make moldy cheese fans come back for more.

The staff is extremely knowledgeable about cheeses, as would be expected at an operation carrying Murray's name. They should be able to find a cheese for every palate. Like most cheese shops, Murray's will let you taste just about anything in the case. Vegetarians take note: Murray's lists the enzymes used in all of the cheeses, allowing vegetarians to avoid cheeses made with animal rennet.

While the first Murray's is open in the area, two more should open by year's end. The Brewery District Kroger and the Dublin Kroger on Hospital Drive will look much like the Sawmill location. The Brewery District Kroger might offer a little more cut-to-order cheese than the other two because of its layout.

It will be interesting to see how Murray's fits into the gourmet scene in central Ohio. While Murray's is a high-profile name in the industry, Whole Foods, The Hills Market, Katzinger's, the Giant Eagle Market District and Curds and Whey in the North Market have pretty formidable cheese selections, too. It will make great cheese more accessible to those who live near these Kroger locations, but will the Murray's name and approach be enough to draw people from outside the stores' vicinity who shop at these other area cheese providers?

Akai Hana

Akai Hana is a vegan-friendly Japanese restaurant in the Kenny Centre shopping center, located in the overlapping portions of Columbus and Upper Arlington. Sushi is the main attraction, but there are plenty of other soups, appetizers and entrees available for vegetarians.

The restaurant is tucked back into an unassuming plaza with an international flavor. There is an Asian market, an Indian restaurant, a Thai restaurant, a Middle Eastern bakery and a Japanese bakery within the plaza. Akai Hana is accessible from either of the two parking lots.

Vegetarian starters include edamame, an Asian cabbage salad, miso soup and tofu preparations including agedashi. The miso soup is traditionally understated, and the fresh scallions add a delightful crunch to the satisfying, salty soy broth (Special note: request a vegetarian miso soup; the normal version contains bonito flakes).

The agedashi tofu consists of large tempura-battered tofu cubes served in a seaweed/soy sauce base. The crispy skin and soft, almost molten tofu soak up the savory sauce upon which the cubes rest.

There are a number of different vegetable sushi rolls at Akai Hana. I sampled the garden roll, cucumber roll and avocado roll. The cucumber roll had a nice crunch. The avocado roll was rich and soft. The garden roll is a temaki roll filled with cucumber, carrot, lettuce and radish. It was aesthetically and gustatorily pleasant. The plating of the sushi rolls was very nice.

Lunch specials include miso soup and two rolls for $9 or three rolls for $12.50. Dinner prices are somewhat expensive compared to other sushi joints.

The decor is classic with modern accents. Service is prompt and efficient.

Akai Hana

Tadka

Tadka is a stylish Indian bistro located in the Sawmill/161 area. It is a small chain with four locations, and it is affiliated with another Atlanta export in Columbus, Inchin's Bamboo Garden.

Like most Indian establishments, Tadka offers a bounty of vegetarian menu options. The menu also offers to prepare vegan items on request.

In order to sample the widest variety of food, I tried the lunch buffet. For $10, I got eight vegetarian items and as much plain or buttered naan as a person could eat.

The taste at Tadka is expressed artfully, and the fresh vegetables and sauces are evident in the flavor profile. Service is well-paced and competent (it has been criticized by local media outlets).

The seasonal potato curry on the buffet was divine. It was mildly spicy, and the flavor of corn sweetened the dish up enough to make it sing in perfect harmony.

The daal tadka (a black lentil version of dal makhani) also was well balanced. The lentils provided a firm base for the delicately spicy and creamy curry base, which was flecked with white onion and garlic.

The muttar paneer was a blend of cubed Indian cheese, peas and tomatoes. Paneer is a great protein base for Indian dishes, and it shines brightly in Tadka's muttar paneer.

The sauteed mushrooms were a great savory side. The earthy flavor makes the mushrooms shine.

The fried potatoes were the forgettable part of the buffet. They were baked to the consistency of a new leather shoe, and no amount of mint or tamarind chutney could save the dish from inevitable failure. Both chutneys, while evidently house-made, were unable to save the fried potatoes. The mint chutney tasted fresh, and the tamarind chutney gave great rich, sweet accents to everything they touched.

The buffet is served with rice, chutney, yogurt, a tossed salad, all-you-can-eat naan served at the table and rice pudding. The price is reasonable considering the quality of the dishes. Prices on the dinner menu are more expensive, although not prohibitively so.

Some of the dinner menu items look great. There are a number of traditional Indian dishes in the Northern tradition, and a few Southern dishes as well. The signature dish at Tadka is the biryani.

The closest comparison I can make to another Indian restaurant in Columbus is to compare Tadka to Bayleaf India Bistro in Polaris. The food at both is better than its more inexpensive brethren, and the modern decor at Tadka further elevates the experience. While I give a slight edge to Bayleaf in overall quality, I'll definitely be back to try the dinner menu at Tadka soon. Variety is always a great benefit, and as far as I'm concerned, the more fantastic Indian eateries, the merrier.

Tadka

Blue Ginger

Blue Ginger is the latest pan-Asian hot spot to spring up in Columbus during the last year. Blue Ginger features a multinational menu that jumps all over the Asian continent. There are Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese and Thai dishes on the menu.

The restaurant decor is modern and relatively formal. Blue Ginger serves beer, wine and sake. They have a liquor license pending. The mango saketini was delicious, making me not miss the hard liquor license at all.

I tried the edamame as an appetizer. The simple soybean becomes an addictive treat when it's boiled in sea salt. They call edamame Japanese peanuts for a reason. They are really that good and really that addictive.

The vegetarian sushi plate is one of the best I've ever had. There are a wide variety of different vegetable combinations wrapped with rice and seaweed. There were avocado rolls, carrot rolls, a number of rolls made with pickled vegetables, as well as a lightly fried rice dumpling and a mountain of ginger and wasabi. The presentation made the rolls almost too beautiful to eat. Luckily I closed my eyes, and they went down just fine (picture me smiling, fat and sarcastic).

There are also a number of noodle dishes that can be made with tofu on the menu. Overall, Blue Ginger has a wide variety of vegetarian options, and the food, service and experience are excellent.

Blue Ginger

Whole Foods

I feel like I'm writing about common knowledge here, but Whole Foods makes ridiculously good ready-to-eat vegetarian food. I had seitan enchilada pie (spicy wheat protein with eggplant, red peppers, onions, black olives and cheese), spicy Mexican eggplant, organic Colby cheese and some delicious organic Washington apples for lunch. That's just one of one million different combinations available to be eaten immediately on location or taken home for later consumption. The food bar items list all ingredients, making it simple to address any and all types of dietary restrictions.

All grocery stores should hope to be half as great as Whole Foods. The convenient take-out at Whole Foods now means you don't even have to be able to cook to reap the benefits of your friendly neighborhood organic grocer.

Chile Verde Cafe

Chile Verde is tucked back in a shopping center on the endless strip mall that is Sawmill. The intimate eatery offers carefully prepared Southwestern cuisine.

This restaurant makes food that would be termed Tex-Mex or Southwestern cooking (they call it New Mexican cuisine). What separates them from the competition is the quality of the food. Chile Verde is a big step up from the everyday fast-casual Mexican eateries that permeate (some might say pollute) the nation.

On a hot summer day, few items refresh quite as effectively as gazpacho, a cold tomato soup that screams for warm weather. The Chile Verde version had big chunks of tomato, cucumber and onions. It was a soup of the day, making me glad I chose that day to eat at Chile Verde.

I ordered the veggie burrito with sides of peppered pinto beans and Southwestern mashed potatoes. The small burrito was more than enough with the side dishes included, leading me to believe that the large burrito is the size of a football. It was filled with green peppers, mushrooms, onions and zucchini, topped with melted cheese and a red sauce. The mashed potatoes were skin-on and moderately seasoned. The beans were vegetarian and delicious.

Chile Verde offers margaritas by the glass and pitcher. They feature on the rocks and frozen varieties made with blanco, reposado or añejo tequila, along with beer and Spanish and South American wines. The staff was exceptionally helpful picking out vegetarian items, and the menu offered a variety of appetizers, entrees and side dishes to sate your vegetarian appetite.

Chile Verde

Inchin's Bamboo Garden

Inchin's Bamboo Garden inhabits the realm of P.F. Chang's with a decidedly Indian subcontinental influence. The Atlanta-based chain offers freshly prepared Chinese dishes that are prepared in with richer, spicier Indian undercurrents.

The restaurant is larger than it appears from the outside. The walls display vaguely Asian art work with bright primary colors as a backdrop.

The menu has a large variety of vegetarian options, from soups to salads to appetizers and main courses. Bamboo Garden is also halal for my Muslim brethren.

I started with chili mustard paneer. Paneer is a mild, cubed Indian cheese, and it was made with a mixture of Chinese hot mustard and a spicy red chili sauce on a bed of cabbage topped with scallions and other assorted veggies. It was a great combination of subtle spice and rich mustard with the veggies adding an extra dimension to the flavor.

My main course was Szechwaun tofu. It consisted of fried cubes of tofu made with a spicy, earthy Szechwaun sauce alongside red onions, peas, green and red peppers and mushrooms. The sauce was more flavorful than your typical cookie cutter Chinese joint, and it was spicy, just as they advertised on the menu.

The wine list was well chosen for an Asian restaurant. It isn't spectacular, but there are a few gems available by the glass and bottle. They also feature beer and mixed drinks. I tried the Lychee Pamatini, which was nicely garnished with Lychee fruit but not nearly as delicious as I imagined in my head.

The service was a little inattentive. The server could have made more trips to the table and took an extended time to get the bill out. Having only dined here once, however, I can hardly say this issue is true at all times. Service could have been better, and it definitely could have been worse. I'll give them my Get Out of Jail Free card on this one and hope it improves in the future.

Bamboo Garden