Wait and sea
The once-frumpy Clintonville dining scene continues to grow and diversify.
The latest restaurant to call the neighborhood home is Rodos Mediterranean Grill, set to open in a month or so at 3365 Indianola Ave.
Erion Permeti, who owns Rodos with Claudio Pali, said the place will specialize in foods from the north Mediterranean rim: France, Italy, Greece and Albania (technically north of the sea).
Permeti said he will start mostly with pickup and carryout dishes from the 1,400-square-foot space, which will have five tables and bar seating when COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.
He said he wants to acquire a liquor license, but that would require a vote by the community to turn that district wet.
Vine country
It seems everything has gone digital these days — including wine tasting.
Napa Kitchen + Bar, which emerged from a short remodeling project with a change in name from the Wine Bistro, will offer its first virtual interactive wine tasting at 7 p.m. Thursday with Idlewild Winery’s owner and producer, Sam Bilbro.
Napa Kitchen + Bar, 925 N. State St. in Westerville, opened Thursday with a broader menu, fuller bar offering and larger wine inventory. With other locations in Dublin and Cincinnati, it is part of City Brands, an offshoot of local developer Metropolitan Companies.
The streaming wine-tasting program is in response to COVID-19 social distancing rules. A monthly wine feature will offer select vineyards and wine, charcuterie-board options available for carryout and delivery, and the link to join the session live.
City Brands is still the operator of Wine Bistro location across central Ohio.
Dublin: Hola, El Vaquero
El Vaquero Mexican Restaurant, with its wide-ranging menu of Texmex dishes, has opened at 6549 Perimeter Drive in Dublin.
It joins 10 other El Vaquero locations in central Ohio and is the second in the Dublin area.
Dispatch restaurant reporter Gary Seman Jr. can be reached at onrestaurants@dispatch.com.