Gourmet Food in the City of Green

by ,

Dining

Treat your taste buds to the City of Green's local eateries

Green’s rural roots have given rise to a fine-dining revolution along the Massillon Road corridor. From gourmet burgers to French cuisine, the city’s restaurants bring culture and history to the table and top it with impeccable taste. Sate your appetite for something new at one of these Green dining options.

The Twisted Olive

5430 Massillon Rd.  |  330-899-0550  |  www.thetwistedolive.com

  • Chef de Cuisine: André Silva

Putting a surprise “twist” on classic dishes is a favorite ambition of chef André Silva. Combining several Italian and American influences to create a menu full of variety, Silva explains the excitement of having guests “try a different entrée that encompasses a dish we are so used to, but prepared in a way nobody [has] had before.”

One of those timeless selections that has popularized is the Crispy Brussels Sprouts. Lightly seasoned with salt and pepper, and with a combination of truffle honey, bacon, and Parmesan, the sweetly crisp flavor of this dish has patrons praising something they once loathed. “The best part is when people say, ‘I always hated Brussels sprouts but I love [them] here,’” Silva says. “To me, that is the highest compliment we can get; how we are able to change the mind or taste of somebody that hated a vegetable since they were a child.”An equally unexpected menu item that keeps both the kitchen staff and patrons entertained pairs well with the scrumptious Brussels sprouts. The Roasted Whole Rainbow Trout is just as colorful and inventive as its name suggests. Prepared whole with tail and head, or modified if requested, this flavorful fish adds a dramatic element to the meal. “It is my favorite dish right now. Every time we sell one I can’t get over the fact of how something so simple and natural can look so beautiful on the plate,” Silva observes. “That simplicity of it is what makes it so beautiful.”

Basil Asian Bistro

4195 Massillon Rd.  |  330-915-6853  |  www.basilasianrestaurant.com

  • Head Sushi Chef: Giovanni Acevedo

“ Sushi saved my life,” says Giovanni Acevedo, Head Sushi Chef at Basil Asian Bistro. He grew up in Puerto Rico, the oldest of four sons helping his mother care for his brothers. “Cooking was one of the first skills she showed me,” he says. A lifelong interest in food took root, and once he came to the mainland, he dabbled in many cuisines: French, Italian, Puerto Rican, Caribbean, American.

After working at various restaurants, Acevedo found himself unemployed and desperate. He took a job running a sauté grille at a sushi catering place. The owner launched him into informal sushi training, and Acevedo fell in love with its craft and traditions. “If a cuisine lasts for more than 6,000 years, there’s something special about it,” he says.

In his seven-year tenure at Basil, Acevedo’s creativity has blossomed, taking sushi into unexpected directions. “One of my specialties is frushi—fruit sushi,” he says. “I experiment, mixing citrus fruit with jalapenos or whatnot, adding a fusion of flavors transitioning from sweet to spicy. I like to play around with the taste buds.”

For his “Tie-Dye” creation, Acevedo dyes sushi rice with blueberries and maraschino cherries, arranges it in a soy wrap, fills it with blueberries, strawberries, kiwi and cream cheese, then tops it with sriracha. The result is a spicy-sweet treat that surprises many of his guests. “People who are too timid to try raw fish or don’t like seafood in general, I present frushi,” he says. “I never had a single person hate it.”

Quench your thirst for fun at these area locales

The Bistro of Green

3459 Massillon Rd.  |  330-896-1434  |  www.thebistroofgreen.com

  • Co-Owner and Chef: Roger Stewart

Collaboration and vision is key for chef and co-owner of The Bistro of Green, Roger Stewart. With a wealth of hands-on experience in the kitchens of different specialty restaurants, Stewart is accustomed to learning what works and what doesn’t. The guidance of early kitchen managers sparked his interest in the culinary field, emboldening Stewart to push himself to the next level. “I had a lot of great teachers along the way.”

Stewart opened the Bistro alongside business partner, Russ Chambers, in 2006 and has crafted an impressive menu that he describes as “Contemporary American.” He notes the menu’s inspiration was drawn from the varied tastes and experiences that go into an international culture of cooking. “With America being a melting pot, we try to infuse dishes and flavors from all over the world.”Stewart cites the Bistro’s Sea Scallops as an ideal blend of these different flavors. Buttery scallops arranged over a bed of roasted red pepper risotto provide not only a savory meal, but an eye-catching one as well. Arborio rice is reduced through several applications to a slightly al dente quality while the roasted pepper purée is slowly added. Meanwhile, scallops are seared to perfection with EVOO and an in-house seasoning blend of specialty spices. Silky smooth lemon beurre blanc is added to the plated dish to enhance richness. “At that end, it gives this bright, orange color that is really appealing, as well as a great flavor from the different textures,” Stewart says.

Menches Brothers Restaurant and Pub

3700 Massillon Rd.  |  330-896-2288  |  www.menchesbros.com

  • Co-Owner and Menu Designer: Linda Aleman

It’s no idle claim: At a county fair in 1885, two brothers ran out of pork for the sausage sandwiches they were selling, substituted ground beef, and voila: the hamburger was invented. So goes the story Linda Aleman, ninth great-grandchild to Charles Menches—one of those inventive 19th century brothers—used to take to show and tell in school. When others laughed or disbelieved, she dug in. “No, really, it’s a true story,” she says. “It’s our great family heritage.”

Aleman now designs the menu for her family’s Menches Brothers Restaurant in Green, which features 50 incarnations of the hamburger. One of their most popular is #23: The King James Burger.

“ We even loved LeBron when he made his decision to leave for two years,” Aleman says of herself, her husband and her two sons. “When he decided to come back, we were beyond excited.” The day after his decision was announced in July of 2014, Aleman brainstormed a recipe fit for a king. “I wanted it to be as hot as LeBron is,” she says. “I wanted an icon burger.” With crispy onions, bacon, Ragin’ Cajun sauce, jalapenos and pepper jack cheese, the #23 is certainly hot, maybe even play-offs hot. “I threw everything into it, like he gives everything to his fans and his family.”

Whether the claim of invention is valid or not, the Menches Restaurant legacy lives on in Aleman and her siblings today. And like LeBron, she is all in.

35° Brix

3875 Massillon Rd.  |  330-899-9200  |  www.35brix.com

  • Executive Chef: Jonathan Strohl

Jonathan Strohl had a meteoric rise through the ranks at 35° Brix. He hired in as a line cook, was promoted to sous chef then executive sous chef, and has been running the kitchen as Executive Chef since September. And it’s no wonder, given his associate’s degree in culinary arts from famed Le Cordon Bleu Institute of Culinary Arts in Pittsburgh. Originally from Ellet, Strohl enjoys contributing to the French-American fusion flavors on the Brix menu.

One colorful selection that Strohl enjoys concocting almost as much as guests enjoy eating is the Calabrese Chicken. “The chicken is dredged in seasoned flour and pan-seared,” he describes. “[That] builds what’s called a fond in the bottom of the pan. When we deglaze the pan with wine, all the fond comes up off the bottom of the pan and builds up the flavor into the sauce.” That sauce goes over the chicken, which sits atop a bed of risotto with garlic mushroom broccolini and parmesan, making this a rich, complex dish. “There’s a lot going on; it’s definitely a heavy French influence,” Strohl says. “The risotto is creamy and rich, and the pan sauce marries everything together.”

As delightful as the original recipe is, Strohl says he is always happy to alter it to meet a guest’s specifications, like substituting salmon for the chicken breast. “We’re always happy to do what the customer wants.” And while the restaurant’s name comes from their signature ice wines, he recommends pairing this dish with a pinot noir.