New location to Columbus
TasteCasters were invited to the newest location of Dunkin’ Donuts to experience the new drinks and several new menu items. This location at 6144 East Main in Reynoldsburg was hosting a fund raiser for the Columbus area humane society and shelter. A portion of the days proceeds went to help out this worthy cause.
The New Sandwiches
We were treated to samples of their flatbread sandwiches and grilled wraps. All the food was tasty but the frozen drinks stole the show.
The Coolattas
Need to cool off in this heat? Try one of the Coolattas or design your own. These frozen drinks will hit to spot on a hot summer day. Ask for the piña colada. This drink will be entered into the national manager’s contest in August. We had a taste of this creation and it was just fantastic. Watch the video to hear how it was created.
with Parmesan cheese perfectly baked on the top, providing the right amount of salt to balance the dish. The plate also included toast points which were lightly rubbed with garlic. They were perfect to dip into the extra butter sauce the escargot was resting in.
The desserts were also excellent! The creme brulee was creamy and had a perfect, crunchy sugar crust on top. It was topped with blueberries, which added a nice tangy flavor. The other dessert, the mascarpone pochette, is a lovely pastry was served with fruit and homemade caramel sauce providing a lovely balance of textures and flavors.
Walking up to the Dublin Village Tavern you could immediately sense the Irish influences. Located in historic Dublin and housed in a building built in 1889, the Dublin Village Tavern is a good, casual dining experience in a historical building. When Tim Picciano opened the Tavern in 2000 it was known as a bar that served good alcohol. Today it is know as a restaurant that serves great food!
The Grandview Area Chamber of Commerce 
Roma
Ryan Bauer: While the majority of Taste of the Future was featured outdoors a small section was housed inside. The first section was 
section of Taste The Future. I had nine fantastic eats to try: Limited Brands,
Sara Barton
mission to sample all restaurants. However, I have to admit that I had fair share of tasting. My favorites from the “yellow section”: Friendship Village of Columbus offered a gourmet selection. I loved their grilled spicy pineapple skewers! Reminded me of a trip to Costa Rica! All Around Columbus Catering served a wonderful Caribbean Curry Chicken. Starting to detect a theme. Who wouldn’t love the Scallops at Bravo! The Italian Kitchen? Honestly, I took two Shrimp Skewers from The Brewers Yard Bristo at Krogers. No wasting here! I had no idea that Krogers had something so wonderful! For Desert, Giant Eagle offered a variety of treats, Jeni’s (who doesn’t love their ice cream?) and Nank Bakery and More bakes a mouth watering Baklava!
Lisa Foster: Taste the Future had more than just opportunities to eat amazing food. There was also a lot to learn from the chefs at each establishment. 
Stop by and mention TasteCasters, and Ava will give you a free mini cupcake through closing time on Friday, August 7th. Ask for the Mexican Chocolate, which was a favorite among the TC team – it’s a smooth blend of chocolate, cinnamon, and chili.
course. Other choices are Loaded Baked Potato Bites, Bob Evans Wildfire Chicken Quesadilla, County Fair Cheese Bites and Itsy Bitsy Sandwiches (pickles add texture and taste). You can’t go wrong with any of these. They combine ingredients with “harmonizing flavors”, Brian Murphy, Executive Development Chef, says that is the key to fabulouse cuisine. All menu items utilize ingredients and spices that don’t overpower one another. Chef Murphy described the items with enthusiasm & excitement. One can only assume that he puts those emotions into his creations.
Columbus Tastecasters spent 2 ½ hours Saturday morning at the Crimson Cup Coffee Company Headquarters and production facility. We were treated to a rich sensory and educational experience (yes we learn as well as taste) through the world of coffee and coffee house beverages, courtesy of Crimson Cup’s creative team. Founder & President Greg Ubert gave us an overview of the company’s origins, including some insight into how he decided to locate in Columbus. (It’s where he’s from). We heard from coffee guru Armando Escobar, namesake of Armando’s Blend, about the intricacies of the beans, the blends and the brews. A host of other Crimson Cup coffee experts showed us around the plant and pulled back the curtain on a process that takes green coffee beans from around the world and turns them into a dark, steaming cup o’ joe.
We began with the treat of a made-to-order coffee beverage of our choice. Mine was a hot Vanilla Latte, which was smooth, rich with a satisfying sweetness, well-rounded coffee flavor and comforting vanilla essence. Great way to start the day! From there, we toured the facility, learning about the green coffee beans which arrive in burlap sacks from Sumatra, Costa Rica, Brazil and other coffee growing regions around the world. We heard about the factors that identify a superior grade coffee bean and the importance of the bean quality to the finished coffee product. Crimson Cup uses only Class 1 Specialty Grade beans for its coffee, which are in the top 5% of beans grown around the world. The experts at Crimson Cup are continually testing the beans they receive, so that they consistently have a superior product to distribute to their coffeehouse owners and retail outlets. The production area provides space for some Mr. Wizard-like machinery, including roasting, cooling, flavoring and packaging equipment. Efficiency and ingenuity work in harmony to produce a truly amazing variety of coffee products in a compact, well planned space.
We tried our hands, or rather our noses and mouths, at coffee tasting the way the experts do it. Cupping, as it is called, is done first with dry ground coffee in a cup, which we smelled and compared with another dissimilar coffee in a separate cup. The two coffees we cupped were a Costa Rican and a Sumatran. Hot water is added to the dry grounds and allowed to steep for about 4 minutes, after which we ‘broke the crust’ on the surface of the coffee and smelled the aroma, which is called the wet cupping. The final step is to clear the grounds floating on top of the cup and taste the coffee. This is done by slurping the coffee, loudly, from the spoon into the mouth, tasting it and then spitting it out into a discard cup. You know how your mother told you not to slurp your soup? Yeah, well its kinda like that. Very interesting, and new way to learn about different types of coffee.
We were also treated to a few of non-coffee drinks that Crimson Cup has on the menu. The Frozen Hot Chocolate may be an oxymoron of a name, but it is the frozen drink equivalent of comfort food, with a satisfying Dutch cocoa flavor, creamy coolness and sweet whipped cream on top. Rich & fruity, icy cold smoothies have a clean refreshing taste provided by a product which combines natural fruit in a red tea (rooibos) base. Blended with ice, these smoothies come out with a sweet, intensely fruity rush that really wakes up the taste buds. A must try is the Green Apple, which is served in a cup drizzled with caramel syrup. Yup, its like drinking a caramel apple. Have you had your recommended servings of fruit today? These drinks not only taste great, they are gorgeous to behold. Check out our photos for more mouthwatering details.
