Savour Sylvania to kick off

Restaurant week should solve what's for dinner

Shakel Khan, right, laughs with Susan Stoner, both of Ottawa Hills, over dinner at Treo Restaurant in Sylvania. Treo, along with many other Sylvania establishments, will participate in 'Savour Sylvania' from August 17-23.

What’s for dinner?

Don’t worry about it during restaurant week.

Savour Sylvania, cooking in the community from Aug. 17 to Aug. 23, coincidentally comes on the heels of the Toledo area water ban that shuttered the doors of local restaurants for at least two days.

“Restaurant week didn’t have anything to do with the water ban. We started planning this six or so months ago. But the timing could not have been better,” said Terry Kretz, district manager for Mainstreet Ventures restaurant group.

The Ann Arbor restaurant group manages Ciao! and Revolution Grille, both two of more than a dozen restaurants participating in the event organized by the Sylvania Area Chamber of Commerce and Sylvania Township and City restaurants. During the week restaurants will offer food at scaled-back prices.

Mr. Kretz, Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Pat Nowak, and George Mancy, co-owner of the Mancy Restaurant Group and Mancy’s Italian Grill on Monroe Street, started to brainstorm about food events that gave back to the community, and thus restaurant week was born.

“We wanted to do something for Sylvania and highlight the good things,” Ms. Nowak said.

The “good things” include its eclectic mix of eateries, from modern fine dining like Element 112 to a Toledo icon Tony Packo’s, both part of the food week.

Too, Sylvania’s food stars are participating in a benefit preview party that pairs edible creations with balanced wines. Tickets are $35 per person and $65 per couple. Mr. Kretz said participating restaurants are cooking gratis, with ticket proceeds funding a culinary scholarship. The preview party kicks off restaurant week and will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Sunday at the Historic Train Barn, 5717 Main St.

Participating restaurants also include those Treo, Eston’s Bakery, and Charlie’s Homemade Pizza and Italian Cuisine, and more.

Ms. Nowak said at least 250 people are expected to attend. Tickets are available at the chamber through Wednesday. For information call 419-882-2135 or visit the chamber Web site at sylvaniachamber.org.

Besides the food, grazing at one of the participating restaurants or any restaurant will help them recover from the losses suffered during the water ban from the algae-related toxin microcystin found in Toledo’s water supply earlier this month.

Ms. Nowak estimated the losses to Sylvania area restaurants to be upwards of $1 million and possibly more.

“It has to be close to that or more, when you consider that Sylvania city and township has at least 150 restaurants,” she said.

While restaurant week wasn’t planned around the incident that halted local businesses, she said restaurant week is a perfect time to “rally around the restaurants.”

Contact Natalie Trusso Cafarello at: 419-206-0356, or ntrusso@theblade.com, or on Twitter @natalietrusso.