Festival of India promises variety of foods

Regional Indian foods will be featured at the Festival of India 2005 when it is held Friday, Saturday, and Aug. 7 at the Hindu Temple of Toledo, 4336 King Rd. in Sylvania. Attendance of 800 is expected.

In keeping with the Hindu custom of vegetarianism, There is no meat and no alcohol, says Jay Jindal, spokesman for the event. It is really a cultural festival with food, music, religious ceremonies, and a market with clothes, jewelry, and Indian DVDs.

Tandoor restaurant will prepare North Indian foods for a dinner at this year's Festival of India.

On Friday, a catered North Indian dinner prepared by Tandoor restaurant will be featured at 7:30 p.m. following a religious ceremony. The menu will include the curry mattar paneer made with homemade cheese and peas; channa masala (chick peas), and roti, a flat bread-like pita that is baked in clay ovens. In addition raita (yogurt with cucumber and potatoes), a bean main dish (daal) made with lentils and black beans, basmati rice, and rice pudding will be included.

The cost is $10 for adults and children over 12; $5 for children 5 to age 12 and university students, and free for children under age 5.

Food vendors will be featured from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday. Among the foods will be samosas, lemon rice, and fried dessert called jalebi from Deepam of Sylvania. Southfield, Mich., caterer Ruchi will sell South Indian foods of rice pancakes with coconut mint chutney and lentil soup. Ashoka, a Canton, Mich., restaurant, will feature snack foods called chaat. Ava s Kitchen of Sylvania will have bhaturas fried bread with channa (chick peas). Included in the wide variety of ice cream will be Indian-style ice cream called kulfi with pistachios. It s high in butter and cream, says Arun Agarwal, festival coordinator.

Jewel of India will provide the Sunday buffet at 1 p.m. with Indian lentil daal soup, mixed vegetable curry, and aromatic rice.

Information: See www.toledo- temple.org/utsav2005.

Irish food

When the Dublin Irish Festival is held Friday, Saturday, and Aug. 7 in Dublin, Ohio, Irish music, culture, and food will be featured. Among the foods are: corned beef, bangers (sausages), fish sandwiches, mushy peas at Kilbane s Fish & Chips, a London broil sandwich at Tropical Breezers, Irish lamb stews in a bread bowl at Whole World, and Irish potato cakes at Hey Hey Bar & Grill.

Jack Derrig of Livonia, Mich., The Irish Baker, has been coming to the festival since 1994. He sells breakfast following Sunday Services (Catholic masses in English and Gaelic and an interdenominational service) as well as corned beef sandwiches, bangers and mash, scones, shortbread, and coffee and tea.

All vendors have their own pricing.

There is also an Irish Tea Room selling baked goods and teas of Ireland, according to Mary Jo DiSalvo, spokesman for the event. That tent is organized by the Daughters of Erin.

Hours are 5 to midnight Friday, 10 a.m. to midnight Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Aug. 7. Cost is $8 at the gate for adults. Dublin is located northwest of Columbus off I-270 at exit 17A. To purchase tickets online, see www.dublinirishfestival.org. Information: 1-877-67 GREEN.

Halibut featured

Real Seafood Company at The Docks will have a Halibut Fest through Aug. 15. Daily lunch and dinner halibut specials will feature appetizer, entrees, and salads.

Preparation methods will include broiling, pan frying, baking, roasting, smoking, and sauteing. Featured recipes are created by Simon Pususich, executive chef of Mainstreet Ventures, the management company of the specialty restaurants in the Detroit area, Toledo, and Charleston, W.Va..

Regional specialties

While professional drivers comprise a substantial portion of the core business of Travel Centers of America, the network of full-service travel centers and heavy truck repair facilities in North America decided to develop menu items that would appeal to local residents and pleasure travelers.

After testing 50 new concepts, new menus offer versions for the Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Southwest, and Northwest parts of the United States. Dishes include Yankee pot roast, Southern fried chicken, charbroiled hamsteak and cinnamon apples, chicken & cheese enchiladas, and grilled chipotle salmon. New regional soups and desserts feature chicken gumbo, baked potato soup, tortilla soup, and cobblers, including blackberry, pecan, peach and Hot Fudge Devil s Food Cobbler.

Travel Centers of America s headquarters is in Westlake, Ohio.