SHAQUILLE O'NEAL - C Magazine / columbusmag.com
SHAQUILLE O'NEAL - C Magazine / columbusmag.com
SHAQUILLE O'NEAL - C Magazine / columbusmag.com
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Photos: Eric WagnEr<br />
the Fare<br />
kitchen’s open Mia Cucina<br />
5525 New Albany Rd. New Albany, OH 43054 (614) 775-0181<br />
WHO<br />
After accumulating six decades<br />
of experience in the restaurant<br />
industry between them, business<br />
partners and friends Vern Blazek,<br />
Jack Illig and Mike Unnone decided<br />
that it was time to open up their<br />
own venue. All three hail from<br />
established, successful Easton<br />
restaurants, but having reached a<br />
crossroads in their careers, they<br />
realized that they wanted to and<br />
were capable of founding and<br />
operating their own independent<br />
restaurant chain.<br />
Mia Cucina, which translates to<br />
the very appropriate “my kitchen”<br />
in Italian, is a family affair for the<br />
QUICK LOOK<br />
Everything you need to know<br />
about Mia Cucina in a single<br />
glance, from menus to hours.<br />
38 C The Columbus magazine HOLIDAY Columbusmag.<strong>com</strong><br />
trio. Blazek and Illig’s wives work at<br />
the restaurant, and executive chef<br />
Unnone’s dishes are inspired by his<br />
Italian grandmother’s recipes.<br />
WHAT<br />
Mia Cucina is what New Albany<br />
desperately needed: an upscale<br />
casual restaurant that is extremely<br />
family-friendly. It’s convenient and<br />
quality, homey and classy. Two<br />
New Albany women, Julie Butler<br />
and Susie Puleri, undertook the<br />
interior design for free, a kind of<br />
J.Crew/Crate and Barrel hybrid,<br />
and it works. Dark browns, creams,<br />
yellows and hints of green abound.<br />
And the food—it’s Italian, but lacks<br />
the kind of heaviness and density<br />
Breakfast/Lunch Lunch<br />
Private Dining Yes<br />
Outdoor Seating Yes<br />
Hours M-Th:11-10, F&Sa:11-11, Su:11-9<br />
The shrimp scampi with sauteed shrimp, fresh garlic, tomatoes and green onions, served with angel hair pasta<br />
that most associate with pasta and<br />
pizza. Chef Mike Unnone uses<br />
fresh, local ingredients and carefully<br />
calibrates each dish to perfection.<br />
WHEN<br />
The restaurant is open for lunch<br />
and dinner every day of the week<br />
except Sunday. Early on a Thursday<br />
night, when the restaurant had been<br />
open for only several weeks, the<br />
parking lot was already packed—a<br />
good indication that New Albany<br />
residents are fans of the new<br />
eatery. Don’t be afraid to linger<br />
in the restaurant, they won’t shoo<br />
you out. Mia stays open until the<br />
last customer leaves. And if your<br />
dinner does be<strong>com</strong>e drawn out, the<br />
TAKE NOTE:<br />
sauces hold up to the test of time.<br />
As our party became distracted by<br />
conversation, the plates of food in<br />
front of us looked just as fresh as<br />
when they had been served to us, an<br />
hour before.<br />
WHERE<br />
Mia Cucina is in the Giant Eagle<br />
Shopping Center off of New Albany<br />
Road. Oddly, it’s one of only a<br />
handful of restaurants in New<br />
Albany. The three co-owners have<br />
expansion on the mind to other<br />
parts of Columbus soon, with a<br />
Dublin or Powell location on their<br />
radars. There’s nothing else like it<br />
in the area, with Easton the closest<br />
locale for upscale-casual dining.<br />
Wonderful Wine Selection<br />
With wallet-friendly prices<br />
Children’s Menu Available<br />
Plus, small portions are available