If you are a connoisseur Italian food, Nicola brings the taste of authentic trattoria locally, and they happily accommodate veganizing their delicious offerings upon request. There is an abundance of fresh, organic, premium produce to work with on the menu that can meet the needs of vegans, gluten­free and other allergies people may need to negotiate. I’ll be very interested to see what kinds of creative vegan desserts they develop. They can also provide a creative opportunity for a group (up to 80 people), such as a special event wine and dinner pairing, or speaker platforms and film screenings. I’m looking forward to organizing a Vegan meet­up with them as they were quite enthusiastic about accommodating our rapidly growing community. Restaurants that are interested in serving vegans may want to discover the amazing nut (walnut, almond, or macadamia), legume (cashews) or seed (coconut) based cheeses and/or creams that can be created. Fresh, quality ingredients made from scratch add that divine decadence and joy to foods that are never quite achieved with convenient processed/packaged plant versions and, of course, sans the cruelty, unsustainable inefficiency, artery clogging and toxic contaminant bio-magnification that are inherent in the animal­ based versions. Nocola is located at 4740 Reed Road, Upper Arlington. Monday ­ Thursday 5-­9 Dinner| Friday ­ Saturday 5-­10 Dinner Happy Hour Monday ­ Friday 4:30 ­ 6:30 Closed Sun. http://www.nicolacolumbus.com Eriyah’s Favorites: Broccoli and mushroom risotto and veganized bruschetta