It was an evening to enjoy good company and excellent cuisine. I'm talking about dinner at the Lodge in Hide-A-Way Hills Restaurant and Micro Brewery. The ambience set the mood for a most enjoyable evening with one of the best meals and glass of wine I have ever experienced.

Kim Sauer, manager, has turned the Lodge into one of Hocking County's most popular sites for dining. Changes in the menu and hiring Katie Poff as executive chef are two of the many improvements to the establishment.

Poff is a graduate of Hocking College Culinary Arts School, with an associates degree. She did her internship at Ramada Inn, Nelsonville, under supervision of Check Mike Buyer. Poff is also a member of the American Culinary Federation.

I would say Sauer had the right idea when she hired Poff. Poff brings a lot of fresh ideas to the Lodge by offering a variety of some of the finest dishes prepared in Hocking County.

the menu is awesome. You can choose from meat and fish to a variety of pasta, appetizers, sandwiches and even pizza. All entrees are accompanied with a choice of two side dishes including onion rings, french fried, vegetable of the day, sweet potato, baked potato, cole slaw or hash browns.

I chose a crab cake as my appetizer. it's not the usual crab cake, so to say. This had a zest, one might even say a zing to it. Spicy, but not too spicy. Just enough to peak your interest as to what the surprise ingredient may be. i pondered on this for a bit and decided it had to be cayenne. I called for the chef to see if indeed it was cayenne that put that extra little "bam" in the crab cake and sure enough it was. The crab cake was browned to perfection with a tint of redness from the cayenne. it was one of the best crab cakes in Hocking County and compares high on the list with others I have tasted on the oceanfront restaurants. i would have to rate this number one appetizer for the Lodge.

being that I love fish, i then chose the honey-glazed salmon, pan seared for my entree. Along with my salmon came a baked potato, vegetables, and a house salad with homemade raspberry viniagerette dressing. the dressing was smooth and creamy and was like icing on the cake. . .the best part. I love raspberry vinaigrette dressing and every time I get a chance I order it to compare with others I have tasted. The combination of the spices and raspberries went hand in hand to make this dressing mouth watering delicious.

When my salmon was delivered it was too beautiful to eat. I sat and stared at the salmon, which was a honey glazed filet topped with homemade chutney. There is a saying . . .a picture paints a thousand words. Well, if this had been a picture, there would have been more than a thousand words to describe this tantalizing dish.

The salmon was flaky, moist and seemed to melt in the mouth, it was one of those moments you want to savor . . .just let the juices flow in your mouth and absorb every moist morsel. Light and delicate to the taste, the salmon was a good choice for my meal. When I eat any fish I want to savor the flavor. I want to taste the flavor of the fish with the spices and topping such as chutney. However, what I don't want it the strong smell of fish. Chef Poff should be commended for her style of preparing the meal. I rate the Lodge dining as one of the best in Hocking County.

Not only is the food on the top of the list, but the atmosphere and companionship of new friends you meet while dining is worth the trip. If you haven't tried dining at the Lodge, make your reservations today 740-569-7944

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