Columbus Monthly / September 2010 / Designated drivers for hire

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Designated drivers for hire

Easton’s newest

KDB (Kitchen, Den and Bar) has scooted into the space formerly occupied by GameWorks, which closed in March along with a string of its other locations around the country. The 37,000-square-foot KDB, which opened after renovation in late July, boasts a restaurant with an everything-made-from-scratch menu that can seat up to 250 people and two bars—one upstairs and one down—with 32 beers on tap, says general manager Adam Kleinhenz.

Also there are several banquet and birthday rooms and a screening space—the “Man Cave,” according to Kleinhenz—outfitted with Xbox 360s and PlayStation 3s, each hooked up to the Internet so players can compete against anyone in the world.

A majority of the arcade games that embodied GameWorks remain in place, however, an emphasis has been added on redemption games—those that give tickets to players who then exchange them for prizes. (There are much more adult-oriented prizes, as well, such as cappuccino machines, speakers and other high-end electronics.) A sport-watcher’s heaven, the bars have LCD televisions in just about every possible line of sight, including a giant screen consisting of nine TVs that can split into smaller screens to show multiple games at once.

Ron Lam, formerly the CEO of GameWorks, now serves as managing partner for Trifecta Management, the California-based developers of KDB, a concept he says is going to borrow somewhat from his former business and expand upon it. “I think it’s amplifying what they had,” says Lam, adding that his target customers are social adults and families. Kleinhenz echoes Lam as he shows off the upstairs martini bar, made to resemble a cozy neighborhood pub that overlooks the main floor. “Mom and Dad can get a drink and let their kids loose,” he says.

On draft, KDB offers selections from Great Lakes and Columbus Brewing Company, among numerous others. Happy hour is 4 to 7 pm Monday through Friday and includes half off appetizers, domestic drafts, well drinks and video game play. Additionally, KDB offers a lunch special, where from 11 am to 2 pm Monday through Friday, patrons can get a lunch entrée, drink and a $5 game card for $9.99. Hours of operation—including the kitchen—are 11 am to midnight Sunday through Thursday and till 2 am Friday and Saturday.

—Ben Zenitsky

DD for hire

Arthur Simanovsky and Alexa Milkovich want you to get home safely from the bars. In fact, they want to make sure you and your friends get to the bars in good shape too. The business partners, who met in high school, started BeMyDD in their hometown of Cleveland to provide party-, bar- and club-goers with an alternative to cabbing it. Their motto says it all: “We drive your car, so you don’t have to.”

The duo, which planned to expand their operation to Columbus in August, offers two types of services. The first is a designated driver who picks up customers in their own cars. “We’ll take you wherever you want,” Simanovsky says, adding they’ll get friends, hit whatever bars or destinations are desired and drop everyone off at the end of the night. The driver, meanwhile, stays with the customer’s car the whole time for a flat rate of $12.50 an hour.

The other is a pickup service. For $25, a driver will be dropped off at a club to take customers and their friends in their own car wherever is needed for $2.95 per mile for the first 10 miles and $1.50 per mile after that. (Another BeMyDD driver follows behind to get the driver afterward.)

All drivers are fully insured and at least 25 years old. BeMyDD can be reached at (877) 823-6933. The lines stay open until 11 pm Sunday through Thursday and until 3 am Friday and Saturday, but pickup can occur 24 hours a day once a reservation is made. For more information, visit bemydd.com.

The mixologist

For many, bartending is little more than a job that pays the bills. For others, it’s a profession, even an art form. Cris Dehlavi fits firmly into the latter category.

Originally from Tucson, Arizona, Dehlavi has been a mixologist at M—the Cameron Mitchell restaurant at Miranova, 2 Miranova Pl.—for eight years. In July, she won an intense competition at Mozaik Modern Lounge & Tapas (51 Vine St.) that pitted her against other local crafters to see who could make the tastiest, best-looking and most-creative cocktails. The five-week event was modeled off the Food Network show “Chopped,” in which four competitors battle through three rounds (with one getting eliminated at the end of each) to make the best dish using a batch of secret ingredients they’re given right before the clock starts. Up against stiff competition and some fairly stiff drinks, Dehlavi emerged victorious with a final-round dessert cocktail that incorporated a mouthwatering meringue she made on the spot from scratch to complement a secret ingredients list that included Cîroc Red Berry Vodka, pistachio ice cream, toasted almonds and Pimm’s Cup. (Full disclosure: I was one of the judges.)

Her prize is an all-expenses-paid trip for two to Las Vegas.

During her interview with Columbus Monthly, she spoke from a hotel room in New Orleans, where she was participating in the annual Tales of the Cocktail festival (basically the Arnold Sports Festival of the liquor world), working as an apprentice for and representative of Cointreau liqueur. “I’m basically at their mercy,” Dehlavi said of the brand. “It’s work, but it’s very cool work, and the networking here is amazing.”

Before the “Chopped” competition at Mozaik, Dehlavi said she practiced by experimenting with different ingredients, flavors and combinations. “I was looking for any secret weapon, any cool trick that I could do,” she said.

“She always has great poise and presence behind the bar,” says former Martini Park bartender Brandon Bowsher (himself featured in “After Dark” in the December 2009 issue), who promoted the event. “She knows exactly what she’s doing. Even if she’s working with a product she’s not familiar with, she gets familiar with it real quick.” It’s an attribute, he says, that distinguishes the mixologists from the bartenders.

Bowsher, now with BSquared Entertainment, says a second cocktail competition, “Spilled,” is set to begin at Mozaik on Sept. 12. Dehlavi and the other three finalists will once again compete. “My strategy is to be prepared,” she says. “Also, stay calm and never let them see you sweat.”

—Ben Zenitsky