We’re aiming for your taste buds

Introducing Brian Fry ...

Introducing Ross Morrone ...

Introducing the Burger Boys ...

Several weeks back, when I had to explain the end of a few comic strips, I promised that we were about to introduce some new features that we think you’ll like.

That started last week with the start of the Burger Boys.

Officially, they’re known as the Mahoning Valley Burger Review Board. It’s Niles resident Jerry Tranovich’s bunch of burger enthusiasts who hit a local burger joint once a month — relishing in the restaurant’s dedication to the classic American meal.

They’ve been at it for two years and are finally finding a home in The Vindicator. They debuted this past Wednesday when they showcased The Lake Tavern in Mecca.

They are the first of some new offerings of ours to your newspaper.

That same Wednesday Food page that debuted the Burger Boys last week will showcase Brian Fry this week.

Brian is a Valley wine aficionado who also has a passion for a good beer. He’s been in the beverage industry for years and is currently the wine director for The Youngstown Club.

Brian will launch our feature, Drink, which will focus on our interests in good coffee, tea, wine and beer — and the best places in the Valley to enjoy a good dose of any of them.

Following up on Brian’s heels will be Ross Morrone, a confessed foodie. He’s also pretty good with video and the Internet.

If you go on Youtube and look up Catullo Prime Meats, you will see Ross doing a pretty good version of his own Food Network-type show with pal Danny Catullo.

Ross will be the third part of our revamped food page as he showcases twice per month some of the Valley’s favorite restaurants and signature dishes.

The special setup for all these writers is that we plan for them to connect with you once a month in a traditional newspaper format. But we also plan to equip them and you all with the ability to discuss burgers, drink and restaurants all the time on Vindy.com.

That will slowly works its way into existence over the next few weeks on Vindy.com.

We have plenty of important and critical news issues going on in the Valley, and we work hard to provide you with that vital information.

But all of us also seek to enjoy life, and one of our central gathering topics that we all share is a love of good food and good drink at good places.

We are thrilled to introduce to you a new way to showcase Valley food at its best.

There will be a couple of more new additions to The Vindy in the coming weeks. If you’re interested in shale-gas coverage and also crime and cops, you’ll want to stay tuned.

Adding the new food features will not result in the loss of great recipes that we previously had showcased on Wednesdays. Those will keep a home on Wednesdays as well.

We’re keeping the tradition while adding some fun. The reaction on the Burger Boys’ Facebook page was strong last week, as was the interest even in our newsroom — “Hey — The Lake Tavern ...” was heard a few times.

When Brian debuts this week with his first wine feature, he will be at a celebrated Liberty place.

Ross is setting his first taste sites just east of Youngstown.

And we hope you’ll fix your taste sites on The Vindy.

Todd Franko is editor of The Vindicator. He likes e-mails about stories and our newspaper. E-mail him at tfranko@vindy.com. He blogs, too, on vindy.com.