Archive for the ‘In The Neighborhood’ Category
November 21, 2011
It’s a strange thing, I think. My neighborhood houses some of the most creative, passionate and interesting foodies, food writers and food innovators in Columbus. What Clintonville lacks, though, are great dining establishments. It seems that for every Sage American Bistro, Ray Ray’s Hog Pit and Alana’s, we have four or five fast food chains or straight-from-the-GFS-can joints lining our streets. So when food trucks arrived to my part of the city, tipping the fare scale from “boring” and “meh” to “interesting” and “delicious”, our elected officials’ first impulse was to enforce obsolete laws that push them out of our area.
Perhaps The Coop’s location at Cliffside and Indianola is too close to the Clintonville border with Old North Columbus for our legislators to care. Or perhaps relying on the oncoming cold weather was an easier food truck deterrent. (Sound familiar, anyone?) I’m not sure why the relatively new truck owned and operated by Angie Theado seems immune to archaic laws, but I am thrilled to have this truck as a dining option in my neighborhood.
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Tags:Clintonville, Columbus, food trucks, local
Posted in Columbus, Ohio, In The Neighborhood, Shacks, Carts & Trucks, Table Service | 5 Comments »
November 8, 2011
My opinions on restaurant week(s) are similar to those on Groupon and programs of similar ilk. While I enjoy the savings (and the special menus), I think it’s important to patronize the small businesses (and locally-owned restaurants) not only during great deals, but when they’re not offering deep discounts. Simple as that. Nonetheless, I do enjoy the dining programs, because they do give me an excuse to get out and enjoy some of my favorite restaurants during the week and because I get to see said restaurants busy on a Monday evening. Last night, a group of us headed over to DeepWood to experience their $20 three course Dine Originals Week menu. Below are a few pictures of what’s in store for folks who are tempted to do the same.
I chose the ravioli (filled with bacon and leeks) for my starter. The rich filling perfectly complemented the smoky tomato sauce.
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Tags:Deepwood, Dine Originals
Posted in Bargain Bin, Columbus, Ohio, In The Neighborhood, Table Service | 2 Comments »
November 3, 2011
The Subject: Cubano, from Midtown lunch counter Margon.
My first job in New York, as many have been since, was in Midtown, on the periphery of Times Square—a neighborhood I quickly learned to loathe. It’s a toss-up which grated more: The slow-moving groups of tourists, meandering four-abreast down the street, gawking at the sights, or the overpriced-yet-mediocre cookie-cutter midday-meal options, which, no matter the ingredients, all manage to taste pretty much the same. As this was before there was an entire website devoted to avoiding just such establishments, I’d almost resigned myself to a spate of uninspired ten-dollar lunches when a coworker (and Miami transplant) introduced me to blink-and-you-miss-it Margon. Happiness—and weight gain—ensued.
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Tags:Cuban, Midtown, sandwiches
Posted in Bargain Bin, In The Neighborhood, New York City, Sandwich Spotlight, Table Service | Leave a Comment »
October 20, 2011
Jill and I haven’t been shy about discussing our collective obsession with Spanish cuisine in these pages—our love affair with tapas and sangria has been going strong since our inaugural trip together, and it shows no signs of waning anytime soon. Fried chunks of potato doused with aioli, shrimp in sizzling garlic oil, served in a hot cazuela, blistered shishito peppers sprinkled with sea salt, croquetas de jamón (or blue cheese and dates, if we’re feeling fancy)—these are the things of which reveries are made.
But as much as I love those small-plate staples, I’ve always been less than impressed by what may as well be the country’s de facto national dish: paella. (Not that that’s stopped me from wanting to make a great version myself, mind.) After one too many encounters with an underwhelming, blandly seasoned pan of rice, I gave up, mentally categorizing this dish as one that’s great in theory—what’s not to love about seafood, sausage, and garlic?—but fails to live up to its billing in reality. Silly me. Turns out I just hadn’t met the right one yet.
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Tags:Nolita, NYC, paella, Spanish, tapas
Posted in In The Neighborhood, New York City, Table Service | Leave a Comment »
October 14, 2011
Today’s Friday Five could easily have a million titles. Things I Crave Right Now. Things to Eat on a Rainy Autumn Evening. Why Columbus is Delicious. Browse below as you take a trip through my recent culinary adventures in the Capital city.
1. Pho at Buckeye Pho.
The city’s newest pho and bahn mi joint is only a couple of miles from my house, and I couldn’t be happier. Is it as good as my beloved Mi Li Cafe? I’ve only had one visit and feel unprepared to make a verdict. My first encounter was pretty damn good, though.
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Tags:buckeye pho, Deepwood, hot dogs, Knead, lobster, pho, Zen Cha
Posted in Columbus, Ohio, Friday Five, In The Neighborhood, Shacks, Carts & Trucks, Table Service | Leave a Comment »
September 26, 2011
I have a love-hate relationship with brunch, and I often find myself writing a pro/con list in my head on the days that time allows such a luxury. My con list is long. Brunch food is often over-priced. If it’s good (locally-sourced, contains goat cheese and a patio is involved), there’s usually a wait. And there’s the sweat pants factor; by choosing to go to brunch, I’m committing to getting out of bed and moving forward in my day like a real life adult. Going out to brunch means that day-long Mad Men marathons get put on hold, and that I have to brush my teeth and leave the house. (Tell me I’m not alone in this.) And as a rule, the more awesome the brunch place, the farther it is from Clintonville. (Skillet, Katalina’s Cafe Corner, The Worthington Inn.)
There are cons to staying in, as well, though most of them deal with the lack of a bartender to deliver bloody marys and mimosas to my table. (There’s also the clean up process; I end up using every utensil in my house when I make brunch.) And when I dine at home, I’m much more likely to spill French press in my bed (where I’ll retreat post-meal for *just one more* Mad Men episode.)
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Posted in Columbus, Ohio, Home Cooking, In The Neighborhood | 1 Comment »
September 21, 2011
A couple weeks ago, a beautiful Saturday afternoon with absolutely no engagements made itself available. As there’s nothing better than an unplanned day trip, Ben and I decided to go forth and explore. After some discussion of the allures of both Yellow Springs and Granville, we chose the latter. Dawes Arboretum and Brews Cafe both weighed heavily in its favor. (And the promise of the soon-to-come autumn foliage in Yellow Springs turned the either-or conversation into a now-later conversation.)
Our day trip, it turned out, collided with the Hot Licks Bluesfest, so most of our time walking the idyllic streets of Granville was accompanied by live music. We certainly didn’t mind. When I think of Granville, I think of the yearly OEFFA conference held at its high school, and of the city’s fight to provide locally grown products to the children in its education system. I was disappointed not to find a few Casa-like hippie joints to lining the streets. The most advertised option for locally-sourced dining outside of the lunch room was out of our price range. Instead we had a brunch that would be better suited for meheats.com, (an often-talked-about, but yet-to-be-created blog showcasing the best of the meh).
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Tags:beer, Brews Cafe, college town, Granville, Granville Inn
Posted in Columbus, Ohio, Destination: Appetite, In The Neighborhood, Table Service | 3 Comments »
September 14, 2011
I spend a good portion of my professional energy trying to make sure that the image of my place of employment doesn’t come across as “mom and pop.” I remove misspelled signs, try to explain correct apostrophe use to the employees and try (but often fail) to guide uniform standards that not only look clean and sleek, but are also actually worn by the staff. Ironic, then, that my favorite pizza joint in Columbus is full of wrinkles, inconsistencies and oddities. (Though, I must say, no spelling errors or misuse of apostrophes. Cheers, guys!)
Bono Pizza is a restaurant on the side of a beer and wine carryout off of Chambers Road in Grandview. The plates (usually) don’t match, there are no uniforms and the only part of a Bono trip that is consistent from time to time is excellent wood-fired pizza. I’ve already sung the praises of co-owner Peggy Yerkes, but in honor of Pizza Week at Itinerant Foodies, I’ve decided to focus on the place, itself.
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Tags:Bono Pizza, Columbus, Jurassic Park, pizza
Posted in In The Neighborhood, Table Service | 1 Comment »
September 12, 2011
I’m not sure how folks mark the change from summer to autumn outside of Columbus, Ohio. The season is thrust upon us (whether or not the weather wants to cooperate) with the emergence of football season. Love it or hate it, high school and college football games become the center of my culture. And with the games come a new type of seasonal eating: pizza. This week, Maya and I are celebrating this any-season-but-best-in-autumn dish on Itinerant Foodies. Expect a little controversy (she’s very particular on what constitutes a “correct” pizza) and some zesty prose on this all-American favorite.
As a foodie in Columbus, I’m spoiled; rarely do I have to wait for a seat in my favorite restaurants. I did not fully realize this until I visited Harvest Pizzeria in German Village. While it’s typical for eateries in this part of the city to be filled to the brim, I was faced with such a wide demographic of eaters that one of two things must be true: either Columbus is starting to appreciate local fare or German Village is extremely hungry (pardon the pun) for a solid pizzeria.
The concept behind Harvest Pizzeria is simple: wood fired specialty pizzas are made with local ingredients and served alongside classic cocktails and salads in a hip and bustling atmosphere. In short, this is not a Friday Night Pizza Joint filled with preteens — or pre-made sauces. It’s quite the opposite. The drinks and dishes are designed for adults. And that heavenly tomato sauce? It’s made by hand from home grown tomatoes.
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Tags:local, pizza, seasonal
Posted in Columbus, Ohio, In The Neighborhood, Under The Table | Leave a Comment »
August 31, 2011
The Lower East Side’s Clinton Street Baking Co. isn’t exactly a well-kept secret. Lauded for its baked goods—the buttermilk biscuits are particularly renowned—and notoriously popular brunch, I’d recommended it to visiting friends who had weekday mornings free for leisurely breakfasts; they always reported back in the positive, but then, the lines are shorter Monday to Friday, and I’d always been too put off by the crazy weekend waits to give the place a shot myself.
A few weeks ago, though, some friends and I found ourselves with a Sunday at our disposal. One got there early and put our name on the list; the rest of us met her at the café across the street, settled in with our iced coffees and commenced with the waiting. As a reward for surviving the epic lines, we were served, as promised, “no-fuss-just-plain good food.”
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Tags:brunch, LES, NYC, waffles
Posted in In The Neighborhood, New York City, Table Service | 1 Comment »
