CMH Gourmand – Eating in Columbus & Ohio

Some readers may have noticed that I don’t often write about the morning meal. The reason is breakfast is my fifth favorite meal (CMH Gourmand dining order of operations: Dinner, Lunch, Second Lunch, Brunch, Breakfast). Fortunately for me and you, there is a blog about Breakfast in Columbus called Breakfast with Nick. Suzzie’s Beechwold Diner opened on January 2nd. Since the place is in my neighborhood, within walking distance even, I felt an obligation to investigate. Nick lives in the Clintonville as well so we joined forces to check things out. Since breakfast is not my forte I will defer to Nick’s review which you can read HERE.

The Beechwold Diner is a big deal in the neighborhood. Clintonvillites lament about a dearth of dining options in our community (although I would like to see more places, I must say we have a good selection, especially if one gets creative and includes Sage which is on the border). This diner is in the space previously occupied by Rube’s Diner a popular spot in the 1990’s which closed in 2005. The place was then labeled as Gina’s Eatery for almost three years but a combination of mishaps and misfortunes keep Gina’s from ever serving the public. Business looks good for the Beechwold Diner so far although open for less than two weeks a core of regulars has already developed and if I am not mistaken they have a former Rubes waitress working for them.

Breakfast sandwich (sausage, egg and cheese on Texas Toast in the foreground) with potatoes and sausage gravy with biscuits in the back.

On opening day no one showed for the first hour. After that, it was standing room only for 4 hours. Business has remained brisk. The diner serves standard breakfast fare and lunch time staples of soups, sandwiches and salads. There are daily specials and Hillbilly steaks (Ohioans my know this as a bolonga sandwich) to entice people looking for a change of pace. Housemade pies and cakes are made daily as well.

While the menu may be of the greasy spoon genre the space is far from that. Everything is new inside: fresh paint, new stainless steel everything, seven brand new booths and a dozen stools at the granite/marble counters.

Nick taking a photo post breakfast

I have known Nick for over a year now. We have collaborated on food related events at Wild Goose Creative and we are currently working on an event known as Beercamp! Dining with a fellow food writer is always a treat. There are certain unwritten rules for the trade which can be a bit awkward for people that just eat to eat. These are some of the rites we observe: sharing plates, order strategically from the menu to avoid overlap and to maximize the diversity, no one eats before the photos are taken and we ask the staff a lot of questions. As a result I was able to introduce Nick to the concept of chocolate cake for breakfast. We also spoke in depth about the culture and mores of breakfast and diners as well as their meaning to our community and communities everywhere. Speaking of community, there was not much buzz on the Beechwold Diner prior to opening. Their marketing approach was very DIY and included dropping off a flyer at many business locations along Indianola.

After our meal, we went on to do a recon mission at another eatery that is home to the Great American Pecan Roll and a giant three pancake eating challenge. That is another story.

If you would like to support a new business for breakfast and lunch here is where you can go:

Suzzie’s Beechwold Diner
4408 Indianola Ave
Beechwold (The Northern Canton of Clintonville)
614.447.0944
Hours
Monday to Saturday 6 am to 2 pm
Sunday 7 am to 2 pm