CMH Gourmand – Eating in Columbus & Ohio

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Worthington Pub Crawl / Stroll

Posted by CMH Gourmand on March 5, 2008

I acknowledge that a pub crawl is a little outside the typical scope of this blog, but with St. Patrick’s Day in view – why not. All of these spots are within the distance you could hurl a beer bottle so the strolling is minimal. This would be a great way to spend a late afternoon with a gang of friends – share a few beers and an appetizer or split a meal at each place. I plotted out the paces, (if you opt to jaywalk) it is 165 steps from door to door.


P.K. O’Ryans Irish Pub

666 High Street

Worthington

614.781.0771

Web Site

Happy hour is Monday – Thursday from 4:00pm until 6:00pm. The place offers a wide range of pub style meals with several beers on tap. Happy Hour gets you: reduced prices on draft and domestic bottled beer plus 1/2 price appetizers. The regular menu item to try here is the Irish Stew – a hearty mix of slow cooked beef, onions, carrots and potatoes with at least a pour of Guinness mixed in – served in a bread bowl. That will keep you warm.


Old Bag of Nails
663 High Street
Worthington

614.436.5552

Old Bag of Nails Web site

The best menu item is the Famous Fish Sandwich. It easily serves two. My favorite reason to go here is the Fried Snickers (not available at all locations – but you can count on it here.) It is battered and devine, served with ice cream. There are plenty of beers on tap. It feels like a true pub when you walk through the door. Since you just hit O’Ryans you may think you are on the Emerald Isle – until you notice no one has an Irish accent and everyone is talking about the Buckeyes. This is the original Old Bag of Nails and has the best “feel” of any of the locations. There are old beercans and other pub bric a brac lining the walls. Many of the staff have worked at this location for years and they know their regulars by name.

Worthington Inn

649 High Street

Worthington

614.885.1223

Web Site

Most people do not think Happy Hour when they think of Worthington Inn – but there is room at the Inn within the spacious bar area. Their happy hour is the longest on this stroll – Monday to Saturday, 4 – 7 PM. They offer domestic beer and well drink specials. However the best deal here is the discounted plates to share specials. The Worthington Inn is a very good restaurant and their “bar food” is more than one would expect.

1/2 off “Plates to Share”

Artichoke-Spinach Dip
Grilled Flat Bread Pizza
Provolone, tomato sauce and pepperoni
Seasonal Bruschetta
Our Famous Parmesan-Truffle Fries
House Cheese Plate
Warm Garlic and Herb Potato Chips
Blue cheese dip
Flash-fried calamari
Thai sweet-chili sauce and napa slaw
Roasted Pepper Hummus
Aunti Carol’s Sauerkraut Balls

La Chatelaine

627 High Street

Worthington

614.848.6711

Web Site

There is a nice selection of French wines along with some hard to find Belgian and Euro beers on tap at the bar. If this is your last stop for the day consider picking up a bakery item as you are walking out the door – for a snack or maybe for breakfast the next day. The wine bar happy hour is from 5 to 7 PM. If owner Val Wielezynski is behind the bar – ask him about anything – he has great stories to share about the restaurant, his family and life in general.

So that is your Pub stroll agenda – a mix of small town and uptown for a Eurotrash style day out in the heart of Worthington.

Posted in bar, beverages, culinary misadventure, wine | Tagged: | 2 Comments »

Short North Secrets

Posted by CMH Gourmand on October 17, 2007

The Short North has a lot going on all the time. It might seem inaccessible or even too cool for some people. Such is not the case. Here are a few tidbits that might improve your Short North experience.

Beat the crowds and find a convenient parking space

The best days to hit the Short North are Sunday and Tuesday. Sunday promises free parking meters and some decent chances at finding an easy parking spot. A few places might be closed or open later in the day – but for the most part all of the Short North is open to you. Tuesday nights are basically dead – you can hit almost any restaurant in the area without reservations or a long wait. In the restaurant biz – the freshest food day is often Tuesday – after Monday deliveries.  The main challenge is finding a place for lunch on a Saturday – (Betty’s and Rigsby’s will cover you.)  And another time – Short North on an OSU game day…. better odds for an open table.  

Two Tuesday night special spots

The Rossi

 

895 North High Street

614.299.2810

This is the closest to true NY style pizza I have found in town. The toppings are top notch. The bottom crust is thin and might collapse on you if you do not do the classic NY fold before your first bite. The end crust is slightly crisp and chewy – perfect. The Rossi is more bar than restaurant, but this means you can get quick service if you hit this spot late on a weeknight, especially after 9 PM on a Tuesday. Mix in a mojito and you have a perfect night for $20.

Rosendales

793 North High Street

Columbus, OH 43215

614.298.1601

Richard Rosendale is a culinary star. He has been a chef in some of the finest kitchens in Europe and the United States. He is team captain of the 2008 US Culinary Olympic Team. He has won over 40 national and international culinary medals. He was named 2005 Chef of the Year. And, he opened his first restaurant ever, in Columbus. Good call Richard! If you want to sample the food and the atmosphere on the fly – slink into the bar on a Tuesday or Wednesday night around 8:00 PM and try out the bar menu. Lamb Slyders and fries…not bad.

Matt, the man behind the bar at Rosendales, also has some good beer tastings in the works. One will be on October 25th at 7 PM – with a tasting of 30 American Microbrews with some light appetizers. This one does require a reservation. Cost is $30.

Posted in bar, Columbus, culinary knowledge, restaurants | 1 Comment »

Hills Market Beer Tasting – a hoppy good time

Posted by CMH Gourmand on September 5, 2007

Hills Market (Beer tasting and more..)

I have missed every Hills Market special event this summer – wine tastings, crab boils, you name it, so I was determined not to miss the beer tasting last Wednesday.

The Hop Head Beer Tasting was on August 29 from 5.30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Beer expert Kristine Eley tended beer bar on the Hills Market veranda pouring a selection of seven new and mostly hard to find hoppy beers. The price of $10 was well worth it.

These were the beers sampled:

American IPA

  • Summit Extra Pale Ale
  • Boulder Mojo India Pale Ale
  • New Holland Mad Hatter
  • Bell’s Two-Hearted

American Pale Ales

  • Otter Creek Pale Ale (my favorite for the night)

American Double IPA

  • Stone Ruination
  • Stoudts Double IPA

Kristine had a lot of interesting information on each brewery and beer. She has traveled extensively around the US learning about beer and the brewing process. All of the fine sampling selections she collected for the tasting can be purchased at the market. The next tasting will be near the end of September.

I also learned that there are some serious, hardcore beer lovers in Columbus. There are some cool beer events in town and many friendly people that will happily share their drinking discoveries. You can get more information from the Beer Advocate website.

Posted in bar, beer, culinary knowledge, markets | Leave a Comment »

A Small Byte on Small Plates at Columbus Fish Market

Posted by CMH Gourmand on May 18, 2007

I go to great lengths to avoid corporate eating – but sometimes it happens. When this does occur, one of my favorite spots is Columbus Fish Market – my favorite Cameron Mitchell Restaurant (and I am allergic to fish!).

I dropped into the Crosswoods location (the staff there are consistently great). I like to dine at the bar to avoid the wait and on occasion – to get my belly rubbed. On my last trip I discovered my best cheap food find of 2007. The Fish Market offers small plates of food at the bar – all are under $3. The downside – you can only get this deal after 4 PM (I guess to prevent me from dropping in for a cheap lunch every day). For $2.95, I had three perfectly cooked Buffalo Style Shrimp with a big clump of Blue Cheese Cole Slaw. This is the best appetizer I have had in this decade for the price.

Small Plates

(these were cheaper than my class of wine – a glass of Goats Do Roam)

Buffalo Shrimp

(Buffalo Shrimp with Slaw – photo taken Batman style – Pow!)

Veggie Fries

Vegetable Fries with Chipotle Ketchup (strong on the ketchup, weak on the chipotle) were also sampled. The sauce needs some work – but the fries are fine on their own. The pre-fried vegetables are/were green beans, carrots, zucchini, red peppers and maybe a few other long style veggies, all perfectly breaded and cooked. This appetizer was well worth the price but it is a small fry compared to the Buffalo Shrimp.

An intriguing choice among the small plates was a Codwich Slider with Cheddar Cheese – I was almost willing to have an allergic reaction to try that one.  There is also an oyster special on Wednesdays – served as you like them. These small plate bar specials have been around at least 8 months, per Shawn the bartender. Better late than never for me but I feel the need to head back to make up for lost time!

Columbus Fish Market

40 Hutchinson Ave

(Crosswoods)

614.410.FISH (3474)

1245 Olentangy River Road

(Grandview)

614.291.FISH (3474)

Columbus Fish Market Web Site

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Campus Culinary Landmark Lost…and a history lesson

Posted by CMH Gourmand on April 15, 2007


The first BW-3 opened on the OSU campus in 1982. It closed last year.

BW3 window

I have never been a big fan on their wings – but BW-3 wimpy wings are great way to deliver sauce. The campus BW-3 was a source of many of my college and early 20’s post college memories. It was often the initial meeting place for the evening. I also remember the employees talking about parties in the upstairs hot tub after closing for the night. It was near The Out R Inn – which is one of the few remaining pre Campus Partners bars. I recall heckling Shucking Bubba Deluxe and watching a guy named Pat perform his famous churning the butter dance.

BW# closed

A new improved campus location opens at the corner of Lane and High Street on June 25th 2007, so I am sure they will make all of their money back in one football season.

So here is little serving of BW-3 History with a very long URL –

BW 3 History

Here is a good recipe and more information on the history of Buffalo Chicken wings.

The Kitchen Project

 

What does BW-3 stand for? Buffalo (the city in New York) Wild Wings and Weck. So what the heck is weck? Weck is short for a kummelweck bun, which is essentially a kaiser roll, sprinkled with caraway seeds and course salt. In the very early days BW-3 had beef on weck sandwiches. Outside of a small section of New York – no one has even heard of these sandwiches.

And now some sandwich history, Buffalo gave us more than wings.

Journal of New York Folklore


Here are some old Beef on Weck Notes from my friend Cliff – (Cliff Notes)– in case you ever hit the greater Buffalo area on a quest for weck.

In no particular order…

Schwabl’s – Really good, I’ve only had the Beef on weck…I’d like to try
some of the other stuff on the menu…old restaurant…old school.

Bar Bill – The rave in the very small village of East Aurora…it’s a 30-40
minute drive from the mainland, a very good sandwich, but if you need a fix
there are equally good sandwiches with a shorter drive…the only reason I
had ever been there was because my grandparents lived out there.

Swiston’s – Been there a few times….consistency isn’t always there. Their
best efforts top the charts, but I’ve had an occasional average sandwich
there…one recent complaint someone told me about was too much fat on the
sandwich…I’m torn about that comment.

Anderson’s – Original location on Sheridan Drive has expanded into I believe
8 locations in WNY. Still a decent quality sandwich, but would only be my
first choice if I was going to top it off with some of Anderson’s frozen
custard.

Anacone Inn – I haven’t been here in some 15 years, the neighborhood has
gone way downhill, I’d like to give this one a shot again, but I would want
to bring a posse along. BTW, they had a really good sandwich.

Charlie the Butcher – Strangely, this is probably one of the most talked
about Beef on Weckers, but I hadn’t tried it until this past summer…I was
not impressed…Beef was a bit dry and not piled on very high….will
probably try one more time just to confirm an unsupervised rookie didn’t
make my sandwich. (Update -Cliff tried again in 2007 – and has removed from his list)

Brunner’s Tavern – One of my favorites, mostly because of location, quality,
atmosphere…I always run into friendly faces. The big draw on Saturdays is
actually the Brunner’s Steak Sandwich, which they actually took off the menu
this past summer when the beef prices became prohibitively high and the
owners didn’t feel right charging $16.95 for a sandwich just to break even.
Even at that price popular demand won out and the Steak Sandwich was
re-introduced…I believe over Thanksgiving the price was down to 12.95.
The Steak Sandwich is great….highly underrated is the beef on
weck….usually only served on the weekends and only one big roast is served
per day…when it’s gone it’s gone….it’s not a heaping sandwich but good
size, if you’re really hungry you’ll want two. The meat is always done
perfect (bloody) and the chef (bartender) takes his sweet time making the
sandwich because he is slicing the meat off ever so thin right in front of
your eyes…it’s almost as fun watching as it is eating…and it melts in
your mouth.

Jolly Jug – This hole in the wall is notable because it serves a decent Beef
on Weck until 4am, I don’t know anywhere else that does. My guess is there
may only be 1000 people that know about this place, 500 people that have
been inside, 250 people that would admit they have been inside, and 100
people who have thought to eat there….I only knew because an alcoholic
took me there.

Eckl’s – Noted Snowbelt restaurant, been there once. Would certainly go
again, another place that’s a bit of a hike.

Metzger’s –
 Very good. A high quality roll can put a Beef on Weck into the upper echelon...

Two new places Cliff plans to try summer of 2007 ….Steve’s Pig and Ox Roast in Lackawanna and Franks’ Bar in Lancaster.

Posted in bar, Columbus, culinary knowledge, food, restaurants | Tagged: | 4 Comments »

Villa Nova – Home of the BIG Beer

Posted by CMH Gourmand on December 28, 2006

Villa Nova

5545 N High St.

Columbus, 43214

(614) 846-5777

Villa Nova is about 1/3 bar and 2/3 restaurant. As you walk through the door – you can turn left for some reasonably priced Italian fare or right for the Bar. If it is Monday to Friday between 4 PM and 7 PM – turn right – and try to find a spot in one of the best value Happy Hours in town.

BIG BEERVilla Nova is Home of the BIG Beer.

One regular refers to these as BABS – BigAssBeerS

I grew up near Villa Nova – but I did not discover or appreciate the bar side until 2001. I was smitten by the good deals. In 2002, I did 15 Friday Happy Hours in a row. Back then, the only downside I could see was the aroma of ashtray that would permeate into my pores after 10 minutes inside – but that was resolved by the smoking ban. (With no effect on the business.) Today – the only downside I see is wanting to eat more free food that I should.

First, let’s start with the big beer – $3 gives you a 1 liter frosted mug of Hoster’s Gold Top, $2.50 serves up a lesser beer – like Killians. We are talking 33 ounces of bliss. But wait – there is MORE. Happy Hour features FREE FOOD – a 3-4 foot sub, wings, popcorn, and pizza. On Fridays – you can expect a cheese tray and usually other miscellaneous goodies that do not appear on the regular menu such as taquitos as well as other fried foods. But wait there’s more – on alternate Fridays – the best bar crew in town is on duty – Kelli, James and (barback) Angel. They ROCK.

The crowd is about 80% regulars with a hardcore group of “more senior” patrons hitting the food hard from 4:00 to about 6:00 PM. The bar has some character and is frequented by some characters as well. However – anyone can fit in here and after a beer or two you will feel at home. It is worth the effort to get there early to stake out some space and a chair – because it gets crowded quickly. Another thing to watch out for – after two Big Beers, something clicks in your head that says a third big beer is a great idea (DON’T DO IT!!!!).  The next thing you know multiple Washington Apples and shots of Uzo seem like good ideas too.

As a side note – the restaurant was one of my favorites growing up. Villa Nova has some good specials. On Sunday there is usually an All You Can Eat Perch Special (I am allergic to Fish, but my friends like it a lot) and a Spagetti Special that includes soup, salad, breadsticks, ice cream, and pasta topped with a meatball and Italian sausage for about $7.

And in 2004, this was the starting line of my Clintonville Pub Crawl – 12 hours, 13 bars and a long walk home… but that is another story.

 

 

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