CMH Gourmand – Eating in Columbus & Ohio

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Cooks Corner: The Cronut Dog

Posted by CMH Gourmand on February 5, 2011

The Ohio Donut Trail has not been without trials and travails. Mostly, it has involved insane levels of donut consumption and a few double dog dares. During the first donut tasting party someone started a conversation that turned into a culinary quest for me. It goes like this.

A cronut is a glazed croissant from Auddinos. It is absolutely fabulous. It serves as the base of the Cronut dog. So, step one. Go to Auddinos and purchase cronuts.

The vision for the cronut dog was a hot dog served in a cronut with bacon and spicy maple mustard. This is how everything went down. I purchased double smoked bacon at Bluescreek Farm Meats at the North Market. I picked up two hot dogs from them as well. Their bacon is fantabulous! My house smelled like it for four days. I did not have any Twixlen Brand Spicy Maple Mustard so I concocted my own on the spot. I have 10-12 mustards in my refrigerator at any time so this was not so hard. To make this an all Ohio mustard I took two parts Bertman’s Ball Park Mustard, one part Stadium Mustard and Ohio Maple syrup (to taste) then mixed them together until I found the flavor profile I thought would work.

I cooked two long strips of bacon, leaving the bacon pliable enough to wrap around the hot dogs. I then boiled and grilled the hot dogs (this is the proper hot dog cooking technique observed in my household). I did not have a good way to steam the cronut (a hot dog bun should be steamed) because I would lose the sugary glaze in the process so I just cheated and nuked the suckers.

I put all of this together and …BEHOLD! The First Cronut Dog.

I was wary but it was good enough to eat. I ate the whole thing. Nothing bad happened. Really.

This is what I hope to do differently on the next trial. I will use Five Star Hot Dogs (from Cleveland) or Nathan’s Hot Dogs because I think their casing and spicing will work better with the spicy maple mustard. I will also deeply split the cronut then lightly grill / sear the inside, leaving the glazed outside intact but a bit gooey. I will then cut the finished product into bite sized pieces and tooth pick them together to serve as appetizers.

Lesson: don’t double dog dare me, I will so do it!

Posted in donuts, hot dogs | Tagged: , , | 1 Comment »

Reflections on Donut Consumption: The Ohio Donut Trail So Far

Posted by CMH Gourmand on February 3, 2011

This post is sponsored by the letter D. D is for Disappointment. In my younger days when I would run full speed to kick the football of success but found it pulled away at the last possible moment I did not recover so well (ref: Brown, C.). After disconnecting from the world for months on end, I would eventually find myself and my backpack somewhere in Australia, New Zealand or elsewhere roaming the backroads. What I eventually found in my travels is that there are some events I will never understand and very little of what may or may not happen on the big scale can be controlled.

D is for Distraction. I also found the best way to recharge myself and get back on the playing field is to find something to obsess about other than why what I wanted to happen did not. The first time my obsession led to action, I made a binder of mini-restaurant reviews called the Good Food Guide which I pushed onto friends, acquaintances and strangers. My next obsession was ice cream. I wrote my first “big” magazine article about the best ice cream stands places in our state for Ohio Magazine (May, 1998). Then I created a web site about ice cream so I could figure out how HTML worked – Ice Cream Ohio. You may have also read about a few Taco Trucks in Columbus. I blundered into directing my obsession into things I could learn about as a distraction and in return I was saved from roaming the world like an Ancient Mariner trying to figure the unfigurable. I still roam the world as often as I can but for different reasons (mostly to step back from my day to day life in order to find something or someone to inspire me to the next big thing).

D is for Donut. Reading this blog for the last few months you might get the impression that I love donuts. Such is not the case. However, I have found some donuts that I do love. Donald’s Donuts, Voodoo Donuts and Donut World each served as sites for major epiphanies on the repeated ass kicking 2010 gave me. Loosely connecting those dots and observing the power of the D-O-N-U-T on people, I decided that some additional research and discovery was needed. At this juncture, readers, we are at the midpoint of the donut chronicles as I plot out the Ohio Donut trail. My favorite donuts so far hail from Auddino’s, Bill’s and DK Diner.

In the process of donut discovery, I had a donut tasting party at Fortress Gourmand. Here are a few trends that were noted. Few donuts are good after more than a few hours out of the kitchen. The best donuts are still great up to a few days after purchase. Maple glaze seems to be an Ohio thing. Most of the best donuteries seem to offer the maple option. We had an Ohio maple donut challenge and the winner was Bill’s. We had the first Ohio Apple Fritter Throwdown. The results here were mixed. The most memorable comment concerned the DK Diner apple fritter – “Is that a loaf of bread?” It was not but it is clearly the mother of all apple fritters. DK Diner tied for first among fritters with Auddinos which was noted to be the most “applely.” We also decided that the best donuts have a bit of crunch on the outside and a lot of fresh and chewy on the inside (Auddino’s, Bill’s and DK Diner as exhibits A, B and D).

A donut tasting might sound decadent, because it is, but it is more fun than people should be allowed to have. There will be another donutpolooza. There may also be a March Maddness of Donuts where my donut detectives and I will pit the best against the best to determine the finest donut in Columbus and Ohio.

There seem to be a lot of special memories connected with donuts as well as special connections to people and place. College and donuts seem to pair well. Late night dining and early morning road trips line up nicely with these doughy treats. There is always a certain camaraderie connected to donuts. Maybe because donut counters are the great equalizer of the masses just like diners are. Maybe it is because the lowly donut is cheap and fast and easy to share. There is a reason boxes of donuts pop up at any office. A box of donuts offers diversity and democracy to everyone – grab a donut and pass the box on. There seem to be a lot of reasons that donuts do us right.

The D word…… The final question to think about. Is it Donut or Doughnut?

Posted in culinary misadventure, donuts, Ohio Donut Trail, Road Trip | 8 Comments »

Schuler’s Bakery (Springfield): On the Ohio Donut Trail

Posted by CMH Gourmand on February 1, 2011


The Ohio Donut Trail took my loyal band of donut detectives to Springfield, Ohio the home of regional favorite Schuler’s Bakery. Due to some navigation misfiring on my part, we had a nice tour of downtown including the Frank Lloyd Wright designed – Wescott House. Schulers has been in business since 1937 using the slogan “The Home of Homemade.” We hit the original store on Main Street which does not appear to have changed since 1937. I would not doubt that some of the original staff are still working there too. This is an OLD SCHOOL, no nonsense bakery. The color scheme is simple blue and white like many of the old bakeries I have visited on the east coast.

While the taste team and I wandered around the showroom staring at the massive volume of donuts to be had (while snapping photos and chattering away), we were repeatedly asked, with growing urgency…..”Can I help you”. Meanwhile scores of regulars shot in and out engaging in large, complicated orders in record time while we gawked about. Finally, we approached the counter and started ordering to the great relief of all of the staff.

And order we did – a giant box was filled with any interesting donut we could find. The first donut(s) that caught our eyes was what we dubbed the Kabab, five donut holes on a skewer. This seems genius and it tasted pretty good too – the perfect snack while driving on the Ohio Donut Trail.

The bakery has a section devoted to day old donuts which are 50% off. Normally I am reluctant to get a donut more than a few hours old because very few have staying power beyond the morning. Schuler’s is an exception. I did not try some of their donuts until 24 hours later and those sampled were as good as day one. The best donut I had was one I am calling the FUDGIE. I thought is was just a standard chocolate glazed old fashioned donut with peanuts. When I bit into the fudgie I discovered it had a fantasticly good 1/2 inch layer of chocolate fudge on top with an inch filling the center donut hole. DAMN! That is my go-to donut at Schuler’s. Honorable mention also goes to Schuler’s glazed blueberry donut and their sour cream donut.

The bakery has all of the standard donuts as well as a large selection of jelly donuts. As the name says this is a bakery not a donutery so while all my attention was on the donuts the various other baked goods looked good as well. People in Springfield swear by Schulers. I do too – DAMN that FUDGIE is GOOD!

Schuler’s Bakery
457 East Main St.
Springfield, Ohio
937.323.4900
www.schulersbakery.com (not open as of February 1st)
Locations on Mitchell St. in Springfield and London, Ohio.

Posted in bakery, donuts, Ohio Donut Trail | Tagged: | 14 Comments »

Acorn Bookshop: Cookbooks

Posted by CMH Gourmand on January 30, 2011


I wanted to mention Acorn Bookshop for a long time. They just launched a website so now seems like a good time to plant a kernel of a thought to get people to drop by. This bookshop has always had a good collection of used cookbooks and cocktail guides. Most of the books are in excellent shape. Many have library lining on them with is great for people that like to read and cook concurrently. I always find some culinary treasure when I pop in.

Acorn is one of my favorite book sellers because of their service. It may be the friendliest bookshop I have visited in town. If you can not find what you are looking for ask – sometimes they have a stash behind the counter or in a hidden nook. They will always special order for you if they can locate the book you need. They will hold on to your request until it is filled – over a year if needed. You can also create a “want list” for you. If there is some special cookbook or other book you want – they will watch for it and let you know if it comes in.

In the non culinary sections they have strong rare book and James Thurber collections. So take a look at their website and drop in sometime to see what you might find.

Acorn Bookshop
1464 WEST FIFTH AVE
Grandview Heights
614.486.1860

Posted in culinary knowledge | 1 Comment »

Mediterranean Food Imports

Posted by CMH Gourmand on January 20, 2011

Mediterranean Food Imports. The name says it all. We Clintonville insiders usually just refer to it as Mediterranean Imports or MI for short. This business has a long and hallowed history in our community. It’s roots dates back to a restaurant, Sinbad’s, which was a local favorite and the first bite of hummus and falafel for many in the early 1980’s. The restaurant gradually morphed in to a store with a restaurant then solely a store. (For those of you that still miss Sinbad’s, relatives opened Mazza in Grandview last year, check them out). The vast horde of merchandise at the bazaar that is MI largely hails from countries bordering the Mediterranean, with the very strong slant towards the Middle East. The store can be counted on to carry core staples at all times but I always seem to discover something new on each visit.

MI is located by Hounddogs Pizza and Sage on North High Street. It is best to enter MI via the shared parking lot in the back of the building. Do watch out for some of the surrounding lots because there is a tendency for one evil business owner in the area to tow with a vengeance. Entering through the backdoor, you are greeted by the diverse aromas of a very diverse market.

The meat counter is well stocked with a variety of Halal Meats (different from Kosher) including goat, leg of lamb and Mortadella. I have found the staff here to be very willing to talk in depth about their meats and they will offer suggestions when asked.

Moving down the counter, the next stop is for olives, there are sixteen or more varieties at any time. If you thought you had had your fill of Feta think again, there is a selection of fresh Feta cheeses from Egypt, Turkey, Bulgaria, France and Greece. You can also plan on other great items behind the counter including homemade hummus and desserts (several types of Halveh).

The MI business card I have reads “Middle Eastern, European, Persian, and North African foods” that is a fact. The cornucopia of foods from these countries is packed throughout the store. The shelves stock an impressive variety of dried beans, legumes, olives oils and hard to find canned and packaged food from the known world. If you like sardines – this is the place. If you like having a diverse assortment of dates, cheap access to dried limes and five grinds of Bulgar wheat, MI has you covered.

Locally and regionally made pita bread and flat breads are for sale. The spice rack would please the three wise men since it is stuffed with the standard spices as well as Frank Incense, Hibiscus flower, saffron (Persian and Spanish) and spices you may have only read about. The freezer section offers cheeses from everywhere and all types of items from the Fertile Crescent. MI even has a selection of hard to find European and Middle Eastern Candy bars and well as six types of licorice such as green apple.

In addition to foodstuffs, there are cookbooks, cookware and usually one random item I would never expect to see. The prices for all items are reasonable with many being a very good value. A few prices go beyond the concept of bargain. If winter has you in a rut, this is the place to go to mix up your diet as well as add some spice and culinary adventure to your life.

Mediterranean Food Imports
2647 North High Street
Old(e) North Columbus (at the Clintonville Border)
614.263.9400

Posted in culinary knowledge, markets | Tagged: | 3 Comments »

Bill’s Donut Shop (Centerville): The Ohio Donut Trail

Posted by CMH Gourmand on January 18, 2011

Bill’s was my final stop on a four location (Schneider’s, Auddinos and Schuler’s) Ohio Donut Trail field trip. I heard good things about Bill’s but was running out of steam when I arrived (after some poor navigation on my part). Bill’s is an easy place to miss – the exterior looks like a real estate office. If you were not looking for Bill’s you would drive by and write it off as just some 1970’s era brick office building and seek solace in some subpar sugared fast foodery. I was revitalized when I walked through the door. Bill’s does not look like a donut shop on the outside but the inside is a classic donutery. This may be the most inviting donut shop I have visited. There are old school spinning stools at the counter and a few tables away from the fray of ordering. There is an even larger selection of donuts than alluded to in their website. The staff was incredibly friendly and helpful. Once I explained what I was doing (eating donuts throughout Ohio), after an initial laugh, they started listing off other places I should visit (including Milton’s Donuts in Middletown). Two offerings locked Bill’s into my top three donut shops of all time. The first donut that caught my eye was the red velvet cake donut with cream cheese icing. I have frequently been disappointed in red velvet in any form. In donut form, I was more than pleased. This donut takes the cake and kicks it in the ass. The other donut that wooed me was the peanut butter cream filled donut with chocolate icing. These two are enough to get me to drive the 85 miles one-way to get there. Since Bill’s is open 24 hours, there is a strong possibility I will do this a few nights this year. A few of the other donuts sampled deserve very honorable mention – applesauce, glazed blueberry and iced caramel. There is a wide selection of beverages available as well as these non-donut items: Cream horns, apple fritters, cinnamon rolls, cakes, brownies, muffins, cupcakes, turnovers and cookies.

Bill’s has been frying donuts since 1960. It started as one shop in downtown Dayton and expanded to multiple locations in the 1970’s. By 1979, the business was consolidated to the current location in Centerville. Bill recently passed away but his family is committed to keeping the business going. The shop has a loyal following to the point that the shop ships donuts across the country for $25.50 for a box of twelve (or you can pay $6 on the spot). Stay tuned, there is a chance that Bill’s may be the best in Ohio (current competitors are Donald’s Donuts, DK Diner and Auddinos Bakery).

Bill’s Donut Shop
268 North Main Street
Centerville, Ohio
937.433.0002
Open 24 hours

Posted in donuts, Ohio, Ohio Donut Trail, Road Trip | Tagged: , | 6 Comments »

Clever Crow: What You Need to Know

Posted by CMH Gourmand on January 15, 2011


Clever Crow Pizza has a lot to crow about. The pizza quickly drew the attention of the foodarazzi in Columbus and a fella by the name of Tony Bourdain. The first version/location of Clever Crow was featured on the show No Reservations (video – here) which both annointed the place as artisan and acceptably cool for pizza eaters in the capital city. (Footnote on the video: Anthony Bourdain never visited Clever Crow – he just did the voiceover. If you watch carefully you will see Jeni Britton Bauer from Jeni’s and Warren Taylor from Snowville Creamery in the background shots). Those that have tried Clever Crow have largely become diehard fans after some initial disorientation. Clever Crow is decidedly different from any pizza you may have sampled before.

In early January, Clever Crow opened a second location in the North Market down the street from it’s launching pad at Circus Bar. The North Market location makes the pizza more accessible to the masses with a more convenient spot and standard hours. What makes this pizza so special? First, the pizza maker himself. Gary Robinette has a food science degree from OSU. He learned the pizza pie making trade in Portland. He was also a brewer for Columbus Brewing Company. He takes artisan food crafting to a higher plain by making and curing his own meats (sausage, bacon, ham, etc). He buys much of his produce locally and pickles it for pizza posterity. As a pizzamaker he mixes and matches unique combinations of ingredients on his pies (such as grapes and Brie). People often refer to Clever Crow as the “place that puts corn on their pizza”. This is true.

The corn is just not on the pizza, it is infused into it. The dough is a fusion of sourdough and cornmeal. It is cooked in a deep pan producing a thick, dense, chewy and crispy on the edges crust that is initially disorienting to new consumers. This is not your daddy’s pizza. This is not what you grew up with. If you can adapt to a crust and flavors that turn your pizza world upside down then you are likely to move on to the next slice.

The North Market Clever Crow offers pizza by the slice. I suggest getting several different slices to share with friends since each flavor combination is very different. You can also purchase whole pies to pick up or eat at the market. Do beware and use caution. The density of the pizza paired with ingredients piled high means that two slices is usually a meal for most mortals. Good luck Gary and Brooke with Clever Crow 2.0.

Clever Crow Pizza
North Market

Posted in pizza, Vegetarian Friendly | Tagged: , | Leave a Comment »

Schneider’s Bakery: Early Morning Donut Run

Posted by CMH Gourmand on January 11, 2011

Food nourishes the body. When it is really good it nourishes the soul as well. It also creates memories that connects us to people and places that endure longer than the meal itself. Good food can become great if it is paired with a palatable memory. Therefore, a mere donut can be a life defining thing when combined with the bonding that happens best in college. Early in the morning while there may be better things to do such as sleep or study, eating a donut or a box of them with friends is an event that memories and maybe legends are made of.

Schneider’s Bakery is a legendary landmark in downtown Westerville and a late night destination for Otterbein College (now University) students since 1957. Owner Jeff Hamler has been around awhile as well. He bought the bakery in 1987 after starting work there as a teenager in 1974. Several friends mentioned Schneider’s with a sense of reverence and nostalgia and often used the phrase “nothing beats one of their fresh donuts, hot out of the oven at one in the morning.” The late night aspect had me intrigued indeed. It seems that Schneider’s opens at 1:30 am Tuesday to Thursday and 1:00 am on Friday and Saturday. That seemed interesting – but not critical until this happened (see below).

I arrived about noon on a weekday. No donuts. Well, there was one. The nice lady at the counter let me have it for free since she felt sorry for me….and the lonely donut. She told me that they often run out of donuts early in the morning and such was the case today. This was not such a bad thing, since I had time to look at the rest of Schneider’s offerings. Schneider’s is a bakery that offers donuts instead of a donutery that is an exclusively donut maker. These are some of the items Schneider’s can supply customers: cinnamon rolls, muffins, bread (buns, loaves, rolls: butterflake, cloverleaf and Parkerhouse, white, whole wheat, rye, French, Vienna) cookies, brownies, Danish, sweet rolls, croissants, cakes (in any variety serving up to eight people), cupcakes and a few more things. One of those things comes in the form of Coffee cakes (I counted multiple types) with the best looking of the bunch being the sour cream version. I grabbed a couple pecan sandies that were the diameter of a volleyball and left with my culinary tail between my legs vowing to come back at 1 am for donuts.

And that I did. I arrived at 12:50 am on a Saturday morning. The facade was dark as the cold night I was freezing in. I saw no signs of life. I twittered away on my iPhone thinking that perhaps I was a dumbass. I looked up a few minutes later to see twenty-five or so Otterbein students queued up for their sugar fix. Yet still no sign of life or light or donuts inside. At 1:01 am, the lights flashed on, the doors opened and the first wave of sorority girls surged to the counter. I found myself in the second wave, standing in front of a drunk or cognitively impaired (or both) middle-aged fella who seemed to be mostly amusing himself repeating the same joke over and over again until someone would laugh. I only felt slightly less out of place in my very non-hipster warm clothing vs. the jeggings and other warm weather fashions the rest of the kids were sporting. The importance of this moment was best summarized by two young lads standing outside in the cold. (Lad #1) “Dude, why are we doing this?” (Dude) “Because they (donuts) are awesome.”

Schneider’s offers a good late night deal for the kids. For $1 you get a donut with a glass or chocolate or regular milk. Every person (twenty) in front of me opted for that option. Then came me. I threw the whole process out of whack. I was here to get a box of donuts. In between Sophie’s choice level decisions about what and how many of each type of donut I needed, I was asking questions and snapping photos on the fly. To the members of the class of 2013 that froze longer because of me I offer my apologies and a word of wisdom – don’t wear flip-flops in the winter.

(see my selections below)

Schneider’s donut selection is pretty impressive. The guy behind the counter goes out of his way to make sure you get the freshest of the fresh of any donut selected (since you did stay up late / get up early to come see him). The crowd favorites seem to be the glazed blueberry cake donut and the standard yeast donut hot out of the fryer. The donut selection is deep in the raspberry, lemon and custard filled categories so I picked up several of those. I was intrigued by the Davy Crockett a massive, roundish cinnamon fried donut with maple icing. I sampled my donuts later in the day with a twitter based tasting team. We found the donuts to be consistently good. None could be as good as the hot donut I had at one in the morning. If you want to create a memory for yourself, hit Schneider’s for an early morning donut run.

Schneider’s Bakery
6 South State Street
Westerville
614.882.6611

Tuesday – Thursday
1:30 am to 6:00 pm
Friday
1:00 am to 6:00 pm
Saturday
1:00 am to 3:00 pm
(Donuts at your own risk after 6 am)

Schneider's Bakery on Urbanspoon

Posted in bakery, donuts | Tagged: , | 2 Comments »

Little Palace: Like at First Bite

Posted by CMH Gourmand on January 4, 2011

Driving by Little Palace, one might think it is an old Chinese restaurant – wrong. Since it is located next to hipster hot spot Dirty Frank’s Hotdog Palace, one might think this place is dead – dead wrong. The (newer) owners of Little Palace have a track record of making me happy with their menus (Club 185. Del Mar, The Rossi and distant, former cousin Press Grill as exhibits A, B, C and D). I appreciate Little Palace retaining the historic neon sign and name. I also appreciate that the owners are creating a destination downtown business which is good, not just for improved dining options and increasing parking meter revenues but because a commitment to downtown is important for our city.

The space has served Chinese, Greek and classic American fare over the decades. As homage to a previous palace, gyros remain on the menu. The remainder of the menu is largely Italian (mostly Philly style) featuring a few favorites from the sibling restaurants in the Little Palace family. The décor is dark and woody with low light and a more subdued vibe than their next door neighbor. There is a Mad Men feel; you could envision Don Draper popping in for a respite after chasing tattooed bobby sockers at Dirty Franks.

With a sign that implies Chinese and a menu that is a bit eclectic, you might wonder if Little Palace has an identity crisis. I assure you that the palace is finding its own groove. A signature drink is their Italian Lemonade Cocktail – the ingredients escape me but the contents were pleasing to my palate. The bar is well stocked with liqueurs for cocktail connoisseurs as well as draft and bottled beer options for those wanting a microbrew pour.

Some items really stand out. The Little Palace crisp chicken sandwich is easy on the wallet at $3 per pop. These small, slyder style sandwiches are sweet in their simplicity – crispy breaded chicken breast with pickle, mayonnaise and Swiss cheese. This Little Palace signature item seems to be the most mentioned menu feature on the interweb sites these days and the accolades are earned. The sandwich will never win a culinary award but it is quick to satisfy a comfort food craving and pairs well with drinking.

My award for best move on the menu goes to the $4 side of roasted Brussels sprouts with bacon. I need not say more than to provide the description. These are good and something you can tell your mom about when she wonders if you are eating well. Another major point earning property on the sprout serving meter – the bacon is house cured and damn good. Next on my list are the pizzas – there are several excellent topping choices. If you have dined on pizza at The Rossi (one of my favorite pies in town), you will notice Little Palace pizzas the same style and use the same ingredients. Little Palace does not yet execute their pizzas at the Rossi level but they are getting there so their pizzas is still better than 80% of what you can find in town.

One of my favorites from the menu comes from the sandwich selections. The Great Santini piles on soppressata (pork-based salami), mortadella (another Italian style salami with large chunks of pork fat), shaved ham, mozzarella, and giardinera pepper mix encased in a bun. This sandwich satisfies.

There is one item that is the greatest win and the biggest disappointment of the menu. I have to give Little Palace a lot of credit for offering poutine (a Canadian favorite) on the menu. Fries, gravy, cheese curds and (a Little Palace extra) shaved meat poured on a plate. What is not to like? Well, the thing is, the fries are not really fries, they are potato wedges which just does not meet the Canadian poutine code. This is a French fry fail. I mean a Canadian is likely to raise their voice or even complain if they eat this version. The cheese curds on the poutine have been very “meh” in my samplings so far (I would suggest going local and adding some Blue Jacket Dairy curds to this concoction to take it from “meh” to marvelous). That ends my poutine pouting.

Lay siege to Little Palace sometime soon. This is more than a place to park yourself while waiting to get into Dirty Franks; it is a destination worth your dining time. Actually, I would say go to both and share the wealth. (On any given day there is always room for a hot dog chaser at Dirty Franks).


(Note: Photos taken by @AmandyAnderson while I was eating)

Little Palace Food + Liquor
240 South 4th Street
Downtown
614.460.8888

Little Palace on Urbanspoon

Posted in restaurants | Tagged: , | 3 Comments »

Auddino’s Italian Bakery: Audaciously Awesome Donuts

Posted by CMH Gourmand on January 2, 2011


We will get to the donuts in a bit. Let’s digress with some history and backstory for a distraction. I have eaten Auddino’s baked goods my entire life, but I rarely knew it. This Italian bakery supplies breads, buns, rolls and all types of flour based goods to at least one half of the Italian restaurants in town and who knows where else. The Auddino’s immigrated to Columbus from Italy in 1966 and have grown a gigantic following of loyal regulars in the last four decades. They even have a second location in Florida so that Columbus snowbirds are not deprived of their sweet treats. The bakery moved to their current Linden area location in the 1990’s.

This is a large volume bakery but they have set aside enough counter space to sell everything they offer to the public. In addition to cash and carry baked goods they sell some hard to find Italian-American grocery items such as olive oils, giardiniera, sauces, sardines, and such. When I parked, a car pulled up beside me. My friend Matt popped out. He was surprised this was my first time here so he provided the rundown on what I should get. He confirmed that everything was awesome but he wanted to make sure that I ordered a few critical items. The critical items are: glazed croissants, cannolis and apple fritters. I can confirm that these are all wonderfully perfect.

The glazed croissants come in two sizes regular and large. Some have a light drizzle of chocolate. These were fresh, perfect and would meet any Frenchman’s approval with or without sugar. These are the best in Columbus. I have searched for a good cannoli in Columbus for about ten years. I never found one that ceased my craving. Auddino’s cannolis are among the better versions I have tried in the United States (this includes: what I have sampled in Little Italy neighborhoods of Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, Baltimore, Philadelphia….and (for the price to value range) New York). As for the apple fritters – I may need to have an fritter throwdown but I believe these are as good as or maybe better than the apple fritter at Resch’s Bakery. If you have the impression that I was impressed you are correct.

I visited the bakery on a Saturday. Mama and Papa Auddino were minding the counter serving regular customers they know by sight and order. Most of the transactions were small – a bag of sandwich buns or a loaf of bread. The Auddinos are a kind and sweet elderly couple that might be described as hobbits with Italian accents. I approached the countered stating I wanted to “get a lot of donuts”, mama said “wait a minute while I get this person, I know what he wants”, she passed me off to papa who said the same thing. After a bit of gourmand ping pong one of them finally picked me and my ordering began.

Auddino’s has most of the standard donuts selections – none were perfectly formed which is a good sign in my donut consumption experience. Stick donuts come plain or with a vanilla or maple glaze. In my donut investigations, any legitimate Ohio donutery must offer the maple option. I picked up one or two of each donut offering including two standard donut doughnuts. These all looked good, smelled delightfully “donuty” and felt fresh to the touch. I fought my inner consumption demons not to eat them in the lobby. I also noted that papa Auddino seemed to give me a significant discount on my order, he must have sensed that I am in the process of becoming a loyal regular.

Instead, I took my donuts to the toughest donut testing team on the planet – the Lopez sisters. These three Puerto Rican princesses have consumed Donald’s Donuts in Zanesville for twenty plus years. Auddinos donuts passed the Lopez litmus test with flying colors. At this point some of you are wondering….um, what about the DK Diner test? I expected Auddino’s to be very good. I was not prepared for these donuts to be audaciously awesome. If I had, I would have picked up a box of DK Diner donuts for a head to head comparison. My gut tells me that some individual donut types at DK Diner may still be a bit better. On the flip side, Auddino’s has better variety, the best cannoli on this continent and glazed croissants. For now, pending intensive research over the winter, I will declare Auddino’s and DK Diner tied for best in Columbus. Additional Ohio research trips in Dayton and Springfield are in the works to declare an overall winner.

1490 Clara St
Linden (between I-71 and the Ohio State Fairgrounds on 11th)
614.294.2577
Open 6:30AM to 4PM (3PM Sat)
Closed Sunday

Auddino's Italian Bakery on Urbanspoon

Posted in bakery, desserts, donuts | Tagged: , , , , | 9 Comments »

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