CMH in SYD and MEL; Support your local Food Blogs in the meantime

I am going on a long overdue holiday to my happy place - Australia. I look forward to a couple weeks of wine (Hunter and Yarra Valleys), beer (Carlton and Cascade), dining, pumpkin soup slurping, great cheeses, train riding and most importantly friends. I should be back online by the end of April.

In the meantime - if you do not already do so - check out the Columbus Food Blogs I have listed on this site (to the left) and listen to Columbus Foodcast (episode 7 goes live on April 4th) to tide you over. The Columbus Beer Wench is the special guest star for our 7th installment. We should have some award winning bloopers as a trailer for episode 7.

There will be two entries in a day or two about my run to Circleville as my parting Bon Voyage posts.

Thanks to everyone for supporting CMH Gourmand. I have had great feedback on the blog over the last six months. I look forward to crafting more of the same when I get back.

Beer and Cheese - The New Peanut Butter and Chocolate!

Pace Hi Carry Out in Clintonville closed in February. The signs of demise were there for a long time - they just never seemed to be able to keep things in stock..so I stopped going long ago. Having the wine displayed in the window made me wary as well - you could not do anything worse to a bottle of vino.

I often wonder if a new business concept called Hops and Curd - a high end beer and cheese store might work in Clintonville.

OK - the concept of wine and cheese is well sold.

But beer and cheese…. not so much. I believe beer and cheese is the undiscovered peanut butter and chocolate of the 21st century. So that is why I am posting this post…to build a groundswelling of support for this advanced idea.

And as it just happens - Constance and Kent at Hills Market will be offering a Beer and Cheese Tasting on April 17th - check out the Hills Market web site and get on the mailing list for more details. I have attended two Hills Market wine and cheese tastings - both were wonderful so I expect the beer and cheese pairing to be just as good. The format for the wine tastings has been 6 pairing of wine and cheese with a appetizer for each. The Beer and Cheese tasting will probably have the same format. The cost would be no more than $35. As a bonus, you typically get 10% off anything you buy at that store following the tasting. It a great deal. See my post about the December tasting for more information.

To further sell pairing beer with cheese check out the site below:

A link with all you need to know about beer and cheese

So what do you think - is it time to open Hops and Curd during a recession?

Slow Food Columbus is Moving Fast - Debrief on the Inaugural Dinner

Slow Food Columbus served up their first dinner “Local and Loving It” on March 20th at Cafe del Mondo. In spite of competition from March Madness, The Celebrity Chef’s Dinner and other Columbus activities - the event was sold out with a waiting list of 8 people. Having a local chapter of Slow Food was long overdue - so thanks to recent immigrants Colleen and Bear for adding this to the Columbus plate.

I was one of the guests with the honor of spending the evening enjoying a great meal with some wonderful people. The menu is listed below.

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Antipasto

Bruschetta with organic tomatoes and basil

paired with Dal Bello - Rosa della Regina - Brut Rose

Insalata

Salad featuring Blue Jacket Farms mozzarella, Green Edge organic spring mix and mircrogreens, tomatoes, and a wonderful crouton

paired with and (2006) Cantina del taburno falanghina

Piatti Principali

Organic Pasta Bologonese with Spectrum Farm beef and organic vegetables

Rosemary garlic Mount Victory Porkloin

Farfalle all’olio (vegetarian)

Sauteed organic Green Edge greens

Artisanal bread

paired with 2004 Tenuta delle Terra Nere Etna Rosso “Calderara Sottana”

Dolci

Baked organic apples - spiced and carmelized

served with Jeni’s Ohio Spicebush Berry ice cream

Paired with 2004 Lenotti Recioto Della Valpolicella Classico, Veneto

Capping off the evening

Espresso

*

The creators on site from Slow Food Columbus (Laurie, Haley, Colleen, and Bear - and others behind the scenes) did a wonderful job putting a fine evening together. Wine pours were generous and helped fuel many good conversations at every table. Among the guests were the owners of Northstar Cafe and a manager from their Short North restaurant. In between courses we heard from the owners of Spectrum Farm (talking about their beef), Mt Victory Meats (discussing his business and the pork loin we were eating) and The Greener Grocer. We also heard from the owner of Cafe del Mondo / Fruta del Mondo discussing his business and well as why all breads and pastas are not created equal. The morsel I picked up from his talk - it really is worth paying a little more for good pasta and good bread - they are so much better for your body and and the flavor difference is significant. I also learned that “good” pasta can be placed in ziplock bag and frozen for a quick meal later.

Please take a look at the local Slow Food site for the full scoop on the evening (with photos).

Keep an eye out for more events from this group, it is still a very new branch of Slow Food. Based on conversations I had with Bear, Colleen, and Haley I am excited about how Slow Food Columbus is helping grow the ever expanding food culture of Columbus.

Another side note - I love to see local groups and people connect- the cool snail T-Shirts for Slow Food come from local T-Shirt shop extraordinare - Skreened.

For the Ides of March: My top 15 of the last year

In no particular order, these are my top 15 food related experiences in the last 366 days

1) The Praline Scone at Northstar

2) Macaroons at Pistachia Vera <posted September 2007>

3) Breakfast and free cookies at Bette’s Oceanview Diner in Berkley, CA (I told Michael Stern about it, so I was there first…!!)

4) Christina - server at Tony’s Ristorante in the Brewery District - funny, well versed in the menu and we both like artichokes.

5) Eating a Double Beanie Burger with George Motz at Gahanna Grille <posted March 2007 - and I am mentioned in his book which comes out in April>

6) Being a judge at the North Market for the Fall Harvest Festival <posted September 2007>

7) Hills Market Wine and Cheese tastings <posted December 2007>

Dinner at The French Room, Dallas TX - The best service I have ever experienced at a restaurant (preceeded and followed by the best service at a Hotel - The Fairmont - Dallas, TX)

9) Sharing the Nightmare Sandwich experience at the Corral Sandwich Shop with Kevin and B.A. <CMH Foodcast - Episode 4>

10) The revitalized CBC - especially the Pecan Torte, the Cuban Trio Burrito, and keg tapping nights <posted October 2007>

11) Lunch at O’Betty’s in Athens, followed by dinner at Casa Nueva across the street

12) Ratatouille - the movie not the dish

13) Hotdawgapalooza 2008 - 10 types of hot dogs, 15 types of mustard

14) Breakfast at Magnolia Cafe, Austin, TX

15) Rossi Pizza - what I crave <posted October 2007>

Runner Up - The United States of Arugula - great book about the history of American food culture

Second Runner up - the Dagwood Challenge with the Columbus Underground crew

Third Runner Up - the $2.95 Buffalo Shrimp and Blue Cheese Cole Slaw, on the bar menu at Columbus Fish Market. Best way to spend three dollars. <posted May 2007>

Fourth Runner Up - Ginger Ale at NorthStar

Worthington Pub Crawl / Stroll

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.

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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.

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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

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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.

The Dagwood Challenge: a date which will live..in infamy.

The gang from Columbus Underground - including me - had the first ever Dagwood Challenge on March 1st - here are details.

In case you missed it, this is the post that started it all!

And finally, since I know you are feeling you missed a major event in Columbus Culinary History - here is the video. Great job on this by Walker Evans from CU!!!!!!!

Food for Thought - Food for the Soul

Food for Thought, Food for the Soul

4400 N. High Street

(Fifth/Third Building, Corner of High and Henderson)

Basement - take the elevator and follow the signs
614.784.1600

Monday to Friday - 8 AM to 3 PM

I met Pam Miller at the Clintonville Chili Bowl in January. She mentioned her restaurant had been open for about a year in Clintonville….I was shocked, I had never heard of it. Well, being in a basement - does make it a bit off the beaten path. The location is not something that would phase Pam - she is often a one woman show at her place. If you cook it….they will come.

She serves up breakfast and lunch during the week. Breakfast includes all of the usual suspects. Lunch features a homemade soup of the day, a daily special - (usually soul food inspired) as well as a mix of sandwiches and salads.

The items to hold out for are the homemade desserts from Pam’s mom - sweet potato pie, lemon poundcake with lemon icing and pineapple upside down cake. So get yourself to the basement and stock up on some great treats - and support a new business owner in the process.