Delicacies by Sheri - (High Street Bakery Hop, Stop #1)

5320 North High St
Columbus, OH 43214
614.431.2800

website

This is the type of place a person drives by each day and it just falls off the radar. I passed by this business twice a day during the work week for years and never dropped in. Due to the screens on the windows, the place usually looks closed and the parking lot is not ideally accessible. Every once in a while I would think I should pop in but I never acted, it was not convenient. However, fate intervened, the weekend before Thankgiving, I strategically picked up two pies from Just Pies; pumpkin and pecan. Try getting a good pie the last couple days before Turkeyfest - it is damn hard. Fun to watch but demoralizing to live through. I had learned the hard way in the past so I was not going to get pie in my face again. I got my pies before the crazed last minute rush.

I let my dad house sit for me that weekend. I came home Sunday evening to find one empty shell of a pumpkin pie in my refrigerator…. my dad said it was great! I knew I was screwed. I was a day late and a pie short

The following Tuesday, I remembered Delicacies by Sheri - it was worth a shot!. When I burst in at closing time, they had two pies left - no pumpkin pies but a very good looking cherry crumb pie. As I waited for my selection to get boxed up, I picked out a few cookies and read an older article about Sheri’s Grandma B’s Peanut Cookie. Things looked promising and if not - at least I had something. The peanut cookie was great. The cherry crumb pie was a 9.8 on the Pie Goodness Scale (PGS). I now drop in from time to time to sample new cookies. They mix up their mix of cookies frequently so you never know what they will have. They rarely have much else available on the fly - everything is made from scratch and usually on request. They will stock a few pies and other things before big holidays for walk in traffic - which they would love to see more of. However, they make their bread and butter on specialty cakes. I have not tried one yet - that is another post.

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.

Last Call for the Finer Diner

Formerly at:

4989 Cleveland Ave.

 

The Finer Diner closed doors for good on October 31st. Word is a hot dog and sausage outfit will move in.

The Diner built a loyal following in Columbus with a reputation for excellent pies, large portions and made from scratch home cooking for a low price. The Diner was small and cramped but it never seemed crowded since everyone was so friendly. Some regulars came in for lunch as well as dinner on the last day, almost all of them signed a farewell book so that they can be contacted when the Diner reopens someday. As a parting tip, two loyal customers gave a $100 GFS gift card for restocking the new Finer Diner.

 

Finer Diner Proprietor Abe Pendleton plans to continue on with catering while he looks for a new location in Columbus. Abe has been in the restaurant business for many years, this was his first outing on his own and it worked well for almost 4 years. If you are interested in ordering a pie (Pumpkin, Apple, Pecan, Key Lime, or one of many others), his famous Ho Ho cake, pasta sauce, or a catered meal from his fine Finer Diner Menu - give him a call. Abe can be reached at 614.397.3459.

North Market - Harvest Festival on Oct 6th - be there!!

As if hanging out at the North Market is not fun enough…..

The North Market Harvest Festival is this Saturday. Fall is my favorite season and the North Market will be featuring some of the best tastes of fall - pumpkins, squash and such along with all types of special events.

This is also a great opportunity to show your cooking skills and win a gift certificate from the market in the process.

The baking contest will have three categories -

Pumpkin bread (loaf or muffin)

Pumpkin Pie

Apple Pie

The Gourmand will be one of the judges for this event! I expect to be sleeping off a food coma in Goodale Park shortly after the tasting ceases.

“The first place winner of each competition will receive $50 in North Market gift certificates. All home-baked entries will be available for purchase with proceeds benefiting the nonprofit North Market Development Authority. To register or for more information, please call the North Market at (614) 463-9664. Participation is limited to 12 entries per contest.”

Just Pies…. Just Do It, for the Holidays

Just Pies
Just Pies web site

Worthington
5525 N. High Street
614 888 0021
Closed Sunday and Monday

Westerville
736 – 1 Northfield Dr
614 818 9300
Closed Sunday and Monday

Just Pies, just does … pies. But what a great job they do. They have gotten the attention of Oprah and the Food Network due to their baking prowess and now ship pies all over the country. However, it is much easier to just drop in one of the stores to pick up a fresh pie. On most days you can pop in and get a wide selection of pies to select from but from mid November to Christmas plan on ordering in advance.

Just Pies makes about 40 varieties of pie with over 20 types available each day – including several very good no sugar added pies. Pies are 6, 8 and 10 inch. Some standouts are Pumpkin, Pecan, Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookie and Buckeye.