Vegging Out at Whole World

Whole World Bakery and Pizzeria
3269 North High Street
Clintonville - Corner of Longview and High

268.5751

Whole World will observe its’ thirtieth anniversary in February 2008. For many years, it was the only vegetarian restaurant in Columbus. In 1998 they updated their menu and deleted the few meat items that had been offered up to that point (offered for the sake of tolerance and diversity). Whole World has continued to prove that Cowlumbus can handle an all vegetarian restaurant (Neo V does the same).

For breakfast/brunch (Sunday only from 10 AM to 3 PM), go with an omelet (you have ten ingredients to choose from); add a whole grain English muffin to this and you may find peace. In addition to the standard Sunday brunch menu, two or three breakfast specials are offered. The Big Breakfast – two eggs, vegetarian sausage patties, vegetarian hash or over roasted potatoes (very good redskin potatoes) with choice of bread is another good option. They also whip up a nice vegetarian (mock) sausage gravy. A trademark of Whole World is a small side of fruit served with each main course (all meals), I think this is a nice touch.

The specials can be a good choice for lunch or dinner but they can be either hit or miss. The pizzas are good with some very daring combinations of ingredients such as the Oregon Apple (apple sauce, sliced apples, raisins, provolone, and sunflower seeds, and seasonings) try any of the pizzas and to live on the edge for a moment, however be prepared to wait over thirty minutes or more for your pie.

The soups are exceptional and served with your choice of (toasted) homemade bread. If you plan on eating anything else, order a cup of soup because a bowl is a meal in itself. There are typically 4-6 soup choices per day. The Broccoli Burger is a long standing favorite at most Columbus festivals.

The desserts are displayed in the service counter. There are many vegan friendly cookie choices as well as some brownies, cookie bars and whatnot. My favorite – which is not often available, is the Chocolate Peppermint Brownie. This rich, dense, blend of rich chocolate and peppermint filling takes my breath away each time and I gladly pay $2.50 without reservation.

If you are getting take out, add at least five minutes to the time stated for your order to be ready. You are dealing with a largely modern, urban hippy workforce so time is kind of relative. Those who are in the know go to pay their bill at the counter when finished to save time. The bathrooms are downstairs in the basement.

Whole World is a hang out for people who were hip before 1985. I find it to be a mecca of multicultural/alternative lifestyle types (kind of a mini Yellow Springs) which leads to good people watching with your meal. The recycled bowling lane tables are worth looking at. Local artists display their works on the walls for sale. There is no dress code for patrons but employees must be pierced or tattooed. Please seat yourself when you enter.

Occasionally, I feel Whole World is overpriced. Sometimes, I find the specials a bit disappointing. Recently I noticed that they are charging for tap water… quite a bit, without advance notification. However, the whole has always been greater than the sum of the parts at Whole World and they serve some of the most unique soups in town.

Morone’s Wednesday Pizza Buffet - French Fry Pizza

Morone’s Italian Villa

1490 Bethel Road

614 457 7444

Morone’s web site

I received a tip from an esteemed colleague about French Fry pizza at Morone’s. I found this fascinating. I am a huge fan of potato pizza, so French Fry pizza seemed - very decadent. How could you go wrong by mixing French and Italian cuisine? As if this was not enough, this pizza is featured as part of an all you can eat buffet that includes potato pizza and cookie pizza as well.

The price is $7.99 for an impressive spread - soup, salad bar, six entrees, Italian bread and a variety of pizzas. The buffet is Wednesday only - 5:30 to 8:00 PM. I could not get a decent photo of the French Fry Pizza but it looks fantastic. The fries are thick, shoestring style and well cooked. The sauce had a strong ketchup component to it. The combination of ingredients and flavors may seem odd - but it worked well. The cookie pizza had more than enough chocolate and sweetness to satisfy even with a very thin slice. I thought there was a good selection of pizzas and entrees - which included lasagna, two chicken dishes, meatballs and a couple pastas.

 

Service was great - my water glass stayed full and the server gave me a heads up when the French Fry pizza came out of the oven and on to the buffet - she could tell I was worried about missing out on the experience.

 

There is also a lunch buffet 11 AM to 2 PM which is similar. The regular menu was full of a variety of typical Italian fare as well as some interesting items such as fried chicken salad, barbecue pizza, as well as deep dish and Sicilian style pizzas.

Fabian’s Redux

Fabian’s Chicago Style Pizza Place

691 North High Street
Columbus (Short North)
614.221.8240

Fabian’s Pizza

Thank you Fabians! I have been getting 70 – 170 views of my blog per day. I must give much of the credit to Fabians since “Fabians Columbus” is the most common search term that leads people to my blog. Fabulous!

(Now – how do I get people to come back?)

I previously reported on a trip to Fabian’s in October. It was not one of my typical glowing reviews – but the place is good. My main concern was the faux Chicago style menu. I am still of the same opinion. The food is good – a few items are overpriced and while some ingredients are authentic Chicago – the end result is not Chicago style anything.

A strong positive – they offer a reasonable Happy Hour. The happy hour prices are the best way to experience Fabians.

Chicago Food 101

Here is a Chicago food primer so when you go to Fabians – which I encourage – you will be able to objectively decide – is Fabian’s Chicago Style food or not?

To begin – some information on Chicago pizza:

Food Timeline - Chicago Pizza

Wikipedia – Chicago Pizza

And now on to the Italian Beef -

Wikipedia – Italian Beef

Pat Bruno is the authority on Chicago Food – here his Beef overview –

Pat Bruno - Hemispheres Magazine June 2006

And Chicago Hot Dogs – (Note: Fabian’s Hot Dog is $7 with a salad… Huh?)

Wikipedia – Chicago Style Hot Dog

Some of the Windy City’s best Dawgs - (I vote for Byron’s and Clark Street Dog)

So now you know just enough to make an informed decision – go forth and eat – then let me know what you think about Fabians.

Wholly Joe’s - a True Taste of Chicago

Wholly Joes
1182 E. Powell Rd.
Lewis Center, OH
(614)-430-9441

Wholly Joe’s

What really separates Columbus from the big league cities like Chicago? The void is not in sports teams, accents, sitcom settings, or cool city nicknames. The true difference is food. Ever hear of a Columbus style hot dog, pizza, or anything – neither have I. You can taste the differences between the food from the “big cities” and our homogenized fare. Expand your palette. You don’t have to take a road trip to visit Chicago – just head toward Polaris for a bite at Wholly Joes.

Wholly Joes has the authentic tastes of all the hot spots in the Windy City – hot dogs, Italian Beef sandwiches, Deep Dish Pizza, tamales, etc. Let’s lead off with the Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza. First thing you need to know is that its is only available evenings and weekends. Second, plan on waiting at least 30 minutes when placing your order. Third – it is the best Deep Dish Pizza you can get in Columbus. Wholly Joes uses dough made from scratch, an authentic 1951 oven (made specifically for Deep Dish Pizzas) and ingredients shipped in from Chicago to get everything just right – and – it is.

The hot dogs come from a famous Chicago hot hog maker and are served Chicago style with mustard, relish, chopped onions, sliced tomatoes, cucumber slices, a sliver of pickle, and sport peppers on a steamed poppy seed bun.

The bread comes from the famous Turano Bakery in Chicago and is showcased in the buns used for the Italian Beef Sandwiches.

If you want to go all out get the Wholly Joe – which is 1 1/2 times the size of the regular sandwich. An Italian beef sandwich is made with thinly sliced beef, cooked in natural juices, served in a bun with a choice of extras including extra gravy, cheese, peppers, hot giardinera mix, grilled onions, and if you want, the whole sandwich can be dipped in the beef juice.

There are many other choices at Wholly Joes but one more that I must mention is the chocolate cake – moist, dense, and a customer favorite.

This eatery is located on Polaris Parkway. in the Oak Creek Shopping Center.
one mile East of U.S. Rt. 23. or two miles West of I-71.

Fabian’s (not so much) Chicago Style Pizza Place

Fabian’s Chicago Style Pizza Place

691 North High Street
Columbus, (Short North)
614 221 8240

www.fabianspizza.com

Fabian’s opened in the Short North during the fall of 2006. I visited on October 7th. The restaurant was still working out some kinks (beers were not on tap yet and the cash register receipt had a different business name on it). The food is pretty good but a few items are a bit over priced. My server was very nice.

I sampled the Chicago style (?) pizza. Well, it is thick crust pizza with good quality toppings bought from suppliers in Chicago - but it is not Chicago style in any way.

Also sampled was the so called Italian Beef. Any native of the Windy City would smack you in the face for calling this a “beef”. This was an oven roasted pseudo french dip with banana peppers - no giardiniera to be seen. For $7, with a very lame side salad - an OK sandwich - but not an Italian Beef.

Do not go to Fabian’s expecting Chicago style anything. If you want Chicago style - go to Wholly Joe’s in the Polaris area or the Windy city. The Fabian’s food is fine and the staff were very friendly - but the fare is not Chicago style as billed. It is worth the trip - but if you are going for a taste of Chicago - you are bound to feel like you ate in Gary, Indiana.

Avalanche Pizza

While trolling around in Athens, OH I drove by Avalanche Pizza and noticed the place was voted best Pizza in Athens 4 years in a row. When I got home I did a little research and found their site -

Avalanche Pizza

(Update 10/12/07 - The Lancaster location is closed). (I did have take out from the Athens location in June 07 - it was mighty good)

Lucky for me, they have a location in Lancaster, OH and I was going there to help some friends move into a new apartment. My friends were kind enough to reward the moving team with a variety of Avalanche Pizzas.

The topping combinations Avalanche offers are impressive. Listed below are the descriptions of three of the pizzas I sampled.

Crouching Kimchi, Hidden Chicken
This oriental creation starts with our Secret Marinara sauce and a half pound of mozzarella and provolone cheeses. Then we add Roasted Chicken, Korean Kimchi, juicy Mandarin Oranges, crunchy Cashew Halves, and finish it off with a swirl of General Tso’s Sauce.

Ted Nugent “The Nuge”
This gives Meat Lover’s a whole new meaning! We pile Genoa Salami, Peppered Pastrami, Roasted Chicken, Italian Meatballs, Premium Bacon, Pepperoni, and juicy Ham on top of our signature marinara sauce, melting mozzarella and tangy provolone cheeses.

Pesto Chicken Pizza
Roasted Chicken, lean Bacon, fresh Roma Tomatoes, crunchy Cashew Halves, sweet Asiago Cheese, and swirls of Basil Pesto. All atop our secret Marinara Sauce and special blend of Mozzarella and Provolone cheeses.
All the pizzas were good. The toppings are top notch. The crust and sauce were a bit above average. The Crouching Kimchi, Hidden Chicken was a love or hate experience. I loved it - others hated it. But all tasters were able find something they could rave about.

Avalanche has been featured on the Food Network and won “Best Pizza in the USA” at the 2004 World Pizza Championship in Salsomaggiore, Italy. If you are in Lancaster or Athens it would be worth the effort to pick up a pie.

Triangles and Squares - Columbus Pizza

Slice of Columbus will be on September 13th at the LC Pavilion, in the Arena District. This event was known as the Pizza Challenge during the first sixteen years of existence and was at Victory’s for many years. This competition allows people to try pizza from about 20 or more different local pizza slingers. The proceeds go to benefit Children’s Hospital. I went to 5 or 6 of these in the past. It is worth going but now I have a better alternative. My friends and I do our own pizza “buffet” every year. Each person brings a type of pizza from a different place and with 30+ plus people - we have a lot of variety. Below is a list of the pizzas I would suggest you consider if your decide to do the same. This list is based on my favorite pizzas from my own eating adventures - but supported by empty pizza boxes at the yearly Hoffman Pizza Buffet Party and People’s Choice awards at the event formerly known as the Pizza Challenge.

Adriaticos

Bexley / Gahanna Pizza Plus

Catalfinos

Flying Pizza - New York Style

Hounddog’s Three Degree Pizza - Go with Smokin Joe’s Style (Spicy sauce - garlic crust)

Iacanos

Mama Mimi’s Take and Bake - Primo Vegetarian (roasted garlic sauce, zucchini, spinach, artichoke hearts, roma tomatoes, chopped onions, and mushrooms) (( I usually replace the romas and onions with sun dried tomatoes and scallions.))

Northstar Cafe - Flat bread Pizza

Pizza House - Meatball

Portofino’s - Giant 30 inch pizza (49 slices) $23 for one topping. The 24 inch is only $18.

The Rossi - a simple cheese pizza - to go is not an option - but on a slow night, when the hipsters are not around - heaven.

Rotolos - (feels like a pound of cheese in each slice)

Whole World - Herb and Guacamole or Oregon Apple (apple sauce, apples, raisins, provolone and sunflower seeds)

And a quick note about pizza style - there are several recognized styles of pizza - Neopolitan, New York, Chicago, New Haven, and California. There is a good argument that there is a Columbus style. Columbus style pizza is thin crust that is cut into squares. People from both coasts get angry when they encounter this style. The best local examples of this style are found at Massey’s and Donatos.

If you want to learn more about pizza styles - click below

Pizza Today - June 2006 - Regional Pizza Styles