On a beautiful Saturday morning we headed to the river front for the Franklinton 5K and Fun Run…and one thing led to another…and we played downtown for hours!
Post race drinks at De Novo…Our bartender was wonderful and we will return for a meal…but I really had something else in mind…
We really enjoyed Milestone 229…the patio…the sangria…the food!
My sister and I were looking for a way to celebrate her birthday and decided to go on a “vacation” to Easton. I don’t know if it is just me, but I always feel like I am transported somewhere else when I visit this outdoor mall, especially on a beautiful early-summer night. We started with dinner at Ocean Club, which was simply perfect, moved on to intense purse shopping, stayed at the Residence End and ended with breakfast at Northstar. It was such a huge success we have decided to make girls night a monthly occurrence.
Some scoff at the idea of handcrafted cocktails … Okay maybe I was one of those people until I visited the Veritas Tavern in Delaware. Delicious cocktails with all homemade mixers were just the beginning. The food transported you somewhere else -Manhattan maybe?
Our memories of The Hamburger Inn in Delaware. Ohio were full of delicious food and smoke. Pre-smoking ban the delicious food was overshadowed by a suffocating cloud of smoke. Maybe that is why it took us so long to return. The smoke has cleared and the food is still excellent. I enjoyed the fluffy pancakes but D made the best selection when he ordered a hamburger and fries. Check out those fries!
My sister Angie and I are haunted by a doughnut….
Many years ago, our Aunt Jan worked at a bakery in Upper Arlington (The Goodie Shop). This place is the real deal, how do I know? It has that real bakery smell when you enter that cannot be duplicated, the smell is a mix of warm sugar, sunshine, cookies and happiness. One fateful day on a visit to The Goodie Shop, our mother ordered a Long John Doughnut while we (naively) picked cookies for our treats. The cookies were delicious, but Mom gave us a taste of this doughnut and the clouds parted, the earth moved and live would never be the same.
Why the big deal about a doughnut? This is not “a” doughnut it is “the” doughnut. The key is in the cream placement. The long john is sliced in half so the cream is distributed evenly throughout…this is…simply…heaven.
Every so often, we start thinking about “THE DOUGHNUT” and no, Krispy Kreme or Giant Eagle doughnut will do… the problems are two…
1- We live 45 minutes from “THE DOUGHTNUT”
2-The sell out really quickly
For example, two Saturdays ago D and I planned to drive to get them (primarily so I would stop talking about it) and I happened to call at 9:00am to find out they were already sold out. Of course, Angie knew we were planning the trip and expected her doughnut to be delivered only to be disappointed. The result?
Two weeks of phone calls, texts and day dreams about “THE DOUGHNUT” now known as “THE DAMN DOUGHNUT”…As in
Text…”Crap it is noon and I cannot stop thinking about the damn doughnut, will you go get me one?”
Reply…”I was just talking about the damn doughnut at lunch and my friends said ‘go get one already’…will you go get me one?”
So this post is for all of the family, friends, co-workers and strangers at the grocery who have heard nothing but talk about the “DAMN DOUGHNUT” from the two of us for the past two weeks. All I can say is a picture is worth a thousand words and…now do you understand?
After reading about the revamped Wedgewood Pub in Powell ( Now Fireside) we had to try it….
1. It is very close to our house
2. We continue to search for the perfect sports bar
Note here that we visited during the final four, an obviously sports focused evening…
The place immediately seems as if it is suffering from an identity crisis. The volume, so loud it was difficult to carry on a conversation was totally sports bar, while the menu hinted at something more. So we grabbed the last two top in the bar and decided to try a couple small plates.
The crab cake and flank steak small plate was noticeably cold yet very good.
The beef brisket biscuits with gravy were comfort food happiness.
The Chili was lacking ground beef but had a good kick.
Our bottom line…maybe they should rebrand as a “sports bistro” with the best of both worlds…sports and good food. We believe they will work out the kinks and we will be back.
Campari cocktail in vintage OSU glasses… Hello weekend #cbus #withoutkids
1 shot Campari
1/2 shot Grand Mariner
Orange Juice
Ahhh..Dreaming of summer…Thanks to http://www.ecurry.com/blog/drinks-cocktails-beverages/bahama-mama/ for this delicious drink!
Ingredients:
Garnish:
Orange/Pineapple wedge
1 Maraschino Cherry (optional)
We have to appologize in advance…UGH! no camera…but still had to share…
For a Valentine treat, we decided to go to Sage, 2653 N. High St, 614-267-7243. This small but wonderful culinary delight remains impressive. We had been worried, since owner/chef Bill Glover has now become Executive Chef for the new Hilton across from the Columbus Convention Center. Would Sage be able to maintain its creative menu with an emphasis on local foods, and unusual flavors? The short answer is YES!
First, if you go, reservations are a must. Otherwise, you may walk in and be surprised to be turned away, in spite of seeing ten empty tables. The fact is that the tables fill up rapidly by those who made reservations. Bar space is quite limited, so plan ahead!
The seasonal cocktail list is unique and fun. I tried a “Trade Winds” with Lemongrass OYO Honey Vanilla vodka, rhubarb soda and rhubarb bitters among the ingredients. Yum! I am still, however, pining for the chocolate jalapeño martini that I had once at Sage, and wish that were a staple on the specialty cocktail list! The list of wines available by the glass is, perhaps, somewhat limited. Not having selected an entrée, my companion did not try pairing anything for pre-dinner drinks, and could not get his exact preference by the glass. We also did not select any starters, although the choices were diverse and sounded wonderful. The soup of the day was a vegetarian carrot soup with ginger butter.
We each selected a salad: the Winter Salad had pickled figs and quinoa among the ingredients. I chose one I have had previously—the Frisee Salad, although I have also had the grilled Caesar and thought it was special, too. The Frisee features goat cheese, bacon and a poached egg. Michael Symon recently noted, on The Chew, how the addition of an egg to many unexpected meal selections—such as a hamburger—can add a wonderful richness and make a good dish GREAT! This is the case—an ordinary salad becomes extraordinary. Our server, who was terrific both with service and recommendations, said that a previous customer had told him that the Frisee was “life-changing”! Yes, possibly.
For entrees, we selected Ohio Chicken and Grilled Salmon. These labels alone don’t do justice to the total entrée. The chicken comes with fingerling potatoes and more, but the best part was flavor surprise of the green apple with truffle vinaigrette. The salmon was accompanied by caramelized brussel sprouts and crispy leaks, along with grit cakes. Both dinners were superb.
Finally, in looking over the dessert menu, we had chosen to share a peach cobbler. Our server had other favorites and explained why the cobbler might be disappointing to us, so we took his advice, selecting a Chocolate Ganache Torte with pistachio crumb crust and salty caramel. No disappointment there!
While Sage was, as usual, very crowded, we did not feel any pressure to hurry through our meal. Loved the food, loved the service, hated the winter weather, quite beyond Sage’s control. And by the way, I have NEVER seen children there!
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