Eating Columbus: Breakfast Edition

Greetings friends!  I’ve been bouncing around Columbus knocking places off my to-try list, and wanted to share some of my recent favorite breakfast spots!  (For even more Columbus restaurant recommendations, check out the first post in this series here.)

Dough Mama is an adorable, cozy cafe in South Clintonville that serves modernized comfort food.  Everything they serve is scratch made, even the ketchup.  Their avocado biscuit is one of my favorite breakfasts in all of Columbus.  It has greens, tomato,  pickled onions, avocado, and an egg smashed between a cheddar scallion biscuit.  I’d definitely recommend their steak-fry-cut roasted potatoes and the lemon poppy seed muffin, which happens to be gluten free and has the texture of a doughnut.  They also have a vegan lentil-loaf sandwich (served on Dan The Baker bread) that I need to try ASAP.

Skillet, another favorite Columbus breakfast spot, is located in a cozy building in Merion Village (near German Village).  Their steadfast commitment to local sourcing is reflected in the ever-changing menu.  Each morning, the day’s menu is posted to their website for your viewing pleasure.  Last summer, I had an incredible tomato salad at Skillet that I still think about.  It was so very simple, but the TOMATOES.  The tomatoes.  Skillet’s food, including the egg scrambles and omelets, are cooked with more care and precision than you’d see at a typical daytime cafe.  Recently, I tried the fingerling potatoes with cheese curds.  The potatoes were crusty and salty on the outside and the skin sort of popped in your mouth when you bit into it, releasing a tiny explosion of creamy potato.  Divine.  There is usually a wait to get a table at Skillet, but you can call ahead to put your name on the list.  Plus they have free coffee outside while you wait.  Open Wednesday through Sunday, 8am to 2pm.

Trism.  Continuing this breakfast trend, I found a great weekday deal at Trism in the University area.  From 9-11am, you can get a breakfast sandwich on local ciabatta for only $5, plus you can throw in a coffee for $1 more!  Pictured below is the Numero Uno, with local eggs, jalapeno-jack cheese, zesty black bean spread, and sriracha aioli.

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Scallops, party of one.

A few weeks ago, I had a pretty bizarre experience in New Orleans.  I’ve been to New Orleans a handful of times, and I’m aware that weird things are happening all over that wonderful town, but this thing that happened to me was, well, different.  I was visiting for a conference, and as any food-obsessed traveler does, I sought out a special restaurant to have dinner my final night in town.  Peche had been on my to-try list since it hit Bon Appetit’s list of top-50 best new restaurants in 2013.  I waited five whole years to try this restaurant, so I didn’t let a mile walk in uncomfortable shoes or a 90 minute wait deter me.  To hedge my bets, I put my name on the waitlist but immediately began stalking the bar, lingering behind lingering patrons, hoping they’d take pity on my presence and wrap things up.  I noticed a woman signing her check, but to my dismay, a fellow solo diner had already swooped in for the seat.  I retreated to the other side of the bar, only to have this same solo fellow approach me moments later.  He slyly nodded over his shoulder and pointed out that the seat next to his would be open momentarily.  I didn’t hesitate.

Seat secured, I began to doubt this decision.  I silently hoped this single stranger who had helped me snag a seat at the bar wouldn’t talk to me, and that we could just enjoy what would surely be a great meal in total silence.  Despite this apprehension, I asked if he’d been to the restaurant before (he had) and if he had any recommendations (he did).  As I pined over the menu, he placed his order and offered to share both of his appetizers with me.  WHAT LUCK.  Apparently that’s the secret to getting a solo traveler to warm up to you.  He could talk to me all he wanted now.

As we enjoyed smoked tuna, fry bread, and some of the best Brussels I’ve ever had (THE VINEGAR SAUCE!), I learned he lived in New Orleans and was treating himself to a nice night on the town, as if he was on vacation in his very own city.  What an idea.  It’s the sort of thing you read about in chick lit, but that no one ever actually takes the time to do in real life.

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Eating my way through Columbus

As a self-proclaimed restaurant-scouter-outer, I’m always on the hunt for new, interesting places to try.  As such, I’m constantly asking people for recommendations.  Where’s the best Indian?  Who has the best tacos?  Where can a girl get a decent breakfast sandwich?  Here are some of my recent favorites around Columbus, in iPhone-photo dump fashion.  Did I miss your top pick?  Let me know if the comments below!

Dan the Baker.  The first time I stopped into the Toast Bar, I ate approximately 17 pieces of the free sample bread at the cash register.  No shame.  All the bread is sour dough based, and the country sour is my favorite.  I try to grab some each week at the Clintonville Farmers Market!  Pictured below is the wonderful mushroom tartine available at the Toast Bar in Grandview.

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Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams!  This is, hands down, the best ice cream I’ve ever had.  You heard me.  So rich, so creamy.  My favorites include Brambleberry Crisp, Lemon & Blueberry Buttermilk Yogurt, Salted Peanut Butter with Chocolate Flecks, and Brown Butter Almond Brittle.

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6-1-pho.  I wanted to check this place out immediately, solely based on the punny name.  I’m happy to report the food keeps me going back.  Most of the dishes are based on recipes handed down from the owner’s grandmother.  I love that!  My favorites include the veggie pho and the cold noodle salad with veggie egg roll and tofu on top!

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The Refectory.  I had the privilege of enjoying an eleven course tasting menu with the #cbusfoodbloggers last month — get the drool worthy recap here.  My favorite dish was the sturgeon and gambas duet with herruga caviar blinis and sun dried tomato beurre blanc.

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Corkbuzz Charlotte: much more than “just” a wine bar {restaurant review}

My level of wine expertise falls somewhere between red wine neophyte and casual red wine drinker.  While I enjoy drinking [red] wine, just pronouncing “Tempranillo” or “Sangiovese” gives me quivers of self-doubt.  Over the years, I’ve developed some “tricks” to make it appear as if I know more about wine than I do.  In fact, I once wrote an article for Urbanspoon (on their now extinct official blog) called How to Order Wine Like a Boss.  The article consisted of 600+ words of advice on how to successfully order a bottle of wine at a business meeting without looking like a schmuck.

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Despite this light-grade wine anxiety, one of my favorite nights-on-the-town is spent sharing wine and small plates with friends.  Recently, I did just that with Frank Vafier, co-owner of  Corkbuzz, a restaurant and wine bar in South Park.  You’d think drinking wine with a wine bar owner would be intimidating but Frank is an easygoing sort of guy.  We spent the evening talking about ping-pong tournaments, karaoke, and our shared interest in dinner parties while we tasted several dishes on the Corkbuzz dinner menu.

According to Frank, the idea for Corkbuzz was hatched by his niece, Master Sommelier Laura Maniec.  Laura is one of about thirty female Master Sommeliers in the world, and at one point in time she was the youngest Master Sommelier, period.  Despite these rather impressive credentials, the Corkbuzz philosophy on wine is relaxed, with a focus on “enjoying wine and talking about wine in a way that makes everyone feel welcome and never intimidated.”  Their approachability is exemplified by their knowledgable unpretentious servers, the restaurant’s no-corkage-fee policy, and the “ask the Master Sommelier” link on the website that invites website guests to send their wine questions Laura’s way.

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Oysters in Uptown: a look at Sea Level in Charlotte, NC {restaurant review}

We were on a family vacation to Daytona Beach the first time an oyster graced my presence.  I was about 10 years old and, needless to say, disgusted.  Fast forward twenty+ years, and here I am writing about Sea Level, a delicious new oyster bar in Uptown Charlotte.  What is it about oysters that entice people?  For me, it’s the contrast of the fresh garnishes with the cool, salty meat.  Horseradish, cocktail sauce, and Tobasco.  A squirt of lemon.  A saltine.  A traditional French Mignonette (my pick).  Sure, oyster purists like them plain, but I prefer to approach oysters as if they’re the nachos of the sea.  Who’s with me?

Sea Level Entrance

Sea Level is located uptown at the bottom of the Hearst Tower (entrance off of 5th street) and is co-owned by the same folks who brought us Crepe Cellar and Growlers Pourhouse in NoDa plus Paul Manley, who helped open Pearlz Oyster Bar in Charleston, SC.  I’ve eaten at Sea Level three times (so far), including an informative and delicious evening of oysters and drink pairings with my CLT Food Blogger friends.  While the farm-to-fork and sustainable foods concepts are becoming well represented in Charlotte, Sea Level is applying these food sourcing missions to seafood by shortening the food chain between oyster farmers and restaurants and by only purchasing non-threatened species.  Sea-to-fork, if you will, which doesn’t have quite as nice of a ring to it. . . So, since we’re talking oysters, how about sea-to-slurp?  (HOT NEW PHRASE ALERT.)

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