Fervent Foodie

No-fuss Breakfast Tacos

December 27, 2017 1 Comment

When we moved to Columbus, we had a hard time finding a yoga studio we loved. We tried at least a dozen studios but none were quite what we were looking for. The problem was we were truly spoiled in Charlotte, living in walking distance to Yoga One in Plaza Midwood. Yoga One had everything we were looking for: a challenging flow, great instructors, and HOT ROOMS. Eventually, I turned to online offerings, and I eventually found Pino Rizzi on Youtube. Pino’s classes are the toughest at-home yoga videos I’ve found on the interweb, and we hit the mat one or twice a week for a Pino class from the comfort of our living room. Though I’ve never met Pino, I often find his voice and phrases poking around my brain. Things like: ignite the yogi rock star within you or NO, I GOT YOGA as the response to anyone who asks you to get cocktails after work. One of my favorite Pino-isms is “drop the extra.” Extra in this context can be lots of things — unhealthy lifestyle choices, negative self-talk, or excessive stress, for example. Pino says there just comes a point when all that “extra” just isn’t working and you just DROP IT.

Travel

Butler County Staycation

November 8, 2017 3 Comments

Cancel your weekend plans, we’re going to Butler County, Ohio. Trust me, if you love food, cheese, or booze, you will not be disappointed. Bold statements, but I say them with confidence because Butler County is home to the original JUNGLE JIM’S INTERNATIONAL MARKET. Jungle Jim’s is a food mecca, a foodie paradise, a food-filled extravaganza. A theme park of food. Honestly, I’m not sure there are enough adjectives to fully depict how cool this place is.

A bit of background. Jungle Jim’s opened up in the 70’s by owner James O. Bonaminio, “Jungle” himself. From what I gather, Jungle is a pretty interesting guy and a collector of all things weird, particularly components of old theme parks, which he likes to showcase in his store. Case in point, Jungle Jim’s has an old monorail outside, which they are hoping to eventually get up and running for visitors to ride from the store to the event space.

Travel

Weekend in Butler County: What to Eat!

November 1, 2017 3 Comments

Though I’m originally from Ohio, since moving to Columbus last year I find myself realizing I don’t know much about this state. Outside of the major cities, there are a surprising number of nooks and crannies to explore. This is great news because traveling locally is budget-friendly, and we all know how I feel about budgets. We knocked one cranny off the list a few weekends back when we ventured down to Butler County. It’s less than a two hour drive from Columbus, a bit outside of Cincinnati. Butler County includes several communities that are worth checking out, including West Chester, Hamilton, Oxford, and Liberty Township. A great way to get a lay of the land is to follow the Donut Trail, which features ten local donut shops (only one of which spells it “DOUGHNUT”). If you’re interested in hitting up the trail, you can download a trail passport here.

I like to eat my doughnuts for dessert, so we took a more savory breakfast route. Our first stop was Hyde’s. If you’re looking for a homey, locals-approved breakfast joint, this is your place. Established back in 1946, Hyde’s has the feel of both a diner and a cafeteria, complete with colorful booths and swarms of senior citizens. Hyde’s isn’t fancy, and they are proud of that fact. Their website boasts that most of their customers are regulars, many of whom eat at the restaurant once or twice each day.

The breakfast menu has all the basics covered: eggs, omelets, hotcakes, biscuits and gravy, and even freshly fried bologna. They also make cream pies in-house with flavors changing daily. Pie for breakfast is encouraged at Hyde’s. Overall, homey, comfort food at a great price gets my two thumbs up.

If you’re looking for something a little on the fancier side, you can’t go wrong with Northstar Cafe. Though we have a few Northstar Cafes in Columbus, I’d never had their breakfast! The Liberty Center location is beautiful, with a large bar, gorgeous open kitchen, and a sweeping wooden ceiling. Liberty Center is a a cross between a town center and an outdoor shopping area; this area of the county looks particularly modern and new.

The format at this Northstar is the same as the Columbus locations–guests order at the counter and dishes are brought to the table by servers. I was stoked to see Counter Culture coffee brewing (one of my favorites from NC)! For breakfast, I had the mushroom frittata, which has hearth baked roasted mushrooms, sweet onions, and loads of Gruyère plus crispy breakfast potatoes. I definitely recommend this dish.

Restaurants, What I ate

Eating my way through Columbus

July 26, 2017 3 Comments

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.

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.

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!

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.

Fitness

I did a 3-day cleanse and lived.

July 25, 2017 4 Comments

I’m one hour into my 3-day cleanse. I say to myself, “I think it’s working?” I do that little dance where you turn to the side and see if your belly has magically inverted. “I mean my jeans are definitely not cutting off my circulation today.”

Fast forward a couple of hours to my first FIBER SWEEP drink. It’s somehow slimy and gritty all at once. I make the mistake of drinking this concoction slowly, which allows time for the fiber to coagulate right there at my desk. The last quarter literally requires chewing.

Later, I drink my first vanilla fresh shake, a beverage that I am required to drink with both lunch and dinner. Despite the “DELICIOUS” claims printed on the flyer, this shake is barely swallowable. I quickly learn that chugging is the only option. Fortunately, a sprinkle of cinnamon helps ease my gag reflex. Unfortunately, the cinnamon does not alleviate the gas. Vanilla “fresh” … the irony.

Before I fall asleep that first night, I declare to the world (via a solitary text to my boyfriend) that I am quitting the cleanse. Though quitting is not in my nature, I am certain this cleanse is worthy of a quit. I am done.

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Seven hours later, I awake with renewed gumption. I tell myself I’ll do it for science. FOR SCIENCE, I say.

Going into this cleanse, I was mostly worried about going hungry for three solid days. Interestingly, this was not the case. Though I ate about 1,200 calories per day each of the three days (the bulk of which came from shakes), my stomach felt unnaturally full. I did not feel COMPLETELY REFRESHED as the box implied I would. Honestly, I felt angry (or was it just hangry?). As sad as this is to mention out loud, I felt like my days had lost their color. In my world, an injection of interesting food is akin to bumping up the contrast on a picture being edited for Instagram. Everything looks so much brighter, so much fuller that way.

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