Restaurant Widow

Sage American Bistro, for Dinner

Ever since Husband and I last visited for Sage and they gave me a copy of their new fall menu, I've been thinking about lamb shanks with chive spaetzle. 

One thing that frequently prevents us from reviewing restaurants (aside from Husband's reluctance to drive further than 2.5 miles for food) is that we usually work Tuesdays through Saturdays, and lots of independent restaurants keep similar hours.  But I had Tuesday off and decided I was going to take myself out to dinner.  Fortunately, Husband got the night off at the last minute, so I had my favorite dining companion.

First of all, an apology for my poor picture quality.  It was hard to sneak pics because I was sitting at the bar, and I didn't adjust my white balance properly.

The drink list at Sage is clever, featuring a variety of interesting ingredients - apple cider, pumpkin spice liqueur, organic vodka, and Tang!  That's right, every astronaut's favorite orange drink.  Now, as a child, I couldn't have Tang.  Long-time readers might remember that I had a ton of allergies as a child; drinking Tang surely would have led to the Lisa Allergy Head - sallow skin with hollow dark eye sockets - not to mention the constant refrain of my saintly mothers "if I let you drink that you'll be high as a kite."  But now I'm adult and can consume as much artificial coloring as I'd like, so all of that to say, I ordered the "Space Cadet,"  fun concoction of peach vodka, triple sec, and Tang, with a Tang rim.  It was delicious.  And girly.  Husband opted for the very manly standard of nakid Bombay Sapphire.

We started off with the calamari, with a cornmeal crust and a side of pepperoncini basil dipping sauce.  The cali (that's restaurant speak for calamari) was topped off with a chiffonade of basil and even more pepperoncini were served on the side.  The squid was fried nicely and I enjoyed the light and refreshing sauce, not laden with mayo or anything unnecessary.

Next up, spinach salad.  At first I was taken aback that there were for salads on the menu (who needs four salads?) but if they are all executed as well as the spinach salad was, then I'm all for it.  The salad was nicely balanced and contained all sorts of yummy things - bacon, tomatoes, red onions which had been well-treated and weren't b-o-ey or too sharp tasting, and green beans, which were perfectly blanched to be crisp without being too squeaky, and croutons.  Everything was tossed - lightly (and properly) in a sweet vinaigrette. 

At some point bread arrived - piping hot rolls with a thick slab of good butter topped with smoked sea salt.  Those kids at Sage, they really know the way to my heart.

And then it was finally time for the entrees!  I of course chose the aforementioned lamb shank with chive spaetzle.  The lamb shank was HUGE, juicy and really nicely cooked.  The spaetzle were more like what I would think of as "dumplings."  I know, spaetzle are dumplings, but I usually think of spaetzle as being tiny little dumplings, where these were long, big dumplings, the sort I usually associate with chicken and dumplings.  BUT.  No matter, they were very tasty - full of lamby flavor from the broth, which was very flavorful without being heavy or full of butter and cream.  Another plus.  There was also nicely cooked spinach and tiny little pearl onions included.  This dish was the perfect thing for a cold winter night - we'll be having a lot of those coming up.  It was nice and hearty without being full of unnecessary fat.  My leftovers turned to gelatin in the broth rather than confit.

Husband opted for the duck papperdelle, as I knew he would.  WOW.  My lamb was really great, but I thought the duck was superb.  The papperdelle - flat, wide noodles - was fresh and appropriately slippery, soaked in the duck juices.  The pasta included bits of duck confit, chestnuts, mushrooms, and greens, and a duck leg confit topped off the dish.  The dish was full of great flavors which went perfectly together and had an interesting light high note which kept the dish well-balanced.  Again, there was no extraneous fat; no cream sauce, not a ton of butter.  I had to fight for the two tiny bites I could get in.

We chose the banana creme brulee for dessert, the house made option, and in truth I was way too full, but I had to do it for you, dear readers, because you deserve to know how dessert was.  It was very banana-y and had a nice caramelized half banana with chocolate sauce on the side.  I'm a sucker for a caramelized banana, and it was good.  Unsweetened whipped cream sweetened the deal:

Portions were very nice, especially for the bistro prices - the duck was 18, I think, and the lamb was 19.  I might be wrong, but we had 2 cocktails, 2 glasses of wine, an appetizer, salad, two entrees and dessert for around $100, which is just fine with me.  You could easily get in and out for under $30 a person, which is one reason I love Sage so much and am so happy it came to my neighborhood.  It might be the perfect restaurant for the economy we're facing.  The decor is soothing and nice without being stuffy in any way.  Husband and I were in our usual uniform of jeans, tees and hoodies, but other people were dressed nicely.  You can stop by for an inexpensive bite at the bar or go all our.

The wine list is small but well-appointed, appropriate for the size of the restaurant.  The white selection was especially strong, but, for what my opinion is worth, for the time of year and comforting food, I would only request a few less-expensive medium bodied reds (Spain comes to mind).

Sage's best attributes going forward might be the staff - chef/owner Bill Glover works the kitchen and the dining room; he has come out to talk to us most times we have been in, even though we didn't know him or any of the staff before we started going to the restaurant.  I love this quote from the bio on his website "I have gained knowledge from many cooks, servers, dishwashers and front of the house managers," and I think this attitude shows through in the completely unpretentious atmosphere and great food he's serving up. 

Front of house manager Eddie is a consummate professional, possessing that enviable skill of seeming to remember everyone who comes through the door.  When we arrived for dinner he greeted us by name, even though, again, he only knows us from dining at the bar (he also acts as bartender and chooses the wines).  I have always wanted this skill as a server & bartender, but I only remember people by situation and name, and not appearance (unless they have some convenient characteristic, such as pink hair or visible tattoos).  I usually have to be reminded of the situation in which I met someone before it sinks in.  (Husband remembers everyone by looks, but not by name, so we make a pretty good team most of the time.)

At any rate, I realized this is a gushing review, but I think Sage might be one of the best things to hit the Hudsonville/Washington Beach/Baja Clintonville neighborhood in a long time, and I hope they stay put for awhile.  I only wish they were open on Mondays, so I could go more frequently.  There is construction on High Street in front of the restaurant right now, so keep that in mind; fortunately there is plenty of parking in the back.

Info: Sage American Bistro 2653 N. High St (North Campus/South Clintonville) 614.267.SAGE (7243)

Rogue Beer Dinner @ Deepwood

The very nice folks at Deepwood recently invited me and a group of my readers to attend their first beer dinner (thanks guys!).  I had three diverse readers - PJ, Josie, and Bethia - join me for an evening of beer drinking and eating great food. 

I started the evening off with one of Deepwood's signature cocktails, Gin & Juice.  I love to order anything called gin and juice, but when it's gin and watermelon juice, I'm totally in.  YUM.

The group for the dinner commandeered almost the entire restaurant, and we were grouped in lots of large and small tables.  Our educators for the evening were Deepwood sous chef and beer enthusiast Colin Vent, who designed the menu, and Bob Gera, a Rogue rep who gave us a little history and information on each beer.

First up, we had a little bite of house-cured gravlax, salmon cured in hops with a few microgreens and a Parmesan crisp; the matching beer was Juniper Ale, and the two paired really well.  The salmon was very well executed; the texture was like buttered silk, and the cure on the salmon was great.  The salmon brough out an almost floral character in the beer:

Next, my favorite course of the evening, Honey - Quail Braised Quail with Gingered beets, cider vinegar Reduction.  The quail was rich and sweet, and my only complaint about the beets is that there weren't enough of them - a feeling agreed-upon by all in our group.  The presentation looks simple, but it was incredibly flavorful.  We all laughed at how quails look like little people on the plate - mine kind of looks as though he's about to do the Radio City kick line thing.  I ate every bite, even though I usually sacrifice half of my quail to Husband because I get tired of the tedium of eating their tiny little legs, but this time I did my best.  There were two beers with this: Smoke ale and Old Crustacean Barleywine.  Both beers were a great match, but I thought the Smoke ale made a very interesting match; it paired reallly well with the rich and sweet quail.  I have a feeling it will be great in some chili or braised pork something or other:

Third, we had an eel "sandwich" on a naan-like bread with Hibiscus BBQ sauce, braised red cabbage, onion ring, and stuffed squash blossom.  Reactions were mixed on this dish.  While we all agreed the onion ring, squash blossom, and cumin & fennel flavored cabbage were delightful, I think I'll stick with Japanese eel preparations (I'm sorry Colin, I hope you don't hate me as much as all the chefs in my restaurant do).  I commented at the bravery of the chef to select a stuffed squash blossom as a garnish, because they can be a pain to stuff and prepare, so I was thrilled to see it on my plate.  I do believe that is the first squash blossom I've seen in a restaurant in Columbus, and I love them, so kudos.  The beer here was the Morimoto Black Soba Ale, which everyone at the table really loved.  I have never purchcased this beer because it's kind of threatening, but I really enjoyed it, and it went really well with the dish.  I was surprised at how well it paired with the cabbage:

Next up, we had bison!  Very nicely marinated in coffee and slow-poached in olive oil until it was perfectly, and I mean perfectly, cooked throuout, it remained nice and meaty.  Frequently olive oil poaching, when done incorrectly, can lead to mushy meat, but this was perfect.  Also present was Valdeon (a piquant blue cheese) polenta.  Well, as Chef chef knows, polenta is the way to my heart, so that was a delight - again, very well executed with a nice custardy, but still pleasantlly "gritty," texture.  As a garnish, a tiny cluster of currants had been dipped in sugar syrup and placed on the plate.  A fun garnish, which I hope everyone at least tried.  I plan to steal this.  Currants are notoriously tart, but the candy finish made them tart & sweet at the same time.  Again, I love currants, and you never see them on dishes in Columbus, so this was another pleasant surprise.  The beer here was Imperial Stout, a surprisingly light-bodied yet full-flavored stout which had nice, food-friendly acidity:

Cheese!  Chimay, a nice almost Meunster-like soft cheese which is rich and nutty.  You might recognize the name of this cheese from it's dangerous monk-made beer partner, Chimay beer.  There was also a Goat Cheese fritter, and Rogue Creamery Smokey Blue, an Oregon blue cheese which is slowly cold-smoked over hazelnut shells; this cheese is really, really good - filled with pleasant crunchiness and a strong but not acidic blueness.  It was only appropriate, what with it being smoked with hazelnut shells, that it would be served with Hazelnut Brown ale.  This was my favorite beer of the evening.  The aroma was pure hazelnut and the beer was smooth and round.  I think it would be perfect for my pounda pounda pounda cake (flourless chocolate cake with ground hazelnuts):

Lastly, a mildly hot and smokey chipotle ale along with surprisingly hot habanero pate de fruits, an intriguing and tasty smokey caramel mousse (put that on the regular menu) and yummy adobo truffles, topped with crunchy salt.

The dinner was great; I was very full at the end.  The pacing was nice and the pours of the beers - important since some of them have over 9% alcohol - were large enough to enjoy throughout the courses without being so heavy that we were inebriated at the end of the dinner.  Of course, you could purchase extra beer if the pairings weren't enough.  All beers were available for retail price, around $4 - $20, beers in various sizes.  This dinner was a great value (I thought) at $65 a person, and I would definitely go again.

Thanks Amber, Catherine, Colin & Brian!!  It was great!

bonoTOGO

What a week for eating it's been!  First there was Pita Hut, then Sage, and then, bonoTOGO.  Husband and I were driving home from a glass wine and a bit of (wine) studying last night, hungry and lamenting having to go home and cook, when I suggested we drive past Russell St (in the Short North) just to see if maybe bonoTOGO was open.  I had read they were open until midnight, but I was sure they would be closed on a Sunday.  But no, they were open!  Bliss! Happiness!

The new pizza joint by veteran pizza-maker Bill Yerkes (he's had stores in various locations, mostly pretty far from downtown) is located inside the Eleni Christina bakery, where they will operate during the hours the bakery is closed.  There is one table in the small space and 3 tables on the sidewalk, giving the place a best-kept-secret-hole-in-the-wall-charming-urban-side-street appeal.  Pizzas are on the smallish side, about 8-10 inches, and are $8 apiece or 3 for $20, so they are a pretty good bargain.  I guess I should be ashamed to say Husband and I ate all 3 pizzas.  No leftovers for breakfast.  Without even thinking about it, we ordered three vegetarian pizzas, so for all you veggies out there, no worries: there are plenty of vegetarian options.

The pizzas are hand-tossed and baked in a very hot oven - 1200 degrees, to be more precise.  It's that heat which separates pizzas; the heat enables the pizzas to cook in 3 minutes and creates a nicely puffed and crisp crust.  This was some seriously good crust. 

I had heard the Hulk (#17) was really good; it includes pesto instead of sauce, and is topped with all sorts of green things - mine had spinach, zucchini, olives, green peppers and scallions on it.  I was asked if there were any veggies I didn't like, in case they had anything else to add.  Nope, I love all veggies.  Well, I don't really love green beans, but somehow I didn't think that would be an issue.  It was really good.  The veggies tasted fresh and the smattering of really good Asiago (not always available) really made the whole thing sing:

I ran over to the Burgundy Room to buy a bottle of Nebbiolo to go and let Husband choose the next two flavors.  He fist chose the Puttana (#7), a take on the famous puttanesca sauce on pasta (er, "good" woman sauce - read, prostitute sauce).  This was really spicy, but still tasty.  It mixed tomato sauce, lots of artichke hearts, capers, olives, and fresh hot green peppers:

Lastly we chose the Cippolini (#13), topped with tomato sauce, lots of carmelized onions, gouda, scallions, fresh mozzarella and Parmesan.  It was sweet and savory; a nice foil to the very spicy Puttana:

My only complaint with the space is they aren't open for lunch (they are Wednesday - Sunday daily 5pm - midnight).

In addition to the suggested combos, there is a very extensive list from which you can choose your own toppings. 

The owners are really nice, and they will probably recommend you eat your pizza there; last night's weather was perfect, and it would have been nice to sit on the street, but we headed home anyway, and the pizzas survived the 3 mile journey just fine.  We were sitting at home, munching away on the pizza, and Husband looked at me and said "I am very, very happy with this pizza."  High praise, indeed.

I highly recommend bonoTOGO, and only apologize that you have to wait until Wednesday to try it.  Oh well, it's the anticipation which makes it even better.

info:  bonoTOGO, west Russell street (the address is technically High street, but the storefront is on Russell) 614.906.TOGO.  Menu.

Sage American Bistro

I always get excited to hear a new restaurant is opening, but when it's right in my neck of the woods, I get really excited.  There just isn't much in the North Campus/South Clintonville area (I am sure to get attacked for that, but go ahead - bring it on.  Tell me your faves in the area).  Most people I talk to who live within the area agree: we just need a good place to go.  Nothing fancy, just good and comfortable.  Sage seems as though it's going to fit the bill pretty well. 

The space is simple, with exposed brick broken up by fabric-covered canvasses on one wall, and original artwork on the other side.  There is a small bar in the corner - small, but not so small you wouldn't want to sit there; we actually considered it, but there were four of us and we opted for a table instead.

Now, I'm not usually one of those people who reviews restaurants the second they open; having worked in the restaurant biz for awhile, I know it can take awhile to iron out the kinks.  But I think there's a lot of interest in Sage, so I thought I should check it out for everyone.  And I'm going to highlight the positive - really there wasn't anything really negative; certainly nothing experience won't fix.

They were full when we arrived at noon, so we sat at the bar to await a table.  There is a nice list of mimosas and bellinis offered for Sunday brunch (brunch!); I chose the Bombay bellini (Cava - Spanish sparkling wine - is mixed with Mango nectar), and it was very nice.  Husband had a champagne cocktail - Cava mixed with bitters (typically a sugar cube is added, but wasn't in this case. Not being a champagne cocktail aficionado, I can't vouch for which version is better).  Both drinks were tasty pick-me-ups for a Sunday morning.  There are also beer bloody marys available (no liquor on Sundays).  The drink menu for non-Sundays looked pretty good; of particular interest to me was the house "Sage Martini," vodka with basil, tomato water along with a tomato and an onion.  That sounds pretty tasty to me.

I'll say on thing about Sage: they managed to get a sort of who's who out on a Sunday morning.  I must have seen about 15 people I knew (believe me, me and my ilk, we're the "who's who"), including Mr. Brilliant, who supplied me with some "Buy Local Columbus" stickers!  So I'll be passing those out soon.

Fortunately, everyone ordered something different so we were able to sample the menu.  I chose the black bean, chorizo and sweet potato hash topped with two fried eggs, and I think I made the best choice of all.  This is what Northstar's hash could be like if it weren't dry.  The next time I order it (and I'm sure there will be a next time), I'll get an order of toast on the side for dipping in the yolks.  The dish employed a nicely spicy fresh chorizo, which I suppose was more of a Mexican vs. a Spanish chorizo, since it was spicy but lacked the paprika-y flavor and ruddiness I usually associate with chorizo.  One the side was a nice (seemingly homemade) salsa verde, which had a pleasant and mild heat with a refreshing quality as well.  Because I promised not to complain about anything, I will simply post the picture and, having read the list of ingredients, you can guess what's missing:

Husband, possibly in an attempt to compensate for a Hounddog's-related indiscretion at midnight last night, went light with a house salad, a sweet and busy mix of good lettuces, white grapes, apples, citrus segments and crumbled goat cheese, all tossed in a pleasant creamy dressing:

and the yogurt and granola parfait, which was nice and full of dried fruits.  It was very nice, and certainly one could feel very proper going for this option:

Guest #1 had the enormous stack of buttermilk pancakes topped with bananas, walnuts and maple syrup.  Perfectly competent pancakes - hopefully they will eventually be available by the single pancake:

Guest #2 chose the frittata, which included pancetta and mushrooms, and was also very tasty:

And, because we are complete gluttons, I ordered the creme brulee French toast for the table.  Wow.  The Texas toast is soaked in custard and then lightly fried and topped with a nice compote of berries and bananas.  It was really good; not nearly as rich or as sweet as it sounded.  I found myself going back for bite after bite:

All in all, I thought this was a great opening for a Columbus restaurant.  I only saw a tiny bit of chaos one might expect for their first brunch ever.  The food was all tasty and well-prepared, and I was pleased to see they had a basic breakfast - eggs, toast, bacon, home fries, because sometimes that's exactly what you want.  I didn't have any coffee, so I can't vouch for that.

Dinner will come at some point, although like all good restaurants, they are closed for dinner on my only two days off.  *sigh*

Okay, I'm not going to whine, just offer three suggestions, which, like everything I write, are very reasonable and smart:

1. It would be great if you would have a sweet crepe option as well as a savory crepe option.  We were all thinking about crepes but were disappointed that today's option was a sweet crepe.  Otherwise, crepes are a great idea, and in retrospect, I suppose we should have tried them.
2. Please, please, please put salt and pepper on the table.  I really like to sprinkle salt on my egg yolks when I break them and if I've recently changed handbags, I don't always have my purse salt with me.  That being said, I thought my dish was very well seasoned and I didn't miss the salt and pepper as much as thought I would have when I first noticed it wasn't there.
3. You need another POS system.  Trust me.  Your servers and bartender will thank you every day.  You could probably put the POS system so that it faced the restaurant and make the bartender walk around; that would save the cluster which goes on behind the bar with everyone trying to ring their food, pick up drinks, etc. 

All in all, I think Sage is off to a great start, at least brunch-wise.  I get constant requests for good brunch spots in Columbus, and I am always at a loss as to what to tell people.  It's a bonus that Sage is within walking distance.  Everything was priced very fairly - in the $7 -8 range for each brunch dish.  Dinner options seemed to be almost (if not all) under $20.  I think Sage is just what this part of town needs: nothing earth-shattering, no foam or sous vide or whatever, just a nice casual spot with unpretentious, good food from a good chef.  (Alana, we can't eat with you every night - come on, now.)

Good job, guys - especially for your first week open, and your first brunch.  I'll see you soon for dinner!

info: Sage American Bistro 2653 N. High St (North Campus/South Clintonville) 614.267.SAGE

Pita Hut 'n Grille::Meet Your New Addiction

The falafel sandwich at Pita Hut 'n Grille

I've been hearing a lot of things about Pita Hut since they opened awhile back, but it seemed as though everything I drove past, it was 10 in the morning.  What a mistake!

The Pita Hut quite certainly has the best gyro in Columbus.  I repeat: the best.  Husband and I visited them for lunch on his birthday, and the next day I was ready to go back.

Writing this, I am ready to go back.  I could probably eat it for lunch and return after work.  Seriously.  They haunt me.

So, what it is about the schwarma sandwich at Pita Hut that's so good?  Well, it starts with the schwarma.  Unlike a lot of places with the tower of myster meat spinning round and round, Pita Hut has a rotisserie with flattened layers of beef, lamb and turkey.  When it comes time for sandwich-making, the man behind the counter sharpens his knife and makes quit cuts along the edge of the schwarma, making small, bite-sized pieces. 

The pita is sliced along the top, not down the middle (this is important for maintaining the integrity of the pita whilst eating).  The insides are smeared with hummus; the meat is added, along with a great mellow vegetable blend of tomatoes, cucumbers and onions - again, not scathingly oniony, like you usually get, and halved little pickles.  The pickles are coated with a little yogurt sauce, the meat goes in, and there you have it: lunchtime heaven.  Everything in the pita is well-balanced.  Flavorful without being overwhelming.  There's no scary meat; no gristle or other yucky bits, just really juicy and flavorful meat.  Seriously good:

And then, there's the falafel.  Now, I always thought I would like falafel, but everytime I order it, it's dry and pasty and pretty much blech.  But the falafel at Pita Hut is enough to make me actually eat a vegetarian lunch.  (just kidding; I eat lots of vegetarian lunches, but the schwarma is so good it's a testament to how good the falafel is that I would order it instead)  The falafel is full of parsely and is very moist and savory.  The pita is filled out with the same ingredients as the schwarma sandwich. 

They offer hummus, tabouleh, eggplant salad, and cauliflower salad as well.  We find the cauliflower salad particularly tasty:

Oops, I drooled on my keyboard. . .

At any rate, I highly recommend you get to the Pita Hut as soon as possible.  Here's another great idea: Bob's Bar, which is located next door to the Pita Hut, has an amazing selection of brews and they will let you eat your pita in the bar (Pita Hut is open until 12am every day, fyi).  Husband and I ordered 2 schwarma sandwiches, a falafel sandwich, some really good cauliflower salad and 2 sodas for $19.  Small sides of creamy cole slaw accompany the sandwiches.  As if that isn't a good enough deal, there are coupons on their website.

info: the Pita Hut 'n Grille 4964 N. High St (Beechwold/in front of Graceland) 614.433.0996

Brown Bag Deli

People have been telling me to go to the Brown Bag Deli every since it changed ownership a few years ago, and I finally made it.

I really have been missing out.

I selected the Brown Bag Sub for Husband, and because he usually eats for the day in one setting, selected the whole size.  Half was sufficient; the whole sub is enormous.  It has pastrami, cappacola, salami, hot pepper cheese, and Italian dressing on a large, good sub roll.  Since I was in transit and it wasn't going to get to Husband for awhile, I chose to have it cold, which was fine, but I think it would be even better toasted.

For myself, I chose the Mohawk Stroller - turkey and roasted red peppers on a cheddar herb roll with sprouts and basil pesto.  This might be one of the best sandwiches I have had in a very long time.  Not only were the ingredients inside the sandwich tasty, balanced, and of high quality, the roll was superb.  I don't know from whence these rolls come, but whatever bakery it is, does a mighty fine job.  Half was good for me, and I saved half for eating at the end of a busy Thursday night - it was still tasty after sitting in the cooler at work for 7 hours!  (I apologize for the poor picture quality)

I chose two kinds of potato salad for sides - a traditional mustard potato salad, and an amazing smoky potato salad, with bacon and smoked cheese.  Things almost came to blows over the smoked potato salad (just kidding); it is that good.  The traditional potato salad was also tasty, but the smoky one was so different it kind of overshadowed.  This might rival Banana Bean's Shrimp Boil potato salad as my favorite in town.  Have I mentioned how much I love potato salad?

At any rate, I suggest you find yourself struggling for a parking space in German Village, at the corner of Mohawk & Whittier.  Brown Bag also offers carryout dinners (today's is marinated flank steak over spinach), which you can pick up on your way home and server when you get there, as well as catering.  And, if you need a cupcake fix after lunch, Bakery Gingham is right next door!

info: Brown Bag Delicatessen 898 Mohawk St in German Village 614.443.4214 

In Which Lisa the Waitress Finally Tries Soup from Northstar

Anyone who has been reading my site for awhile, or who knows me, knows how much I have taken Northstar to task for not having soup available.  So it was funny when they finally started making it a few months ago - I receive a flurry of emails and text messages, pictures from iPhones and everything "Lisa!!  Did you know Northstar has soup now?!!!"

Thanks, faithful readers.  It took me awhile to get to Northstar to try out their new soup, and in the meantime, there was a lot of hubbub over the fact that the new soup sold for around $8 a bowl.  Could it possibly be worth it?

This past Saturday, for no particular reason I can think of, I was getting ready for work and then realized it was 3pm, I was ready for work, standing at the bus stop, when I realized I was over an hour ahead of time.  I decided to stop off at Northstar for a little pre-work lunch and email answering.

By the way, a cup of soup is available for around $5.  I ordered a veggie burger with a cup of soup instead of salad and a coffee.  I think there might be a slight discount when ordered this way, because my total was $15.  It is a little high for lunch, but if you consider I can only eat half of the veggie burger at once, and have the other for a mid-shift snack, then I suppose it isn't so bad.

The veggie burger was good as always; I really love the Northstar burger.  How about the soup?  The soup was good.  Made from canned tomatoes and dosed with a good bit of olive oil, the soup tasted nice and tomato-ey.  It was topped off with lots of crumbled toast bits, a little scoop of lightly spiced olive relish with basil and Parmesan.  It was a tasty soup.  Was it worth the price tag?  I'm not sure.  $5 does seem a little high, but it is a good soup.  Even the best Sicilian tomatoes are only about $3 per 28 can, and that's retail, at a specialty shop.  A 28 ounce can would made around four 4 ounce servings, with reduction factored in, so with toast and peripheral ingredients figuring $1 per serving (which is high), even at $3 a can, we're looking at around a 500% markup (400% profit), or a food cost of 20%.  I will admit, that does seem a bit greedy.  I haven't seen the bowl of soup size, so I can't say if it's worth $8 or not.  But, keep in mind that I calculated these prices based upon retail, and Northstar is paying wholesale for their ingredients.  Of course, I didn't factor in the labor, either, and considering there are always around 6 cooks in the kitchen, I'm guess that is mostly what you are paying for.

So, that being said, value is in the tongue of the eater.  I can't say I necessarily felt ripped off by my $15 lunch, except that I forgot to eat the other half of my veggie burger at work, and my busser ate it instead, I did feel a little let down with the soup, because I felt as though I could make an equally delicious soup at home.

I like Northstar.  I think their success has made them a little lazy in the idea department; I can't eat there as often as I'd like, because you can only eat the same things so many times before they grow old.  If there were anything I would change, it would be expanding their menu by having around 5 specials per day, and not the same specials every day.  But I suppose they might say why mess with a good thing. 

info: Northstar has 2 locations: 951 N High (Short North) & 4241 N High (Beechwold)

Imperia Vodka at Morton's Recap

The nice thing about writing about the food & beverage industry, or working in it, is that occasionally people invite you to eat and drink for free.  It's especially nice when those events include things I love like vodka and caviar (how indulgent!)

ps - if you are hosting a gin or bourbon tasting, well, those are my favorite favorites.

Ahem.  I had never been to a Morton's before, so trying an event there for free seemed like a good introduction.  As usually happens for these sort of events, Husband had to work at the last minute, so I called up good old Crumpet (you might remember Crumpet from such previous ventures as Banana Bean Cafe).

I expected Morton's to be really dark, so I was pleasantly surprised to note that it had the nice kind of mellow lighting you find everywhere in Vegas, and nowhere in Central Ohio.  Every table has a cute little pig candle on it (pictured above, behind food), and if I were still in my college days, I might have brought a bigger handbag with me so that I could stash one away.  (kidding, kidding.)

The event featured Imperia vodka, which according to the Imperia Vodka rep I met at the event, is filtered through charcoal and crystals.  Crystal filtered?  It sounds so mystical.  Like what they might drink in Dune, if there were a bar scene in Dune.  Featured cocktails were lemon thyme (yum), cucumber (yum, but too much salt on the rim), and raspberry (okay, but medicinal as it warmed), and plain old martini with olives (why didn't I try that one?  Then I might actually know what the vodka tasted like).  The cocktails were good, but as a general rule, I am against sugar syrup in cocktails.  I'm a big old lady who's been in the restaurant biz for years: just give me the vodka, sir.

There was caviar, the type of which I failed to take note, of course.  It was presented in the traditional manner, with toast points, chopped shallots, and egg yolks & whites.  I have a fondness for traditional caviar presentation, because the night Husband proposed to me, he made dinner which included this traditional caviar presentation (along with Pol Roger Cuvee Winston Churchill, how cool is that?).

Even better were the shaved filet station (very rare, yum) with lots of whipped horseradish sauce and a really tasty sweet roll, and the smoked salmon (freshly carved by appropriately snarky chef), along with a giant bowl of grated horseradish (swoon), shallots, and capers.

When the time came for door prizes, my little Crumpet won!  A bottle of Imperia vodka, a set of Morton's steak knives, and a cocktail shaker - how cool is that?! 

I was informed that, at happy hour, Morton's gives away filet sandwiches on those yummy toasted sweet rolls at the bar.  That's reason enough for me to go there.  Rumor is also, they are going to fly in the face of Morton's tradition by putting windows in front of the restaurant!?

As I was leaving, I noticed there were personalized wine cabinets lining the entryway.  You can see the wines inside, and each cabinet is labeled with its owner's name.  I got a kick out of pointing out everyone I had waited upon in the past.  I know it's old school, but that seems like a really good way to get - and keep - regulars.  I'll have to note that for any future restaurants I might open.

Thanks for the fun & drinks, Morton's!

More information about Imperia Vodka. (must be 21)
More information about Mortons.

Milano's Steakhouse

Between us, Husband and I share a lifetime of restaurant work.  Both of us had our first jobs in restaurants, and of course our current jobs are in restaurants.  We've been bussers, foodrunners, baristas, barbacks,  bartenders, cocktailers, managers, servers, hosts, I think we've both even done a shift or two in the dishtank, and I've done my own time behind the line as well.  We've worked in a Cajun restaurant, an old-school fine dining restaurant, coffeehouses, silly Italian restaurants, French restaurants, gay bars, Americana restaurants, wine bars, fine dining restaurants, steakhouses, and Amish restaurants.  One of us even interviewed to be Les Wexner's personal server.  We've probably opened more bottles of wine and asked for more steak temperatures than either of us could ever count.  We've poured more cosmos, martinis, and scotches on the rocks than most of you will ever see in your life.  We've smiled and served you with grace through food poisoning, the flu, bronchitis, sprained body parts, hangovers and exam-cramming.  We've had knockout, drag out fights with chefs and then come out smiling to sling your calamari.  We've starched countless white button-down, 100% cotton shirts and tied even more apron strings.  We've sliced our fingers open whilst opening bottles and pretended we were fine.  We've folded enough napkins to wipe the mouths of the entire city of Columbus, thrice over.  We've rolled more silverware than mouths.  We've missed concerts, plays, opening nights, parties, anything that ever happened on a Friday or Saturday.  We've missed every major holiday.  We've missed Christmas Eves, we've missed every single New Year's Eve.  We've missed every Valentine's Day.  We've missed a lot, to serve you.  Such is the life of a restaurant worker.

While we both have had corporate jobs with 401K plans and great dental plans, we always find ourselves back in restaurants.  We both went to good high schools and have college degrees.  On some level, I occasionally think there's a parallel us - Husband went to med school as he had planned, and I went to law school.  For some reason, this parallel us lives in Worthington.  But as I've said time and again, I don't think I would be happy as a lawyer.  Certainly I'd have more money than I do now, but would I be as happy?  I just don't think so.  There's something about not being stranded behind a desk all day which I love.  And I'm selfish enough to admit that my own happiness and Husband's happiness are very important to me.

Wow.  I have seriously digressed.  (as a sidenote, this is why writing has been a challenge recently - I've been way to verbose.)  At any rate, Husband and I were recently discussing our various lives in restaurants, and at some point, we decided we should revisit our first places of employment.  Fortunately, both are still open (I can't say that for all of the places we've worked).

It was Monday night.  I had a meeting which ran late and had errands to run, and then it was dark.  I didn't want to cook.  Husband called with an idea "I don't know if you'll go for it.  I'll tell you when you get home."  And so it happened that we went to Milano's, Husband's first place of employment.  These days, Milano's is located in a less-than-stellar part of town, in a low slung brick building. 

The interior is old-school elegantish, and by the time we had arrived at 7:30, many of the clientele had come and gone (Milano's if famous for its early bird specials).  We sat in the lounge side of the restaurant, which still houses a stage and a dance floor, where the same crooner has been covering the standards since Husband was still a skinny little high school kid with a bad attitude and a brand new smoking habit.

Our bartender had been working at Milano's for around 14 years; when guests arrived, they were sometimes greeted with a hug and talk of so and so's kids or what's going on in their lives.  Most of the waitresses here (and it's waitresses only) have worked here forever. 

So, let's start with the cocktails.  There is no extensive list of vodkas & gins here, as has been de rigueur in steakhouses for decades; my request for Bombay was denied, but there was Beefeater, and our server poured the martinis at the table, which was pretty cool:

If there is one thing old school steakhouses excel at, it's shrimp cocktail.  Ours came in those fabulous tin dishes, and the shrimp were nice and crunchy and icebox cold:

Entrees include one side and a salad.  We both opted for salads, which are no-nonsense iceberg/carrot mix with exactly 2 black olives.  I can't even recall the last time I've had an iceberg salad with no sense of irony (wedge salads fall into the ironic category).  I have to admit, they did feel like something I might be served in a nursing home:

I chose the filet with a baked potato on the side.  The filet came with bacon wrapped around it, a custom I will never understand.  It adds a bizarre flavor, and it seems strange that the filet is the most expensive cut on the cow by far, and yet, because of it's low fat content, we have to give it flavor by wrapping it in bacon.  Which is why, as any chef will tell you, it's the most boring cut on the cow.  That being said, its lack of fat and excessive trimming make for easy eating.  One isn't always up to all that negotiating around fat pockets.  The fillet was around 8 ounces, judging by the amount I took home, and was properly cooked:

Husband, wiser than I, opted for the milk-fed veal parmigiano, which was enormous and very thickly coated in crumbs.  It was topped with a nicely spiced tomato sauce and a nice topping of cheese (they even still have those same 4 canned mushrooms on top, Husband said).  There was, of course, spaghetti on the side:

We were quite full by now, which I suppose is the point of dinner.  We passed on dessert.  Husband walked around the restaurant and laughed about how it hadn't changed in all these years.  Some of the line cooks were even still there - a few of them have worked in the restaurant for 30 years or so. 

I don't know how to end this - Milano's is an institution on the NE side.  And it is what it is.  It's probably a great place to take your grandparents.  There's no chance of something being on the menu you haven't heard of.  It's comfortable, and unchallenging.  The service is diner-friendly without the attitude.  If the restaurant were located in a more developed area, I could actually see young people taking a shine to the bar for happy hour; the bar chairs are deep and cushy, and I think you could engage the bartender into a serious discussion about the daytime stories; the TV was tuned to Dancing with the Stars so everyone could watch Priscilla Pressley perform.

info:  Milano's Steakhouse 3105 Westerville Rd (at Oakland Park) 614.475.9199

Oh It's Such a Perfect Day

Husband and I don't celebrate Valentine's Day.  Instead, we have our own celebration of our love on February 21st, because that is the day Husband proposed to me.  And so, every year after the hubbub of Valentine's has died down, and we've helped everyone else through their holidays, we get our own.  We took the day off, and Husband even volunteered to go to Ladies Eighties at Skully's, something I love and he hates.  I let him off the hook for that one, but I did request we go to Diaspora for lunch.  I went there when they first opened, and have begged him to go back with me ever since.

It's quite possible Diaspora is the most beautiful restaurant in the (North) Campus area.  In a sea of divey, cockroach-covered holes, Diaspora is awash in soothing colors, with a soaring ceiling, giant light-allowing windows, and lots of paper lanterns:

Although they sell pig's feet as an entree (I was sure Husband would choose those), we both settled on the Dol Sot Bi Bim Bop, a Korean favorite consisting of a rocket-hot stone pot wherein rice is topped with beef, vegetables, and an egg.  It's the perfect thing for the cold, snowy day we were having yesterday.

One of the charms of dining in a Korean restaurant is the panchan, the little gratis plates of kimchee, pickles, fishcake, and whatnot which arrive at your table when you order.  Typically, if there is one item of which you are particularly fond, you can request an additional plate.  At Diaspora, our panchan consisted of 7 plates - seaweed salad, fish cake (my second favorite, below, lower right), the potato in a sweet sauce (favorite favorite; above, lower right), standard cabbage kimchee, daikon kimchee, a funny little potato salad with cucumbers and apples, and a tasty, great-textured tofu in chili sauce.  I love these little nibbles, and it's always fun to see what you're going to get.

Now, on to the bi bim bop (below).  There's the aforementioned stone pot, with a nice mound of rice.  Artfully displayed over the top of the rice are a variety of vegetables and meat - ground beef, carrots, mung bean sprouts, mushrooms, daikon, what I think are some sort of pickled fiddlehead, and slivers of toasted nori (seaweed), and of course, a raw egg (my favorite part).  I believe the proper way to eat this deliciousness is to add the mild chili sauce provided (Diaspora gives you a dish of chili sauce and a squeeze bottle of sesame oil) and stir the entire mixture together, (the heat kind of cooks the egg as it coats everything, making a sauce) and then eat it with a spoon.  I'm addicted to eating with chopsticks, so I only lightly stir, cover everything with salt (alas) and eat with chopsticks.

As a sidenote - and of course, I can't remember my source on this, but I've read that Korean cooking doesn't include a lot of salt, so one adds salt when eating.  It goes against my nature to add salt to Asian food, but here I have to.  And, I can't eat an egg yolk without salt.

The rice which maintains contact gets a nice crunchy texture which can be enjoyed throughout the eating of the hotpot and at the end.  I know it's probably completely gauche, but I like to add a pinch of leftover miso soup to the very end of the rice (very crunchy by now) and then eat it with a spoon.

I love Diaspora.  In fact, I would go back again today given half the chance.

A perfect day should include eating with chopsticks (check), going home to find Netflix delivered the next disc of Alias (check) and to find that your new shoes came days earlier than expected (check) and a nap (check).  And then, it should include a super cool event, such as Pecha Kucha (check), and then another meal with chopsticks and something I've never eaten before, such as a Snapper's head (check):

So, it was a Perfect Day, Husband.  (wait for it) I'm glad I spent it with you.

Info:  Diaspora Korean Restaurant 2118 N. High St (just south of Lane) 614.458.1141 Bonus - open late on the weekends.