Where to eat, what to cook, and what's happening around the city. Straight from the team that has been touring Columbus kitchens since 2010.
I make no apology for posting about Kihachi again. I started writing this blog to record and share food experiences that excited me and every time I go to Kihachi I experience something new and wonderful. The food is so beautiful that I can’t resist taking photos and blogging allows me to remember and relive
Read moreOne of the friends we have made in the course of our taco trucking endeavors called us up to ask if we were free for dinner. As she was responsible for introducing us to Los Guachos it was unlikely that we would say no. She said that she wanted to try a restaurant called Los
Read moreI recently finished reading Robb Walsh’s book Sex, Death and Oysters and am now obsessed with oysters on the half shell. If I could, I would be on my way down to Galveston Bay. I have always enjoyed oysters but have never eaten them with great frequency or in large quantities. Now, I want to
Read moreCauliflower cheese is a very British comfort food. When I get a craving for a cheesy sauce it is to cauliflower and not macaroni that I turn. My most recent incarnation of the dish uses smoked bacon and smoked 5 year old cheddar from Thurn’s. I made it for lunch last week and it was
Read moreThis dip was inspired by one of the appetizers on Sage‘s restaurant week menu. I saw truffled white bean dip and thought – I could try making that at home. You may remember from the popcorn post that I live with a truffle fiend so I knew it would be an easy sell. White bean
Read morePopular history has it that the Garibaldi biscuit was invented by Peek Freans in 1861 and was named after the Italian revolutionary of the same name. Why they thought that this particular biscuit, otherwise known as a squashed fly biscuit, was an appropriate tribute is not reported. The Garibaldi, a cookie to my American friends,
Read moreOne of the other dishes that we made for Burn’s Night was Scotch eggs. I’m not sure how they got the name Scotch eggs because everything I found online says that they were invented at Fortnum & Mason, a very up market grocery/department store in London in 1738. Scotch eggs are a popular picnic or
Read moreMaking your own haggis in the US is quite an endeavor. Traditional haggis recipes call for a sheep's stomach and a sheep's pluck (heart, lungs, windpipe and liver). Unfortunately it is impossible to buy sheep's stomach and lungs. Blues Creek were happy to supply me with the liver and heart but that was all. I did a lot of research, comparing recipes, looking for substitutions and seasonings. Alton Brown used a tongue instead of the lungs, others used lamb shoulder. I decided to use a mixture of lamb trimmings and beef tripe, which seemed like it might be the closest in texture and not too strongly flavored. I was able to get tripe from La Plaza Tapatia (a large Mexican grocery store) where they had three different types on display.
Read moreIt seems that almost every day is designated a ‘national food day‘. Some dates have multiple honors, today is National Cheese Lovers day, National Granola bar day and National Buttercrunch day. Tomorrow is national New England Clam Chowder day and so it goes on. Yesterday I read on twitter that it was national popcorn day.
Read moreI wanted to draw your attention to the latest Columbus Foodcast. In this episode we interviewed two local chefs and explored the term ‘Ingredient Driven’. When Skillet Rustic Urban Food opened last fall their menu proclaimed that they were ingredient driven. That made us curious and we wanted to find out more. It seems that
Read moreJust as Australians and Brits argue over marmite versus vegemite, so the Australians and Kiwis argue over who invented the pavlova. It is a speciality of both countries but despite a lot of research by food historians, its still hard to pin point who first used the name. Legend is that the dessert was named after
Read moreYesterday I wrote about returning to an old favorite cookbook. Today I want to write about a new one. I was given ‘Earth to Table: Seasonal Recipes From An Organic Farm‘ for Christmas and it has become an instant favorite. It is a cookbook with beautiful photographs and enticing recipes but it is also a
Read moreI tend to go through phases with cookbooks and it had been a while since I had last dallied with Veganomicon. As anyone who read the pig’s head post knows, I am far from being a vegan but this cookbook has some great recipes and I love their quinoa salad, stir fried greens, cauliflower hummus
Read moreInspired by Robin Davis and by being able to see the back of the cupboard for the first time in years, I have been on a mission to use-up, reduce and turn over. Targets include bags of rice and grains that have been in the cupboard for 6 months or more, jars that have been open too long, anything with freezer burn and all the things I bought thinking that I would use, and haven't. I made a list of all of the meals or dishes we could make based on what we had in the freezer and cupboard and was astounded at how long it was.
Read moreI have to admit that I was drawn to this book as soon as I heard the title. Robb Walsh’s collection of articles and essays was published in 2003 and although some of the stories date back to the early nineties, it remains fresh, interesting and entertaining. I learned numerous obscure and fascinating facts ranging
Read moreWhen AD asked me what I wanted to do for my birthday, I said that I wanted to eat cheese fondue and drink French 75s. This was with our visit to the Velvet Tango Room in Cleveland still fresh in my mind. When I found a beautiful Bodum fondue set under the Christmas tree I knew plans were promising.
Read moreWhen life gives you lemons make lemonade, when life gives you leftover eggnog and Christmas pudding make trifle. This decadent concoction of Christmas leftovers was inspired by my mother when I mentioned that we had a lot of leftover Christmas pudding. Not much was eaten on Christmas Day because everyone was too full to eat
Read moreWhile we were waiting for our simmering pigs heads, we decided to attempt one of David Chang’s more straightforward recipes: pork buns. I say it is simple, because we took the short cut and bought the buns. This meant that all we had to do was roast some pork belly, make some quick salt cucumber
Read moreMost reviews of the Momofuku cookbook will tell you that the recipes are challenging, complicated and intimidating. While there are some simple gems, many of the recipes are indeed not to be undertaken lightly. Perhaps none more so than the pig's head torchon, a recipe that is five pages long, takes many hours and is accompanied by a photo that looks like the trailer for a horror movie.
Read moreI haven’t baked any Christmas cookies but I have been playing around with some sugar confections for the holidays. First were marshmallows. I have been wanting to make marshmallows since I read Molly Wizenburg’s ‘A homemade life‘. She describes coming home and finding her then boyfriend making marshmallows, and that being the decisive moment that
Read moreMince pies are an English Christmas tradition and if you visit anyone in England over Christmas, chances are you will be offered a mince pie. Often they are store bought, sometimes the pastry is homemade but the filling has been purchased. This year was the first time I have made my own mincemeat filling. I
Read moreIf you have leftover eggnog from a holiday party, here’s an idea for using it up and creating a decadent dessert. It may also help you to use up some stale bread. I used some panettone that I bought at Presti’s bakery in Cleveland last month. Alternatively you can keep the eggnog and see how
Read moreIt is amazing what a wonderful series of meals you can have from one simple chicken. The bird in question was a 5lb pastured chicken from Speckled Hen Farm, via North Market Poultry and Game. Unfortunately my enthusiastic carver set to work before I remembered to take a photo, but it was a fine looking
Read morehis was organized by Wing's owner Ken Yee in conjunction with Jeffrey Topping from Wild Scotsman Whisky, with guest of honor John McDougall. John McDougall is the only man alive to be both a master distiller and a master blender. One of his other claims to fame is that he has produced whisky in all five scottish whisky regions. He has had an esteemed career spanning almost 50 years and is now a freelance consultant and mentor. John McDougall is a spirited raconteur (excuse the pun) and he shared anecdotes as well as knowledge.
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