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.
The end of the peaches and raspberries with homemade applesauce, usually on cereal or yoghurt, but in this case on the end of the apple cake. I was thinking about doing something with the paw paws, but I keep just eating them as they are. They taste different every time depending on how ripe they
Read moreStauf’s is a Columbus based coffee company that has a small chain of coffee shops and restaurants in the city, mostly under the name Cup o’ Joe. They have one coffee shop under the Stauf’s name in Grandview and some combined coffee shop-bars called Moe Joe Lounges (big plus, they serve Jeni’s ice creams too).
Read moreA 30th birthday celebration seemed a like a good excuse for dinner at Alana’s. I have been waxing lyrical since my last visit and apparently my enthusiasm was enticing. What we did not know was that it was also Alana’s birthday, and whilst many people would be tempted to take a night off for such an
Read moreIf a whisky connoiseur finds themselves in Columbus they might be surprised to find that a Chinese restaurant is the best place to go for the widest local collection of aged and obscure single malts. But, Ken Yee, owner of Wings restaurant in Bexley keeps a list of over 140 whiskies. Wings has been a
Read moreWhen people want to frame a dinner menu (and it’s not their wedding dinner), you know that it was a truly special event. I feel extremely fortunate that I was able to attend the shake the hand that feeds you locavore dinner at the Flying J Farm in Johnstown, Ohio. The evening was both the
Read moreI briefly mentioned that I went to the OEFFA dinner but I haven’t given it the write up it deserves. OEFFA is the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association and it is a coalition of growers, gardeners and other interested people who “see ecological farming as a profitable and common-sense approach to ensuring a sustainable, permanent,
Read moreA beautiful morning at the North Market and as usual there were new things – daffodil bulbs; a variety of pak choi at Toad Hill; amber raspberries at Rhoads and chiogga beets at Wayward farm. I bought eggs, zucchini, jonathan apples, plums, haricot verts, radishes, cilantro, jalapeños, corn and carrots. There were also lots of
Read moreI bought some beautiful swiss chard from Elizabeth Telling last weekend. I have never cooked it myself before. I discovered a Peter Berley risotto recipe in Fresh Food Fast, that made me drool and included several of my favorite ingredients, beets, ginger and barley. I told my neighbor all about the recipe. I made a trip to
Read moreLast night I went to my first Columbus Underground event, a clambake and shrimp boil at the newly opened (and long awaited) second Banana Bean Cafe location. I am a big fan of the Banana Bean Cafe but I don’t make it there very often because German village always seems further away than it really
Read moreI went to the market later than usual this week – now that season has started I have to work on saturday mornings. This week I bought tomatoes (yellow amana and aunt ruby’s german green heirloom tomatoes), swiss chard (because I couldn’t resist Sandy Sterrett’s description of all the ways you can cook it); long
Read moreI am so behind and have so much to write about that I have no idea where to start. What a week. On Sunday afternoon we were hit by the tail end of hurricane Ike. This manifested itself as a windstorm with gusts up to 78 mph. So many trees and electricity poles came
Read moreExcept that we have no idea when Ozzy’s birthday really is, Ozzy being a rescue dog of uncertain pedigree. The date was spuriously chosen as the birthday for his facebook profile (yes he does have one!) and coincidentally coincided with the date chosen for the long heralded thank you dinner for the dog sitters (myself
Read moreVegetables, I bought were cucumber, beets, brussels sprouts (making their first appearance this week), cherry tomatoes, corn and peppers. Fruits were ground cherries, raspberries, plums, jonathan apples (hard and crisp), and my favorite reliance grapes. I was excited to find the first batch of dried heirloom tomatoes from Quiver Full family farm, where I also
Read moreI have been wanting to go to Alana’s for a long time, having read rave reviews of it on many of the Columbus food blogs and knowing that it is a favorite of several food lovers whose opinions I rate. Alana’s did not disappoint. It was everything I hoped it would be and more, and
Read moreFirstly a three bean salad made with the three types of beans I bought from the farmers market last weekend; christmas lima beans, edamame and green beans. I added some lemon zest, an idea I poached from a Heidi Swanson recipe (more about that later). The lemon zest gave it a real lift. I also
Read moreYesterday was a very happy food day and not simply because I had two different types of home-made ice cream. I started with one of my favorite habitual breakfasts (apart from marmite on toast). Plain yoghurt with fresh fruit (in this case raspberries), pumpkin seeds, almonds and a touch of honey or maple syrup. After
Read moreTwo ‘novelty’ items I found were the first of the white carrots at Wayward seed farm and lamb’s quarters (fat hen) at Toad Hill. Poor Tim was lamenting that it has been so dry that even the weeds aren’t doing well. I had a warm greetings from the Rhoads’s and an interesting lesson
Read moreI had to collect the Rogue beers I had ordered at the Beer tasting dinner and that seemed like a good excuse to revisit Deepwood. This was in fact their idea not mine, having lured me with a $10 voucher for use the same evening and Gallery Hop seemed like good timing. I hoped that
Read moreWhile the other Columbus foodies were living it up at the Columbus Food and Wine affair, I was enjoying free beer and deep fried food at the Hot Times festival (Comfest volunteers thank you party). For hot times, read sitting under a big tent in the rain watching some indescribable dance moves. As I said,
Read moreThis week as well as local fruit and vegetables from the market I have been enjoying some of my purchases from Thurn’s. Smoked trout with arugula, steamed green beans and left-over baked tomatoes which were really good cold. and the finished product: Beets baked with baby onions, garlic and rosemary. Beet greens braised with
Read moreMy experience of creole cooking has mostly limited to listening to NPR food programs and day dreaming of trips to bayou country, so I was very pleased to be invited to a cookery demonstration by Chef Henry Butcher Senior owner of the Creole Kitchen (1052 Mount Vernon Avenue, Columbus). The demonstration was entitled ‘an evening
Read moreOne of my friends kindly dropped off a huge bag of herbs from his mother’s prolific herb garden last night. When I say huge I mean it – It filled over 8 gallon ziplock bags. I feel some kind of wierd herb dealer. The fridge is full of green bags. I can identify mint, tarragon,
Read moreHard to believe that it is September. The farmers market still seems to be in full summer mode but the fallen leaves you see on the way there, give away the secret that fall is around the corner (that and the fact that football season started). The North market was a riot of color this
Read moreI had a friend visiting this weekend, so I took Friday off to show her some of my favorite places in Columbus and use the excuse to go somewhere new. It is fun to show someone around your city, especially an enthusiastic adventurer who has similar tastes and interests. The itinerary had a distinct culinary
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