“I’m on the last American exit to the northland I’m on the last American exit to my homeland I’m on the last American exit to my last chance They keep calling out my name, I shout it down” “Last American Exit” – The Tragically Hip The Greater Toronto Area (GTA) is roughly three times the population of the Greater Columbus, Ohio metropolitan area. Based on … Continue reading Reverse the 614: Toronto First Impressions
“I have to come and see youmaybe once or twice a yearI think nothing would suit me betterthan some downtown atmosphereIn the dance halls and the galleriesOr betting in the OTBSynchronized like magicGood friends you and me” “GOOD FRIENDS” – Joni Mitchell When doing research for our trip, I found quite a few helpful resources, including the BlogTO YouTube channel and website itself. Their site … Continue reading Just Scratching The Surface: Toronto Pt. 2
2020 would have seemed to be the worst time to enter the restaurant world, but that’s what Ben Kelley and a host of partners did when they opened Emmett’s Cafe in their edge-of-German-Village location in October.
I admit I didn’t think much of it at first. There were plenty of more familiar favorites that needed our support during pandemic times. Also, Emmett’s isn’t as convenient a location for us to get to, especially in an era of takeout (freshly cooked food is only naturally going to suffer the longer you have to transport it.) Finally, nothing specifically jumped out at me on the menu, save for the slightly intriguing twist of Aussie-based coffee drinks on the menu.
Appearances are often deceiving, and in this case they definitively were. The coffee drinks are good, but the menu items have more than exceeded our expectations.
I heard from others that the Breakfast Burrito was a must-try. I was skeptical (I mean, a breakfast burrito is a breakfast burrito, right?) And my general belief is if you’re going to do one, you’re better off at a Mexican restaurant.
But I bit. And I bit and I bit and I bit some more until I was all done.
In fact, several times we have bit on this burrito and other Emmett’s Cafe goodies and we can safely say this is some of the most delicious fare you can grab in the metro these days. The referenced burrito’s ingredients come off as gourmet (including crispy prosciutto, tater tots, and chipotle aioli), but the final experience comes off as completely satisfying as opposed to being feeling fancy for fancy-sakes. The just about equally as good Meat & Tato also sports some gourmet-style ingredients (arugula, house-pickled onions, and an Everything Roll from the always welcome Matija Breads.)
We’re happy when we find breakfast items without egg on the menu (instead of having to ask to remove the egg) and Emmett’s has two such items in their bowls – the very good South High Salad and the even better Harvest Salad. Even their Treats, while not large in number, are big on flavor, such as their Choco-Tahini Crispy and the Lemon Rosemary Bar.
Emmett’s has proven so popular that they’re on their way to opening up a second location, at the Open Air facility in Clintonville, with Wolf’s Ridge Brewing’s new brewing/dining venture Understory and Butcher Shop Fitness facility as neighbors.
Deceiving indeed…in a good way.
Continue reading “Appearances Can Be Deceiving”A divine soup, such as this Sopa de Tomatillo from GermanVillage’s Barcelona Restaurant, is a tasting menu staple One thing pandemic more or less eliminated was the primo tasting menu experience. We personally don’t indulge much in the extravagant side of the dining ledger, but we must say that one of our most memorable meals was the tasting menu of Veritas Restaurant, which was then in … Continue reading The 614ortyPlatter – 14-Course Tasting Menu
The sign outside Columbus’s Ace of Cups, one of the manyvenues/bars which has eked by during the pandemic I must say, these food-meets-music playlist have all played off the various food themes from last week’s chocolate to holidays to “dumpster fire” foods to local neighborhoods have been very fun for me, and in many ways it’s the perfect intersection of two things that have been … Continue reading The 614ortyPlatter – Rhythm Kitchen 1811
(Note: This is Part 2 of a blog post proposing our 24 different dishes from 24 different venues inside of 24 hours quest within Columbus, Ohio, based on the Tastemade TV Show “Day of Gluttony”. For details on the challenge and the first 11 spots on this quest, please check out Part 1 at this link.) 1:15 PM – With our Las Maravillas tacos (stop … Continue reading Day of Gluttony, Columbus Style (Part 2)
The humble meatloaf has graced numerous household dinner tables around the world in one form or another Many dishes come to mind when it comes to American classics: hamburgers, apple pie, chocolate chip cookies, and so forth. Often times, these dishes are adaptations or variants on more traditional dishes, like American spaghetti or Tex-Mex creations like Fajitas or Chile con Carne. A dish that in … Continue reading Loafing Around Encouraged: The Whitney House
Lithopolis, Ohio and its roughly 1,600 people have a pretty nice Mexican restaurant within city limits in El Pedregal Almost every small town seems to have at least one. One what, you ask? In this case, I refer to the random international restaurant or two that provides a prospective diner a break from the plethora of fast food, diners, and pizza joints that tend to … Continue reading Seekh The Unique: Everest Cuisine (Worthington, OH)
Yes, Comedian/Host Drew Carey knows Ohio weather well I\’ve been in the Midwest long enough to get the joke about Ohio (and other surrounding states) having eleven or twelve seasons rather than the traditional four. This year proved to be no different, starting off with a (way) early Spring in early January, which was quickly displaced by brief spell of Polar Vortex, and then followed … Continue reading Where The Weather is Wacky and the Forecasts Don’t Matter
We don’t do fancy meals all that often, so anticipation rises high when we do indulge. Four years ago in 2015, we found ourselves in Delaware, Ohio at Veritas, a place which had been earning “Best Of” kudos throughout the region. We found out the recognition was well earned, and their tasting menu and cocktails provided us with easily one of our top three dining … Continue reading The Truth is in the Tasting Vol. 2: A Return to Veritas
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