Dempsey’s Restaurant | Columbus, OH

Dempsey’s Restaurant (Facebook / @DempseysDaily)
346 S. High St. (map it!)
Columbus, OH 43215
(614) 586-0511
Open daily 7a-11p (bfast served till 10:45 Mon-Fri, till 1pm Sat & Sun)
Accepts cash & credit/debit
Vegetarian/vegan/gluten free? Y/N/N
Kid-friendly? Y

Date of Visit: Saturday, April 27, 2013 at 9:30 a.m.

Dempsey’s has been on my radar since they opened about a year ago. Finally, after of year of following their regular updates on Facebook and watching them thrive, we made it out on a Saturday morning. I’ve been interested in Dempsey’s, well, a.) because they serve breakfast, but also b.) they’re a downtown restaurant that’s serving breakfast every day of the week – not just weekdays – and right now early morning Saturday breakfasts downtown are hard to come by.

Dempsey’s occupies and long, thin space on South High Street, just north of the intersection at Mound, right around the corner from the excellent brunch at Jury Room. The space has been lovingly renovated to preserve the feel of an older downtown bar, one where you might find attorneys seeking solace after a busy session at the county courthouse across the street.

This is just the type of space I love. On a long brick wall hang photos chronicling Columbus’ history. A big, beautiful wooden bar on one side. Intricate tile floors. It’s big enough while still feeling comfortable and cozy.

They’re a full-service coffee shop, too. Order up shots of espresso or cappuccinos to go along with your breakfast.

Which is just what we did: they make one good cappuccino there. Pillowy foam, rich espresso.

I went for a regular coffee, served in a tall glass with a mug of chilled cream. Dempsey’s serves coffee from Impero in Short North.

While the menu isn’t off-the-charts innovative, it still features a solid line-up of breakfast classics and enough variety to please everyone. We ordered from all four corners of the menu and really, really enjoyed every dish. First, the mushroom lovers’ omelet, made with fresh mushrooms, Swiss, and onions. Balanced blend of ingredients, cooked just right. Served with a side of toast (we picked rye) and their redskin potatoes, which were soft and well-seasoned (thank goodness – so many breakfast potatoes are served under-seasoned) without being mushy.

Grandma Dempsey’s steel cut Irish oatmeal. Cooked properly, again without being turned to a bowl of mush. Served with cream and brown sugar. Very hearty. If you’re stopping by the restaurant for a quick breakfast, this is a good bet. And this dish fits with the Irish theme of the restaurant.

Facing a good line-up of pancakes, we had to order one for our boys. We opted for the chocolate chip pancakes: three thin but fluffy flapjacks packed with chips and drizzled with more chocolate. Impossible not to like.

My eye was immediately drawn to the hash and eggs. It takes their redskin potatoes and substitutes the corned beef with a slow-cooked brisket. Served with a side of toast and topped with two perfectly poached eggs. This dish really hit the spot with me. Good size portion to match the price, very tender brisket, seasoned well, beautiful eggs. I’m adding this to my list of go-to breakfast dishes around town.

All in all, we were very pleased with the total package of breakfast at Dempsey’s. Everything seemed on point: the service, the prices, the quality of the food, the atmosphere, the hours. I think Dempsey’s has joined the list of regular spots for our Saturday breakfasting or to take out-of-town visitors.

Colin’s Coffee | Columbus, OH

Colin’s Coffee (Facebook)
3714 Riverside Dr. (map it!)
Columbus, OH 43221
(614) 459-0598
Open daily 6a-3p
Accepts cash & credit/debit
Vegetarian/vegan/gluten free? Y/N/N
Kid-friendly? Y

Date of Visit: Friday, April 18, 2012 at 10:00 a.m.

These days, you hear a lot of people talk about the local. Shop local. Eat local. Buy local. Support local. But what does that mean? Sometimes it’s geographically defined, sometimes it’s by municipal borders, sometimes it’s more of a mentality. I’m fully in support of it. I think local isn’t the only way to go – there’s a lot to enjoy and support globally – but I think there’s a great power in meeting and supporting and interacting with the local, in turning what is usually a business transaction into something personal and human. All across Columbus there are many opportunities to shop local. In this case, supporting local means supporting a guy named Colin.

Colin Gawel is known to many in the Columbus music scene. He’s long been a mainstay of local music, playing in the bands Colin Gawel and the Lonely Bones, as well as Watershed, which was the subject of a recent book by one of its band members.

On top of his busy touring and playing schedule, Colin owns and runs a coffee shop in Upper Arlington, right at the intersections of Fishinger and Riverside. It’s the epitome of the local coffee shop, and he runs it that way. Signs in the windows and on the walls plainly state, “Friends don’t let friends drink Starbucks.”

The shop is ideally situated on the corner of a small strip mall. Floor-to-ceiling windows let in plenty of light to the long, thin space. There are rows of tables, good music playing (you would expect that), a shelf of books to borrow, and free wifi. Everything you want in a coffee shop, minus the corporate ownership.

For our mid-morning snack, I opted for two Colin’s Coffee signatures. The first is the McRoy Breakfast Sandwich. It’s about as simple and loveable as you can get: egg, cheese, and bacon on a Block’s everything bagel. (Side note: Colin also serves locally made scones that arrive on Wednesdays. We missed out on them, visiting on a Friday.)

The second signature was the Deluxe Coffee. It’s $2.50 for any size. Colin said he created it after watching customers dumping sugar and creamer into his coffee, thus masking the flavor and overloading the drink. Instead, he added the Deluxe to the menu: he steams milk into the coffee and adds dashes of vanilla and cinnamon. The drink is lightly sweetened and doused with a little milk, while still being distinctly a cup of coffee. I recommend it.

And that’s about all there is to the shop: a comfortable atmosphere, a welcoming owner, good coffee and good eats. Colin’s Coffee is the epitome of the local. Almost any time you’re there, you’ll be talking to the owner as he makes your coffee or your sandwich. Even for the short time we sat in the shop, I watched Colin greet numerous customers by name and chat with them.

Colin’s makes me think of the now-gone Coffee Table in Short North. I lived across the street from the Coffee Table for a couple years and miss it sorely. There’s something a little imperfect (in a good way) about it, the way it has the character that’s lost through slick corporate advertising and branding. If Upper Arlington is your area, make Colin’s your regular coffee shop; if not, make sure you stop by for a Deluxe when you’re in the neighborhood.

The Diner | Powell, OH

The Diner
240 N. Liberty St. (map it!)
Powell, OH 43065
(614) 846-8550
Open Mon-Sat, 7a-2p; Sun, 8a-2p
Accepts cash & check ONLY
Vegetarian/vegan/gluten free? Y/N/N
Kid-friendly? Y

Date of Visit: Friday, April 12, 2013 at 9:30 a.m.

Once in a while there are little whispers on the wind. Have you heard? There’s a new diner in town. This is when a breakfast blogger dons his traveling cloak, pulls on his boats, grabs his walking stick, and goes on an adventure. In this case, he trekked his way up to Powell – not quite as far as Mount Doom, but a small journey from central Columbus nonetheless.

The Diner – which is as straightforward of a name as you can get – is in a small stretch of stores a couple blocks north of downtown Powell. The space used to house the Grace Diner and briefly a place called Jodi’s Home Cooking, but has now been nicely renovated and brought to life again. The restaurant is one simple room, with a five-seater counter and about eight tables.

When we arrived, we found the diner half full, which is a great sign. Our server told us they’ve been in business for two months, and they seem to be drawing a steady crowd. Another good sign of a healthy diner: the regular “old guys” who are sitting at the counter. That’s when you know a diner has truly taken root in a community.

One of the first things I heard about the diner was that they served goetta. Yes, goetta. If you’re a native of Cincinnati, then you recognize this as a piece of home. If you’re a non-native, or you’ve just never heard of it before, goetta is a dish created by German immigrants in the greater Cincinnati area. It combines meat scraps (usually pork) with oats, spices, sometimes onions, then is sliced and fried.

And yup, there is is on the menu.

First things first, though, before we get to the goetta. For my 1.5-year-old I ordered some scrambled eggs and toast a la carte.

My sister-in-law ordered the Diner Special: eggs, home fries, meat, and toast. None of this was astounding, but it was exactly what you’ve come to know and love from a good diner breakfast.

I was feeling a little off-the-hook, so I went for the Big Breakfast: two eggs, meat, home fries, and toast. Eggs and toast were just fine, potatoes were appropriately crispy (my 1.5yo ended up stealing most of mine), although they could have used a little more seasoning. Of course I chose the goetta as my meat. This was actually my first time having goetta, so I’m not sure how this version stacks up to the popular Glier’s brand out of Cincinnati (although one of the cooks did say they get their goetta straight from Cincy). The patties were a little thinner than I expected, but they still packed a flavorful punch. The outside was nice and crispy, while the inside was a tad chunkier than the scrapple I’ve tasted. I got a sense of bigger chunks of meat plus the oats, and I know I saw onions in there. I couldn’t identify all of the spices, but it was enough to differentiate from a standard breakfast sausage.

The Big Breakfast also comes with your choice of three pancakes or two slices of French toast. I’m more partial to French toast, especially when you have the option to order it deep fried. Why just batter French toast and throw it on the flattop when you can go full force and fry it?! There’s a lot to like about French toast like this; as my sister-in-law said, it tasted like funnel cake.

Our food did take a little while to come out – maybe because they had to deep fry my French toast? – but I later found out that the owners were out of town, so perhaps it was someone newer at the grill. Still, the wait wasn’t horrible and the food was comforting and filling.

So what do you think? Goetta aficionado or not, I think The Diner is worth checking out, at the very least to support a locally owned business and help establish a diner for this part of town.

Village Crepe | Pickerington, OH

Village Crepe (Facebook / @Village_Crepe)
21 N. Center St. (map it!)
Pickerington, OH 43147
(614) 833-1111
Open daily 8a-2p (also open Fridays 5:30-8:30p for dinner)
Accepts cash & credit/debit
Vegetarian/vegan/gluten free? Y/N/N
Kid-friendly? Y

Date of Visit: Saturday, April 6, 2013 at 11:00 a.m.

Aha! Finally, with a Saturday morning free we made our way out to to Pickerington, just outside of Columbus, for breakfast at Village Crepe. The experience was exactly what I expected it to be, and I mean this in the very best way. I’ve had the opportunity to write about the restaurant for (614) Magazine a couple years ago, so I had a good sense of what to expect when finally visiting, and the food, decor, service, all it matched what I had in my head. Sometimes it’s nice to be surprised, and sometimes it’s great to get exactly what you want.

Village Crepe is so named because it sits at the center of Olde Pickerington Village, a small intersection of shops and restaurants and a tiny village green. The restaurant sits at the corner; the space is bright with a big wooden floor, an open kitchen, and lots of tables. It wasn’t quite as busy as I expected for a Saturday, but a steady flow of customers still came and went.

I asked for an orange juice, and received probably the fanciest regular orange juice I’ve ever been served. I was given a glass bottle of fresh squeezed OJ and a champagne flute. My wife, meanwhile, ordered the coffee; they just announced they’ve begun serving roasts from Cafe Brioso.

The menu understandably features the crepes. You can expect to find about six sweet varieties and three savory ones, plus a rotating special. The sweet crepes include variations on fruits, cheeses, and honey, while the savory ones include herbs, cheeses, vegetables, and meat. If crepes are your thing (or even if they aren’t), you’ll find at least one you like on the menu. Crepes can be ordered as singles or doubles; we ordered four singles so we could try different things. First, the lemon curd, ricotta, and honey crepe. The ricotta is a nice blank slate to combine tart lemon with rich honey. The whole thing is drizzled with blackberry sauce.

On the savory side we sampled the ricotta and spinach crepes. The savory crepes are made with an herbed crepe batter, which is very flavorful. This one was then filled with ricotta, romano cheese, and spinach, all in a nice proportion. It’s topped with a little more cheese – just the right amount without drowning it – plus chunks of tomato and fresh garlic. This one was a real winner in our book.

Back to the sweet… the salty caramel combination is a big hit with central Ohio anyway, so we had to try the salty caramel crepe, too. This crepe is very well balanced, between the cream cheese and caramel filling with a dash of sea salt. They nailed the flavors here.

And then one more savory with the four cheese crepe. Again the herbed crepe, this time stuffed with a very good mix ricotta, romano, goat cheese, and gruyere.

For our boys we ordered off the kids’ menu. There are crepes on the kids’ menu, too, but we wanted to try something different, so our eyes were immediately drawn to the fried PBJ&B sandwich. It’s essentially a peanut butter, jelly, and bananas sandwich dipped in French toast batter and fried. Our boys love Nutella, so we actually swapped the PB for it. Needless to say, our boys devoured it. Even though I was dining on crepes, I was jealous.

Of course, our children are in the process of eating us out of house and home, so we couldn’t order just one plate of food for them. Enter the scrambly eggs: cheesy scrambled eggs with toast, homemade sausage, and homemade preserves. The sausage was particularly good – I stole most of it from my 1.5-year-old. (Shhh…) The thick patty is well seasoned and a bit spicy. And a note on the preserves, too: Village Crepe makes all of theirs in-house, so look for rotating selections throughout the year. We tried the strawberry and peach preserves – both delicious.

Okay, we had to have just one more crepe. The owner recommended the special for the day, the espresso crepe, made with espresso in the batter and filled with cream cheese and chocolate. Actually quite fitting as an end to the meal.

We had the chance to chat with the owner Wayne Moore (in the middle above, busy at work). Village Crepe came out of his love for making crepes for his kids at home, and that same love translates clearly into the running of the restaurant. He and his staff are very friendly and welcoming, and they’re turning out an excellent product.

While we sampled quite a few crepes, there is still more to explore. The breakfast menu includes omelets, frittatas, and French toast, too, while the lunch menu adds sandwiches, salads, soup, and more. Plus, it’s spring and the restaurant has a patio. All of these are reasons to head out to Village Crepe, although quite honestly, any one of the crepes is worth the trek alone.

Lititz Family Cupboard Restaurant & Buffet | Lititz, PA

Lititz Family Cupboard Restaurant & Buffet
12 W. Newport Rd. (map it!)
Lititiz, PA 17543
(717) 626-9102
Open Mon-Sat, 6a-8p (bfast buffets served Mon-Fri, 6:30-11:30a; Sat, 6-11a)
Accepts cash & credit/debit
Vegetarian/vegan/gluten free? N/N/N
Kid-friendly? Y

Date of Visit: Saturday, March 16, 2013 at 9:00 a.m.

Anywhere you find yourself in Amish/Pennsylvania Dutch country, you are bound to find the one or more of the large “Dutch-cooking” family restaurants. Across Ohio we have a handful of Der Dutchmen in addition to more stand-alone country cookin’ restaurants. If you’re traveling with a large group (like we were), then these restaurants are a godsend because they have huge seating areas, plenty of food that is restocked constantly, and servers that are accustomed to big families. Seriously, we walked up on a busy Saturday and asked for a table for 15 and the host didn’t even blink.

One of the bonuses of finding an Amish-cooking restaurant: the donuts. You will generally find them in a restaurant and in a separate bakery space. They are soft, generously frosted, cream-filled delights, most likely because they’re made with lard.

Prepare yourself for gratuitous breakfast buffet pictures ahead. There’s no easy way to capture the full buffet experience, with its stacks of plates and steaming trays and busy lines. So I snapped pictures of everything. They had all the standards: pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, toast.

Plus the buffet version of French toast: sticks.

What’s more interesting are the interesting regional specialties like pan pudding, cornmeal cakes, and chipped beef.

What did draw our attention were the nutty cinnamon rolls. This is one of those rare moments when a buffet’s consistent heating of the food really pays off. The constant warmth keep the rolls soft and sticky, and the blend of cinnamon, sugar, and walnuts really hit the nail on the head.

And if you’re in eastern PA then you need to have some scrapple. I was pleasantly surprised by the buffet scrapple. It was fried crispy without getting soggy, and it was seasoned well. Of course, if the scrapple is going to be good anywhere, it had better be in eastern Pennsylvania, buffet or not.

Yessssssss! There were those donuts at the buffet, too! Worth the price of admission alone.

Plate #1. Covering the basics, plus some cornmeal cakes and chipped beef gravy.

Plate #2. French toast sticks, regular French toast, scrapple, and a cinnamon roll.

The Lititz Family Cupboard doesn’t stand out too much from similar restaurants, but it served our purpose and had a few bright spots. The servers were super on-the-spot, the buffet was stocked quickly, and it served up plenty of comfort food. It would be a great start to a day exploring Lititz, just named Budget Travel’s Coolest Small Town in America!

Boston Stoker Coffee | Columbus, OH

Boston Stoker (Facebook / @BostonStokerOSU)
1660 Neil Ave. (map it!)
Columbus, OH 43210
(937) 890-6401
Open Mon-Fri, 6:30a-7p; Sat & Sun, 8a-2p
Accepts cash & credit/debit

Date of Visit: Thursday, February 28, 2013 at 12:30pm

Coffee on Ohio State’s campus – or any college campus, for that matter – can be a dubious affair. Students in need of caffeination are surrounded by shops hawking extra large lattes and towering cappuccinos. And let’s face it, as a student you’re usually focused more bang-for-your-buck caffeine stimulation rather than the true coffee experience. And that demand is met by places like Brenen’s Cafe, Starbucks, Panera, or any of the OSU food service run coffee shops.

So if you’re someone like me, and you want coffee, but something beyond a sugary iced chai or a grande cup of acidic dark roast, you’re usually out of luck. Until about a year ago, when a Dayton-based chain called Boston Stoker opened a store on Neil Avenue near the center of campus. Like the Brenen’s Cafe that previously occupied the space, Boston Stoker fills the front half of the building, while the back half is dedicated to a bank branch. So in some ways the coffee shop feels like a glorified bank lobby, but it’s got enough personality to be a real coffee shop: couches for chatting, outlets for laptops, plenty of tables for studiers.

The Boston Stoker company roasts their beans in Dayton, where they have nine other stores. In Columbus, menus are printed daily with the coffees available for espresso, French press, or pour overs.

They also serve tea, plus munchables like bagels and muffins.

The real feature of their coffee service is the brew bar, where cups of coffee are prepared individually using the pour over method.

Pour overs provide a little song-and-dance routine for the customer, as it’s slightly more involved than just shooting coffee out of a press pot. This process includes pouring hot water over the coffee grounds in a funneled filter.

This maximizes the appropriate contact time between water and grounds, and it allows you to do it one cup at a time.

The result allows you to best feature the roast’s flavor profile. Seriously, you don’t need cream or sugar with it.

I tried a cup of the Ethiopian Yirgacheffe on the recommendation of the barista, and I loved it. Clean, rich, a little fruity.

This is why I’m so happy to have Boston Stoker on campus: no one else nearby is making coffee like this! Sure, maybe not all college students are looking for the ideal coffee experience, but there’s got to be a crowd for this. Especially given that the closest places preparing coffee well are further south in Short North or up in Clintonville. I know I’m going to create some slight detours to Boston Stoker on the walk between my office and my classrooms.

Trillium Haven | Grand Rapids, MI

Trillium Haven (Facebook / @TrilliumHaven)
1429 Lake Dr. (map it!)
Grand Rapids, MI 49506
(616) 301-0998
Open Mon-Fri, 11a-3p & 5-11p; brunch served Sat & Sun, 10a-3p
Accepts cash & credit/debit
Vegetarian/vegan/gluten free? Y/N/N
Kid-friendly? Y

Date of Visit: Saturday, December 29, 2012 at 10:00 a.m.

Although we have a favorite breakfast in Grand Rapids – Real Food Cafe – we’re always trying to explore the new options around town. Grand Rapids has a growing food scene, with new cafes and breweries and coffee shops popping up in every neighborhood. One other development is an increase in farm-to-table dining, which means restaurants responsibly sourcing their ingredients from local farms, roasters, wineries, butchers, bakers, and maybe even candlestick makers, too. Enter Trillium Haven.

Trillium Have is set up at a three-way juncture in Eastown, one of Grand Rapids’ hipper neighborhoods. The name derives from Trillium Haven Farm, about 15 minutes outside of Grand Rapids. A trillium, by the by, is a three-petaled perennial; it’s illegal to pick them from public land in Michigan. Hence, the farm name Trillium Haven.

The very tall and bright space echoes the natural character of their menu: lots of smooth wood accents, warm lighting, creams and reds, greenery. Just the restaurant space itself is worth a visit.

The restaurant is split in half with an open bar; on the right you’ll find a large seating area plus an open kitchen. On the left is more seating, with curtains indicating even more space for larger parties.

This type of menu is designed to make a breakfast- or brunch-lover drool. Try reading some of it aloud: hash with coffee-smoked pork belly and root vegetables. Kale eggs benedict with Canadian bacon and brown butter hollandaise. Frittata with black beans, ancho chilis, and squash.

Coffee is locally sourced from Rowster New American Coffee, about a mile away. Inspired by Trilium’s menu, we visited Rowster after brunch. Trillium offered a nice coffee setup, with pottery mugs and dishes, and a carafe left on the table.

This is the pork belly hash, complete with slices of the belly (smoked with Rowster coffee), root vegetables, brussel sprouts, a white cheese, and a couple eggs to order. It’s all drizzled with a little maple syrup. It’s a really interesting contrast of flavors: smokey and salty in the pork belly, earthy notes from the veggies, a little tart from the cheese, and then a sweetness from the maple syrup. This certainly isn’t a traditional hash, but there’s a lot to like about it, although oddly enough the syrup sometimes overpowers the other elements.

Mrs. Bfast w/Nick’s favorite breakfast is pretty much anything with good smoked or salted salmon, so she ordered the smoked salmon scramble. It’s an open-face scramble served over toast and featuring the expected salmon accoutrement: capers, red onions, cream cheese. Overall, a really solid breakfast.

Pork belly hash in progress.

What’s brunch without a good Bloody Mary? Trillium’s was rich and heavily spiced.

And you can’t pass up a good breakfast pizza. This one featured potatoes, bacon, greens, hollandaise, and a fried egg for dipping. A very good representation of breakfast in pizza form.

The meal ended with a nice little touch: recipe cards given with your bill. This helps you continue your dining experience by recreating some of the dishes you’ve tried at the restaurant.

Our overall experience at Trillium Haven was a good one and I certainly recommend it as a brunch spot, although at times the farm-to-table descriptions can be overwhelming. I appreciate the attention to detail, but sometimes being given the low-down on everything from even the dab of butter to the glob of jam next to your toast can amount to so many details you can’t keep them straight. If you’re a person who prefers the simple eggs-and-bacon breakfast, Trillium may prove to be sensory overload. All the same, they offer a solid brunch with some really creative plates, attentive service, and a really beautiful space.

Rowster New American Coffee | Grand Rapids, MI

Rowster New American Coffee (Facebook / @RowsterCoffee)
632 Wealthy St. SE (map it!)
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
(616) 780-7777
Open Mon-Fri, 7a-7p; Sat, 8a-8p; Sun 9a-5p
Accepts cash & credit/debit

Date of Visit: Saturday, December 29, 2012 at 11:00 a.m.

My hometown of Grand Rapids just keeps getting cooler and cooler. Why does this always happen after you leave somewhere? Following a breakfast at nearby Trillium Haven in Grand Rapids, we were in the mood for a little more coffee. We had noticed on Trillium’s menu that they served Rowster coffee, and when we asked our server about it she told us the roaster was just down the road. Very fitting for Trillium’s locally-driven menu.

We found Rowster’s corner storefront down Wealthy Street, a budding, brick-lined district that’s quickly filling in with new shops, bakeries, a theatre, and restaurants. Rowster has taken up a solid place in the neighborhood; their decor is a mix of old building wood floors and plus angular metallic accents.

The whole space has a very casual, open feel to it. There’s nothing of the tightly organized coffee shop tables with plugs for every laptop. Instead, there’s a high counter in the window, a short one overlooking the actual roaster (a clear centerpiece of the space), then a long bench against the right wall with polished wood stumps for tables. There’s no menu scrolled in chalk on the wall – you simply amble up to the counter and a barista asks what you’d like. If you’re not well versed in coffee shop menus, you might be at a loss for words. Or you just have to be bold enough to ask, “What do you serve?” The answer is that they serve the coffee roaster basics: shots of espresso, cappuccino, machiato, pour-over brews, and the like.

While you wait, you can browse the extensive shelves of bagged coffee, the brewing equipment that’s for sale, the small line-up of baked goods, or the charming collection of glasses holds spoons, sugar, stir sticks.

Coffee beans are available by the pound as well.

Their branding is pretty solid. I’m told this is called a propaganda-style: bold, square lettering, stars, patriotic coloring. It’s everywhere: the mugs, the coffee bags, the wall, the outdoor signage.

Except for their to-go cups, it would seem.

My wife and I ordered just a couple drinks. She had a cappuccino and dubbed it very good, while I tried a pour-over of their daily roast. They use a Chemex pour-over, which is one of the best methods for highlighting a coffee’s flavor profile. I forget the exact origin of the beans they brewed for me, but the result was – like every pour-over I’ve had – a rich array of flavors, foremost of which was a dark cherry or blueberry. I love the reminder that my cup of coffee originated as a berry.

Although Rowster is a younger company, they’ve established a solid brand and identity, and the busy space shows that the customers are finding them. Coffee and coffee education is at the forefront of their game, as you can see from the equipment and the highlight of their roaster in the dead center of the space. I’ve only experienced Rowster at one restaurant and at their store, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see them in more places around the city, and the region, soon.

Chef-O-Nette | Columbus, OH

Chef-O-Nette
2090 Tremont Center (map it!)
Columbus, OH 43221
(614) 488-8444
Open Mon-Sat, 7:30a-8p (bfast served all day)
Accepts cash & debit/credit
Vegetarian/vegan/gluten free? Y/N/N
Kid-friendly? Y

Date of Visit: Monday, January 21, 2013 at 10:30 a.m.

Nearly every comment, blog post, or review about Chef-O-Nette will tell you that it’s a diner that’s lost in time. And that’s absolutely true: when you put your foot in the door it’s like someone hit pause on a big universal remote. The entire experience feels a little like stepping out of time. Things inside Chef-O-Nette move at their own pace. The atmosphere is quiet and subdued, while the layout and decor don’t seem to have changed much since the restaurant opened in 1955.

Just looking around will reveal the charmingly dated layout and decor: floor partially carpeted and partially covered with formica, long green runner carpets, old school red leather upholstery, latticework walls, neon signs.

My favorite detail of the space are the two U-shaped counters. They stick out into the space at an angle and are surrounded by short-backed red swivel seats. The counter itself is low and wide; a long-legged person like me feels a little crammed sitting in those seats. I love that the open end of each counter leads back into the kitchen, so servers who appear in front of you to take your order or bring your food are standing in a little island.

Chef-O-Nette’s breakfast menu is fairly small. It mainly features the egg/meat/toast combinations, with pancakes and French toast, plus an omelet thrown in for good measure. The waffles aren’t listed on the menu, but there’s a paper sign near the door suggesting them.

I started with a cup of diner coffee. It’s just as you would expect: hot and bitter. I like, though, that they serve it in small cups. Smaller cups are easy to hold in your hand and they cool off faster. Part of me hopes to spend my retirement sitting in an old diner with a cup of coffee like this.

My 4.5-year-old ordered two eggs with sausage patties and toast. All very simple and straightforward. I don’t think the sausage is made in-house, but it was well seasoned. The toast is generously buttered, and the eggs are cooked evenly. At restaurants you frequently see scrambled eggs cooked flat and then folded over itself. So while they’re scrambled, it’s not the typical pile of eggs. This lets them cook the eggs faster, because they’re spread out across the flattop.

I also did the two eggs combination, but of course added bacon and hash browns to it. All good, but nothing blow-your-mind remarkable. Buttered toast, some crisp to the potatoes and the bacon, good eggs. Nothing fancy, but you don’t go to Chef-O-Nette for fancy. You go for simple and filling.

Speaking of filling, I also felt the need to order one of their waffles. Again, simple, and again, likeable.

Even though it isn’t strictly breakfast, I  have to show off Mrs. Bfast w/Nick’s chicken-fried steak, too. I just love how beige this meal is. This is basic comfort food: crispy chicken with white gravy and a scoop of mashed potatoes, plus sides of canned green beans and rolls with butter.

I’ve said many times before that every neighborhood and every small town needs its diner. Well, Upper Arlington, this is yours. Chef-O-Nette has been serving breakfast on the slow-and-steady for nearly six decades now, and there’s no reason to change a thing about it. Families have gathered there over multiple generations, and here’s hoping they’ll continue for many more.

Fun historical note: Chef-O-Nette claims to have the oldest drive-through in America. Owner Harlan Howard has said that he can’t find record of any restaurant serving out a drive-through window (note, not a drive-in) earlier than Chef-O-Nette. Harlan has owned the restaurant for a long time, having inherited it from his father, who bought it in the 60′s. Harlan also says that no one knows the origin of the name Chef-O-Nette; that secret passed away with the first owner.

La Chatelaine | Worthington, OH

La Chatelaine (Facebook / @LaChatColumbus)
627 High St. (map it!)
Worthington, OH 43085
(614) 848-6711
Open Mon-Sat, 7a-9p; Sun, 8a-7p
Accepts cash & credit/debit
Vegetarian/vegan/gluten free? Y/N/N
Kid-friendly? Y

Date of Visit: Saturday, October 13, 2012 at 9:00 a.m.

La Chatelaine is one of those restaurants that is easy to look over. It’s been around for some time so maybe it doesn’t seem flashy and new like other restaurants, and it tends to blend into the landscape of Columbus eateries. But their three locations – and in this case, specifically, their Worthington store – offer some unique dishes, a warm sense of hospitality, and they hold the corner of the market on popular French cuisine in Columbus.

Expect to be greeted in person or over the phone with a hearty “Bonjour!” Much of what they do seems focused recreating the experience of visiting a rustic French cottage. The decorations include lots of wood, stonework on the walls, wooden beams across the ceiling, tall-backed chairs, copper accents. There’s even a fireplace in one room, as if you’re crowding around the kitchen table with the family. And if you’ve ever had the chance to meet owners Stan and Gigi Wielezynski or any of their four children, you know that’s generally the intention.

La Chatelaine is set up cafeteria style: you find your way to the beginning of the line, load up with a tray and silverware…

…and then you move past rows of pastries…

…and baked breakfasts like quiches, croque monsieur, cocottes…

…and yogurt, and fruit, and drinks…

…and desserts. It’s a smart model, when you really think of it. Just when you’re hungry and lining up for a meal, you pass by shelves of eye candy.

Once you get to the end of the line, you pay, take a number, and find a seat. Made-to-order dishes are brought out to your table, while you simply load up side items on your tray. While we visited on a busy Saturday morning, the line moved pretty quickly and the food came out fast.

We ordered the simple breakfast special: eggs, potatoes, bacon, bread, and a drink. All of it was good. Nothing mind-blowing, but good: eggs and bacon were well done, the potatoes well seasoned.

We also picked up a side of beignets, which were fluffy and sweet, maybe a little dry, but not at all greasy.

We also tried the special of the Oktoberfest French toast. This was probably one of the richest, sweetest French toasts I’ve ever had. The bread slices were thin and custardy, plus it was served with a scoop of a fruit custard, dusted with powdered sugar and dolloped (is that a verb?) with whipped cream. One of the gimmicks of the meal was a marshmallow beer stein: a big marshmallow covered with white chocolate and with a Cheerio as a handle.

We also ordered an omelet to go. This is the Parisienne. Again, very good although not amazingly spectacular.

Every time I’ve been to La Chatelaine – and I’ve just been to their Worthington and Lane Avenue locations – I’ve had good experiences. They serve a solid breakfast, and not many places offer the beautiful dishes like the cocotte (baked in little dishes and with carved vegetables on top) or the layered quiches. And you can’t argue with the shelves of fresh pastries, a cup of hot coffee, or any of their range of teas. In addition to the cozy interiors, each location has some outdoor seating, and Worthington’s is arguably the best. Their big patio is is a prime spot, especially on Saturdays when the Worthington Farmers Market is in full swing.