Marshall’s Restaurant | Columbus, OH

Marshall’s Restaurant (Facebook)
1105 W. First Ave. (map it!)
Columbus, OH 43212
(614) 294-1105
Bfast served Mon-Sat, 7a-2p; Sun, 8a-1p (buffet offered Sat, 8a-2p & Sun, 9a-2p)
Accepts cash & credit/debit
Vegetarian/vegan/gluten free? Y/N/N
Kid-friendly? Y

Date of Visit: Saturday, May 4, 2013 at 10:30 a.m.

As a Columbus and a Grandview institution, Marshall’s has been on my radar for sometime. It’s one of those restaurants with the longevity to automatically stake a claim on the geographic and culinary map of Columbus. They have a history of over 25 years, which is very respectable in the restaurant business, so they are naturally known and appreciated by generations of customers.

We visited for their Saturday breakfast buffet, which again is known to regulars. Marshall’s occupies a large space at the end of a curving row of shops along First Avenue, which includes an Old Bag of Nails and the excellent Luck Bros Coffee Shop. I’m guessing that the restaurant started in one section of the building, and then the owners bought out the other half. It feels like half swanky bar/half neighborhood cafe, and at times it can’t seem to make up its mind. The main entrance leaves you in the bar facing a large fish pond, curving neon lights, and big screen TVs. A second room to the right is decorated in a similar style. However, if you turn to your left you’ll end up in…

…a wood-paneled space packed full of tables that feels more like a casual cafe than a bar.

The contrast between the two is a little jarring. It does give them lots of space for seating (they have a patio attached to the bar, too), but sometimes it’s hard to know what the restaurant is trying to be.

If you’re ordering the weekend buffet, you’ll most likely experience both sides of the building. The buffet lines are in the bar side billiards room.

There’s also a Bloody Mary bar (not included in the buffet price). When you order, the server will give you a glass with vodka, and then it’s up to you to choose your mixings near the buffet line.

One of our table members chose the buffet, while the others ordered off the menu. I was not in a buffet mood (odd, I know), so I ordered the steak and eggs. It was a 8 oz ribeye with potatoes, eggs, and toast. Steak and eggs can be dicey, especially in small diners. Unless you’re ordering at a steakhouse, there’s a good chance that you might be stuck with a lesser cut. The key is also to order it less cooked than you would like (so order medium if you want medium-rare), because smaller restaurants tend to use thinner cooks that are more easily overcooked. This was the case here: the steak was medium well even though I ordered medium, and it was under-seasoned. All in all, this was a filling plate of breakfast: the eggs and toast were fun, and the potatoes were a little soft and (dare I say it) too buttery.

Here’s plate #1 from the buffet: biscuits and gravy, eggs, sausage, potatoes, a Danish, and more. All decent, but nothing mind-blowing.

Plate #2 from the buffet: eggs, sausage, bacon, more potatoes.

My wife ordered a Bloody Mary, too, and went through the awkward motions of having the server disappear then return with a glass full of ice and vodka. Sure, it’s nice to be able to customize your own Bloody Mary (mimosas, too), but it makes for a lot of up-and-down through your meal.

All in all, it was a so-so experience at Marshall’s. Not horrible, but we’ll keep exploring other spots before we come back. The food wasn’t remarkable enough to be a strong recommendation, and it took a while to get anything from our server. Maybe it was an off day – it was a busy Saturday, after all – but most places really thrive on those busy weekend days. Combined with the hybrid space, it was hard to tell what Marshall’s is trying to be: a bar with lots of grub for breakfast, or a neighborhood cafe where you can take the family.

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.

Photos: North Market Coffee Roast 2013

Saturday was the second North Market Coffee Roast. Last year’s event was an overwhelming success, and with a few additions and re-organizations, this year saw sold-out crowds lining up to taste the fares of Columbus’ amazing coffee culture.

It’s always hard to fault an event for being popular – especially those events at North Market like the Microbrew and the Ohio Wine Festivals. North Market is a central location, and their continued role as an incubator of small businesses makes them ideal for showcasing a cross-section of Columbus specialties. I arrived about fifteen minutes after the event started and found pretty long lines already. But I think the key to going with the flow is to have good company with you. That way you can chat and enjoy each other while waiting to sample everyone’s roasts.

I started in the southwest corner and sampled a decent amount of the coffees available.

I got to start with one of my favorites: One Line Coffee. I first discovered them at last year’s festival, and I look for any excuse to stop by their Short North shop.

You can almost think of One Line as coffee scientists, with their bubbling, steaming glassware and Kyoto-style cold drip towers. Soon enough they’ll begin selling the cold brew in bottles. They had it at the event, too – I enjoyed a small mug of it over ice. The Kyoto-style is a 12-hour process that results in rich and concentrated cold coffee, usually served on the rocks almost like a coffee cocktail.

Next to One Line was Upper Cup Coffee with a smaller (but no less impactful) setup. I still have not been to their shop, but my chat with owner Michael and his sister reminded me that I’ve been missing out.

The Impero table was swamped with eager coffee drinkers.

Most of the roasters had whole beans available, too.

Jason from Thunderkiss was busy, as you might expect. One of the best parts of the event was experiencing the passion of all of these roasters and brewers. They wanted you to like their coffee, of course, but even more importantly they wanted you to like coffee.

I got sample LTown Coffee out of London, Ohio. They were keeping the pour-overs rolling.

Another of my favorite roasters, Hemisphere, had a table, too. It was hard to get a picture of Hans and Joelle, as they never stopped moving!

One of the busier corners included Backroom Coffee Roasters and Silver Bridge.

The main event space of the Market was split in two. One end was dedicated to different talks, presentations, and demos about coffee. Here’s Jeff Davis of Cafe Brioso and Mark Swanson from Stauf’s/Cup O’ Joe discussing coffee sourcing.

The other end of the room featured two carts pulling shots of espresso and making lattes and cappuccinos. This showcased the work of Columbus’ great baristas. It seemed like a collaborative effort, although I saw coffee evangelist J.J. (seriously, that’s what his business card says) from Brioso overseeing things. They also had a table with self-serve coffee from Boston Stoker. This was a smart addition: if someone just wanted a cup of coffee without having to wait in line, they could help themselves.

Overall, another great event. It demonstrated again how awesomely well Columbus does coffee. I’ll be there next year. I think what’s most telling is that when I went home I was craving even more coffee (despite having more than enough at the Market), so I brewed up a French press of Hemisphere beans. That’s the point of the Coffee Roast: you’ve discovered these new places, now go visit them for a cup of coffee or a bag of beans.

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.

Lalibela Ethiopian Restaurant | Columbus, OH

Ethiopian cuisine has long been one of our favorites. You may have noticed this in my thinly-veiled idolatry of my hometown Ethiopian joint Little Africa. Once you have a favorite restaurant of a certain type, you constantly find yourself trying to recreate it anywhere else you live or travel. Sometimes that restaurant can live up to the original experience; sometimes it’s different enough that it’s equally good on it’s own footing. That’s how we’ve arrived at Lalibela being our favorite Ethiopian restaurant in Columbus.

Lalibela is a simple and quiet restaurant in Whitehall on South Hamilton Road. The small parking lot out front is often crammed, but you can find parking next to the grocery one door down. The entryway lands you next to the bar, ringed with bright neon blue lights. You’ll typically find a few regulars – all Ethiopian – sitting around the bar. As a caucasian, I find this to be re-assuring when I’m seeking out ethnic food. When I’m in the minority in a particular, I’ve found the right place.

Either a server or the owner will lead you further back to the dining room. Usually there is music playing, and often the TV in the corner is showing Ethiopian programming. We’ve seen the restaurant busy, but never crowded. The servers are soft-spoken and incredibly friendly. During every meal the owner comes by to check in on you with a big smile and a welcoming handshake.

We usually visit Lalibela with a group of four to six people, so we order a shared platter of mostly vegetarian dishes. These include things with grape leaves, tomatoes, onions, root vegetables, various lentils, occasionally with a meat dish of stewed beef. We often add a side of shiro, which is yellow peas simmered in veggies and spices.

Ethiopian food is eaten by hand. You tear pieces of injera, a spongy and slightly sour bread made from teff flour, and scoop up individual bites of the food. The entire platter is served on a layer of injera, with extra rolls of the bread served on the side as well. The joy of this type of food is eating together. Rather than sitting hunched over our individual meals, we’re turned toward each other, reaching in and around our arms to scoop up bites from the same plate. This is something I think we can learn to do better in the U.S. We often forget that food is community.

Lalibela has a full bar as well, and we’ve often ordered one of the Ethiopian beers available. The St. George Beer is a light lager with a honey finish. It’s a perfect complement to the rich and often spicy food.

Like I said, Lalibela is our go-to for Ethiopian food in Columbus. It’s a little bit of a drive, out to Whitehall, but we’ve found that the food and welcome is more than worth it.

If you want to visit:
Lalibela Ethiopian Restaurant
1111 S. Hamilton Rd. (map it!)
Columbus, OH 43227
(614) 235-5355
lalibelarestaurant.net
Also on Facebook
Open daily 9a-2:30a

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.

Beyond Breakfast: Da Levee | Columbus, OH

For a white kid who grew up in the Midwest, it’s surprising how much spicy cajun and creole cuisine feels like comfort food to me. We never made it growing up, I’ve never been to New Orleans, but as long as I can remember I’ve loved this style of food. I love the heavy load of spices. I love how it’s filling. And I’ve had some great examples, from Creole Kitchen in Columbus to the amazing Bourbon N Toulouse in Lexington, KY. But just as worthy is Columbus’ Da Levee.

Da Levee has a small storefront in Short North, just north of Buttles Avenue, and in the winter months the warm food and atmosphere make me want to hole up there for hours. It’s probably good that we don’t live closer to Da Levee, because if we did I’d find myself justifying multiple visits per day.

The specials rotate regularly, so it’s best to keep an eye on their Facebook page. The owner Justin Boehme is good about posting an image of the day’s menu, so it’s easy to find out what they’re slinging. The menu shifts between varieties of etouffee, chowder, red beans & rice, maque choux, gumbo, jambalaya, po boys, and burritos. I’ve never had a bad meal at Da Levee, but my personal favorite is the chili cheese etouffee with crawfish. Here’s a sampling of some of the other dishes we’ve enjoyed:

Spinach and mushroom etouffee. A good etouffee is probably my favorite dish in the repertoire of creole/cajun food.

Red beans and rice with sausage.

Spinach and mushroom etouffee again. All entrees are served over rice, with a side of toasted bread that’s heavily buttered and seasoned. Perfect for scooping up bites.

White chilikin’, aka white chicken chili.

Two bonuses about ordering: you can pick small plates ($5), large plates ($7), or half-and-half plates ($8). This lets you adjust to your appetite, and it allows you to easy sample and share with a table full of friends. The second bonus is that many of these dishes are vegetarian and can be made vegan, so it’s an easy go-to with group of varying tastes and needs. Okay, I lied. There are three bonuses, the third of which is that this type of food blends flavors and spices so well. Most dishes are some version of a slow-cooked stew, so the meat, veggies, beans, and heavy dose of spices have time to combine. In single-digit temperatures like today’s, a plate of spicy hot meat and vegetables piled on rice sounds like a bit of home to me.

Aaaaaaaand… now that I’ve finished this post, I’m hungry and want to go there for lunch today.

Plan your own visit:
Da Levee
765-C N. High St. (map it!)
Columbus, OH 43215
dalevee.com
Also on Facebook and Twitter @DaLeveeCajun

You can sometimes catch Justin at the Da Levee Express food cart, or during late night hours out the backdoor of the restaurant at Backdoor Burritos, serving Fridays and Saturdays until 3 a.m.