Topic: Columbus: Restaurant News & Info

[Columbo]

On Restaurants
Tuesday,  March 4, 2008
By Bill Chronister, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Pei Wei reaches Easton
Ohio's third Pei Wei Asian Diner is scheduled to open April 7 at 4155 Morse Crossing near the Easton Town Center complex.  Pei Wei, a Pacific Rim restaurant chain created by P.F. Chang's China Bistro, opened last year at 7571 Sawmill Blvd. in Dublin and 2050 Polaris Parkway.  The flavors try to stay true to Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese, Korean and Chinese cuisines.  When this Pei Wei opens, there will be 156 outlets in 18 states.

Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2008/03/04/rest_0304.ART_ART_03-04-08_C10_A79HII6.html?sid=101

[ColDayMan]

Pei Wei Asian Diner I had today after an interview in Powell.  Not bad for the price but again, it wasn't something I'd go to vs. any other Chinese place.

[David]

I'm coming up to Columbus this weekend. I'm getting a two thousand dollar check tomorrow and can't wait to splurge some of it. What restaurants do you guys recommend ? I think I wanna go somewhere in German Village or Short North. 15-25 dollar entree range.

[WalkerEvans]

Here's some suggestions as voted by the folks on CU:

http://www.columbusunderground.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=8760

Given your requirements, I'd say Barcelona (GV), Basi Italia (SN) or Rossi (SN) would be good picks.

Let us know where you end up!

[David]

Wow, I totally forgot about Basi Italia. I was taking pics of Victorian Village and saw it, noticed it was in an interesting location. Do they have Tortellini? Anything with Bolognese sauce? If I go to an Italian place, I want good pasta!

[WalkerEvans]

They have their full menu online:

http://www.basi-italia.com

[Columbo]

I'm coming up to Columbus this weekend. I'm getting a two thousand dollar check tomorrow and can't wait to splurge some of it.

Hope the Blizzard of '08 isn't interfering with your plans.

[David]

It might! The snow usually doesn't stop me though. Besides, my friend Paul at OSU has a lot of my clothes that I need to reclaim. A mild Blizzard shouldn't stop me. To be honest I'm not all that impressed with the menu at Basi Italia. It's very limited.

[Columbo]

The newly opened Cameron Mitchell restaurant Marcella's would also be a great Italian choice.  It you can get around in this weather, Marcella's is located just north of the I-670 Cap in the Short North.

Here's their website: http://www.marcellasristorante.com

[David]

The white death has descended apon us, so I canceled the trip. I'll give a review as soon as I can make it back up there. Thanks for the suggestions; much appreciated.

[WalkerEvans]

To be honest I'm not all that impressed with the menu at Basi Italia. It's very limited.

How many menu items were you planning on ordering in one sitting?

What they do, they do well.

[Columbo]

The white death has descended apon us, so I canceled the trip. I'll give a review as soon as I can make it back up there. Thanks for the suggestions; much appreciated.

Well, 20 inches of snow would tend to hamper most plans.  Better luck next time.

[Columbo]

High on Lola
Columbus Alive
March 6, 2008
By G.A. Benton

Cafe Lola, in the heart of Downtown, has only been open for a couple of weeks now, but it's already a sensation.  By noon, the line in the teeny-tiny breakfast-and-lunch joint frequently reaches to the front door, and every seat is taken.  Considering it's run by Kevin and Lori Ames — who used extraneous z's and smart ingredients to turn Frezno, Dagwoodz and the originally revamped Press Grill into '90s success stories — Lola's popularity shouldn't come as a shock.

Cafe Lola
12 E. Broad St., Downtown

Read more at http://columbusalive.com/?sec=food&story=alive/2008/0306/fo-bite.html 

[David]

To be honest I'm not all that impressed with the menu at Basi Italia. It's very limited.

How many menu items were you planning on ordering in one sitting?

What they do, they do well.

It has all the basics. I forgot it's a small Bistro. I'm used to the menu at Via Vite and Nicola's down here so I'm biased. Marcella's has a great, big menu but skimming through it they don't seem very authentic with the fetuccini and lasagna. The prices are great at Marcella's and Basi though, can't wait to try one out.

[ColDayMan]

Well, keep in mind, these restaurants Walker mentioned are not Via Vite in scale.  They are more like a Italian Andy's.  If you want a "Via Vite" in Columbus, you go to Due Amici ( http://www.due-amici.com/ ) or some other place.

[Columbo]

HANG ON, SLOOPY’S
A brash new bar wants to remake North Campus, even if that means stepping on the oldtimers’ toes
THE OTHER PAPER
BY ERIK JOHNS / March 6, 2008

Two guys in their 30s who’ve never owned a bar recently took over one of the more notorious nightspots in the North Campus area.  They’ve changed the name, sunk loads of money into renovations, and gone above and beyond to appease area residents.  They’ve also appointed themselves the official cleaner-uppers of the neighborhood. But it remains to be seen whether the other bars in this popular strip are in the mood to be cleaned up.

For years, Miani’s, 2619 N. High St., earned the ire of neighborhood residents. It was plagued by fights, drug problems, rowdy behavior, underage drinking and even a kidnapping.  On Dec. 3, two lifelong friends took ownership of the Miani’s liquor license and set about overhauling the bar. After closing for 10 days of repairs around the holidays, it reopened as the Buckeye-themed Sloopy’s.

Read more at http://theotherpaper.com/top3-6/coverstory.htm

[ColDayMan]

Miani's?  GONE?  Whoa.

Glad they are cleaning it up.

[CMH_Downtown]

Coffee shop owner aiding in revival of historic King-Lincoln district
Business First of Columbus - by Dan Eaton Business First

Charity Martin-Via hopes her new coffee shop becomes not only a destination for a cup of joe, but also a shot for development along a stretch of Long Street on Columbus' Near East Side.  Urban-Spirit Coffee Shop Ltd. opened last month at 893 Long St. in the restored Alpha Building, which once was home to the first black-owned hospital in the city.  Martin-Via, a former city employee, had been working on the shop since the fall.

Columbus Compact Corp. and the Economic and Community Development Institute helped her get the space in place with training and financial support. The coffee shop is east of Interstate 71 in the King-Lincoln district.  The 800-square-foot spot includes a gallery where artwork will be rotated.  The shop also will host live jazz performances.

Read more at http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2008/03/10/story8.html?b=1205121600^1601830

[CMH_Downtown]

Four diamonds for M

Cameron Mitchell's marquee Downtown restaurant, M, 2 Miranova Place, is happy to claim a four-diamond rating from AAA. M joins Handke's Cuisine, 520 S. Front St. in the Brewery District, and the Refectory Restaurant & Bistro, 1092 Bethel Rd. on the Northwest Side, as Columbus' only four-diamond restaurants.

AAA began giving diamond ratings in 1977, and the restaurant ratings cover presentation, ingredients, preparation, decor and ambience and a slew of service-related areas. But the ratings boil down to four terms: skill, creativity, attention to detail and comfort.

[LAsam]

Yay!  The Refectory and Handke's have been wanting company for a while now.

[CMH_Downtown]

Hopefully some of the new players in town like Latitude 41 and Rosendale's will make this list in time.

[ColDayMan]

Lenny's Sub Shop brings East Coast sandwich dining to Central Ohio

Columbus has another name to know for cheesesteaks and sub sandwiches.

Lenny's Sub Shop, a 160-unit chain that has tripled in size since 2004, opened its first Ohio shop at 8215 N. High St. north of Worthington last month.

For more info, please click the link:
http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2008/03/17/newscolumn1.html?b=1205726400^1605707&page=2

[ColDayMan]

Bagel joint rebuilding Columbus-area spread

http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2008/03/17/newscolumn1.html?b=1205726400^1605707&page=2

Volatile ownership bounced Bruegger's Bagels from Central Ohio in 2001, but the Burlington, Vt.-based bakery and cafe chain is making a return to the Columbus area.

For more info, please click the link

[ColDayMan]

Noodle noshery reopens restaurants with new menu plans

Lucy Lin is ready to step out of the food court.

Her Columbus-based New Trends Asian Food Ltd. acquired two Oodles Noodle & Dumpling Bar restaurants from Dae Oh in January, adding to a portfolio that includes three counters at the Polaris Fashion Place food court - Cajun Cafe, Little Tokyo and Max Orient.

For more info, please click the link:

http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2008/03/17/newscolumn1.html?b=1205726400^1605707&page=3

[Columbo]

Partners in Club 185 keep expanding their empire
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
By Bill Chronister
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

The economy and other factors might be causing some restaurateurs to retrench and revise plans, but the group that owns Club 185 in German Village and the Rossi Bar & Kitchen in the Short North keeps moving forward.  Kim and Randy Corbin, Ron Criswell and Tom Magalaner recently opened the Del Mar Restaurant and Lounge at 136 N. Prospect St. in Granville, just off the Denison University campus, and have broken through walls to enlarge the Rossi.

Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2008/03/18/rest_0318.ART_ART_03-18-08_C10_AH9M38G.html?sid=101

[Columbo]

For sale: healthy sampling of restaurant properties
Monday,  March 24, 2008
By Mike Pramik, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

The sale and lease-back of a Hoggy's restaurant at Polaris has injected some optimism into the local commercial real-estate market.  Or at least it has opened a few eyes.  That's because, with the economy as jittery as a poached egg, restaurant properties have been up for grabs in large number in central Ohio, and not all are selling.

Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2008/03/24/ZONE0324.ART_ART_03-24-08_C10_TL9MTIR.html?sid=101

[Columbo]

Inner City Oasis
The Other Paper
by Richard Ades / March 27, 2008

You wouldn’t have expected poets to show up on a night like this. Or in a neighborhood like this.  Outside, big flakes of wet snow were falling on modest homes and storefronts with windows that were either barred or boarded up.  Inside, a microphone stood on its stand, waiting to amplify the rhythms and rhymes of North Linden wordsmiths.

But hardly anyone was there to use it. “You guys picked a bad night to come down here,” poet Joe Kashta told a couple of visitors as the snow continued to fall outside the New Harvest Café.  Then, slowly, the other poets began to arrive.

Read more at http://theotherpaper.com/top3-27/substory3.htm

[Columbo]

In the Black (Black Creek Bistro)
Columbus Alive
March 27, 2008
By G.A. Benton

In case you've totally missed the bistro buzz, Black Creek is a creative restaurant that's as green as it gets, going so far as raising as many ingredients on its own farm as is possible. The restaurant even recycles used cooking oil to operate its modified tractors.  But Black Creek also has a Monday-through-Friday feature that might encourage you to go green, too.  By going green, I mean saving some green.  Because weekly, from 4 p.m. until they're gone (which I've found to be usually around 7 or 8 p.m.) Black Creek offers a special bistro dinner, which it sells for — are you ready for this? — $10.

Black Creek Bistro
53 Parsons Ave., Olde Towne East
614-246-9662
Web: http://blackcreekbistro.com

More at http://columbusalive.com/?sec=food&story=alive/2008/0327/fo-bargain.html

[Columbo]

Crazy about Columbus
Despite the bad economic news of late, plenty of national and regional restaurant chains have plans to come to or expand in central Ohio
Sunday, March 30, 2008
By Monique Curet, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Baskin-Robbins, Del Taco, Dunkin' Donuts, IHOP, Lenny's Sub Shop and Papa Murphy's International are among the players planning to add from five to 83 stores in central Ohio in coming years.  Even Bruegger's, a Vermont bagel chain that used to have a presence in Columbus but left the market several years ago, has returned.  At a time when consumers are being pinched by a slowing economy and many former restaurant buildings in Columbus stand vacant, the question is:  What keeps the restaurants coming?

Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2008/03/30/new_restaurants.ART_ART_03-30-08_D1_QQ9PDQK.html?sid=101

[ColDayMan]

Best Fries goes to Tip Top's eggplant fries.

[ColDayMan]

Rusty Bucket expanding to Westerville

Westerville is getting a bigger Bucket.

The Rusty Bucket Corner Tavern is scheduled to open at 400 Polaris Parkway on April 29, serving up the same pub and comfort food the chain is known for, but in a bigger place and with more draft beer selections.

For more info, please click the link:
http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/othercities/columbus/stories/2008/03/31/newscolumn1.html?b=1206936000^1612242

[ColDayMan]

Gahanna's Creekside to pop cork on growing wine shop and bistro

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/othercities/columbus/stories/2008/03/31/newscolumn1.html?b=1206936000^1612242

There may be only one Wine Guy, but he'll have at least two shops by this summer with perhaps a third by mid-2009.

For more info, please click the link

[ColDayMan]

Cap getting a new spot to drink, relax well-attired

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/othercities/columbus/stories/2008/03/31/newscolumn1.html?b=1206936000^1612242&page=3

Perhaps it is fitting that a space most recently occupied by an apparel boutique will be replaced by a bar that hopes to draw the well-heeled.

For more info, please click the link

[LAsam]

Best pizza is either Hounddogs or Rotolos.  Massey's?  Please... that's insulting.

[ColDayMan]

Rehab of Capital Club delivers new catering service, pared dining hours

http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2008/04/07/newscolumn1.html?b=1207540800^1615555

A local group that acquired Capital Club Columbus in June is promising changes in the private club's look and services.

For more info, please click the link