Bexley Monk’s Funk at the Monk with MojoFlo – Every Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.

Bexley Monk
2232 E. Main St.
614.239.MONK

Breakfast with Nick offers his ideal breakfast of particular note is “best eggs” at Nancy’s Home Cookin’

CMH Gourmand reviews dining offerings in Urbana, Ohio.

The Wench talks about Fire Island’s new release of Red Wagon IPA.

Columbus Foodie indicates that there is still a heartbeat.

Weber_Cam reports on attendance at the Pizza Grand Prix.

And that’s your Columbus Dining Blog RoundUp! Yee Haw!

According to our sources at Ann Arbor, Michigan’s Zingerman’s Delicatessen, Katzinger’s Deli was based upon it.

Incredulous? Hard to believe a Columbus institution could be based on an Ann Arbor one? Look at the pics and you be the judge.

#17 *Helen’s Have Another at Zingerman’s – Stonington smoked salmon, scallion cream cheese, tomato & red onion on pumpernickel bread from Zingerman’s Bakehouse.

#67 Jon & Amy’s Double Dip – Zingerman’s corned beef & pastrami, Switzerland Swiss & Wisconsin muenster cheeses, hot & regular mustards on pumpernickel & rye breads.

FYI, the prices are a little better in Columbus.

Zingerman’s Deli
422 Detroit St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
open everyday 7am-10pm
734.663.DELI
menu

And you won’t find this in The Dispatch nor in any of the websites out there that summarize The Dispatch for a living.

Dine Originals Columbus ends this Sunday - get it while its hot!

Take advantage of the special fixed price menus at participating dine originals restaurants. It’s ending soon!

Given all the hype, I thought I’d add a link to Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Get it for your wife and maybe she’ll make you coq au vin or something.

Tamales at Cuco’s

From Bloviator Joe –

“Eat at taqueria, pop-lockin’ beats from Korea…” (Muchas gracias a Beck.)

Having already eaten, I kept it simple: a beer and an appetizer. The beverage of choice was, fittingly, a Mexican offering: Bohemia, which appeared to be a lager, with a comparable taste (subsequent ‘net searches have revealed it to be a pilsener, a type of lager, to be precise). Though it was inoffensive, I’ve never been particularly keen on Mexican beer, my points of reference being Corona, Dos Equis, Modelo and Tecate. The latter three have a definite leg up on Corona, but only in that they’re not revolting. You can, likewise, praise Bohemia, but it’s certainly not worth $3.95/bottle.

For my bedtime snack, I ordered the “gringas”, which is described thus on the online (cucostaqueria.com) menu:

“Two flour tortillas topped with Al Pastor marinated pork, melted cheese, lettuce, tomatoes ans [sic] onions.”

I have no idea how this dish relates to the derogatory Latin American slang term for foreign (especially American or English) women, but it was pleasant enough. I wouldn’t be surprised if the staff, which was clearly in a hurry to lock the door at the stroke of 10 PM, was calling me (having arrived at 9:25) much worse.

Qué onda, guero? (Thanks again, Beck)

Nevertheless, it was a perfectly good Mexican take on the late-night fast food run. Not even the overabundance of lettuce could quite overshadow the meat, cheese. tomatoes and onions. Not astounding, it was, nevertheless, good taqueria cuisine and (mostly) worth the $4.95 price tag.

Thanks Joe – I had the tamales pictured above which I found to be very enjoyable. Some of the best tamales I’ve ever had were found at a farmer’s market in Evergreen, Colorado. I thought the tamales at Cuco’s were a close second. It would be nice if they had more salsas to choose from to go with the tamales.

I visited Cuco’s a second time (as did Joe, I later learned) and had La Mexicana, one chicken stuffed poblano pepper, one tamale, one chicken enchilada, rice and beans. Like the tamales, the Mexicana is an especialidade de la casa. Again, I made the gringo mistake of eating too many chips and there was no way I was getting through this large plate of food. Cuco’s had run out of tamales so I received two rellenos. Rellenos are some of my favorites and Cuco’s didn’t disappoint.

I neglected to mention that Cuco’s has some of my favorite tequila, Don Julio Añejo. I wonder if they could serve it chilled in a sipping glass. That might be beyond the grasp of many Columbusites but fine tequila is meant to be sipped and not slugged back in rapid succession. But I don’t expect a lot from Buckeyes after all.

Cuco’s
2162 Henderson Road
Columbus, Ohio 43220
(614) 538.8701
Fax (614) 538.8601

Monday – Saturday
8:00 AM – 10:00 PM

El patio at Nada

Being frequent diners (at least as frequent as living in Columbus will allow) of Boca in Cincinnati, we had to try out Boca’s sister restaurant, Nada. Also, our Cincinnati contact, the Galvinator, highly recommended Nada. Let me say that Nada definitely exceeds any limitations imposed by its name. In fact, it was so good that we made another trip down to Cincinnati for the sole purpose of visiting Nada a second time. Plus it has a sweet patio. If you go, I would suggest patio dining if the weather is nice. Dining indoors is a bit noisy and seems much more hectic than a leisurely meal outside.

El Gazpacho at Nada

I will have to consult with an expatriot friend as to whether Gazpacho is readily found in Mexico. Traditionally a Spanish dish, I wouldn’t be too surprised if the early Spaniards introduced it to Mexico and it stuck. Anyhow, it has found its way to Cincinnati, and it made for a lovely summer soup. My camera failed to capture reality as the soup had a deeper crimson tint than is reflected in the lens.
…click here to read more →

I have gone and done it. I have officially boycotted one of my favorite Indian restaurants as a result of the downright unpleasant attitude of some of their waitstaff. I have chronicled many of my bouts as to the ordering of chai at this establishment within this food blog. Those bouts coupled with other problems associated with some of the waitstaff probably not wanting to hold such positions (IMHO) have caused me to forever turn my back upon this establishment. I will never be back.

Perhaps fetching chai is below them, I don’t know. That’s my latest theory after seeing “Slumdog Millionaire”: “Chaiwalah! Well ladies and gentlemen, Jamal Malik, garma garam chai dene walah from Mumbai, lets play Who Wants To Be A Millionaire! ”

But what is an Indian Buffet sans chai? It’s not an Indian meal, that’s fo sho!

So I gave The Bayleaf India Bistro a shot and was very impressed with their lunchtime buffet. I was also impressed with the ease in which I ordered and received chai. The Bayleaf is located at 1025 Polaris Pkwy, Columbus, OH 43240-2004, (614) 825-1053?. Their chai was very tasty and a perfect complement to the buffet fixins. My visit yielded the discovery of a “butter chicken” which was exceptionally good. They also had green beans garnished with coconut that was fantastic. These were two things that I’d never seen on an Indian buffet.

I’ve also become a frequenter of The India Oven located on East Main Street. Their chai comes separate from the milk/cream. You have to add it to the tea which gives the user a little more discretion on the formula. The India Oven’s buffet selection is a little sparser than others but their food seems very light and doesn’t weigh you down like your typical Indian buffet.

The food was just as good or better than my now banished haunt and the chai comes sans attitude.

Interior of The Lost Shepherd

Yes, I know, I know. Where is the review? Or where was the review? I’ve been rather dilatory in my fine repast duties as of late. By the way, isn’t it strange that dilatory and diligent are so close in sound but so far apart in meaning? I thought so. Anyhow, I figured if I posted the pictures, it would spur me on towards getting a review up. Well, almost a week passed and still no review. Believe me, this was in no way a reflection upon the dining experience at The Lost Shepherd. If anything, our experience was so good, I should have immediately written the review upon returning home. I can blame part of the delay upon selling my Powerbook laptop and awaiting the arrival of a new-to-me Macbook. As of today, I am still awaiting its arrival and can wait no more. With that said, let me test my memory and perhaps give you all something to chew on.

more interior of The Lost Shepherd

An ichthyologist (omg, I spelled that right on my very first try) who works at Ohio State turned me on to The Lost Shepherd. He is a huge fan of Luce. And having found Luce rather enjoyable myself, I gave his opinion of The Lost Shepherd greater than average stock. So finerepast.com, et al. (including said ichthyologist and his family), headed on down to The Lost Shepherd. It is located just west of the train track off of Powell Road at 345 W. Olentangy Street.

Herein lies the danger of doing a review well beyond the actual dining date – I having doubts as to what this dish was. Dover Sole keeps hitting me over the head though. I believe this was a special on the night in question because I can’t find it on The Lost Shepherd’s online menu.
But I ordered it and being a fan of Dover Sole, it makes perfect sense that that is what I ordered. I thought The Lost Shepherd was definitely not lost when it came to preparing Dover Sole. In fact, I think I’ve only seen it at “M” in Columbus. So, unless I’ve missed it at other Columbus, Ohio facilities, there are not too many places to get Dover Sole around. If you want good Dover Sole, try The Shepherd and hope it’s a special, now on the menu, or the chef is in a good mood.

Fire Roasted Chicken 7 Seasoned and Slow Roasted Chicken with Sweet Corn Risotto & Grilled Tomato Coulis

I don’t believe I tried this dish and will have to seek the aid of the diner who did in order to provide any comments beyond its presentation. I think the picture speaks for itself.

Pan Roasted Walleye with a crispy Roasted Pepper Risotto Cake and a Lemon Herb Cream Sauce

I was really torn when ordering as I also wanted the Walleye. My ichthyologist friend assured me it was very good, and his wife confirmed that upon trying her order. Shepherd, I shall return for the Walleye.

Portobello Pizza with Boursin Cheese, Roasted Peppers, Basil & Balsamic Braised Bermuda Onion

Strangely enough, the ichthyologist went for a sans-poisson entree and chose the Portobello Pizza. I am aware of his fondness for flatbread but thought his keen appreciation of fish would steer him in that direction. Judging by his quick work of said flatbread, I can only assume that it was very fine indeed.

Royale with Cheese -One Tasty Burger- A 1/2 LB Freshly Ground & Seasoned Angus Beef, Cooked & Topped to your Specifications

If my wife hadn’t ordered le Royale with Cheese, I would have had to have given the tip of the hat to “Pulp Fiction,” the movie in which every character sounded just like Quentin Tarantino – which goes to show you that if you spout out enough b.s., there will be a gem in every 1000th line. Le Royale was a damn tasty burger but the one in the film always sounds better.

Chocolate CheeseCake

Daughter of ichthyologist ordered the chocolate dessert and like the rest of the meal, we had no complaints. Unlike Pulp Fiction, we found a gem in less than a 1000 tries.

The Lost Shepherd
345 West Olentangy Street
Powell, Ohio

614.792.LOST (5678)

Open Daily at 11 am
Closed Sundays

I just learned that Weiland’s Gourmet Market has summer wine tastings on the last Thursday of every month. Here’s the one tonight:

White Wines of Summer

Enjoy a variety of well made white wines and tasty treats from around world.

Thursday, July 30
7:30pm-9:30pm

Reservations are limited
Contact the Wine Department for more details (614) 267-9878

The next one is at the end of August.