Khyber

Khyber is a new Pakistani restaurant that opened early in 2013, thereby doubling the number of Pakistani restaurants in Columbus. It’s just off Georgesville Road, on Industrial Mile, ever so slightly south of the Casino. Pakistani food is similar to Northern Indian cuisine and at Khyber you’ll find succulent spicy ground meat kebabs, light crisp nan bread and tasty dal. (425 Industrial Mile Road).

Siem Reap

Just around the corner from Khyber, and almost directly across from the casino, is Columbus’ only Cambodian restaurant. We particularly like their stuffed chicken wings, amok (baked fish) and curry hot pot but you’ll find a lot of variety including some Thai and Vietnamese dishes. Siem Reap recently added a liquor license so you can enjoy a Tiger beer or one of their house shots. (375 Georgesville Rd)

Westgate Thai

Westgate Thai is a small mom and pop that operates out of the Westgate Import Market on Sullivant Avenue. It’s a little further from the casino but definitely worth the detour. This is some of the most authentic and best Thai food you will find in Columbus and if you’re lucky there might even be dessert available. Their mango with sticky rice (below) is fantastic. (3201 Sullivant Ave)

Luc’s

Also on Sullivant Avenue, Luc’s is another Asian Market with a kitchen in the back. Luc’s offers a predominantly Vietnamese and Cambodian menu in a no frills environment. There is usually a selection of cold prepared foods in the case near the door but head to the far left corner for the kitchen putting out the hot dishes. (3275 Sullivant Ave)

Plaza Tapatia

More than just a well-known Mexican market, Plaza Tapatia also a (to our minds, criminally overlooked) restaurant. During the week Plaza Tapatia has an impressive and ever changing buffet with Mexican dishes that you often won’t find elsewhere. On the weekends it’s a la carte only, and a meat lovers paradise with their mixed grill platters (the molcajete and the parrilada) being the hands down favorites. On Sundays you’ll often find mariachi or nortena bands playing and a lively atmosphere. (4233 Shoppers Lane, close to the intersection of Broad Street and Georgesville Road behind the Westland Mall)

Los Galapagos

In this part of town, it’s worth noting that there’s more to Latin American cuisines than just Mexican. Los Galapagos is Columbus’ only Ecuadorean restaurant. They’re open 6 days a week but busiest on the weekends when they offer quite a few specials. You’ll find both Ecuadorean and Colombian dishes, and portions are eye-poppingly generous (as shown below).  (378 S Grener Road)

Merendero Catracho

In addition to the Mexican taco trucks, on summer weekends you’ll find a Honduran food truck called Merendero Catracho on Sullivant Avenue. It’s definitely worth a stop. Try the Honduran fried chicken on a bed of plantains, their delicious baleadas, or one of the best pupusas in town. (3868 Sullivant Ave)

La Super Torta

Some of the west side taco trucks have been so successful that they’ve graduated to bricks and mortar restaurants. La Super Torta didn’t move very far, opening a restaurant a couple of blocks from their old truck. They serve taco truck favorites (tacos, burritos, gorditas) as well as Oaxacan tlayudas and soups. (721 Georgesville Road)

Kulan

Next door to Super Torta is our pick for the west side’s best Somali restaurant, Kulan. We’d recommend the foul (bean dish) with anjera or the chicken suqar with rice. (727 Georgesville Rd)

For locations for all of these restaurants and more check out the map on alteatscolumbus.com.

About a month ago, during a Dessert Tour, I was talking with Pistacia Vera‘s co-owner Spencer Budros when he veered off into a passionate soliloquy on the buzz he senses in the city – he noted the throngs of people out and about downtown, the constant construction, the new announcements and openings made practically everyday, and a widely shared upbeat demeanor about the future.

He’s right – it is a good time to be a part of this city. We feel it too, and never more so than with the opening of the Hills Market Downtown. First, full disclosure: we’ve done some consulting work for the new store. Second, fuller disclosure: we’re thoroughly proud to have been (even an admittedly pretty small) part of it.

Because of its unique location, striking interior architecture, and urban store layout, it has and will continue to receive no small amount of richly deserved coverage from the press. As such, we’d like to focus your attention to one aspect that is of paramount importance to us in particular – the unrivaled selection of locally grown and made produce and products.

It is, of course, increasingly common for supermarkets to carry some amount of the aforementioned, but this is different – almost farmers market meets grocery, especially once growing season is in full swing. Much of the locally provided product is of a conspicuously higher quality than the national brands, and all of it benefits the local economy – which helps to keep our local buzz humming right along.

The Hills Market Downtown’s Grand Opening is today. We’d highly encourage you to check it out!

One of the great examples of this kind of partnership is their collaboration with Askinosie Chocolate. Jeni has used Shawn Askinosie’s chocolate in her Askinosie Dark Chocolate ice cream since 2010, and in 2011 they collaborated on the Dark Chocolate + Malted Milk CollaBARation bar. Jeni’s also use Askinosie cocoa powder to make hot chocolate in the scoop shops.

We were honored to be invited to a chocolate tasting and presentation by Shawn Askinosie at Jeni’s to learn more about his business and products. The tasting was primarily designed for Jeni’s staff so that they can learn more about their ingredients. It is really notable how well versed the Jeni’s scoop shop staff are in their products and a credit to the time invested in training and educational experiences.

Prior to getting into the chocolate business, Shawn Askinosie was a criminal lawyer who was looking for a new direction in life. When he fell into chocolate in 2005 he knew he’d found his passion. The Missouri-based business now employs 14 people and sources cocoa beans directly from four countries. Shawn’s overarching goals have been to try to shorten the supply and distribution chains and to produce the best and simplest chocolate. The chocolate is minimally processed and the single origin chocolate bars contain only two ingredients – cocoa beans and organic sugar. At the tasting we learned a lot about the chocolate making process and the efforts that Askinosie make to ensure environmentally friendly practices, to educate the farmers about processing the beans and about the end product. It was amazing to hear that many of the farmers who grow cocoa beans had never actually tasted a chocolate bar. To that end Shawn takes the finished product back to the farmers so that they can taste the chocolate and appreciate the end result of their efforts.

Askinosie chocolate is truly a bean-to-bar chocolate, they even press their own cocoa butter and were the first producer in the United States to press small batches of cocoa butter. Each single origin bar comes from a specific farm or co-operative and the farmers are pictured on the packaging. Askinosie pay the farmers well above Fair Trade prices and also profit share with the farmers. Not only do they feel that the farmers have earned this, but they want to help them understand the link between quality and profit. We tasted four different single origin chocolate bars all ranging from 70-77% cocoa solids. It was amazing how much they differed in taste. We were also able to taste chocolate from various stages of production and Askinosie’s dark milk and white chocolate bars. The white chocolate at 34% cocoa solids was unlike any white chocolate I have ever tasted. Askinosie also have four other collaborations bars, in addition to the Jeni’s collaboration bar, with Lakritsfabriken (Swedish licorice producer), Intelligentsia Coffee, Zingerman’s and Pasqual’s Cafe (Santa Fe). My favorites from the tasting were the dark milk chocolate (62%) and the surprising dark milk chocolate + salty licorice collaboration bar.

Jeni believes that business can be a force for good and hearing about Chocolate University and all of the programs that Askinosie have introduced, not only in their community, but in the communities of their producers, you can really see that. Sean Askinosie is genuinely committed to improving the lives of the families who grow his chocolate, far beyond paying them fair prices for their cacao.

If you haven’t tried Askinosie chocolate we can’t recommend it highly enough. Not only will you be eating an award winning artisan product but you will be supporting farmers, small businesses and communities across the world. As a board member of Slow Food Columbus I appreciate food that is good, clean and fair. Askinosie chocolate not only tastes good but it’s good for the farmers, the environment and for you.

Askinosie chocolate is sold nationally in over 500 specialty food stores. In Columbus you can find Askinosie chocolate at The Hills Market, Katzinger’s and at Jeni’s scoop shops. You can also order chocolate online from the Askinosie website where you will also find some other products (tableya and rice) that directly benefit rural school children in the Philippines and Tanzania.

In previous years Dine Originals has offered two ‘restaurant weeks’ per year with set price menus. We spoke with executive director Katharine Moore about Dine Originals 10, and how it is indicative of a bold new direction for the organization:

“Dine Originals Columbus realized it had taken a very unoriginal approach to its twice-a -year promotion of dining locally. Our member’s styles, price points, and cuisines are too varied to impose the format of a 3 course menu at a fixed price across the board.

Dine Originals 10 will allow every kitchen to showcase their strengths from March 11 – 20^th.  Some are offering a fixed price menu, others are hosting events, throwing parties, and roasting pig heads.  It hasn’t even kicked off yet, and it already feels like a much better fit!”

To mark Dine Originals 10, we have a special giveaway to offer for our Columbus Food Adventures fans and readers. One of our fabulous Short North tour partners and Dine Originals stalwart member, Rigsby’s Kitchen, is hosting a Sardinian wine dinner on Wednesday March 13th. We are thrilled to be able to offer two tickets for this dinner to our readers. This is particularly exciting for us, as we attended a previous Sardinian wine dinner at Rigsby’s back in 2009 to celebrate the first anniversary of Slow Food Columbus and it was spectacular.

Here are the details of the dinner:

If, during your time off, you’re of a mind to partake of some food-related reading, here are a couple of things that we’ve enjoyed recently:

1048 Words About Peter Wells and Guy Fieri
In Praise of Street Food

And, we’re convinced that this is the best show about food-related topics to come around for a long, long time (excerpts of episodes are viewable on the PBS website):

Mind of a Chef, PBS

Finally… not that you’d be the sort to leave gift buying to this late, but if you have *ahem* a friend who might be a purchase or two short of wrapping up holiday shopping, we’re selling gift certificates for all of our tours today, tomorrow, and every other day of the year.

We’ll be back in action with tours on December 28th.

Dancing Tree is the brainchild of former Marietta Brewing Company brewmaster Kelly Sauber, a graduate of the Siebel Institute of Technology, who has been brewing professionally since 1996 and was looking for a new challenge. He found it – at the moment it’s mostly a one man show, with assistance from Kelly’s partner and teenage sons. As a brewer Kelly conceived of the brewery as a grain based distillery but his first product was actually a grape based vodka with second-press Vidal grapes from nearby Shade Winery, essentially taking a waste product and turning it into a highly drinkable spirit. Kelly’s resourcefulness is demonstrated again and again in his use of second hand and retrofitted equipment, his homemade stills and use of what is on hand locally. The electricity from his 100% solar powered warehouse is stored in the forklift battery and is used to power his grain mills. He’s also extremely passionate, engaging, and overflowing with ideas.

A year into production, Dancing Tree already has four spirits available for sale: their original grape based vodka, a local corn vodka, spicebush berry gin and a coffee liqueur. Elderberry and pawpaw brandies are in the midst of production and Kelly is already working on a sorghum based rum (sorg-rum?) and an aged corn-based whiskey. There were also small trial batches of a garlic vodka, designed for Bloody Marys, and a hopped vodka – he’s still a brewer at heart. This is impressive given how tiny the production facility is and because everything is made from scratch. Dancing Tree produces about 400 bottles a week from a 12 ft by 21ft space.

So far, my two favorites were the gin and the coffee liqueur. The gin, made with the corn based vodka, is flavored with three botanicals – locally foraged spicebush berries (sometimes known as Appalacian allspice), rosehips and juniper. Spicebush berries have a tendency to overpower other flavors but here they are well balanced with the juniper and while it’s quite clearly a gin, it has its own unique flavor profile. The coffee liqueur is made with Cafe Feminino coffee beans French-roasted by Silver Bridge Coffee Roasters in Gallipolis. It’s sweetened with local honey and flavored with a touch of vanilla. It is much less syrupy sweet than other coffee liqueurs and has a strong coffee aroma. Kelly recommended it in a Dancing in the Snow – a mix of Dancing Tree coffee liqueur with Snowville Creamery half and half over ice (Snowville Creamery is also located in Meigs county).

Athens has a vibrant, interconnected local food scene and Dancing Tree fits in perfectly. Kelly has been associated with the local food scene since 1996 when he set up O’Hooley’s brew pub in Athens, so he has a strong network of friends and contacts. Kelly partners with many neighbors and local farmers for his raw ingredients such as honey, corn, elderberries, pawpaws and grapes and his spent grain feeds a neighbors pigs. He tries to use as many local and indigenous ingredients as possible to cut down on transport costs and support the local economy. Kelly uses heirloom, open pollinated, non-GMO corn from two local farms – one of which is certified organic – and what the farmers lose in yield (relative to more traditional approaches) they save in transport costs and reduced use/cost of chemicals.

Dancing Tree is available in Columbus at Weilands Gourmet Market, Campus liquor store (2465 North High St), Europia and you’ll find it behind the bar at Brothers Drake. You’ll also find it in Nelsonville, Athens and Marietta. The sorghum rum and fruit brandies should be available by Christmas 2012 but the aged whiskey won’t be ready until 2015.

Dancing Tree Distillery
41622 Bearwallow Ridge Road, Shade, Ohio
740-696-1159

The tasting room is due to open mid-December and will be open by appointment only. The Bed and Breakfast is planned for spring 2013. Learn more about Dancing Tree and listen to an interview with Kelly Sauber next Saturday on WCBE Foodcast.

Hearing about all of the different strategies and traditions (restaurant-goers) used for managing Dine Originals Week is one of my favorite aspects of the event. We have heard from supporters who choose 8 favorite menus, put them in a hat and draw 4 out and schedule the week around them, others have rituals about going to a restaurant they have never tried, and I have a friend who picks our two most expensive member restaurants and uses the opportunity to experience the magic of kitchens she cannot usually afford while she completes graduate school.

We’ve had a look through all of the 50 plus menus and here are a few of the dishes that caught our eye:

Pork Belly corn dogs at Black Creek Bistro.
Blackened grouper cheeks with lemon havarti grits at Bodega (lunch menu)
Quince five spice steamed bun at Deepwood (Lunch menu)
Orange Julius dessert at Deepwood with vanilla Bundt Cake and tangerine glaze, candied kumquat and orange Julius Smoothie Sip ($20 dinner menu)
The Bill Murray vs Kathy Bates celebrity death match menu at Surly Girl, with Life Aquatic crab dip and not-so-fried green tomatoes.
Roasted Onion, Brown Ale and Aged Cheddar Soup at the Worthington Inn.
The warm housemade ricotta with Fennel Seed Grissini, Kale Chips & Fresh Figs at Z Cucina.
Bourbon ice cream made with the new Watershed bourbon at the Vienna Ice Cafe.

But of course there are lots of other great dishes and menus and there’s something for every taste. In addition to the published menus, both Alana’s and Skillet will be offering daily surprises. As well as dinner options there are some fantastic lunch deals at restaurants including Rigsby’s and Barcelona and the highly recommended brunch at Pistacia Vera.

There are also some new places to check out. Babushka’s Kitchen have just reopened at their new Sinclair Road location. Barrel 44 is a new Dine Originals member with two locations in the Short North and Bexley.

Vegetarians are well catered for, especially those who love seasonal squash and pumpkin dishes. Check out the vegetarian menus at Deepwood and Black Creek Bistro.

We have a great giveaway for you! Comment on this post and tell us which of the Dine Originals week menus most appeals to you by 5pm on Tuesday November 13th and you could win a $50 gift certificate to use at your Dine Originals restaurant of choice!

View all of the menus online here or pick up a copy of this week’s Columbus Alive to see them all in one place.

Veritas – as in ‘truth’ – is a cheeky name for a restaurant whose dishes are so cleverly designed to deceive.

For example, consider our order of their shrimp cocktail. In lieu of the expected, what arrives at the table looks like a single large raviolo, and it isn’t that either. What it is, however, is the absolute essence of shrimp cocktail flavors, concentrated impressively, in a form that bears absolutely no physical or textural relationship to its namesake.

And it’s damned good; we ordered another. Chef, you can lie to us anytime.

Our table of 4, having just driven the 40 minutes required to get to Veritas from downtown, was doubly relieved; not only was it abundantly clear that the commute was worth it, but we were relieved because this particular style of culinary trickery, often referred to as molecular gastronomy, can risk sacrificing the pleasures of flavor in its quest to delight with sensory misdirection.

There were no concerns on that count. And, while many of the dishes aren’t quite as radically unmoored from their origins as the shrimp cocktail is, almost all have at least some element of surprise to them.

It’s small plates only at Veritas, and we giddily worked our way through the whole menu. Here’s a few highlights:

The above was called ‘Corn + Textures’ on the menu, and it amounts to a wide ranging study of the different forms corn can take. There’s corn mousse, corn brulee, corn smut powder, popcorn, and fried corn silk.  All were enjoyed, and the real revelation was how much the corn silk tastes like a russet potato skin.

Next, the chicken quesadilla deconstructed. There are so many things to like about this dish, but the real eye opener was the chicken itself. Simply put, it was the most flavorful piece of poultry I’ve ever had. Queso fundido, masa puffs, and salsa round out this exceptional composition.

The scallops, foie, and caviar was quite possibly the most frustrating dish I’ll ever love. The foie gras mousse melted over the slate serving plank, the scallops were somewhat overcooked, and the spherized essence of bacon seemed an unnecessary embellishment. And then I tried a bite of the scallop, caviar, blackberry sauce, and foie together. The flavor combination sang like a diva under a dictator, and I’d order it again in a heartbeat.

If you’ve noticed how bad the above photos are (due to dim lighting and mediocre camera equipment), you can imagine how much worse the rest of them were. So not shown, but still every bit as notable as the aforementioned, were the bacon risotto with soft boiled egg, corned beef with yukon hash and fried egg, and the leek, baby root vegetable, and pignoli.

In total, it was just about as pleasurable a dining experience as is possible to have while dining in central Ohio, and perhaps felt even more so since we entered with modest expectations and left blown away.

A few things to know: plate prices run from $6 to $16, probably averaging around $11. It may take 3 to 5 plates to feel full, so it isn’t inexpensive. It is, I’d argue, a good value, particularly for the culinary thrill seeker – there’s simply nothing else like this in central Ohio, nor, as far as I’m aware, anywhere else in the state.

The menu changes frequently, as does the inventive cocktail list – in some cases for the purpose of pairing with new menu items. The beer selection should keep most brew geeks content, and the wine list is serviceable and poised to grow significantly.

On Saturday (1-3pm) the North Market will be filled with the beloved smell of all things bacon. It’s the third annual Wild Goose Creative Bacon Camp, which is more of a celebration of bacon than a camp. There will be cooking competitions, arts and crafts and of course lots of opportunities to taste. Tickets cost $10 each and there are still some available.

On Saturday and Sunday (11am-8pm) is the Ohio Food Truck Festival, which will be held at the Ohio Historical Society (near Crew stadium on 71). There will be over 35 food trucks and carts from all over the state, 25 arts and crafts vendors, music, beer, games and Silent Disco.

There will also be local street food at Urban Scrawl in Franklinton. Urban Scrawl is a free 2 day festival that features live painting by artists on large panels, electronic, hip hop, and rock music, a b-boy exhibition, arts & crafts vendors, children’s activities, and food vendors. This year Urban Scrawl is Saturday, August 25th from noon to 10pm. and Sunday, August 26th from noon to 6pm at 400 West Rich Street.

Fans of our Alt Eats tour might enjoy the Columbus Egyptian festival, now in its 18th year with traditional foods and desserts. Friday-Sunday. There’s also the new Northland International Community Festival “a celebration of the vibrant history & cultural diversity of the community in the Northland area of Columbus”. The festival is a free two day event at the new Northland Performing Arts Center with food and craft vendors, live music and performing arts and community outreach groups.

Saturday is also Columbus’ third annual summer Beerfest, this year at the LC Pavilion. They are planning to have over 200 craft beers to celebrate the bicentennial with a mix of Ohio-brewed and out of state beers. The event runs from 7-11pm (6pm for VIP entry) and tickets are $35 in advance or $45 on the day. Your ticket will give you 25 (5oz) sample tickets.

On Sunday you’ll find a more relaxed experience at Jorgensen Farms where they are celebrating their first Backyard mint festival. There will be a farm animal petting zoo, hayrides, yard games, plenty of good eats, and Jeni Britton Bauer will be on hand to demonstrate how to make peppermint-infused whipped cream, as well as peppermint chocolate milk. The event runs from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m at  Jorgensen Farms; 5851 E Walnut St, Westerville. Kids: $10 (under 2 years of age are free); Adults: $15

Sunday is also the last Goodale Park Music Series concert of the summer. The Spikedrivers will be playing a free concert from 12:30-2pm at the Goodale Park Gazebo. Bring a picnic and sit on the lawn or grab lunch from one of the food carts.

On Sunday evening Latitude 41 are hosting one of their monthly Sunday suppers. Chef Adam Cobb is preparing a rustic Spanish dinner, inspired by his time spent working in Spain. The dinner is $150 for a table 6 people and Latitude is open from 5-10pm on Sundays.

As well as all these special events, there are all of the regular food tours, farmers markets, Fridays at the Meadery and Artisan Sundays at the North Market. This time of year is the perfect time to visit farmers’ markets as there’s all manner of gorgeous produce available.

If you need a break from all that eating and drinking the Columbus Invitational Performing Arts Showcase on August 25, will spotlight talented, local performers in an America’s Got Talent-style competition. It is designed to increase public awareness of some great young artists, and to garner support for them. August 25, 7 p.m. in the Shedd Theater, Columbus Performing Arts Center, 549 Franklin Avenue. Saturday night is also the Available Light Theater annual fundraiser ‘Feed Your Soul‘. “Feed Your Soul is a party for everyone who believes that great art makes us more joyful, compassionate people. It’s not a formal gala – just a fun night out with delicious local foods, the coolest silent auction in town, and a special night of performances you won’t see anywhere else”.

After all that food you might need some exercise. Bike the Cbus is coming up on September 1st and we are proud to be a sponsor of this great event. August 25th is the last day to register to get a free t shirt with your entry fee. Bike the C-Bus explores some of the neighborhoods in and around Columbus. The entire ride will cover approximately 25 miles over 4 segments and will feature stops that highlight change that is occurring in our neighborhoods. Each stop will be sponsored by businesses and community groups and provide snacks and drinks for the riders. It definitely a ride to explore and learn, not a race and it’s a lot of fun.

Little Eatery and Darista Cafe both qualify, and are what would be considered ‘pop-up’ restaurants. Both operate out of the patio kitchen tucked under an overhang outside of the Hill’s Market; Little Eatery on Wednesdays & Thursdays during lunch, Darista for Friday lunches (both 11am-2pm). They’re similar in ethos, emphasizing the use of fresh and local fare, but distinct in the end results.

Little Eatery specializes in salads, and impressively inventive ones at that. They’ve taken the best of what’s currently offered at the local farmers markets and assembled them with a degree of creativity and savory appeal that’s sure to get the attention of even the most devoted of carnivores (like… me).

We tried the zucchini salad, with parmesan, toasted almonds, and olive oil, the yellow & red watermelon with chili, mint, and feta, and the peanut slaw with pickled onion & jalapeno cabbage, cucumber, green onion, basil, mint & cilantro. All of these were chosen from their ‘Market Salads’ menu – 2 scoops (mix & match) for $7, or 3 scoops (mix & match) for $10. The 3 scoop option comes with a delicious buttermilk cheddar biscuit served with honey butter.

All were genuinely enjoyed, and 3 scoops made for a hearty meal. A special nod goes to the peanut slaw – it’s the rare salad that provides truly novel flavor combinations that work, and this did all of that and then some.

Darista Cafe’s tagline is ‘World Inspired Local Fare’, and the menu emphatically bears this out – think patacon maracucho, fried green tomato and heirloom salad, cucumber gaspacho, and berry & lemon scones with lemon curd. We tried the patacon, which is essentially a sandwich that uses plantain-based tostones in lieu of bread.

Huh. To be honest, I generally dislike tostones - after 2 weeks in Puerto Rico I had hoped to never encounter one again. But these… these were unexpected; not the thick, flavorless masses of oil-soaked starch inexplicably favored by the island territory, but thin, crisp, pleasantly salty, and entirely appropriate to the purpose.

Which is to say, the purpose of containing a generous portion of pulled cilantro chicken topped with tomato, avocado puree, mozzarella, and greens. Put together, it’s a flavor bomb – bold, bright flavors in balance – and entirely addictive (fans of El Arepazo’s cilantro sauce will understand where I’m coming from). I had it once, found myself back at the Hills for an event the next day that Darista was open for, and had to have it again.

The fried green tomato salad garnered similar raves from our dining partners who enjoyed the contrasting textures of the crunch fried tomatoes with the ripe heirloom tomatoes.

Both Little Eatery and Darista Cafe will be at Hills Market (7860 Olentangy River Road  Columbus) until the end of October. You can find them out on the veranda from 11am-2pm. Check their Facebook pages for weekly menus.