Restaurant Review: Basil

Hello, Food Fans! For those of you who didn't know, last week (which somehow came and went quicker than the winter weather that has hit most of the country by this point) was Columbus's seasonal tradition of Restaurant Week. With the busy schedule that seems to have caught one too many off-guard, including me, I was only able to get a taste of one menu (if you don't count the delicious espresso chocolate mousse cupcake I had at The Crest). This time around, the Short North's Basil (1124 N High St) was ultimately the reigning choice. And so, Brianne, Nicole, and I headed over to what was once an antique shop and one of the many restaurants I have been meaning to try out for a while now.

Soured Beers and Savoured Tastes: January 2014 Beer Dinner at The Crest

As I continue to settle into living in Columbus, one of my more consistent weekly routines is participating in Excesss Trivia every Monday night (beginning around 8.45pm) at The Crest Gastropub. In addition to four rounds of fast-paced and often-intense Jeopardy-style friendly competition on topics from football coaches to kitchen tools and indie bands to African geography (perhaps you can guess which side of the spectrum my strengths are in), The Crest offers $4 Ohio drafts, $5 Ohio liquors, and half-off selected appetizers (the sliders are an especially great deal). I share this info not only as a plug for The Crest's weekly specials, but as a contextual opportunity to say it was during a previous Trivia Night that Brittany, who I first met when she waited on our anthropology department's happy hour back in September (and have since seen nearly every week along with the rest of The Crest's friendly staff on Mondays), told me about a then-upcoming beer dinner. Just as had been the case with previous beer dinners, such as the one I attended last August, drink pairer Braden worked with executive chef Dustin to create another enjoyable and mouthwatering menu inspired by an eclectic range of flavour profiles. This time around, they worked with the folks of Dexter's (Michigan) Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales; and as I'm guessing Brianne can attest, I had many a food moment throughout the evening.

Restaurant Recap: Knead

Having passed it countless times over the years in my case, Brianne and I made our way to Knead (505 N High St) earlier this month to check out the offerings of this "modern diner featuring locally sourced food in Columbus," owned by Chef Rick Lopez and his wife, Krista.

First Post of 2014: Foodie (and Film) Fun in Columbus

Happy New Year and frosty Monday! Here in the Midwest, temperatures are falling to record lows, pushed even further by wind chill factors that make me want to see how long it would take to make ice cream outdoors. As much fun as that would probably be (I mean, outdoor food science? Of course that would be fun.), I'm bundled up indoors, as are the huge majority of central Ohio's student population. In a word, it's almost like the city is becoming "frozen." Speaking of which, Brianne and I saw Frozen again (this time in 3D, so of course it was of a justifiable necessity...) this past weekend and absolutely enjoyed it. We also managed to enjoy quite a few foodie destinations, of which I've chronicled below. Reviewed here are my return (Brianne's first) visits to Skillet and North Market (with focused commentary on the newly-opened Pistacia Vera location), (briefly) our return visits to Whit's and Mikey's, and our first visit to Philco.