Right Now Downtown

ANY EXCUSE TO EAT

It’s Bastille Day.  In honor of the occasion, we thought we’d indulge in some fancy downtown French cuisine.  Today is a day to celebrate the French Fry.

We’re not talking about the stale old freezer-burn fries.  We’re talking about fries with a little urban style… savory savoir faire.  We’re talking about…

Crinkle Cut Fries
With twice the surface area of regular old fries, crinkle cut fries deliver extra crunchy, salty goodness in every bite.  Downtown diners already know where to find this rare species of tuber: Jack’s Diner.

Exotic Fries
Tip Top Kitchen & Cocktails will French fry just about anything.  Its Eggplant Fries served with Bloody Mary Sauce makes the kitchen’s sweet potato version seem positively pedestrian.

Fancy Fries
While Latitude 41’s menu changes with the seasons, a special gourmet version of French Fries is almost always available – the Truffled Fries are enhanced with a little luxurious drizzle of precious, pricey Truffle oil.

PS:  You might just catch Chef Dean James Max there this week.  He’s competing in an in-house cook-off against a former Hell’s Kitchen finalist on June 16.

Each time I eat or drink at San Francisco Oven on East State Street, I am reminded that the outdoor dining area between San Francisco Oven and the Hyatt on Capitol Square is one of the best amenities in downtown.   This space has spectacular features, including mature trees, a fountain designed by Alfred Tibor, seating for several hundred people, and great views of Capitol Square.  On hot days, the space draws a cool breeze, and the fountain calms frenetic souls.

Two restaurants serve this patio: Darbys as well as San Francisco Oven.  I am amazed the area is not full of diners seven evenings a week.  Apparently, not enough people linger downtown after work.

One of the reasons why Capital Crossroads SID sponsors Downtown LIVE is to feature this incredible space.  If you have not experienced it, you should consider having dinner and drinks during a concert by The Fabulous Johnson Brothers this Thursday evening.  For those of you who have experienced it, I am interested to know if this space is as good as I think it is.

The first Kid’s Day at Pearl Market was a huge success!

We had wonderful fun for kids of all ages!

Many thanks to Sprout Soup, Columbus Police Department, Childhood League Center school nurse Susan Campbell, and musical genius Bob Piascik for all the time and energy they gave to give kids downtown a fun and hands-on creative day!

All through the alley I could hear music and children laughing and engaging with art and fun!

Right Downtown! It was truly awesome!

Families love Columbus and Pearl Market loves them!

Named to Fox Channel’s Next Great American Band Top 20 list, The Fabulous Johnson Brothers are coming to Downtown Live this week to put on a show you’ll never forget.  With influences from all over the charts, including names from Michael Jackson (may he RIP) to Prince, The Rolling Stones and Arcade Fire, their sound is familiar and unique all at the same time.  A cooking rhythm section and hot horn section only encourage kinetic frontman Aaron Pickering creating a personal non-stop party on stage that inevitably brings people together to let loose and party!

For more information on the band and this Downtown Live event, visit www.downtowncolumbus.com.

Happy Hour starts at 4 and music starts at 5.  Don’t miss drink and food specials from Darby’s Cafe and San Francisco Oven while enjoying a free show with all your friends on the corner of Third & State Streets.

GETTING THERE IS HALF THE F–

Behold the magnificent Toyota Camry.  There’s one in every parking lot (probably two or three).  It’s reliable, fuel-efficient and the most popular motor vehicle in the United States.

But the Camry doesn’t say “fun.”  No, for fun-fix we’ve got to look elsewhere… there are plenty of downtown businesses that can help you move from point A to point B with a little more zip.

1.  B-1 Bicycles will rent you a bike.
That’s right, and the shop charges only $30 per day.  In fact, it’s not the only spot with loaners; you can borrow a bike at the Crowne Plaza Hotel too.

2.  Let someone else do the pedaling.
For more sedentary fun, consider the virtues of the pedicab.  Quite green and quite agile, ECT Pedicab and Columbus Pedicab both make runs in the downtown area.

3.  Take a wild trip.
It costs five dollars to park a car at the zoo.  It costs a buck-fifty to ride the bus… and admission to the zoo itself is half-off for COTA riders.  COTA runs a special bus from downtown stops directly to the Zoo, schedules are available at COTA.com.

There is another mode of transport and it definitely says fun.  Eco-friendly, this one’s actually THE bestselling car in the United States…  popfi.com.

Recently, a friend of mine had to drive from downtown to southern Delaware County to drop off some materials to a business.  The business, located at the intersection of Rt. 23 and East Powell Road, seemed impossible to reach through the sea of parking lots and honking, speeding drivers delayed by my friend who was unsure of where to go.  After driving down one too many office parkways, she became disoriented and began to hyperventilate.

She is not alone.  City dwellers, particularly people who rarely venture outside the urban grid, often experience a physical reaction to sprawl.  This phobia is triggered by lack of connectivity, sensory overload from roadside signs, massive streets, traffic congestion, and warehouse-size stores.

Luckily, there is a way for city dwellers to prevent Suburbaphobia.  Shop in your own neighborhood.  Patronize smaller stores.  Drive as little as possible.  Go to a real town center.  Unless you absolutely must go to Magic Mountain, stay in the urban grid.

 Red Wanting Blue put on a great show on July 3rd. The local indie/alternative rock band played covers, but mostly their own tunes to an appreciative audience. The energy and passion for music just oozed out of the lead singer and you just couldn’t not tap your feet.  A truly great performance by this talented group!

Cheryl of Crimson Design Group is awesome! Come check out her storefront at 51 N. Pearl & at the Market. Here’s what she had to say to us the other day:

Can you describe your art and process? Tell us a bit about yourself?

I founded Crimson Design Group 6 years ago after working for a firm here in Columbus. I have always known that I would have my own company at some point in my career. I enjoy the freedom that operating your own business brings. I started working in design in NYC managing a furniture boutique in Soho. I loved the city but life called me back to Columbus and here I am 10 years later. Crimson Design is a full service interior design firm. We work on a vast scale of projects and clients. We work on new construction projects, remodels, to furnishing interior spaces. (Custom window treatments, furniture placement, lighting, art and all other elements of design)
We are launching a new program called designer for a day. We go into a home recreate a room using their existing furnishings and make suggestions on things they can add as well as color consultations. Room redesigns start at $350.
My philosophy on design and working w/ someone is that we really work on finding out who our client is and translating that into design in their home or corporate space. Finding your style and inspiring your life!!!

So- what inspires you?

Traveling is what inspires me most. I am always changing my environment from day trips out of Columbus to traveling internationally.  I love culture and seeing how people live and how colorful everyday life is for people in other countries. Also the simple things in life give me alot of pleasure. Tasting beautifully created food, to fresh cut flowers out of my garden, seeing the array of color combinations in nature, and appreciating beauty in life everyday.

What do you love about Columbus?
I love that Columbus is an easy affordable city to live in. Seeing the growth and change downtown and in the Short North has been fun to see. We just moved into Pearl Alley this year and love the energy that the alley and Gay street brings. It is also a very easy city to fly in and out of. Columbus is my base home and love to see the world from here.

To be truly comfortable, rewarding and timeless, environments must speak to the heart of who you are– as an individual or organization.

Thanks so much! Please stop by Crimson Design and say hello! Tell them the Market Maven sent ya!