NEW KID ON THE BLOCK ROCKS!
Winter is here, but Spinelli’s Deli has a way to keep you toasty warm – for breakfast, lunch or dinner. No excuses – they’re even open seven days a week. The selection is hot and flavorful. You’ll find everything from bagels to pancakes to salads, sammies, soups and pastas.
Don’t take our word for it, take a peek for yourself. Now, if only we had a little smell-o-vision!
LAUNCH INTO DOWNTOWN
Have you seen all the big heavy duty trucks and bulldozers moving dirt around the site where the new Bishop’s Walk condos will soon be? It’s enough to put five-year-old boys with their Tonka trucks into a deep trance, but soon it will be dreamy for those who want to make downtown a lifestyle.
Phase Two of Neighborhood Launch is officially underway and 14 additional residential units will be available before long. In case you were teetering on that beautiful wrought iron fence out front of the first phase, we wanted to give you the Top Ten Reasons to Consider Making the Plunge with Bishop’s Walk.
10. You can grab your witches brew and head to the Neighborhood’s very own Halloween Party and solve the Clue Mystery Murder.
9. Plan your own grand celebration next to the fountain in the courtyard… or toss your significant other in if he/she is getting on your nerves.
8. Rumor has it that you might even find Sugardaddy’s connections close by, and who couldn’t manage with a little more of those scrumptious pieces of heaven?
7. Live and play and maybe even work downtown. You’ll be one of the cool kids now.
6. You are a mere 53 seconds away from the best cup of coffee in the Midwest, maybe the world. Repeat after us… Café Brioso.
5. When you want to unwind Monday after work, Due Amici fills Gay Street with live jazz music and the wine is nothing to sneeze at either.
4. Ditch your keys – everything is in walking (or biking) distance. Think of the money you can save on car insurance, which leaves more change jingling in your pockets for drinks at Tip Top Kitchen & Cocktails.
3. Impress your partner when you arrange for a horse-drawn carriage to pick you both up for a night on the town.
2. Save tons of time and support local businesses when you buy farm-fresh produce from area farmers in Pearl Market.
And the number one reason you should consider the cool digs at Neighborhood Launch – you can roll out of bed a half hour before you need to be at work downtown, throw some gel in your hair and still get to your desk with time to spare.
TAKE A TOUR AND ENJOY A COCKTAIL
It’s hot and humid, and while Columbus may not offer up salty ocean breezes to lower the mercury on the thermometer, downtown antes up plenty of ways to cool off with frosty mugs and chilled cocktails all over town, all times of day. Besides, it’s gotta be 5 p.m. somewhere in the world, right? So, take a tour via one of these local hang outs. But it’s not all-inclusive so let us know your favorite get-away.
Bartenders at Tip Top Kitchen & Cocktails get the party started within minutes of arrival, and if you have any doubts, try one of their signature drinks like Commit to be Lit. After a little bit of this concoction made with orange, vanilla and raspberry vodkas mixed with cranberry juice and a splash of 7-Up, you may never need to sit seaside again.
Sans the Manolo Blahnik’s and the four sassy chicks of Sex in the City, the Caucus Cosmo at the Double Tree Caucus Room provides a perfect way to relax after a long day at the office.
Travel on down to Barrio and pitchers of house-made white and red sangria, half off during happy hour from 4 – 7 p.m., Monday through Friday. Grab a few tapas to share and you have created a vacation celebration without leaving the city.
Take the Elevator to kick the party into full swing with their $2.50 handcrafted pints from 3 – 7 p.m. every Monday through Friday, but don’t watch your clock in this historical building – their menu of beer and cocktails will make you forget the time, which is the point of resting seaside.
If you are still in need of a history lesson while you toss back a cold one, visit the Jury Room. This neighborhood tavern has been serving up food and spirits since 1831. You don’t even need to crack open a book to take advantage of the free appetizer buffet on Wednesdays and Fridays during happy hour, but you might want to grab a napkin.
Get Uncorked with half-price bottles and champagne at Due Amici on Monday nights and be-bop to live jazz beginning at 6 p.m.
Michael O’Toole’s continues the family tradition of the first O’Toole immigrant who settled in Southeastern Ohio serving up frothy cold ones to the miners who labored long days in the foothills of the Appalachians. But you just need to head down to Nationwide Boulevard to take advantage of this Irish-style pub, or walk on ever to The Flatiron for a Chocolate Martini. Heck, the night is young so check ‘em all out.
Wrap up your summer cocktail tour with the high-spirited Drunken Chunky Blonde from Sugardaddy’s, but don’t worry – you can even drive home after munching on this one. The dense, chewy blonde is like a chocolate chip cookie on steroids with its premium chocolate chunks and toasted pecans. A splash of bourbon essence mixed into the batter will have you jonesing for more.
Let us know your favorite place to kick back, take a break and cool off. Cheers!
The Columbus High Five looked pretty good last weekend. I took my 11-year-old daughter, Lilly, to a sold-out WICKED at the Ohio Theatre on Friday night. Before the show, we ate at Tip Top. Gay Street was full of sidewalk diners at Latitude 41, Plantain Cafe, Tip Top and Due Amici.
Speaking of Gay Street, the cast and crew of WICKED are staying at the Residence Inn. Chandra Lee Schwartz, who plays Glinda in WICKED, says that she is enjoying her stay in Columbus and has flattering things to say about the “town.”
The Gay Softball World Series clearly added energy, with 2,500 athletes staying in downtown hotels. As Lilly and I walked to the Ohio Theatre from Gay Street, we passed a rooftop party at the Renaissance Hotel and a surprising number of other pedestrians.
After the show, we encountered gridlock on High Street as we approached the Short North. We turned on Vine Street to head west toward Neil Avenue and encountered more traffic as we passed Park Street at 11:30 p.m. Vine and Park streets had hundreds of people walking from club to club.
As I sat in traffic, all I could do was smile.
Tuesday at the Market was a bit wet last week, but very pleasantly so. Everything cooled down for a bit and it was nice to walk around outside for the first day in awhile without all of that heat.
One (of many) of my favorite places at the Market is the Columbus Dispatch booth. My friend Marty is there most days and he passes out issues of The Dispatch along with great stories. I have a subscription for the weekends, but I like getting the paper from him on Tuesdays and stopping to chat for a bit. He also has some great gifts if you buy a subscription at the Market: namely the fantastic umbrellas that sure would have come in handy on Tuesday. If you come down, stop and say hi to Marty!
I have discovered a new gem for lunch at the Market. If you haven’t been to lunch at the Ringside Cafe, you are missing out! They have French fries that taste fresh and delicious, the sandwiches are amazing and they come with homemade chips. I love them!
This week my family thought we would have a taste test with tomatoes from different farms. I bought cherry tomatoes from one, heirloom from another and beefsteak from a third. We ended up all having different favorites, mainly because we like different types of tomatoes, but they were all great examples of fresh produce from Henson Farms, Honey Run Farms and Meadow Rise Farms. They were the perfect ripeness, the perfect color and cheaper than from a store.
Hope to see you there next time!
Last week Chef Derek from Due Amici stopped by the Market for a wonderful cooking demonstration at the Ohio Proud Mobile Kitchen using Ohio-grown produce. You’ll want to try these out for yourself!
WHO’S YOUR DADDY?
Sugardaddy’s is open and ready to tempt you. Wow, where to begin? Who would ever guess that brownies and blondies could offer so many possibilities?
Co-founders/creators Tom Finney, self-taught baking genius, and Mark Ballard, marketer extraordinaire, created a business like no other that began as a labor of love.
The venture launched online at sugardaddys.com and the two experienced profound success after appearing on Food Network. Did you know InStyle and Ellen DeGeneres rave about Sugaraddy’s?
Mark and Tom discovered along the way that customers want to touch, feel and, don’t forget, taste their products, so they opened their first retail store in the Polaris-area last year. They had a hunch that downtown was the place to be and Pearl Market offered the perfect opportunity to test their hypothesis. Now you can find them on the corner of Gay and High streets serving up their Sumptuous Sweeties in a beautiful store you won’t want to leave.
These two Sugardaddy’s hook you with the first bite – Brownie Biscotti, Brownie Cheesecakes, Brownie Truffles, Brownie Pocket Change, Brownie Ice Cream and Brownie Bark envelope you as soon as you hear the baby grand piano playing in the background.
Plan on regular visits – each taste will find you with a new favorite, and you must try the newest creation, Sugardaddy’s Drunken Chunky Blondie, or if you only have eyes for chocolate, get the Sugardaddy’s Fiery Brunette or Auburn Original.
Sugardaddy’s is open at 11 E. Gay Street from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, and you won’t want to miss the month-long grand opening specials.
Sugardaddy’s from Downtown Columbus on Vimeo.
Sugardaddy’s Sumptuous Sweeties
11 E. Gay Street
614.888.4491
They vied for your votes via video. The competition was fierce. And the final margins were razor thin.
Congratulations to the 2010 Show Your Love Contest Winner (drum roll please…)
Dirty Frank’s Hot Dog Palace!!!
Thanks to all of you who voted for your flav-o-favs! With hundreds of votes cast, J. Gumbo’s fell short of the winner’s spot by a mere three votes, with Jack’s Diner, last year’s Show Your Love winner, and Burgers Dogs and Fries in hot pursuit.
Now the love showing worked both ways. By voting for their favorite lunch spot, food fans were entered to win free lunches from our featured downtown restaurants: Barrio, Burgers Dogs and Fries, Caffe Daniela, Dirty Frank’s, J. Gumbo’s, and Plantain Cafe. Congratulations to our winners who now know that there is such thing as a free lunch:
Erika Haske
Trish Mester
Alyson Miles
Angela Butler
Kristine Kring
Jen Town
Christina Ringley
Mary Groves
Jeremy
Chris Powers
Joshua Young
Rhonda Ries
Sandy Auckerman
Chris Carpenter
Mark Siple
Kris Davis
Charlie Letson
LOVE ‘EM UP
(to cast your vote immediately, click here. if you want to learn more about the campaign, read on…)
Time flies: it’s been a full year since DowntownColumbus.com’s Show Your Love project launched. Back in 2009, six local eateries joined in a good natured contest to become Downtown’s Official Sweetheart.
The competition was brutal. The love was intense. Ultimately, Jack’s Diner emerged as number one.
But it can be number one for only one year. Jack’s reign has ended. Although we still love the joint, it’s time to find 2010’s Official Sweetheart.
Just like last year, we’ve sweetened the deal for the voting public. Cast a ballot for your favorite eatery and you’re automatically registered for a set of gift certificates from all the competitors: Barrio Tapas Lounge; Burgers Dogs and Fries; Caffe Daniela; Dirty Frank’s Hot Dog Palace; J. Gumbo’s; and Plantain Cafe. Vote early and vote often.
(Sigh)… and it seemed like just yesterday when Jack’s claimed its award.
EDITOR’S NOTE: It was yesterday. SOMEBODY kept hoarding Jack’s award plaque in our office. Oops.
If you want to re-watch anyone’s video, to really take in the message, just click on the link: Barrio Tapas Lounge; Burgers Dogs and Fries; Caffe Daniela; Dirty Franks Hot Dog Palace; J. Gumbo’s; and Plantain Cafe
Show Us Some Love 2010 from Downtown Columbus on Vimeo.
