Right Now Downtown

SHOW YOUR LOVE!

It’s time for the third annual Show Your Love contest!  With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, it’s a great time for you downtown-ites to show some love to your favorite downtown eatery. 

That’s right, the downtown hot spot that gets the most votes wins the coveted Show Your Love plaque!  Who will join 2009 winner Jack’s Diner  and 2010 winner Dirty Franks Hot Dog Palace?  Old favorites like Cafe Napolitana?  New hits like Jimmy John’s?  Or maybe a new twist on an old fav like Little Palace?

We don’t want you to feel left out, though.  So to show you some love, when you vote here for your favorite you will be entered to win free lunches from each of our five featured restaurants, each of which marked its downtown debut in 2010:  Lynnally’s, Michael O’Toole’s, The Pickle, Si Senor Sandwiches and More and Spinelli’s Deli . 

They are begging for your vote.  Don’t believe us?  Check out these videos!

THERE’S A NEW KID ON THE BLOCK

For years European cities have utilized urban alleys as an extension of city living, but Yankees stateside were slow to learn until recent urban revitalization efforts.  We’re on the ball now and boast our own jewel right in the center of downtown in Pearl and Lynn alleys.

It’s no secret that shoppers find lots of great deals and treasures in the alley during the twice weekly Pearl Market, but these alleys are home to some great eats all week long.

We’ve got a Mecca of restaurants that pull hungry stomachs in for ethnic treats and home-style favorites in Lynn and Pearl alleys.  There’s Ringside Café that makes a burger that will stave off the hungriest construction worker; Café Napolitana tempts the Italian in all of us with their freshly made pizza pie; Pickles Deli on the corner of Lynn and Third makes a mean hoagie; Jack’s has old-time diner written all over it – grab the grits and eggs if you have any doubts; J. Gumbo’s spices things up with their Cajun fare; and don’t forget the cilantro sauce at El Arepazo (Did you know you can buy the stuff by the bottle?).

Tempting as it all is, the alleys welcome a new kid on the block – Lynnally’s.  Man, are you in for a treat.  Their goal is to use high quality, local ingredients to make the best meals possible – fast.

“Just because your time is limited doesn’t mean you have to sacrafice taste and wholsomeness,” say co-owners Matt Nickel and Shawn Korn, who also own Barrel 44 in the Short North.

They stand behind their mantra with made-to-order salads with more than 40 toppings to choose from and loaded baked potatoes the size of your head!  Everyday customers also enjoy freshly roasted pork, beef, chicken and turkey on sandwiches, salads and pasta dishes.  Top it off with made-from-scratch dressings and sauces and you are in for a feast.

Is your stomach rumblin’ yet?  Stop in and see for yourself.  They are even offering a little enticement for you in this week’s Blue Plate Special in our weekly newsletter Right Now Downtown, so read on and don’t wait.  (And if you aren’t a Right Now Downtown subscriber, sign up now!)

Lynn and Pearl alleys bring a lot to the city, but there’s plenty more to come.  What kind of business would you like to see pop up here next?  Tell us what you think.

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.

LAST SUPPER

You know what happens next week?  That’s right; the New Year’s Diet starts.  Given the fact that celery-city is right around the corner, it’s time to eat all the downtown goodies before the calendar turns and the calorie cops come calling…

1.  Try Fried Plantains.  Plantain Cafe (77 E. Gay Street) offers the starchy banana in three different forms.  The most decadent would be the Mariquitas, which are thinly sliced, fried up and teamed with a snappy mojo.

2.  Speaking of fried things, head to Jack’s for a good fix of classic crinkle cut French Fries.  Remember, ketchup counts as a vegetable!

3.  And for those who have not yet experienced the joy of crunchy fried pepperoni chips, it’s time to try The Jury Room (22 E. Mound Street).

4.  Alfredo Alfredo Alfredo: it’s been on the no-no list for ten years.  Get your fix at Caffe Daniela (17 S. High Street) with pasta and a generous dose of the creamy stuff.

5.  Put a little south in your mouth with Flatiron’s Fried Oyster Po-Boy (129 E. Nationwide Blvd.).  Not only are those velvety bits fried, they’re teamed with remoulade (that’s Cajun Mayo)!

6.  And for dessert?  Baklava at Dirty Frank’s (248 S. Fourth Street) – you wouldn’t think a hot dog joint would sell the best baklava in town, but it’s true.  Delicate, buttery and oh-so-sweet… as for the hot dogs, you’ll find a virtuous veggie version that will work just fine next month with the New Year’s Diet.

Still hungry for more?  Sugardaddy’s Sumptuous Sweeties opens its doors on Gay Street later in January.  It’s a delicious way to end the New Year’s Diet!

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.

JACK ATTACK
Based on the sheer volume of votes, we now know that y’all love downtown restaurants… a lot. After weeks of eating and voting and eating some more, we have the public’s pick for Show Your Love: Jack’s Diner.

The owner, Chris Kowalski, took a little time out to tell us about the winning strategy. For the full effect, hum the Rocky Theme Song while reading on…

1. Surround Yourself With Affirming Messages
The diner put up signs and made carryout flyers. There were table tents, and its Web site’s front page continued the campaign. Jack’s went all out.

But what would you expect from a place that celebrates every holiday with more seasonal bling than a Kindergarten classroom?

2. Take One for the Team
Chris insists, “We weren’t really trying to win, just to get people to vote.”

3. The Secret Weapon
That’d be the double cheeseburger, on a grilled bun. Then he adds, “with a milkshake… and fries.”

If you voted for a different downtown eatery, they’re all winners in our book. You can give the other joints a prize too: your patronage!