Right Now Downtown

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.

LEAVE THE LUGGAGE AT HOME

Close your eyes, lean back and imagine yourself at an outdoor cafe’ along the side streets of Paris.  Can you hear the French accordion music waft out the doors of the restaurant along with the smell of freshly baked bread?

No need to cash in your greenbacks for Euros just yet.  Alfresco dining is offered all around Downtown Columbus, and Gay Street is a great place to kick off an international expedition.

Leave the passport at home and head to Due Amici.  The European feel of this outdoor dining experience may leave you wanting to study Italian.  Sit down and relax with a superb glass of wine, and you don’t even need to worry about the exchange rate.

Is Cuban fare your thing?  Check out Plantain Cafe’, but make sure to save room for the plantain chips.  You will never look at another bag of Lay’s the same way again.

The coffee is roasting at Cafe’ Brioso, and you’ll have a hard time choosing among all the freshly prepared sandwiches and salads.  Those crunchy little handmade croutons are about as close to heaven as you need to be.

Tip Top Kitchen & Cocktails celebrated their three-year anniversary last week.  Honor the milestone with a cold one and big plate of sweet potato fries.  Go ahead, throw in a pot roast sandwich if you dare.

Is your stomach growling yet?  We haven’t even hit J. Gumbo’s for jambalaya, and Latitude 41 builds delicious meals around fresh ingredients purchased right here from local merchants to create a meal that you won’t soon forget.  Rendezvous Cafe’ is nestled across the street and offers a wide assortment of delicious stews, sandwiches and salads.

If that’s not enough, just around the corner Pearl Alley plays host to burgers at Ringside, pizza at Cafe’ Napolitana and Latin cuisine at El Arepazo.  Wrap it all up with a Drunken Chunky Blondie at Sugardaddy’s or loosen your belt and head on down High Street for even more options.  Let us know your favorites.

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.