Whether you want to grab a quick breakfast on the way to the office, take a break during lunch or decompress after a long day at the office, you will think you stepped into another world when you enter de Novo Bistro and Bar. They’ve even got some great private meeting space for your board of directors’ luncheon or a bridal party rehearsal dinner, and once you hear the live entertainment, you may never want to leave.
The team that made Vonn Jazz Lounge a hit up north is behind this new, hip spot. Take a glimpse of what’s waiting and make your plans now to stop on by.
Everyone likes to be heard, right? Occasionally, our readers write and send along some perspective of their own, and we pass it along to our Right Now Downtown subscribers. Ashley Chaney has something to say about COTA. You might be surprised.
Date night on the COTA bus? To our friends’ shock and disbelief, my husband and I enjoy taking the COTA. We live in Grandview and like to explore other parts of the city. On a random Tuesday night we’ll seek out restaurant specials and head to High Street. It’s simple. We’ll catch the #5 at 6:47p.m. and by 7p.m. we’re on High Street in the Short North. We don’t have to worry about parking and we don’t have to talk about who’s driving. The complicated part is finding a night when we’re both free, but once that’s taken care of, we prefer public transportation.
Several times a week I take that same #5 bus to work downtown. When I take public transportation, I feel like I’m in a big city. I enjoy the extra 20 minutes to read a book, and that five-minute walk to my office helps wake me up in more ways than one.
Sometimes there are even perks, like when I was surprised to find out I rode the bus on Car-Free Day. When I stopped by for my morning coffee at Café Brioso, I received a discount and a thank you from the staff.
Try it out for yourself. You may find it’s fun to plan your route and also easy to navigate around our great city.
Leaves turn; fall breezes blow in cool temperatures. It’s time to pull out the ladle, crackers and eat some Zoup! Find out what the new restaurant, Zoup!, will be serving up to keep you warm and cozy through the chilly months headed our way.
Zoup! will open Thursday, November 10in the Huntington Center and will offer more than 100 kinds of soup. Twelve varieties will rotate on the menu daily including at least one low-fat, vegetarian, dairy-free and spicy.
“We visited a Zoup! in Cleveland and were instantly impressed,” said franchise owner Denis Barboza. “Our son is a picky eater and he loved the food, too. It was some of the best soup we’d ever had.”
Each order is served with a big hunk of freshly baked bread, and just in case soup is not your style, Zoup! also makes some great salads and sandwiches. Is your stomach rumbling yet?
Keep an eye out because we’ll offer a Blue Plate Special in Right Now Downtown to let you know when they open their doors in just a few weeks. Don’t forget, you’ll find them in the Huntington Center, 41 S. High Street, Monday through Friday 10:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Word is Chicken Pot Pie and Lobster Bisque are the crowd faves so keep that in mind when you head over.
There’s a new girl in town who promises to give you the jolt you need to get through the recent rainy days, a long morning meeting, or even a late afternoon stroll through the park. Find out what Java Jan has in store for you.
Java Jan, aka. Jan Antauer, perfected her barista skills a couple years ago when she opened a coffee shop in Dublin, but she was ready to expand and what better place to be than right downtown? You can find Java Jan brewing a gourmet blend near Columbus Commons at 175 on the Park (Third and Town).
“Columbus Commons is a great asset to Downtown, and our location is a real hot spot,” said Jan. “We offer a little bit of everything, and our daily specials will keep people coming back.”
She’s right. Of course, there is coffee, great coffee, but she also serves up some yummilicious sweet treats and fabulous meal options. Just in time for her fall opening is the pumpkin latte, which has been wildly popular. Coupled with one of the giant freshly baked cookies, you might just forget about the rain for a while.
Java Jan also offers a nice selection of grab-and-go breakfast and lunch options, or if you have a little extra time, take a seat inside or at the outdoor patio while you watch the action at Columbus Commons or even surf the net with free Wi-Fi.
Don’t let the rainy days keep you cloistered indoors – Java Jan is here to perk you up.
Spring has been a long time coming, and you deserve a treat. We have a fantastic way for you to celebrate the arrival of warmer temperatures – ice cream, perhaps? Oh and by the by, Pearl Market opens one week from today.
Hmmm… wonder what they two have in common? Here’s a hint:
The folks at Lexi’s on Third have been busy transforming their space into a restaurant to give downtowners just the fuel they need to keep the workflow going. You’ll find them open for business this week, and you’ll want to check them out for breakfast, lunch and happy hour! Just head to the Chase Bank Building at the corner of Broad and Third. And if the rain ever stops, you can savor your meal or happy hour on their beautiful, spacious patio.
The breakfast menu features breakfast sandwiches, omelettes and more – yummy and fast. While lunch items include hot and cold sandwiches, burgers, gyros and tasty signature salads. When the workday ends, head over for happy hour where you can enjoy draft or bottled suds or a glass of vino to help you unwind.
But before you go grab some tasty grub, check out the video that shows just how much elbow grease they used to get the space ready to roll.
The last time the peeps in C-Bus saw this much rain Grover Cleveland had just been inaugurated as President – for the second time; Frank Lloyd Wright had opened an architectural firm; and Thomas Edison was fine tuning his new-fangled phonograph. Needless to say, the Gore-Tex rain slicker was a few years away.
It could be worse; we could live along the Ohio River where they are getting even more rain. All the green stuff on the other side of the window pane loves it; so as you watch the grass grow, we’ve thought of a few more things you can do to make life less soggy.
10. Clean out a desk drawer and spiff things up a bit. Graham’s Office Supply has just what you need. Besides, new Post-Its will help distract you while you’re waiting for that gargantuan file that your boss just emailed you to download.
9. Pick up a few growlers of beer from The Elevator and invite a few friends over to start construction of a mini-ark. Mmm, Dopplebock.
8. Head on over to the Ohio Theatre to see Mary Poppins. The umbrella that Mary uses on stage is big enough to keep your entire office dry.
7. Dream about warm sunny days when you Kick It Up at Columbus Commons for Downtown Kickball. Have you sent your registration yet?
6. Hire a trainer at your favorite gym. It may not lift your attitude, but you’ll be too exhausted to really care.
5. Hit every downtown restaurant for happy hour specials. Cocktails abound downtown; start creating your list here.
4. Stroll down Gay Street and take a whiff of all the spring flowers. Heck, Gay Street is also a good place to begin your Happy Hour Hop.
2. Take your inner child to the Center for Creativity at the Columbus Museum of Art and recharge your artistic self.
And the number one thing that will help get you through this rainy season… Lunch on us and here’s your chance. Post a comment about how you like to spend your time downtown and you’ll be entered to win lunch from a variety of downtown restaurants, worth more than 30 bucks. Yum.
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!
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.
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!
HEAR YE, HEAR YE!
SERVING UP ZOUP!
RAINY DAY PERK-YOU-UP
A LITTLE LEXI’S FOR LUNCH
The last time the peeps in C-Bus saw this much rain Grover Cleveland had just been inaugurated as President – for the second time; Frank Lloyd Wright had opened an architectural firm; and Thomas Edison was fine tuning his new-fangled phonograph. Needless to say, the Gore-Tex rain slicker was a few years away.
LAUNCH INTO DOWNTOWN
TAKE A TOUR AND ENJOY A COCKTAIL