Philco Diner

Adress: 747 N. High St
Phone: 614-299-9933

Diner food is a treat we can all enjoy. Whether you are in the mood for a dinner of eggs, or a brunch of meatloaf you can assuredly get most anything you want at most any time of the day. Philco Diner, takes the idea of your mom and pop diner and brings it to a more upscale, locally inspired level. 

Inside you find a long bar, and a few booths, and a couple high tables. Wood tones and pea green booths with a strong grey coating every remaining inch. On my last visit, the place was so hot, I just felt uncomfortable for the majority of the time (perhaps this is do to the inconsistent weather we've been having).

On this visit, we started with cheese curds. Lightly fried chunks from blue jacket dairy- sweet, buttery and salty. Everything I love in a cheese curd was to be found in the order, my only problem come to the portion size. It wouldn't be a bad size, but they served them on a plate that made me feel cheated. Sure it came with a spicy pickle mayonnaise- but a smaller plate would have made them feel extra special.

After that I had Phillip's Burger. A 6 oz patty of beef, with arugula, a roasted tomato, grilled onions, Ohio cheddar, a little of the pickle mayonnaise all stacked in two soft challah buns.My burger was well cooked, but stacked a bit high, making it hard to eat. With it I ordered a side of fries and some of their bloody marry aioli. The fries were large, cooked well and hot. They weren't super crispy, but they were well seasoned. They aioli on the other hand, had a slight spice to it, but other than that wasn't very inspired- I saw no resemblance to the cocktail.

*For those of you who have seen aioli on the menus of countless restaurants and are still baffled by receiving dull mayonnaise with a drop of flavoring- join the club. By definition an aioli is a heavily garlic flavored mayonnaise (fine it's a fancy way of saying mayonnaise) that can be further flavored with the addition of other seasonings. Emphasis on the garlic, most restaurants in Columbus start with a gallon jug of mayonnaise and just spin some sirracha or herbs in it. Restaurants please start making real aioli if you are going to call it that- pack in the flavor!

That is where the meal ended, tasty and worth going back to. I've been before and can highly recommend the duck wings- they are really worth it, although the portion is a bit weak. If you haven't been to Philco since they reopend last year, I'd suggest you check it out on your next Short North visit. 

Keep Eating,

JTFussy

Skillet

Address: 410 E Whittier St, Columbus, OH 43206
Phone:(614) 443-2266

Family owned, responsible ingredients, phenomenal. 

I was once asked, when I started this project, what I would say when I finally got around to reviewing Skillet.  Those words are all I can offer when it comes down to it.

I had been there a few times before I decided to actually give them a write up. The small restaurant sits down in German Village, and holds close to (maybe)20 people. Their logo is Rustic Urban Food- and on that- they deliver. There are restaurants that give you a lot of panache and most often fall short, Skillet isn't one of those restaurants. They give you real food, cooked correctly, with no strings attached. 

I found myself in an odd position, actually being able to get lunch from Skillet. Typically with the work schedule I can't make it down. So with it having been decided that it would be a Skillet day, Brandon and I made our trip down. 

We were immediately sat, something that can be difficult with the small interior. Our waiter was charming and joked with us as he took the order. Brandon had iced tea and mine was hot. The hot tea contained bits of  toasted rice, adding a delightful nutty flavor. The iced tea was brewed fine, but the raspberry flavor seemed artificial, whether or not it was-I think I'll never know. For our first course we indulged in soup. He the chickpea puree, and I a tomato bisque. The puree was pleasantly textured and had a pungent cumin nose to it- very warming on the rainy afternoon. The bisque was beautiful, heavy bodied and fresh- there were small bits of peppered bacon throughout.

After a few minutes we got our main course. I, after choosing it last time, had to get the macaroni and cheese. Perfectly tender noodles wrapped up in a just-thick-enough Laurel Valley Creamery cheese sauce, topped with large chucks of seared Bluescreek ham and arugula. I was in heaven. Each bite was full of flavor, but the occasional encounter of salty pork became fireworks inside of my mouth. 

Luckily Brandon wasn't able to finish his lamb burger. I can honestly say I've never had a lamb burger (perhaps even a beef burger) that even comes close to the symphony that was nestled in between those toasted brioche buns. The perfectly toasted buns with just a nip of char, contained a perfectly seasoned, perfectly cooked, juicy lamb patty with herb whipped Cloverton Cheese (again Laurel Valley) and pea shoots from Swainway Farms.  Sweet, salty, fresh, and just the perfect amount of lamb flavor.I am speechless to further praise this sandwich- it was that good.

Unfortunately that is where the meal had to end, we were too full to continue. Although I haven't had their dinner offerings, lunch and breakfast are some of the best to be found in the city. Skillet is within the top 3 restaurants I've eaten at in the Columbus., If you haven't gone (ever or recently) GO! 

Keep Eating,
JTFussy

Cambridge Tea House

Do you ever have the urge to just get fancy or down right proper? Of course you do! And what says "I'm a well bred individual, who is concerned with diplomats, and is down-right polite" than sipping on a cup of tea.

Address: 1885 W 5th Ave, Columbus, Ohio 43212
Phone:(614) 486-6464

Cambridge Tea House is a quaint little restaurant located at the edge of Grandview. Parking is tight, and the place, itself, is rather small. Inside you will find a light color palette of tame wood, a large helping of white, and a splatter here and there of rosy reds offset by regal golds.

Small tables make for more intimate dining, but can easily become crowded with large tiered platters of pastry, plates, and your tea pot-all snug in its warmer. I accompanied a few friends to brunch on this particular day. A smallish menu of light sandwiches, pastry, and a variety of egg dishes sat on the table next to a vary thorough tea list.

After a few moments of glancing at the offerings we each sent in for a small pot of our tea choices. The pots were large enough to serve one for the entire meal, and came out piping-hot and fully brewed. I chose the Queen Catherine- a blend of three Chinese teas. The full body tea was perfectly brewed, and was everything one expects from a good quality black tea. Each pot came with its own tea cozy, keeping the pot warm while you discuss your latest game of crokay/ art/ or politics.  

The food came at its own leisure, this was no problem for a lazy Saturday brunch. I had the quiche and simple cream scone. The quiche was the ever popular broccoli and cheddar variety. You can't really go wrong with a slice of quiche (unless it's ill seasoned or over cooked) but the egg pie was tasty. The scone was excellent, one of the best I've had in quite some time. It was crisp and sugared on the outside, yet soft and biscuit-y on the inside. It was served with strawberry preserves and clotted cream; the combination of the two was quite delightful. The fruit cup that came with it, however, was plain and uninspired (although fresh).

I succumbed to the offer of a rhubarb pavlova. A simple baked meringue island with rhubarb compote and a few sliced strawberries. The dessert was light and refreshing, even if it left something to be desired (maybe a nice flight of dessert wine). The meringue was baked at too high of a temperature, browning it slightly and the whipped cream was from a air foamer (It's ok, everyone does it). Rhubarb did shine in the compote, typically that earthy quality is masked by mounds of sugar. The topping of fresh strawberries was obvious, and the berries were not ripe, perhaps a different choice or a splash of something not red would have been a more exciting choice. 

Overall, I enjoyed myself at the Tea House. It was a pleasurable change of pace; don't get me wrong it could have been more adventurous- but it was a wholesome experience. I would suggest going for brunch, a bachelorette party, or tea time with young princesses. They do offer occasional ,reservation only, candle light dinners (I feel like I'm in "Keeping Up Appearances") but their hours are a scosche tricky, so make sure you check before you head over to this one.

Keep Eating,

JTFussy

Olde Towne Tavern

It's Tuesday, and if you are like half of the restaurants in Columbus you know what that means- Tacos! 

Who doesn't love a good taco? Hot, juicy, easy to customize, and portable- they may be one of my top ten most perfect foods. While talking about tacos, I have to note how greatly special a fish taco can be. Tender, sweet fish with bright toppings; can easily elevate you beyond the basic seasoned ground beef.

With that being said, fish tacos are greatly under rated here in Columbus. If you manage to find them on the menu, chances are they read just like the place next door- Grilled or fried white fish, topped with cabbage and fresh tomato salsa. Perhaps we don't have ground breaking options because we live so far away from the ocean. But with advances in shipping as well as fresh water fish such as trout- I don't see this as a reasonable excuse. Even if we had to deal with the same fish over and over, toppings are endless. Why we all have to eat the same fish taco on repeat is beyond me.

Address: 889 Oak St, Columbus, OH 43205
Phone:(614) 252-2955

The Olde Towne Tavern, is a located on the increasingly bustling oak street. Right across from Yellow Brick, and nestled in the shadow of The Angry Baker. The Tavern is a dark, decently noisy and in general- just a come as you are kinda place. A well laid out menu, with something to please most everyone; nothing really jumps out, but everything sounds delicious. 

Upon sitting, Brandon and I were greeted and put in our orders for ciders and lambic. The bar is very well stocked, and if you are a beer person, I bet you will find something worth trying out. 

On special during our happy hour visit, were the soft pretzels. The came out hot, salty and so satisfying. With them came a honey whole grain mustard sauce, as well as a spicy cheese option. I assumed I would show preference to the cheese sauce. I LOVE cheese; it was thick and flavorful; however, the honey mustard was surprisingly my favorite option- sweet tangy and so robustly refreshing. 

After that we proceeded. Brandon ordered a cup of the chili and the Tavern salad. The soup was a hearty bowl of flavor- rich and loaded with cheese and sour cream.  The salad was nothing like what we imagined. It was huge! A platter of lettuce, not topped but, layered with mounds of bacon crumbles, avocado, tomatoes, egg, and blue cheese. He couldn't eat the entire mountain. 

I, as you guessed from the above rant, had the fish tacos. Grilled white fish, flour tortilla, and cabbage. Tasty after a squeeze of lime. There was nothing wrong, but they were lacking excitement. Served with them was a small dish of black beans, a small amount of mango/tomato salsa, and tortilla chips. The salsa and beans definitely helped the tacos, but there wasn't enough for the chips!

Alas, the Old Towne Tavern was a good time, they just left me searching for an exciting fish taco. I'd go back for happy hour, but I think I'd try one of their sandwiches or a salad instead. The grilled red masher, sounds pretty tasty (Grilled cheese with mashed potatoes on top).

Keep Eating,

JTFussy