It had been a few years since I spent any time in Columbus,
Ohio. I had come each November to cover a tennis tournament every year, but never got to
spend much time downtown. Since then, I had heard the city had welcomed a new food and
drink scene and I was anxious to check it out.
After I left Rockmill
Brewery, I went straight to the Hampton Inn and Suites Downtown to check
in. I was met there by Scott Peacock, Public Relations Manager for Experience Columbus.
Scott took me to M at Miranova, one of Cameron Mitchell’s
restaurants, which is known for its drinks as much as its food.
We started the evening at the bar trying out some of those
famous cocktails made by Cris
Dehlavi, a mixologist extraordinaire who has brought her award winning
skills to this restaurant for nearly a decade. Scott and I were joined by
another local celebrity, Angela An. The local morning news anchor has an
interest in food and drinks that brought her and her husband to develop Food Hop, a series of culinary and beverage
tours.
Cris did not let us down when it came to mixing it up behind
the bar. Her creations were both tasty and beautiful and included Black
Orchid, with Belvedere Black Raspberry, St. Germain Elderflower, white
cranberry and lemon juice, served over a frozen black orchid.
There was also Marquee, with
Belvedere Cytrus, Cointreau Noir, agave nectar, blood orange puree and lemon
juice, and a citrus-free creation made just for me with hibisucus syrup,
Plymouth Gin, ginger liqueur and Veuve Clicquot Champagne (so many of my
favorite liquids!).
We talked about the big foodie movement in Columbus and how
the distilleries have joined in as we sampled a few of the appetizers at M.
Scott and Angela raved about the Butter Poached King Crab while I relished the Kobe
Beef Mini Burgers with Monterey jack cheese, caramelized onions and sea salt
fries. It was the first meat I had in weeks and I was starting to appreciate it
even more know that I was eating mostly vegetarian.
Angela had to get home (morning anchors have early morning
wake-ups) and Scott and I continued to talk about all there was to do, see and
eat in Columbus, where Cameron Mitchell is just one of the restaurateurs
bringing in interesting eateries. For dinner we shared the Beer Short Ribs with
glazed carrots and celery root puree, and the Veal Mignon, a braised veal cheek
with an asiago crepe and shitake mushroom sauce. Both were great, but the
Macaroni & Cheese with Tillamook cheddar and black truffles was phenomenal.
The dessert menu looked as good as the main one and it took
a while before we narrowed it down to the Root Beer Float with warm chocolate
chip cookies, root beer granite and chocolate syrup, and the Apple Pie, with
warm apples, almond crumble, Apple Jack ice cream and cider caramel. They were
perfect choices and we were both stuffed when we left.
Scott dropped me off at the hotel and I got a good night’s
sleep. After the wonderful meal the night before I was in no rush for breakfast
and took my time walking over to the North Market, located just behind to
Hampton Inn in the Short North area. I was quite impressed with the selection
of cheese, meats, fish, poultry, chocolates, breads, kitchen items and more. I learned a
bit about the evolution of markets throughout Columbus in the early 20th
century, leading to this one now.
I wandered for a while, trying to decide what to try. The
scent of waffles at Taste
of Belgium beckoned me and I watched them turn one of the balls of dough
into a delectable treat. Then there was Jeni’s
Splendid Ice Cream, where treats like Goat Cheese with Cognac Figs have
garnered them a reputation even out of the Midwest. Before I
left I also tasted one of the Bavarian pretzels at Brezel,
and picked up a loaf of Sourdough bread (my daughter’s favorite) to .bring to
New York with me from Omega
Artisan Baking
In addition to everything you find in the 35 stalls, there
is a Farmer’s Market here outside in the spring and cooking classes upstairs. The
Columbus Dispatch also films a weekly segment from here.
I had to leave North Market because I had a full day ahead
of me with lots of eating and drinking. I was excited to be visiting some of
Columbus’ distilleries, but first I was heading over to meet my organizer for
this trip, Amy Weirick, to make some candles.
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